Hidden Alliances Beneath the Calm Before the Storm

After thinking it through, Julian D’Aurelius looked at the two women and said, "I’ll need your help next. If Evan makes any move, let me know immediately."

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the large windows of the bedroom, casting long golden streaks across the polished marble floor. The faint scent of soap and warm steam still lingered in the air from the bath Lina Ashford and Liza Voss had taken earlier.

The atmosphere inside the room was strangely intimate now.

Not seductive in an obvious way—rather, it was the kind of closeness born after masks had finally been removed.

Lina and Liza stood side by side before Julian.

Both women still looked slightly flushed from the bath.

And both could clearly feel Julian’s gaze lingering over them.

That alone made their hearts beat faster.

"Understood, Young Master Julian," they replied in unison.

"And once the Ancient Martial Arts Conference begins, I need you both to act. We can’t let Evan escape this time," Julian instructed calmly.

Hearing that Julian intended to eliminate Evan, excitement flashed through both women’s eyes almost instantly.

With Evan dead, it would be the best revenge against the Obsidian Wing organization.

The room gradually quieted afterward.

Julian lowered his head slightly, his fingers tapping softly against the armrest beside him as he began organizing countless thoughts in his mind.

But after several moments passed, he noticed neither Lina nor Liza had moved to leave.

Instead, the two women exchanged hesitant glances with one another.

Almost as if silently encouraging the other to speak first.

Julian raised an eyebrow.

"What’s wrong?" he asked. "You two look like you still have something to say."

Lina bit her lip lightly.

Liza awkwardly brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

For once, both women—normally calm and composed—looked unexpectedly nervous.

Finally, Lina took a small step forward first.

"Young Master Julian..."

Julian nodded patiently.

"Go on."

"Now that you know we’re not on Evan’s side anymore..." Lina spoke softly before pausing. Her purple eyes flickered with uncertainty. "...we were thinking..."

Julian tilted his head slightly, trying to understand where this was going.

Liza quickly continued before Lina lost courage.

"We want to officially stand with you."

Julian blinked once.

Liza’s cheeks reddened slightly as she forced herself to continue.

"As your people. Your subordinates... your allies... or whatever you wish to call us."

The room fell silent again.

Julian looked at the two stunning women standing before him.

One mature and dangerously curvy.

The other petite and deceptively charming.

And both were looking at him with eyes filled with sincerity now.

His expression turned strange.

([These girls really think too much sometimes.])

([Seriously... why do beautiful women always end up surrounding a handsome man like me?])

([First Bianca. Then Selena. Gwen. Amara. Charlotte. Yana... and now these two beauties too?])

([At this point, if I reject them, wouldn’t that make me look stupid?])

Hearing Julian’s shameless inner thoughts, both women instantly became embarrassed.

Lina nearly wanted to bury her face somewhere.

Liza’s ears turned completely red.

Yet strangely... neither felt annoyed.

Instead, a small warmth bloomed quietly inside their hearts.

Julian eventually let out a helpless laugh before looking at them properly.

"Fine."

Both women immediately looked up.

Julian smiled lightly.

"You can consider yourselves part of my side from now on."

The moment those words left his mouth, Lina and Liza both revealed bright smiles almost simultaneously.

Before Julian could even react properly—

The two women suddenly rushed forward and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Young Master Julian!"

Julian froze slightly.

Softness instantly pressed against both sides of his body.

Lina’s mature curves nearly suffocated his arm while Liza’s smaller but surprisingly soft body clung tightly against his chest. Fresh floral shampoo lingered around them, carrying warmth from their recent bath.

Julian could even feel their racing heartbeats.

For a brief second, his brain completely stalled.

([Damn... women really are terrifying creatures.])

([This softness should honestly be considered a hidden weapon.])

Lina and Liza also realized what they had just done.

Their faces instantly burned crimson.

They hurriedly released Julian and stepped backward awkwardly.

"S-Sorry, Young Master Julian..." Lina stammered.

"We just got too excited..." Liza added while avoiding eye contact.

Julian coughed lightly, pretending to remain calm despite his slightly stiff posture.

"It’s fine."

The two women quickly gathered themselves.

"Young Master Julian, we still have work to handle," Lina said softly.

"We’ll talk more later," Liza added quickly before dragging Lina toward the door in embarrassment.

Julian chuckled softly as the two women practically escaped the room.

Once the door closed behind them, he leaned back slightly and shook his head with amusement.

"Silly girls..."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

But that smile soon faded as his eyes gradually sharpened again.

The situation in Valemont was becoming increasingly dangerous.

He could no longer afford mistakes.

Julian immediately picked up his phone.

One by one, he contacted Bianca De Dominicis, Selene Aurevale, Gwen Valquin, Charlotte Bonds, Amara Ravenswood, and Yana Tyson.

The calls lasted a long time.

Different discussions.

Different preparations.

Bianca would stabilize De Dominicis Group connections.

Selene would gather information from the Aurevale side.

Gwen would monitor Valquin household movements.

Charlotte would assist with intelligence gathering quietly.

Amara would prepare medical support and antidotes in case Evan used poison during the conference.

And Yana would handle Tyson Family coordination from inside the Old Martial Arts world.

This time, Julian intended to gather all his forces and seize the opportunity at the Ancient Martial Arts Conference to completely kill Evan!

Otherwise, once Evan controlled the ancient martial arts forces in Valemont, it would be trouble for him.

Since there’s no way to hide anymore, he might as well kill Fortune’s Chosen first!

...

In recent days, Evan had indeed acted exactly as Julian guessed.

Within the shadows of Valemont’s Old Martial Arts world, invisible storms had already begun brewing.

Using poison, manipulation, intimidation, and his sinister Bright Life Sucking Leach technique, Evan gradually tightened his control over numerous Old Martial Arts forces.

One household after another quietly submitted beneath him.

Some feared death.

Others desired greater power.

And some simply could not resist the pressure of a peak Silver Realm expert standing before them personally.

Through both coercion and temptation, Evan had successfully controlled more than a dozen Old Martial Arts forces.

Of course, he did not simply take from them without reward.

He offered martial arts guidance.

He cured hidden illnesses.

He provided rare cultivation resources.

To many struggling practitioners, Evan appeared almost godlike.

And that only strengthened his influence further.

Deep within a secluded courtyard, Evan stood beneath the night sky with his hands behind his back. Cold wind stirred his black hair while darkness filled his eyes.

His aura had become far more oppressive recently.

The Bright Life Sucking Leach technique had strengthened him significantly.

The weak existed only to nourish the strong.

That was the law of this world.

And Evan believed himself destined to stand at the very top.

Having set everything in place, Evan eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Ancient Martial Arts Conference.

At that time, he would lead a group to attack and kill Lucas on the spot!

If someone wanted to compete with him for the Obsidian Kings position, who else should die if not them?

As for the consequences of killing him, Evan wasn’t worried.

The master who raised him had taught him from childhood—

In the world of kings and losers, hesitation only created corpses.

To achieve greatness, one must possess the resolve to sacrifice anything.

Mercy was weakness.

Kindness was stupidity.

Only power mattered.

And Evan intended to prove that truth during the Ancient Martial Arts Conference.

With his anticipation, the Ancient Martial Arts Conference finally arrived.