"Is that so? Hal, your information is always so reliable. I'm really benefiting from it," Chase said."Not at all, but I do hope you'll share any news about the person in the portrait with me as well," Hal replied. Although his words sounded casual, his expression clearly conveyed that he expected some valuable information in return for what he had provided.Hearing that, Chase responded, "Of course, of course."Their conversation was pleasant overall, and when Chase took his leave, Hal even walked him downstairs.After leaving Hal's inn, Chase went to the tavern he frequented. He looked for a secluded spot, removed his disguise, and reverted to his true self before heading back home.On his way back to the small house, Chase continued to ponder how he could fake his own death to infiltrate Shadow Pavilion. Upon seeing Chase's dilemma, Lucas offered a suggestion, "Find a corpse and destroy the face. That should do the trick.""But will the fake really pass as me?" Chase was int
"Yes, sir. Please go ahead and absorb it," Chase said. He then sat down cross-legged, patiently waiting for Lucas to provide feedback.Within half an hour, Chase suddenly felt a surge of heat within his body. He remained calm, knowing that this was the result of Lucas digesting the divine crystal.He guided the heat flow to circulate through his body once. As he began the second circulation, the heat flow diminished until it completely disappeared. It was now fully absorbed by Chase.However, when Chase checked internally, he found that his cultivation level hadn't increased at all. He released his aura entirely in disbelief, confirming that there was indeed no change. Puzzled by this, he retracted his aura again.In that brief moment, many people in the city sensed his aura. Several individuals rushed out of their rooms, but as the aura quickly vanished, they could only look around in confusion and give up.Among those who noticed were Hal from the inn, Toledo from the shop, an
After breakfast, Harold and his wife felt that Chase seemed more genuine. Previously, he had been so calm and composed, almost unnaturally so for someone his age.Once Wanda led Rania away from the table, Chase returned to his usual demeanor. It was not that Chase had feelings for Rania or anything, but he naturally had a soft spot for gentle and fragile women."Chase, my young friend, why don't you settle down in Eagle City instead of wandering around? We have everything you could need here," Harold suggested with a hint of meaning in his tone."A man's ambition should know no bounds, Lord Scanlon. Please don't make light of such things," Chase understood immediately and changed the subject.Reluctantly, Chase asked, "Lord Scanlon, do you have any prisoners on death row?""What do you mean by 'death row'?" Harold was puzzled.Oops, they did not understand what 'death row' meant here."I mean people who have committed serious crimes and are awaiting execution," Chase explained.
It was clear that Lucas was more invested in this matter than he had been in any other before, likely due to the divine crystal.Hearing Lucas' reassurance, Chase no longer hesitated. With a single thought, a foreign consciousness appeared in his mind. Chase sensed it and confirmed that he could indeed expel this consciousness at any time and force Lucas back into the Dragon Vein Secret Realm.As Lucas took control of his body, Chase retreated into his mind. He felt a strange sensation. He was able to perceive and see what his body was doing without actually controlling it. It was a peculiar feeling.Though Lucas' control over Chase's body wasn't as fluid as Chase's own, it was adequate."Who are you? What do you want?" the prisoner asked nervously after seeing Eddard bring a stranger over and then leave. While controlling Chase's body, Lucas instantly moved into the cell without a word. He struck the prisoner unconscious with a single palm strike.Chase then witnessed something
Chase found it amusing to see the prisoner so wary. He was just a late-stage true master of martial arts. Chase had killed several marquises of martial arts, so this guy was nothing to him."So, what does my benefactor want from me? As long as it's something I can do, I'll do it," the prisoner said quickly, assuming Chase had freed him to do some task. He was eager to save his own life."I don't need you to do anything. You're safe now, so you can leave," Chase replied, not wanting to waste more time talking to a doomed man."Can I really go?" The prisoner still could not believe it. After all, he was a notorious criminal and had long since stopped believing in others' goodwill.Chase did not say anything more. He just pointed to the door, indicating that the prisoner was free to leave.Hence, the prisoner did not hesitate and walked out the door, soon disappearing into the night. Was Chase really going to let him go? Of course not. Chase had already placed a trace of his consciou
"Definitely. Of course." Seeing Chase agree to his proposal, Hal readily made an empty promise.Who knew what would happen in the future? Besides, after completing this task, he would have the upper hand once he joined Shadow Pavilion."What are you waiting for? Let's hurry," Hal urged, his previous dissatisfaction vanishing."Alright, Hal. I'll lead the way." Chase then led Hal through various turns until they reached the inn.Hal then saw fake Chase sitting on the second floor, drinking. To make the scene more convincing and to ensure more witnesses, Chase pretended to act impulsively, but Hal held him back."Hey now, there are too many people here. It's not good to attack in public. Besides, that person seems to be an early-stage marquis of martial arts. We should wait for a better opportunity," Hal advised."You're right, Hal. I was too hasty," Chase replied, though he was inwardly irritated.What was going on? Hal had been in such a hurry before, and now, he was hesitant af
"Maybe it's because he was drunk?" Chase quickly came up with a plausible excuse."Maybe," Hal said as he took out the portrait to compare. It was indeed the same person.The people in the inn were shocked to see a regular customer killed just outside the door. They stood there, feeling stunned."Someone's been killed!" After a moment, the inn's patrons realized what had happened and shouted, waking up many in the dead of night."Hal, let's take the body back to claim our reward. This isn't the place to stand around," Chase reminded Hal while lifting the corpse though he actually wanted more people to witness the scene. Hal agreed."Right," Hal responded, shaking off his confusion. This was not the place to hesitate, so he followed Chase to Toledo's shop.The sound of their knocking echoed at the door of the closed shop."Who's there?" A lazy voice answered from inside. It was Toledo."Toledo, it's me and Hal!" Chase replied eagerly."Who are you?" Toledo still did not recogni
"This is Master Shadeless. Why haven't you greeted him?" Toledo scolded Chase and Hal as he brought the old man over."Greetings, Master Shadeless!" Chase and Hal both said in unison, lowering their heads respectfully. Hal was sincere in his hopes of joining Shadow Pavilion. As for Chase, he also showed sincerity as he wanted to play his part convincingly."These are the two guys I mentioned earlier. They brought back our target. The one on the left is Chase, and the one on the right is Hal," Toledo introduced Chase and Hal to the old man."Mm," the old man replied indifferently, turning his attention to the corpse on the floor. After examining it briefly, he pulled out a dim crystal from his pocket and began to sense it.After a moment, he said, "Yes, it's him. But the item we're looking for is no longer on the body." He then glanced at Chase and Hal.Toledo quickly asked, "Did either of you take anything from the body, something that looks like this crystal?""No, Toledo. After
A cynical smile appeared on Chase's face. He waved his hand, and two silver flashes shot out.Silver needles pierced into the men in black's hearts and through the middle of their eyes. They did not even make a sound as they died on the spot."What…"All the Webers watching took a sharp breath and stumbled back a few steps. There was wariness in their expressions as they were filled with fear. Those men were powerful martial artists, but they were killed without even being able to retaliate."Who is this man? How dare he slaughter the guards of the Secret Sect's headquarters?!"Everyone began whispering among themselves."My gosh! That man must be a god to be so powerful. He killed all the guards from the Secret Sect's headquarters! How many people have he killed?""I heard that a powerful man emerged in Capital City who destroyed the Starks. Could it be him?""Impossible! Your news is outdated. I heard that this man's name is Chase Collins. He was born in a village at the bord
Chase would rather exhaust his vital energy than use precious ingredients. After all, he aimed to be at the peak of martial arts.If he relied on precious ingredients to help achieve peak stage momentarily, it would easily leave unwanted side effects or even cause his power to spiral. His cultivation would be forever stalled if that happened.There was a reason why some things were too good to be true.The cultivator's path meant that the more powerful the skill, the more difficulties one had to endure. It was the same with saint-level skills."If I accumulate enough experience, I can still formulate a plan to scale to greater heights even if I'm unable to achieve a breakthrough within a short time."There was a glint deep inside Chase's eye.All the old and weak, women and children of the Webers were just ants to Chase. He could destroy them with just a flip of the hand. They were not worth mentioning at all.However, if they gathered, they would be able to produce great power
"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