The Heiress’ Return: Six Brothers at Her Beck and Call (Wynter Quinnell) novel Chapter 1823

As soon as Jervis finished speaking, the four of them fell silent, their eyes instinctively darting toward the back. The question was awkward, to say the least.

But Jervis didn't seem to notice. "What's wrong? Why is no one speaking? Don't feel burdened. The sages already know how dangerous Granville Village is. The fact that you made it out alive is impressive enough."

Feradach was speechless. What burden? This wasn't about burden. They were just feeling awkward, not knowing how they were supposed to answer this. Should they just say that Carlton had gone mad or that Mt. Lunther's disciples abandoned their comrades and stabbed them in the back?

Just as the four were about to gather their thoughts and respond, Wynter finally emerged from the teleportation formation.

She wanted to keep an eye on Isidore as soon as possible. After all, according to her reasoning, he would lose his source of nourishment and worship once the formation in Granville Village was broken. He would desperately need a suitable vessel to transfer its decaying soul.

Of course, Granville Village wasn't his only means of survival. He must have had other ways to gather power. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hide in plain sight on Mt. Lunther without being detected by any of the sects.

To ensure Raleigh's safety, Wynter had stayed close to him the entire time, which was why she was late. Raleigh was dragging his so-called genius seniors, Carlton and Jaylene, along with him.

Carlton looked utterly disheveled, his hair a mess and his sword broken. He kept muttering, "This can't be. This can't be happening."

In contrast, Wynter appeared calm and composed, her demeanor sharp and unshaken. She walked forward as if she hadn't heard the murmurs behind her. Gasps began to ripple through the crowd, and everyone's eyes were filled with disbelief.

Beside Wynter was Dalton, holding a parasol, his face obscured by it. From his presence alone, he seemed more like someone destined to ascend to the Sacred Path.

Fortunately, no one paid much attention to Wynter's boy. For Dalton, who had suddenly taken on an adult form, this was a good thing. Under normal circumstances, someone would have noticed the change in him. After all, those in the sects were sensitive to such things.

But right now, all eyes were on Carlton and Jaylene, whose appearances were so far from their usual selves. The other sects were at a loss for words, staring in stunned silence before erupting into a flood of discussion.

Jervis' face darkened. He was closest to the teleportation formation, and the other sages from Mt. Lunther still didn't know what had happened. All they could hear was the commotion and the mention of their prodigy, Carlton.

"What's wrong with Carlton?"

"He doesn't seem possessed. It's more like his Arcane mind has been shattered."

"Could it be that breaking the Granville Village formation took too much out of him?"

Speculations ran wild. Jervis could no longer contain himself. He stepped forward, teleporting directly in front of Raleigh.

"What happened? What's wrong with Carlton? Did someone in the formation try to harm him?" Jervis didn't even try to hide his accusatory tone, his gaze immediately shifting to Wynter.

After all, it was strange enough that all the fortune had gone to Mt. Nyxvarn. Now, with his precious disciple in such a state, he refused to believe it was a coincidence.

"Did someone grow jealous after seeing him break the formation and gain golden encounters? Did they take advantage of his weakened state to steal them from him?"

It wasn't an impossible scenario. After all, some unscrupulous cultivators would indeed covet golden encounters and act on their greed.

But to make such accusations without evidence was unfair. Jervis had always been known for his fairness and impartiality, but now it seemed like he had shed all pretense, revealing his true colors.

In the past, he might have held back, but certainly not this time. This was his proudest disciple, and finding a talent like Carlton was rare. Whenever the sects talked about genius cultivators, they always mentioned Carlton being under his tutelage. It was a source of immense pride.

But now, look at what had become of him. A shattered Arcane mind meant a cultivator was as good as ruined. No matter how strong their spiritual roots were, their potential would be severely limited. How could Jervis not be furious?

He knew that some disciples would go missing or lose their cultivation every year at the Arcane Way Forum. But those were never from Mt. Lunther and certainly not his disciple!

"Something's going on here!" Jervis glared at Wynter. "Someone must give Mt. Lunther an explanation!"

His accusations were fierce, and Raleigh tried several times to interject but couldn't get a word in.

In Raleigh's mind, Mt. Lunther had always been a model sect among the others. They vanquished demons, protected the people, and were revered by the common folk.

Jervis had always been the most refined and wise elder he knew. He had never imagined that Jervis would be so unreasonable, even trying to frame Wynter. He was conflicted as he looked at Jervis, unsure of what to say.

The other sages from Mt. Lunther grew anxious and began walking down from their spot to intervene.

Meanwhile, the disciples from Mt. Nyxvarn, who had been pushed to the sidelines, also heard Jervis' accusations.

"What kind of sage is this? How can he slander Wynter without any evidence?"

Wynter's seniors, who had come to pick her up, couldn't stand by and watch her be wronged. Just as they were about to speak up, the four disciples who had been in Granville Village suddenly spoke up.

"Mr. Manly, you've misunderstood. No one stole anyone's golden encounter. Carlton didn't solve the problem in Granville Village, and he didn't save us, either. Even the teleportation formation wasn't drawn by him.

"It was Wynter from Mt. Nyxvarn who brought us back. She's the one who solved the problem in Granville Village," Feradach said earnestly.

"The Arcane Way Forum has always been about rewarding merit. She subdued countless grim spirits and even helped over 30 female spirits find peace. The golden encounter should rightfully be hers.

"Those spirits even pleaded for her in the underworld, granting her a seal. Given all this, shouldn't she be this year's top performer at the Arcane Way Forum?"

The four of them were young and hadn't yet been tainted by the sect's bad habits. Each of them carried sincerity that came with youth.

Their experience in Granville Village had truly opened their eyes to who Wynter was. She wasn't at all like the rumors or their previous assumptions. They realized now how narrow-minded they had been.

The atmosphere in the room froze as the four spoke. None of the sages from the other sects said a word. Instead, they all turned to look behind them—at Mt. Nyxvarn's leader, Ailithir.

Kaspar, sensing something was off about him, asked, "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Jensen replied as calmly as he could, "I'm Mr. Yarwood's secretary, here to take care of him."

But Kaspar still felt something was unusual. However, he didn't have time to waste. "Alright, make sure Dalton is well taken care of. I'll be back soon."

With that, he headed toward the elevator.

Jensen was sweating bullets, terrified that Kaspar might see through his true identity. Kaspar's piercing gaze, unblinking as he spoke, had been unnerving.

…

A short while later, Kaspar arrived at Atwater's place. Unlike other cultivators, who lived lavishly after leaving the mountain, Atwater lived in an inconspicuous residential building. No one passing by would guess that a cultivator resided there.

Kaspar pushed the door open to find Atwater slumped in a chair, the room sparsely furnished with only a table and a bed.

Atwater blinked slowly as he saw Kaspar enter. "So, did you manage to borrow some heavenly luck from Dalton?"

Kaspar shook his head. "I was too late. Dalton's fallen into a deep slumber."

"A deep slumber? What happened? I thought he was getting better after spending time with Wynter."

Kaspar pondered for a moment. "Physically, he's fine. I checked on his condition when I got there. So, I suspect he's entered the formation."

Atwater was stunned. "The formation? Don't tell me it's the Human Sacrificial Formation?"

Kaspar spread his hands. "You guessed it. He entered the Human Sacrificial Formation, and he did it willingly. Did you already know?"

Atwater nodded. "I had my suspicions about his identity. I mean, which ordinary person is born with such overwhelming purple energy? In all of Cascadia, only Dalton has it. But if Dalton really went in, then Wynter's chances of getting out have significantly increased."

Kaspar took a deep breath. "I think Dalton sensed something. Wynter might not have made it out on her own. He probably entered the formation to bring her back."

The terrifying thing about the Human Sacrificial Formation was that it blurred the line between reality and illusion, trapping one in a world where they couldn't tell what was real. But for someone like Dalton, the formation was utterly useless.

Atwater's furrowed brows relaxed slightly. "Our top priority now is to find the person behind the Human Sacrificial Formation. It's chilling to think about it. The formation has been banned for so many years, and now it's resurfacing. There must be a mastermind behind this."

Kaspar agreed. "You're right. Until we find the person behind this, the problem won't be solved."

Just as Atwater was about to say more, there was a knock at the door.