After the helper left, Chase asked curiously, "You know people from the sect, Mr. Cooper?""Well, you can say I used to be an affiliate."William nodded lightly and continued, "Frankly speaking, I was one of their disciples, but I left and joined the army when the war broke out. It's been almost 50 years."He then let out a sigh and said with a somber expression, "The bodyguard who died to protect me the other day was a lad called Quentin Lawrence. He was one of the sect's disciples. "Yesterday, after regaining consciousness, I contacted the sect and asked them to deal with Lawrence's body. I also sought out some help from them."Chase nodded in understanding as he asked, "You're facing some troubles, Mr. Cooper?"Without waiting for a response from William, Bianca spoke up and said coldly, "That's right, Mr. Collins. We received a challenge from the Harrigans yesterday. They want us to have a showdown at Crescent Lake this afternoon. It's a fight to the death."Given the curre
To their amazement, a palm print appeared on the granite table. Carter had left a dent that was three centimeters deep."This is... How..."William and Bianca were both too stunned to speak. They could not believe what they were seeing.Just how powerful was this man that he could leave a dent like this on the table?It was truly mind-blowing for William and Bianca.If Carter were to place his palm on a body instead, would it mean that the body would be perforated?At this point, William could not help but treat Carter with reverence while saying, "You're truly a man of skills, Master Watson. I've greatly underestimated your capabilities. Please forgive me."Crossing his hands behind his back, the smug look on Carter's face was unmistakable. Anyone could see that he was enjoying the flattery very much.His two disciples looked equally haughty.Still relishing their moment of glory, one of the disciples suddenly noticed Chase shaking his head.The disciple's expression sank as
"In fact, external martial artists are the weakest between the two styles because this style relies solely on brute force. Sure, these guys won't have any problem against three to five opponents, but they'll be at a distinct advantage during huge group fights."William and Bianca nodded unisonly in understanding.Carter continued, "The reason why internal martial artists are superior to external martial artists is because, apart from brute force, they're also trained to cultivate true energy. Coupled with other techniques, the power that they unleash is unparalleled."The ranking system of internal martial artists is primarily divided into two categories—acquired and innate. There are many sublevels within the acquired rank, starting with apparent strength, hidden strength, inner strength, strength-dissolving, and finally, meridian opening!“Being the first sub-level, apparent strength simply refers to internal martial artists who have succeeded in using their true energy during co
Just when William was about to reply to Chase's request with a nod, one of Carter's disciples sneered. "What good can you do by tagging along? You don't know anything about martial arts, so you certainly can't be of any help. Not only that, you may even be a burden to us.""He's right. We're heading off for battle, and from the looks of it, it's going to be bloody. Are you sure you won't shit your pants?" the other disciple laughed haughtily and looked at Chase, eyes full of disdain.Chase replied calmly, "Don't worry, I promise I won't be a burden to anyone."He was asking to join because he was worried about the safety of William and the others.He felt that he was responsible somehow, given that he was the reason the Coopers got into this mess with the Harrigans. He could not just walk away.Sensing his determination, William nodded and said, "You're welcome to join us, Mr. Collins."Carter knitted his brows together as he said, "Let me make this clear, Cooper. My team and I a
A twisted grin stretched across Huey's face, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent."Right back at you," Chase replied nonchalantly."Enough of this bullshit."Caleb sneered. "I'm giving you one last chance, Cooper. Surrender now and I'll spare your life."Refuse, and all of you will die! You should know better that the Coopers won't last a day without you leading them!""How dare you! Let's see who's the last man standing today. Don't get ahead of yourself!" Bianca yelled angrily."Well, what are we waiting for? Bring it on!" William said with a dark expression.Surrendering was not an option."Alright then! If you're so determined to march to your deaths, so be it!" Caleb said coldly.He then turned around, gave a nod to the young man dressed in black, and said respectfully, "As you've heard, Master Lemmington. Kill them all!""As you wish!"Flashing William a predatory smile, Tyrone stepped forward and leaped out from the crowd.He said, "You were lucky to have a loyal
"Urgh, now my hands are filthy thanks to a piece of crap like you!" Tyrone said with a scornful smile, not even bothering to glance at Cameron's dead body.It all happened too fast, leaving William and the others in stunned silence."Cameron!""Cameron!"Grief overtook Carter and his remaining disciple when they realized what had happened, whereas Chase shook his head grimly.This would not have happened if they had taken his warning seriously.Snapping back to his senses, Caleb laughed haughtily and said, "Well, well, well! And yet you dare to say he's skilled? Look at him now!""Exactly! You should've known better than to send someone like him to fight against us. He couldn't even finish his sentence!" Huey said, looking pleased.The two Harrigans gained a newfound respect for Tyrone after witnessing his skills firsthand.He was indeed the Supreme Elder's disciple!Hearing Caleb's words, William asked Carter with a grim expression, "What should we do now, Master Watson?""
"You know nothing about martial arts, yet you dare to spout such nonsense?!""I'm just stating the facts," Chase replied nonchalantly."You...!" Francis flew into a rage and was about to beat him up.Seeing this, Bianca immediately stepped in and said, "Please stop saying such things, Mr. Collins. He's right. We're complete newbies here. We should keep quiet."Bianca was starting to feel annoyed at Chase as well.He did not even know anything about martial arts! Why could he not just shut up?Besides, Carter was representing the Coopers. Chase should be saying nice things about him, not words that would damage his reputation.William also said with a frown, "I agree with Bianca, Mr. Collins. Let's just keep quiet for now. We wouldn't want to risk Master Watson getting distracted."Still in the middle of the fight with Tyrone, Carter yelled angrily, "Just wait, you rude brat! I'll deal with you after I've won this fight!"Seeing that nobody would heed his advice, Chase fell sil
The sudden voice from afar had stunned everyone, even Tyrone.Directing their gazes toward the source of the sound, the crowd stared agape at Chase, eyes filled with shock and confusion.After a moment of silence, Huey burst into laughter and said, "Is it just me, or did he say that he can save Carter?""Hahaha! I think he just wants to boast a bit before he dies so that he can preserve some of his dignity!" Caleb laughed loudly as well.It was obvious that they did not believe Chase one bit.They had witnessed Tyrone's skills firsthand. Even Carter was easily defeated, not to mention someone like Chase.Carter, who was on the brink of death, opened his eyes and sighed helplessly when he saw that his 'savior' was Chase.He was dying here, yet Chase was still saying such things.Thinking that Carter did not hear what he said, Chase repeated, "If you're willing to apologize to me, Master Watson, I'll save your life!"Chase did not have a good impression of Carter. He thought of
As Clive had gained quite a lot, he decided to let it be. He allowed himself to let go of things. However, that being's consciousness began to open up to Clive, and that was when Clive realized how powerful the being was.It was one against the 12 Primal Treasures, and the universe was its target. It had existed for millions of years. The result of allowing it to take over was Clive losing complete control of his body. It was a projected image that vanished after Chase defeated it.However, Clive's body had been modified by it, and Clive's mind and soul were unable to control his own body. This was what had caused Clive to look like he was in a daze right after the match.Rania then used a mystical technique to transmit her cultivation and combine the powers of both parties. It triggered a lost talent within Clive that merged all of the swordsmanship he cultivated to form an unknown sword form that had never been seen before.Clive felt like he had been revived.He looked at the Ni
Inside the halved corpse, faint outlines of Rania and the coachman's bodies could be seen. They were twisted and contorted.Foul-smelling digestive fluid bubbled and hissed, corroding their bodies.Rania appeared to retain a shred of consciousness. "Cli... Clive... Clive... Help me... Save..."Her voice was faint, tremulous, and laced with sorrow. It stirred pity in the heart.In truth, even before she had spoken, Clive had already detected her presence through his spiritual consciousness. He raised his sword. His face was tormented as if he wanted to put a swift end to things. Yet in the end, he let out a long sigh and released a surge of true essence, pulling both the coachman and Rania from River's corpse.The coachman's cultivation was far too low, and his clothes were made of ordinary fabric. They offered no resistance to the corrosive and toxic digestive acid inside River's body.Half of his body was already unrecognizable, with the bones and internal organs exposed. His b
"Pathetic."The Nine-Sea Giant Squid that River had transformed into spoke with a human voice, then opened its gaping maw and swallowed her whole.The coachman, who had leaped off the horse the moment River transformed, scrambled and sprinted away. He was already dozens of feet out.Just then, a dark blur flashed past, and one of River's tentacles shot forward at incredible speed, snatching him back and devouring him in a single gulp as well."Disgusting. That woman tasted better," he muttered while slithering toward the carriage on his tentacles.Suddenly, an explosion echoed from within his belly, and faint glimmers of light shone through the surface of his body."That woman's protective artifact is so weak. Looks like she wasn't treated well in the Norths, after all."River examined himself carefully and found that it was indeed Rania's protective talisman that had just detonated. Yet his body remained largely unharmed. With some minor healing over ten days to half a month, he
Outside Light Divine City, Rania sat inside a carriage with Clive."Clive, say something, will you? You staying silent like this is really worrying me," she said while wiping the sweat from Clive's forehead and letting out a sigh.As a collateral descendant of the Norths, Rania's life had never been particularly easy. She had thought she had finally snagged a golden opportunity with Clive, only for him to fall into a daze after just one match.What was she supposed to do now?Everyone had witnessed their behavior during the tournament. Though some might look down on them, they would undoubtedly see the two of them as a pair by now.If she abandoned Clive at this point, she would surely be labeled a heartless woman.Just then, the carriage came to a halt. They had only left the city less than an hour ago and were still far from Universal Holy Land. Was someone blocking the road? Rania frowned and lifted the curtain.Sure enough, there was someone standing in the way.She looked c
Even though the match had ended, Lisa still could not fully escape the lingering terror.The slimy, wriggling tentacles covered in suction cups and jagged teeth, stretching out toward her… Such images were seared into her mind. The impact had been too great.Though she was a direct descendant of the dragon clan—an authentic ancient lineage and one of the top races in the entire world—she had been completely overpowered then.Normally, her bloodline would exert natural suppression over most others. However, at the time, she was almost crushed by another.She could not even begin to imagine what kind of race could do that."It tried to eat you?" Walter exclaimed in shock.As a great beast himself, he understood just how powerful the dragon clan's pure bloodline was.Even though the incident with the Lightning Dragon kneeling to Chase had dulled some of the mystique around dragons, it remained undeniable that they were a superior bloodline."For a creature to make a dragon feel lik
"Pfft, what Saints or Saintesses? They're just titles. They don't have any real skills to speak of!""Exactly. These so-called Saints who suddenly emerged probably got their status through shady means. The moment they enter a duel, their real strength shows."Amid the chorus of cheers and congratulations, a few jarring voices remained, and one of them was Rania's. Although she was a social climber herself, hearing the crowd ridicule Clive after his defeat made her deeply uncomfortable."That's not true. Clive is not like that," she repeated again and again. Those were the only words she could manage.Several in the crowd recognized her as the one who accepted a gift from Clive earlier and began to mock her."She's the perfect example of a shallow woman. The moment she accepts a gift, she loses her sense of judgment. It's pathetic.""Right? The truth is right in front of her—Clive is just a big show-off with no real skills. And yet she keeps lying to herself.""Hmph. They really a
Later, a certain senior of the sect discovered a secret technique of the Nefarious Spirits.It was to meditate on the image of a divine beast or an overwhelmingly powerful immortal being the embodiment of one's soul. As the level of visualization deepened, one's spiritual soul strength would grow accordingly.This method of cultivating Nefarious Spirits was a hybrid of corpse refining and body cultivation.However, while corpse and body cultivation focused on physical bodies, Nefarious Spirits cultivation trained the intangible—the spiritual consciousness and the mind and soul.After this discovery, they even improved the methods of refining corpses and bodies using it.When refining the body, practitioners would visualize fierce beasts like bears or wolves or celestial warriors, generals, and even gods. The subjects of their visualizations would match with their nature and temperament, making them their own Nefarious Spirits.Fallon's Nefarious Spirit was an ancient giant ape. It
As for Fallon and Carla on the high platform, they clearly sensed that the ominous gaze from above had lessened significantly.Clive, who was facing Chase directly, also felt that his seemingly unstoppable sword strike had suddenly stalled in front of Chase. It could not push forward any further. This shocked him greatly.After all, even when sparring with his own master, he had never encountered this sensation. His master had even praised him for his good fortune after obtaining a peerless sword and for mastering a sword technique unparalleled in this generation. If not for the looming limit of his life span and the need to break through to gain more years, his master would have wanted to cultivate that technique himself.This sword strike, which Clive considered to be the culmination of all his understanding of the sword path, was the most perfect attack he had ever executed since beginning his cultivation journey.Even so, this nameless opponent had forced it back with a single
Tania once attended celebratory events held by other sects, only to encounter top-tier demonic beasts on the road. A brutal battle left her covered in wounds, and she missed the celebration entirely, offending the host.At that time, her master's resentment had already reached its peak.That thousand-year-old wolf demon became the last straw that broke the camel's back.Her master unleashed Emerald Lake Holy Land's most powerful technique—Radiance of Emerald, Eternal Slumber.Heaven and earth changed color the moment it was unleashed. The thousand-year wolf demon gathered all of its cultivation but still could not withstand the strike. It was reduced to ashes in an instant.Tania once thought that the gap between her and her master was not too wide and that she would rightfully inherit the mantle of leadership over Emerald Lake Holy Land within a century.Yet after witnessing that attack, she realized how wrong she had been. From then on, she started training harder and more dilig