Nox didn't even look at Silas' body. He turned around and approached Queenie. Carefully, he picked her up and put his hands on her back. He injected slivers of energy into Queenie, and not too long after, Queenie spat the drug out.Still, she needed rest before she could wake up. Nox looked at her again and took her away from the hotel.…It was eleven at night. George and Yvette were in the courtyard, waiting for Queenie."Why isn't she home yet, honey?" George was pacing around, looking at the entrance with worry."Oh, what's the rush? It's only eleven. Rich people's parties always take a long time," answered Yvette."You have a point, but I wonder how far she's gone with Mr. Weeks," George muttered."Don't you worry. Queenie is a nice and pretty lady. I bet Alexander is going to reward us well."And then someone opened the door. George and Yvette watched Nox coming in, bringing their unconscious daughter. They wondered what happened."What? Queenie? What did you do to my da
And George left. Nox didn't take what he said to heart. Just like that, the night came to an end, but the aftermath was just beginning to take place.The next morning, Silas' death was exposed, and it sent ripples throughout the city. Centersea's heir's death was bound to do that. However, Queenie was still peacefully asleep in her house. But eventually, she was woken up by some noise.Her eyes snapped open, and she shouted, "Help!"Yvette was holding a cup of honeyed tea. Shocked by her daughter's scream for help, she asked, "What's wrong, Queenie?"Queenie was surprised to hear her mother's voice, and she stared at Yvette, wide-eyed. "Mom? Why are you here?""Where else would I be, child?" Yvette handed the tea to Queenie. "Did you have too much to drink last night? You're not even a drinker. Why'd you drink so much?"'I had too much to drink?' Queenie wondered in confusion. She massaged her head and stared at the room around her. It looked familiar. 'I'm at home? But didn't Si
Nox scratched his head and came up with a random excuse. "Just a coincidence."Queenie frowned. She had a lot of questions, but she asked none of them. "Thanks for saving me again, Nono," she blurted.Nox answered, "Don't mention it. I promised I'd keep you safe forever."Queenie went red. "Damn that Silas. That bastard. He waited until I was alone outside and kidnapped me. Thank God you came just in time, or I…" Her heart was racing, and she shuddered at the memory of what happened the night before.Nox consoled, "It's alright. That scum won't be harassing you again.""Did you whoop his ass?" Queenie asked."In a sense." Nox didn't tell her Silas was killed. After all, civilians like Queenie would absolutely find murder to be unacceptable.Queenie brushed the ordeal aside. Unbeknownst to her, if Nox hadn't arrived in time, Silas would've assaulted her. She had no idea what Silas had in mind for her.After some small talk, Queenie went for breakfast. She wanted to bring Nox alo
The TV was showing Riverton's news. The announcer was in a hotel, holding a microphone in their hand. "Latest news. A murder took place at Royal Hotel at ten last night. The victims are Silas Joshton, heir to the Centersea Corporation, as well as four thugs."George's cutlery fell out of his hands. "What? Silas is dead?"Queenie's eyes went wide, and they were glued to the screen. "Silas got murdered?"The announcer went on with the news. The screen showed the bodies of Silas and the thugs, but all of them were covered in white cloths, though the blood in the room still oozed.Queenie's heart sank. 'Silas is dead? Who did it? The thugs kidnapped me last night, and Nono saved me. Did he kill—' She cut off that thought, and panic settled in.Queenie charged off, and her parents watched in confusion."Nono! Nono!" Queenie ran up to Nox's room.Hearing the shout, Nox opened his door. "Queenie? What's wrong?"Queenie screeched to a halt and grabbed Nox's hand. "Tell me, did you kill
Gold consoled his grieving wife, "Calm down, honey. I'll find out who the killer is, and I'll make them pay tenfold! Take the lady to her room. She needs to rest."A servant took Sarah to her room quickly, and then footsteps echoed in the air. Gold raised his head only to see his brother coming in. A couple of armed soldiers followed him. Rivera quickly asked, "What happened, Gold? I heard Silas is…"Gold plopped down on his chair, his eyes red. Tremulously, he said, "Yes. He was murdered last night.""What?" Rivera slammed his fist on the wooden table before him, and it was crushed into pieces. "Who's the bastard? How dare he kill Silas?"Gold shook his head. "All I know is he went to Royal Hotel last night. As for the reason? I have no idea."Rivera said, "It's alright, Gold. I'll tap into my connections and find out who the killer is. They'll pay with their lives."…While the Joshtons were looking into Silas' death, Nox was living a quiet life in the Sanders Residence. He di
The mention of Queenie stirred up a storm in Gold's eyes. Rivera asked, "Why was he with that wench?"The bodyguard looked at Gold, and he stammered, too scared to answer."Speak!" Rivera harrumphed.The bodyguard answered, "According to our investigation, Silas and a team of four thugs kidnapped Ms. Sanders and took her to Royal Hotel.""What?" Rivera was shocked. "Silas took her to Royal Hotel? What is the meaning of this, Gold?"Gold knew how cruel his son could be. He wasn't surprised Silas did that to Queenie. He took a deep breath. "Rivera, Silas was young. Sometimes he could be a bit impulsive, but that is no reason for them to kill my son!"Rivera knew what his brother was getting at. He mused over it for a moment and decided to stay quiet about it. "So what will you do, Gold?"Gold was black as thunder. The memory of his son's lifeless body stirred up hatred in his soul. "They will pay with their lives. I am sure that bitch has something to do with Silas' death."River
Before the attacks could land, someone said, "Stop it! Don't hurt my parents!" Queenie came in from the backyard, and Nox was behind her.The sight of Queenie made Gold's temples throb. "You're finally here, bitch."Queenie ignored Gold. Instead, she checked on her father. George was fine, and Queenie stood up. "What do you want, Gold?"Gold's eyes were red with fury. "What do I want? You killed my son, and you have the gall to ask me what I want?""Nonsense. I didn't kill Silas," Queenie snapped."Lies! My son came to you at the ball of the bluebloods, didn't he?" Gold asked.Queenie looked uneasy. "And so what?"Gold said, "That's as good as a confession. Guards, take her down!"The bodyguards tried to attack Queenie, but Queenie roared, "Hold it right there! Gold, your bastard of a son kidnapped me! You're trying to capture me before I even hold him accountable for his crimes?"Queenie told him what happened that night, but Gold said coldly, "I don't know anything about the
Nox raised his head coolly. "Wanna have another round?"Gold wouldn't do it. All his bodyguards were taken down, and he panicked. "W-Who are you? Why are you meddling with my family's affairs?"Nox icily said, "I told you, you don't deserve to know my name."And an icy voice came from the doorway. "Is that so? I'd like to see how arrogant you can be when I'm here."A platoon of armed soldiers in camo suits came barging in. They held up their guns, training them on Nox and everyone else. The one in the lead was Rivera, the lieutenant colonel.The sight of these soldiers made Queenie's parents scream. Queenie was frozen in fear as well.Gold, however, quickly approached his brother and his platoon. "Just in time, Rivera. Quick, get that punk."Rivera looked at Nox, but when he felt Nox's aura crashing down on him, his heart skipped a beat. He wondered, 'Who is this punk? His aura is powerful. It's even more powerful than the commander's.'He took a deep breath. "Did you injure th
Dominic was the world's top swordsman. He wouldn't let a young guy like Kirin look down on him. Kirin only laughed. "World's top swordsman? Come on, old man. Don't push yourself. You're the second best now.""You bastard! He only got to me because I was distracted. I'll show you why I'm the best! Come, Heaven's Fountain!" Dominic's sword flew into the air and summoned a heavenly fountain from the skies. The water spilled and turned into a structure a thousand feet tall.Heaven's Fountain was at the heart of this sword domain. Within the domain, Dominic could teleport, and he could go anywhere inside the domain. He was handling all nine enemies easily. They couldn't even stop him, and soon, Dominic's sword was dicing them up."Perfect!" Kirin grinned and dispelled his avatar. He melted into the shadows and cut off the enemies like a blade of darkness. Kirin was a very genuine fighter. He might be obsessed with combat, but he didn't much care about honor or fairness. There was only on
He held up two fingers, and one sword split into ten thousand. He swung his fingers, and the sea of swords sliced through all the escaping enemies. The enemies' leaders were shocked and furious. They couldn't believe Nox was this powerful. They thought Nox was only on par with Kirin, but no. He was stronger.And they hated him for destroying the path of the martial's foundation. They spent so much time and resources raising these elites, but Nox and Kirin killed them all in the blink of an eye. Even if they could escape unscathed, their faction was already chipped away. Not even a thousand years was enough to heal up.Worse, Nox wasn't going to let them escape unscathed. "The God of Murder, the pinnacle of the path of the ancient divine, and the world's strongest swordsman. They're working together. We might not get out of this alive."The enemies knew Nox and his team wouldn't let them escape, and they gave up on retreating. If they did, none of them could escape. They had to work
The voice rumbled the mountains themselves. Kirin, in his sacred beast form, descended upon the path of the sword. He was the size of a hill, and he crashed into Edgegrounds. However, not only did he not destroy the place, but his Saint energy's timely infusion replenished the formation's power.Dos felt energy coursing through his veins, and a wave of incredible will-of-the-sword spread everywhere. It swept through everything in a few miles, and tens of thousands of enemies were culled.No one in Faeast knew Kirin, but Mystia's people knew he was a madman. A killer. A butcher. And he was the God of Murder's follower. If he was here, Nox wasn't far behind.Nox was nearby, and the swordsmen's morale rose at a blistering speed once the news hit them. The path of the martial's people, however, felt their hearts stopping. They lost tens of thousands of elites at once, and their morale had never been lower."Finally. If you had come one moment later, we'd be gone," Dos roared, crawling
Kirin happily flew toward the path of the sword's grounds. Fiery Ignis, however, was worried about Nox. "Be careful, boy. The path of the martial didn't send anyone after you. That can only mean one thing: almost all of their forces are attacking the path of the sword. If you go there, they will attack you as well.""Don't worry. I know what I'm doing," said Nox.Fiery Ignis led his temple's cultivators and the Ice Temple guys toward the path of the sword as well. After the group was gone, Nox kept sending messages everywhere. If any of his mentors were coming his way, they would be redirected to the path of the sword.Then, Nox and the ladies went to the path of the sword. At the same time, the path of the sword had set up defensive formations at every entrance, but they had all fallen. The path of the martial's people was in a melee with the swordsmen.The swordsmen were stretched thin, and it was a matter of time before they were annihilated. Some of them were defending the entr
Jonah came closer and told Nox everything. Nox nodded. "Saints of the Five Elements. They responded to my call first."Fiery Ignis said, "And they're very fickle people. You can't trust them.""Don't worry. They like me, and I know exactly what they want. Only I can help them with their path. No one else can. They must be hitting their bottlenecks, so they're in a hurry to help me out. Only when I grow in power can they use the Sacred Beast Seal to devour sacred beast bones and go further."Back then, he taught the five of them the Sacred Beast Seal, and they taught him the secret arts of the five elements. Back then, Nox was not as powerful. They were already at a bottleneck, and the seal's level wasn't up there yet.Nox had become more powerful, and once he taught them the leveled-up version of the seal, they could continue their training."I see. That's a relief." Fiery Ignis felt better. He looked at Jonah. The guy might be craven and servile, but his luck was great.Nox's me
"With the phoenix's bloodline, she can live for ten thousand years, at least. That's more than enough time to become a Great Saint," said Fiery Ignis. Technically speaking, talent didn't matter as long as a cultivator had enough time and resources. Those alone could make anyone a Great Saint.However, reality was often… different. Cultivators would run into a lot of things beyond their control. Even if they didn't, lifespan was a problem. They would usually die of old age if they couldn't get to the next level.With the phoenix bloodline, Queenie didn't have to worry about her lifespan. With Nox's power, he could easily get her a place to train until she became a Great Saint. After Queenie came out, it was Nox's turn.Fiery Ignis couldn't sense his aura. His divine sense didn't even sense his presence at all. "What is this… Oh, right, if the gap between us is too big, divine sense can't sense them. I wonder how powerful he is now."They came back to the surface, and Fiery Ignis ask
Fiery Ignis would not leave anything to chance. If he made the wrong choice, the effects would be disastrous.Jonah had no choice but to wait outside the temple. If the path of the martial assaulted them, the Ice Temple people would be cannon fodder.Days went by. Nox had been in isolation for more than a week. The altar, after a long silence, finally reacted. Fiery Ignis' divine sense had been keeping an eye on it."Finally!" He was excited. After more than a month, Nox was finally coming out.Everyone was waiting with bated breath, and then Nineve came out. Fiery Ignis sensed her power level immediately. She was Pinnacle Legend Realm and nearly a faux Saint. "Not much difference. She was about the same level before going in. Her talent is limited. Though she has a Sovereign bloodline, her own talent is lacking."Fiery Ignis guessed that she'd finished training a while ago and had been waiting for everyone else. As he guessed, Nineve had finished training a while ago. Though the
'He's improving fast.'"Temple Lord, you told me that Mr. Nox has taken the Ice Temple for himself. Do you think they've turned their backs on him?" a cultivator from the Temple of Fire asked."Not sure, but a Three-ring can't impact anything," said Fiery Ignis.Though the Ice Temple had a lot of people, if they thought they could stop Nox, they would be underestimating the Temple of Fire's power.Jonah noticed the fighting spirit rising in Fiery Ignis, and he quickly said telepathically, "We're here to help you. Nox is my lord. I have sworn my loyalty to him. I would never turn my back on him."Fiery Ignis was one of the oldest people in Mystia. He didn't believe Jonah at all. "Give me a reason. Why should I trust you? Who sent you here?" Fiery Ignis asked back telepathically. He refused to let these Ice Temple people go further.The scout could sense something was wrong, and he turned on the Ice Temple guys. Jonah finally told Fiery Ignis who sent him. "Saints of the Five Eleme
Katherine was being docile here because Nox possessed the Nine-State Crucible. Only people from her faction knew how powerful that item was. They only managed to rise to power because the crucible went missing.Nox said nothing more. He infused his Saint power into the altar, and it woke up. The moment it did, a small space opened up, isolated from the world. Through the altar's entrance, everyone saw the ancient energy within. It was huge. Enough for Nox's use.Then, the energy started to leak. Not even Nox could stop that. "This thing is connected to the island. The whole place is radiating energy. Pick up the pace, people," Nox said.Everyone went into the altar's chamber and quickly took in the energy.Fiery Ignis was on the island, taking the Altar back. He sensed the spilling energy, and he knew Nox had begun. "Get ready, people. If Nox breaks through smoothly, we'll fight with the path of the sword. If he fails… be prepared to fight to the death," he said to the survivors te