Atlas roared into the heavens, "The nation is still not yet at peace, Quilo! Why did you go and get yourself killed?" He resented Quilo for still coming out triumphant in the final fight of their lives. He resented the fact that Faeast could not house two Sovereigns at once.Nox could've been the warrior, while Quilo could be the guardian. They'd be the perfect duo. That was why Atlas could die in peace. However, with the guardian of Faeast dead, Atlas must live. He had his people to look after. As long as he lived, he would have to face the harsh criticism of the people and history.Heroes might be short-lived, but they always left a great legacy. Rulers of empires, however, usually left nothing but infamy. Then, Atlas' resentment was replaced by sorrow. Quilo was part of his family. He was Atlas' nephew, and yet this was the way he went out.When Atlas came out of the tent, the Nox Army nearly demanded that he give them the command to attack Mount Martial."Bad news. The soldiers
"My people have lived through tough times, and they still persevere until now. No civilization has people as resilient as Faeast. I will come back in four days, and I will bring His Majesty's remains with me."Nox was adamant, and Sealmaster could do nothing about it now. He sighed. "I wish you luck, Nox. Then I must return to Magic Mountain and prepare for your return. I pray for your victory." Sealmaster bade goodbye and left for Magic Mountain with his comrades.By Nox's orders, Atlas led the Nox Army into the southwest nations and destroyed all their military equipment, then they were to attack the capitals of those nations. Atlas demanded immediate surrender from the rulers of the nations, and Douglas had to travel overseas once more to sign a ceasefire.The ceasefire needed time to be finalized. At the same time, Nox used the Yin Dragon's Vein and turned the natural energy Goldenwheel gathered on the mountain into life essence. He then injected that life essence into Vermilion
Nox argued, "They're not that stupid. They only agreed to our terms because they were also fighting among themselves. While I've grown, they must've done the same as well. Do you know why they did nothing while I took down all the other sects? To an extent, I was helping them."Vermilion Bird's intel says it clearly: they're the ones hiding in the shadows. The alliance is a lot crueler than we are. They must've destroyed the House of Enlightenment now. I only relented because the alliance's power wasn't centralized enough, so they posed no threat to the nation, but with the sects all gone, the alliance's leader is the only one who calls the shots."They can gather all the remaining sects' power in one place. The alliance is no longer a minor threat. That's why I must do this," said Nox.If the alliance was allowed to grow any further, it would be hard to handle. Even without Quilo's death, Nox would still attack the alliance after dealing with the southwest nations. Azure Dragon had
The remnants of the destroyed sects set up this formation to kill Nox. Azure Dragon could see the fear in their eyes. Nox half scared them to death. These people were forced to fight Nox."Wretches. I can take them down easily." Azure Dragon took out his container, and three swords came flying out. A glint of white pierced the formation's aura, and another sliced through the enemies in the formation. Azure Dragon then sent in a third and diced the bodies and what remained of the enemies.Only a few managed to survive the assault. They scurried off, but then slivers of sword energy flew up the mountain and killed them all. It didn't take too much time either."Okay, so all the sects are destroyed this time. Only Magic Mountain and Grand Weaver's Workshop are left. Magic Mountain is one of Faeast's protectors. The Workshop's filled with people who just want to survive. If they stay in hiding, they can live. If they try to take the throne for themselves, I'll destroy them." Bloodlust f
Nox didn't stop Quilo from getting his revenge because he knew Quilo well enough. The guy didn't come here for revenge. He was here to get himself killed.Azure Dragon mused over the story. He knew Nox enough to understand why he came to Mount Martial. "We're not just taking His Majesty's remains, are we? We're also taking the remains of his beloved and bury them in Imperia, is that right?"Nox grunted. "And also to get rid of the Sect Alliance."Then waves of energy exploded from Mount Martial. Nox climbed further up the mountain. "You do not take that attitude with me. Not when you're neither martial artists or cultivators."Roars of bloodlust echoed in the air, and hundreds of silhouettes appeared. All were the alliance's powerhouses."I'll handle them." Azure Dragon attacked with his sword container. His swords tore ahead like comets and killed many of the sect's powerhouses at once. Even now, Azure Dragon was about thirty percent of Nox's power level. With the swords' assista
Jacques couldn't believe Nox actually went to Mount Martial. "What? Did he give any orders? How many soldiers did he bring?" Jacques quickly asked. This was important.The moment Faeast and the Sect Alliance had a falling out, the path of the martial's people would join the fray, no matter the battle's outcome. Once those guys were dragged into this mess, the Mousses' ambition would be fulfilled."He gave no orders. Azure Dragon is his only ally. Imperia's men are preparing for His Majesty's funeral," said the underling."That's impossible. They're taking the alliance all by themselves? Even if they can, they will have to get rid of every single member if they want a perfect victory, or else it'd be a waste of time. He should know that better than anyone." Jacques was curious.The alliance was deeply established in Faeast, and it was impossible to root it all out. Jacques knew the alliance's power. Even if their best warriors were no match for Nox, they could still escape if they w
That was an arrogant proclamation."Shut your mouth, Azure Dragon! This is the Sect Alliance's turf! Watch your attitude!!" The powerhouses were furious. They'd probably take that insult silently if it were Nox, but Azure Dragon was far from that level of power."No, you watch your attitude! This is the land of Faeast, and everything in its land belongs to the people! To the nation! You deviated from the path, and now you're insulting your own bloodline? You've betrayed the nation and your ancestors! No good will come of this! You will suffer! Dragons' Flight!"Azure Dragon activated his Sacred Beast Seal, and the dragon roared. Powerful lightning bolts came raining down and slamming into the formation. The powerhouses quickly tried to fend the bolts off.Electricity crackled. Every time the lightning bolt clashed with the formation, blinding sparks flew. Roaring explosions ripped the air. The powerful impact changed the landscape, and a rainstorm attacked the desert.The formatio
A voice thundered, and a silhouette appeared from the skies. When he landed, the mountain shook. Azure Dragon looked at the man and laughed derisively. "You're their youngest elder, aren't you? What? Their best people died, so they send in the children now?"The man was the youngest elder in the alliance's history and was about thirty years old. He was one of Nox's peers, and the man's name was Swordheart. He called himself the top member of the path of the sword and had once defeated Quentin, but that was more than a decade ago.Swordheart sneered. "I alone can take you. The other elders have better things to do." He wasn't scared of Azure Dragon at all. His sword energy could fend off the dragon avatar."Is that so? You say I'm not fit to be a Great General? Please, you don't get to run your mouth, and I am an Emperor, so you will bow to me!"Swordheart was shocked by the audacity. 'He wants me to bow to him?'"What? You think you can make me bow? You?" Will-of-the-sword roared
"Doesn't matter. I'm going to see their boss anyway, so might as well get the lackeys out of the way." Nox stretched and summoned lightning from the skies to cover himself in Quintuple Lightning. He dashed ahead.He crashed into the formation, and waves of spiritual energy surged. Explosions rattled the air. Nox lashed out with his lightning and cut through the metal puppets. The puppets shattered, leaving only shards and chunks of their bodies behind.Aphrodite sighed. "Shame. If Faeast takes these puppets, we will have nothing to fear." She thought it was a waste to destroy all these puppets."You wish. Only the Ironhands know how to maintain this stuff. None of us are good at contraptions. Well, technically, one family was good at it, but they chose the wrong path and got wiped out. Even if we take all these puppets back, I give it months before they give out. Tops."Also, an army of puppets this big needs a lot of spiritual energy to maintain. We don't have that much in our res
'They say that brilliant minds can predict their future. Whenever death comes near, people will panic, and that's why they act out. Even when death comes for her, she's still complaing about the lord. She must love him a lot,' Kirin thought quietly, but he said nothing.The founder told her to come for a reason. Even if she had to die, she had to be useful.Nox ordered, "Let's go." Just when everyone was going to make their way toward the empress, Hellensky suddenly went mad. He lost his mind and lunged at Nineve. Nox narrowed his eyes, and spiritual energy danced in his hand.Kirin was faster. He froze Hellensky in place, and the guy couldn't move a muscle. Aphrodite said, "It has begun, just like I expected. The empress has these cultivators' souls under control. She keeps them alive so their descendants could come to her domain. Now that the one she wants is here, she has no use for them anymore."Nox used his optical power to look into Hellensky's body. His soul was devoured, a
"As you've said, the empress knew I would come sooner or later. She took Grandpa to lure me into her city. I have no choice but to walk into her trap," said Nox. His plan was to take Cassian and go, but then he found out the empress' plan would harm Faeast, so he needed to kill her too.At the same time, the Ironhands offered their help in the fight against the Three-Eyed Clan. Nox declined, "No. They're too powerful, and you can't be of help. One question, though. If I kill the empress and destroy this domain, can you survive?" he asked the leader.The leader didn't answer. He pointed at his metallic body and looked at his people. "Look at us. Do we look alive to you?"Aphrodite snorted. "You know the answer to your question. You know these people are just soulless husks. Even you can't help them. You try your best not to be heartless, but you're the one who's ditching them in the end."Nox noticed the hidden complaint in that retort. "Are you acting up again?" Nox looked at her a
Voltaic was speechless. "You're getting senile. Did you forget that the Beast Temple also has a leader?"'The leader!' Mufasa froze. He looked at the golden kirin and realized something. The golden lion appeared not because it wanted to fight kirin. On the contrary, it submitted to the golden kirin. Mufasa couldn't believe this. 'What's going on?' he thought."I am the leader of the Beast Temple. How dare a servant like you challenge his master's master? This is a serious transgression!" Kirin's voice echoed across Celestial Domain. For a moment, it felt like Kirin was the true god of the world.Mufasa's mind stopped working, and he went on his knees. He couldn't control his body. "The Beast Temple's leader? Shit, I can't believe I tried to defy him!" His face contorted in rage for himself.The Beast Temple had been nothing but kind to him. Without their protection, the false gods would've killed him. And then, something that shook him to the core happened. Nox ran out of patience,
Kirin, however, felt insulted that the punch's power was this weak. "You did this to yourself, old man." He headbutted the punch and crushed it without any problem at all."What? Who are you?" Mufasa couldn't believe this. Voltaic seemed to be on edge as well.Kirin flew into the air, and golden Saint power flowed from his body. The energy conjured bones and vessels. It was about a thousand feet tall, dwarfing the golden lion. Then, flesh appeared, and a ball of fire covered it up.A golden kirin was born. Even Nox looked surprised, let alone everyone else. "He created a sacred beast. I can control one, but he did devour one. He is kirin itself," Nox said."Kirin?" Aphrodite did not look happy at all. Now she knew she stood no chance since the beginning. If Nox had summoned Kirin earlier, she and her family would be gone by now. He never called upon Kirin because he never thought she was a worthy enemy."Whoa, what kind of sacred beast is that? Feels stronger than the Generals." Q
That powerful energy shocked Voltaic, Mufasa, and Kirin. Mufasa gasped. "So that's the Three-Eyed Empress." Even without facing her, her optical power was creeping him out. If they got into a fight, he'd be no match for her.Kirin glared at him. "Dumbass. We've been trying to keep his identity a secret, but you blabbed it all out. We could've done without that!"Mufasa was confused. Faeast's Sovereigns only came once in a long while, perhaps longer than a millennium. It was something that should be spoken of all the time.Nox said solemnly, "She'd find out anyway, but given her reaction, she must be trying to get something out of me."Mufasa didn't care about the matter at hand. Nox's subordinate insulted him, so he wanted to fight Kirin. He wanted to find out why the guy had the scent of sacred beast inside him. "Less talking, more fighting. If you can beat me, you can say whatever you want. If you can't, you don't get to lecture me anymore, no matter what I say!"Mufasa activate
Voltaic summoned his will-of-the-sword. If his friend were to lose, he would keep Kirin pinned down. Voltaic might be friends with Nox, but that didn't mean he would let Nox's friend do whatever he wanted.Aphrodite shook her head. This was a headache for her. "Cultivators. Arrogant toerags who think they're the heavens' gift to the world. Only power matters. You can be smart, but you'll still have to serve the powerful in the end." She sighed.She refused to serve Nox and tried to control him. Look what that got her into. He saved her life, and now she couldn't even have a say in what she could do with it. Aphrodite knew Mufasa was in for a beating.And she was right. Kirin would not hold back against Mufasa. "What makes you think I should answer you? If you'd become a real sacred beast or control sacred beast essence, I might deign to talk to you, but you're just a servant. You do not get to give me that attitude." Kirin sneered.Mufasa was stunned. 'What? I gave him no attitude
There was a possibility of Mystians working with the Three-Eyed Clan, but how many was anyone's guess. Nox mused for a moment and said telepathically, "I have a job for you, Voltaic. Find out how many dogs have worked with these people. Kill all of them.""Right now? This is the empress' place. She can't stop me if I want to leave, but I can't do much here either." Though Voltaic was arrogant, he was no fool. He knew the empress couldn't keep him here, but he couldn't do much on her turf either."Don't worry about it. I'll make an opening," said Nox."Fine, but be careful. Don't get yourself killed. There are more important things out there. Don't push yourself if you can't take her down. This is her last chance, and she's waited far too long for you. You, however, have more opportunities out there. I bet she's creating something evil. Dark. Don't walk right into her trap," said Voltaic."I know. I'll keep an eye out." Nox nodded.Mufasa said telepathically, "I sensed the aura of
Nox scanned the Ironhands with his divine sense, but he felt no aura and couldn't discern their strength, but he could figure out who their leader was. There was a gigantic model within the Ironhands. He was about thirty feet tall and looked like a titan. He was chief among the Ironhands.The gigantic puppet noticed Nox, and he approached him. The titanic puppet bowed. "I am the leader of the Ironhands. Greetings, Nine-State Lord." He spoke Faeastian. Though it was stiff, everyone got what he meant."He speaks our language?" Nineve was stunned. Aphrodite knew about this a long time ago, but now she was sure the Ironhands' leader knew Cassian.Nox cut to the chase, "Where's Cassian? He's my grandfather.""The Three-Eyed Clan took him a few days ago. We're what's left of the Ironhands. I suspect the empress shepherded us here on purpose. She has her eyes on you," said the leader of the Ironhands."Did she, now? Very well. Tell me something I don't know," said Nox.The leader paused