Although Edmund and Wilbur could join forces to deal with the threat of Hadirt's massacre, once the danger was eliminated, Edmund became even more aware of how formidable Wilbur was. Even though Wilbur was a righteous cultivator, if he were allowed to develop his own network of connections in Buck Town, it was likely that the ruler of the town would change hands. Edmund had nearly exhausted everything to secure his position as the City Lord of Buck Town. Now that Wilbur had appeared, the thought of losing his status as City Lord to him was something Edmund could not accept. Therefore, despite his fear of Wilbur, Edmund had to suppress Wilbur's allies. Since he could not personally intervene in this matter, he had to rely on the Shadow Group to take action. Edmund was someone who would rather die in battle than lose an opportunity. Divan frowned at Edmund before nodding and saying, "Yes, Lord Babbit, I will handle it immediately." After leaving Babbit's residence, Divan was d
The Shadow Group not only gathered intelligence from outside but also kept tabs on the internal affairs of the Reyne family. After all, only by eliminating threats both inside and outside could the Reyne family become more stable. As the head of the Shadow Group, Divan had no secrets in front of Jesse. Jesse knew that Divan was a cultivator without real power, one who appeared strong on the outside but was weak and desperate for status and respect on the inside. When Jesse exposed him, Divan felt his face burning with embarrassment. Bowing his head, he said, "Mister Jesse, you're joking with me again, but this joke isn't funny at all." While speaking, Divan looked up at Jesse and continued, "I have great respect for you, sir, but I truly do not wish to join the Shadow Group. This time, I came to deliver a message from Lord Babbit." "A message? So, there's a new task?" "Exactly. Wilbur's old friend, Augheimer, has somehow learned a technique that allows him to absorb the energ
The man screamed in the fire, and after jumping out, he rolled in the snow to extinguish the flames. Meanwhile, several of his subordinates charged at Augheimer, only to be engulfed by the dense fog that suddenly emanated from him. Eventually, their energy was completely drained, leaving behind only withered bones, which turned to dust as a gust of wind blew through. "Damn you! I'll kill you!" The leader, having just extinguished the flames on his body, cursed angrily as he got up, only to see Augheimer appear before him. The black fog surrounded the leader, swallowing him in an instant. Feeling the energy within him rapidly draining away, the leader let out a scream. "No! Stop! Ahhh!" In his despair, the leader chose to self-destruct. A loud explosion echoed from within the fog, and soon after, the leader's remains scattered across the ground. The fog quickly retracted, returning to Augheimer's body. A faint smile curled on Augheimer's lips as he walked back to the campfir
"Now, you should feel fear, or perhaps… you're just masking your terror with indifference. Well, I've seen plenty of people on the brink of death who were just like you. But this time, I think I can offer you a chance. If you're willing to teach me the technique you use to absorb others' energy, I can spare your life. Just leave Buck Town, and I won’t pursue this any further. What do you say?" Jesse looked at Augheimer, believing he had given him enough respect. If Augheimer agreed, he could walk away with his life. However, Augheimer acted as if he had not heard anything, simply picking up the roasted rabbit leg and continuing to eat. "Insolent!" Clang! Jesse drew his sword and struck it downward with a powerful slash. The sword's force instantly shattered the stone Augheimer had been sitting on, sending fragments flying. But Augheimer had already dodged to the side. In the next moment, Jesse flashed forward, appearing before Augheimer. Raising his sword, he pointed it at Au
In the next second, a dozen swords simultaneously struck the black energy shield. Instantly, a powerful suction force emanated from the shield, pulling the right hands of all the Shadow Group members into it. Seeing this, Jesse shouted, "No, don't!" Jesse transformed into a streak of white light, flying above Augheimer's head. In the next moment, he hung upside down, plunging his sword downward toward Augheimer's head. The sword was immediately absorbed by the black energy shield. Then, Jesse's right hand was also pulled into the black energy shield. In the following moment, the black energy shield suddenly shrank, only to expand several times its original size, engulfing Jesse and the dozen other members of the Shadow Group. The group screamed as their energy rapidly drained away. In just a few seconds, the black energy shield exploded, and the dried corpses of the Shadow Group members were flung out, landing in the snow. As the cold wind blew, they crumbled into dust and disp
Hearing this, Wilbur could only reluctantly agree. In fact, Augheimer killing one hundred thousand cultivators over the past three months was indeed excessive. Even though he only killed those who actively challenged him, the fact that he set traps at night to lure them into battle went beyond the bounds of normal combat. After leaving the City Lord's quarters, Wilbur immediately left the city and headed to the outskirts to find Augheimer. After searching the wilderness for half a day, Wilbur finally found Augheimer in a forested area. "Wilbur? What are you doing here?" Augheimer frowned. Wilbur replied, "Augheimer, it's time to stop. In the past three months, you've already killed one hundred thousand cultivators. You have enraged Lord Edmund. If you don't stop, tomorrow he'll come personally with his men, and even I won't be able to protect your life." "You should know that I only killed those who challenged me. They all deserved to die." "Ordinary people don't fight a hund
Hearing this, Augheimer stopped in his tracks, turned around to face Wilbur, and coldly asked, "Do you mean it?" Wilbur nodded firmly and said, "Yes, as long as you can defeat me, you can do with me as you wish. But if you lose, I hope you will leave Buck Town." "Fine, I'll take you up on that." Augheimer stared intently at Wilbur, his energy aura rapidly surging out as he sneered, "I know you've always considered me a friend, but if you think what you're doing now is helping me, that's a very foolish thought. Unfortunately for you, my strength has already increased. Even if Lord Edmund himself stood before me now, I wouldn't back down. By opposing me, you're courting death. When we fight, I hope you give it your all, because I won't hold back." Wilbur's heart sank at these words. He had indeed acted for Augheimer's sake, but the changes in Augheimer over the past three months had been so drastic that Wilbur hardly recognized him anymore. "Alright, no problem." Wilbur relea
"But now, this must all come to an end." With those words, Wilbur leaped into the air, spreading his arms wide as his energy aura radiated outward. Surrounding him, the Four Divine Beasts—Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, and White Tiger—manifested in phantom form. Watching Wilbur, Augheimer focused his thoughts, forming a black defensive shield around his body to prepare for Wilbur's attack. In midair, the phantom of the Four Divine Beasts, Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, hovered above Wilbur, circling him. As their energies began to merge, the four beasts started to fuse into one. After rapidly spinning, they ultimately combined into a golden dragon. In the skies over Buck Town, there existed a unique energy aura of the Golden Dragon, though ordinary people could not sense it and were unaware of its presence. Now, having absorbed the energies of the four divine sources, Wilbur had comprehended the mysteries of the four beasts, transf