Nox spoke coolly."I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Brandon shouted hoarsely.Nox slowly turned around and stepped on Brandon's head, pushing him against the icy ground. "You're lucky this time. If this happens again, I'll kill you!"Nox turned to Vanessa and the portly owner. "And you. Killing you would only dirty my hands. Don't let me see you again, or else."Nox then turned back and held Queenie's hand. "We're leaving, Queenie."Queenie snapped out of her stupor and nodded. Striding, Nox led her out of the Prada store.Xavier was still bowing as he saw them off. "Safe journey, Mr. Greenshade." Once Nox and Queenie were out of earshot, Xavier fell to the ground, deflated and defeated.The bodyguards quickly helped Xavier up. "Mr. Coulson!"The bruised Brandon was groaning in pain. Through tears, he said, "Why did you hit me, Dad? Who was that punk?""I was saving your life, you brat!" snapped Xavier, stricken with pain."You were saving my life?" Brandon was confused."Do you know
Nox turned around and smiled. "You think too much, Queenie. I've always been this way.""Is that so?" Queenie was skeptical."Yes, but there are some things I can't tell you just yet. Don't worry. Someday, I'll tell you everything," Nox said genuinely.Queenie stared into Nox's eyes and mused over his answer. "Fine, but I have one last question.""Ask away.""Is it true that you like me?" Queenie gazed into Nox's eyes, trying to see through him.Nox smiled and caressed Queenie's cheek. "Yes, of course that's true. I'd never lie about that."Queenie's face flushed red, and she leaned on Nox's chest. "That's all I want to hear."Nox held Queenie gently. For a moment, he felt like he had the whole world. Nox went around with Queenie until night fell. George called a few times in between, but Queenie rejected the call every time.When George called again, Nox finally said, "It's getting late, Queenie. You should go home now.""But I want you to stay with me for a while longer."
A few mangled bodies lay on the ground. They were Alexander's bodyguards. Seeing this, Alexander was horrified, and Ferguson's face fell."Mr. Weeks, be careful!" Ferguson quickly stood in front of Alexander.A pale Alexander looked at the destroyed gates, where an eerie and ear-piercing voice could be heard. "I come for Alexander today, and Alexander only. He owes us a debt. Leave if you don't wish to die."A crone and a girl slowly came into view. They were none other than Lorelei and Thalia from the Wood family. All the bodyguards in the estate, armed with bats and blades, quickly surrounded them.Lorelei looked at the bodyguards darkly. "I see you won't stop until you've learned your lesson. Very well. Since you have a death wish, I will grant it."Lorelei turned into a blur and charged at the bodyguards in the vanguard.The bodyguards were all great fighters, but they were no match for Lorelei at all. Before they could do anything, Lorelei had already bored a hole through tw
Alexander got the gist of the story. 'So this crone came to collect Logan's debt, but Logan was the chamberlord of Blackdragon. He wasn't supposed to have any debts. And who is this crone?' Alexander couldn't figure that out.A moment later, Alexander said, "Logan did have a feud with me, but I can't and won't carry his debt for him."Lorelei chuckled. "I see you don't understand what you're dealing with. I didn't come to negotiate."Lorelei pointed at the villa. "You're a rich man. You should cherish your life more, so listen to me and pay up, or I will take everything you have today, including your life. You have one minute. Think it over."Ferguson couldn't take her attitude anymore and spoke up. "How dare you? Who do you think you are, you crazy hag? You invaded the estate and killed our guards, and now you're threatening my employer?"Lorelei looked at Ferguson. "So what? You have a complaint about that?""Yes, I do!" Ferguson took a step forward, and inner energy burst fort
Alexander couldn't believe Ferguson died in such a brutal way. His eyes turned red, and he roared at Lorelei, "What do you want?"Lorelei laughed again. "I told you, I'm here to collect rent. You killed our slave, so you're going to take his debt. That's just fair, isn't it?"Alexander asked again, "What do you want?""Simple. Everything," Lorelei replied."What? You want everything I have?" Alexander said in shock.The crone nodded. "Yes. That's the rule of the Wood family. No matter who you are, if you owe us a debt, you'll have to pay with everything you have. Even if it costs you your life."Lorelei sneered at Alexander again. "So, Mr. Weeks. Are you going to stubbornly hold on to your wealth, or do you want to save your skin?"Alexander slumped to the ground. He couldn't believe Lorelei would be this evil. He roared, "Don't even think about it!"He knew he might die, but he still was the CEO of Empire Corp. He would never give up what he built just like that.Lorelei laug
"It's alright, lady. Since I like you, I won't kill you," Thalia said."W-What do you want?" Annie asked fearfully.Thalia grinned toothily. "Lorelei said if your dad pays us the rent he owes, we'll let you live.""Rent?" Annie wondered what that was."Yeah. You killed our slave, Logan, and he owed us rent. Of course, you should pay up," Thalia said."Nonsense! We didn't kill Logan!" Annie blurted."Wait. If you didn't kill him, who did?" Thalia asked in surprise."It was Greenshade!" Annie said.Alexander roared, "Shut it, Annie!""Dad, you're still defending Greenshade at this point? You told me nothing, but I've looked into it. Logan's death has nothing to do with us! It's life or death at this point, Dad! Why do you still protect him?"Alexander slapped Annie mercilessly. Blood trickled down Annie's lips, and she was stunned. Her father never raised a hand against her all her life, but now he slapped her because of Nox. 'Why? Why?' Annie didn't understand.She held her s
Alexander called Nox right away. He knew Nox was the only one who could save him now.Nox was meditating in Dragoncourt. When his phone rang, he picked it up. "Hello?""Milord, save me!" Alexander said in a trembling voice.Nox looked concerned. "What happened, Alex? Where are you?""I'm at home."Nox's face fell. He didn't ask any more questions. "Wait for me. I'll be right there." He shot up, and an air of icy murder spread around him.When Jebediah saw Nox coming out looking like he wanted to kill someone, he froze for a moment before he went up to Nox. "What happened, sir?"Nox looked into the night icily. "Some fools attacked Alex.""Mr. Weeks?""Yes."Jebediah cursed, "Damn the bastards! How dare they attack your friend? I'm coming with you, sir!"The two of them set off for Watercloud Villa.…The once resplendent Watercloud Villa was now enveloped in gloom. The air in the estate reeked of blood. A scared Alexander was in the great hall, protecting his daughter.Lo
Lorelei let out a roar and stood in front of Thalia defensively. An air of murder was swirling around her.A divine silhouette was slowly coming out of the darkness. A moment ago, the silhouette was one with the darkness, but when it appeared, a regal air washed over the estate, and even Lorelei shivered.Lorelei's heart sank, and she asked, "Who are you?"The silhouette didn't answer. He just slowly walked into the estate, and behind him was a sorcerer in a yellow robe—Jebediah.When the silhouette finally made his appearance, Alexander shouted in delight, "Milord!"Annie's eyes widened, and she stared at Nox. He was handsome and dashing, and the air around him felt regal. It made one want to submit to him willingly.Nox first looked at Alexander and Annie. When he was sure that they weren't hurt, he turned to Lorelei and the cruel Thalia.Thalia was crying and holding her bleeding hand. "Lorelei, it hurts!""It's alright, girl. I'll avenge you," Lorelei consoled her.Thalia
"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
"But if worse comes to worst, I'll kill myself than let her control me. You have to help me when that happens, master," Queenie muttered to the rune on her wrist. She wondered why Dominic wasn't saying anything.Back on the path of the sword, Dominic's consciousness was trapped in a sea of fog. "Damn the empress. She got me, and I'm not even in her domain." He did not look happy at all. Though he was trapped, he could free himself anytime he wanted to, but he would lose his connection to Queenie.Nox was in trouble, and Queenie was inexperienced. She needed his help, so he must find a way to break this spell. At the same time, the path of the sword's disciples were gathered outside Dominic's training chamber.Quentin, their leader, was restless. "Damn it. The master's trapped in an illusion? Is the empress' spell that powerful? Blast. If I don't get any answer soon, I'll lead a charge into enemy territory right now"He'd been holding back for a long time. If Dominic hadn't forbidde
The empress could wait no longer. Nineve was the weakest among the trio, which made her the perfect place to start. Demonic energy appeared, eating away at the Sovereign's energy."You're the only hope of turning this around, Nineve. We're all counting on you." Flame Emperor kept powering up his energy, but he succumbed to the empress' attacks. Once the Sovereign's barrier was gone, the empress attacked Nineve.Right before the attack could hit, Nineve's bloodline awakened. The wandering Saint power swam into her body."Perfect! Now's the time! I'll give you seventy thousand years worth of energy!" Flame Emperor infused all the energy he'd gathered over the last seventy millennia into Nineve. It would be useless for any other cultivator. They'd have to refine the energy over time, and the quality of the energy was just mediocre.Nineve was no normal woman. In ancient times, the descendants of a Sovereign could inherit part of their ancestor's power and abilities. Like a dried-up s
If anything were to happen to Nox because she couldn't pull her own weight, she'd never be able to face her father. Quilo might spoil her, but even she could be sacrificed for the nation's good.If anything were to happen to Nox, Mystia would attack Faeast relentlessly. War would come for the nation again, and the people would be slaughtered. Her father would never forgive her if that happened."No, I can't give up. If Faeast is hurt because of me, my ancestors will kill me! Dammit, fine, I'll suffer just this once. Come on, me. Hold on!" Nineve would not die a sinner, nor would she hold back her lover.It didn't matter if Nox truly cared about her. Even if he did it just because he thought he owed her or because he wanted to become Faeast's ruler easier, he was still nice to her. She was born to royalty and had never gone through any hardship, but she had seen deception all her life.Even if Nox was nice to her because he had something to gain, she couldn't complain about it."He