Two cultivators were fighting in mid-air, while the other Ice Temple cultivators made an invisible barrier to keep them in, or the council hall would be destroyed from the impact of the fight.The battle was awe-inspiring, and Dickson became smug. So what if his enemy was a leader of gods? Perhaps he was no match for one, but the Assad gods could easily destroy him if a slave could fight him for a prolonged period.Ice Temple's Lord realized that Dickson couldn't feel pain as the essence had nearly devoured his spirit. He was nothing if not feral, and he did not fear death at all. A brilliant idea appeared in his mind. He could create an army of fearless gods if he could get his hands on this technique.Nox said telepathically, "How much longer are you going to take? He's just a useless tribute. Do you honestly want to keep this up until he burns himself away?"Ice Temple's Lord's pupils contracted, and he looked at Nox. Nox looked up from his book. The Ice Temple Lord thought th
Ice Temple's Lord didn't even look at Dickson. The man was so crushed that there wasn't even a hint of arrogance left in his soul. The Ice Temple's Lord's technique locked his spirit. So, it was not severely weakened. Thus, He would die very soon, even without the Ice Temple's Lord attacking him."Please, leader of gods. You are the only true god. I swear my undying loyalty to you. Spare me, please!" Dickson begged for his life.Dickson finally met his match. The arrogant would-be king couldn't even do anything against the Ice Temple's Lord."Oh, I can save you, but what makes you think you're worth it? You're lower than scum, and you think you have the right to ask for my favor? Repent and pray, then I might make it quick for you. Refuse, and only unending hell awaits."That threat scared Dickson. He cried and begged for mercy. He cursed his own soul and put his faith in a god stronger than his master."And you think you deserve the gift of life, maggot? Open your eyes, mortals
Now they had one, and it was Elizabeth. Her speech awakened the bravery and courage lying within the people of Brundela. An overwhelming majority of the council members stood up and chanted, "Long live the queen! Long live Brundela!""Good." Nox noticed something. The fate of Brundela stopped its downward shift and was stabilizing."The Mortal World and mortals. The Realm of the Gods has been here for millennia, and still, I can't figure out how mortals work." The Ice Temple Lord was confused. These mortals were prone to deception and scams. They were weak and frail. Yet, they had the potential to unleash strength that could shock even the gods."It's solidarity. You guys wouldn't get it. You call yourselves gods and lock yourselves up in the Realm of the Gods. You try to enslave the world despite being so out of touch with it."Do you know why I call you false gods? True gods are omnipotent. Their word is law. They can change the rules that govern this world just by saying it, b
'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
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
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
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
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,
"He couldn't even kill Nameless, and he only became an Ascendant through the Heavenly Dao's blessing. However, I can already summon the High Heavens' spiritual energy! How will you cut me down now?" With the spiritual energy he summoned, the enemy leader stirred the clouds, and Nox's will-of-the-sword was getting haywire.Nox scoffed. "The Heavenly Dao's blessing? You think he managed that because of a blessing? And you call yourself the leader of the path of the martial. You know nothing.""And why do you say so?" the enemy leader asked solemnly.Nox took a deep breath and stared at the enemy leader. "The heavens gave me glory, and not even I would say I am blessed by the Heavenly Dao. The founder ascended to save Faeast's people. He wanted someone from the High Heavens to kill Nameless. Answer me this: if you don't have enough power, would you challenge the Heavenly Dao for your faction?"Nox challenged, "If you fail an ascension, you will be destroyed, and that includes your sou
"So, your student's here. If he was one moment later, you'd be dead," the black-robed man said, sneering.Achille did not look happy at all. He looked at Nox with chastise in his eyes. Nox was worried about him. If he didn't show up, Achille would die."This is no sparring session, master. This is about the people of the world. If you want to spar with someone, Dominic and Voltaic are your real rivals. If you want to fight them after this, I won't stop you," said Nox.That managed to calm Achille down. He felt ashamed. "Heavens, my mindset was a mess just now. I thought I could face death calmly, but…""Every living being will try their best to survive, you told me that. We only sacrifice ourselves if the outcome is worth it. Now that I'm here, sacrificing yourself is just being stupid," said Nox.Achille sighed, but he was glad that his student could be so understanding about so many things. It was his honor. "Very well, then we shall kill this leader. You're right. This is no sp
Black Tortoise was stunned. 'So, they're serious?'He stared at the enemies and asked coldly, "Is this offer serious? You'd better not be lying to me.""You think we'd lie? We could trample you easily if we wanted to, but your damn lord is on his way back here!" The captains wanted to surrender immediately, or they might actually die.Black Tortoise was a little hesitant. If Nox was on his way back, he'd never give these people a chance to surrender. That could only mean one thing. The battle was inconclusive, but Aphrodite's plan worked. At least the powerhouses were taken down.The ten powerhouses were the path of the martial's true pillars. The enemies were surrendering without any one of them here, however. That could only mean that something had happened to them."Very well, I accept your terms and offer to surrender. But you'll have to tear down your defenses while the sacred beasts set up a formation," said Black Tortoise.The captains hesitated, but the powerhouses urged
The five powerhouses were persuading and threatening the captain to surrender, but if they did, how would they handle the faction leader's wrath? Left with no choice, they had to tell the captains that the faction leader was dead, and Nox killed him. They had to ask for Aphrodite's help to keep the faction safe."We're surrendering to protect our faction. We need to live if we want revenge. Dying now will mean nothing. Nox will return to Faeast soon, and he will join the fray before you know it. Not even the faction leader is a match for him. You can never even touch him no matter what you do."The captains finally accepted the orders. They would feign a surrender and save whatever power they had left. Jacques was furious."You're surrendering? This is a scam! What if the faction leader isn't dead? What would you do? You'd be traitors! Don't fall for her tricks!"If Nox was really that powerful, the guy who would be commanding their forces here would be Kirin. They were asking the
"Make your choice, or once the battle starts, this opportunity won't come again," Aphrodite urged. They were hesitating, and she gave them an ultimatum. She counted down from three."Three, two, one…"The five stopped hesitating. They'd come in contact with Aphrodite before. She was not the kind of woman who would accept any pleas after she took back her offer. They presented their souls and signed a contract with Aphrodite.Aphrodite smiled evilly. 'They think they can get a new body just because they changed sides? It's not that easy.'Nox had the power to recreate bodies, but the price was dear. When he did it for her last time, it set up a blockade for him on his path to power, or he would've been more than just a One-ring Minor Saint.The five noticed something wrong once the contract was signed, but it was too late for regrets. Aphrodite said coldly, "I want you to tell your faction's men to surrender. Anyone who's preparing to fight or already fighting on the borders, I don
The remaining enemies pulled back their aura and decided to wait and see what would happen. Aphrodite appeared in the formation a while later. Even though she betrayed Nox and killed a lot of Faeast's people, she still gained Nox's trust and took an important position for herself. The enemies did not look happy at all."I have a feeling your family had this all planned out. You played both sides, and no matter who wins, your family benefits," the strongest of the enemy said darkly.Jacques worked for the path of the martial, while Aphrodite returned to Nox. No matter who won the final battle, the Mousses would lose nothing."Whatever you say. You do not have the privilege to play both sides. Nox is on his way to fight your leader. Once the outcome is settled, your choice doesn't matter. Even if your leader wins, even if Nox dies, you can't survive. You have two choices. Self-destruct and end your path of cultivation, or give your soul and atone for your sins like me," said Aphrodite
Dominic was the world's top swordsman. He wouldn't let a young guy like Kirin look down on him. Kirin only laughed. "World's top swordsman? Come on, old man. Don't push yourself. You're the second best now.""You bastard! He only got to me because I was distracted. I'll show you why I'm the best! Come, Heaven's Fountain!" Dominic's sword flew into the air and summoned a heavenly fountain from the skies. The water spilled and turned into a structure a thousand feet tall.Heaven's Fountain was at the heart of this sword domain. Within the domain, Dominic could teleport, and he could go anywhere inside the domain. He was handling all nine enemies easily. They couldn't even stop him, and soon, Dominic's sword was dicing them up."Perfect!" Kirin grinned and dispelled his avatar. He melted into the shadows and cut off the enemies like a blade of darkness. Kirin was a very genuine fighter. He might be obsessed with combat, but he didn't much care about honor or fairness. There was only on
He held up two fingers, and one sword split into ten thousand. He swung his fingers, and the sea of swords sliced through all the escaping enemies. The enemies' leaders were shocked and furious. They couldn't believe Nox was this powerful. They thought Nox was only on par with Kirin, but no. He was stronger.And they hated him for destroying the path of the martial's foundation. They spent so much time and resources raising these elites, but Nox and Kirin killed them all in the blink of an eye. Even if they could escape unscathed, their faction was already chipped away. Not even a thousand years was enough to heal up.Worse, Nox wasn't going to let them escape unscathed. "The God of Murder, the pinnacle of the path of the ancient divine, and the world's strongest swordsman. They're working together. We might not get out of this alive."The enemies knew Nox and his team wouldn't let them escape, and they gave up on retreating. If they did, none of them could escape. They had to work
The voice rumbled the mountains themselves. Kirin, in his sacred beast form, descended upon the path of the sword. He was the size of a hill, and he crashed into Edgegrounds. However, not only did he not destroy the place, but his Saint energy's timely infusion replenished the formation's power.Dos felt energy coursing through his veins, and a wave of incredible will-of-the-sword spread everywhere. It swept through everything in a few miles, and tens of thousands of enemies were culled.No one in Faeast knew Kirin, but Mystia's people knew he was a madman. A killer. A butcher. And he was the God of Murder's follower. If he was here, Nox wasn't far behind.Nox was nearby, and the swordsmen's morale rose at a blistering speed once the news hit them. The path of the martial's people, however, felt their hearts stopping. They lost tens of thousands of elites at once, and their morale had never been lower."Finally. If you had come one moment later, we'd be gone," Dos roared, crawling