Although Chase initially directed his challenge only at the Sosa Clan members outside Herb Hall who were provoking him, the story changed as it spread.Rumors quickly twisted his words. At first, it was simply reported that Chase was challenging opponents at his own level. However, as the story traveled, it became increasingly exaggerated. Some even claimed that Chase believed himself to be invincible among the younger generation and that he declared himself the strongest, inviting anyone who disagreed to challenge him.As expected, the news spread like wildfire, reaching nearly all the prominent factions. It was said that Basalt's Collins had boldly challenged all the strongest fighters in the world. Upon receiving the news, various sects promptly informed their heirs. They felt indignant, believing their own heirs to be the strongest.Within the Flaming Sun Clan, Apollo was dealing with people urging him to accept the challenge.Initially, Apollo had thought about making a pu
Perhaps sensing Zach's arrival in advance, Sherley spoke coldly before Zach even stepped into the sacred site."What is it?""The clan master has ordered you to go and teach Chase Collins a lesson. Here's his portrait," Zach replied. Knowing Sherley rarely left the site, he thoughtfully handed her a drawing of Chase.The woman glanced at the portrait before it turned to ashes in her hand."Understood."...Deep within the Tonrad Mountains was the gate of the Melody Sect. Two young women were pleading earnestly with an older woman before them."Please let us go to Capital City," begged Enola and Eve. The older woman before them was the sect master of the Melody Sect, Melody.After hearing the news about Chase, Enola dragged her senior, Eve, to look for Melody. She was hoping that with Eve accompanying her, Melody might allow them to leave the sect grounds.If Enola went alone, she knew Melody would never agree. Eve had readily agreed, having grown close to Enola over time."No
A male disciple eyed the figure of a woman in the distance, his tone dripping with jealousy that was evident even from afar.Female disciples were rare in the Esoteric Sword Sect—one in ten, if that. Despite this, the sect boasted a brilliant female sword cultivator, which made many male disciples feel overshadowed.The woman who was the subject of their discussion clearly overheard their conversation. She immediately stood up.In a flash, she appeared before the two, interrupting their sparring session with a single thrust of her sword."What's the meaning of this?" one of the male disciples demanded angrily.Without offering an explanation, the woman responded with a question of her own, "Is what you said just now true?""Of course, it's true. What, are you thinking of challenging Chase? Dream on. The sect master has already decreed that only Odin, can freely enter and exit the mountain. If anyone else wants to do so without a mission, there's only one way.""And what's that?"
At that moment, an overwhelming pressure descended upon the plaza, forcing the approaching disciples of the Esoteric Sword Sect to instinctively retreat.Although Olivia had no intention of harming anyone, the sheer force of her aura was too much for most to withstand. Under this oppressive presence, the disciples could do nothing but continuously back away."H-How is this possible? She's only been in the sect for a few months. How could she progress so rapidly?""Exactly. It's been such a short time, and her cultivation is already above ours. No, this can't be real."As they retreated, the disciples of the Esoteric Sword Sect exclaimed in disbelief."She's the sect master's personal disciple. You're just an ordinary disciple. Do you really think you're on the same level as Olivia?""That makes sense. The sect master must have given her some kind of miraculous pill; otherwise, this wouldn't be possible."Hearing the comments turn negative, with some even starting to cast aspersi
"What do you mean by 'caught up'? I'd say she's on par with Odin.""Exactly. It seems we'll have to start calling her our senior from now on."In the span of just a few sentences, the two sword flashes had clashed more than a hundred times. The sound of swords clanging reverberated throughout the Esoteric Sword Sect.As time passed, more and more disciples gathered to witness the duel."Which elder is sparring with Odin?" one of the newcomers asked, not knowing what was happening. Upon learning that it was the recently initiated Olivia, they were utterly shocked.The news spread quickly. Soon, the entire Esoteric Sword Sect was abuzz with the revelation that Olivia, who had only joined the sect a short while ago, was actually able to match Odin in skill.The disciples were astounded.In the unseen heights of the sect, a group of elderly white-haired men observed the battle."Wilcox, you've got yourself a remarkable disciple. In such a short time, she has achieved this level of
Olivia, who had already comprehended the Sword Domain as a true master of martial arts, was now a martial lord of martial arts.Her Sword Domain had evolved to a level far beyond what it once was. Even though Olivia did not display her Sword Domain at its full strength, its power was still overwhelming. It not only covered the entire plaza but transformed it into a world of swords.Odin had not noticed the peculiarity, assuming Olivia had just unleashed a typical martial lord's domain."Olivia, is this your ultimate move? It's just a domain, something every martial lord of martial arts can use. Your domain is just a bit larger, that's all."Let me show you—bigger doesn't mean better!" Odin declared as he attempted to activate his own Sword Domain. As the senior of the Esoteric Sword Sect, he, too, had mastered the Sword Domain.However, as soon as Odin tried to deploy his domain, he felt shock rise within him—along with feelings of awkwardness. He could not believe it—his Sword Do
"Look at you, boasting like that," one of the elders remarked.Wilcox chuckled and said, "My disciple, Olivia, mastered the Sword Domain while still a true master of martial arts, which is typically something only martial lords can grasp. Now that she's a martial lord, guess what that implies?"The elders quickly connected the dots and were left speechless, their mouths agape in shock."Enough of this chatter," Wilcox said. "I'm going after my disciple to see why she's so eager to leave the sect.""No, Wilcox! You're the sect master of the Esoteric Sword Sect. It wouldn't look right if you're constantly absent from the sect. Besides, repeatedly forming an avatar consumes the sect's resources—it's too extravagant," one elder protested.Wilcox countered, "If you had a disciple like mine, would you let her go out alone? And besides, the cost of an avatar is nothing compared to the value of my disciple. You all should know which is more important."Seeing Wilcox's point, the elders f
These occurrences were unknown even to the divine Black Turtle or to Lucas and Caspian, who were trapped in the Dragon Vein Secret Realm.Only the powerful beings of this era truly understood them. If Skylar had not explained it to Chase, he would never have known such hidden truths.Chase had visited the Esoteric Medical Sect and met the sect master of the Esoteric Sword Sect. At the time, Chase found it odd. Despite being the leader of a top-tier sect, the strength he displayed seemed almost within his reach.Now, Chase realized that what he had encountered was likely just an avatar. The sect master's real body never walked the world."Basalt's Collins, someone's here to challenge you," Lottie's voice called from outside, snapping Chase out of his thoughts.Chase looked puzzled. "Who is it? Why would someone want to challenge me?"Chase had no idea that his casual remark had spread throughout the cultivation world. It was already dusk, which was most people's dinnertime. He cou
Both of those disciples thought they could see Skyler lose his temper, but he reacted calmly. The attempts to fan the situation seemed to have failed. Had they lost credibility with Skyler for their misguided actions?They broke into a cold sweat from fear.Those disciples had offended the previous and current Saints. It looked like they had just made life tougher for themselves.They glanced at each other and gave a long sigh.…Inside Universal Element Palace, Clive had placed Rania down on a training mat while he knelt in front of his master, the Universal Element Priest. "Master, please save Rania North. I'm willing to pay any price without regrets!"He spoke with great determination, and there was a grim look on his face."Silly boy." The Universal Element Priest glanced at Clive and sighed."Rania North seems to have been poisoned by a vicious curse and an extraterritorial poison. I can temporarily save her life, but her face…" He shook his head."I'm grateful enough that
The man had just commented to his junior when a sharp sword aura came swishing toward him. It sliced off half of his fringe, and his knees buckled from fear. If the sword had moved an inch further, his skull would have been sliced off."Shut your trap!" Clive's cold voice was heard. It was filled with murder. He had ignored all the criticisms directed at him. However, he pulled his sword out when the man insulted Rania."This is my woman. Insult her again, and I promise you will not see the sun rise tomorrow." Clive turned and continued walking forward without looking back.When he finally vanished from sight, a tall, dashing man came forward with a sword behind his back."Is Clive around?"He asked the two Universal Holy Land disciples who had just seen Clive."Clive just went inside to see the master, Skyler," one of them replied respectfully."Oh. What a coincidence. Um… What happened to your hair?" Skyler suddenly noticed the fringe of the disciple answering him had been slic
"If everything goes as planned, I'll be heading to the Holy Path with Chase Collins." Yara put the small, white bottle into his storage pouch as he spoke in a low voice."There's no hurry for this. I need to make proper arrangements at the Evil Shadow Sect first. Carla secretly set up the Severance Formation at the locations where Norm Weber and I were cultivating in isolation. She wanted to trap us inside and see us dead! I must have my revenge for that."The Holy Path won't happen immediately. You'll make it there eventually. Don't worry too much about it."Tack's eyes turned sharp at the mention of Carla. He and Norm had taken pains to nurture and groom Carla to become the sect master of the Evil Shadow Sect.Yet she showed ingratitude to their efforts by trying to kill them just to be with that rascal, Fallon Locke.Carla was a heartless woman who had no loyalty or filial piety. Such a vicious woman should find it lucky if all they did for revenge was to kill her.Tack saved N
Yara returned to his room at the inn after exiting the tournament venue. He checked the room carefully for any signs of intruders entering his room. He then took out a talisman from his storage pouch and blew gently on it.The talisman started to burn, and gentle smoke slowly billowed in the air. A formation formed instantly, and the entire room was cut off from the outside world.After that, Yara took out a messaging talisman. He touched the image of an old man on it. The next moment, the old man's image projected in front of him. He looked to be about 50 or 60. The old man had a head of white hair and a white beard. He was also wearing a big, red robe as he held a chowrie in his hand."Chase Collins took the bait, master," Yara said respectfully to the old man."Good job. You'll be rewarded well once this is done." The old man whisked his chowrie and laughed. He added, "Get his primordial essence, understand?"He lowered his voice when giving the instruction. When he bent his hea
After all, Chase had to bring Yara along if they were really going to the Holy Path.Chase would not be able to hide it from them then. It was better to be honest with them from the start."What? He needed something from you? Will he come over to see you tonight?" Willow's question had Lisa and Walter exchanging a glance.Chase had no idea how to respond. "What are you thinking, Willow? Sweep those dirty thoughts out of your mind."He berated Willow.Willow realized what she had just said and quickly apologized. "Oh, that's not what I meant. I just wanted to ask what you meant by him needing your help."Chase sighed. "To put it in a nutshell, Yara has phoenix bloodline and requires the Light Divine Pearl's help to receive the Rising powers of the Phoenix Deity. He knows that I have hope of getting the Light Divine Pearl, which is why he came to me."Willow and Walter were stunned."The Phoenix Deity? Isn't that one of the Five Major Demon Saints who holds the same standing as th
"An old acquaintance?" There was murder in Carla's eyes."It's someone from long ago. I thought she was dead. I didn't expect her to still be alive, or rather, this could be her descendant." Fallon's mind moved quickly as he tried to squeeze any excuse he could from his mind."Why haven't I heard you talk about this old acquaintance before?" Carla was suspicious. However, Fallon had never lied to her before. At least, she had never caught him lying before. She was not entirely sure if he was telling lies right now."You know how the Nefarious Deity Sect would sometimes discover unique and powerful monsters whenever we visualize Nefarious Spirits or tame dark beasts. Yara Fries looks very much like a human-form monster I discovered with phoenix bloodline."She refused to bow down to me. Since I could not have her, I killed her. I was not as powerful then, and I had a hard time trying to kill her. I was relegated to using despicable methods in the fight. That's why I… lost my calm whe
However, the rules did not state that fighters were not allowed to admit defeat, which was why the referee ruled that Chase had won.Most elites in the spectators did not know the Fries family well, but they still came forward to ask about the fight. Some of them went off to watch other fights with a sorry look or a look of disdain on their face.Carla, who was seated at the very top, said, "Interesting.""Why would you say that?"Fallon, who had been looking forward to watching a descendant of the Phoenix Deity in action, was feeling upset about the outcome. He asked the question when he heard Carla's comment."They were putting up an act," Carla said with a smile."Huh? Wouldn't that be rigging a fight? What are you smiling about?" Fallon felt angrier after hearing her explanation. He was the one in charge of the tournament, and they were rigging a fight right under his nose. That was disrespectful to the city lord."Didn't he organize this tournament to find out more about thi
"Huh. I didn't expect you to know so much." Yara was surprised."Of course, I know stuff." Chase felt a little proud about it but quickly said, "You should hurry up. There are a lot of people waiting out there.""Alright. I'll make it quick."The Holy Path is a relic of the calamity years ago. As for the ninth level, it was created by the Light Divine Pearl to protect himself by fusing pieces of the world collected from every corner of the universe."Currently, the Holy Path on the sixth level leads directly to the sealed location where the Light Divine Pearl's true form is. The Light Divine Pearl's image projection on the ninth level is where he is able to use most of his powers."Something happened while he was fusing the ninth level. The maximum cultivations on each level are different, and the Light Divine Pearl's image projection is unable to merge with his true form."That's why he used the body refinement of the Divine Order's Flame to leave a mark on you to help you pass t
"What has this got anything to do with me?"Chase could not understand the woman in front of him. Why would she say all these in the arena?"Before that, allow me to share a secret with you. The male and female phoenixes were supposed to be one."Chase was about to say something when Yara interrupted him, "The Rising of the Phoenix is not only about enhancing power after rebirth; it's a process of a male turning into a female and vice versa."But since the Dragon and Phoenix Calamity, the Phoenix Deity is the only Phoenix Demon Saint left, and he lost his power from the Rising to switch genders. He's unable to recover to his original power as well."However, he predicted that someone would be able to break him out of his suffering while wading in the river of fate."Yara looked into Chase's eyes with a smile."Is that person… me?"Anyone could tell the answer at this point.Chase was aware of what Yara was trying to tell him, but he still found it unbelievable when he asked the