The Heiress’ Return: Six Brothers at Her Beck and Call (Wynter Quinnell) novel Chapter 1785

The competition between the peaks had grown fierce in recent years. Each mountain sect's elders were all vying to accumulate more golden encounters and resources for their own factions.

They had indeed considered simply taking over Mt. Nyxvarn, but they couldn't force the issue as long as their lineage still held on.

The best solution was to wait for Ailithir to pass away sooner rather than later. Then, they could offer a gesture of goodwill and take care of this lineage—or what was left of it.

Compared to other sects with hundreds or even thousands of disciples, Mt. Nyxvarn had only 24 disciples—excluding Wynter's boy toys.

There used to be 25, but Jaylene, who had the strongest spiritual roots, had betrayed the sect when a better one offered to take her in. She even stole a secret manual before leaving.

It was as if she had completely forgotten that she would have been long lost to humiliation if it weren't for Ailithir buying her freedom from the brothel. She would never have become the person everyone now praised as someone who walked the path of the Primordial Arcane.

Hence, while some people might appear righteous on the surface, their hearts were often rotten to the core.

Mt. Nyxvarn's disciples had once asked Ailithir why he didn't demand the manual back. But he had simply smiled and shaken his head.

"I had my own selfish motives when I brought her back. I thought a disciple with strong spiritual roots could help Mt. Nyxvarn survive. But now, I see it was my own mistake, and I must bear the consequences."

Everyone in Mt. Nyxvarn knew this, but Ailithir had never told his disciples about his impending demise.

Ailithir worried about where they would go if Mt. Nyxvarn fell. He was not one to go against the natural order in his life, but he wanted to at least try by bringing someone he shouldn't have to the mountain. In the end, it proved that Jaylene was better suited for Mt. Lunther.

As for how to preserve Mt. Nyxvarn, he had already made preparations.

With a wave of his sleeve, a large, translucent formation appeared in the corner at the west, resembling an inverted glass bowl. It enveloped dozens of emerald peaks, the shortest of which was Mt. Nyxvarn's Trinity Peaks.

Unlike the other mountain sects' ethereal beauty, this peak felt more humble, even somewhat shabby. There were plenty of groves and lakes. The water was crystal-clear, teeming with fish. Beyond the lake was what looked like a thriving medicinal herb garden.

After seeing the other peaks' grand halls, Wynter could only describe Mt. Nyxvarn with one word—poor.

She glanced at her seniors. True, Elliot and Tobias weren't exactly business-savvy, but she hadn't expected things to be this bad. If she really was the Princess of Velmoria, shouldn't she have more money than this?

"Wynter, follow me to the peak."

As soon as Ailithir spoke, a hall came into view. It was dazzlingly golden, adorned with glass and jewels, completely unlike a place where cultivators would live.

Wynter was studying the hall and couldn't help but wonder who it was that had such terrible taste in architecture.

Then, she heard a voice from behind. "Wynter, go rest in your hall for a bit. We'll call you when dinner's ready!"

Wynter was stunned. Was this her hall? She turned sharply, only to see Ailithir smiling at her before flying off to the grove's alchemy room. Meanwhile, everyone else went to their respective rooms.

However, her room, known as the Aureum Pavilion, was completely out of place with the rest of Mt. Nyxvarn. Fortunately, another peak blocked it from view.

Wynter landed with Dalton and finally understood what it meant to be blinded by flashiness. "This platform isn't bad. You can watch the sunrise in the east and the sunset in the west."

Setting aside the gaudy exterior, the view was truly like being in a fairyland. Thin clouds drifted around, and even a crane flew by. It was a sight Wynter had never seen before, and she couldn't help but pause to take it in.

Dalton stood silently beside her, seemingly unfazed, as if he had seen it all before.

Wynter held Dalton's hand and eagerly walked inside, hoping to learn more about herself through the hall's furnishings.

But as soon as she stepped through the door, three figures approached her. Their voices were distinct—gentle, deep, and lively—but all carried the same joy. "Her Highness has returned from her training!"

"Uh... yes, I'm back..." Wynter's tone faltered because the scene before her was a bit overwhelming.

Three strikingly handsome men stood before her, each with their own unique charm.

The one with the gentle voice held an emerald flute and dressed in a white robe. His gaze was tender, and his face was impossibly likable.

The deep-voiced one wore black, with marks on his neck, his eyes stubborn and fierce, exuding a war general's commanding beauty.

The lively one had a boyish face, his black hair tied up in a wolf-tail, radiating youthful energy. His smile, complete with a pair of canine teeth, was infectious.

"Your Highness, it's been seven days since I last saw you. I've missed you so much." The boyish one, Jarion Barnn, was the first to move, his cat-like eyes sparkling. "I was going to go to the Wretched Ground to find you, but they said I couldn't break the rules.

"Garth, Albin, and I were all worried about you." Jarion puffed out his cheeks. "Now that you're finally back, I'll go prepare a rose bath for you to wash away the filth."

Garth Kurton, the one with the emerald flute, interjected, "You're too clumsy and will spill the fragrant herbs again. I'll handle it."

Jarion scoffed. "You just want to compete for her favor. Admit it, the princess loves me the most."

"You? What's so special about you?" Albin Oser's gaze shifted to the man behind Wynter. "Your Highness, who is this?"

Wynter was stunned by the conversation between these three men. She had expected to have boy toys, but she hadn't imagined it would be like this.

When Albin called out to her, Wynter cleared his throat.

Just as she was about to introduce Dalton, he spoke first. "Miss, where do I stay?"

His voice was cool, his gaze indifferent as it swept over the three men before settling on Wynter.

Wynter turned to him. "Of course, you'll sleep with me."

It was the most practical solution—she needed to ensure his safety and ask why the malevolent spirits and demons in the Wretched Ground had been so afraid of him.

Wynter knew that everyone else thought that the spirits had been afraid of the statue. She had thought the same initially, but she was good at noticing details. The spirits had clearly been afraid of Dalton.

Hearing Wynter's words, the three men's expressions shifted slightly.

Garth sighed softly. "But you need to hear my stories to fall asleep, don't you?"

"Bullshit. Her Highness loves patting my head. She can only sleep soundly when I'm guarding her," Jarion retorted.

Albin was still staring at Dalton. "Is this someone new you brought back, Your Highness?"

For the first time, Wynter felt that dating someone younger wasn't always a good thing. This was the perfect example.

Dalton let out a low laugh, his entire demeanor cold and detached.

Albin's gaze shifted to Wynter's face. "Your Highness, you always wanted me to stay the night with you before you left. I refused back then, but I'm willing now.

"You can do whatever you want with me tonight. Someone from the Wretched Ground might carry a sinister energy, and I'm worried it might harm you."

Hearing this, Dalton tilted his head slightly, his long lashes hiding his emotions.

A loud thunderclap echoed. Mt. Nyxvarn, which had never experienced thunderstorms before, was suddenly shrouded in dark clouds, lightning crackling across the sky.

It was said this was a celestial omen, signaling that a mountain's time was nearing its end. This was something no human power could change unless someone was willing to sacrifice their cultivation to protect the mountain. Otherwise, no one could escape the impending divine retribution.

…

Wynter had been out of contact for a long time, something that had never happened before.

Under the brightly lit bridge in Colifernia, an old man wearing sunglasses, who had been in the middle of scamming someone, suddenly stood up.

He looked toward Iwarim, where Wynter's villa was located. It was a premonition of something about to go wrong.

Atwater was unsure. After all, such premonitions couldn't always be relied upon for accurate judgment. So, he packed up his things and prepared to go check on the situation.

It couldn't be his "dear disciple" causing trouble, could it? He had heard Wynter was in Colifernia. He couldn't help but think that Kaspar should keep an eye on her. Clearly, Wynter hadn't been very quiet lately.

Atwater's anxiety was palpable.

A girl who had been flipping tarot cards watched as the light in front of her went out before standing up. "What's going on? You turned off the light while I was still choosing cards."

The girl was afraid he would run off. Although the price for a reading wasn't high, it was still money.

Atwater, seeing her concern, spread out the tarot cards in his hand. "Pick whichever one you like."

The girl frowned. "Can you be a bit more responsible? You were so enthusiastic before I scanned the payment, and now you're acting like a stranger."

Before the girl could finish, Atwater interjected, "Little one, I don't do tarot readings. I tell fortunes."

The girl shook her head. "I don't believe in fortune telling."

Atwater paused. He was in a hurry to leave. "Ah, what a pity. I was going to tell you about your recent financial luck. But I'll refund you your money since you don't believe in it."

Hearing the word "financial luck", the girl's eyes lit up. "I don't mind listening to that. Things haven't been going well lately. I'm not earning much, and my expenses are high."

Atwater studied her face and noticed a shadow between her brows. "Little one, listen to my advice if you really want to earn more. No matter what a married man says or does, do not believe him."

The girl's expression froze. She hadn't expected him to actually hit the mark.

"But... he's been good to me. I've been feeling uneasy, too, but I'm working alone in a different city, and life is hard. After meeting him, he's spent money on me, bought me medicine when I was sick, and even orders takeout for me sometimes."

Atwater shook his head. "Little one, I've said all I can."

With that, he quickly packed up his things and headed toward Iwarim, leaving the girl standing there alone.

Atwater arrived at the villa not long after. He frowned when he saw the building reduced to ruins, as if it had never existed.

He raised his hand, closed his eyes, and began to search for Wynter's location with his senses. However, he found nothing.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open. "This is bad! She's... she's trapped in a Human Sacrificial Formation!"

How could a Human Sacrificial Formation appear in Colifernia? Someone wanted to feed her to Heaven!