From Outcast to Overlord The Unyielding Heir (Leander Ashcroft) novel Chapter 616

Chapter 616 The Hidden Presence

Chapter 616 The Hidden Presence

<= 6)

+10 Free Coins

After leaving the bar, Leander went straight to the Florian Estate in Highcliffe. Wesley Florian, the Half- Lord of Highcliffe, was sitting in the main hall, sipping coffee. When he heard that Leander had come to visit, he immediately went out to greet him in person.

“Leander, you really are a restless one,” Wesley said with a laugh. “If you’re not stirring up something earth- shaking, you just won’t be satisfied, will you?”

He looked at Leander the way a man might look at his future son–in–law and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

Not long ago, a video of Leander single–handedly shooting down ten supersonic fighter jets had gone viral across the internet. Even without any official verification, Wesley had recognized him at a glance.

The more he looked at this future son–in–law, the more pleased he felt. Across the entire world, there simply wasn’t a second young man who could reach Leander’s level. Calling him the strongest man alive was no exaggeration at all.

“Mr. Florian, I had no choice,” Leander replied calmly. “If they hadn’t sent people to kill me, I wouldn’t have done any of that.”

There was no air of dominance about him at all. He rolled his neck once and sat down on the couch.

He had come here to see Daphne, but she was in seclusion upstairs. It wouldn’t have been appropriate to disturb her, so he chatted with Wesley in the hall instead. Their conversation eventually turned to the King Phase masters around the world.

At the mention of King Phase masters, Wesley’s expression grew noticeably heavier.

“That’s true,” he said slowly. “On the International Martial Network, I saw that you’ve already made it onto the King Phase Rankings–and you’re the only martial artist on the list. If this keeps up, you’ll inevitably become the top target for King Phase masters all over the world.”

Leander smiled faintly and spread his hands in resignation.

“That mess was dumped on me by whoever’s pulling the strings behind the International Martial Network. And the video of me shooting down those supersonic fighter jets being uploaded online–that was Agylae’s doing too. They want to turn me into a living target for everyone.”

He shrugged, his tone relaxed.

“But for me, whether it’s open attacks or hidden assaults, it’s all the same. Whatever they want to do, I’ll be waiting.”

Then he turned to Wesley, his gaze sharpening slightly.

“As for you, Mr. Florian, you really shouldn’t go anywhere for a while. Don’t leave Highcliffe, and definitely don’t leave Astria. The world is in chaos right now. For anyone below the King Phase, if you’re not under a nation’s protection, it’s very hard to stay safe.”

1/4

16:02 hu, Feb 19 M

Chapter 616 The Hidden Presence

+10 Free Coins

Wesley nodded in agreement. Not everyone had the strength like Leander’s. In the current state of the world, old aristocratic families and powerful publicly listed corporations were nothing more than empty clouds. What truly mattered was the power they held in their own hands.

They talked for more than an hour before hurried footsteps suddenly came from upstairs.

Daphne came rushing down from the second floor in her pajamas, not caring about her appearance at all. She ignored Wesley completely and threw herself straight into Leander’s arms.

“You’re finally back!”

Her eyes trembled as she tried to suppress the emotions surging inside her. But the moment she saw Leander, the longing she had held in for so long completely broke free.

Seeing this, Wesley tactfully retreated into his study, leaving only Leander and Daphne in the hall.

“What, it’s only been half a month, and you already missed me this much?” Leander asked with a smile, gently patting her shoulder.

“Who missed you?” Daphne snapped.

Realizing how unrestrained she had been, she quickly let go and stepped back several paces.

She studied Leander carefully, searching his body for any signs of injury, her face full of tension.

“I heard from a few friends in the military,” she said anxiously. “They said you were attacked by an unknown armed force in the Sahar Wastes. They even deployed AH–1 Cobra attack helicopters and supersonic fighter jets. You weren’t hurt, were you?”

She had seen the viral videos online and knew that Leander had shot down the fighter jets and survived the military assault. But being alive didn’t mean being uninjured. After all, in all of world history, no martial artist had ever gone head–on against modern military weapons before,

“I was injured,” Leander admitted with a light smile, “but it wasn’t serious. I recovered in Yelem.”

As he spoke, he was slightly surprised. In just half a month, Daphne’s cultivation had already reached the peak of the Martial Sovereign Realm, only half a step away from the Transcendent Realm. She could break through at any moment.

He couldn’t help but marvel at it. Daphne truly deserved her title as one of the four greatest prodigies of Astria’s martial world. If not for his existence, Daphne and Ethan–the Twin Stars of Highcliffe–would have been the most dazzling leaders of the younger generation. Unfortunately for everyone else, there was one extra variable: him.

“Are you really fully healed?” Daphne pressed. “Don’t lie to me.”

The usually aloof campus queen of Highcliffe University now behaved like an overly worried partner, patting and checking him all over. Only after confirming that he was completely unharmed did she finally

relax.

“Dani, come home with me,” Leander said, taking her hand. “I’ve been running around nonstop lately and

2/4

16:02 Thu, Feb 19 MRM

Chapter 616 The Hidden Presence

haven’t had time to go back to the Ashcroft family.”

+10 Free Coins

“The rest of the Ashcrofts don’t really matter,” he added softly, “but my mom is still there. Come with me to see her.”

After the battle at Southern Shore, Lydia had returned to the Ashcroft family. Leander hadn’t set foot there since. By his count, it had been nearly a month since he’d last seen her, and as her son, he felt a trace of guilt.

“Sure,” Daphne said readily. “Let me change clothes first.”

She went upstairs to get ready, and twenty minutes later, the two of them were driving toward the Ashcroft Residence in Daphne’s wine–red BMW.

At the gates of the Ashcroft Residence, Leander walked forward in casual clothes, his head held high, with Daphne lightly holding his arm as they moved side by side.

“Mr. Leander?”

When the guards at the entrance saw him, they immediately bowed deeply, their faces full of respect.

Although Leander rarely appeared at the Ashcroft Residence, his reputation had shaken the entire family to its core. Reginald had personally shown Leander’s photograph to every servant and guard, making sure none of them would ever mistake his identity.

They all knew that Leander’s authority within the Ashcroft family surpassed even that of the current patriarch, Gareth, and the former patriarch, Reginald. Who would dare show him the slightest disrespect?

Leander didn’t care much about his status as the Ashcroft family’s eldest son, but he still nodded and led Daphne through the gates.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify