"Should the day come when a nation loses its moral fiber, its fate will grow weak. The only way to ensure a nation stays strong is to walk a righteous path and uphold justice."The soldiers reacted strongly to the explanation. They knew the Defender Lord of the North was telling them to always stay on the straight and narrow and to be a hero like their lord."Well, that's one way to interpret it. Ah, another thing. There is an important reason why we need to get rid of the phantom cultivators. They can engulf a nation's fate. The worst people in a nation would become their lackeys, while the agents of justice would be their food. We'll only be left with numb, soulless husks or cowards who wouldn't stand up to oppression."He warned, "If we don't put a stop to this, Faeast will become hell on earth."The soldiers finally realized how serious this was."And who invented this evil technique, Defender Lord?" Bear asked, "If evil energy cannot become a living being, how did the first p
Atlas bowed to Nox. "Although the Limerents did contribute to the nation, Faeast has seen many heroes throughout the ages. We're nothing compared to the giants who made sure our civilization gets to continue."They are now nothing but records in history, and the young will always be the ones to lead us forward. You are the best among us, Nox."He thanked Nox for his service toward the Limerents and his contribution to the nation. "Even though the previous emperor did wipe out the phantom cultivators and established Faeast, he did not finish the job. The real threat comes from Mystia."He announced, "Your lord destroyed the soul of a phantom cultivator's Royal Apex in Mystia and annihilated the remnants in the nation. He has successfully driven the phantom cultivators out of Faeast, but the embers of this ancient evil now hide in Heaven's Cage."He continued, "This is why we are here." Atlas swept his gaze across the crowd. The soldiers' eyes were red with rage, and they were raring
Atlas coughed, shook his head, and boomed loudly, "We came on orders of the lord to kill the embers of the phantom cultivators! The previous leader of the Limerents made a deal with you, and the people of Mystia would kill the phantom cultivators in Mystia."He declared, "We do not need that anymore. We have decided to take things into our own hands, so please let us through, or…"Before Atlas could finish, the room in the projection was filled with a deadly aura. "You insolent cur! Your lord's orders mean nothing! "Since the gods' establishment, the emperor has always been inferior to them! Even he kneels to the gods when he speaks! How dare you bring his order up to me!"He ordered sternly, "Leave. My patience grows thin, so do not make me repeat myself again!" The warden did not even bother looking at Atlas. He had nothing but disdain for the old man.Atlas did not look happy at all, and his soldiers would not stand for this. They would fight this warden even if he were a god.
The warden felt that he'd lost all his dignity, especially when Atlas started laughing. "I see Lord Nox has struck fear into these people's hearts during his time in Mystia."Back when Nox fought his way to the top, he killed eight gods with nothing but his sword. The other gods, terrified, begged for mercy. Only then did Nox spare them. The warden was one of them.Naturally, he bowed to Nox the moment Nox summoned his will-of-the-sword. He didn't strike fear into these gods' hearts by being kind, after all."That's more like it." Nox pulled his will-of-the-sword back."And what brings you here, Lord Nox?" The warden was still simpering."What do you think? I'm here to get rid of the phantom cultivator remnants." Nox sneered.The warden's expression shifted. He frowned, acting as if this request was hard to fulfill. "You know the rules, Lord Nox. Although you trained in Mystia, you didn't accept the position they gave you. Technically speaking, you are still someone from the Mort
The warden finally realized what kind of man Nox was. He wasn't just going to deal with the matters in the Mortal World, but the Realm of the Gods as well. This was incomprehensible.Suddenly, black clouds covered the sky, and countless silhouettes, towering as mountains, shone atop the clouds. The ground started to shake. It was as if something disastrous would break through."Shit, Lord Nox, you have summoned the divine ire!" the warden shouted, panicking."And so what if I did? I'll let this slide one time for your master's sake. You bear no responsibility for the breaking of this gate. You have done your job."Golden light shot out of Nox's eyes. Fiery Lotus Golden Eye was in effect. The power of Nox's eyes slammed the warden back into the obelisk and sealed him within. Nox then turned back and scanned his soldiers."The gods are now attacking me. I've always been an atheist ever since I was born. Even if there are gods, I will fight them! If you join me in battle, you will be
"Greenshade!""This is the Realm of the Gods! You will not do as you please!""Mortals have no power over this land!"The gods were furious. Nox thundered, "Silence! You are no gods!" He raised his hand, and golden lightning appeared. The lightning bolts exploded, and the dark clouds overhead were crushed. Even the gods cracked under the barrage."There were no gods until you bastards claimed to be divinity! There were no gods until The Investiture! There were only cultivators who could cultivate natural energy! You bastards abused Celestial techniques and destroyed the land all for your bid for power!"Nox accused, "You destroyed the world's energy and caused catastrophes! Catastrophes you couldn't control! You came up with the so-called Divine Ranking and declared one little spot as your paradise and retreated to Mystia!""Gods are nothing but Pinnacle Legend Realms who'd lost their bodies! Your rules are nothing but a joke! You used them to oppress the people, but none of you
The gate crumbled away, unable to defend itself any longer. Atlas was stunned. 'That's Nox for you. He can defeat anything in his path.'He clicked his tongue. "I'm honestly impressed with the Mousses. They almost managed to kill a guy like him." That meant the Mousses truly had the power to back up their bark.With the gate gone, a passage to a new, undiscovered land stood before them. Cold, biting winds came howling out of the passage. It was as if hell stood at the other end of this path.The winds were chilly, and there were screams of phantoms hiding within. Even Atlas shivered uncontrollably.The soldiers couldn't help but think that this path looked like a highway to hell. Nox laughed. "And now I go to the other side, where my old comrades are! I shall slay everything in my path, even if they are the lords of hell!"Nox went into the path, and the soldiers followed without missing a beat. Once the last one stepped into the path, darkness swallowed them whole. The sealed war
Atlas took the reins and led the soldiers down the path to destroy the phantom cultivator remnants. Nox saw them off and went down the other path. It was a meandering tunnel, and a while later, Nox smelled blood. 'This can't be good,' he thought solemnly.Nox ran at full speed, and the path eventually broadened into a spacious hall. The air was thick with blood. He cast Divine Sense and saw more than thirty corpses lying around, all clad in armor. "Heaven's Cage's guards. Who did this? Dammit. Warden, come out here!"Nox slapped the obelisk and unsealed the warden. The warden showed himself again, looking bitter. "Sir, I told you not to come in, but you wouldn't listen.""Shut it. I knew you were hiding something because the Mystia bastards were around. No one's here now, so tell me what happened," Nox said darkly.The confrontation between Nox and the warden back then was partly an act. The warden's multiple warnings told Nox he had something to say."Yes, something did happen he
The talismans were Magic Mountain's Forbidden Art, and Nox had fused them with Ultimate Sun Dragon Manual. Nox's mentors back in Mystia had taught him the Sovereign Seal earlier than expected.Their goal was simple. If Nox became the Sovereign, he could use the seal to command all the natural energy around him. If he didn't become the Sovereign, he would teach the Sovereign how to use the seal.The Sovereign Seal was a Saintly technique and the most ancient technique around. It was stronger than a Celestial technique.A golden seal brighter than the sun slowly rose into the air. It was the Sovereign Seal.As it appeared, natural energy gathered around it. The energy flew into the relics Brundela took from Faeast. Within a museum not open to the public, a bronze sword started to tremble as natural energy flowed into it. That got the attention of a professor."That sword belonged to Faeast's Emperor Elijah! What is going on?"A silhouette came out of the sword, and his aura was maj
Back in the navy command center, Fergus got the drone footage of Brundela's latest development. There were a few generals from the Nox Army with him. They could see that the monsters in the capital were far stronger than the ones they took out."It's a pity the capital is too densely populated. We have the weapons, but we can't use them." Fergus slammed the table in frustration. Even if the capital were to fall into enemy hands and the people torn apart by the monsters, Fergus could not order his men to fire at the capital, or things would be bad for them.Fergus could only open fire if the monsters were in a no man's land."Commander Parrish, the lord has orders. We are to keep the waters guarded. Once the capital's crisis is over, we are to make our way to the port and give humanitarian aid," a Nox Army general said telepathically. He just got Nox's orders."Is that so? Then Nox can stop this crisis." Fergus' eyes shone. He had no idea what Nox was planning, but he was the Sovere
Demons were walking the lands of Brundela. Legendary creatures were roaming the streets as if the end of days were here. The resurrected monsters were causing chaos everywhere. When the Titans showed themselves, despair washed over Brundela.There were too many monsters running around. Even after the Twilight Order and Ice Temple cultivators sent out everyone they had, it still wasn't enough to stop these creatures. The monsters went straight to the council hall, and so did the Titans.The Ice Temple Lord created a Magic Ice Formation and kept using Forbidden Arts and mystical artifacts to fend off the enemies. He had already done his best."You have to do something, Nine-State Lord. I can't hold on much longer!" the Ice Temple Lord said telepathically.Though monsters were about, they were not a threat to the Ice Temple Lord. he could leave anytime he wanted, but he had a deal with Nox. If he were to desert the battlefield, he would face a hell far worse than he could imagine late
Their targets were the relics around the altars. The moment the whirlpool showed up, the black energy conjured black walls and kept Brundela on lockdown, cutting off all communications.Possessed by evil spirits, gods from ancient civilizations came back to life. In the underground graveyard, the dead came bursting out of their coffins, and skeletons with phantom flames flickering around them charged at the holy knights and James' secret agents.Nothing more needed to be said. The holy knights' leader led the charge. The other knights resolved to fight to the death as they battled the skeleton gods.James and his secret agents fired off at the enemies, but the bullets did nothing to the skeletons. All they managed was to light a big spark. Only grenades and howitzers could deal damage to them, and even then, the damage was light.The battle was fierce. Though the knights did not fear death, they were still weaker than the prehistoric gods. These skeletons were nigh invincible, and
Nox was hovering higher than the Ice Temple Lord, and he got everyone's attention."Who's that?""It's a Faeastian!""My God, it's the Nine-State Lord!" Nox was known throughout Faeast and the world. Brundela's council members had recognized him the moment he showed up. They had nothing but fear for gods, yet Nox was the strongest man in the Mortal World, so they respected him.The clouds in Brundela's skies were hanging heavily over the ground, and the icy aura they radiated was making everyone shiver. Winter seemed to have come early for Brundela. The temperature was dipping fast.Back in the control center, intelligence agents were watching the surveillance footage closely, and they noticed the altar. The Twilight Order and Ice Temple cultivators were there, strengthening the altars' seal the best they could. There were soldiers guarding the altar as well.For some reason, the secret agents had a feeling something bad was going to happen. Murphy's Law, as they said.Suddenly,
A sliver of energy flew out of the puppet and gathered natural energy around it. Then, the temperature rose at a blistering rate. Fortunately, Bard's reminder came just in time, and Vermilion Bird was prepared for this. She led her team away from the spot.A pillar of fire engulfed the building, and heat waves shot off in every direction, lethal and deadly. The light eventually faded, and all buildings in a few hundred yards were razed to the ground.If Vermilion Bird had killed the puppet without thinking just now, she would have lost all her men and suffered serious injuries. "That bitch! I'm going to make her into a human swine one day! I'll give her hell!" she cursed.Bard gasped. 'Yeah, women can be really terrifying.' Not one General was a normal person.This incident didn't escape Nox, of course. He saw it through his divine sense. "Heh, you can't fight the flow of history? You say that, Aphrodite, but you've done the same thing more than once. Schemes and plots when your ey
Aphrodite was a master manipulator. She knew the weaknesses of Nox's underlings, and she praised Bard, "At least you know where you stand, Bard. You never overreach. Though we failed to make you one of us, I still thought it'd be a shame to kill you."Bard smiled. "Oh, you're such an actor, Ms. Mousse. You know why we don't like you? Queenie is a genuine lady, just like our lord. You're far inferior to her. And don't flatter yourself. Of course, I know where I stand. I can't even reach the pinnacle of martial arts, let alone cultivation."No matter how smart I am, my lack of talents holds me back. I can never be made an important leader." He was only spared because he couldn't become a threat to the Mousses.Nox didn't use schemes because he didn't need them. Absolute power could trump any plot.Vermilion Bird clenched her teeth. "What is the meaning of this? The lord knows that the bitch is here?"Bard shook his head. Vermilion Bird was a smart woman, but Aphrodite made her lose
Aphrodite felt nothing but sorrow, and Vermilion Bird burst into laughter. "I expected nothing less from these people. Your men are just like their employers. Hey, knights, you guys want to find out more about Faeast martial arts? See those Mousse guys? They're masters. Deal with them."Vermilion Bird gave her orders. She knew these people would escape the moment she showed up. The knights flew off, going after the escaped Mousses. The Mousses were a family of warriors, while these knights were cultivators, to an extent. They wore mystical artifacts, and the Mousses' guys didn't have something like that.The battle was fierce but short. The Mousses' powerhouses were taken out, and the rest were dealt with by the Shadow Division."And now only you're left. Interesting, isn't it? Karma always bites you in the ass. You betrayed my lord, and now your men betray you. You deserve this," Vermilion Bird cursed."Yes, I deserve this, but as long as he wants to be the Nine-State Lord, then w
'The beating heart of this land?' The woman's underlings looked grim. They were supposed to be the master tacticians here. Yet, Nox played them like a cheap kazoo. 'He's a far better tactician than we expected!'Nox began his counterattack not long after the Ocean of Death incident. This woman was none other than Aphrodite, Nox's old flame. When she saw Brundela's fate stabilizing, she knew right then that things had gotten out of her hands."Tell the Mousses in Eropa to retreat right away. There is no need to stay here any longer. He's not attacking us because he's waiting for us to do the same. The moment our men try to start anything, he'll swoop in and take them all out. "No one can beat him if he decides to go all the way. Not even me," said Aphrodite.Suddenly, the Mousses' powerhouse noticed something. "I sense bloodlust. Who goes there? Show yourself!" The powerhouses unsheathed their weapons and stood around Aphrodite, protecting her.A group of black silhouettes appeare