The Masters didn't react as much. They knew the emperor was already in the Emperor Realm, so the four hundred steps were easy for him. Even five hundred wouldn't be hard. As they expected, Quilo kept going on until he hit the five-hundredth step."Anyone who manages that can be an Emperor. Even among us Masters, only the Sealmaster managed that. He's the only one among Magic Mountain's cultivators to make it to the five hundredth step," a Master commented.White Tiger's eyes shone with interest. "So, you mean that guy is an Emperor as well?"The Masters laughed. "We don't call them Emperors. They're half-Immortals."Harley added, "That's an Emperor. Magic Mountain's Emperor is powerful. He snuck into Mystia to find some divine herbs. Ice Temple Lord and Frostmir ran into him and nearly died in an altercation with him. "In the end, they had to ask for the Assad gods' help just to escape him."Whoa." White Tiger's eyes went wide. "He's that strong?"The oldest Master was amused b
The Masters said Quilo could make it to six hundred steps if he had just let go of his obsession. Sealmaster sighed. "But if he does do that… Well, he wouldn't be the emperor. It's precisely because of his obsession that he remains the emperor."The other Masters nodded. This was his destiny. If Quilo did let go of his obsession, he might not even make it to five hundred steps. Quilo looked at the rest of the stairs and smiled bitterly. "I guess this is where I stop."He looked at Nox. He wondered if the man he saw as his son and friend could go further. Quilo said, "Take the trial, Nox. Let's see how far you can go. At least get on my level."Nox shook his head. He wasn't going to take the trial, but he would do it since Quilo wanted him to. "Very well." Nox took the first step, and he did not stop. The Sword Sect was shocked by this event.All the swordsmen, even the errand boys, gathered at the mountaintop to see Nox. Even a pair of eyes were watching from the overcast skies. Th
These trials posed no problem for this man. If the swordsmen were to fight him, his power would feel immeasurable. They had no idea how powerful he was. The higher he climbed up the stairs, the more pressure he gave to the people on top.Before they knew it, Nox was already at the 400th step. It was far from everyone's expectations. Nox, after all, was another Sovereign. When he reached the 500th step, everyone started holding their breath. Their eyes were on Nox.Nox kept going on. 501, 520. 550. 599…"599! Getting to the next hundred steps is always the hardest part." The Masters' pupils contracted. They wondered if Nox could survive the trial. Nox slowed down and looked at the mountain's base. It was as if he was looking at his own empire. He saw the whole of Faeast.At the same time, Nox saw the bodies buried under the earth, and sorrow filled his heart. The sect leader noticed that change in emotions, so he appeared right beside Nox. "Look at this land, Nox. The Dragon's Veins
That kind of philosophy was too deep for even Quilo to understand. Sealmaster said, "Simply speaking, Nox controls the power of providence, so the heavens give him glory."Quilo understood that a little. "So, you're saying he's the chosen one?""You can say so. It is time for Faeast to choose its future. They will make their own choice and leave the rest in fate's hand. It's what we've always done. Do what we can and pray for the best."Nox is blessed with bliss in his life, but it's not easy to get it. He can only get it if he can carry the weight of the glory," Sealmaster said.Nox was already at the 630th step, and he wasn't stopping. Every step he took, the aura of providence radiated from him. The stairs could no longer stop him. The world itself was the ground Nox stepped on.Then, he was at the 700th step. Even in Magic Mountain's heyday, not many could get that far. If Nox wasn't a lord, that achievement was enough to shake the Sword Sect. If Nox was willing to join them,
That answered everyone's question. The last Saint came from Sword Sect."I've heard stories about your previous leader. They say he's become an Immortal. I thought it was a legend, but turns out it's true. Now he's a Saint?" Quilo sighed.900 steps. Nox had made a legend of himself, but this wasn't the end. 930, 940. He was going faster and faster. He kept breaking record after record, to everyone's astonishment.When he was only a dozen or so steps away from the top of the mountain, Nox slowed down. When he came to the 999th step, he stopped.'Is that his limit?' Everyone wondered and waited with bated breath. They were sure that Nox had met an obstacle. The final step was a difficult ordeal to pass.Nox frowned, and he stopped on the final step for more than ten minutes. When everyone wondered why he didn't want to take the step, he heaved a sigh. "No. I shouldn't take the last step. I give up."Nox leaped down. The moment he did, spiritual energy shot out like a fountain, and
Cultivators like him took the machinations of fate seriously. Nox was a chosen one. He cared about the people. When Nox came to the top, everyone bowed deeply to him, unlike those who came before him. Even the Masters did the same.They were not bowing to a mere man but the ruler of the Nine States. They were bowing to the Sovereign of Faeast and the world."Rise. I came today for one thing: the Demon Prison. It's time to deal with this menace. As long as the demonoids remain, the Mousses will never stop their scheme. The only way to dash their ambition is to kill these demonoids," Nox told the swordsmen solemnly.Nox had come to Magic Mountain to crush the Mousses' ambition. The swordsmen led the way. They went through the mountaintop and made their way to the mountain behind the sect. The moment they arrived, they were met with a dark, foreboding aura.The mountain was more than 1,600 feet tall, and it was chained with 999 chains. These chains were magical. Half of them were conn
"So how do we kill him, milord? His aura feels evil. Can the sacred beast essence keep him down?" White Tiger asked. He couldn't wait to fight."Maybe if all four of you are around, but you only hold the essence. If we want to kill this guy, we need the sacred beasts themselves. I'm not even sure if sacred beasts exist now." Nox shook his head. He then approached the Demon Prison.White Tiger, Quilo, and Harley wanted to go along, but Sealmaster stopped them. "Only he can deal with the demonoid. Our work lies elsewhere. When the battle begins, Your Majesty, we'll need to keep the formation intact, so you'll have to protect us." He bowed to Quilo."Of course. I'll make sure this demon is slain even if it's the last thing I do." Quilo's face was filled with determination, and the air of royalty swirled around him. He would do anything to protect Faeast.Yet, when the demonic energy came raining down on Magic Mountain and stripped all color from the world, Quilo shivered. Especially w
If the demonoid were to break free, even Mystia would have trouble dealing with it. The Demon Prison had stood for five hundred years, which meant the demonoid had been imprisoned for five hundred years."The only advantage we have is the enemy's stagnation. His power never grew once over the last five hundred years, but he must have some new tricks up his sleeve. There's always a path to power for both good and evil. If he breaks the prison and becomes a Saint, he'll be unstoppable."The previous leader might've sealed him, but he knew the Demon Prison would not hold indefinitely, and the demonoid would break free. That's why the previous leader went to the High Heavens to find some artifact to destroy him once and for all."Sealmaster told them the truth. Quilo finally understood why the founder of Magic Mountain disappeared into thin air. "High Heavens? So, the legends are real? There's a bigger world somewhere we can't see?" He was in disbelief."I don't know. Saints are Earthl
'What? Griffin was a sworn brother to Magic Mountain's founder?!'"That's right," confirmed the formation master. "He only told us recently."As the first to learn of this connection, he had shared it with the Saints of the Five Elements, ensuring they wouldn't betray their alliance. Using the promise of ascension as leverage, he managed to secure their cooperation. After all, the Great Saint of Fire had already reached the threshold for ascension.The risks were minimal, and upon ascending to the Transcendent Firmament, the Magic Mountain's founder would surely offer his guidance. For that reason alone, the five mentors had rallied to aid Nox.With such mighty forces gathered, morale on Nox's side soared. Meanwhile, the Whitefield family's spirits plummeted, crashing from the heights of hope to the depths of despair in mere moments. The mental strain caused several of their weaker-willed members to break completely.With dread settling over them, the Whitefields could only place
The Whitefields were getting cocky, but then they realized the powerhouses that came weren't responding. The aura was powerful, but there was no life in it. On closer inspection, they noticed that the leader of the group only had half a body left. His soul was missing. The quartet behind him was nothing but a pile of mincemeat.The portal buzzed again, and seven silhouettes came out. Five of them felt domineering, and they looked prideful. It almost felt like they were peerless. These people were none other than the Saints of the Five Elements.Four of them were Pinnacle Minor Saints. While one had an aura so strong, this place couldn't handle it."A Great Saint! Great Saint of Fire!" Fiery Ignis, Dominic, and Achille couldn't believe their eyes.It had been too long since Mystia saw a Great Saint, and he was Nox's mentor."So, he's the one who broke through first. But now he's already hit his bottleneck. The other four's power isn't enough. If the Sacred Beast Seal isn't upgraded
The Montgomerys and the Byrds decided to see Nox together, but they were refused. They were cursing Nox and calling him disrespectful, but then they saw Nox and his team taking a portal to the path of the ancient divine."What? He went right to them? Why? He's going to fight the Celestial Lord now?" The representatives were shocked.'How dare they!' they thought.Nox and his team went through the portal quickly and appeared right over the Whitefields' place. The Whitefield family was the newest member of the divine four and the real mastermind behind the Inkdarks' demise."Kirin, I told you I'd take you back here someday. I told you that when we come back, the Whitefields will be no more. If you can't do it, I can wipe them out for you." Nox looked at Kirin."Don't look down on me, milord. You don't need to dirty your hands for them. I'll do it!" Kirin summoned his avatar, and with Saint power infused, the avatar turned into a real beast. The sacred beast itself descended upon the
"Time to finish this. My lord's going to the path of the ancient divine next. You should decide who's going to take over after the Celestial Lord is taken down. That's all. Now let's talk about our personal business. Listen up, anyone who had a part in attacking my family, tell your clans that I'm coming for them. I'm killing all of you!"Bloodlust filled the air, and the representatives were shocked. "You killed your own family. Yes, we made them attack you, but we never wanted to wipe it out!" the Whitefields' representative said.Kirin flew into a rage. "How low can you go? You forced them to kill me, or you would wipe us out instead! You think I'm stupid? You'd have killed my family either way! I know how you guys function. You're crueler than any beast out there. Listen up, there's still time to plan for your funeral. You'd better make a good plan."Kirin chased everyone away. The families were going back to prepare for battle, but two remained behind. One was the Byrds' repres
Nox's Magick Sword crushed the enemy leader's soul. "I said I would cut you down, and I did. Now do you see who's the ignorant one?"The enemy leader realized that Nox was the man at the pinnacle. Perhaps the moment Nox became a faux Saint, he was already no match for him. "So what if you can kill me? You are Faeast's Sovereign, and you have a duty to push Faeast to power. But the Celestial Lord still exists. As long as he is around, your wish will never be fulfilled." He sneered."Is that so? Well, he's next on the list to be culled. If anyone tries to make an enemy out of me, I will destroy them and their families, even if they are from the path of the ancient divine!"Nox shattered the remains of the soul, and the path of the martial's leader was no more. The problem harassing Faeast for millennia could be solved at long last. Achille was stunned. It hadn't been that long, but Nox had surpassed him.Nox was better than him in every way. He was an even better swordsman than Achil
The enemy leader was waiting. One technique broken wasn't enough to take Nox out. He wanted to wait until Nox had cast all he knew and find an opening to take him down, but Nox wanted to take him down with the power of the sword."You're stubborn. Very well, this makes things easier for me. I'll kill you, or at the very least, wound you!" He'd be stupid not to take advantage of this. The enemy leader's avatar morphed into a gigantic fist and slammed into Nox's chest.The impact shot through his body and reached his soul. Nox spat blood, and his soul was injured.Achille couldn't stand by anymore. Nox just told him not to push himself, but he wasn't taking his own advice. Then, Nox's weak will-of-the-sword shone blindingly, and then Unto the Origin appeared once more."Even under my pressure, you can use this technique? You're strong, but you're as stubborn as your mentor. You've lost your chance! Die! You'll never get here in time, Achille! Shadowkill!"The enemy leader's avatar t
"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