Chapter 1168
Tobias suddenly asked her sternly, “What exactly is James playing at?’
Maxine was taken aback by the sudden change in tone. “Huh? What do you mean? Grandpa, what's the matter? Did something
happen?”
Tobias’ voice then took on a slightly surprised tone. "Are you not with James currently?”
"No, he left before me. I just arrived in Terentville.”
Tobias said, "News spread that James showed up at Mount Thunder Sect. He fought and defeated the sect leader, then took him
away with him. Afterward, he left Jackson's head at Mount Thunder Sect's entrance.
They've issued a bounty for his head across the globe. Anyone that hunts him down and kills him will be rewarded greatly. The
set's treasure, the Frost Sword, would also be included as a reward."
Maxine stood up abruptly when she heard the news. "What? Grandpa, is this news accurate?”, she asked as her voice shook in
disbelief.
"Of course. It came directly from Mount Thunder Sect."
Maxine instantly lost the strength in her legs, and she collapsed to the sofa.
Thea could not help but ask, "What’s the matter? What happened?"
Maxine hung up her phone and turned to Thea. Her face was pale as she said, "Grandpa said that James killed Mount Thunder
Sect’s leader, Jackson. The sect has issued a wanted order to hunt and kill him. They’re even offering to reward the person who
kills him with their treasure, the Frost Sword."
"What?!" Thea exclaimed and stood up abruptly.
"H-How is that possible? James isn't that kind of person. He would never kill the Mount Thunder Sect's leader."
Maxine composed herself and tried to comfort Thea. "Breathe, Thea. Calm down.”
Thea sat down listlessly.
Maxine said, “Judging by the current situation, the information must be accurate. I'm guessing the enemy threatened James to
kill Mount Thunder Sect's leader using their captives' lives against him. James must've gone through with it and is now being
hunted down by Mount Thunder Sect. We must find him as soon as possible, or else his life will be in danger."
Hold on..."
Maxine suddenly thought of something and turned to Maxine urgently. " Quick, make a call to Cansington and check if the
Callahans have returned."
"Okay, I'll call and ask about it."
Thea took out her phone and tried calling her phone.
Through the call, she learned that her family had returned to Cansington.
Then, she immediately tried to contact Quincy.
Quincy had also arrived safely in Cansington.
"Did you see James?" asked Thea.
Quincy responded from the other end, "I did. To save us, he consumed a poison made by someone from the Gu Sect."
"When did you see him?”
"This morning."
"Where?"
Quincy thought for a while and replied, "It should be somewhere in the suburbs of Terentville. I'll check the map and see if I can
pinpoint the exact location. I'll send you the coordinates when I figure it out."
“Okay.”
Thea had the call on loudspeaker, so Maxine was also listening in to the conversation.
Maxine grimly said, "From what we can gather, James must've killed Jackson, met with someone from the Gu Sect, and
consumed their poison. This means the Gu Sect is currently controlling him. My guess is that the Gu Sect turn James into one of
their men and use him to start a conflict between him and the Virtuous faction. This will leave him no choice but to join the Gu
Sect.”
"What should we do, Maxine? You’ve always been good at strategizing. Tell me, what are our current options? James was forced
into killing the sect leader. Is there a chance he can be forgiven if he explains himself now?”
Maxine shook her head and said, “There's no chance. Mount Thunder Sect has always been a highly esteemed martial art sect
and holds a pivotal position in the martial art world, which is why the conference is held at Mt. Thunder in the first place. Now that
James killed their sect leader, people aligned with the Virtuous Faction will never let him back into the fold.”
Thea felt like she was about to faint and she asked worriedly, "What else can we do then?"
Maxine frowned pensively.
After a while, she said, "If I'm right, the Gu Sect is trying to make a pawn out of James to use against their enemies."
"Do you have any idea what are they trying to force James to do next?"
Maxine said, “It must have something to do with causing harm to the Virtuous Faction. I'm unable to guess further than that but,
our current priority is to find James as soon as possible."