"I trust you also know of His Majesty disappearing into the underground chamber?" Nox said.Everyone present nodded. Nox observed their reactions with a closed eye. Except for Atlas' worry for his nephew, everyone else was preoccupied with the war that would be happening in seven days. It was as if no one cared that Quilo might have died.As people used to say, the ascension of a new ruler was the start of a new government. Now that Faeast's new fate was born because of Nox while also being centered on him, his influence greatly surpasses Quilo's.However, Nox was not happy to see that. He knew he was not as good at governing the country as Quilo.Deep in his thoughts, Nox continued, "His Majesty ordered that I take full control over Faeast's military."I hereby announce that Atlas will be taking over as the Viceroy of the North, Black Tortoise as the commander of the Nox Army, and Marquis Strohm as the Governor of Northstate, standing guard over Vertolt. As for the rest, you will
Nox knew what Nineve was worried about but chose not to bring it up."What's wrong, my princess? Who's upset you? Is it Awesome again?""No. I'm just worried about the battle you'll be facing," Nineve muttered as she crouched down."About the battle? I'm leading a righteous army to strike down those who harm Faeast. With the nation united, what's there to fear? Besides, I've fought battles much harder than this. A mere Winterosch is nothing," Nox said dismissively.He had defeated even the mighty armies of the Ten Nations. Thus, Winterosch was nothing worth mentioning since it had long faded from the world."You can't say it like that. Behind Winterosch stands the Assad Temple. I also know a bit about Mystia's affairs. The world is divided into Faeast and Mystia. Winterosch lies in the north of Mystia, where the Ice Temple and Assad Temple rule the lands. Although the two temples have never gotten along, they will undoubtedly join forces if you lead troops against Winterosch. Whil
"Grandpa Limerent also said that you will be the Emperor who appears only once in five hundred years! It's common for dynasties to rise and fall. I'm fortunate it's you ascending to the throne. In other dynasties, the old royal family often meets a tragic end. We have fulfilled our duty, and now it's up to you to complete the unfinished revival of our heritage!"Nineve spoke with undeniable logic, saying exactly the words any new ruler would want to hear. However, Nox did not want to hear them from her."Who taught you to say this? Was it Atlas? Of course, he has already established his authority in my army. Now that one of the Four Great Generals has returned, we need him all the more. He is a prince outside of the royal bloodline," Nox said with a firm tone.Nineve stared at him in disbelief. She could hardly believe that Nox would say such things to her as if he no longer trusted her.Anger filled her, but she dared not offend him since she needed to secure a way out for the old
Nox carried Nineve in his arms and placed her on the seat."Nox…""Let me finish," he said softly, placing two fingers on her lips. "I am capable of stabilizing the country, but I am no ruler. You have the knowledge and have interacted with the civil ministers constantly. They are afraid of me, so I can't use them. As for military strategy, the soldiers admired you as you led the resistance against the invasion of Winterosch. With no talent for governance, I think the position of ruler should…"As Nineve heard his words, her expression changed drastically. Then, she stood up and said, "Nox, I'm not the person you think I am. I never expected you to come. I never intended to return alive after gathering the soldiers and leading the tanks to Vertolt!""Calm down, Princess. Let me finish," he said, forcing her back into her seat. "There are seven days left until the battle, and I need you to guard the northern territory for me during this period. I must return to Imperia.""Imperia?
"Besides, you should know me by now. It doesn't matter if you're a princess or not. Even if you become a queen one day, you're still my woman. There's no escaping that.""You're so infuriatingly domineering! But I like it!"Just as the two were lost in the moment, Keith cleared his throat from outside the door.Keith felt goosebumps all over as he heard their conversation."What's he doing out there? How dare he eavesdrop on our conversation?!" Nineve, who was just nestling in Nox's arms, suddenly put on a serious expression. Her aura turned imposing, radiating the unmistakable authority of royalty.Watching her, Nox couldn't help but sigh inwardly. 'This is the benefit of being born into the royal family. With just one battle, she has shed all the pretense. Poor Queenie, though.' As he thought about it, his heart ached for Queenie.Unlike Nineve, he loved Queenie's kind heart. However, he had no comment on her martial arts. As Douglas said, Queenie lacked talent in this area. Af
What Atlas said gave Dylan a wake-up call. Aldric only succumbed to the Mousses because he wasn't strong enough. Though Aldric was already a Supreme, he only did it through his martial strength. He was no match for the Mystian Supremes, who gained their power through absorbing natural energy.The Mousses had allies in Mystia, and Aldric alone couldn't fight that. "So, you mean to say…""Don't say it out loud. Just keep it in mind." Atlas shot Dylan an icy look, and the old general shut up. Atlas scanned the other generals as well. He was making an example out of Dylan. Some of the generals were members of the Nox Army, and they were displeased with Atlas.Nox arrived, and his voice carried through the air. "Well, look at you, Your Highness. High and mighty, are we? Perhaps you'll be the new commander of Nox Army in no time."The voice thundered, and Atlas was horrified. Before Nox even came in, he knelt. All the generals bowed to Nox as well. Nox walked into the hall. Instead of
"Good to know that. Still, this is a fair system we have here. Contributions are rewarded, while bad behavior is punished. Stay on the straight and narrow." Nox looked at the generals. "Men, I came here for one thing and one thing only: to power you up."'To power us up?' Dylan snapped out of it, though he still wondered why Atlas told him to keep his mouth shut."His Highness doesn't want you to tell anyone about what you'll experience. We've vetted everyone before letting them in," Nox said and looked at Atlas again.Atlas cleared his throat. "Men, you're all accomplished warriors in your own right, but you share one flaw: you don't have enough talent. Without external help, you'll never get to the next level. General Strohm is, for the lack of a better word, a naive person."If news of my lord's actions reaches the wrong ears, we'd have rumors about the lord giving out favors to his friends going around before you can even say Faeast. It'd cost more than just the general's job i
A military aircraft coming from Northstate flew into Imperia's airspace. The passenger within was Nox. A while later, the aircraft landed at Northriver Military Airport, a place on the outskirts of Imperia.Douglas watched the aircraft land, looking worried. The moment Nox disembarked, he quickly approached Nox. "Lord Nox, the frontlines aren't looking well. You cannot just do as you please! If you had planned on coming back, you shouldn't have challenged Winterosch to a battle! The army needs its commander. "'He's blocking all my exit strategies!'Nox scanned Douglas. "And the nation needs its leader, Mr. Gaia."Douglas gasped. "This is different. I've shown you the emperor's decree. If he were to die, you'd take his place as leader!""Are you trying to say that you're making all the preparations for a change in leadership?"Douglas froze and frowned. "That is not what I said!""Good. I have my reasons for this," Nox said, but he didn't elaborate."Milord, the fleet is waitin
Nox unleashed his divine sense, scanning the entire perimeter of Imperia. The same scene repeated itself everywhere: borders littered with unconscious civilians, numerous car crashes, and many more trapped victims in desperate need of help."It looks like we need to break this damned formation first. Ugh, what a pain. And of course, we've got to locate the core before we can dismantle it," he muttered in frustration.The Soul Maze Formation was powerful—so much so that only those in the Legend Realm could traverse it unscathed. Imperia didn't boast many cultivators at that level, and those few were already occupied along the borders, rescuing civilians.Nox focused his Divine Sense and quickly pinpointed the core of the formation within minutes."There's a Sacred Realm guardian from the path of the ancient divine stationed at the core," Nox said telepathically to Cassian. "Grandpa, you and Kirin should head there. But don't rush—leave the rest to me."Nox's caution was clear—he di
Aphrodite maintained her usual stoic demeanor, but behind the scenes, she said to White Tiger telepathically, "Being enslaved by Nox's soul technique? That's quite the excuse. Surely, you know I'm naturally immune to soul techniques?"White Tiger scoffed and shot back telepathically, "They'd have chopped you into pieces by now if I hadn't done some fast talking! Do me a favor and behave yourself for once, or I'll handle you personally before they could even get the chance."Despite his grumbling, White Tiger couldn't help but feel a mix of envy and frustration over Aphrodite's extraordinary immunity. It was said that if someone's mind was honed to an unparalleled level, they could naturally resist soul techniques. Aphrodite had truly reached such a pinnacle of intellect.Aphrodite assumed command of the Nox Army as Nox's soul technique had seemingly bound her to him. She immediately ordered them and the nearby forces to retreat, leaving only the Sword Sect of Magic Mountain behind
Kirin and White Tiger had already entered Nox's room, only to freeze at the sight of his stormy expression. Trouble was clearly brewing."Milord, what happened?" White Tiger asked cautiously, lowering his head as if trying to shrink out of sight.Could this be about them swindling Aphrodite? But they had lost everything all night long—wasn't that punishment enough?Nox announced, "Imperia has gone dark. I can't reach Azure Dragon or the others. White Tiger, contact the military zone immediately and arrange for a military aircraft. I need to leave for Imperia right now!"White Tiger instantly tensed at the news. Imperia suddenly going dark, combined with Cassian's imminent return to reunite with Penelope, felt too coincidental. Could someone be targeting the Greenshade family?"Damn those scoundrels! Understood, milord. I'll get everything ready!"He rushed off to make the arrangements.Meanwhile, Aphrodite's telepathic voice reached Nox. "Stay calm. It's not as dire as it seems.
Nox felt choked by the sheer emotion he was feeling. Sometimes, even a thousand promises couldn't compare to the simple vow of staying together in life and death."Don't worry. There's no one in this world capable of killing me," he reassured her with a smile. All the talk about ruling the Nine States and Five Domains or becoming the emperor of the world paled in comparison to having the one he loved by his side.The destroyer ship made its way back to Faeast's inner harbor. Nineve eagerly led the group to the largest shopping mall in the area as soon as they disembarked.The marines quickly found themselves acting as her personal attendants, lugging bags upon bags of purchases. The spree lasted the entire day, only stopping when the mall finally closed for the night.Later that evening, Nox was watching a live news broadcast in the hotel.The screen showed an official spokesperson from Faeast addressing the issue of piracy on the high seas. The statement carefully emphasized the
As the Temple Lord of the Beast Temple, Kirin was none other than the auspicious beast Kirin itself.On the other hand, Mufasa, while known as the temple's guardian, was, in cruder terms, little more than a servant to the golden lion. His master, the golden lion, paled in comparison to the Kirin in both cultivation level and bloodline.Simply put, if the golden lion were present, it would have to kneel before Kirin."What now? Why'd you drag me out? Couldn't you deal with it yourself? You're so annoying! I was just having a great chat with my students," Kirin grumbled, clearly irritated.However, he immediately shut his gob after receiving a hard whack on the head from Nox."I called you out to ask if you could gather the beasts of the Beast Temple. Tell them to withdraw from Mystia and return to Faeast for the time being. I foresee a war with the path of the martial brewing soon, and I'll need a fully armed force of sacred beasts," Nox said, his piercing gaze fixed on Kirin."Ca
Faeast's rise was inevitable. This belief was absolute and unshakable!At that moment, Aphrodite came to a realization that so long as she and Nox had no romantic ties, their hearts could truly be in sync.Love brought complications such as resentment and division. But without personal emotions clouding their judgment, everything they did would be for the nation alone. Take this moment, for example. The intricate trap she had laid was no longer just a scheme. Rather, it had become a necessary move to safeguard Faeast. By nightfall, the destroyer arrived at the island where Voltaic resided. Before the ship even came to a stop, Voltaic stepped onto the water, striding across the waves with Mufasa by his side. With effortless grace, he leaped onto the bow, landing before Nox on the deck. "You old bastard, what's your deal? When I tried reaching out before, you acted like you were deaf. Now that I've shown up, you're all smiles and warm welcomes? What's that supposed to mean?" No
Just then, several pirate ships appeared on the horizon. They were from Capwave Island. Now, Nox had every reason to suspect that these pirates were nothing more than pawns, a smokescreen used by the elites of the island nations to cover their tracks. "Milord, those guys have their eyes on us. What's the call?" the captain asked. "My rule is simple. If they make a move, fire. Wipe them out. But you're the captain, so I'll leave the decision to you," Nox said. The university students onboard were all fired up, ready to take action without a second thought. The captain, mindful of the number of civilians on board, decided to attempt communication first. He picked up the radio to send a warning to the pirates.The deafening roar of jet engines ripped through the sky. A sudden transmission cut into their frequency. The voice on the radio was firm and unmistakable. "This is the Faeast Air Force. We have orders to escort your vessel. Stand by." Above them, fighter jets h
Nox first checked on Cassian. After realizing he was fine and had only collapsed out of exhaustion and loss of life essence, Nox turned to lead a group of men toward the port. The mystical artifact sealing off the island had been retrieved. The isolated island would finally see the light of day once more! Nox had just arrived at the port when he was surrounded by a pack of students. Somehow, they found out their savior was Lord Nox of Faeast. They were all insistent on meeting him. "We just knew Faeast would save us!""Our savior is actually Lord Nox! We will surely study hard to repay Faeast!"They were young and impulsive. In their eyes, Nox was sent to rescue them as Faeast knew they were in danger. Hence, they were overwhelmed with emotions. Nox stared at them with a guilty look in his eyes. He had not even known they were kidnapped. Due to that guilt, he agreed to take a group photo with the students even though he disliked appearing before the public eye. The enti
"Zeller, you'll be brought to justice!"With a twist of his fingers, thousands of swords appeared out of thin air and swung at Zeller.Without any techniques he could use, Zeller had to risk his life to block and dodge every blow sent his way. However, his body gave up after a few hundred strikes, and his body was torn apart.Shaken to his very core, Zeller tried to make a retreat."Where are you going? Quintuple Lightning, awaken the divine tempest!"As deafening thunder roared through the sky, countless bolts of lightning struck down at Zeller's dark spirit, killing him.One of the best evil cultivators died just like that.His death also sounded the death knell for the Celestial Ordinance's Abode that had been causing chaos in Faeast for centuries.The Marine Corps gazed at Nox with passionate excitement in their eyes.This was their lord, someone who was stronger than Cassian!Nox turned around to find the remaining elites crying in despair. Some of them had already lost