Because of Maximus' appearance, the situation turned against the Langford family. While a few highly-skilled martial artists from the Langford family were eager to take action, they were cautious, afraid of hurting Luis. "Both of you should leave first. Leave this place to me, Dustin," Maximus said confidently. After the battle at Mount Halgue, he'd finally achieved divinity, and his skills improved tremendously."Leave?" Luis sneered. "Where do you think you can hide? Even if you survive today, you will never escape our wrath!" Dustin was about to leave when he heard Luis and stopped in his tracks. Turning around, he asked coldly, "Are you threatening me?""So what if I am?" Luis laughed diabolically. He had no qualms about confronting Dustin. "I don't know how you met this friend of yours, but if you think he can go up against me single-handedly, then you're too naive for your own good.""Do you really think you're that powerful?" Dustin questioned him."Against you? Abso
"But—" Dahlia wanted to say more. "Just go. I'll be distracted if you're here," Dustin interrupted.Left with no choice, Dahlia bobbed her head in agreement helplessly in the end. Since things had come to this point, there was no turning back. As long as Dustin could come back unscathed, she was willing to give up everything and roam all over the world with him.After making sure that Dahlia had left safely, Dustin's gaze scanned around the place and then fixed on the Nicholson family. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and leave!""Let's go."Dakota and Jane exchanged a glance. Then, they turned around and left on the spot. Dahlia's breach of promise had caused the Langfords to have a fallout with the Nicholsons. If the latter continued to stay there any longer, trouble might land upon them."What a jinx! Look at what you have gotten us into!" Florence stomped her feet in anger before fleeing away.Now that the wedding ceremony had been ruined, the Nicholsons' dream of li
Looking at the groups of elites barging into the banquet hall one after another, all the guests at the scene were dumbfounded. None of them expected Dustin to have such great connections. All he did was make a call, and hundreds of people came over to assist him. Not only were there underground organizations and official armed forces, but there was also help from a business tycoon. On top of that, even the mayor of Swinton was here to back him up in person.In other words, as long as Dustin said the word, all the forces in Swinton could be under his command.That was a terrifying connection he had.No wonder he dared to be insolent in front of the Langford family. He had come prepared. Now the Langfords were not fighting against Dustin alone, but the whole of Swinton."Who is he exactly? How come he can have influence over so many forces?"The guests exchanged glances with one another, shocked at the turn of events. At that moment, the arrogant Langford family finally sensed
Kingston forced out a smile."Stop acting like we are close friends!" Adam wasn't giving Kingston any respect. "Weren't the Langfords full of themselves just minutes ago? Come on, show me how arrogant you can be!" When Kingston heard that, his expression darkened. If it had been someone else who humiliated him today, he would have flipped his lid long ago. However, he just couldn't afford to offend the man standing in front of him. "Why aren't you saying anything? Weren't you all high and mighty just now? You even had the guts to bully my friend!" Adam pointed at them and hauled them over the coals. Kingston and Luis dropped their heads, falling into silence. At the sight of that, the guests were stunned. Who would have expected that there would be a day when Kingston from the Langford family would be chewed out publicly and dared not talk back?It was indeed shocking."What are you waiting for? Kneel down and apologize to my friend now!" Adam shouted. "This ..." Kingston
It was said that the Langfords had two master-level martial artists working for them. They were an extremely powerful pair and wouldn't show up normally. It seemed that they had come over with Ethan today. Adam rubbed his chin, thinking about how to seek revenge. It wasn't easy to take the Langfords down with the pair around. "Hmph, what's so great about the God of War? He still can't do anything to the Langfords when Uncle Ethan is here," Luis muttered inwardly. There were traces of arrogance on his face. "As expected of Ethan!" Kingston held his head up, having regained his previous confidence. Although the Spanner family was powerful, the Langfords weren't weak either. Now that Ethan was around, members of the Langford family would become unrelenting. Adam turned to look at Dustin and asked, "Dustin, it seems like they are not going to let me have my way. Shall we force our way through?"As long as Dustin agreed to it, Adam would launch his attacks straightaway. After all
Looking at the hunchbacked man, who appeared as if he had zero prestige, Ethan was scared out of his wits. He dared not say anything. This man in front of him was someone noble from Stonia. Even the crowned head would have to show him respect. Hence, it wasn't exaggerating to say that Rufus could easily take their lives at will. When Dustin saw him, his expression darkened. There was fury in his eyes. "It looks like a good show is coming up." Curling up his lips, Adam gloated and immediately retreated to one side.Under the crowd's gaze, Rufus limped in, looking like someone of ordinary status. Nevertheless, the people in the hall unconsciously made room for him to walk past them. Finally, he stopped in front of Dustin. "It's been a while. I didn't expect you to have grown this much."Staring at Dustin, who was taller than him by half a head, Rufus couldn't help but part his lips and grin. His broken front teeth made him seem a little comical. "I didn't expect you to be sti
Meanwhile, Florence was frantically rummaging through the drawers and cabinets in the Nicholson Villa to pack up their things."Dahlia, quick! Go and get all the jewelry we have in the house! We can't stay in Swinton anymore. Let's quickly pack up and flee abroad for the time being. I've already bought the flight tickets. We still have several million dollars of savings and some valuables at home. Those will be enough for us to survive for a while." Florence was on tenterhooks.Dahlia's breach of promise had not only humiliated the Langfords but also offended the Glenstead Nicholsons. Even if they were in Stonia, Dahlia and the rest wouldn't be able to find a safe place to stay, let alone in a small place like Swinton. When Florence saw that Dahlia wasn't responding to her, she became even more anxious. "Dahlia! What are you waiting for? Quickly pack your stuff!" "Mom, the matter has yet to reach that extreme. We don't need to run away." Dahlia shook her head. "Alas, don't you
"Take her away!" Dakota pointed her finger at Dahlia. "Let's see who has the guts to do that!" All of a sudden, a loud and stern voice came through the door. Then, Dustin strutted in with Maximus. "Don't blame me for being merciless if you dare challenge me today!" "Dustin?" Dahlia brightened up. At the sight of him, she finally felt relieved. He had promised her that he would come back safely. Indeed, it wasn't a lie. "You … You're still alive?" Dakota's eyes widened in disbelief.She clearly saw him surrounded by the Langfords before she left the banquet hall earlier. "How could he escape from that?" Dakota thought."Do you want me to die so badly? No matter what, I am still your mom's life savior. Don't you have any sense of gratitude toward me?" Dustin replied flatly."Hmph! Stop playing dumb! I don't care how you escaped! You have offended the Langford family, and now you're going to suffer because of that!" Dakota shot daggers at him."So what if I offended the La
The next morning, Nathaniel was inside a lavish mansion. He was in his study, flipping through an ancient manuscript. One of his most trusted aides hurried in and lowered his voice, "Your Royal Highness, word just came in. Another trace of Dracan essence has been found."Nathaniel raised an eyebrow and closed the manuscript. "Where?""Our investigation shows it ended up in the hands of Logan Rhys," the aide replied."Logan Rhys?" Nathaniel narrowed his eyes slightly and was surprised by the name.He had tried to win Logan over before and spared no expense, but never received a response. Later, he discovered that Tristan and Matthias had done the same.Fortunately, Logan still hadn't picked a side. He might be holding out for the best offer, but at least he hadn't shut the door on Nathaniel.With the Dracan essence in his hands, Logan had become an even more valuable target. In addition to the West Lucozian monarchy, Logan was an ultimate grandmaster, which made him worth recrui
"Give me a moment to think," Dustin said.Grace's words sent him into deep thought.After all, carrying the fate of Dragonmarsh was no small burden. First, he had to be tough enough to handle it. Then, he needed the resolve to accept what came with it. Once he carried that burden, it meant taking on a heavyweight.He used to act on his own terms and do things as he pleased without worrying too much about the consequences. But once the nation's fate was involved, everything changed.Not that he had many options.Dustin could either hide in Sacred Wrym Summit and hope Arion would protect him, or take a risk and absorb the Dragonmarsh's fate to push through his cultivation's bottleneck. Between the two, he was leaning toward the latter."I can give your plan a shot," Dustin said suddenly. "But we're still missing a piece of the Dracan essence. If we're doing this, we need to find that last one first."Only once all five pieces of Dracan essence were united could he truly wield the
"Royal gods? And two of them?" Dustin frowned at the news.His battle with Poseidon in West Lucozia had shown him firsthand that the Hall of Gods didn't send weaklings into the field.One royal god had already pushed him to his limit. If two came at him together, winning wasn't even the question. He'd be lucky just to make it out alive."That's right," Grace said solemnly. "The royal gods, Zeus and Hera, have crossed the border. They're even stronger than Poseidon. If they ambush you together, your chances are slim."She knew Dustin was strong, but he was still young. Moreover, Zeus and Hera weren't just anyone. They were world-class powerhouses. Surviving a fight with them would be next to impossible.The Hall of Gods had probably figured out how dangerous Dustin could become. If they had given him a few more years to grow, they might not have been able to stop him."Well, that complicates things." Dustin rested his chin in one hand with a thoughtful expression.Two royal god
Soluna Hall had one rule—they wouldn't accept unfamiliar customers. They only served those they knew well or people introduced by someone they trusted. Every transaction required an appointment. Exceptions were made for urgent matters, but those came with an additional fee.When Dustin reached the entrance, two security guards stopped him. After stating his name and being verified by the guards, they let him through.Inside, a female attendant with a pleasant smile greeted him and led him across the main hall straight into the back garden. They passed a small fish pond and stopped in front of a secluded private room."This is Ms. Linsor's private reception area. Mr. Rhys, please come in," the female attendant said with a smile."She's not here?" Dustin asked curiously."She had something come up, but she'll be here soon. Please make yourself comfortable," the attendant said, still smiling."Alright then." He nodded and walked into the room.The room was spacious, with a vintag
"You're wrong, Tristan," Matthias said with a meaningful look.He continued, "Sure, I've got the Moseys to back me, but I'm still far from securing the throne. Nathaniel's got strong backing too, and this won't be an easy win. But if you were to support me, I'd say my chances shoot up to 80%."In his eyes, Tristan's support was worth more than the Ballard family.If he could win Tristan over, his odds would jump from 60% to nearly 80%. The only question now was whether Tristan would be willing to shelve his own ambitions and place his bet on Matthias."You know me, Matthias. I've never been one for ambition or glory. This kind of power struggle just isn't for me. I hope you can understand that," Tristan said.After thinking about it thoroughly, he finally turned his brother down. He knew his chances of winning were slim, yet he couldn't let go.Tristan was the eldest legitimate son, the rightful and undisputed heir to the throne. Aside from his poor health, he had no real shortco
Tristan, Matthias, and Nathaniel weren't fools. They understood the unspoken message loud and clear.Their purpose for this trip was to take advantage of the opportunity to offer their condolences and win the Ballard family's support. Should it work, all the better. If not, they'd at least make a good impression. The key was that as long as the Ballard family didn't pick a side or turn against them, there was still room to make things work. No need to rush into anything.Tristan spoke first. "You're being too kind, Duke of Lachshire. We've always admired Mr. Jovian's loyalty and courage. We're simply here to pay our respects—nothing more."Matthias added, "That's right. Your family has a lot to deal with right now. Plus, you're not as young as you used to be, so don't wear yourself out over this. We won't take up more of your time today."He gave a respectful nod, then turned to leave."Duke—"Nathaniel opened his mouth to speak, but Tristan interrupted. "That's enough, Nathani
"Oh? I didn't expect both of you to be here," Nathaniel said.He was just about to pay his respects when he spotted Tristan and Matthias inside the mourning hall. He gave a respectful nod and said, "Hello, Tristan, Matthias."Truthfully, he wasn't surprised. He had already guessed they would show up.The four ancient houses and the eight great families were all key players he needed on his side. And with the Ballard family still undecided, he wasn't about to miss the chance to make an impression."I heard you left Oakvale on official business. Funny how quickly you came back," Tristan said, his tone laced with meaning."It wasn't anything important. When I heard about Mr. Jovian's passing, I returned immediately. I wanted to pay my respects in person," Nathaniel answered smoothly, without missing a beat.He brushed off Tristan's subtle jab and used the moment to show the Ballard family he was genuinely there to pay his respects."Don't just stand there, Nathaniel. Go pay your re
"Your Royal Highness, it's an honor to have you here," Jonathan said.Upon seeing the distinguished guest arrive, he quickly pulled himself together and aside his grief. He led his family to greet Tristan, and they bowed in respect.Before they could finish the gesture, Tristan raised a hand to stop them. "No need for such formalities," he said. "The deceased deserves our respect."He turned to Jovian's portrait, which was displayed in the mourning hall, and sighed deeply.Tristan continued, "Mr. Jovian's untimely passing is truly a great loss to Dragonmarsh. May his soul rest in peace. My condolences to your family during this difficult time."Jonathan's eyes were filled with tears as he bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Your Highness, for your kind words. My family is heartbroken over my brother's tragic death."Tristan nodded slightly. His gaze quickly swept across the hall before asking, "I've heard that Duke Lachshire fainted from grief. How is he doing now?"Jonathan
The unrest in West Lucozia finally ended with the capture of Warrick.Every official who was his accomplice was thoroughly investigated. Those who needed to be arrested were taken into custody, and those who deserved to be punished were executed.After the purge, more than 300 officials in West Lucozia were removed from their posts. Those guilty were arrested, and those whose crimes were severe were executed.Under Austin's iron-fisted reforms, West Lucozia's government underwent a complete overhaul. Corruption, bribery, and the tangled web of illegal deals were swept away like dust in the wind.The citizens quickly noticed the difference. When they visited government offices, they no longer faced delays, refusals, or demands for bribes.Long-neglected public issues began to move forward, thanks to the organized efforts of newly appointed officials. Things were improving across the board.Instead of fearing the crackdown, the citizens welcomed it. The corrupt officials who had dr