Thankfully, Iris was quick to catch Quinn’s body.She asked, “Finn, who is she?”“No idea.”Finn looked at Quinn and shook his head. “Judging by how nervous she is about Chase, I think she might be his girlfriend.”‘Girlfriend?’ Iris wondered as she looked at Quinn.Ultimately, she had to admit that Quinn was gorgeous, even more than her.However, when she saw Quinn’s hands, she exclaimed, “Look at her hands!”Finn looked over and noticed how mangled Quinn’s fingers were. All of her nails were broken, and some were still bleeding.Finn frowned. “I think she must have crawled here. All of her nails are broken, and her hands are scratched.”Iris said in distress, “Does she want to die? Is Master Collins so important to her?”“Let’s treat her. If not, she might lose both of her hands.”Finn shook his head and took off his shirt, putting it on the ground. Then, he asked Iris to put Quinn down.He then took out the special medicine from Basalt from his first aid kit to start tre
“Is that possible?” Quinn smiled bitterly.The sinkhole seemed bottomless. It might be at least a thousand meters deep. Even a stone would break into pieces after falling in, let alone a human.At this moment, Finn walked over and said, “He might. After all, Master Collins is a true master of martial arts. He’s incomparable to a normal human.”After he said that, Quinn froze, and she lifted her head to look at the two. “Really?”Her eyes lit up with hope again.Iris nodded and continued, “Yes, so don’t be so pessimistic. We’ve called for help and are now waiting for them to arrive.”“When will they arrive?” Quinn asked, crying from happiness.“I have no idea.”Iris said with a troubled look on her face, “However, they will need at least four hours. After all, it’s inconvenient to airlift a lot of the equipment, so they can only walk.”Four hours?Quinn finally felt a glimpse of hope, but it was distinguished again.Four hours was too long. No one knew what could happen in th
Finn carefully sent Quinn down from the side of the sinkhole.Iris was highly nervous.Even though Quinn had the rope around her, she was worried that Finn would also slip and fall.In the end, Quinn disappeared before the two of them.Finn then sat on the ground and sighed as if he had been relieved of a heavy burden. “Let’s hope she can return safely.”He then lifted his head and saw Iris staring blankly into the sinkhole.“What are you thinking?” Finn asked.After Iris returned to her senses, she said, “Finn, is love really that powerful?”Finn was curious why she would ask that.Iris continued, “I must say that seeing Miss Norris touched me a lot.“A frail woman like her came all the way to Vast Nine Lake just to look for Master Collins. When she couldn’t walk anymore, she decided to crawl. She even broke all of her nails.“Even when she knew that Master Collins had fallen into the sinkhole and was unsure whether he was alive or dead, she did not hesitate to go down rega
Aside from that, the temperature was lower, so Quinn was shaking from the cold.She might have given up if it were not for her determination. Quinn bit her dried lips when she felt the debilitating pain and weakness in her body. She was trying to keep herself awake.At the same time, a sense of despair rose in her heart. ‘Is this really it?’ she thought.As her consciousness started drifting, she saw the happy memories she shared with Chase in her mind. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and bit down hard on her lip to try to wake herself up.“Quinn, you can’t give up. He’s still waiting for you.“Have you forgotten your promise?“Have you forgotten that Myra is still bedridden and on the verge of death? She’s waiting for you to take Rocky back to save her life.”Quinn kept telling herself.Another hour passed, and this time, she had only gone down 50 meters.Finally, she saw a tree more than ten meters below her.A small tree that was only the size of her wrist was growing on
Quinn panicked immediately. After she stabled herself, she reached out one hand and tapped on the lamp on her head.However, not only did the lamp not respond after a few taps, but it even fell from her head and into the endless abyss below. Now, her only source of light was gone.She felt hopeless.The sudden cool sensation on her head made her even more hopeless. When she looked up, she felt a few drops of rain on her face. Soon, the rain became heavier, and her clothes were soaked shortly after.“God, even if I’ve done anything wrong, you shouldn’t punish me now.”Quinn cried sadly.Even so, she could only wipe her tears and continue moving down into the darkness.Since she lost her light source, she lost her footing a few times, causing her to fall down a few meters. Finally, she landed on a stone by the side of the cliff.The intense pain in her back almost caused her to pass out.Yet, she was still determined to climb down.Suddenly, she felt as if she had plenty
Even so, Quinn heard the bone on her right foot breaking when she landed. Then, she felt faint, as if she was experiencing an intense impact. She felt like she was suffocating. Quinn's vision went black, and she lost consciousness.…Time passed slowly. Finally, Quinn was awakened by the rainwater from above ground.When she opened her eyes, she noticed herself lying on the ground. Next to her was the miner’s hat she dropped.Meanwhile, she felt an intense pain in her right ankle.Quinn sat up and lifted her pants leg to see her ankle was extremely swollen. It was evident that she had fractured her bone.When she noticed she had one last bead on her, she finally could not control her tears anymore.She wanted to save Rocky.However, Rocky kept saving her again and again in secret.Quinn knew very well that if the bead did not explode to save her just now, she might suffer something worse than a bone fracture. Perhaps she would have fallen to her death.She wiped away her te
When Quinn saw Chase again, she could not stop her tears.She did not know how much she suffered throughout this journey. She was even on the verge of death.However, she found Rocky now.Quinn ignored everything and began limping into the water.She did not care whether the water was deep or if there were any dangers in it.She only wanted to save Chase as quickly as she could.The water was biting cold, but thankfully, the force of the water was not too big.As Quinn dragged her fractured right leg, she slowly moved into the water. Gradually, the water reached her waist and then to her chest.Right now, she was already exhausted. Her legs felt like they were filled with lead, and it was getting more challenging with every step she took.She did not know how to swim, so she could not swim over. She could only maintain her balance while inching toward Chase.Finally, when the water was about to drown her completely, she got close to Chase.She tried to shake Chase awake, but
Although he was a true master of martial arts, he was not God. He was still a mere mortal.Chase smiled bitterly and then lowered his head to look at himself. He noticed that his clothes and pants were quite torn. He also had some new wounds on his body.Chase's eyes gleamed as he recalled the scene before he passed out. If he remembered correctly, he had chased Tyrone to the sinkhole's edge. Then, Tyrone was forced to a dead end, so he self-destructed. The self-destruction of a true master of martial arts was comparable to an earthquake. It immediately caused the ground to collapse, and that was how Chase ended up in here.Chase climbed up from the bottom of the sinkhole and dragged his severely injured body to the river. Then, he lost consciousness.“I was too careless.”As he recalled what had happened, Chase frowned slightly and shook his head. He should have anticipated that Tyrone would self-destruct. Yet, even if he had predicted it, the result would still be the sa
"Fine! As long as you spare my life, I swear eternal loyalty to you. I'll serve as your slave or servant if that's what it takes!" Luis declared without hesitation. He knew too well that if he refused, death would be his only outcome.Luis was not afraid of dying—he simply could not accept defeat. A lifetime of prestige was ruined in an instant."I, Luis Hawkins, swear to the heavens that I'll submit to Chase Collins and never betray him. Should I break this oath, I vow to meet a terrible end!" Luis raised his hand and spoke in a firm, resolute tone.Chase scoffed, his expression tinged with disdain. He had no intention of believing Luis, and the mockery in his eyes was evident. "Luis, you think I don't see through your games? Do you think I'm unaware that you're merely stalling for time?""H-How do you know that?" Luis narrowed his eyes, a murderous glint flashing within them.Chase chuckled coldly. "Luis, I've dealt with countless schemers and liars. Your petty tricks? They don'
"You can try," Chase said with a faint smile."You…" Luis was consumed with rage.Suddenly, a pitch-black spear shot out from the side. It was aimed directly at Chase.Chase's expression shifted. With a light tap of his toes on the ground, he leaped back several yards, creating distance between himself and the attacker."I see the Hawkinses really are cunning!" Chase's gaze turned icy. "But since you're so desperate to die, I'll gladly oblige."Sword energy erupted, sharp and unforgiving. A single flash pierced through the head of a guard."Y-You're breaking your word!" Luis roared, his face turning an ashen shade.He had planned to use the family members as leverage against Chase, but instead, Chase had struck preemptively."I won't lay a single finger on your family," Chase said coldly. "But as for the others... Don't blame me for what's about to happen."He stared at Luis, his expression devoid of emotion. "Do you really think I care about the Hawkinses' wealth? To me, your
Luis was utterly stunned upon hearing Chase's words. He had never imagined Chase's appetite would be so insatiable. He wanted the entirety of the Hawkins family's assets!"Mr. Collins, pardon me for being frank, but if it's money you want, the Hawkinses are not lacking in that. I can offer you five times the amount you desire," Luis said, attempting to negotiate.Chase chuckled. "Mr. Luis, you've misunderstood. Money means nothing to me." He then added while shaking his head, "I'm after more than just your resources. What truly interests me is the Hawkinses' forging techniques. Surrender those, and I might spare your life.""The forging techniques?!" Luis's eyes widened with disbelief. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The Hawkinses' ancestral rules strictly forbid passing those techniques to outsiders. We can only offer you finished products!"The forging techniques were a legacy painstakingly developed by generations of the Hawkinses' forebears. They were the family's lifeblo
"Young man—no, Mr. Collins—please, let's talk this through. There's no need for violence," Luis pleaded. His dignity as the head of the Hawkins family had all but vanished. The Hawkinses had been a cornerstone of Bactria, influencing its entire power structure. Now, however, Luis saw that everything could change with Chase. He needed to bring Chase to their side no matter what it took.After all, Chase's talent was extraordinary, and his potential for growth was limitless. If the Hawkinses could recruit him, they would gain a formidable martial arts saint. They could elevate their standing to unprecedented heights.Luis said, his face stretching into a fawning smile, "Mr. Collins, on behalf of the Hawkinses, I'm willing to compensate you with any resources you need. I can even offer you an entire mine to aid your refining pursuits.""You think I need your resources?" Chase scoffed, his tone dripping with mockery. "And from the Hawkinses? I doubt you can provide anything worthwhile
"What… What's happening? Why are these swords flying on their own? Such powerful sword energy! Are these... black iron swords?!"Everyone was stunned, their eyes wide with shock. The event unfolded so abruptly that none of the Hawkinses' guards could react in time.In an instant, countless black iron swords tore through the air, forming a dense cloud that surged toward the guards like a tidal wave."This is bad!" Luis roared in fury. "Block them!"A massive surge of energy exploded from him, forming a white fist aura that smashed into the incoming sword energy."Hmph! A mere insect of a martial arts saint dares to intercept my black iron swords? You people are courting death!" Chase sneered.With a wave of his right hand, the swarm of black iron swords merged into a single massive blade that slashed down toward Luis.A terrifying sword light split the air. Luis hastily countered with a punch, but it was not enough to escape unscathed. A gruesome gash tore across his chest, blood
"Reckless fools," Chase muttered coldly.He raised his hand and struck out, unleashing a golden palm strike that swept through the air like a tidal wave, enveloping a radius of dozens of feet. Everything in its path was utterly destroyed.The golden imprint descended, shattering every weapon it touched. Bones snapped, flesh tore, and blood splattered in all directions. The power of a single strike crushed everything in its wake."Run for your lives!""No…""Help me!"Agonized screams echoed through the air as bodies fell lifelessly to the ground.Luis' face turned ashen at the sight. He involuntarily stepped back while trembling. "You… Who are you?!"Chase did not bother to respond. Without sparing Luis another glance, he strode toward the Hawkinses' grand estate.It was a sprawling complex of magnificent architecture that exuded opulence and grandeur.Inside, the family members were already alerted to the attack. They had gathered in the main hall, and they whispered nervous
Despite his exhaustion, Zion pressed on as he was convinced that Chase would eventually falter."Seventh Form!" he roared, unleashing a blade strike that seemed to split the heavens and earth.Yet even as the towering blade descended, Chase remained unmoved. With hands clasped behind his back, he stood still and made no effort to dodge or block the attack.An arm fell to the ground, blood splattering everywhere.Zion's eyes widened in utter disbelief as he stared at the scene. His most powerful strike had severed an arm, but it was not Chase's."T-This can't be… H-How is this possible?" he stammered. Zion looked lost, unable to accept the reality before him."It doesn't make sense! How could you withstand my blade? This defies logic!" he muttered, his voice tinged with confusion and despair."You're just too weak," Chase replied calmly while casting a cold glance at Zion.Flicking his finger, Chase sent a pill into his mouth. The pill dissolved instantly, replenishing his deple
In an instant, a group of guards rushed forward to help the elderly man to his feet."Sir, are you all right?" they asked with concern.The old man clutched his swollen face while coughing up blood. His complexion was pale, and his breathing had turned weak. "This man's strength is extraordinary—likely at the late stage of the martial arts saint level. We can't defeat him. Summon the Council of Elders immediately!""Yes, sir!" The guards promptly obeyed and withdrew."You little brat! How dare you launch a sneak attack?!" Zion Hawkins, the second son of the Hawkinses, spat with venom as he glared at Chase."Save your words. If you hate me that much, then come at me," Chase replied indifferently.Zion, a mid-stage martial arts saint, stood flanked by more than ten early-stage martial arts saints and another dozen at mid-stage.Such a force could dominate most of Bactria, but to Chase, it was laughable at best."Arrogant fool! Prepare to die!""Raging Blade, Ninth Form!" Zion ro
Chase strolled toward the massive stone monument, his gaze fixed on the four bold words carved into it. "The Hawkinses' Secret Sect? Perhaps today is the day this name vanishes.""Hmm?" Chase suddenly paused, sensing two powerful auras converging from different directions."As expected of the Secret Sect—full of hidden talents," he muttered while shaking his head lightly. He did not appear surprised; he had already anticipated this scenario before arriving.The ground trembled violently, followed by a chorus of furious roars echoing through the air.From deep within Hawkins Residence, Chase sensed a massive number of disciples pouring out from a grand hall. These disciples, all of them martial arts legends or higher, radiated intense killing intent.Together, they were a formidable force capable of annihilating smaller sects and clans. Yet even their combined might could not withstand a single punch from Chase. Within moments, their resistance crumbled, leaving corpses strewn acro