"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
Watching Chase and Hal leave, Toledo turned to the backyard where Shadeless was still examining the corpse."Master Shadeless, since we didn't retrieve the item from the target, why did we still reward those two?" Toledo asked."Even though we didn't find the item, this is definitely the right person. You don't need to worry about this anymore. Just focus on your own tasks. After reporting these two, they'll fill the vacancies left by those who were lost earlier," Shadeless said, dismissing Toledo.Shadeless then took the body and left the shop from the back, pulling out a crystal to sense for any traces. Sure enough, the body had a faint hint of the divine crystal's presence, but it was on the verge of dissipating.Either the divine crystal was handed to someone else by the deceased, or it was taken after he was killed.The only ones with the opportunity to take it were those who had fought him. Shadeless' eyes darkened as he thought about this.Even outside the shop, he could n
Chase only had time to shout a warning before a powerful force struck him from behind, sending him flying dozens of meters and tumbling several times before coming to a halt.He was badly injured and struggling to get up when he heard another thud and saw Hal lying on the ground in the same position. It seemed Chase's warning had not been effective.Chase finally stood up, spitting out several mouthfuls of clotted blood. He looked back. As expected, it was Shadeless from Shadow Pavilion. After attacking them both, Shadeless did not make another move."Master Shadeless, what's the meaning of this?" Chase asked.Shadeless just stared at Chase and Hal, not intending to answer. These two did not have the power to fuse or absorb the divine crystal. They probably did not even know what it was.Seeing that Shadeless was not going to speak but also was not attacking again, Chase helped Hal up from the ground.Hal was clearly more seriously injured and was barely able to stand with Chase'
"Chase, have you encountered any difficulties? Is that why you're leaving in such a hurry?" Harold asked in the hall of the city lord's manor."No, no. It's nothing serious. I've already troubled you for a long time, and I have some important matters to attend to," Chase replied smoothly.He thought it best not to mention his infiltration into Shadow Pavilion to Harold. Although they had gotten along well in the past few days, their relationship was not deep enough to share such secrets."Does this have to do with the fleeting battle in the city last night? Don't worry, as long as you're within Eagle City, no one would dare cause trouble," Harold said, his confidence and imposing presence making Chase believe Harold could indeed stand up to Shadeless."Lord Scanlon, you're overthinking it. There's nothing wrong. I simply want to travel and gain more experience."For a moment, Chase considered staying in the city lord's manor and dealing with Shadow Pavilion from there.However, h
After leaving the city lord's manor, Chase waved to the Scanlons and swiftly departed.Shadeless had been in a foul mood recently. The great opportunity that had been within his grasp disappeared because of his hesitation to take action personally.He toyed with the crystal in his hand. He had obtained this one by ambushing someone on the brink of breaking through to the martial lord realm.Upon returning to the Eagle City base, Shadeless planned to refine this crystal, which was not a true divine crystal. However, he sensed another divine crystal through it, leading to the subsequent events.Detecting that the divine crystal was in the hands of a young marquis at the early stage of the realm, Shadeless wanted to avoid alarming Harold. He assigned the Shadow Pavilion operatives to handle it, thinking four individuals of the same level would easily capture the young martial artist.Shadeless was already imagining himself refining the divine crystal and ascending to the martial mona
Could it be that after Shadeless's test, he still had doubts about Chase and Hal? Did that cause Shadow Pavilion to delay their approval of the two of them?During this period, Hal had come by to drink with Chase twice. However, it was always on Chase's tab as he had told both Hal and Shadow Pavilion that he was staying here.Their interactions were not exactly joyous, but they were amicable. They both expressed their frustration about the slow process of joining Shadow Pavilion. At least, that was the impression Chase gave Hal.Just when Chase thought today would be like any other, that there would be no response, Hal hurriedly walked over in quick steps."Chase, we've got a response. They're asking us to go over," Hal shouted from a distance, addressing Chase by the window.Upon hearing this, Chase perked up.Afterward, he left the tavern and followed Hal to the base of Shadow Pavilion, where they met Toledo. Toledo led them to the shop's backyard to report to Shadeless. This
Chase walked slowly back to an inn next to the tavern. The inn was actually owned by the same person who owned the tavern, so staying there allowed Chase to enjoy a significant discount on drinks.Once in his room, he scanned the surroundings. He found nothing unusual, so he opened the envelope given by Shadeless.Seeing the contents of the envelope, Chase was momentarily stunned. The words on the letter read: [Assassinate Hal and bring back his body.]What was Shadow Pavilion's intention? Were they planning to use and discard them?For a moment, Chase was truly perplexed. However, seeing the contents, he guessed that Hal's letter likely contained instructions to assassinate him and bring back his body as well."What's so hard to understand? Have you ever seen an assassin who cares about feelings?" Lucas said in Chase's mind.Right, Lucas' words jolted him awake. It turned out Shadow Pavilion was wary of how close he and Hal had become, so they came up with this task.It seemed
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