All Lloyd hoped for was that a man like Chase would not hold it against him. He could not imagine what would befall him if Chase took action."Forget about it. I think I'm not good enough for this place," Chase said coldly.He led Quinn and Bianca out of the hotel. No one dared to stop him.They watched as Chase left.Donald, who was still kneeling on the ground, shouted, "Have a safe journey, Basalt's Collins!"He waited until Chase was gone. That was when he stood up with a dark look on his face.Lloyd quickly helped him up. "Who was that, Mr. Toledo?"Donald glanced coldly at Lloyd and said slowly, "None of you are allowed to mention this to anyone. Be prepared to bear the consequences if you do."As for you, on account of your past performance, I would advise you to resign from your job."He flung off Lloyd's hand. He was no longer in the mood and left with his wife.…Chase, Quinn, and Bianca found another hotel not far away. Even though it was of much lower quality tha
"What happened to her?" Hannah could not help but ask on the winding path."She fought a powerful opponent and got seriously injured. Although her physical wounds have mostly healed, she has lost her memory," Chase said slowly, feeling a deep sadness.This time, Hannah led Chase to a place he had never been before. The room smelled faintly of medicinal herbs mixed with a light fragrance, and Chase guessed it was a woman's boudoir."Put her on the bed," Hannah instructed.Chase complied. "Where are we? I'm scared," Quinn said, clutching Chase's hand tightly."Quinn, don't be afraid. This is the home of a miracle doctor," Chase reassured her. His words seemed to calm Quinn, and she released his hand.Seeing Chase still standing there, Hannah's face showed displeasure. "Why are you staying in my room? Get out."Only then did Chase realize it was Hannah's room and quickly turned to leave, closing the door behind him. As soon as the door shut, a surge of energy filled the room, makin
"What about Quinn?" Chase felt torn."Leave her here for now. This way, I can monitor her condition closely," Hannah said calmly.Chase knew that finding the natal voodoo bug couldn't be delayed any longer. Although he was curious why Hannah was so kind to Quinn, this was not the time to ask questions."Quinn is in your care, then," Chase said, clasping his hands in gratitude before taking off and leaving the cottage.Once outside, Chase quickly realized how vast Capital City was, and he had no idea where to start looking.He recalled what Bianca had said. Since the old man had come to find him, there was no reason he would leave empty-handed after injuring Quinn unless he encountered a significant problem himself, forcing him to leave hastily.With this thought, Chase formed a plan. In a city like Capital City, only a few places could offer aid to such powerful individuals.He took out his phone and called Scott."Basalt's Collins, what brings you to call me?" Scott's teasing
As one of the Eight Influential Families, the Salvatores naturally celebrated Kingston's breakthrough from marquis to martial lord of the martial arts.This was a significant event in Capital City. Normally, this would be headline news and would made known to even the common people.However, recent events like the secret realm and the troubles with the Coopers overshadowed this. Hence, the Salvatores chose to celebrate quietly, inviting only those within their circle. Despite this, many people still attended.At the entrance of the Salvatores' mansion, luxury cars lined up early. Everyone eligible to attend was either a notable figure from various sectors, a fellow cultivator, or a business magnate with ties to the Salvatores.Ordinary people could not even dream of hearing about such an event, let alone attending it."Alan Kayden has arrived with generous gifts!" someone announced at the entrance, drawing the attention of the crowd."I didn't expect the Kayden family's heir to
Hubert met up with Alan, and they directly approached the Salvatores' mansion together. Immediately, someone came forward to greet them. For such events, Kingston did not need to appear in person, even if the guests were from other influential families like Alan or Hubert. Today, Kingston was the main figure and only needed to make a brief appearance later. Instead, it was Kingston's younger brother, Ronan, who welcomed the guests."Mr. Alan, General Hubert, thank you both for coming. Please, come inside.""Greetings, Ronan. There's no need for such formalities. Just call me Mr. Hubert," Hubert replied, recognizing Ronan.After exchanging pleasantries, they followed him into the Salvatores' mansion.As they walked further inside, Chase and Scott arrived at the entrance of the Salvatores' mansion. Although their reputations were well-known, few had seen them in person. The gatekeepers definitely had not.Sure enough, as the two approached the entrance, they were stopped."Wher
In a small courtyard covered with climbing roses on the green brick walls, the three men sat together."What brought you two here?" Kingston finally asked."Your breakthrough to the martial lord of the martial arts is a joyous event. We came to congratulate you. It's only natural," Scott replied while Chase remained silent."Cut it out. I might believe that if anyone else said it, but coming from you, Scott Langley? No way. Relax, no one would dare to spy on us here. Now, tell me. What's really going on?" Kingston smiled, immediately seeing through Scott's intentions.Seeing this, Scott glanced at Chase, who nodded slightly. Only then did Scott start explaining Quinn's situation."Do you have any suspects?" Kingston asked with furrowed brows.Chase shook his head. After searching the entire night in Capital City, the glass bottle in his hand showed no reaction.At that moment, Ronan entered, looking flustered."Kings, Douglas is here."Kingston shot a cold look at his useless
"Enough talk. Are the Salvatores with us or not? Let me be blunt. The Hawkins, Brennan, and Welch families have already sided with us. Though the Coopers seem to have been wiped out, some of their members have communicated with the Webers' Supreme Elder."Kingston, if it weren't for us being acquaintances, I wouldn't even be here today. So, what's your decision?" Douglas revealed an earth-shattering secret."This matter is significant. I need to discuss it with our family's Supreme Elder," Kingston said, trying to buy time despite being shocked by the revelation."You have three days. If we don't hear from you by then, you'll be our enemy," Douglas said bluntly before leaving.Chase and Scott emerged from the room."You two heard it, right? Chase, the Webers are about to make a move against you, even if it means allying with other families. You need to leave Capital City immediately," Kingston urged. "Don't you understand the situation?" seeing that Chase remained unmoved, Kings
In an instant, it seemed as if the two of them had walked thousands of miles. Nikolai finally stopped and turned to face Chase."You've truly refined the secret realm into your own world. You're indeed Divine Collins' son," Nikolai stated, revealing Chase's lineage and startling him greatly."Relax. If I had any ill intentions toward you, I wouldn't have brought you here," Nikolai reassured him when he saw Chase on edge like a cat ready to pounce.Chase realized the truth in Nikolai's words. He couldn't even sense the man's presence, and now, being deep in Nikolai's domain, he would not have time to react if Nikolai meant harm. Calming himself, Chase asked, "Nikolai, did you know my father?""Not only did I know him, he was my brother," Nikolai replied."Your brother?" Chase echoed in surprise."Yes," Nikolai confirmed, seemingly lost in memories. He began to recount the past."A long time ago, when I was just a youth, we were sworn brothers. We adventured through the cultivatio
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