A fleet of luxury cars made their way to the outskirts of Imperia. Nox and his comrades were inside the cars. He and Queenie were in one vehicle while the others sat in other cars.Nox had been quiet ever since they left the airport. A long time later, Queenie said, "Something's on your mind, Nox. Care to share?"Nox was looking outside the window, but he turned around, smiled, and shook his head. Since he didn't want to talk about it, Queenie just held his hands. The car drove on.A while later, Nox suddenly said, "I might have omitted something about my life, Queenie. Can you forgive me?""What is it?" Queenie asked."It's about my family," Nox said earnestly. He had never told Queenie about his family's affairs and how it used to be the greatest family in Imperia.Queenie mused over it for a moment. "You must have your reason for keeping it a secret. I wouldn't be mad at you."Nox felt bubbly inside. "I can tell you about my family." He took a deep breath and looked at the be
Bear came up, looking cold. "And what are you doing here, old man?"Keith and Bard stepped forth, looking hostile as well.Douglas quickly said, "I heard that Lord Nox is back, so I came to greet him. He did defeat Snowground and made it our vassal state for at least a century. It's a titanic feat.""Well, someone's sources work fast. And what's your ploy this time?" Bear whipped out his dagger and pointed it coldly at Douglas.Douglas' face darkened. "I'm here to welcome the lord's return, Bear. You're going to attack me?"Bear sneered. "Who knows? You might be up to something.""Why you…" Douglas bristled. "You oafs. I don't want to talk to you." He turned to Nox. "Look at them, Lord Nox."Nox knew Douglas meant no harm and swung his arm. "Leave us, Bear. I want to talk to him alone."Only then did Bear and the others leave. Nox turned to Douglas. "It's late, Mr. Gaia. What is it that you want?"Douglas smiled and approached Nox quickly. "I really am here to welcome you home
'Peace sometimes demands payment in blood.' Douglas fell silent after hearing that. A long while later, he bowed. "Accept this bow, Lord Nox. For the emperor and the people of Faeast." He then knelt on one knee.Nox had always protected the people and the nation. Six years ago, he did so by defeating the ten nations. He made sure peace was brought to the nation and the martial arts world. The nation was unified. Now, he protected the borders and reclaimed Snowground.He slew clans and families all for the nation's prosperity. Even though he had achieved an impossible feat, the leading clans were adamant about hunting him down. It was natural that Nox would not stand for it.Douglas was infected by Nox's bravado, and he said, "I and Imperial City are on your side, Lord Nox. Tell me if you need anything."Nox waved him down. "No thanks. I know why the emperor declared a Royal Retreat. He just doesn't want the ministers and military to be dragged into this mess. I'll let him have that
Since no one was going to explain what it meant to be good friends, Awesome turned to Selina. She was in white and looked gorgeous. Her legs were slender and fair, and her curves were perfect. She had the air of a mature woman, and Awesome loved it."She's beautiful, but she's Nox's girl." The monk sighed, but he still approached Selina. "Hi, lady. I'm Awesome, the boss' brother. You're his woman, aren't you? Can you introduce some of your friends to me?""Piss off," Selina said and left, ignoring the stupid monk.Awesome felt aggrieved. He wondered why these ladies were so fierce to him. 'Dammit, this is no way to live!' A dejected Awesome left the place alone.…With Nox around, the courtyard was once again merry. Keith and Bard were in the living room, telling Nox about all the happenings in Imperia and how they were attacked by the sects a few days ago."And they are?" Nox asked calmly."Two of the Six Great Sects: Moste Magicke and the Pavilion of Regality. If it weren't fo
Keith started first. Sitting cross-legged, he carefully looked at the auspicious energy which floated above his head. Then, he made a sign using both hands while chanting a spell. Instantly, a thick wisp of auspicious energy entered his body through the crown of his head.A pounding sensation struck the second the auspicious energy entered Keith's body. The energy and blood in his body experienced a significant transformation. More terrifyingly, all the acupuncture points in his body were activated at this moment. At once, Keith felt a searing energy spread throughout his body."Absorb!" he shouted and channeled Tiger Demon. At this moment, the surging martial energy within him seemed to skyrocket. In less than a moment, Keith clearly felt that his cultivation had begun to change fundamentally.Upon seeing Keith absorbing the auspicious energy, Bard, Bear, and others surrounding him also started absorbing the energy.…While all his comrades-in-arms began to focus on their trainin
Ever since Nox returned to Imperia, he first settled Queenie and others down. Next, he would start dealing with the members of the Six Great Sects and the other clans and families, who came from all over the country.So far, tens of thousands of warriors from all over the country had gathered in Imperia. These warriors consisted of members of notable clans and families. Apart from that, there were also many mediocre warriors. Despite that, they were great in numbers.Inside the room, Keith, Bard, Bear, and the others gathered information while analyzing the current situation."Keith, things look pretty bad. Now, tens of thousands of warriors have entered Imperia. Should we notify Lord Nox immediately?" Bard asked Keith worriedly.Keith's facial expression was gloomy. Ever since he absorbed the auspicious energy from Nox, his cultivation had been significantly enhanced. At this moment, his entire body was filled with martial energy as he roared, "These nobodies deserve to be kille
Deep down, Bear was aware that "love" had wounded Awesome's heart. After all, every lady Awesome had a crush on always ended up catching feelings for Nox instead of him. Obviously, this made Awesome extremely sad.With a smile, Bear patted Awesome on the shoulder and asked mischievously, "You seriously want to look for hot chicks?""Well, duh! Life is boring without girls!""Hehe… I've just received an important tip that can definitely find you a beautiful girl," Bear said with a perverted look."Forget it, Bear. I'm no longer interested in girls working at karaoke bars or nightclubs. Right now, I just want to fall in love and experience an actual love life!" Awesome voiced his thoughts, his gaze wavering."Damn! Who said anything about finding you a girl from a nightclub this time? Just to let you know, the girl I'm getting you this time is a top-notch and decent beauty from a sect!"Awesome turned his head around in confusion. "Bear, you're not joking with me, right? It's not s
Imperia was fully accessible after the Imperial City issued the Royal Retreat. Everywhere in the city, countless warriors were seen entering and leaving.At this moment, groups of warriors swaggered on the Eastside District's bustling streets. Some came from notable clans, and some from prominent families. In fact, many were warriors from all trades.Among these traveling warriors, an elderly figure and a young figure navigated through the crowd. The old man appeared to be in his 50s. His face was full of wrinkles, and his calloused hands indicated that he was a warrior.Walking beside him was a young girl whose hair was tied in a ponytail. Coupled with her tanned skin, she appeared to be healthy and vibrant.At a glance, one could tell they were warriors from another part of the country. Carrying their bags, they looked around as they walked."Grandpa, I heard that the braised duck in Imperia is the best in the world. I want to try it. Let's go have some!" the young girl urged th
Nox patiently watched the fight. His analysis was about the same as Aphrodite's. It would be difficult for Cassian to defeat Zeller.Still, Nox thought that Cassian would likely end the fight with a minor defeat as the power gap would never be too great.As Nox thought that, Cassian struck once more in a move aimed to kill. If Zeller were struck, he would be dead."You're quite strong, Cassian. Still, it's useless. I am certainly no match for you, but even if I can't defeat you, it doesn't mean it can't!"At the very last moment, Zeller pulled out an item that emanated enough energy within a few minutes to rival a cultivator at Saint Realm."That is a sacred artifact. Amazing. He does have great treasures," Nox remarked with narrowed eyes.Zeller was just an average cultivator. That was why he was still stuck at the cusp of Saint Realm. It was still a question if he could be a saint in the future. However, things were different with the aid of a sacred artifact.With the help of
"Haha! Do you think I'm powerless because you took away control of the ghosts?"Cassian Greenshade, your family has protected Faeast for millennia. You have stood in our way for the same amount of time! If not for your family, the Celestial Ordinance's Abode would already be ruling its own country!"Protecting Faeast? What hypocrites!"Nox is now the Human Sovereign, the future ruler of Faeast! He might even be crowned a Monarch! Your family is the new royal family!"How is that any different from what we want? You just want a country that belongs to your family."We are essentially the same. Stop criticizing us. It's like the pot calling the kettle black!" Zeller mockingly spat out. In their eyes, Nox could not be crowned the emperor of Faeast. Nox did not refute that claim as there was no way to talk sense into these people. With different motives and perspectives, nothing he said would get through to them. Cassian flew into a fit of rage. "You scoundrel! You refuse to fee
"Hahaha! I was wondering who this great cultivator was. You were someone I once defeated!"You can't win against me, so you ran all the way here to be a lord?" Cassian smirked. It was clear the two knew each other. He then turned to Nox. "This old priest is the founder of Celestial Ordinance's Abode in Faeast, Nox. I chased him off not long ago, and when I found out he was a powerful figure in Manesia, I journeyed there to defeat him once more. Unfortunately, he's a very slippery man. I've gone after him several times, yet I could never get rid of him. Later on, there was no more news, so I thought he died of old age. I didn't expect him to be hiding here." Meanwhile, Cassian used his Divine Sense to get a feel for the other's cultivation level. "Old git, you've grown stronger by quite a lot. Still, you're just on the cusp of Saint Realm. You aren't even at half Saint, yet you dare to confront us?"With Cassian's four-ring Minor Saint strength, it would only take seconds for Cas
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