As expected, Chandler flew like a cannonball with one punch. He was sent to the edge of the arena. He landed at the boundary, only stopped by the restrictive mechanism set up by Skylar.Chandler's body slid down against the mechanism. He was still breathing but appeared lifeless in the eyes. He mumbled repeatedly, "Impossible… It's impossible… He's only a stage-seven martial lord… It's impossible…"Even on the verge of losing consciousness, he kept muttering. It was not just Chandler who could not believe his defeat; the entire audience sat in stunned silence, the only sound being Chandler's murmurs echoing throughout."Impossible… Impossible!"The crowd exchanged bewildered looks until Chandler's head slumped to the side. He had been completely knocked out. Then, someone finally muttered, "It's rigged."This ignited an uproar."It's rigged! Give us our money back!""Refund! Refund!"The crowd roared in unison, with the loudest voices coming from those who had bet on Chandler t
From another section of the audience, another person stood up and declared, "I forfeit too!"It was clear that this was yet another challenger who, after seeing Chandler's defeat, decisively chose to forfeit.Skylar paused in surprise. "I just told you guys to tell me in advance, but now, you people are changing your minds again. Fine, I might as well ask outright," he muttered.Skylar then turned his gaze toward Herbert in the audience. "Herbert, are you going to forfeit too?"As soon as Skylar said this, everyone's eyes focused on Herbert."Herber Webert! It's really him! I didn't expect him to challenge Chase. But surely, he won't back down, right?""Herbert is one of the White Tiger Guards! He's supposedly one of the top-ranking members of the unit. No one but White Tiger himself can command him. Who would've thought that even someone from the White Tiger Guards would challenge Chase?""Yeah, White Tiger and Basalt are both part of Bactria's national defense forces. They're
In the end, Herbert gave up and chose to forfeit. This decision drew a chorus of boos from the audience."What a letdown! They promised three matches, but we only got one! This ticket wasn't worth it at all.""Well, you can't really blame Chase. Who could've predicted that the remaining two challengers would back out after seeing Chase fight? Who could've known they'd be too scared to even step onto the arena?""Exactly. I thought Herbert, one of the White Tiger Guards, would at least take his chance. But even he ended up too frightened to fight Chase!"The crowd's comments were filled with mockery, but Herbert paid no attention. He kept his head down as he walked out of Herb Hall, with Douglas trailing behind him. On the way out, Douglas could not stop complaining."Herbert, why did you forfeit? If you had stepped up and shown your true skills, you might not have lost!""And you have the nerve to talk!" Herbert retorted. "You told me Chase wasn't that strong, so I came here to p
The old man's voice carried the weight of countless years, like an ancient relic awakening."I'm indeed a descendant of the Collins family. Who might you be, sir?" Chase quickly paused, eager to engage now that the elder had finally spoken."Me... Just call me Murdoch," the elder started to introduce himself but suddenly changed his mind.Chase did not press further, instead responding in line with Murdoch's cue. "Murdoch, may I ask why you stopped me?"Chase had sensed that this elder had been awake for some time but had chosen to ignore him until now. The fact that Murdoch called out just as Chase was about to leave suggested he had something important to convey."Did you just have a fight?" Murdoch did not answer and instead posed a question of his own.Chase nodded without hesitation. "Yes.""And what level was your opponent?" Murdoch's gaze was fixed on the bloodstains still evident on Chase's clothing."He was a stage-nine martial lord," Chase replied with some pride."I
"I'll restrict my strength to that of an early-stage martial lord, but let me warn you, just because you're now a late-stage martial lord, don't think you can be complacent," Murdoch said with a sharp tone."I'll show you that the difference between stages and levels can be completely disregarded, especially since I sense an unusual life force within you. My strikes will be lethal, so from now on, you'd better remain vigilant at all times because I might attack suddenly."Now, let's see your strength," Murdoch continued. "Hit me with everything you've got. If you manage to make me take even half a step back, I'll count today as your win!"Chase hesitated at Murdoch's dismissive attitude. He could not quite grasp the situation. First, Murdoch claimed to know his father and offered to teach him some advanced techniques. Now, he wanted Chase to hit him?Chase could not help but wonder if this old man was a masochist.Murdoch's impatience flared. "You've got such a dull spirit! I told
Chase lay flat on the smooth, water-like surface, resting for a good one to two hours before he managed to muster enough strength to get up.With a thought, he exited the Dragon Vein Secret Realm and reappeared in Herb Hall, only to see Trek and a few other Basalt comrades staring at him in disbelief."Trek, go call Miracle Doctor Skylar," Chase ordered weakly, not wanting to move."No need, I'm already here. What on earth happened to you? Why do you look like this?" Skylar asked, his face filled with shock. As a skilled healer, he could easily tell that Chase had taken quite a beating.Chase did not bother explaining and simply asked Skylar if he had any medicinal herbs to help nourish his body."I do have them, but why do you need them? Did the battle with Chandler really injure you that badly?" Skylar asked curiously."Yes, a bit, but mostly, I need them for my closed-door cultivation," Chase replied evasively.This simple response caused Quinn, who had been standing nearby,
Stretching lazily, Chase sat in front of Trek and Quinn, taking sip after sip from the bottle of wine. Seeing their worried, long faces, he chuckled. "I'm fine, really. My strength is advancing by leaps and bounds."Hearing this, Trek and Quinn exchanged glances. It seemed Chase had somehow managed to gain insights even while getting beaten up.Once he felt a bit better, Chase sent Trek off first. Trek was only helping out at Herb Hall during the day and still needed to return to the base at night. Fortunately, his cultivation level made the distance easy to cover.The next day, Skylar told Chase that no one had signed up to challenge him. Without hesitation, Chase went straight into the Dragon Vein Secret Realm to continue his training.Before starting, he casually asked if he should practice some blade or sword techniques.Murdoch flew into a rage, scolding him about not even having learned how to walk properly yet and already wanting to run. After that, Murdoch used the pretens
"That's right. The most powerful person must be an elite from the sects and clans. At the very least, it would be a successor from an influential family, not people like us. That's the last fight. There's no need to be impatient. We should focus on what's happening now and decide on who to bet on and earn some extra money." "Yeah. I heard that Bactria Express wants to turn this into the match of the century. They're working with the Two Sects, Three Schools, and Four Clans, as well as the Eight Influential Families to organize this. They even prepared extravagant prizes for the top three fighters. I heard that the strongest among them will receive a spiritual treasure!""A spiritual treasure?! I can't believe a treasure like that would exist in this world!"…The streets and alleys of Capital City were filled with such rumors, and everyone was talking about them. Even ordinary people who were not martial artists knew about them.Despite this, ordinary people did not think much of
"Kill him!"These martial artists were all powerful fighters. Even the weakest among them was a peak eighth-tier semi-saint. They sensed with their consciousness that Halver had been defeated.All of the Webers' powerhouses were filled with hate and anger. They took out their weapons and lunged toward Chase in an attack.The look in Chase's eye became even colder when the Webers retaliated. "I'll destroy the Webers today and get those two medicinal herbs after."A huge sword shadow formed behind Chase. The sword flash swept in all directions, destroying all of the weapons in the attack against Chase.Chase took another step forward. The sword in hand dazzled so brightly that it hurt the eyes. The light covered every corner as if about to destroy everything.It took only a short time for the Webers' powerhouses to be slaughtered. They did not even have the chance to retaliate. They were as weak as sick chickens.Cletus was shocked, feeling his hair stand on end. It felt like deat
Everyone was delighted.Halver Weber, the master of the Weber Secret Sect, was a peak martial arts saint. He was the second most powerful man after the Supreme Elder of the Webers.Two old men in black stood next to him with powerful auras. One of them was the leader of the Webers' Enshrined, Dennis Cloy. The other man was Halver's brother, Cletus."Who are you? How dare you barge into the Weber residence?! Don't you know that the Webers are Capital City's top family?" Halver said with a cold look on his face."Top family?" Chase laughed condescendingly and said with indifference, "I heard that the Webers possess two thousand-year-old spiritual herbs. Bring them out here. Give me those herbs and the Webers will live. Otherwise…"Chase paused at this point. He swept a glance at all the Webers present. A cynical smile appeared on his face. "This isn't much. The Webers are nothing to me!"Halver was enraged and roared, "What arrogance! Don't blame us for retaliating with force now t
Meanwhile, Chase was glowing in gold light, looking like a God of War.He was dressed to hunt, and there was a cold look in his eye. He displayed no emotions, acting like all he had done was kill an ant.Chase pulled out his sword, where blood was dripping down the blade.He turned to leave and headed to look for the Webers. Now that he was done with the Starks, it was time to take care of the Webers.Chase thought about this as he walked there. The Starks were one of the most wealthy families in Capital City. It did not bother him to destroy the Starks, but he had to find a good reason to do so or it might make others suspicious."Forget about it. I'll destroy the Weber Secret Sect first before thinking about this."Not long after, Chase arrived at the door of the Weber Secret Sect. He pushed the door open and strode in.The guards of the Weber Secret Sect saw Chase barge in and shouted, "Who dares come into the Weber Secret Sect?!" Chase kept silent as he continued walking i
"Who exactly is that young man? Why haven't I heard of him? The Starks are finished for making such a powerful enemy."Chase was decisive and resolute. He was ruthless, which frightened many of the Starks' guards.He closed his eyes to rest. Thin, black smoke began wafting out of his body and it eventually covered everything around Chase. No one was able to get near him.This was a lonely mountain peak that was far away from the bustling city.After some time, a car came by and parked near the mountain."Bastard!"Someone roared in misery. Theo Stark jumped out of his car. He was furious and roared with great anger.He looked at the abandoned house in front of him. Sorrow, fear, and revenge consumed him. His roars echoed all around."Chase Collins! Where is my son, Tank?!"He ran toward the ruins crazily.Just as Theo was about to get inside, he suddenly sensed a great danger. The next thing he knew, the mountain began shaking. It felt like the sky was about to fall. Theo was
Something sped by in the air, and several powerful auras were coming in close."Who are you? How dare you slaughter the Starks?"The man in the lead grunted coldly. He had a spear in his hand and came speeding over in a flash to stab Chase in the back.Chase did not look back. He raised his left hand and flicked his finger. There was a loud bang, and the spear broke into pieces. Turning back, he waved his hand. The dagger shot out midair and stabbed right between the man's eyes."H-How is this possible…" The man's eyes widened as he looked at Chase in disbelief. His mouth moved as if trying to say something, but his body gradually turned cold and stiff. This happened in a flash.By the time the other powerful auras appeared, the man with the spear was dead."Who are you?!" The two men were shocked. They were looking at Chase in great astonishment."I should be the one asking who you are," Chase sneered, his eyes narrowing.The two old men stepped forward and said in a deep voic
Chase saw that the entire living room was covered in blood. The walls were filled with various frightening torture tools."Is this how the Starks treat their guests?" Chase's expression was cold. He said this slowly and carefully, making sure every word was heard.The Starks!They were crossing the line!"Who's there?!"An angry voice was heard from deep inside the house. It was followed by violent coughing.A young man with messy hair struggled to stand. He was covered in blood. An arm fell limply below his shoulders. The cut on it was clean, and it was a horrifying sight to see.His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Chase. "You worthless ant, you—pfft!"He only managed a few words before his throat caught something and he coughed up blood."Who are you? The Starks have never crossed paths with you. Why do you want me dead?!" He was a member of the Starks, and he questioned Chase with clenched teeth.A name immediately appeared in Chase's mind at the sight of this Stark fa
The elder was furious with what the Gold Devouring Voodoo Bug did."Damn it! You destroyed everything I had!"He was filled with anger. His eyes were red as he yelled hysterically. His voice was shrill, and it sounded like the shrill of a banshee."Did you think you were the only one who knew how to use voodoo?" Chase grunted coldly."Impossible! How could you know restricted mystical techniques?" The elder was in disbelief. Only a direct descendent of the clan was qualified to cultivate the Gold Devouring Voodoo Bug."Nothing is impossible in this world," Chase said with conviction.He flicked his fingers after that, and a green talisman appeared. It exploded with a loud bang and formed into a burning ball of flame.Two balls of flame came flying over and sat on each side of Chase's shoulder. The flames burned furiously as they formed into fire armor that covered him. His defense increased."You must die…"The elder laughed crazily.He waved his hand, and two wooden puppets
Chase's eyes narrowed as he observed the mountain of gold and jewels gleaming before him. They were treasures of immense value.He cast a cold glance at the glittering heap and shook his head. "These baubles are worth less than your pitiful insects. They don't even qualify to buy your life."Before his words faded, Chase extended his hand, unleashing a sharp burst of sword energy.The sword energy tore through the treasure, shattering the gold and jewels into dust, leaving not a single piece intact."I told you, you'll die a miserable death." The elder clenched his teeth while his fists trembled with rage.Suddenly, the space around them became distorted. A strange and eerie energy weaved itself into a cage that encased Chase."Devouring Spirit Ghost Domain!" the elder roared, his bloodshot eyes wide with madness. "You're doomed! I'll make you suffer every imaginable torment before you die!"Chase felt the oppressive atmosphere around him intensify, the air thick with the mournf
"You're doomed!" the elder spat venomously, his eyes ablaze with hatred.The Gold Devouring Voodoo Bugs were not so easily eradicated. Their corpses would transform into sustenance for dormant eggs within them, allowing the swarm to regrow stronger and more voracious than before. Eventually, they would consume their hosts' life essence entirely."I'll make sure you'll die without even leaving a corpse behind!" the elder bellowed, his voice tinged with madness.The desolate front yard crumbled under the destructive force of their battle, leaving not a single brick or stone intact.The elder's tattered robes fell apart, revealing a body covered in deep sword wounds. Blood gushed out from every gash. Yet he persisted, his resolve remaining unshaken. He believed Chase was merely a newly-ascended peak semi-saint, far from being a match for him."You won't win—not while I have the Gold Devouring Voodoo Bugs!" he roared, his bloodshot eyes burning with frenzy. "As long as they exist, I'l