"Princess Orchid is truly a person who values emotion and righteousness."
Alex instantly looked deeply respectful.
Making a show of solemnity, he reached out with both hands and accepted the Heavenly Heart Unregretful Orchid.
Even though he had just scored a massive, heaven-defying bargain, he still feigned a look of deep reluctance and regret.
He cast a sidelong glance at Daven, his eyes filled with thick unwillingness.
"You old shit, how is your luck so incredibly good?"
"You are clearly a treacherous, useless scoundrel, yet you managed to get Princess Orchid to protect you with such effort."
"For the sake of Princess Orchid and the face of the Heavenly Flame Dynasty, I will spare your life today."
"That bloody debt of you stealing the spirit stones and nearly causing the family's extermination is written off right here and now."
"However, from this day forward, between the Hale family and you, and you and the Hale family, there are no longer any ties whatsoever."
"If you ever dare to call yourself an elder of the Hale family again and stir up trouble everywhere, I will absolutely place righteousness above family blood and destroy both your body and soul!"
"Get lost!"
Alex thrust out a palm, blasting Daven Hale away.
Daven slumped against the wall, a trail of bright red blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
He wanted to kneel and kowtow in gratitude, but his entire body was numb, completely unable to move a single inch.
The Hale family crowd stood utterly dumbfounded.
The meaning of the Saint Lord's words just now, could it be that he was going to expel Daven from the Hale family?
It was simply like a dream, incredibly hard to believe.
Just as the Saint Lord had said, Daven held no official title or position.
He merely had high seniority.
He had absolutely no right to interfere in any of the Hale family's major decisions.
Let alone the right to abolish Alex's position as Saint Lord. Conversely, as the Saint Lord, Alex had every right to strike Daven's name from the clan's registry.
But wasn't this a bit too surreal?
The last time Daven visited, the Saint Lord had treated him with the utmost reverence.
No matter how arrogant and rude he was, the Saint Lord never struck back when beaten or talked back when cursed.
Yet this time, the Saint Lord's attitude had undergone an earth-shattering transformation. He was completely expelling this old scoundrel from the Hale family.
It was simply too damned exhilarating.
In an instant, Cedric, Tobias, and the entire crowd of Hale family disciples couldn't help but excitedly clench their fists and shout.
"The Saint Lord is wise!"
"We will forever support the Saint Lord's every decision!"
Over the years, how domineering and arrogant had Daven been.
Constantly bullying and suppressing them.
Demanding spirit stones and medicinal herbs without restraint, exploiting the cultivation resources meant for the family's juniors.
Every disciple had seen it with their own eyes and felt it firsthand.
Now, the Saint Lord had finally made up his mind to place righteousness above family blood and reclaim this old man's status as Third Grand Uncle.
For the Hale family crowd, this was even more deeply satisfying than when Isolde was expelled.
It was practically like pulling a thorn from the flesh and removing a nail from the eyes of everyone in the household.
"You... what did you say..."
Daven trembled all over, a pleading look in his eyes.
Alex couldn't even be bothered to spare him another glance. He slowly raised his head toward Selene.
"Princess Orchid, when you return, please pass a message to Her Majesty the Empress."
"Today, in the name of the Saint Lord, I expel Daven from the Hale family."
"From this day forward, the Hale family severs all ties with him and has no further connection."
"No matter what kind of mess Daven stirs up, it has absolutely nothing to do with the Hale family."
"Even when he dies in the future, he is not permitted to be buried in the Hale family's ancestral tombs."
Each declaration was as cold and ruthless as the grim reaper's sentence.
Daven's face turned the color of dead ashes, his eyes filled with bitter despair.
Having lost the Heavenly Heart Unregretful Orchid, Selene's face was pale and her aura was weak. But she still forced her weakened body to nod slightly.
"This Princess understands."
"Saint Lord Alex, please quell your anger. We shall take our leave."
"Knox, support the Duke of Hale."
"Let us go."
Feeling Alex's playful, mocking gaze, Knox clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, his expression uglier than if he had just swallowed a fly.
But at Selene's call, he had no choice but to support Daven and follow her away.
…
On the road leaving the Hale family, the three remained silent.
Compared to when they arrived, each one smug, confident, and brimming with heroism, they now looked like defeated roosters, heads drooping dejectedly.
They had come to the Hale family today to pick a fight.
In the end, not only did they fail to pick a fight, but they lost the bait along with the fish, thoroughly cursed out by Alex and suffering massive losses.
Daven felt all his hopes turn to ash upon being expelled from the Hale family.
Selene felt incredibly lost and depressed over losing her Heavenly Heart Unregretful Orchid.
Knox, supporting the weakened Daven, gnashed his teeth in absolute rage.
He had originally wanted to borrow Daven's prestige to win back his face at the Hale family's holy land.
But winning back face was secondary.
What was truly important was reclaiming the treasures Alex had snatched away.
Isolde's Seven Orifices Divine Heart, Iris's Jade Sword and Blood Purification Bottle, the Heavenly Spirit Flame Lotus and the Hale family's ancestral treasure, the Rakshasa Demon Umbrella.
And the result?
This old geezer had bragged so incredibly hard on the way here.
As if he were Alex's literal ancestor, an existence whose word was absolute law in the Hale family.
But once they got there, it wasn't like that at all.
Not only did they get mercilessly humiliated by Alex, but to save this old geezer's life, they had to sacrifice Selene's Heavenly Heart Unregretful Orchid.
Yet another treasure Knox had set his sights on early had fallen into Alex's hands.
Thinking of the playful, mocking look in Alex's eyes right before they left, as if he were looking at a rat caught in his palm, Knox felt his hair stand on end in sheer fury, so angry he wanted to vomit blood.
After walking for about a hundred miles, far away from the Hale family's holy land.
Knox kept thinking as he walked, getting angrier the more he thought about it.