"She called you a commoner! A peasant!" Nineve snapped."But is she wrong? I am a commoner." Queenie clicked her tongue. She didn't really care about her background.Nineve felt like crying, and Nox pulled her back. He said coldly, "And why are you here, Aphrodite? Why were you with a Master?"Aphrodite arched an eyebrow and answered slowly, "I can come and go as I please, Lord Nox. Remember, I saved this clan once."Nox's temples throbbed. 'How dare she try to pull another one!'Before he could fly into a rage, Aphrodite added, "If I hadn't escorted a Greenshade back to her home, Cassian couldn't have communicated with you. Though Penelope has lost her powers, she can still cast some spells as long as she has the right tools."Nox's face was twitching. Aphrodite was a sharp woman. Even now she could keep him at bay easily. She did help the family once back when she was younger. No one could compare to her intellect, save for the heavens themselves.She was just like the legenda
'One of us will die? I need to make a choice again? Will I repeat my father's mistake?'Nox stared daggers at Aphrodite. "That is nonsense! Even if that prediction is right, we'll either get out of it together, or we die together! We will not live if the other dies!"Aphrodite paled. "That hurt my heart. Well, you are the Sovereign, and you won't give in to anyone. Even in death, you will be glorious." She smiled sadly.Nox didn't care about Aphrodite's prediction, but Queenie took it seriously. She knew Aphrodite wasn't talking nonsense."Shut it. Did you come with the Master, or did he invite you?" Nox didn't like Aphrodite at all. He didn't want to see her unless it was something important.Aphrodite knew Nox didn't like her, and she couldn't blame anyone. She did it to herself. "I know you don't like me. I would never come uninvited," she said.Nox narrowed his eyes. So that meant the Master called her here. Then, the drunken Master sobered up. Penelope opened her eyes as wel
"I know. They don't want their family broken up, but death is a release for you, Penelope, especially if living itself is painful." The Master sighed. If Nox heard that, he'd curse him, but Penelope thought it made a lot of sense."You have to live for yourself once. Death is another form of life for people my age. I couldn't do anything for myself while I lived. Death is how I will fulfill the promise I made when I was young."…Back outside, Aphrodite sat on the stairs and lit up a cigarette. She went through three before she said, "I presume you know what happened back then."Nox frowned. 'She knows everything.'Nox's reaction was the answer Aphrodite needed. "You overestimate my power. I don't have any spies in Imperia anymore, and no one can keep an eye on you."Nox almost shouted. Aphrodite had no idea he knew about the truth. That was just a ruse so she could observe him and get her answer."The mission is simple. Save Cassian and retrieve a treasure," said Aphrodite."W
'Grandpa went to Celestial Domain.' Nox looked solemn. Nineve and Queenie had never seen him looking so grim before."I see. So that was an SOS. He must've been in trouble last time, but I wasn't powerful enough, so he didn't tell me anything. That communication spell must've taken everything he had," said Nox darkly.Time was not on their side. "I need to go now. I know the place. You're not coming with me, Master. Besides the founder, no one's strong enough for the journey," said Nox."What?" Nineve's jaw dropped. The Masters were all Pinnacle Legend Realms, and Sealmaster was a powerful Emperor. If not even they were powerful enough, that place must be a dangerous one.Nineve made it obvious she didn't want Nox to go. Queenie grabbed Nox's arm tightly. She couldn't dissuade him, but she wanted him to take her along. Aphrodite watched the drama unfold. She wondered what Nox would do."No." Nox frowned."Damn right you are!" the Master interrupted. "I can't tag along, but Nineve
Nox had no choice but to take the ladies along. Queenie was fine with it, but Nineve could be a problem. Nox asked solemnly, "Will you come with me? I can't promise your safety, though.""You think I'm a coward? I don't need your protection! Besides, I can't stop you from saving your grandpa. And if I die out there, I don't have to be the empress anymore. I don't want to work all day like my dad did!" she said angrily, but Nineve wasn't afraid. Her family had no cowards.Atlas's reputation was the worst of them all. He worked with the Mousses at one point, but he never betrayed the country even in its darkest hour."Come back, Aphrodite. I know you're still there!" Nox shouted into the distance. And he was right. Aphrodite came back looking all smug."You've always been efficient, especially when it comes to important stuff. I knew you'd come to a decision soon enough." She smiled."Enough. I don't have time to tell the family, but Grandma probably knows what I'm doing. She'll exp
'What?' The Generals were confused, and White Tiger was a little frustrated."Milord, do you think we won't be of help? If she can come with you, why can't we?" Azure Dragon pointed at the princess. "Azure Dragon and the others might be useless, but I'm not!" He just got on the princess' bad side and annoyed his friends."Can you shut the fuck up?" Azure Dragon smacked White Tiger's head. An angry Nineve kicked him too.'He's looking down on me?'"I don't have much time. Stay back and keep an eye on Faeast. I have my reasons for taking them with me, and I need you guys to do something for me," said Nox.Azure Dragon could guess what that was. "You need us to summon Kirin?"'Kirin?' White Tiger shut up and said nothing more."Yes. I'm not sure if I can come back alive. It's time for him to join us." Nox nodded."I understand." Azure Dragon did as he was told. The other Generals did the same."Shit. That monster's coming out again." White Tiger was nervous. Kirin tormented him a
That kind of power could kill anyone who wasn't a Saint easily. Any faux Saint or half Saint would die the moment they touched it, but Nox absorbed the energy instead. His body started to change colors. His skin turned red, orange, yellow, green, and even more, as if he was poisoned.The energy swirled in Nox's body once and was expelled. Nox's face returned to normal. "Still can't do it. I'm not scared of sacred energy, and I can absorb it, but I can't refine it. I wonder if it's because of my power level. Maybe I can refine it if I become a Saint?" Nox muttered.He had no idea. Even back when he wasn't a Supreme, he could ignore the formation's threat. He still had no answer for that. Nox's astral form flew into the mountain and traveled the passage he and Kirin opened up six years ago. Into the depths he went.He was met with a new world, as if it wasn't explored at all. There was something magical inside the mountain. It teemed with life here, and many different beings roamed th
Nineve was about to poke them, but Aphrodite said, "Don't move. They've projected their astral form.""Astral projection? So why's Nox alright?" Nineve was confused."Not everyone is an Immortal like him. His astral form is already in Mystia." Aphrodite rolled her eyes."Um…" Nineve blinked, and then she realized Aphrodite just scolded her. She was about to yell at Aphrodite, but Queenie told them to look at the sky. The Generals' astral forms merged with their sacred beasts."The Sovereign can create true gods. If the Generals manage to reach the pinnacle or die in battle, as long as they have a sliver of their soul left, they can merge it with their sacred beast. To an extent, they're immortal, but the price to pay is their freedom. The sacred beast will control them, and they don't have their own will," Aphrodite explained.There were a lot of cons, but only Faeast's Sovereign could create gods. Immortality alone was enough to whip the cultivators into a frenzy. Losing their ow
Dominic was the world's top swordsman. He wouldn't let a young guy like Kirin look down on him. Kirin only laughed. "World's top swordsman? Come on, old man. Don't push yourself. You're the second best now.""You bastard! He only got to me because I was distracted. I'll show you why I'm the best! Come, Heaven's Fountain!" Dominic's sword flew into the air and summoned a heavenly fountain from the skies. The water spilled and turned into a structure a thousand feet tall.Heaven's Fountain was at the heart of this sword domain. Within the domain, Dominic could teleport, and he could go anywhere inside the domain. He was handling all nine enemies easily. They couldn't even stop him, and soon, Dominic's sword was dicing them up."Perfect!" Kirin grinned and dispelled his avatar. He melted into the shadows and cut off the enemies like a blade of darkness. Kirin was a very genuine fighter. He might be obsessed with combat, but he didn't much care about honor or fairness. There was only on
He held up two fingers, and one sword split into ten thousand. He swung his fingers, and the sea of swords sliced through all the escaping enemies. The enemies' leaders were shocked and furious. They couldn't believe Nox was this powerful. They thought Nox was only on par with Kirin, but no. He was stronger.And they hated him for destroying the path of the martial's foundation. They spent so much time and resources raising these elites, but Nox and Kirin killed them all in the blink of an eye. Even if they could escape unscathed, their faction was already chipped away. Not even a thousand years was enough to heal up.Worse, Nox wasn't going to let them escape unscathed. "The God of Murder, the pinnacle of the path of the ancient divine, and the world's strongest swordsman. They're working together. We might not get out of this alive."The enemies knew Nox and his team wouldn't let them escape, and they gave up on retreating. If they did, none of them could escape. They had to work
The voice rumbled the mountains themselves. Kirin, in his sacred beast form, descended upon the path of the sword. He was the size of a hill, and he crashed into Edgegrounds. However, not only did he not destroy the place, but his Saint energy's timely infusion replenished the formation's power.Dos felt energy coursing through his veins, and a wave of incredible will-of-the-sword spread everywhere. It swept through everything in a few miles, and tens of thousands of enemies were culled.No one in Faeast knew Kirin, but Mystia's people knew he was a madman. A killer. A butcher. And he was the God of Murder's follower. If he was here, Nox wasn't far behind.Nox was nearby, and the swordsmen's morale rose at a blistering speed once the news hit them. The path of the martial's people, however, felt their hearts stopping. They lost tens of thousands of elites at once, and their morale had never been lower."Finally. If you had come one moment later, we'd be gone," Dos roared, crawling
Kirin happily flew toward the path of the sword's grounds. Fiery Ignis, however, was worried about Nox. "Be careful, boy. The path of the martial didn't send anyone after you. That can only mean one thing: almost all of their forces are attacking the path of the sword. If you go there, they will attack you as well.""Don't worry. I know what I'm doing," said Nox.Fiery Ignis led his temple's cultivators and the Ice Temple guys toward the path of the sword as well. After the group was gone, Nox kept sending messages everywhere. If any of his mentors were coming his way, they would be redirected to the path of the sword.Then, Nox and the ladies went to the path of the sword. At the same time, the path of the sword had set up defensive formations at every entrance, but they had all fallen. The path of the martial's people was in a melee with the swordsmen.The swordsmen were stretched thin, and it was a matter of time before they were annihilated. Some of them were defending the entr
Jonah came closer and told Nox everything. Nox nodded. "Saints of the Five Elements. They responded to my call first."Fiery Ignis said, "And they're very fickle people. You can't trust them.""Don't worry. They like me, and I know exactly what they want. Only I can help them with their path. No one else can. They must be hitting their bottlenecks, so they're in a hurry to help me out. Only when I grow in power can they use the Sacred Beast Seal to devour sacred beast bones and go further."Back then, he taught the five of them the Sacred Beast Seal, and they taught him the secret arts of the five elements. Back then, Nox was not as powerful. They were already at a bottleneck, and the seal's level wasn't up there yet.Nox had become more powerful, and once he taught them the leveled-up version of the seal, they could continue their training."I see. That's a relief." Fiery Ignis felt better. He looked at Jonah. The guy might be craven and servile, but his luck was great.Nox's me
"With the phoenix's bloodline, she can live for ten thousand years, at least. That's more than enough time to become a Great Saint," said Fiery Ignis. Technically speaking, talent didn't matter as long as a cultivator had enough time and resources. Those alone could make anyone a Great Saint.However, reality was often… different. Cultivators would run into a lot of things beyond their control. Even if they didn't, lifespan was a problem. They would usually die of old age if they couldn't get to the next level.With the phoenix bloodline, Queenie didn't have to worry about her lifespan. With Nox's power, he could easily get her a place to train until she became a Great Saint. After Queenie came out, it was Nox's turn.Fiery Ignis couldn't sense his aura. His divine sense didn't even sense his presence at all. "What is this… Oh, right, if the gap between us is too big, divine sense can't sense them. I wonder how powerful he is now."They came back to the surface, and Fiery Ignis ask
Fiery Ignis would not leave anything to chance. If he made the wrong choice, the effects would be disastrous.Jonah had no choice but to wait outside the temple. If the path of the martial assaulted them, the Ice Temple people would be cannon fodder.Days went by. Nox had been in isolation for more than a week. The altar, after a long silence, finally reacted. Fiery Ignis' divine sense had been keeping an eye on it."Finally!" He was excited. After more than a month, Nox was finally coming out.Everyone was waiting with bated breath, and then Nineve came out. Fiery Ignis sensed her power level immediately. She was Pinnacle Legend Realm and nearly a faux Saint. "Not much difference. She was about the same level before going in. Her talent is limited. Though she has a Sovereign bloodline, her own talent is lacking."Fiery Ignis guessed that she'd finished training a while ago and had been waiting for everyone else. As he guessed, Nineve had finished training a while ago. Though the
'He's improving fast.'"Temple Lord, you told me that Mr. Nox has taken the Ice Temple for himself. Do you think they've turned their backs on him?" a cultivator from the Temple of Fire asked."Not sure, but a Three-ring can't impact anything," said Fiery Ignis.Though the Ice Temple had a lot of people, if they thought they could stop Nox, they would be underestimating the Temple of Fire's power.Jonah noticed the fighting spirit rising in Fiery Ignis, and he quickly said telepathically, "We're here to help you. Nox is my lord. I have sworn my loyalty to him. I would never turn my back on him."Fiery Ignis was one of the oldest people in Mystia. He didn't believe Jonah at all. "Give me a reason. Why should I trust you? Who sent you here?" Fiery Ignis asked back telepathically. He refused to let these Ice Temple people go further.The scout could sense something was wrong, and he turned on the Ice Temple guys. Jonah finally told Fiery Ignis who sent him. "Saints of the Five Eleme
Katherine was being docile here because Nox possessed the Nine-State Crucible. Only people from her faction knew how powerful that item was. They only managed to rise to power because the crucible went missing.Nox said nothing more. He infused his Saint power into the altar, and it woke up. The moment it did, a small space opened up, isolated from the world. Through the altar's entrance, everyone saw the ancient energy within. It was huge. Enough for Nox's use.Then, the energy started to leak. Not even Nox could stop that. "This thing is connected to the island. The whole place is radiating energy. Pick up the pace, people," Nox said.Everyone went into the altar's chamber and quickly took in the energy.Fiery Ignis was on the island, taking the Altar back. He sensed the spilling energy, and he knew Nox had begun. "Get ready, people. If Nox breaks through smoothly, we'll fight with the path of the sword. If he fails… be prepared to fight to the death," he said to the survivors te