"What on earth is happening?" A collective gasp filled the air as the group laid eyes on the majestic golden vine soaring into the sky. The gray and silver vines had already stunned them, but the dense and commanding presence of the golden vine took the spectacle to new heights.If the gray vines were akin to soldiers and the silver ones acted as generals, the golden vine now assumed the role of a commanding king. A haunting stillness surrounded the golden vine, sending shivers down the spines of all those present."I've got a bad feeling about this. That golden vine might surpass the strength of all the silver vines combined!""What should we do? What's the plan now?""Are we going to die here?"A sense of impending doom and unease gripped the disciples of the Embersteel Order, members of the Black Scorpion Squad, and Grace's envoy teams. The overwhelming presence of the vines rendered them utterly helpless."Fear not, everyone! Mr. Ridge is here. He's got this!" a voice rea
Aidan raised an eyebrow, commenting, "Let's be clear—we're just fellow explorers with our own goals. We're not allies, and even if we were, why do we have to share both good and bad times?"Jackson hesitated, momentarily lost for words. It dawned on him that the rumors about Aidan's unpredictable nature were indeed true."Mr. Ridge, state your conditions. If it's something we can accommodate, we won't turn you down," Grace replied promptly. She sensed Aidan's longing for some sort of benefit."Great!" Aidan grinned, impressed by her quick understanding. He went on, "I can help you in getting out of this situation and guarantee your safety. However, in return, I'd need you to give me the Dragon Rope.""What? The Dragon Rope?" Jackson frowned at the unexpected mention.The Dragon Rope could restrain even grandmaster martial artists, making it invaluable. Aidan's request at this moment appeared to exploit their vulnerable situation. Hence, the unexpected behavior from such a resp
Aidan demonstrated remarkable strength as he skillfully wielded his crescent-shaped dual blades. With a swift motion, he released a barrage of blade aura toward the golden vines. Each blade carried enough force to split mountains, accompanied by a powerful gust of wind and vibrant lights.In response to his attack, the silver vines transformed into long spears, hurtling rapidly toward him with astonishing precision. These spears adeptly intercepted every blade aura, triggering a sequence of explosions. The countless blade auras shattered, forcefully pushing back the silver vines."Hmph! Let's see how tough you are!" Aidan charged forward, crossing his dual blades. With a swift swing, he shouted, "Destruction Slash!"A crackling sound filled the air as two crescent-shaped blade auras swiftly slashed toward the golden vine. Initially three feet in length, these razor-sharp blade auras expanded to a towering three yards as they closed in. Appearing like unstoppable blades, they c
The initial assault proved ineffective, prompting the golden vines to launch another attack. The front end of the vine elevated, resembling a fully drawn bowstring. After a moment of gathering strength, it struck down toward Aidan in the crater.The follow-up strike demonstrated increased speed and force compared to the previous one. Before reaching full power, the air itself seemed to tear apart, resonating with the anticipation of the impending strike.The velocity and strength exhibited by the golden vines far exceeded those of the silver ones. Each strike carried a seismic impact as if the earth trembled.Aidan noticed the approaching golden vines and chose not to confront them again. With a strong push from his legs, he moved sideways. At that moment, the powerful strike of the golden vines hit precisely where he had been standing moments ago.The impact was thunderous, shaking the earth and creating a powerful shockwave. It resembled a gust of wind clearing away fallen
At this moment, Dustin was trailing behind the group 300 feet away. He secretly unsheathed his sword.Dustin purposely stayed at the back when he saw Aidan in danger. Then, Dustin threw out a shot as fast as lightning.The shot was so subtle that nobody noticed. It easily sliced the golden vine into two, saving Aidan.The reason why Dustin saved him was because they were in the same group. Plus, Aidan still had some use to him.As Grace said, all of the forces had already entered the oasis. Moreover, most of them were skillful martial artists.Before Dustin found Dracan essence, he shouldn't expose his identity.After all, Aidan's existence could help get rid of a lot of problems. Aidan was a grandmaster martial artist. Thus, he was more than capable of dealing with petty martial artists.Dustin only sent out that shot after considering that factor.Although the golden vine was powerful, it was only at a grandmaster martial artist's level. Thus, it couldn't withstand an ultimat
"Helped you?" Everyone looked around curiously after hearing Aidan's words.All of them were busy escaping just now. They didn't have the time to think about anything else.Perhaps something had happened just now."Mr. Ridge, your skills are superb. I doubt you'll need any of our help.""That's right. We wouldn't be much help in a battle of your level.""Mr. Ridge, did someone step in and affect your performance just now? How terrible of them!"Not knowing what happened, the crowd gossiped among themselves.They thought that only a grandmaster martial artist like Aidan would have the ability to defeat the vines.If Aidan didn't make a move just now, many people would be dead right now."Mr. Ridge, what happened?" Jackson tried asking."Nothing… Nothing much. Since nobody admitted to it, it's fine." Aidan shook his head without another word.He was just probing with his question earlier, not expecting an outcome from it. Aidan couldn't accept if an ultimate grandmaster was hi
Instead of making a move, Grace chose to understand the situation first. "Captain Wilder, can you tell who are the two groups of people there?""Based on their outfits, the team that has more people looks like they're from Fantasy Sea Alliance." Garrett soon found out after taking a closer look."Fantasy Sea Alliance? Who are they?" Grace continued asking.Narrowing his eyes, Garrett explained, "The three major sects in the Southwest are Drakes Dominion Order, Embersteel Order, and Frostwing Sect. "Under these major sects, there are six influential sects, and Fantasy Sea Alliance is one of them."However, Fantasy Sea Alliance is different from normal sects. The way they do things is extreme. Thus, they don't have a good reputation. They have all sorts of members inside too."Jackson couldn't help but sneer upon hearing that, "To put it simply, Fantasy Sea Alliance is formed by a bunch of immoral martial artists. "They try to make themselves righteous, but they secretly like to
"How dare you! Who do you think you are to speak like this?" Jackson couldn't help but feel furious seeing Sophia getting threatened. Initially, Jackson wanted to solve it calmly and avoid unnecessary conflicts.However, he didn't expect the members of Fantasy Sea Alliance to be so arrogant. The latter had disregarded Emberson Steel and attempted to forcefully seize Harmony Sect's treasure. They were simply going too far!"You—" Just as the Fantasy Sea Alliance's member was about to speak, the middle-aged man raised his hand to stop him. "Everyone, treasures are worldly things. It's nothing compared to your own life. I doubt you guys wouldn't understand this, right?""So what if we do understand?" Jackson narrowed his eyes.The middle-aged man replied indifferently, "Since you understand, you should hand over the treasure. You lose some, but you win some. "We'll immediately leave once we get the treasure, and we won't make things difficult for you guys. How about it?"At tha