The girl's praise made Madison blush. She smiled, crouched, and held Gina's chubby hands. "You will, I'm sure of it."Gina smiled happily. Then, she caught sight of Penelope leaving her abode. "Grandma!" She ran up to her grandmother and jumped into her arms. Then, she smiled and said, "The lady said I'll grow up to be as pretty as she is!"Penelope smiled and pinched Gina's cheek. "And I'm sure you'll be beautiful, Gina."Gina giggled."Run along now, though. I need to speak to our guest."The girl nodded. "Okay." She hopped away and got onto a swing. After the girl was gone, Madison quickly bowed to Penelope. "Hello, Mrs. Greenshade."After moving into the Greenshades', Madison found out that this was where Nox used to live. This woman was his beloved grandmother."Oh, you don't have to, young lady." Penelope smiled. "Daniel said you're all Nox's friends?" Penelope asked.Madison nodded. "Yes.""That's good to hear. Nox left this place when he was just a little boy. It's gre
Nineve led the way while Drunk followed. The moment they stepped inside, Drunk felt powerful auras hiding within the abode. Although the abode seemed spacious and almost deserted, Drunk felt at least dozens of auras hiding around the area. These auras were at least Top Legend Realm level.He commented, "I expected no less from the previous greatest family of all time. They have so much power hidden within."Suddenly, an aura flew toward them. "Who dares intrude upon our land?" a clear voice said, and a burly figure appeared before Nineve.Nineve looked at the man before her. "Claude, it's me. Don't you recognize me?"The man was none other than Claude. He just realized he was talking to the princess. "Oh, Your Highness. My greetings!""It's alright, Claude. Please, raise your head," said Nineve."You should've told us you were coming. We'd have held a welcome for you." Claude smiled."It's alright, Claude. Is Daniel in?" Nineve asked.Claude knew that she was asking about his
"Tell me what happened. Who attacked you guys?" Nineve looked at Keith and Bard."The sects. Their members came for us," said Keith honestly."The sects?" Nineve looked surprised, and even Drunk frowned."The strongest faction among the Powers?" Nineve asked, surprise filling her tone.Keith nodded."Blast. It's been years since they last showed themselves. Why the sudden resurgence? Why'd they attack you guys? What's going on?"Every Faeastian martial artist knew that the sects rarely sent their people out. Every time the sects made their appearances, the martial arts world would change drastically."They're coming for the lord," said Keith grimly."What? They're after stupid Nox?" Nineve was in disbelief."Yes," said Keith.That enraged the princess. "Are they mad? How dare they attack stupid Nox? He just reclaimed Snowground! He's the nation's hero!" said Nineve angrily.Keith shook his head. "If I were a betting man, I'd say they're after the lord because of the things h
Daniel was speaking facts, and Nineve was stunned by this revelation. "So, you're saying Father went into seclusion on purpose?""Yes," said Daniel."But why? He promised he'd make Nox Defender Lord. He promised he'd make Nox the guardian of the nation. Why is he doing this?" Nineve was speechless about her father's decision."Don't read too much into it, Your Highness. I'd do the same thing if I were in his spot," said Daniel, trying to cheer the princess up."Why? Why is this happening?" Nineve was still confused."Faeast prides itself on its martial prowess. It would be foolish if the emperor made an enemy out of all martial artists for my son alone," said Daniel. That was the cruel truth.The nation was established through sheer martial prowess. The factions among the Three Great Powers were deeply interconnected. The emperor would not plunge the nation into chaos just for one man.Nineve fell silent. A long while later, she asked, "What should we do, then?"Daniel put his
Nox asked, "Queenie, do you want to go to Imperia with me?""Imperia?" Queenie was surprised by that question."Yes. I don't want to be away from you again. The best way to circumvent that is for you to come to Imperia with me. I can take care of you better there," Nox said.Queenie had no idea how to answer that request. A moment of silence later, she said, "But what about my family? And my job?"Nox laughed. "If you come with me, I'll set up another company for you. You can do whatever you want." Nox was a lord, after all. He could set up a shop for Queenie and make sure it made money easily.Queenie was still worried. "But I'm an only child. If I go with you, who's going to take care of my folks?""Don't worry. I'll take your folks along," Nox said.Queenie fell silent for a while. Then, she said, "Can you give me some time, Nox?"Nox knew Riverton was Queenie's home. Of course, she would be reluctant to leave all of a sudden. He held her hand. "Sure. Take all the time you n
Nox stopped eating at once. Everyone else looked at the generals as well. Nox put his cutlery down and asked, "And what would that be?"Draco looked around. It was obvious there were too many unrelated people around for him to talk."Just spill it," Nox ordered."We got this from Imperial City just now. His Majesty has declared a Royal Retreat, and he is now in isolation," Draco said.'Royal Retreat?' Nox thought, a frown creasing his forehead. He knew how important that decree was. The fact that a Royal Retreat was declared meant the emperor wanted nothing to do with administration for a while."And Mr. Gaia told us something more worrying. Leaders of various sects have shown themselves in Imperia. They might be after you, milord," Draco said.'The sects?' Selina and Jebediah's faces fell. They were martial artists, so they knew how terrifyingly powerful these sects were. 'And they're after the lord?' they thought.While everyone looked nervous, Nox was calm. He picked up a gla
Upon hearing this, Awesome roared, "Then let's send those pigs to the next life!""Now?" Bear looked at the murderous Awesome. He was a little speechless about this."Yeah, now. If Nox finds out we snuck out of Imperial City, he's going to whoop our asses! If we want to get off the hook, we need to make up for our mistake! And killing these bastards will be our ticket!"Awesome thought that was a smart plan. Bear shared his sentiments as well. They had made a big mistake. If Awesome hadn't left Imperial City, Keith and the others might have never gotten hurt. After all, Awesome used to train in Mystia.However, because of their oversight, their comrades were hurt. If Nox knew about it, he would tear them apart. Bear said after pondering, " Yeah, you have a point. We'll have to tear those bastards apart, limb from limb.""Then what are we waiting for? Let's send them to the next life!"Just as Awesome was going to leave, Bear stopped him."What is it?" Awesome turned around, conf
With the Royal Retreat in effect, warriors from various families tasted freedom they had never tasted before. Rumors claimed that there were more than tens of thousands of warriors congregating in Imperia at this moment.The clans and families did send their representatives, and other warriors joined in the fun as well. In a gigantic manor on the outskirts of the west side of the city, a big group of warriors gathered. Their strength differed, though they were not here to fight. Instead, they were having discussions.Then, a clear voice announced, "Mr. Willow has arrived!"A middle-aged man in a resplendent robe appeared, escorted by a group of people. Mr. Willow looked to be a Legend Realm, and following him were some elderly Grandmasters. This man was the owner of this manor, and his name was Deshantes Willow.The Willows were part of the clan faction, though small fries like them were nothing in Imperia. When Deshantes made his appearance, many warriors bowed. "Hello, Mr. Willow
They waited and waited, but there was no movement. "Nox, it looks like Master Zeller doesn't plan to come out. Since he's so rude, I'll force him out!"Cassian began to set Saint power ablaze. With the energy precisely aimed at the hidden talisman hiding in the fortress, he burned the talisman. The ghosts imprisoned within the fortress came pouring out. Millions of ghosts appeared. It was an exceedingly rare sight. The number of ghosts was enough to instantly overwhelm a cultivator at Pinnacle Realm. If it were just Aphrodite, Queenie, and Nineve, they would not have been able to control that many souls. Cassian wanted to help out, but he was too powerful. He would kill the ghosts, and that was not the effect he wanted. "Leave it to me, Grandpa."Nox stepped forward. In an instant, the aura of a Human Sovereign surged from him, welcoming a righteous and natural energy. The agitated ghosts swiftly calmed down. "Everyone, I am Lord Nox of Faeast. Today, I will ensure ju
In some ways, Cassian's fame far surpassed Nox's. Nox was tasked with stabilizing the nation. While even distant countries beyond Faeast’s borders had heard of him, their knowledge was limited to a few of his victories. Cassian, on the other hand, gained his fame through bloodshed. He roamed the world, leaving chaos in his wake across numerous nations. Even now, the mere mention of his name struck fear into many. For example, Cassian was the one to depose Spiajan's king, along with the entire royal family. Once the king was killed, Spiajan no longer had a monarchy. When the middle-aged man learned that the old git who had split his body into half was none other than Cassian, the man who had slaughtered through his country, he fell silent, gripped by fear. "Speak! Keep boasting. Why are you all silent now? What happened to the threats?" Cassian loftily stared at the group of elites. In his eyes, they were just trash. "Whether you're Cassian Greenshade or Lord Nox, you can't ju
The elites were all panic-stricken, and they immediately ordered their bodyguards to come forward to protect them.Accepting their fates, hundreds of bodyguards rushed forward, took out their submachine guns, aimed them at Nox and his group, and pulled the triggers.Gunshots were being fired wildly. However, Cassian blocked all the bullets off with his bronze-red fiery momentum.Presently, Cassian's hair had turned bronze-red, and the muscles all over his body were pumped.Upon witnessing this sight before their very eyes, the elites all thought that Cassian resembled a real Super Saiyan who emerged straight out of an animated series."Die!"As Cassian pressed his palm down, an unparalleled force descended from the sky. Instantly, hundreds of bodyguards were all crushed into a pulp. As a matter of fact, the momentum flattened their bodies even more than it did if a car ran over them.The elites gasped in shock. In their mind, they couldn't help but wonder if Cassian was actually
"That's right! We must severely punish these traitors once Master Zeller kills this group of Faeastians!" a group of elites cursed in unison. As they spoke, a near-rabid desire surfaced in their scarlet eyes.Up to this very moment, they were still thinking of eliminating the insiders. After all, only after getting rid of the insiders could they easily conduct restructuring and divide their shares of power again.Presently, politicians from the neighboring nations also informed everyone that their country's fleet was on their way and would arrive shortly to provide assistance."Damn these Faeastians! We can't spare them like this! Let's kill them and refine violent energy using their spirits!""Agree! These guys are so powerful, so refining violent energy with their souls definitely will be a great supplement for us!"Once again, one by one, the eyes of these elites turned rapacious as they gazed at the gradually approaching group of people like a group of hungry hyenas staring at
The group crossed the battlefield and arrived at a resort built on the island. Everywhere they looked, luxury cars filled the place, and grand mansions lined the area.At the center of these private residences stood their target. The air was thick with violent energy, and dark clouds loomed ominously above. The moment Cassian arrived, he could sense the presence of vengeful spirits."There were many innocent lives that died here," Cassian said to Nox. "That's strange. Why didn't that cultivator cleanse this place when he had such huge power?"Nox thought for a moment before replying, "Perhaps leaving these vengeful spirits here is part of their plan too."Cassian took in a sharp breath as he realized what Nox was implying."If my guess is correct, this person is deliberately feeding the spirits to sustain the elites. While it may grant them eternal youth and extend their lifespans, the cost is that they will become inhumane. What a cruel method. He enslaved the elites, allowing hi
As Nox and Cassian exchanged glances, they both got the same idea."It looks like that mastermind is an evil cultivator.""There are many sinister cultivation techniques that can grant ordinary people eternal youth, immortality, or even cultivation. However, such things are not obtained out of thin air. They are stolen from the others. During the internal turmoil in Faeast, evil cultivators were everywhere. It took me, Sariel, and Magic Mountain a huge effort to get rid of most of them. When they were unable to find a foothold in Faeast, they fled to Southsea."Nox added, "Even so, they continued to target Faeast, wreaking havoc along the coastal regions. The situation grew so dire that His Majesty had to personally deal with them. After I took over, I utilized Vermilion Bird's intelligence network to eliminate almost all of the evil cultivators. It seems that the surviving ones have fled even further to cause trouble."Faeast was a righteous country, so there was no room for evil
Just like that, an entire army was completely wiped out by two people! Moreover, the duo didn't seem to be using any effort either.This was a massacre.Nox toyed with the artifact in his hand. The palm-sized, black object caused the temperature of the island to drop, yet Nox didn't seem to be affected at all.However, the commander was almost frozen to death.Cassian walked over and took the artifact from Nox's hand. After examining it closely, he frowned and said, "This is the legendary Black Ice Stone, a thing that had long been thought to be extinct.""Indeed. This is remarkable. Without the use of any technique, it can disrupt one's senses just by placing it on the ground. Once it comes into contact with positive energy, it'll release Yin energy. What a fascinating item," said Nox."True. It's a pity that it can't be combined with other materials though. Otherwise, it could have been a sacred artifact." Cassian nodded.Nox shook his head in exasperation. "Even if it could b
The enemy commander waved his hand to give an order.In that split second, dozens of men raised their swords and charged toward Nox.Cassian was too intimidating to them, and he would wipe out the entire army by himself. Thus, they decided to capture Nox in order to threaten Cassian."Raise your hands and surrender immediately!" the enemy commander said in broken Faeastian.However, what unsettled the enemy commander was that neither Cassian nor the group of spectators in the distance seemed to care about Nox's current situation.Seeing that Nox didn't respond, one of the enemy leaders shouted, "Why are you not moving? Are you scared? I told you to raise your hands and surrender now!"Nox tilted his head and glanced at him with disdain. Then, he slowly raised one of his hands."Are you deaf? I said two hands!" the enemy leader roared.`Buzz!At that moment, an invisible force swept through everyone, causing hundreds of people to be lifted into the air over three thousand fee
Nineve was shocked, but Aphrodite was used to it. "He rose to fame during the latest crisis of Faeast. You have to be crueler than everyone else if you want to live during that era," she said.It was a dog-eat-dog world back then, and every cultivator was a beast. The team eventually arrived at the spot, and the Marines were already interrogating the captives."Milord, these are units from the coastal nations nearby. They're not to be underestimated," a soldier reported to Nox. Even if these people were not remnants of the Three-Eyed Clan, this was still a national issue.The soldiers tried to ask the captives about the Three-Eyed Clan, but they knew nothing about it. Nox said, "Don't waste your time. They're not big enough to know that kind of intel.""What should we do with these people?" The Marines wondered if they should take the captives back to the ship. Cassian used his soul technique to check the captives' memories and killed them all."Yeah, they might be official units,