Nox dispeled the death energy and pulled Aphrodite back from the abyss."Nox!""Don't say anything. Death is easy, but living on isn't. You still owe the nation, and before you clear your debt, you are not allowed to die. Eight Saintly Techniques, Holy Revival!"That was Holy Revival. Once it became a Saintly technique, it could change fate itself. If Nox could handle the backlash, Aphrodite could survive.Dominic had been watching nearby, and he quickly flew into the Dao. "So he's made his move."Nox could save Aphrodite, but she'd run out of her lifespan. Not even he could tether that kind of person to life. It was time for the Master of Swords to make his move. "If you can handle the backlash for her, I'll use my power to prolong her life, Nox!" said Dominic telepathically.Nox glared at him. He knew the old man would save Aphrodite. That was why he came along. Aphrodite couldn't die. It would be a great loss for Faeast."Be careful, Nox. If you fail, you'll die too!" Domini
"Yeah, this one's not as powerful as the ones in his tribulation, but it's no pushover either. Endure it, and she lives. Fail, and both of you die." Dominic looked at Aphrodite. "Look at her. She's smiling."Aphrodite had gotten over herself. She'd have stopped Nox if he hadn't tried to take the backlash, but now that he'd gotten himself into it, it was too late to do anything. When she'd freed herself from her chains, Aphrodite could finally be herself again.This was what she'd been waiting for. No matter the outcome, Nox had fought with her. Another lightning bolt fell out of the skies, and Nox took it head on. Only two bolts had fallen thus far, but Nox was starting to feel his strength fail.It was almost as if there was something watching from behind the vortex. It could feel Nox's strength fail, and it quickly dropped another lightning bolt."Eight Saintly Techniques!" Nox knew his body alone couldn't stop the bolts, so he quickly used his spells. However, that enraged the v
Voltaic arrived at a critical junction. Dominic suspected that he would be the powerhouse arranged for this plan. Voltaic stopped a distance away. He looked confused, and then he shouted telepathically, "Get out here, you bastard! Damn you, Aphrodite! You lured me out so you could attack Faeast? That's my homeland, you witch!"Dominic wasn't expecting this at all. "Wait, so there's someone else?" He was musing over the matter when he sensed another person's aura in the seas. "He's in the sea!" Dominic unsheathed his weapon. At the same time, Voltaic's divine sense noticed the person as well.He leaped into the seas, and then a hundred-yard ravine split open the waters a moment later. Voltaic's sword energy created a vacuum on the surface of the sea. Before him was a warrior in black, holding up the sword energy with his hand."Tremeus Lifenstein, leader of the Sect Alliance. He's a Saint too, but only his soul is intact. His life must be coming to an end, so he couldn't wait any l
That was blasphemy. They were both Saints, and he was more powerful than Voltaic, yet he was insulted. "You bastard! Don't look down on me! I'm the leader of the Sect Alliance! I'll make you pay!"Tremeus had never been insulted before. He was one of the best cultivators in the world, after all. Flames erupted from his soul, and they crashed into Voltaic. Towering waves flew high into the air. The battle between a saintly swordsman and a powerhouse of the path of the martial was underway."Tremeus is putting in his all. If Voltaic hadn't won in his earlier fight, he might be defeated, but he did win, and his understanding of swordsmanship deepened. His aura's never been stronger. He might not be able to defeat Tremeus, but at least he won't fall." Dominic narrowed his eyes.Still, the outcome of this situation depended on Nox. If Nox could come out victorious, then all would be fine. If he couldn't, then not even killing Tremeus could change anything. Nox had cast all Eight Saintly
"I'll mobilize the Shadow Division. We are to take them down," said Keith. They had some Magic Mountain swordsmen nearby. These people demanded to come to Imperia to fight, and now they could be used for this operation.The swordsmen were drinking away at a barbecue shop and complaining about the situation when the news hit them. "The guys who fought in Imperia got a lecture from the founder and got more power from that, but we get nothing at all?"They were a little frustrated, and then through the news, they saw news about the attack on the governor's estate. Just when they were wondering if it might be the work of the Olympians' remnants, Keith's call came."I need you to take out the bastards at the governor's estate. Take no prisoners! If you can save the governor, save him. If you can't, too bad. But if they have taken any civilian hostage, don't act hastily."The swordsmen were excited. "Don't worry about it, kid. Unless they have a Pinnacle Legend Realm with them, they're n
At the same time, the captain of the squad that arrived first on the scene asked his chief, "Chief, the governor's still in there. Should we—"The general shot him with a glare. "Governor? He is no longer a Faeastian governor, and we don't negotiate with foreign enemies. He has a duty to protect his nation and sacrifice for it!"The captain nodded. Faeast's rise to power could not be stopped, especially now. The remnants thought they could threaten Faeast just because they got one hostage. It was a joke. Then, the swordsmen came on their flying swords. The soldiers couldn't believe what they were seeing."I can sense them. They're inside, and they only have one hostage. Probably the governor." The swordsmen came down and greeted the generals. The generals greeted back."We're counting on you."The swordsmen were about to go inside, but then they sensed more aura coming in. "More? No, they're Faeast's cultivators. Finally revealing themselves?" The swordsmen looked around, their w
"Tell them to eat shit, guys! We're taking this for ourselves, and if they pull anything funny, we're taking them out!" one of the swordsmen's leaders shouted, and his comrades agreed."Dammit, the bastards. We're going in as well! We got orders from the Shadow Division. If they attack us, they're traitors!" The sects' cultivators gnashed their teeth. The soldiers were stunned. Their people were fighting among themselves even when the mission hadn't begun.It was ridiculous to fight over who would get the credit. Then, someone inside the governor's estate came out with their hands held high. The swordsmen and cultivators were about to move, but a general said, "Hold it! I'm the commanding officer here! I'll talk to him!"He strode ahead. At the same time, hundreds of guns were trained on the alleged remnant of the Olympians. The general looked at the man and asked solemnly, "You don't look like an Olympian. Are you a Faeast citizen?"The man nodded. The general asked, "The Mousses?
Then, a voice boomed, "If anything happens, I'll handle it!"Everyone looked shocked, and they turned their attention to the newcomer. It was a wounded man, and he was slowly approaching them. The air around him was thick with bloodlust, as if he'd just returned from a bloody battlefield. Everyone bowed to him, and the fanaticism in their eyes was almost palpable. The air was electric.The people captured videos of this scene and posted them online. Some of the sharper guys recognized the newcomer immediately. The generals were bowing to the man, including the one talking to the Mousses' guy. He quickly approached the newcomer.Even the Mousses' guy was looking at the newcomer fervently. Out of habit, he bowed to the incoming man. "General Black Tortoise."The soldiers were stunned. They might not be part of the Nox Army, but they were the military, so they had the right to bow to Black Tortoise. 'But you're just a traitor. You're insulting the Great General!'Black Tortoise seeme
"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
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