"Damn the Mousses and their schemes! You're dead, whoever you are!" Vermilion Bird awakened her sacred blood essence, and its aura exploded. Her power rose, and her lifespan started to burn. No matter the battle's outcome, Vermilion Bird would die.To her abject horror, the enemy noticed what she was doing and sealed her sacred beast essence with a single talisman. Jonah felt despair clamping down on him. "He can seal your sacred beast essence. He's with the Beast Temple. I'd say he's not even human but a beast. We're done for. I'll need to start my self-destruct sequence!"Jonah pushed Vermilion Bird ahead to buy him some time. He then activated a spell that would destroy himself, and his aura started to go berserk. He wasn't a man of great bravery. He just knew that there was no way back from the moment he started working for Nox. If Mystia's people were to get him, death would be a luxury. He'd rather destroy himself and take down his enemies on the way out."Milord!" Vermilion
Nox then talked to the duo and found out why they were here. It all started when the Shadow Division found out traces of the Mousses in Mount Prison. When Jonah and Nox's Generals came to check, they noticed Azure Dragon's aura hanging in the air.They sent a message back to Imperia the moment they found Azure Dragon, but Nox was still fighting Nameless. He couldn't be in two places at once, so the trio decided to find out more information.Thanks to the mountain's peculiarity, only three people could venture deeper, so most of the soldiers stayed in the encampment, while the trio went to investigate further."It's weird. We've looked for seven days, but no sign of Azure Dragon at all. Not even a Mousse. We only sensed Azure Dragon's aura after you killed Nameless." Vermilion Bird frowned. She realized she might've fallen into Aphrodite's trap.Nox wasn't surprised. Aphrodite set this whole thing up so she could lead everyone right into it. Once Nox and his Generals were to die, Qu
Jonah did not look happy at all. "Are you stupid? She's not a tactician for nothing. Of course she uses traps and tricks. It's how she wins without a fight. She might be smart, but her body is weak. Even if she has taken in a lot of elixirs, it still doesn't change that fact. A tactician doesn't step into the ring.""Hm?" Vermilion Bird and Nox looked displeased."That's not how a slave speaks to its owner." Nox looked dark.Vermilion Bird realized that as well, and she scolded Jonah. "You kneel when you talk to me!"Jonah was speechless. He did as he was told and said reluctantly, "We should be thinking about the traps she has in store for us. The people she'll have us fight…"He noticed that Aphrodite's speech did not affect Nox at all. It was odd. This woman used to be his beloved, and she stabbed him in the back. She betrayed the nation and the man she claimed to love. Anyone else would be agitated just hearing her voice. 'But he doesn't care?' Jonah wondered."It's just a me
The enemy was a golden liger. Though its fur and skin were golden, black energy was pouring out from its body. It looked at Nox and his subordinates, and there was hatred in its eyes. It looked almost human.Jonah said darkly, "Sentience. That beast has eaten more humans than you can possibly imagine."The liger hated the trio for messing up its fight. Black Tortoise might not have suffered serious injuries, but he has spent too much life essence. A bit more time, and it could've devoured Black Tortoise.Once the liger had the sacred beast essence, it could become something more. A demon. Nox only sneered."You do not have the power, foul beast. Your body cannot contain the strength of the sacred beast essence." He stepped ahead.The liger spewed a gust of demonic wind. The wind was thick with Yin energy. Anyone with less than an iron will would have their minds shaken. Anyone who didn't have enough power would have their mindset broken.That wind was useless against Nox. He step
The beast spoke, and it was Faeastian."Oh, you can talk? So you're already a demon. What, you think absorbing a little Yin energy makes you a tough guy?" Nox sneered.His aura failed to intimidate the beast, but his words stunned the liger, and wariness filled its eyes. It then growled and lunged at Nox. "Die, human!"Nox didn't use any techniques. He fought the beast with nothing but physical strength. Demonic beasts had powerful bodies. Nox had no idea how long this beast had cultivated, but it was invincible. Every single fur on its body could be made into a weapon.The liger tried every trick it knew. Its maw, its teeth, its claws. They could easily rip through metal. The beast even bristled and tried to kill Nox with its fur, but they did nothing at all."You're no human. You're a god of the Beast Temple!" The liger wondered if Nox was really human. He could've taken anyone else down easily. The fact that Nox's body was so powerful meant he was also a demonic beast."And th
However, that plan would never succeed. Nox was an obstacle the liger could never overcome. The confrontation dragged on, and fear grasped the beast tighter. The human it was facing was a terrifying foe. It had a feeling that Nox could kill it anytime he wanted.Nox was invincible. There was no opening to exploit. The longer the confrontation went on, the more fearful the beast was. Finally, it wanted to quit. It roared at Nox and ran off."You think you can run?" Nox swung his hand down, and a wave of powerful aura pinned the liger down on the ground. Nox put more power into his hand, and the pressure on the liger was heavy enough to destroy a five-story building. Even the beast's body couldn't handle this much power.Its bones were creaking and screaming. They would break at this rate.Nox growled, "It's not easy raising a beast like this. You'd better join the fight, or it's done for." His voice traveled everywhere.Right before the liger would be crushed, a wave of black drago
White Tiger might be a human, but he could act like a demon. He was the true demon among people. A moment later, another loud rumble rattled the air, and the liger's scream of agony tore through the air. Jonah felt his hair stand on end. He couldn't imagine the torture the liger was going through."Let's go. There's not just one mastermind we're dealing with. To be honest, I wonder who'd be stupid enough to work for Aphrodite at this point." Nox sneered and went deeper into the jungle.There wasn't any eerie fog here, but the trees were dense, and they couldn't see far ahead. Their divine sense was still restricted. Jonah thought something felt off since he came in."Something's not right. I get the feeling we're being watched, Vermilion Bird. And not just one guy." Jonah inhaled."Call me master. You're my slave now," said Vermilion Bird sharply."Now's not the time!" Jonah was speechless. He thought, 'You're taking that seriously? I'm a temple lord! I'm a leader of gods in the w
Jonah was smart enough to stay close to Nox, but it wouldn't work. The branches crept over to Nox's side, but they ignored Vermilion Bird and Nox. Instead, they only went for Jonah. Jonah was stunned."What? Why only me? This is unfair!" Jonah dodged and dived and leaped away, but his skills weren't good enough, and the branches wrapped him up like an onigiri a while later."See? This is why you should do good," Vermilion Bird said. She was delighted to see Jonah trapped in the branches."Alright, that's enough. He might be an idiot, but he has his use." Nox shook his head and summoned some wood energy. The energy swam into the branches and dipped into Jonah's body. The branches suddenly let him go, as if they'd gotten an order.Jonah had only just been trapped for a while, but his flesh was already torn in many places. To make things worse, his head was glowing green, and Vermilion Bird mocked him."What is this, milord? Some kind of spell?" Jonah mused, and an idea hit him. He w
The destructive power unleashed by the Four Great Generals charged toward Goldenwheel. Jonah was still trapped in the formation, and he might be collateral damage if he couldn't get out of the way. There was no hiding from this spell.Black Flood could go in and out of the formation however he wanted. He noticed Jonah trying to find a way out, and he sneered. "You made the wrong choice, Jonah. You shouldn't have submitted to Greenshade. Now, you're doomed." He laughed out loud.A wave of white-hot Immortal energy pierced the formation and burned Black Flood up. Though weakened by the formation, Black Flood still ran around screaming in pain."Dragon's Vein, now. I'll keep you safe," Nox said telepathically.Jonah shed tears of joy and went into the Dragon's Vein. Not a moment too soon, either. The sacred beasts' attack swept through the battlefield. Jonah noticed the Dragon's Vein creating a wave of white Immortal energy to block the attack.He knew this defensive technique took a
The swords forced Goldenwheel to burn five hundred years of his lifespan, but eventually he managed to fend them off. He spewed blood, but he failed to destroy the swords and injure Azure Dragon.The swords were made of the same material that was used to create the Nine-State Crucible. Goldenwheel did not have the power to break something like that. Azure Dragon cultivated the path of humanity, so there was no backlash from his spells. Even so, Azure Dragon didn't let his guard down.Not many could fend off thirteen swords, but Goldenwheel did it. Azure Dragon was already a Pinnacle Legend Realm, but he couldn't take Goldenwheel down."Anything else, Azure Dragon? I know you haven't used your final technique yet. What's it called? Heavenly Mandate, yes. Use that, and you either die or get seriously wounded." Goldenwheel looked at Azure Dragon darkly. He was ready to take Azure Dragon's final attack.Azure Dragon was going to do it and at least have Goldenwheel burn more of his life
"I see." Jonah nodded. He understood what they were talking about, but why'd they call him ignorant? Were they looking down on him?With the swords in hand, Azure Dragon's aura changed. A layer of gold covered his soul."Shit." Goldenwheel's heart sank. Taking down Azure Dragon might cost him dearly now."Die, Goldenwheel!" Azure Dragon brushed his fingers against the sword container, and the first sword appeared. "Kill him, first sword!"The sword shot off at Goldenwheel like a golden comet. Goldenwheel easily blocked it, but he'd felt this item's power before. Even if he managed to block the first sword, he didn't look happy."Second sword, kill him!" Another sword appeared. Goldenwheel couldn't stop it with his body alone this time, so he had to use his power. Then, the third, fourth, and fifth sword attacked at the same time.Goldenwheel failed to react in time, and the swords injured him. One of his arms was sliced off. "Dammit, break already!" Goldenwheel summoned his power
Goldenwheel was confident about taking down Azure Dragon. Azure Dragon's level was lower than Nox, and his goal was to kill him. Killing someone was easier than controlling their soul."You think you can kill me? Fourteen Styles of the Faeast Lord! I summon thee, sword!" Though suppressed, Azure Dragon used his essence as guidance and summoned his artefact from dozens of miles away. The artefact tore through the skies like a black comet and pierced the formation before stopping in front of Azure Dragon.Goldenwheel saw the item, and he froze. Obviously, this thing posed a great threat toward him. "That thing isn't broken yet? What are the Mousses doing? I thought they sealed it up forever!" said Goldenwheel angrily.Everything was going wrong thanks to the Mousses. If they did their intel job perfectly, he wouldn't have been in this mess."Fourteen Swords of the Faeast Lord." The other Generals looked at the item with worship in their eyes. Even Jonah's eyes went wide."So the leg
"If I lose, all I lose is my life. I'll rip that ghoul apart, milord." He wasn't sure if he could succeed, but beating up Goldenwheel would be cathartic for him. Azure Dragon's true soul left the mountain.The fact that Azure Dragon called the enemy a ghoul made Nox smile. They were friends, alright. They had the same opinion about the same guy.When Goldenwheel saw Azure Dragon's true soul coming out of the mountain, he lost his cool. He, the Mousses, and some Mystian powerhouses set up a trap for Azure Dragon. Azure Dragon wasn't even a Supreme back then, and even then he could kill a few Mystian powerhouses.Goldenwheel paid a steep price to control his soul. Though it was a hard task, they had all the advantage, and their power was greater than Azure Dragon's. Even so, they still paid a steep price.Black Flood was around during the capture of Azure Dragon, but he hadn't achieved dragonhood. He was still a winged centipede. He could still remember how Azure Dragon fought back.
The Masters leaped into the fray. Two were Pinnacle Legend Realms, while the other was an Emperor, and they easily destroyed the strongest enemy units. Not even the enemy cultivators could fend them off, let alone the regular soldiers.Any technique the Masters used could kill a thousand soldiers at once. With a hundred thousand units fighting by their side, this battle's outcome was obvious. Atlas charged all the way into the southwest nation's encampment and fought three nation leaders himself.At the same time, new development was happening on Mount Prison. As Sealmaster suspected, Goldenwheel's sudden surge in power was a counterattack made in desperation. His spell, however, was stopped by Nox's elephant. Nine merged into one. In the Dragon's Vein underground, Nox turned into a dragon, and the power of Yang energy filled up the Yin Dragon's Vein.These energies were supposed to be at odds, yet they merged as one. Goldenwheel knew this was not good, and he quickly attacked."Az
"The sword of Faeast slays evil and demons! You are now facing the elites of Faeast, so surrender! That is the only way to survive, or we shall slay you where you stand!" Sealmater's voice boomed.The voice alone was terrifying. The southwest nations were all sacred. Even their strongest were sweating and shivering from fear. Just when they were thinking about what they should do, a wave of violent energy shot out of Mount Prison and traveled into the skies, covering the sun itself. The ground was enveloped in shadows.Thirteen suns appeared and covered the stars overhead and shone bright red. The southwest nations' troops had their morale boosted. "Goldenwheel's avatar! You're done for, Faeast scum!"Under their kings' orders, the enemies lunged at the soldiers of Faeast like mad dogs. Atlas didn't care what avatar was there. Faeast was the face of true justice. He charged into enemy ranks all by himself, and none of his soldiers backed off. They followed through.The two hundred
"I am part of the Limerent family! I am the Defender Lord of the North! I will not fall for this lie, scum!" Atlas didn't get a reply, so he injected his power into his voice and shouted, "I have seen through your spell, scum!"Winds started to blow. Atlas unsheathed his weapon and got ready for battle. The silhouette was already in his tent. He charged at the silhouette and swung his saber, but the silhouette held it with two fingers and stopped Atlas' attack.The fingers' strength was enormous, and Atlas couldn't even pull back his saber. He started sweating. "The southwest nations have someone this powerful?""Kill him!" The Nox Army was ready to attack. Just when Atlas thought he would face a tough enemy, he noticed who the man was, and he looked stunned. Annoyed, he snapped, "Why'd you talk to me out of nowhere?"The man was none other than Sealmaster. He was also an Emperor. Speechless, Sealmaster said, "I knew you wouldn't believe me, so I came. Explanations are in order. No
'He let Azure Dragon go back just like that?' Jonah thought. He was a little speechless."I don't know. I don't know much about Azure Dragon's sacred beast essence. Everything is on Lord Nox now, not us. We don't know what he's trying to do, so stay out of it. He did tell us many times that he will need you guys for something big. Otherwise, why bring us into this? We can't be of any help. We'd just die."Jonah's explanation calmed the duo down. All they could do was trust their lord. At the same time, Azure Dragon was back in the formation. The Dragon's Vein was eerie, as if this place was overrun with ghosts. The first thing he did was activate his sacred beast essence as per Goldenwheel's orders.Slivers of Azure Dragon energy came flowing out of his body. Just when they were about to connect with the formation, a voice spoke to him, and he shuddered. "Azure Dragon, why do you work for the wicked and harm the land you swore to protect?"That message made Azure Dragon freeze, and