"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
Nox told Black Tortoise about how Aphrodite has sent her men to escort the Greenshades back to Imperia. Black Tortoise had just taken out Poseidon's troops on Eropa's coast. His wounds were all thanks to Poseidon. After killing him, Black Tortoise went back to Faeast and traveled to Seacoast as fast as he could.And now he was facing these suicide squad members. Aphrodite's most loyal men were her bodyguards, and they were all ex-Nox Army people. Nox ordered them to remain perfectly loyal to Aphrodite and carry out all her orders.Back then, he and Aphrodite were the perfect match, but then she betrayed him, much to everyone's shock. Even after she betrayed the country, these people still thought she did it on purpose, so they followed her lead. And then they realized that Aphrodite had betrayed the nation for real.The bodyguards couldn't turn back anymore. The only thing they could do was follow Nox's orders. After the incident of Nox's apparent death and Aphrodite's own exile, th
"Though you have committed the crime of treason, as long as you safely escort your charge and make enough noise, Faeast will not punish you. They need to make sure their image is upheld, after all," said Black Tortoise. That was why he was annoyed. Aphrodite no longer had the advantage, yet she still pulled one last gambit."What about the mistress, General? She said she has a plan. She no longer needs our protection, so does that mean…" The leader realized something. Their mistress was going to die, so she didn't need them anymore."She finally did one thing right, and it was right before her death. Pity it's too late for regrets." Black Tortoise snorted. He had no idea that Nox was risking his life to save Aphrodite. He thought Nox was going to kill the witch.And now the other suicide squad members realized that their mistress was dying. She sent them back home and set up one final play so they could survive. The members cried for their mistress, and the leader bawled. He pulled
Daniel's body was filled with ice energy, and it couldn't be released. The energy was buried deep in his body. Divine sense couldn't even see it. Daniel wasn't the only one. The other Greenshades were suffering the same symptoms as well.The squad leader answered, "We do not know, General. The mistress didn't tell us anything about this." The other members teared up, and they bowed to the furious Black Tortoise.Daniel stirred and chided, "Black Tortoise, you are a Great General and the calmest among the quartet. Even if we and your lord are dead, you must remain calm, do you hear me? This is nothing!""But Mr. Greenshade…""You do not know Aphrodite at all. She wishes to be a legendary tactician and a modern legend. Even if she is evil, she knows there's a line she shouldn't cross!" said Daniel. He then explained the truth to Black tortoise.Aphrodite captured the Greenshades, so Daniel gave up his resistance. Though he was already a Supreme, Aphrodite could still get him killed
The Four Great Generals were Nox's brothers, so they were also like family to the Greenshades."You could've been less blunt about it. Even if he doesn't have long to live, Nox can give him enough elixirs to prolong his life by a few decades," said Claude."Besides, the elixirs we took had sacred beast essence in them. You guys have the Yang sacred beast essence. Your blood can dispel the elixir's power and prolong our lives a little," added Winston."Sorry," said Black Tortoise, and he was about to kneel."Hold it right there. It wasn't meant to be an admonishment. You're a Great General and Faeast's guardian. You are the hope of the current generation. I will not allow you to kneel to anyone, not even me." Daniel was really mad this time. He thought, 'He's a Great General. At least have some dignity.'Black Tortoise was confused. 'What do they want me to do?'"None can stop Faeast's rise to power. Even Aphrodite knows that, so you must as well. She has repaid her family for rai
Black Tortoise was in a hurry to take the Greenshades back to Imperia, while Daniel thought, 'He's still not perceptive enough. He still doesn't understand why I pleaded for the soldiers.' Sparing these soldiers meant sparing Aphrodite.Daniel knew his son all too well. He was Nox's father, after all. Nox was a loyal man, to his country, to his lover, to his friends, to his family. Nox would save Aphrodite the moment he met her. He couldn't let her die, after all.They were about to leave, but then two balls of powerful auras appeared in Black Tortoise's divine sense. "Someone's here!" The Greenshades noticed the commotion. They wondered if it was an ambush.A feral human came crashing into the cruise ship and tore through the deck until he landed in front of the group. Then, a crimson bird flew all the way down. They were Vermilion Bird and White Tiger."Hello, Daniel!" White Tiger grinned and gave Daniel a bear hug. Decorum was not his strength."White Tiger, that's the lord's f
"Dammit, he's too powerful! That's not what my intel told me. At this rate, I'll lose this fight, and I might die! Dammit, I wouldn't mind it if I died fighting Greenshade, but I don't want to die for nothing!" Tremeus hissed. Voltaic's power was vastly different from what Mystia's men told him.Even when he was already burning his soul, Voltaic was easily beating him up. If he was fighting Voltaic under normal circumstances, he would be taken out immediately."To Origin, Sanctity!" Ascended Immortal couldn't hold on any longer, so Nox raised his energy level to pure Immortal energy. Nox was now at Saint-level of strength."What?" Tremeus couldn't believe it. Nox was just a Pinnacle Great Ascension Realm, but now he had the power of a Saint. 'What kind of monster is he?' Tremeus thought. There was no one like him in the history of Faeast.The leader of the path of the martial was surprised. "He's too powerful. Dammit, if it weren't for the taboo, I wouldn't have let him live! This
"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