Jacques only smirked, dismissing Aphrodite's worries. "It's alright. I knew this would happen.""Wait. Are you saying we shouldn't stop him?" Aphrodite was curious."Don't worry. Someone will make their move now that the clans are gone. Have you forgotten? The clans are where sixty percent of Faeast's warriors hail from. Besides, the sects and families have not made their move just yet. That can only mean one thing. Do you know what it is?"Aphrodite shook her head."Everyone's waiting." Jacques looked at the darkness quietly. "He beat everyone into submission when he was crowned lord six years ago, but we know the sects and families only kept quiet because of Mystia.""This time, he's challenging all Three Great Powers. Do you truly think the fossils will just let this slide?"Aphrodite's eyes gleamed. The martial arts world of Faeast had its foundation in sects, families, and the clans.Yet, Nox had slaughtered the clans. He even killed the Top Legend Realms. Of course, the f
Claude was right. They could deal with the clans easily enough. However, that wasn't what Daniel was worried about. "Claude, you got it all wrong. I was never worried about the clans' riots. I worry about the families and sects. They haven't made a move," said Daniel quietly.Among the Three Great Powers, the sects came first, the families came second, and the clans came last. Daniel was never worried about the clans. His main concern was about the other two powers, especially the sects.The sects were in hiding, and they had powerful Top Legend Realms among them. They also had cultivators more powerful than that as well even if they'd never shown themselves for a long time now.However, none knew if they would ever decide to return to the forefront.Winston said, "Daniel's right. The clans are nothing to us, but if the families and sects do step in… We must prepare for an all-out war."Claude harrumphed. "I don't care! If anyone tries to go after Nox, I'll rip their heads off eve
"So, you're saying you exiled Nox and his mother because you wanted to protect them?" Winston's eyes were wide.Daniel didn't answer, but he had a pained look in his eyes. He stared into the distance once more. "If I hadn't, Nox and his mother would've died."Claude and Winston were stupefied. They had resented Daniel for years because of what he did. They thought Daniel was heartless, but they couldn't even imagine the agony he had been experiencing."Who's the bastard who wanted Nox and his mother dead? Why?" Claude clenched his fists, fury flaring around him.Winston shot Daniel a confused look as well."You don't need to know who gave that order. Just remember not to tell anyone about this. If you do, you'll put the clan in a precarious position. I'm talking about the kind that'll exterminate us all.""What? We'll be wiped out? But we've existed for hundreds of years. We fear no one, Daniel!" Claude protested.Winston, being the smarter one, knew something was off. He tentat
The truth was all out. Claude and Winston finally knew the real reason Daniel did what he did. They understood the pain and agony he had gone through all these years.Claude asked, "Daniel, if you did all of that to protect Nox… Why won't you tell him? Why'd you keep the misunderstanding going on for so long?"Daniel shook his head. "I cannot tell him. He is the one with the brightest future among the clan. If I tell him, that will only put him in more danger. This secret must only be known to the three of us. I don't care if he hates me forever."Claude and Winston fell silent. That was what a good father would do. They would sacrifice everything to protect their children. Daniel's hands were tied."One more question, Daniel. Who's the bastard? Who wanted Nox dead? Who wanted to harm him and his mother?" Claude growled, his eyes bloodshot. He couldn't understand why this had to happen. Daniel was the number one Top Legend Realm thirty years ago. Yet, he actually feared someone?
The talk he had with Douglas left Nox in a state of disarray, and it was all thanks to the case sixteen years ago. It involved his mother and the man he hated the most—his father.He always assumed Daniel exiled him and his mother because he was a heartless bastard, but after hearing Douglas' story… Well, he had a feeling things weren't that simple.'Did he do what he had to because of a reason he couldn't speak of?' The thought of that only carved a storm on Nox's face.He locked himself in his room for a long time before finally trudging out of it.Redsleeve stood outside. Ever since she started working for Nox, she viewed him as her master. When he emerged, Redsleeve quickly approached Nox. "Master Nox!"Nox looked at her. "Come in. I have some questions for you."Redsleeve was stunned. It was the first time Nox wanted to talk with her alone. Redsleeve flushed slightly and nodded. A moment later, Nox had taken her into his room.Redsleeve was a little fidgety. One, Nox was ha
Nox couldn't understand. If there was one reason for Daniel's exile of his own wife and child, then it could only mean that that man was involved. The thought of that summoned a wave of icy air from deep within Nox.A long silence later, Nox stood up. "Come with me."Redsleeve didn't ask questions. She simply nodded.The Greenshades, the erstwhile top clan of Faeast. A pair of silhouettes stood before its gates. They were Nox and Redsleeve. Nox brought Redsleeve here after their talk."Do you know this place?" Nox looked at the golden plaque hanging on the entrance.Redsleeve nodded before she blurted enthusiastically, "Yes, I do!" Although she was raised by Daniel, she had never come to the Greenshades' abode. Suicide squads always hid in the shadows, but Nox actually brought her here."Are you going to see Mr. Greenshade?" Redsleeve's eyes glimmered as she looked at Nox curiously.Nox shook his head. "We're no longer related.""What? Then what brings you here?" Redsleeve was
Redsleeve quickly explained, "I'm just a servant, matriarch. I'm unworthy of Master Nox.""Oh, that's rubbish, dearie. Nox's mother and my son—" She quickly realized she was about to let something slip. So, she bit her tongue and stopped.Nox said, "I'd like to talk to you, Grandma. Alone. Is it fine?""Of course. Let's take this inside." The crone led Nox into her chamber."Redsleeve, you stay here," Nox said, then he followed his grandmother into her room.The first thing the crone did was grab a handful of gummies for Nox. She said Nox loved these when he was little. Nox smiled as he took the gummies and put them in his pocket.After she was done, the matriarch sat down and looked at Nox. "So, what do you have in mind, Nox?""Tell me the truth, Grandma. Did we cross the ruler sixteen years ago?"The matriarch shivered and quickly shut her mouth.The response only solidified Nox's assumption that the tragedy that happened to him had more going on than he thought. "Grandma?"
"On that same day, you were born, crying and kicking." The crone's face was filled with a blissful smile as she reminisced about Nox's birth.Nox was still confused. No one told him about the earthquake or rainbows on the day he was born."Since that day, the world spoke of how the True Dragon has descended upon my clan." The crone sighed."Six days after you were born, a monk in black robes came to our abode. His ears were unusually big, and he stirred up a gale when he approached us. He came to our backyard and stood under the ancient tree, staring at your mother and you."The crone continued, "We thought he was just a regular monk. So, we paid no heed to him. However, the moment he saw you, he said this, 'The true heir of the Greenshades shall wield the rule of Faeast.'"Nox was thunderstruck. 'The true heir of the Greenshades shall wield the rule of Faeast?' He knew how substantial that prophecy meant."Why didn't anyone ever tell me this, Grandma?" Nox asked tremulously."B
'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