A row of burly bodyguards in suits got out of the four cars, following Silas Joshton, heir to Centersea Corporation. He looked at the mansion darkly and told his men, "All of you, stay put."He strode to the door and rang the doorbell. Queenie thought it was her friend who came. "Lar—" Quickly, she opened the door, but what she saw petrified her. It was her fiance instead of her friend standing outside. "S-Silas?" Queenie stuttered.Silas looked at Queenie and sneered. "Surprised to see me, Ms. Sanders?"Queenie had no idea what to say.He continued, "Our wedding is in two days, Ms. Sanders. I'm your fiance. At least invite me into your house."This was awkward. Silas might be her fiance, but Nox was still in her house. She quickly said, "I'd love to, but it's not a great time right now."A dark smile curled Silas' lips. "Not a great time? Are you hiding a lover inside, perhaps?"Silas barged into the house. Queenie tried to stop him, but she didn't have the strength. Silas successfull
Nox held Silas' arm in a vice grip. Inscrutable, he said, "Touch her, and I will kill you.""What did you say?" Silas laughed mirthlessly. "Who the fuck do you think you are? Talk to me like that, an—"He never finished the sentence. Nox flung his arm, and Silas was sent flying back, a stream of blood arcing through the air. He slammed into the door and made a hole in it. Then, he fell with a thud.Queenie was shocked, and so were Silas' bodyguards. The bodyguards quickly snapped out of it and held up their bloodied employer. "Mr. Joshton!"Silas' chin was covered in blood, his face contorted in pain. After he got up, he wiped the blood off his lips and roared, "You bastard! How dare you hit me? Guards, get him! I want that cur dead!"Silas' bodyguards charged into the house, but then bangs and crashes echoed in the air. Barely ten seconds had passed since the bodyguards went into the house, and they were sent flying back out, howling in agony.All of them were injured—they eithe
Once again, Queenie's father misunderstood the whole thing, so Queenie could only try to explain herself. "No, Dad, listen to me. I didn't do—""You're still trying to explain yourself? Do you know no shame? Tell me, then. Who is this man? Why was he at the beach with you, and why is he at your home now?" George pointed at Nox angrily.Queenie had no idea how to explain this."Listen here, girl. Your mother got so mad last night she fainted twice! And because of you, Centersea has cut off all partnerships with us!"If you still want to be part of the family, you're coming home with me. If you stay with this bastard, you'll never be allowed back in the family again!"George stormed off after screaming at Queenie, who was now at a loss. She turned around and looked at Nox, but in the end, she tearfully got ready to leave.Nox finally spoke. "Hold on."The mere voice of Nox fueled the Sanderses' fury, and they swiveled around, their faces contorted with rage.George felt enraged at the si
Everyone in Riverton knew Empire Corp. The owner was the richest man in the city, and he had connections with Zone: Draco. Most of its business was done with the military.A skyscraper with 88 stories stood right in the middle of Riverton, where the hustle and bustle happened. This was Empire Corp's headquarters. Just then, a taxi stopped by the entrance.Someone opened the door, and out came the muscular, majestic Nox. He looked at the building before him and strode ahead. A group of suited guards stood around the outer ring of the building. Due to its business dealings with the military, unauthorized personnel could not enter this place.The moment Nox reached the front door, a guard came up to him. "Hi, unauthorized personnel are not allowed entry. Please leave."Nox looked at the guard. "I'm looking for someone.""You're looking for someone? Sorry, but you can't enter without any appointments," the guard said again.Nox frowned, but he didn't yell at the guard. Of course comp
The man smiled at Annie. "Hello, Miss Annie."Annie approached him. "Where's my father, Mr. Laws?"Ferguson Laws was the head steward for the Weeks family. He smiled. "He's inside, holding a memorial service.""For whom, Mr. Laws? Why did he leave his company unattended for days just to do this?"Ferguson smiled. "Do you really not know, Miss Annie?"Annie shook her head."Do you remember the news a few days ago? About how Lord Nox died in the Ocean of Death?"Annie paused for a moment. She said, "Of course. He alone destroyed the ambition of the invaders from the ten nations and made them sign a ceasefire. Everyone in Faeast knows of him.""Then, you should know that he has fallen in battle, despite his victory against the invaders," Ferguson continued.After a short pause, Annie realized who the memorial service was for. "So, you're saying the memorial service is for Lord Nox?""That is correct." Ferguson nodded with a smile. "You know it was all thanks to Lord Nox that our family ma
Annie had never seen her father look so flustered before. She said, "This belongs to a young man waiting at our company.""Young man? What young man?" Alexander asked again, wasting no time."I don't know. The guard told me he wanted to see you. He said you'd understand everything once you saw this junk."Alexander felt his whole being tremble. Another minute later, he blurted, "Tell me where he is right now.""He's at the company's entrance.""Quick, take me to him!" Alexander charged out of his study like a madman, leaving Annie flabbergasted."What's wrong with Dad? It's just some junk. Why does he look so excited?"…Nox was speechless. He was going to show the token to Alexander himself, but a woman took it away after a bout of misunderstanding. The guard told him that the woman was none other than Alexander's daughter, Annie.Since his token had been taken away and he heard from the guards that Alexander hadn't been coming to the company for days, Nox had no choice but t
Annie wanted to go with them as well, but Alexander said, "Annie, you and everyone else stay here. I need to talk to our guest alone."Disgruntled, Annie grunted, but she glared at Nox. She thought, 'What's so special about him? Why is Dad giving him the VIP treatment?'Nox followed Alexander into his private study. The first thing Nox saw was the memorial tablet in the center of the study. 'In memory of Lord Nox.'Nox approached the tablet and stared at it for what felt like an eternity."Milord, I humbly greet you." Just like that, the richest man in Riverton knelt with a thud behind Nox.Nox did not turn around. Coolly, he asked, "You know who I am?""Of course. I have never seen you in the flesh, but I know that token. That is your symbol, milord. No one can possess that item but you," Alexander said carefully.A long silence later, Nox slowly turned around. "Stand.""Yes, milord." Alexander got back up on his feet. He couldn't hide his ecstasy, however, and he was tremblin
Alexander racked his head, but he had no idea what that family was. A while later, he shook his head. "Apologies, milord. I have never heard of that family.""It doesn't matter. They are but a small family in this city, and this little favor stemmed from what they did." Nox told Alexander about the Sanders family, though he made it brief.Alexander got the gist of it right after that. He wasn't the richest man for nothing, after all. "I see. What would you wish for me to do, milord?" Alexander asked.Nox smiled. "The puny Sanders family would sacrifice their daughter's happiness and subject her to a marriage of convenience for mere pennies. Send your men to liberate her from her prison. Do not let the Sanderses torment her. If anyone does, you don't need to spare their lives.""Understood, milord. I shall be issuing orders right away."Nox nodded."Milord, do you need my services in any other matter?" Alexander asked respectfully.Nox waved his hand. "Nothing at the moment, but to keep
'What? Griffin was a sworn brother to Magic Mountain's founder?!'"That's right," confirmed the formation master. "He only told us recently."As the first to learn of this connection, he had shared it with the Saints of the Five Elements, ensuring they wouldn't betray their alliance. Using the promise of ascension as leverage, he managed to secure their cooperation. After all, the Great Saint of Fire had already reached the threshold for ascension.The risks were minimal, and upon ascending to the Transcendent Firmament, the Magic Mountain's founder would surely offer his guidance. For that reason alone, the five mentors had rallied to aid Nox.With such mighty forces gathered, morale on Nox's side soared. Meanwhile, the Whitefield family's spirits plummeted, crashing from the heights of hope to the depths of despair in mere moments. The mental strain caused several of their weaker-willed members to break completely.With dread settling over them, the Whitefields could only place
The Whitefields were getting cocky, but then they realized the powerhouses that came weren't responding. The aura was powerful, but there was no life in it. On closer inspection, they noticed that the leader of the group only had half a body left. His soul was missing. The quartet behind him was nothing but a pile of mincemeat.The portal buzzed again, and seven silhouettes came out. Five of them felt domineering, and they looked prideful. It almost felt like they were peerless. These people were none other than the Saints of the Five Elements.Four of them were Pinnacle Minor Saints. While one had an aura so strong, this place couldn't handle it."A Great Saint! Great Saint of Fire!" Fiery Ignis, Dominic, and Achille couldn't believe their eyes.It had been too long since Mystia saw a Great Saint, and he was Nox's mentor."So, he's the one who broke through first. But now he's already hit his bottleneck. The other four's power isn't enough. If the Sacred Beast Seal isn't upgraded
The Montgomerys and the Byrds decided to see Nox together, but they were refused. They were cursing Nox and calling him disrespectful, but then they saw Nox and his team taking a portal to the path of the ancient divine."What? He went right to them? Why? He's going to fight the Celestial Lord now?" The representatives were shocked.'How dare they!' they thought.Nox and his team went through the portal quickly and appeared right over the Whitefields' place. The Whitefield family was the newest member of the divine four and the real mastermind behind the Inkdarks' demise."Kirin, I told you I'd take you back here someday. I told you that when we come back, the Whitefields will be no more. If you can't do it, I can wipe them out for you." Nox looked at Kirin."Don't look down on me, milord. You don't need to dirty your hands for them. I'll do it!" Kirin summoned his avatar, and with Saint power infused, the avatar turned into a real beast. The sacred beast itself descended upon the
"Time to finish this. My lord's going to the path of the ancient divine next. You should decide who's going to take over after the Celestial Lord is taken down. That's all. Now let's talk about our personal business. Listen up, anyone who had a part in attacking my family, tell your clans that I'm coming for them. I'm killing all of you!"Bloodlust filled the air, and the representatives were shocked. "You killed your own family. Yes, we made them attack you, but we never wanted to wipe it out!" the Whitefields' representative said.Kirin flew into a rage. "How low can you go? You forced them to kill me, or you would wipe us out instead! You think I'm stupid? You'd have killed my family either way! I know how you guys function. You're crueler than any beast out there. Listen up, there's still time to plan for your funeral. You'd better make a good plan."Kirin chased everyone away. The families were going back to prepare for battle, but two remained behind. One was the Byrds' repres
Nox's Magick Sword crushed the enemy leader's soul. "I said I would cut you down, and I did. Now do you see who's the ignorant one?"The enemy leader realized that Nox was the man at the pinnacle. Perhaps the moment Nox became a faux Saint, he was already no match for him. "So what if you can kill me? You are Faeast's Sovereign, and you have a duty to push Faeast to power. But the Celestial Lord still exists. As long as he is around, your wish will never be fulfilled." He sneered."Is that so? Well, he's next on the list to be culled. If anyone tries to make an enemy out of me, I will destroy them and their families, even if they are from the path of the ancient divine!"Nox shattered the remains of the soul, and the path of the martial's leader was no more. The problem harassing Faeast for millennia could be solved at long last. Achille was stunned. It hadn't been that long, but Nox had surpassed him.Nox was better than him in every way. He was an even better swordsman than Achil
The enemy leader was waiting. One technique broken wasn't enough to take Nox out. He wanted to wait until Nox had cast all he knew and find an opening to take him down, but Nox wanted to take him down with the power of the sword."You're stubborn. Very well, this makes things easier for me. I'll kill you, or at the very least, wound you!" He'd be stupid not to take advantage of this. The enemy leader's avatar morphed into a gigantic fist and slammed into Nox's chest.The impact shot through his body and reached his soul. Nox spat blood, and his soul was injured.Achille couldn't stand by anymore. Nox just told him not to push himself, but he wasn't taking his own advice. Then, Nox's weak will-of-the-sword shone blindingly, and then Unto the Origin appeared once more."Even under my pressure, you can use this technique? You're strong, but you're as stubborn as your mentor. You've lost your chance! Die! You'll never get here in time, Achille! Shadowkill!"The enemy leader's avatar t
"He couldn't even kill Nameless, and he only became an Ascendant through the Heavenly Dao's blessing. However, I can already summon the High Heavens' spiritual energy! How will you cut me down now?" With the spiritual energy he summoned, the enemy leader stirred the clouds, and Nox's will-of-the-sword was getting haywire.Nox scoffed. "The Heavenly Dao's blessing? You think he managed that because of a blessing? And you call yourself the leader of the path of the martial. You know nothing.""And why do you say so?" the enemy leader asked solemnly.Nox took a deep breath and stared at the enemy leader. "The heavens gave me glory, and not even I would say I am blessed by the Heavenly Dao. The founder ascended to save Faeast's people. He wanted someone from the High Heavens to kill Nameless. Answer me this: if you don't have enough power, would you challenge the Heavenly Dao for your faction?"Nox challenged, "If you fail an ascension, you will be destroyed, and that includes your sou
"So, your student's here. If he was one moment later, you'd be dead," the black-robed man said, sneering.Achille did not look happy at all. He looked at Nox with chastise in his eyes. Nox was worried about him. If he didn't show up, Achille would die."This is no sparring session, master. This is about the people of the world. If you want to spar with someone, Dominic and Voltaic are your real rivals. If you want to fight them after this, I won't stop you," said Nox.That managed to calm Achille down. He felt ashamed. "Heavens, my mindset was a mess just now. I thought I could face death calmly, but…""Every living being will try their best to survive, you told me that. We only sacrifice ourselves if the outcome is worth it. Now that I'm here, sacrificing yourself is just being stupid," said Nox.Achille sighed, but he was glad that his student could be so understanding about so many things. It was his honor. "Very well, then we shall kill this leader. You're right. This is no sp
Black Tortoise was stunned. 'So, they're serious?'He stared at the enemies and asked coldly, "Is this offer serious? You'd better not be lying to me.""You think we'd lie? We could trample you easily if we wanted to, but your damn lord is on his way back here!" The captains wanted to surrender immediately, or they might actually die.Black Tortoise was a little hesitant. If Nox was on his way back, he'd never give these people a chance to surrender. That could only mean one thing. The battle was inconclusive, but Aphrodite's plan worked. At least the powerhouses were taken down.The ten powerhouses were the path of the martial's true pillars. The enemies were surrendering without any one of them here, however. That could only mean that something had happened to them."Very well, I accept your terms and offer to surrender. But you'll have to tear down your defenses while the sacred beasts set up a formation," said Black Tortoise.The captains hesitated, but the powerhouses urged