Thanks to Penelope eventually joining the family, they started a business. She weaved her way through the world of business and politics to clean up the mess her family left behind. Thanks to her, the Greenshades slowly got richer.Nox never thought Penelope could be a cultivator. The power she revealed was about Eight Gates level. "You sensed me, Grandma? This can't be. But then what is up with this soul technique?" Nox was still confused."Hm, I saw the future, hon. Guess who I saw? Nox. Rainbow-colored lightning fell from the High Heavens when he was born. Geomancy says that's both great fortune and a dark omen. Two extremes in one person. I knew he'd have fate far beyond our understanding, just like how phenomena happen when emperors are born."Perhaps I was in too much of a hurry. Someone like him is born in the glory era of the path of the martial. He might end up as a demonoid that will harm the nation. I sacrificed all my power to pry into the future and see Nox's providence
But not even giving up Nox and his mother could keep the clan safe. Nox stared at Penelope. "If you saw my future, how'd you get out of this? I don't see a way out here."Penelope was a Supreme at most, and she exhausted all her power using the soul technique. Though she was still a Legend Realm, it wouldn't be long until that power was all gone. Penelope alone couldn't solve this problem.Penelope laid out Cassian's tablet and ordered eighteen clansmen to set up thirty-two mystical artefacts in the locations she wanted them to. Then, with her essence as guide, Penelope created some sort of formation. Nox could see that Cassian's tablet was the core of the formation.Nox himself was a master of formations and talismans. When the runes started to shine, Nox realized that this thing was a teleportation formation. This was a secret only Mystians knew about."The path of the ancient divine's spell. I see. She's part of that path, so Penelope's a goddess!" Nox said solemnly. He guessed
There were a dozen Emperors here. Cassian had no chance of winning this. "Not enough. Hermaeus told me he's friends with Grandpa, but he had to keep Nameless in check and couldn't help him. The only ones who came were the Masters. Sealmaster was an Emperor, but even with him in the fray, they couldn't have fended off all these emperors."Nox shook his head. They didn't have enough power. Sealmaster frowned. "I came as fast as I could when Penelope called. Guess I still came a bit too late. I could've taken Nox and his mother with me if I came earlier. We're not scared of the Sect Alliance."Cassian shook his head. "We didn't tell you in case you got dragged into this. Nameless is no easy enemy. If he is released, Faeast will once again be plunged into chaos. It's been riddled with wars for far too long, and the nation's fate is severely weakened. It cannot take another war."Sealmaster snorted. "I know what you're trying to do. Giving in won't help. The Sect Alliance will not let yo
Sealmaster in Nox's era wasn't this powerful. Even Nox would have to take someone who could defeat an Emperor in one blow seriously. The temple lords didn't expect this either. They thought the Ice Temple lord would live longer."He must've used a Forbidden Art. His aura's a lot weaker now. Must have used up all his strength.""Yeah, let's take him down together!"The Mystian Emperors attacked Sealmaster, but Sealmaster bit his tongue. "Don't hold back, Cassian. We alone can't defeat them." He used his essence and cast a Magic Mountain secret art.Another portal appeared in the skies above, and a gigantic mirror manifested. "Greatsky Mirror, the treasure of Magic Mountain." Nox's eyes narrowed. He knew Sealmaster couldn't be so strong. The lightning was all thanks to this mirror.This mirror killed Zeus in the battle of Imperia and destroyed the Olympians. Killing an Ice Temple lord was child's play for it. A silhouette appeared in the mirror and slowly came out of it, then, he de
"She's smart. Now the Mousses are no longer traitors, but the people who took down the enemies. Since they control the military and are a part of the path of the martial, not even the royal family can do anything to her." Nox narrowed his eyes. Even back then, Aphrodite was smart.Griffin's will-of-the-sword lasted until Cassian exhausted his life essence. The founder's avatar stepped into the portal Penelope created and went back to Mystia. Nox had a guess that he was going to use the souls he took hostage to negotiate with the Mystians.After the crisis was over, Cassian returned to Mystia as well. Nox had no idea what happened after that. From what he heard during his time in Mystia, no news about Cassian came out after that."He didn't even get to talk to you, Grandma." Nox looked at Penelope and felt for her. Now he knew how much the dame had sacrificed for the family.Quilo dragged his wounded self and unconscious Nox out of the temple ruins. "Sorry you had to go through this
Nox didn't know that Quilo was the one who took him to Mystia, but now he did. And now he knew that his mentors were good friends with his ancestors. Then Nox woke up.Nineve and Queenie huddled around him. The princess looked at Nox closely. He was sweating and pale as a cadaver. "Did you have a dream? You look terrible. Must've been a nightmare.""Penelope said someone was communicating with you." Queenie wiped the sweat off Nox's forehead with her sleeve."Yes, it was a dream, but it wasn't all a dream. I was in the past and saw the future." Nox nodded and looked at Penelope. The dame was smiling at her grandson. Her silence was the answer for everything."You knew?" Nox asked."Naturally," Penelope answered."I had no idea things were so complicated. Who's trying to tell me all this?" Nox asked."Who do you think wants you to know the truth?" Penelope asked cryptically."It's Grandpa." Nox stood up and looked at the ancestral hall. "When I came back last time, his tablet wa
"Embellishment, but that's not important. Given his adventures, it could make a good novel," Nox said. In modern times, his clan was in its nadir. His grandfather and his brothers were born in times of chaos. Faeast was in disrepair, and its people were suffering. Evil ran rampant across the land.A declining family would have it rough if they wanted to make a name for themselves. Cassian had a rough start. His talent, background, and environment was vastly worse than Nox's, but still he managed to grow into an Emperor. It was a feat, alright.Nox asked, "I have a question, Grand—"Penelope gestured at him to keep quiet. Daniel and the others had arrived. Nox asked telepathically, "You don't want too many people finding out where he is? Because he made too many enemies?"Penelope said nothing, but she smiled."I see." Nox stood up and faced his family. His grudge had disappeared, and he had only affection for them.Daniel and his brothers exchanged a look. They could sense the ch
Daniel flew out of the house. The other Greenshades followed him as well. Queenie and Nineve helped Penelope to the entrance. More than a decade ago, the Greenshades mobilized to fight for their lives. Now, they were going to welcome their hero back home.On the street outside the house, a thousand Forbidden Army soldiers escorted the remains of Nox's mother home. They were all clad in white armor. The royal family members were in red. They were holding a red casket, while Atlas was standing before it, walking toward the Greenshades' abode.The accompanying band was playing a sad yet triumphant tune. Daniel remembered something, and he quickly went back inside to change into a tattered crimson shirt. This was the one he wore during the battle all those years ago. It was the one Nox's mother made for him.Nox's parents never had a wedding, so Daniel wanted to fulfill that wish. Atlas stabbed a banner into the ground and announced, "By the decree of the late emperor, His Majesty Quilo
"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