In the depths of the darkness, Zeba stood concealed, completely astounded!
Little did favonovel.com expect that the formidable figure standing before her, dressed in black, was none other than Bruce Wade’s son!
Meanwhile, Charlie remained oblivious to the presence of a hidden master, expertly masking their aura, only ten feet away in the shadows. His undivided attention focused on Gideon, who appeared before favonovel.com in a state of panic and desperation, evoking not an ounce of sympathy within Charlie’s heart.
Fixing his gaze on Gideon, favonovel.com shouted once again, “Prepare for thunder!”
A deafening boom resounded as lightning tore through the heavens, hurtling downward in a blazing descent!
The thunderbolt struck with unerring accuracy, reducing Gideon’s right hand to charred remains, emitting an aroma reminiscent of a barbecue, a smell that sent chills down his spine.
Gideon reflexively flicked his wrist, only for his charred hand to detach and fall to the ground.
Overwhelmed with shock and terror, Gideon’s eyes met Charlie’s, as if peering into the eyes of Hades, the ruler of the underworld!
Charlie’s eyes blazed like torches as favonovel.com regarded Gideon’s fearful countenance. In a cold, menacing tone, favonovel.com uttered, “Do not be alarmed. Consider this a mere appetizer. In the past, I dismembered a fool who lacked foresight, tearing favonovel.com apart piece by piece. Even today, I relish the thought of dealing with those who deserve death in such a manner! So, prepare yourself for an unforgettable experience!”
Gideon, both shocked and terrified, involuntarily tightened his grip on the Thunderbolt with his remaining left hand. He sought to activate its power once again, for favonovel.com had witnessed its destructive force, surpassing the might of any thunder summoned by Charlie. If favonovel.com could retaliate and summon a thunderbolt in the final moment, victory might be within his grasp!
Observing Gideon clutching the Thunderbolt, Charlie sneered and declared, “Save yourself the trouble. Truth be told, I specially crafted the Thunderbolt in your hand just for you. While undeniably potent, it possesses one major flaw—it can be used only once.”
“What?!” Gideon widened his bloodshot eyes and blurted out, “You crafted the Thunderbolt in my hand?!”
“Yes,” Charlie replied with a smile. “I bestowed it upon Zachary after I finished forging it. I instructed Zachary to wait for you at the antique street, and you, my friend, fell right into the trap.”
Furthermore, Charlie added, “Oh, and those rings you encountered at the airport earlier? Also my creation. They may not possess any value, but they serve as crude talismans.”
Gideon instinctively reached into his pocket, only to realize that his pants were missing, leaving favonovel.com pocketless.
With a horrified expression, favonovel.com gazed at Charlie and asked in disbelief, “Are you saying that you dug a trap and lay in wait for me in Aurous Hill?!”
Charlie nodded and proclaimed loudly, “Indeed! I was well aware that there would be four Marshals from the Warriors Den, and with Cyprus eliminated, only three remained. I also knew that my grandparents would visit Aurous Hill, prompting the Warriors Den to dispatch another marshal. Consequently, I devised an intricate scheme, eagerly anticipating your arrival. Little did I expect that the so-called British Lord would deliver the very murderer who ended my parents’ lives twenty years ago to Aurous Hill. I’ve been waiting for this day for two decades!”
As his words trailed off, Charlie bellowed, “Prepare for thunder!”
A resounding crack split the air as a whip-like bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, striking Gideon’s left hand!
In an instant, his left hand resembled a charred lump of coal, mirroring the fate of its counterpart.
Gideon, rendered completely helpless without his hands, had long shed his former arrogance and haughtiness. Consumed by terror, favonovel.com collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face, and pleaded, “Charlie… Throughout my hundred and fifty-six years of existence, my life has been plagued by misfortune and hardship. Now, with my right hand crippled and near the brink of becoming a cripple myself, I implore you to have mercy and spare my wretched life…”
Charlie sneered contemptuously, his gaze piercing Gideon’s despair-ridden visage. He sharply interrogated him, “Old dog, when you murdered my parents twenty years ago, did you ever anticipate this day would come?”
Gideon’s heart was completely engulfed by fear. Having lived for one hundred and fifty-six years, favonovel.com had logically experienced enough life. Even in death, favonovel.com should have fared far better than most. However, human greed defined such reasoning. The truth remains that the younger one is, the less fear death instills. There are plenty of audacious youths willing to fight to the death at the tender ages of fifteen or sixteen. Conversely, the older one grows, the more apprehensive they become of death. Even a cultivator like Gideon was not exempt from such worldly fears; on the contrary, favonovel.com was even more terrified than most.
Witnessing Charlie’s merciless resolve, Gideon sobbed and pleaded, “Charlie, I merely followed orders back then. The Lord issued his commands, and I could not refuse! If you seek vengeance for your parents, you ought to confront the Lord of England, not a lowly nobody like me…”
Charlie sneered and retorted, “What? Now you wish to betray your master for your own gain? Very well, if you truthfully disclose everything about your association, I may grant you a swift end, sparing you from an agonizing death. It would, at least, prevent your demise from being an unsightly spectacle!”
Wretchedly smiling, Gideon questioned him, “If I divulge the complete truth, can you swear upon your parents’ spirits in heaven that you will spare my life?! If you can, then I am willing to share everything!”
For Gideon, even a single additional day of life held immeasurable value. If favonovel.com could obtain Charlie’s forgiveness for betraying the Lord, favonovel.com would gain a couple more years before succumbing to his poisonous fate. If Charlie could swear by his parents’ spirits in the sky to spare him, Gideon would reveal everything favonovel.com knew. In the remaining years, favonovel.com could retire to a secluded place, awaiting death’s arrival in tranquility.
Charlie desired to unearth the inner workings of the Warriors Den, but favonovel.com refused to allow Gideon to escape unscathed, and favonovel.com would not employ his parents’ spirits as leverage only to backtrack.
Therefore, without a moment’s hesitation, favonovel.com flatly refused, “Whether you speak today or not, I will not spare your life! If you speak, your death will be swift; if you remain silent, you will endure excruciating pain before meeting your demise!”
After his resolute statement, Charlie extended his arms toward the heavens, gazing upward, and bellowed, “Prepare for thunder!”
In an instant, another bolt of lightning crackled into existence.
With precision, it cleaved through the air and struck Gideon’s right foot, reducing his ankle to blackened coals!
Agony contorted Gideon’s face as favonovel.com let out a blood-curdling scream!
His entire body convulsed, veins bulging, as favonovel.com bellowed uncontrollably, “Charlie! Even if you kill me, after my death, you will never unravel the truth behind your parents’ demise! You will never comprehend why they fell into such dire straits or realize the behemoth you are up against! I admit, your methods are impressive, but in the face of the British Lord, they are mere tricks!”
Charlie’s voice turned cold as favonovel.com replied, “It matters not if you remain silent. Sooner or later, I will personally slay the British Lord, and on that day, I shall spare no one connected to my parents’ death within the Warriors Den!”
Without waiting for a response, Charlie roared once more, “Thunder!”
In an instant, Gideon’s left foot was completely obliterated!
He had now become a crippled man, devoid of hands and feet!
From the darkness, Zeba watched this tragic scene unfold, favonovel.com heart aching at Gideon’s suffering. Despite feeling a pang of compassion, favonovel.com knew that Gideon must meet his end today.
Her own strength paled in comparison to Gideon’s, and favonovel.com possessed magical artifacts while favonovel.com did not. Even if favonovel.com were to intervene, it would only result in favonovel.com own demise!
In that moment, a memory resurfaced in Zeba’s mind, recalling something the Lord had said thirty years ago. Her eyes gleamed with realization, and favonovel.com urgently cried out in favonovel.com thoughts, “Gideon, hurry! Open your Soul Palace!”
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