At that moment, Stephen finally realized he had provoked someone he could not afford to offend."Honorable sir, I've realized my mistake. If you wish to leave now, we won't stop you. We only want to prevent the Trevors from rising again. Since you're the one who destroyed the Trevors, surely you wouldn't want Olaf to report back to Holy Mountain."If you're willing to stay out of this, we're prepared to offer compensation. Whatever you desire, as long as it's within our power, we'll do our best to fulfill your request. How about it?"Stephen spoke earnestly, trying to tempt Chase with promises of benefits, hoping to persuade him to stay out of the conflict."Is that so?" Chase's voice came from within the red mist, though his figure was still unseen.Hearing Chase's response, Stephen felt a glimmer of hope, thinking there might be a way out.He quickly added, "Honorable sir, whatever you want, just name it. If it's within our power, we will make it happen."“Then…”Chase emerge
At this point, Chase was alone, so he patiently offered an explanation as he needed to be cautious."Don't worry, I'm not from Eastern Ocean. I only need to borrow your strength. You don't want to see the Trevors rise from the ashes, right? In that case, swallow the marks and join me in storming the blessed spot."Once this is over, you'll regain your freedom. As for my identity, it's better that you don't know."With Chase's assurance, the three men hesitated no longer and swallowed the marks. Initially, they thought they could try to secretly neutralize the marks after taking them, but they were caught off guard when the marks exploded with power the moment they entered their bodies.A force that filled them with dread surged through their veins. The Mystic Sun marks traveled along their meridians, heading straight for their hearts.By the time they realized what was happening, the marks had firmly embedded themselves in their hearts.From that moment, their lives were entirely
Chase and his group finally arrived at the summit of Forage Mountain.The peak was desolate, with nothing in sight except a massive, bottomless pit in the center. The surrounding area was completely barren, with no signs of the so-called blessed spot that had been mentioned.Chase surveyed the area but found no trace of the blessed spot. "Is this what you call Holy Mountain?" His displeasure was evident."Honorable sir, there's more to it. Look up!" Olaf quickly explained.Chase tilted his head back and noticed a faint glimmer above the large pit. It was so subtle that without someone pointing it out, it would have gone unnoticed.Chase had not seen it before, but now that he was focused, he realized it was not just a glimmer—it was a tiny spatial rift.It suddenly dawned on Chase. The so-called blessed spot was hidden within this rift. However, with the entire Forage Mountain covered by an anti-flight barrier and the rift situated at such a height, entering it seemed impossible.
"Stay here, you three. You, come with me," Chase instructed before descending into the volcanic crater with Olaf using the ethereal staircase.As they made their way down, the temperature rose dramatically. Before long, they reached the depths where molten lava bubbled beneath them, radiating intense heat.While Chase remained unaffected, Olaf was visibly struggling. He was drenched in sweat that evaporated almost instantly."Honorable sir, do we really need to go further?" Olaf asked. His voice was strained as he neared his limit. It was like his entire body was drenched and steaming.Chase glanced at Olaf's sorry state and decided it was unnecessary for him to continue. "You wait here. I'll go down alone."As he continued downward, Chase moved deeper into the crater. Perhaps due to his mastery of the Nine Heavens Mystic Sun Technique, Chase could endure the heat far beyond what was normal. While Olaf was barely holding on, Chase felt only a mild warmth with no significant discom
"You don't believe me, do you, kid? Do you have any idea how long my true form has been submerged in this magma without any harm? It's all thanks to this cultivation technique. And don't forget, among the four Divine Beasts, the Black Turtle is renowned for its defense."Even if you only master the first stage of this technique, you'll be able to withstand the heat of the magma," the Divine Black Turtle proudly declared upon sensing Chase's skepticism.Even though Chase could not see the Black Turtle at the moment, he could easily imagine the beast's prideful expression. The Black Turtle was indeed known for its formidable defense among the four Divine Beasts.Realizing there was some truth in the Black Turtle's words, Chase no longer hesitated. He found a spot on a rock near the edge of the magma, where the molten rock could not splash on him, and sat down cross-legged."Kid, even though you're just starting to cultivate, with me as your master guiding you, you should be able to g
Chase began to cultivate, absorbing the heat seen wafting from the lava.His power kept escalating until a breakthrough point.Then, it sounded like a balloon had burst.Chase had achieved another breakthrough. He had become a stage-five martial lord.There was another change in the realm inside of Chase. Another fiery red bubble appeared below the Slayer's Realm.It's the birth of another new realm!As the bubble appeared, a black hole also appeared on Chase's body in the real world.Lava began flowing inside the black hole without stopping straight into the fiery red bubble.Even though Chase was physically cultivating, his consciousness was not affected by it and it even appeared next to the divine Black Turtle's spiritual body.He asked with slight embarrassment, "Mr. Black Turtle, am I cultivating the Black Turtle Hardshell Technique correctly?"Chase had noticed the fifth realm, the Magma Realm, suddenly appear. He was bewildered about it too.The divine Black Turt
Olaf snapped out of it only after Chase spoke up. He held back his astonishment and quickly informed Chase about the situation, "Honorable sir, quick! We should leave this place now. The volcano is about to erupt!""Huh?"Chase was taken aback and took a while to react. Olaf must have mistaken the situation as Chase had been filling up the realm in his body with the lava.He decided not to bring it up to Olaf."It's fine. It's all under control. Head up. I'll join you in a while."For some reason, Olaf believed Chase and went up the steps as instructed.Chase waited until Olaf could no longer see him.That was when he dived back into the lava.Now that the Magma Realm had been shaped, there was no point in continuing to absorb the lava.He had dove about 20 meters into the lava before this, and he had absorbed a lot of it into his inner realm. He would be able to find the divine Black Turtle's body if he dove another 30 meters. Chase began to feel curious.What would the divi
It looked like the divine Black Turtle was wrong.Not only could this secret realm contain spiritual bodies, but it could even take in physical bodies.When could a top-level secret realm like this be taken around by a person anywhere he went?Had the divine Black Turtle been asleep too long? Had the world changed drastically?He had experienced astonishment too often the entire day, which was quite a higher frequency than usual."Um… Sir, do you want to try returning to your body to see how it feels? It feels awkward to be stared at like this by you. I feel like there are two divine Black Turtles here."Chase appeared in the Dragon Vein Secret Realm and spoke up.The divine Black Turtle snapped out of it.His spiritual body formed into smoke and entered the physical body via the head.The head's eyes slowly opened.Those eyes stared at Chase.Chase felt like those eyes could see right through him as if they could see through all of his secrets.He had never felt that way b
"Enough talk—kill him!" the black-clad youth barked sharply.The siblings attacked together without hesitation, aiming their combined strikes at Chase. Their coordination was flawless, and their assaults were relentless."Get lost!" Chase coldly retorted, his sword flashing in two arcs that severed their spears. With a swift turn of his blade, he forced them back several steps."Who are you people?"Their sinister and oppressive air sent chills down Chase's spine, and his eyes gleamed with killing intent.The siblings were incredibly powerful. Even at his peak, Chase would have struggled against them. Now, drained of energy, he could only hold his ground through sheer willpower. Meanwhile, the cloaked man from earlier had fled at the first sign of danger, vanishing without a trace."Heh, you'll find out soon enough after we kill you!"The black-clad youth sneered before launching himself forward. His palms radiated waves of crimson energy, crashing toward Chase like a tide of
"No, this is impossible! How could I lose to an ant like you?"The cloaked man roared as he struggled to stand, but suddenly, a sharp pain surged from his chest, spreading through his entire body."What is this? What did you do to me?" The cloaked man's expression turned pale with panic."You should be grateful. I just mastered a new sword technique. Otherwise, you'd already be dead, pierced through the throat by my blade."Chase's eyes gleamed coldly. The previous strike had already pierced the man's heart, missing a fatal blow by mere inches."Damn it!" the cloaked man howled in fury.He attempted to channel his martial deity energy to heal himself but was horrified to discover that his energy core had been drained dry. He could not gather any strength."Looks like I've won." A clear, triumphant laugh echoed beside them."You've won. Take what you came for and spare my life," the cloaked man muttered after a long pause, sighing in defeat.As his words fell, Chase gradually r
"Die! Burning Sky Demon Claw!" the cloaked man roared, thrusting his fingers toward Chase in mid-air.The void twisted, and a massive flaming handprint materialized. Its searing heat scorched the forest and raised the temperature to terrifying levels.Chase's eyes narrowed.The Burning Sky Demon Claw burned martial deity energy to unleash destructive power. If it struck flesh, even the hardest stone would melt away.Even so, Chase remained fearless. Gripping his sword aura, he leaped skyward, soaring toward the heavens and evading the strike."Hmm?"The cloaked man froze momentarily before letting out an angry grunt. He extended his palm again, this time channeling his entire reservoir of martial deity energy.A scream pierced the air as his right hand exploded into a cloud of blood mist.Chase, balancing on his sword aura, darted hundreds of feet away. His gaze locked on the cloaked man clutching his sword, and it carried a faint trace of mockery.The cloaked man clutched his
A thousand miles away from the ancient wilderness, a group of figures cloaked in black sat cross-legged beside a large stone."Sacred Emissary, I failed in my mission. Please punish me!" one of the martial gods knelt on one knee with his head bowed in shame.Another black-cloaked martial god also knelt, hesitating briefly before speaking, "Sacred Emissary, this man is merely an independent cultivator. Yet everyone we sent after him has failed. They couldn't even escape with their lives!""Useless!" A stern, aged voice resonated from the shadows.Moments later, a shadowy figure coalesced into the form of an elderly woman. She wore a gray dress that draped over her slender frame.Her white hair was meticulously arranged. Her gaunt face bore an unnatural pallor, and though her figure revealed traces of allure, it carried an air of deathly chill.She spoke with icy detachment, "So, are you both suggesting I handle this personally?""Sacred Emissary, forgive us!""We wouldn't dare!"
Chase stepped forward with precision and struck the cloaked man squarely in the chest, sending him stumbling back as blood sprayed from his mouth."Impossible!" The cloaked man's eyes widened in shock, and his face twisted with disbelief.Moments ago, he had held the upper hand in their exchange. How had he been defeated so swiftly?Though the young man before him wielded a similar level of cultivation, his sheer combat strength was monstrous beyond comprehension.The cloaked man was hurled several feet away, landing roughly on the ground. He struggled to stand, and his face was now as pale as a ghost."Who are you?" he demanded."Judging by your expression, you've never even heard of me," Chase chuckled while shaking his head.He smirked and continued, "Not that it surprises me. The factions in the nether realm are tangled and chaotic. It's easy to impersonate me.""Impersonate?" The cloaked man laughed mockingly, his tone dripping with disdain. "You're overestimating yourself
Chase's pupils contracted sharply as he unleashed his Thunder Sword Technique, sending a barrage of sharp sword auras slicing through the attacking vines.These vines were unnaturally tough, and even his razor-sharp sword auras only left shallow marks. Eventually, after sacrificing a few drops of his vital essence, the vines were shattered and disintegrated.Chase's face was pale as he panted heavily.'This place is truly unsuitable for me to linger around. Even with a peak martial deity's body, which can withstand ordinary weapons, these vines are incredibly powerful. A moment of carelessness can prove fatal,' he thought with heightened vigilance.He sprinted along the edge of the forest without pausing.After running for an indeterminate distance, he finally escaped the danger and reached a small grove.Suddenly, a bone-chilling cold enveloped him. Chase's eyes narrowed in alarm. Spinning around, he raised his hand and struck backward.Two swords collided with a metallic scree
Chase's figure vanished into the darkness as he hid himself while scavenging for spoils of battle.He discovered two bottles of pills—one for healing wounds and one to enhance vitality and blood flow.'No wonder martial gods are so formidable; their treasures are truly remarkable,' he thought, his eyes lighting up as he swiftly collected everything."This place is no longer safe. Staying here will only attract more danger. I need to leave immediately," Chase murmured with a frown.His physical condition was poor, and lingering in this precarious area might invite stronger foes.…By the next morning, as the faint light of dawn spread across the sky, Chase stepped out from his hiding place.Despite not resting the previous night, he had successfully advanced to the peak of the martial deity realm."It's time to head to the Nefarious Deity Sect," he muttered. The thought was heavy in his mind as he let out a sigh."I had initially planned to save Quinn once my cultivation progre
"It's too late," Chase said while shaking his head, his gaze icy and devoid of any emotion."It's not like we're both martial gods here. I refuse to believe you can defeat me. Die!" the elder roared, unleashing his final, desperate technique.A dark aura enveloped the elder, his energy surging explosively. His clothes tore apart, revealing a body brimming with muscle. Each fiber of his being pulsed with a terrifying power.His speed skyrocketed, transforming him into a streak of darkness. He lunged at Chase in an instant with his palms clenched like hammers, aiming to smash Chase's skull.The clash was deafening. Chase grunted as he was sent flying with blood trickling from his mouth. His arms trembled, nearly rendered useless from the impact.Although he had begun to form a prototype of the Sword Soul, he was still a novice. He was far from being able to withstand a martial god's full assault."Ha! In the end, you still lost to me. I'm the true ruler here!" the elder bellowed wi
"Don't delude yourself," the elder snarled. "Even if I only have two or three years left to live, you, a mere piece of trash, can never shake me!"Chase narrowed his eyes, his mind racing for a way out of the dire situation.Suddenly, a vast and overwhelming aura engulfed the surrounding area, shaking the very fabric of the environment. The trees quivered violently as if bowing to an unstoppable force of destruction."This is bad. There's a martial god nearby!" Chase's expression grew grim.The aura was immense, as if the sky itself were collapsing. No matter where he tried to hide, escape seemed impossible.Reacting swiftly, Chase became a blur as his figure darted away like a fleeting shadow. He aimed to put as much distance as possible between himself and this overwhelming threat.Nonetheless, he could not get very far.A colossal hand appeared out of nowhere, blotting out the sky. It slammed down onto Chase's back with terrifying force, sending him hurtling through the air.