"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
Even now, Aphrodite had no idea who she really was as a person. The old man would turn into whoever she wanted him to be, so she thought of the founder of Magic Mountain, and the old man morphed into him."Founder, this is a suicide mission. If I would die anyway, why'd you ask Lord Nox to save me? You're taking away my only hope to live. Every creature, no matter how small, always clings to life desperately. I'm the same," said Aphrodite.Unlike the unhinged Aphrodite, the founder was calm and collected. "I see no reason to answer that question, nor am I the founder you speak of. I do not know what went through his mind when he made his decision. I am only the image your heart wants me to be."I represent the side of justice that lies within you, and if this is the first person you thought of, that should give you enough to go on, no?" the old man answered.Aphrodite froze. She then thought of Nox, and the old man turned into the spitting image of Nox himself. Before she could sa
Aphrodite talked to Nox telepathically, telling him to get a move on. Nox looked at her. 'I guess she's finally gotten over herself.' The path of humanity wasn't as complicated. Cultivators of that path would do whatever they thought was right.The Heavenly Dao, however, required the cultivator to have epiphanies about themselves if they wanted to go forward unobstructed. "I changed her path, but now you're telling her to cultivate the Heavenly Dao. What are you trying to do? You guys really love to speak in riddles."The puppets were gone, and Nox made his way toward the city. Hundreds of silhouettes were standing atop the city walls. Their auras were terrifying. Even the weakest was a Pinnacle Legend Realm, and one close to an Emperor too."They must be the cultivators who attacked the empress. They lost because they were imprisoned in this domain and couldn't cultivate, but the empress could, even though the energy in this place is scarce. Even an idiot could be a Saint after cul
Voltaic and Mufasa landed on the island. Unlike the city, this place's spiritual energy was haywire. Some came from the outside world, some came from Mystia, but most of it came from Celestial Domain."Interesting. Energy from three different places gathered here. You can live longer if you cultivate here, and the empress can't affect you." Voltaic took a deep breath.Mufasa sensed the aura of some powerful mystical artefacts. There could be sacred artefacts lying around too. "The Mystian energy must come from the artefacts. Heavens know how long they've been here, these people. They must be really powerful." He was solemn. The guy wanted the artefacts for himself. The cultivators weren't much of a threat, he thought."Don't let your greed take over. We have a job to do," said Voltaic."They won't get away, don't worry." Mufasa grinned. Then, someone scoffed.An old man in white came out, his hands behind his back. Voltaic's eyes shone, and he smirked at the man. "Hyde. Long way a
"You guys are useless and toxic for the world. I should kill you where you stand. You'd be good fertilizer." Voltaic unsheathed his swords and pointed them at Hyde. "You shall die for your crimes, Hyde! Now tell me, how do you wish to go out?"Hyde burst into laughter, and he waved his hands. Hundreds of gods appeared all around. These were the Mystians cultivating in Celestial Domain. The Yin energy they summoned covered the island, and a wave of violent energy engulfed Mufasa and Voltaic."Now tell me, how do you wish to go out?" Hyde looked at them coldly.Mufasa gasped. "We're in trouble, Voltaic."Voltaic wasn't expecting a big company hiding here. Mufasa felt his hair rise just from facing so many enemies. They might not get out alive."Quite a lot of maggots here. Good. I just became the world's top swordsman, and your blood is perfect to prove that." Voltaic's eyes filled up with will-of-the-sword. The boundless waves of a river crashed into the Mystians.Kirin rubbed his
Nox's talismans were dispeled, and tens of thousands of talismans came flying back. The ancient cultivators didn't give Nox a chance to counter their talismans. The moment the talismans came close, they exploded. The combined force of the explosion razed the ancient city into the ground.When the dust settled, the city was no more. Even Kirin had to use his avatar to stop the explosion's force from hitting the ladies. Even Aphrodite was shocked at how the explosion took out the city. This was unbelievable. "I underestimated them. They're more powerful than I thought," said Aphrodite."Naturally. Spiritual energy was abundant everywhere in their era. Everyone had the same resources, and they had a lot of secret arts back then. On average, ancient cultivators fight better than modern ones," said Kirin.The Mystians weren't much weaker than ancient cultivators, but the modern ones were. A dozen or so of them would be a problem, and Nox had to face more than a hundred of these ancient c
The commotion did not go unnoticed by the nations around the area, especially the island states. They issued a notice of natural disaster, and as the roaring waves spread, the nations and their people started panicking.Once White Tiger got to a safe zone, he got a message from Imperia. Azure Dragon was the one calling. "What happened over there? The meteorological department says a super storm is gathering in that area. If the storm clouds start to move, it might affect Faeast's waters!"Faeast's government had issued a notice of natural disaster to the coastal cities. The Southern Sea's fleet was evacuating the people as fast as they could."I don't know. I think the lord's fighting the boss of the place," said White Tiger. He didn't know much. He told Azure Dragon that Voltaic and another half-Saint were helping out as well."Shit, someone's after me. Talk later!" White Tiger hung up. The enemy was too powerful for him. He couldn't take the guy head on, but just when he was abou
Kirin was speechless, and he ignored the question. Aphrodite explained, "He's saying that Lord Nox is holding back, and he might be underestimating the enemy."Nineve had no idea about spell levels or cultivation levels. Nox was powerful enough for her. "I know he can win. The… ancient cultivators or whatever. He's undefeatable. No one can take him down," said Nineve. She cheered on for Nox, shouting in the city's direction.Nox couldn't hear it, of course. There was a big distance between them, and the energy was rampaging. The city was no more. What was left in its place was a black cube. Nox had no idea what that thing was made of, but it was indestructible and could block out his divine sense."What is that thing? Is the empress in there? It's about 35 hundred cubic feet, so that's more than enough for her," Nox muttered.While he was distracted, the ancient cultivators attacked. They could combine their forces too. The spellcasters blasted Nox with their spells, while the mele
Three months later, Nox declared Faeast as the leader of all nations, ushering in a true era of peace and prosperity. Then, he abdicated the throne, passing the throne to Nineve. Nox proclaimed that this nation was neither the Greenshade nor the Limerent family's, but a world that belonged to its people.One year later, Nox and Queenie lounged under the warm sun on the sandy shores of the Ocean of Death, enjoying a rare moment of tranquility. The world had finally settled into peace, allowing them to take a well-deserved rest."Nono, what's Aphrodite up to?" Queenie asked, her brows furrowed as she leaned against Nox. "Is she planning something shady again? She's been building alliances all over like she wants to imitate the Three-Eyed Empress.""Death changes people," Nox replied calmly. "Don't worry about her. She knows exactly what she's doing."Old Aphrodite would've killed Jacques and run off to save herself without a second thought. Instead, she spared him, stripped his cul
The Nine-State Crucible hovered majestically over the heavens, drawing all the spiritual energy from the Nine States and Five Domains into itself. As the ultimate artifact of Faeast, the crucible was unmatched—a legendary relic that had never known defeat.The origins of the Nine-State Crucible were shrouded in mystery. No one knew who forged it nor why it disappeared over the ages. For centuries, many dismissed it as a mere myth. Yet now, it reappeared, proving its existence—and, by extension, the truth of all the ancient legends tied to it.The sight left every cultivator present in awe, bowing in reverence to the artifact."The ancient sovereigns of Faeast forged the Nine-State Crucible to safeguard the Nine States and Five Domains. "Its power ensures that Ascendants cannot interfere with the mortal realm. It has crushed even Ascendants in the past, and you, still merely a mortal cultivator, think you can stand against it? I promised to crush you, and I will!"With Nox at it
However, only Nox himself could sever the celestial providence. Only by cutting off the Celestial Lord's celestial providence could Faeast's providence be restored to its peak."Damn it! Nox Greenshade! Do you really think you can defy the heavens? I didn't want to damage my cultivation, but it seems I have no choice but to go all out! You think a one-ring Minor Saint can defeat me? I am the Celestial Lord—the apex of mortals, the Great Saint of Dao and Virtue, ordained by the heavens themselves!"The Celestial Lord's furious roar resonated across Mystia, drawing in vast waves of spiritual energy from the realm that converged upon him alone."Great Saint of Dao and Virtue? If the so-called heavens of the Transcendent Firmament made you, it only proves that even they have failures," Nox retorted coldly.Even the Celestial Lord, enraged as he was, could scarcely believe Nox's audacity—daring to disparage the mighty figures of the Transcendent Firmament."I am indeed a one-ring Minor
'What? Griffin was a sworn brother to Magic Mountain's founder?!'"That's right," confirmed the formation master. "He only told us recently."As the first to learn of this connection, he had shared it with the Saints of the Five Elements, ensuring they wouldn't betray their alliance. Using the promise of ascension as leverage, he managed to secure their cooperation. After all, the Great Saint of Fire had already reached the threshold for ascension.The risks were minimal, and upon ascending to the Transcendent Firmament, the Magic Mountain's founder would surely offer his guidance. For that reason alone, the five mentors had rallied to aid Nox.With such mighty forces gathered, morale on Nox's side soared. Meanwhile, the Whitefield family's spirits plummeted, crashing from the heights of hope to the depths of despair in mere moments. The mental strain caused several of their weaker-willed members to break completely.With dread settling over them, the Whitefields could only place
The Whitefields were getting cocky, but then they realized the powerhouses that came weren't responding. The aura was powerful, but there was no life in it. On closer inspection, they noticed that the leader of the group only had half a body left. His soul was missing. The quartet behind him was nothing but a pile of mincemeat.The portal buzzed again, and seven silhouettes came out. Five of them felt domineering, and they looked prideful. It almost felt like they were peerless. These people were none other than the Saints of the Five Elements.Four of them were Pinnacle Minor Saints. While one had an aura so strong, this place couldn't handle it."A Great Saint! Great Saint of Fire!" Fiery Ignis, Dominic, and Achille couldn't believe their eyes.It had been too long since Mystia saw a Great Saint, and he was Nox's mentor."So, he's the one who broke through first. But now he's already hit his bottleneck. The other four's power isn't enough. If the Sacred Beast Seal isn't upgraded
The Montgomerys and the Byrds decided to see Nox together, but they were refused. They were cursing Nox and calling him disrespectful, but then they saw Nox and his team taking a portal to the path of the ancient divine."What? He went right to them? Why? He's going to fight the Celestial Lord now?" The representatives were shocked.'How dare they!' they thought.Nox and his team went through the portal quickly and appeared right over the Whitefields' place. The Whitefield family was the newest member of the divine four and the real mastermind behind the Inkdarks' demise."Kirin, I told you I'd take you back here someday. I told you that when we come back, the Whitefields will be no more. If you can't do it, I can wipe them out for you." Nox looked at Kirin."Don't look down on me, milord. You don't need to dirty your hands for them. I'll do it!" Kirin summoned his avatar, and with Saint power infused, the avatar turned into a real beast. The sacred beast itself descended upon the
"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