The wedding celebration continued.
One day became two.
Two became three.
The Evergreen Family remained filled with laughter, music, and conversations that lasted until late into the night.
Guests from every corner of the universe exchanged experiences.
Young geniuses challenged one another in friendly discussions.
The elders reminisced about ancient times.
For a brief while...
It seemed as though the outside world no longer existed.
Even William found himself relaxing.
It was a rare feeling.
One he had almost forgotten.
On the fourth day...
One of the oldest traditions of the Evergreen Family finally began.
The Presentation of Gifts.
A vast ceremonial platform had been prepared in the center of the estate.
Thousands of guests gathered around it.
Patriarch Manuel stood at the front, smiling warmly.
"The Evergreen Family thanks every honored guest who has traveled such a great distance."
"Your presence alone is a priceless gift."
"But according to our traditions..."
"We shall also receive the blessings you have prepared."
The ceremony officially began.
The first family stepped forward.
They presented an ancient cultivation manual that had been preserved for over ten thousand years.
It was perfectly suited for cultivators of the wood element.
Polite applause spread across the hall.
The second delegation offered an enormous quantity of rare medicinal herbs, enough to sustain an entire family's cultivation for decades.
The third brought a spiritual weapon forged from the remains of a fallen celestial beast.
The fourth gifted an ancient formation capable of protecting an entire city.
Each present surpassed the previous one.
Gasps of admiration echoed throughout the hall.
Even the elders of the Evergreen Family occasionally exchanged surprised glances.
"This one is truly generous..."
"What incredible craftsmanship..."
"I've only heard legends about that treasure..."
The atmosphere remained joyful.
Until...
Near the end of the ceremony.
A servant approached Manuel carrying a medium-sized box.
Unlike every other gift...
It was completely wrapped in black cloth.
No family emblem.
No identifying seal.
Nothing.
Only a small white card attached to the ribbon.
Manuel frowned.
He slowly read its contents aloud.
"To the bride."
"No one except the bride is permitted to open this gift."
A strange silence fell over the hall.
William's eyes immediately narrowed.
His instincts...
The instincts that had saved him countless times...
Suddenly screamed.
Danger.
Without a single word...
He stepped forward.
Angela looked at him in confusion.
William gently took the package from the servant's hands.
Andrew's expression also changed.
"William..."
But it was already too late.
William tore away the wrapping without hesitation.
The moment the seal broke...
A terrifying explosion erupted.
BOOM!
The world shook.
A pillar of black flames burst toward the heavens.
The ceremonial platform disappeared beneath smoke and shattered stone.
Powerful shockwaves swept through the entire estate.
Several nearby experts instinctively raised barriers to protect the guests.
When the smoke finally began to clear...
A figure slowly emerged.
William.
His ceremonial robes had been torn in several places.
Small cuts covered his arms and face.
Thin streams of blood ran down his fingertips.
Minor injuries.
Nothing more.
He had reacted quickly enough.
But...
His expression.
No one present had ever seen such fury in his eyes.
The temperature across the entire hall seemed to drop.
His spiritual pressure spread unconsciously.
Mountains trembled.
The sky darkened.
Several younger cultivators instinctively fell to one knee.
Others found it difficult to breathe.
Merito's expression stiffened.
"...He's furious."
Javier silently tightened his fists.
Even he had never witnessed William's killing intent become so oppressive.
The atmosphere grew suffocating.
Andrew stepped forward immediately.
His expression had lost every trace of warmth.
"This wasn't merely an assassination attempt."
"It was carefully prepared."
He slowly raised one hand.
Ancient symbols appeared throughout the sky.
Time itself seemed to hesitate.
Invisible threads spread through space, tracing every remaining fluctuation left by the mysterious package.
Andrew searched.
Again.
And again.
His perception expanded across countless kilometers.
Across spatial layers.
Across hidden formations.
Nothing.
Several minutes passed.
Finally...
The symbols shattered.
Andrew slowly lowered his hand.
His expression became unusually grave.
"...Nothing."
"I found nothing."
"The sender erased every trace."
"They prepared this for a very long time."
A heavy silence followed.
William slowly lowered his head.
His fists trembled.
Not from fear.
From rage.
He had accepted enemies.
He had accepted assassination attempts against himself.
But...
Using his wedding.
Using Angela.
Turning the happiest day of their lives into an opportunity for murder...
That crossed a line he could not tolerate.
An immense wave of pressure exploded outward.
The marble beneath his feet cracked.
Windows throughout the estate shattered.
Several guests instinctively retreated.
For a brief instant...
Many believed William was about to begin killing indiscriminately.
Then...
A gentle hand rested upon his arm.
Angela.
She looked at him without fear.
Her voice was calm.
"William."
He did not answer.
She tightened her grip slightly.
"They failed."
He remained motionless.
"I'm safe."
His breathing slowly steadied.
"You protected me."
The overwhelming pressure surrounding the estate weakened little by little.
William closed his eyes.
When he opened them again...
The murderous fury had not disappeared.
But it was under control.
He looked toward Angela.
"...I'm sorry."
She gently shook her head.
"You have nothing to apologize for."
Patriarch Manuel stepped into the center of the ruined platform.
His expression was solemn.
"The celebration ends here."
His voice carried throughout the estate.
"No guest is accused."
"But neither can this incident be ignored."
He slowly looked across the gathered crowd.
"For the safety of everyone present..."
"I respectfully ask every honored guest to remain within the Evergreen Family."
"No one will leave..."
"...until every remaining gift has been thoroughly examined."
"...and until we determine how this package entered our estate."
No one objected.
Even the proudest experts understood the gravity of the situation.
The laughter that had filled the Evergreen Family only moments before...
Had vanished completely.
In its place...
Remained only silence.
And the unsettling certainty...
That somewhere among the countless guests...
Or perhaps far beyond them...
Someone had chosen William's wedding day as the beginning of a new conflict.