Bam!


    The hammer smashed heavily into the ground as Wilbur deftly moved behind Thom. He said calmly, "Your strength is there, but you''re not agile enough."


    "Damn it! Die, you bastard!"


    Thom swung his hammer horizontally toward Wilbur. However, Wilbur flew into the air before the hammer could hit. Wilbur grabbed Thom''s hand, and with an over- the-shoulder throw, he took Thom down.


    Bam!


    The hammer fell heavily onto the ground. Wilbur looked at Thom and said, "You lost."


    With that, Wilbur turned around and left. The surrounding crowd dispersed. Thom got up from the ground and red at Wilbur''s back. He clenched his jaw and said, "Stop it right there, you arrogant fool! Which family are you from? I might not be your match, but my senior will defeat you! Do you dare tell me your name?"


    Wilbur stopped for a moment, but he did not speak. Following that, he quickly walked away from Buck Town. Thom waved his fists in the air and scolded, "Damn you! I''ll make you kneel and apologize one day!"


    Not wanting to continue fighting with Thom, Wilbur changed his appearance after leaving town. He also realized that there were too many eyes in Buck Town. It would inevitably attract attention if he spent money carelessly. Therefore, it seemed that he should refrain from making purchases except for clothes from


    now on.


    Wilbur traveled swiftly after leaving town. He hid among the mountains and forests, and he sought out some beasts to fight. The beasts were rtively weak in the snowy terrains. He could easily kill a snow wolf with a casual strike with a thousand and five hundred years'' worth of cultivation.


    Therefore, Wilbur easily killed several beasts. He found a sheltered spot, set up a grill, and then roasted the meat from snow deer and wolves. He ate a portion himself and stored the rest in his demine.


    The future was unpredictable, so Wilbur always stored some food in the demine. Wilbur found a secluded cave after dark. He used the snow to seal the cave entrance, leaving a small gap for venttion. Then, he sat cross-legged and shut his eyes to meditate.


    Meanwhile, in a secret chamber at the center area of the Reyne family, Babbit Reyne looked at Felix, who was kneeling on the ground. Babbit frowned and said, "It''s not that I''m forcing you, Felix, but the situation has reached an irreconcble point. Edmund and the Eight Great Families have long harbored resentment against each other. A few days ago, Edmund emerged from seclusion, and rumors say this retreat has improved his power. If we continue to wait, I expect that within a month, Edmund will surely make a move against the Eight Great Families. Therefore, we must strike first for the sake of the interests and status of the Eight Great Families. We can''t wait for Edmund to be fully prepared. Otherwise, the Eight Great Families will have no chance of victory."


    Usually, Buck Town appeared quite peaceful. However, the heads of the Eight Great Families were well aware that beneath the seemingly calm surface, the two major forces in Buck Town were already at odds, like fire and water. A critical moment was reached. Babbit believed that the Eight Great Families might be destroyed by Edmund if they failed to seize the initiative and obtain the Dark Mask.


    Edmund was able to be the ruler of Buck Town not only because of his immense cultivation power but also because he was under the protection of an upper-dimension cultivator. It was rumored that the upper-dimension cultivator had imparted a spell from the upper dimension to Edmund. However, Edmund had never disyed it in public, so no one knew if the rumor was true.