'Save myself?' Kirin wasn't sure what she was talking about. He asked, "What's that supposed to mean? I have stepped into the ritual. My Saint power has merged with this place. The lord wants to save his grandfather, so this place cannot fall, but if it doesn't fall, the empress will not die."This is why he left his body here. When the moment comes, I will sacrifice myself," said Kirin solemnly. He swore his loyalty to Nox. No matter how much he had to do, he would finish his job willingly, even if it cost him his life."No, he left his body behind to save the both of us. My death means nothing, but you're the only cultivator who became a sacred beast. Faeast needs Nox and the golden kirin. And do you think the empress is stupid enough to tie her fate to Celestial Domain? Then all we have to do is destroy this place, and we destroy her!"Eye technique users are all incredibly smart. She wouldn't leave this obvious flaw untreated," said Aphrodite.Kirin was stumped. "So what do I d
While they were guarding Celestial Domain, Nox and the ladies had arrived at the mountain. The whole place smelled like demons, and bluish phantom flames hovered around. Nineve felt goosebumps coming up. "Looks like the legendary prison of demons."Queenie said, "That place is a cemetery.""Yes, it is a cemetery, and an ancient Sovereign is buried within. The phantom flames are part of the Flame Emperor's power. Only the living have Yang energy. Given the power of these flames, the Flame Emperor's dead. But he became a Saint with his body intact. It's nigh impossible to destroy the body of someone like that."Besides, Faeast's Sovereigns have Ultimate Yang Physique. Never heard about anyone cultivating Yin spirit before." Nox stared at the mountain."Wait, so Flame Emperor's the one buried underneath? He might be my ancestor, so where's the empress?" Nineve asked."Right here, on the mountain, pinning Flame Emepror's tomb down. If I'm right, from the formation of this mountain, sh
He was given glory by the heavens to stop war from tearing Faeast apart again. That was why Nox lived. Glory, power, and beauty could be easily had, if Nox wanted to, but that wasn't what Nox truly desired.Then, the beauties went on their knees. They weren't bowing to Nox, but a woman who just got out of her bath and changed. Nox met her gaze and was stunned by her looks. It was beyond what the world could offer.And he felt a chilling air of demonic aura coming off her. Naturally, someone like her would either be an angel or a demon. She was the latter. The woman looked at Nox coolly, and the aura of a ruler spilled from her. Though she was aloof, Nox felt a sense of allure coming off her.She walked out of her bath, revealing her perfect body before Nox. Anyone would feel their blood burning up if they saw her. The woman was playing with fire now. She put on an arrogant mask on purpose and unleashed her allure at the same time to control those who would lay their eyes on her.To
Nox laughed. "Is that a joke? I am the Sovereign of Faeast, and I rule the Nine States and Five Domains. You are but the queen of a minor nation. You have no right to make me your slave."The maidservants burst with demonic energy, and the energy morphed into evil spirits. The palace was now more like a den of ghosts. The empress was still as gorgeous as ever. Nox thought, 'I can't see through her. Her eye power vastly overpowers mine.'The empress waved her hand, and the den of ghosts returned to its previous form. The demonic maidservants raised their heads and smiled at Nox seductively."And that is why I am changing my terms. You are the only foreigner who has the privilege to sit at the negotiation table with me. I will give you an opportunity. Become as one with me. You shall be my clan's emperor, and I shall be the queen. We will rule the world equally."If we combine forces, we have nothing to fear from the path of the martial or the path of ancient divine. With time, even
The empress smelled something she disliked from Nox. The 'innocent' empress' eyes had a flash of bloodlust within."I was just praising you, you know. Still, don't you think you sound insincere? 'I want this to work' my ass. You're just trying to get to me because you've seen through me. You think just because of my flaws, I desperately need the thing you're offering me? Yeah, you've cultivated your eye power for seventy thousand years, but you still don't understand the human heart."You see, that's why you're stuck at this level. Let me guess. The moment I say yes to your proposal, you'll devour my body. This whole ritual is just a way of stealing the sacrifice's talent and aptitude." Nox looked at the woman calmly. He thought she was… pitiful."What? You think you can see through me? Stop messing around. Either take my offer, or lose everything. I will not let you die. You don't care about yourself anymore. Refuse me, and the people who came with you will die! And you're making o
"Is that so? Well, you might be able to do that, but what about them?" The empress then showed Nox a vision of Nineve having her mind tortured.Nineve was trapped in another hallucination. She was in a sea of chains. Though they didn't chain her body, she couldn't get out either. Every chain radiated demonic energy, eating away at Nineve's willpower. She was just a regular woman with no power and knowledge of defeating hallucinations. Her willpower was the only thing keeping her sane.However, the empress was eating away at her willpower. She was losing ground fast. Nox said solemnly, "Don't give in, NIneve. You're the descendant of a Sovereign. Your grandfather is a hero who saved Faeast. Your father found hope for Faeast in its darkest moment and led it to prosperity."You cannot let this hallucination beat you!" However, his voice couldn't reach her."It's useless. Only you can find a way out in a situation like this. Only you have the stubbornness needed to break through every
This was a dilemma. No matter the choice, it would scar Nox forever. "You want me to make a choice? Sorry, but we don't do that here. I know what you're after, wench. You used Flame Emperor to get closer to your goal, and now you want my body to finally achieve your ambition, but I'm telling you, that's never going to happen!"I will show you that all your waiting has been for nothing! Death is the only way out for you! That is the reality you will have to live with!" Nox summoned royal providence and crushed the illusion with righteous energy. Beneath the resplendent palace was just a world of decay and desolation."You're done for, Greenshade! Not even Emperors are a match for me! Even Sovereigns are my slaves! If you're not going to do as I say, then you shall be punished!""Punish this!" Nox lashed his fist at the empress, and she burst like a bubble. That body was nothing but an illusion. No one could be sure what was true in this world. He flew out of the desolate world and ra
"Oh man, I'm in hell!" Nineve inhaled sharply. She'd never seen anything so terrifying her whole life, but then she calmed down and thought about it. Then she realized this monster looked like a villain from a horror movie she saw."No wonder Nox told me to stay alert. Dad told me the best eye technique users can see through their target's heart. They'll show me what I fear most. That bitch saw through me!" Nineve cursed. That was the only way to bolster her courage.She was just a regular woman and hadn't seen too much of the world. She had no idea that the empress before her was, to an extent, her true self.The empress noticed Nineve's response and thought that Nineve had some good parts, albeit being mediocre overall. She didn't expect a woman born to royalty could be so resilient. Most princesses were weaklings and had no other virtue other than beauty."Maybe it's because of her bloodline, but she's still nothing to me. Greenshade only cares about you because he thinks he owe
Dominic's energy formed a barrier, and his sword merged with his astral form. This was a true fusion between man and sword."Do you want to die that much, old man? It's not too late to back out. I can set up an exit, and your astral form can leave. Refuse, and I will snuff you out." The empress' face contorted. She was a demoness, and not an ounce of her beauty was left on her face.Dominic laughed. "Death does not scare me. It is not the end. Glory is what I seek. Generations to come will know me as a saintly swordsman, but none will remember even your name. You failed even after seventy thousand years. You will not get what you want! Give up on your delusions and accept reality!"There was a hint of death wish in Dominic's will-of-the-sword. Should he die in this battle, his name would be known throughout Faeast. He wasn't scared at all."Damn you. I will kill you! None of your faction will live!" The empress' third eye was bloodshot, and then the crimson strings came crawling ou
Aphrodite didn't react much. She said, "If she kills you, it's a good thing. Proves that you're a capable person. It's easy to kill someone. Not so much when it comes to controlling the heart. She doesn't have the power to control your soul just yet.""What the hell are you talking about? Same difference. Just tell me what I should do now. My sacred beasts are running out of energy. I can't ask them to put their lives on the line. They're practically an endangered species! They mustn't die!" Kirin had no choice but to call back the sacred beasts that'd exhausted their energy and dispel them.The Generals weren't sacred beasts, but they were Kirin's friends. He couldn't watch them die here."Oh, pipe down. There's nothing to worry about." Aphrodite snorted."So you have a plan?" Kirin thought they had hope, seeing that Aphrodite was so calm."No. I did everything I could. Everything is in fate's hands now," said Aphrodite."Dammit! What do you mean you did everything you could? I
"We're out." Dominic and Queenie were back in the real world. He saw the demonic mountain and the desolate world around him, and he wondered if this was another formation."We're out, master. This is the real world. Nono said Flame Emperor's trapped under the mountain," said Queenie solemnly."No, it's not the mountain that has him trapped; it's the empress." Dominic gasped. "No, that's not right. She doesn't have the right or authority to do that." He frowned. "And where's Nox?" he asked curiously. He only got out thanks to Nox's guidance, but the guy was nowhere to be found.Nox and Nineve fell into another illusion formation, and this time, they were transported back to Imperia. The formation carved out the whole city, and Nox was surprised it managed that. Nineve's head was spinning. She grabbed Nox's arm and wouldn't stop talking."Are we back in Imperia? You killed that bitch, Nox?"Nox was speechless. "No, we're in another illusion. Dammit, this can't trap me, but figuring
"What is he doing? Is he going to put everything on the line? No, he's trying to take the domain's control from me. How dare he! No, the golden kirin is something much more ancient than I am. If he activates some sort of secret spell, he might actually pull this off!"The empress would not leave this battle to chance. One mistake, and she would lose everything. She had no choice but to do everything she could to stop Kirin. However, using her eye power meant she would be distracted.And an opening was created.Nox was in the mist, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Weird. The mist is growing thin. The empress' eye power is weakening?" This might be a trap, but Nox didn't care."Eight Saintly Techniques, Blazing Holy Eyes." Nox's golden eyes appeared and dispelled most of the mist. Right away, he found an opening. "Heaven's Demise! Shatter this thing!"He cast a Forbidden Art, and flames burned everything. A talisman sprang forth and burned into a crisp. The moment its ashes w
Nox, Nineve, Queenie, and Dominic were in the mist, all worried about one another. Back in Celestial Domain, the spirits' attack was growing fiercer. Some were even close to devouring the sacred beasts. Kirin had to call back the sacred beasts and send them away to keep the bloodline going."There are too many people who have died in this place over the last seventy millennia. We can't hope to kill them all. We can't last much longer at this rate." Kirin himself was bearing too much weight. He couldn't join the fray."I think it's time," Aphrodite suddenly said."What? Is it the final moment?" Kirin asked solemnly."No. I mean the empress is backed into a corner. You might think she's still relentless, but I think she's at her wit's end. Time to give her the final push. She's too tense, and one little distraction is enough to create an opening," answered Aphrodite seriously.Kirin had no idea what she had in mind, but he knew she wasn't lying. She was doing this for a reason. "Wha
Queenie was a little shocked. 'Next time? Please, no.'"I knew something was wrong. Nono wasn't sure if Nineve was Flame Emperor's descendant, but the one in the illusion was certain. I knew it was fake, but I couldn't help myself." Queenie sighed. She still couldn't get over herself.Dominic laughed. "You need some confidence. Be arrogant if you have to. It's better than to be craven. If Nineve is a Sovereign's descendant, then there must be a reason for your being here. Let's see if we can uncover the mystery."Dominic was about to take Queenie into a search for the truth, but Queenie stopped him. "Tell me the truth. Since you're an astral form, does that mean you're a sacrifice too?" she asked solemnly."No, not exactly. I can't break the formation, but I can enter it, though that comes with a price. It can't hurt me, but going out won't be easy." It was pointless to lie now, after all."So the empress can't hurt you for now, but if she wants to drag everyone down with her and
The empress didn't want Queenie to kill herself. She needed Queenie's willpower to crumble so she could plant her soul technique inside her. Once she controlled Queenie, Nox would have to relent if he wanted her freedom.Queenie was slowly walking into an abyss. "If my death can make you happy, then I will sacrifice myself, even if it can only take a bit off your shoulder."Sacrificing herself for Nox was a way for Queenie to fulfill her wish. Just when the empress thought she would succeed, a flash of holy light burst through the ground. Dominic had arrived, sword in hand."What?" The empress' eyes went wide. She thought, 'The old man entered my formation with nothing but his astral form just to save her?'Dominic harrumphed. "Surprised? Never thought I'd risk my own life?" He turned to Queenie. "Don't listen to her bullshit, Queenie! Nox has always been a straightforward man. No one can force him to do what he doesn't want to do! He's nice to you because he wants to!"No guilt t
His body was decayed, and violent energy radiated from head to toe. He was like a beast. Queenie had never seen him like this. Even though she knew this was an illusion, it still scared her. Perhaps this was what Nox would be like if he turned to the side of evil. If he wasn't a Sovereign, he would be a demon.Just like Nameless, he would be infamous. Nox slowly stepped toward the beach like a demon who'd clawed back out of hell. The sea was dyed red from his demonic energy. Everywhere Nox stepped, black, pungent lotuses bloomed."Look what you did to me, Queenie. Why did you save me? I am a loyal man, but I had to abandon Aphrodite to repay my debt to you! Who do you think you are? Even without Aphrodite, I have Nineve! She is royalty. A princess. A descendant of Flame Emperor."It is just right that I marry her. We are the perfect match! You keep hounding me just because you saved me. You made me marry a commoner! Do you know how hard I had it? I had to put on an act every day, te
Dos took a good look. Dominic did look like he was dead. "What is this? I can't sense any aura from him. But he's powerful enough. He shouldn't have walked into her trap." He thought Dominic might be trapped in a formation. If he didn't step into it, he wouldn't see Dominic. But if he did, he would be trapped, just like Dominic.Then, a ripple of energy came out of the training chamber. Dos was on guard. He mused about it and realized Dominic was trying to contact him. Obviously, Dominic saw him.Back in the mist, Dominic's astral form saw Dos. "Don't be stupid, Dos. They want you to walk into the formation. Remember why I called you back," said Dominic solemnly.At the same time, Dos was thinking hard. He was a master of talismans. This was probably why Dominic called him back. "I understand. Even if I can't help you, I won't walk into this trap." He made a few runes in the air and called upon a few powerful mystical artefacts to form a formation.Then, a formation appeared, and r