For real cultivators, this was heaven on earth. "I shall leave Faeast in your hands, Nox. If the Limerents try anything funny, punish them as you see fit. Yes, even my uncle. If anyone turns their back on Faeast, I give you the power to issue a kill order."Quilo was staring at Nox. It was clear what he had in mind. He wanted Nox to be the new ruler—the new emperor. Nox said nothing. He merely nodded with a smile. Nox knew that Quilo trusted him, but Quilo couldn't tell him what to do.Quilo went into cultivation after giving Nox his final orders. Before he left, he said telepathically, "You can use the formation as well, Dad. If anyone tries to break in, use it to kill them."Quilo froze. In Faeast, it was common for sons-in-law to call their father-in-law 'Dad,' but he knew Nox meant something more than that. "Very well. You're now my godson." He laughed and entered strict isolation. He would not leave until he became an Emperor Realm warrior.Nox returned to the underground cham
Vermilion Bird just had a breakthrough and needed time to stabilize her powers. The battle with Bartemius also wounded her badly. So, she had a lot of internal injuries, and Nox saw no need for her to risk herself."I am not just your comrade, milord. I am also a general of Faeast. No Nox Army soldier would retreat in battle. Winterosch is trying to invade us. It is my duty to protect my nation. "This is not just a battle between countries. Two temples are behind this, and this battle needs me," Vermilion Bird insisted.Nox did consider that. Bard alone wasn't enough to deal with this. "Fine, but be careful. We're in no hurry. The battle's still days away. We'll go to Northstate together once you're healed." Nox nodded."Of course." Vermilion Bird was excited that she could fight with Nox again.Jaculus naturally didn't know that Nox would require days to heal Vermilion Bird. "It's been five days, and we still have no news. He can't be taking that long, can he?" Jaculus muttered,
Nineve was exhausted after all the work she'd done a few days ago, but Atlas' grumbling swept her exhaustion away, replacing it with rage. She slammed the table and glared at Atlas, much to his confusion."What's that supposed to mean, great-uncle? We're all working for Lord Nox here. We're his subordinates! This is your job!"Atlas gasped. "You're lecturing me, girl? Not even your father would take that tone with me!" Atlas only respected Nox out of everyone in this army. He was second-in-command. To him, a princess was worth nothing."Goddammit, Atlas, will you see sense? Lord Nox isn't crowned lord because of his generosity! He's not like my father! He made his way up because he slaughtered enough people to make mountains out of corpses!"He only keeps you around because you're useful to him and the nation. The moment he thinks you're a threat to Faeast or a dissenter, you're dead. It won't be Nox who does it, but my father," said Nineve.That made Atlas shiver. He knew Quilo.
Seven days went by in a flash. The battle was at hand. Alas, Nox had not returned. Nineve called him, "Nox isn't here yet. We'll wait for him.""At this point, I have the right to ignore this command. The lord said, we fight in seven days. So, we will go to battle in seven days. I will lead Nox Army to the faceoff. I will handle any and all consequences."Black Tortoise would not allow any arguments, and Nineve was well aware of that. The challenge was issued, and all eyes were on them. If they didn't launch the attack, Faeast's standing in the world would be affected. They had to push forward.All Nineve could do was work with Black Tortoise. The order was issued, and the three states' military moved out.At the same time Black Tortoise was leading his army on the assault, an unexpected guest barged into the secret base Shadow Division set up in Winterosch. She went around all the layers of traps and entered the base without breaking a sweat.Bard only noticed the intruder when s
"You recognized me even through all that?" Vermilion Bird was confused."It is you! Of course, I recognized you! I know that face anywhere!" Bard cried in excitement while the Shadow Division members knelt on one knee.They were happy that Black Tortoise had returned, but Vermilion Bird was one of them. She was their boss and family. The members huddled around her, crying like children who had finally found their mother after losing her for years."You're embarrassing yourselves. Honestly, I can't believe that none of you got any better, and I've been gone for so long! I see that remedial training is the least of your worries!" Compared to her excited subordinates, Vermilion Bird was stern.The members knelt on one knee, including Bard. He even asked for the punishment himself."We'll do that after we're done here. The battle is at hand. Black Tortoise needs our support. Tell me everything you found out, especially about the temples."Vermilion Bird went into the base. Bard and a
Since Aphrodite was out for the count, Jacques decided to take the reins. "The temples must work together. Let's put Nox aside for now. Your current goal is to take down the Nox Army. "The Limerents' providence is no more. Our first order of priority is to take out the new nation's fate."The Mousses will do everything we can to help," Jacque said to the temples' representatives telepathically.Back in Northstate, Black Tortoise led his army out of Vertolt and attacked Winterosch. Atlas and his army, all 500 thousand units, would support them. The army hurtled onward, but they were met with nothing but snow-capped mountains when they came to Winterosch's borders. Not an enemy unit was in sight. Black Tortoise was experienced enough to know a trap was lying in wait. So, he murmured, "Winterosch has the geographical advantage here. If we can take this keep, we can fend off a million soldiers, let alone 100 thousand. It's strange that they have no soldiers stationed here. They're
Unlike Faeast, Winterosch was ruled by its aristocrats. The king of Winterosch was like a leader of a big alliance. He had limited power at his disposal. So, he would have to curry the aristocrats' favors if he wanted to keep a firm grip on his position. That was why Nox said Winterosch was only a great nation in name.This command center was under the command of a Winterosch duke, Lord Berial."Good plan, duke. The Faeastian army thinks we're scared of them because there are no guards on the borders. They will come deeper into our land. If they want to attack the capital, the pass of Endriver Peak will be their doom."Even if they try to attack other cities, our nation has plenty of land, but few people scattered across the board. We've taken all the supplies from the cities on their way. Eventually, their soldiers will fall due to their lack of supplies," all the nobilities praised. Berial was also of the mind that his plan was flawless. This war would be a shoo-in for victory
All the nobilities in the military base were soon decapitated. The guards and advisors were slaughtered as well. A thousand or so corpses filled the land. After their mission was done, Keith led his team to their next assignment.Bear and his team took the transport aircraft and flew to Endriver Pass. Endriver's Pass was an important Winterosch town. It was the buffer between the path outside and the abundant land within. If this town were to fall, Faeast's army could march straight to the capital in two days. Black Tortoise's army was about thirty miles away from Endriver Pass. At their speed, they needed only an hour to get there. A battle was at hand. Yet, the defending forces of Endriver Pass fell into disarray. All three million soldiers were in chaos. Not too long ago, they had lost contact with the command center giving them their orders. To make matters worse, these soldiers came from three dozen different places.The commander in charge of Endriver Pass couldn't possib
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