As time passed, more guests arrived to give their congratulations. The entire venue was filled with people. A famous entertainer was also putting on a performance on the main stage. Below, the guests were talking and laughing over some wine. “Dahlia, this is a nice place. You would be the owner in the future, right?” Florence glanced around, thrilled.“Mom, I’m just partners with the Harmon family. I’m merely a secondary stakeholder even if we established a company together,” Dahlia explained.“That’s good enough. Once we get on the same boat with the Harmon family, we won’t have to worry in the future!” Florence was delighted.“Sis! Your career is booming right now. You must have made a lot of money, right? When are you getting me a nice car?” James smiled flatteringly beside her.“I give you quite a lot of pocket money every month. Is it not enough?” Dahlia asked unhappily. She did not like giving handouts, even to her own brother. “It used to be enough. But I’ve invested all
His dad had also warned him never to get involved with a woman like Dahlia Nicholson.“You’re too kind.” Dahlia smiled politely.“Dahlia, I have good news for you.” Chris suddenly changed the topic and said, “I heard from Jeff that even the Steel Lady will be present for today’s grand opening.”“Oh? Is that so? That would be perfect!” Dahlia raised an eyebrow in pleasant surprise. Previously, only the Harmons’ general manager was present to sign contracts or discuss business matters. She had never met the daughter of the Harmon family. However, she had heard of Natasha before.Ever since Andrew retired, she took over the entire Harmon family’s business unaided. She relied entirely on herself to build and flourish the Harmon family business to greater success. In a way, they were both very similar to each other. Dahlia even regarded Natasha as her idol.Yet, it was a shame that she had never even met Natasha up to this day.Now that she knew Natasha would be present today, Dahlia
“How can it be her?” Dahlia was shocked when she saw Natasha on the stage.Her face was filled with astonishment. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect that the Ms. Harmon she longed to meet was her rival!“Mom, isn’t this that bitch? Why is she on the stage?” James widened his eyes, unable to react otherwise.“This can’t be? She is Ms. Harmon?” Florence was so shocked her tongue was tied and her lips quivered. She couldn’t believe the woman she thought was a vixen was the Harmon family’s daughter!“Why? Why is it her?” Chris looked as if he had been struck by lightning, his face was as pale as a sheet of paper, and his eyes filled with disbelief. He never imagined the woman by Dustin’s side was Swinton’s business prodigy! Her mere existence is unparalleled to others. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he thought of his actions before. What should he do? He seemed to have offended Natasha.“Chris, have you met Ms. Harmon before?” Jeff was quick to notice something wa
“Okay. Deal with him quickly. I don’t want any further accidents!” Edwin’s expression softened.“Don’t worry, Sir Hummer. My two boys will take care of it without a hitch!” Fletcher smiled faintly. He took out his phone and sent a text message.In contrast to the commotion offstage, Natasha remained very calm. “Welcome to our company’s grand opening ceremony.”Natasha held the microphone, her eyes sweeping across the room. Her domineering aura, along with her cold and sharp eyes, were all fitting for her position as a beautiful business prodigy.“Everyone knows the Harmon family has made a new partner. From today onward, a portion of the Harmon family business will be handed over to said partner.” She looked around and continued, “I believe everyone is curious as to who this partner is. Don’t worry, I’ll reveal the answer soon! Now, let us give a round of applause and invite Ms. Nicholson onto the stage!”As she finished, Natasha started to clap. Soon after, thunderous applause fo
The two women were chatting eagerly on the stage as if they were old friends.However, only a few would realize these two were locked in rivalry. Just like two beautiful roses competing. Both were beautiful yet filled with prickling thorns.Dahlia did not feel inferior or dejected, although Natasha had a prestigious background. In fact, it made her more motivated to compete! She had always held herself high and did not give up easily. No matter what difficulties she faced, she would overcome them! It didn’t matter that Natasha was known as Swinton’s business prodigy. One day, she would be equal to her, or she might even surpass her!“I believe everyone has witnessed Ms. Nicholson’s charm! Next, I want to introduce another young man. Not only did he save me, but he also helped out the Harmon family a lot. He is undoubtedly the Harmon family’s savior!”The crowd stirred again once she finished. Everyone looked at each other with awe and curiosity. Who on earth would Natasha call a sa
“I don’t understand what you mean.” Dustin kept a straight face and played dumb. He was not one to claim credit or recognition for what he had done. Since things had ended between them, he hoped they wouldn’t be involved with each other in any way.“It really wasn’t you?” Dahlia still had some doubts.“Ms. Nicholson, I think there’s some misunderstanding. How can someone as useless as me help you?” Dustin replied coldly.“Maybe I was wrong.” There was a hint of disappointment in her eyes as she added, “That’s right. Why would you help me? After all, we’re no longer together. Besides, you’re not capable of doing so.”“As you said, I have no money or power. I’m nothing compared to Chris. Is there anything else?” Dustin's face remained blank.“No. You can go back to Ms. Harmon,” Dahlia said scornfully.“Alright, please excuse me.” Dustin did not say much more and quickly caught up with Natasha, who deliberately walked slower.“Mr. Rhys, it seems Ms. Nicholson still has some feeling
“Mr. Harmon, I have to attend something else. Please, excuse me.”After a few exchanges, Duane got ready to leave. He had come because of a renowned doctor. He wouldn’t stay long since it was just a sham. “Mr. Welch, I suggest you listen to Mr. Rhys' advice and stay around Swinton for these few days to avoid anything,” Natasha kindly reminded him.“Natasha, you don’t have to worry about me. You should worry about yourself,” Duane piped up thoughtfully. “I remember your engagement to Tyler Grant is imminent. I don’t think a man like him would like it if you were too close to other men.” Natasha couldn’t help but frown at these words. He had touched on a sensitive topic.“It’s just an engagement. We’re not even married yet. At worst, I can break off the engagement,” Natasha answered casually.“Break off the engagement? That’s the Grant family you’re talking about. Have you thought of the consequences of your actions?” Duane was slightly bewildered.“What consequences would there
Fletcher threw a glance at Dustin and went out with his apprentices.“You should go out too.” Natasha gestured for him to exit the room.Dustin nodded and went out.They had a tacit understanding with each other, or in other words, they had ulterior motives.“So, you’re Natasha’s personal bodyguard? You don’t look like much!” The twins sized Dustin up like he was their prey.“Is that so? You’ll find out soon.” Dustin went down the stairs without another word.“Liam and Noah, follow him and get rid of him,” Fetcher ordered coldly. In his opinion, he didn’t need to deal with an insignificant person like Dustin. His two apprentices could easily finish him off.“No problem!” Liam and Noah grinned and followed him quietly.Once Dustin went downstairs, he strolled through the garden and entered the underground parking lot. The company had just launched, and the parking lot was still closed, so it was quiet and empty.“Boy! You really know how to dig your own grave!” At that mome
The battle between the Hall of Gods and Sacred Wrym Summit raged with unrelenting intensity. The Hall of Gods had made meticulous preparations for this invasion. Besides recruiting powerful martial artists from around the world, they also distributed valuable enhanced serums to everyone. To counter Sacred Wrym Summit's Stormcraft technique, they developed a special combat suit capable of resisting such attacks. Generally, a divine martial artist struck by Stormcraft would instantly lose their combat ability, but this special suit reduced the effectiveness of the attack by half. Even if struck, they could recover after a brief moment to continue fighting. The defensive capabilities of this gear were nearly flawless.In addition, their greatest strength was the sheer weight of their numbers. They had at least ten thousand people, including hired outlaws, under their command. During the siege, they were densely packed like a swarm of bees.In contrast, Sacred Wrym Summit had only
Willard's ultimate move cleared the battlefield in an instant. The martial artists who had rushed forward were either dead or critically wounded, with no ability to defend themselves."This… How is this possible?" Hank's eyes widened in terror as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.Under the restriction of the sealing formation, even ultimate grandmasters couldn't unleash their full strength. But Willard, with nothing more than a flask of liquor, had managed to tap into a supreme divine power far beyond his cultivation level.Though he was only at the grandmaster level, his move, Infinite Spirit Manifestation, carried the might of an ultimate grandmaster. If he were to use it again, the outcome would be grim for everyone, including himself."Retract!" Willard took a deep breath and the thousands of illusory images that had surged forth earlier instantly retracted into his body. His face turned red and pale as his breath grew heavy and ragged.The toll of using Infinite Spirit Manif
"Take a guess." Willard didn't answer. Instead, he took another sip from his flask.His cultivation had been sealed, but his strength came from the wine in his hand. The wine was refined with valuable herbs and contained dense spiritual energy, which he could absorb and convert into combat power.In short, every sip made him stronger. Even with his cultivation sealed, he could still execute powerful techniques."It's the wine, isn't it?" Garrett's gaze landed on the flask, and a quick realization set in. Willard drank before and after every attack, which hinted at something suspicious."Bingo. But no prize for you." Willard smirked and launched forward with a palm strike aimed at Garrett. Though his strength wasn't at its peak, the attack remained a deadly threat to the already injured Garrett."Mr. Styles, save me." Garrett knew he had no chance of blocking it and cried for help."Go to hell, traitor!" Hank saw the internal commotion unfold and threw a powerful punch at Willard
With a longsword in hand, Dustin plunged into the crowd like a tiger among sheep and cut down his enemies with brutal efficiency.Though he couldn't tap into his mystical energy, his physical strength far outstripped that of an average martial artist. His speed, power, reflexes, and combat skills crushed anyone in his path.Every swing of his blade was precise and targeted the enemy's vital spots with deadly accuracy, which left no room for defense.Under his relentless assault, the assassins were helpless. The air rang with their screams as bodies fell one after another.Unlike the tournament match, Dustin now unleashed his full power in this life-or-death fight. His attacks were becoming more brutal and relentless than ever."This kid's tougher than I thought." Hank frowned as he watched his men struggle.He hadn't expected Dustin to have such formidable combat prowess, even with his sealed cultivation. If an unmatched genius like Dustin couldn't be made an ally, he had to be e
"Step forward, and you're dead!" Facing the onslaught of desperate assassins, Dustin showed no mercy. With a swing of his long sword, a dazzling sword aura swept through the darkness like a crescent moon and briefly illuminated the night sky. The assassins only saw a flash of white light and instinctively stopped in their tracks. When the brilliance faded, those at the front stood frozen as if struck by a paralysis spell.A moment later, heads tumbled to the ground, like ripe fruit falling from a tree. The headless bodies stood upright for two seconds before collapsing, blood splattering everywhere.The gruesome sight shocked everyone. They exchanged uneasy glances and were hesitant to move forward. No one had anticipated Dustin's sword to be so fast that the fallen couldn't even defend themselves.The assassins who had just been killed were among the elites. Yet, none of them could block even a single strike. The difference in strength was clear."What are you standing aroun
The people who emerged from the fog wore masks that hid their faces, but each had the Hall of Gods emblem on their bodies. Among them was a small group led by Dustin.After sensing a battle nearby, Dustin had deliberately left his team behind to investigate alone. He hadn't expected another group to lead them out of the fog formation."What's going on? Why are there so many bodies scattered around?" "Looks like they ran into a strong enemy. Stay sharp, everyone!" The sight of scattered corpses put everyone on edge. Their eyes darted between Dustin and Aven."Dustin, what are you doing here alone?" The leader of the group recognized him immediately.The Hall of Gods had recruited several teams, each marked by different colored masks, with team leaders wearing a distinctive emblem."Hank?" Dustin narrowed his eyes as he recognized the voice. "What happened here?" Hank asked tentatively."I don't know. I just stepped out of the fog formation." Dustin shook his head."Really?"
Though Marcell was momentarily stunned, he still explained patiently, "This man is the guardian of the Forbidden Ground. If we kill him, we'll be able to take the treasure." He was gravely wounded and had to rely on Dustin to deal with Aven, so he needed to be persuasive."We can talk about the treasure later. Right now, it's time to settle some old scores." Dustin stretched out his hand, and the long sword on the ground shot up into his grasp."Settle old scores? What are you talking about?" Marcell blinked in confusion, especially when he saw the sword in Dustin's hand. A feeling of unease spread through him."You and that big guy planned to use me as bait. Then, you sent me into the fog to clear the way for you," Dustin said flatly. "Did you really think I didn't hear that? Since you want to harm me, don't blame me for being ruthless.""What… What are you going to do?" Marcell panicked. "We're both working for the Hall of Gods. There's no need for this kind of betrayal. If thi
When the black death energy entered his body, Aven felt as if his entire being was being ripped apart. The pain was unbearable, as though a swarm of venomous insects was gnawing at him from the inside. It wasn't just his body that suffered, but his soul was being torn apart as well."Curse you! Get out of my body!" he roared in fury as he tried to force the black death energy out of his system.The death energy seemed to have burrowed deep into his bones. It was invasive and siphoned away his life force with every passing second. Even his internal energy was being drained to feed it. If this continued, he would be completely drained in less than three minutes."Won't leave, huh? Fine. We'll die together!" Aven's anger boiled over, and he went all out in his attack.He raised his hand, and dozens of Divine Talismans shot into the air to form a formation above his head. As it spun, a massive black thundercloud began to take shape. Lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled with terrifyin
The once frail Marcell began to undergo a rapid transformation. His muscles and bones grew at an astonishing pace. In the blink of an eye, his height jumped from five feet three inches to nearly six feet, and he kept growing.His once skeletal frame rapidly filled with dense muscle, and his skin stretched taut as if it might tear. His hunched back straightened, and his entire frame became incredibly imposing.Within just a few seconds, Marcell had transformed into a completely different person. Standing close to six feet five inches, his muscles bulged, his eyes burned with bloodlust, and he radiated a terrifying presence. If he had once been a frail wildcat, now he was a ruthless tiger.At that instant, Marcell was surrounded by swirling dark energy. His face twisted into a menacing and bloodthirsty expression. He looked like a demon straight out of hell."It is so delicious." Marcell licked his lips after absorbing the surrounding death energy and resentment.The Soul Abyss Tech