"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
It was not until early in the morning that Chase felt a faint killing intent. His heightened senses allowed him to detect any directed hostility from a considerable distance."Have you made up your mind?" Chase asked without even opening the door. He was addressing the presence outside the inn.There was no response, but the already faint killing intent seemed to weaken further."If you've already decided in your heart, don't let external factors sway you. Don't you agree?" Chase continued.There was still no reply, but after a moment, the killing intent suddenly intensified. Chase stopped talking and simply moved from his bed to the door, showing no signs of defense.He knew exactly who was outside—Hal.Hal's timing was impeccable. Moonless and windy nights were perfect for killing. The pre-dawn hours were when vigilance was at its lowest, making it the most vulnerable time for anyone."Why go through this trouble? Are you resigned to your fate?"In Hal's eyes, Chase seemed to
"What has this got anything to do with me?"Chase could not understand the woman in front of him. Why would she say all these in the arena?"Before that, allow me to share a secret with you. The male and female phoenixes were supposed to be one."Chase was about to say something when Yara interrupted him, "The Rising of the Phoenix is not only about enhancing power after rebirth; it's a process of a male turning into a female and vice versa."But since the Dragon and Phoenix Calamity, the Phoenix Deity is the only Phoenix Demon Saint left, and he lost his power from the Rising to switch genders. He's unable to recover to his original power as well."However, he predicted that someone would be able to break him out of his suffering while wading in the river of fate."Yara looked into Chase's eyes with a smile."Is that person… me?"Anyone could tell the answer at this point.Chase was aware of what Yara was trying to tell him, but he still found it unbelievable when he asked the
Chase was the only person qualified to judge if there was murderous intent as he was the opponent in the arena.When Yara played the flute, it sounded like a beautiful melody from above the Ninth Heaven at first. If one listened closely, one could identify the vague signs of murderous intent.Chase scoffed at this. He thought it to be childish for one to hide murderous intent that way.He did not know music at all, but even he could tell what Yara was doing. Yara was looking down on him by doing this.When Chase was about to make his move, he was suddenly pulled into an illusion by the opponent. Chase was on a floating cloud above the Ninth Heaven in the illusion. It was just as Carla had said.He was initially flustered. How was he going to defend himself against the next killing move with such a powerful technique?While he was gathering all the vital energy within him, a sweet, melodious voice was heard. "Please don't retaliate, Mr. Collins. I bear no ill will."A tall, slen
"History scrolls don't really help with my cultivation. They make me drowsy every time, so I don't read them," Ford continued explaining without holding back. It did not seem wrong to him.However, his words made an impression on those listening.Ford was able to pick up the dragon clan's mystical techniques after reading them once. He even claimed it was not necessary to read them a second time. Was he even human? Oh, wait. He was a dragon. Tiana stared at him, not knowing what to say next.The Saintess of Emerald Lake Holy Land had not only fought with her talents yesterday but also with her hard work.When Tiana first entered Emerald Lake Holy Land, her master told her that her talents were upper-middle at best. She was considered extremely lucky to be accepted to the sect.Emerald Lake Holy Land was one of the top five sects in this world. It was second only to Sky Dragon Holy Land among the Four Holy Lands. Every disciple was the cream of the crop.Tiana grabbed attention t
Yara placed his flute to his lips and warned Chase, "I'll be making my move, Mr. Collins.""Please go ahead." Chase waved his hand casually and indicated for Yara to go ahead.It was the third round, and everyone at this stage was not to be underestimated. A powerhouse with a musical instrument for a weapon was rare. Chase looked forward to exchanging hands with him.The melodious sound of the flute was soon heard. All of the spectators could feel the atmosphere become more relaxed."Why is this Musical Technique non-lethal?""This can't be right. How did Yara Fries get into the third round? There's nothing formidable about this piece of music.""Is there anyone here who can explain?""He used his flute as a weapon in the previous rounds and knocked out his opponents with a couple of moves. He didn't play any music then.""Is he giving leeway to the opponent?""Could he be hinting at the opponent with his music that they're soulmates? They might end up being taken with each oth
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