The two factions were Faeast's real enemies, and all of the personal grudges plaguing the nation stemmed from them. Some small talk later, the group disbanded. The fleet still had to patrol the waters. Nox and his group would go to a nearby island and take a flight back to Imperia.They went to the flagship's deck. Dominic said, "All good things come to an end. I must return to my faction now. We can deal with our own problems. Just so you know, we might ally with the path of the martial to keep the other faction in check. Be prepared for that."Nox nodded. "I know. You're still our ally deep down.""Naturally. One more thing. Though my faction can handle ourselves well enough, Fiery Ignis' temple is in trouble on Mystia. The Fire Temple is public enemy number one now. The remnants of the temples you took out might band together and attack the Fire Temple. Don't worry, they can still handle the assault for now."First, you must deal with Faeast's problems," said Dominic.Nox had s
Nox heaved a long sigh. Queenie was oversimplifying things, and things were never simple. Aphrodite was combing her hair, and she explained, "It's not that simple. Capwave Island is on international waters. They might plunder passing ships, but if we look into it, what they do is kidnap the ships' crew and demand ransom from their companies."They'd never try to fight any nation's navy.""Wait, so why isn't anyone taking them out?" Queenie was still confused."And who's going to do that? That island is in a special location. You can never kill all the pirates. Before the stateless navy took over, the island was ruled by other pirates. As long as the island stands, some other pirate will take over sooner or later. The only way to curb this problem is to destroy the island itself."The pirate's ransom demands are nothing compared to the amount of sea trade money we see every year. Sending in an army to take them out alone costs more than what they demand every year. Taking the island
"Voltaic, he's been extending his divine sense to you a few times. He must have something to discuss with you. Why are you ignoring him?" Mufasa asked curiously.Voltaic had been healing up. He said, "And it's never anything good. He's trying to make me work for him.""Huh?" Mufasa was stunned, but he snapped out of it and still felt confused. "Work for him? No, he's trying to partner up with you. You're a Faeastian anyway. It's your duty to serve your nation," Mufasa said.Voltaic scoffed. "What do you know? I left my nation so politics wouldn't drag me into their mess. If I go back, I'd run into the very thing I hate. I couldn't care less about fame and status."That answered Mufasa's question. "I know what you're thinking. No one can force you to do what you refuse to do. You want to go back, but you don't want to be seen as a mere worker. You want to be seen as a hero."Voltaic wasn't mad about that. He said slowly, "I've always wanted to help Faeast, but power alone isn't eno
Kirin understood that, but he was still annoyed."If you can't figure it out, stop banging your head against the wall. You're not like everyone else. You're the more dominant type, and everything has to go your way. You'll never convince the older guys to work with you," said Nox.He was making this trip to see if he could make Voltaic work for him. Faeast was at a critical junction, and it would rise to power if it could get through this hurdle. The whole nation couldn't depend on only him. Cassian was right. If they wanted to finish the job, they had to get all the allies they could find.In Faeast, Voltaic was even more famous than Dominic. The people criticized Dominic because he was a Mystian cultivator, Voltaic had a much cleaner history. If Nox could make him an ally, he could unify the martial arts world of Faeast and find a great use out of them.The destroyer was making its way to the island where Voltaic and Mufasa were resting on. Then, a sudden wave of violent energy c
Voltaic sensed the change of course immediately. "So they've changed course.""Man, you're cheeky. I was wondering why you left the Three-Eyed Clan remnant alone. You knew Nox was coming for you, didn't you?" Mufasa finally realized why his friend spared the enemy."Of course. I knew he would come for me. I can lend him a hand if he needs it, but it won't be easy making me his subordinate," said Voltaic coolly. The saintly swordsman was a proud man. Even though Nox was the Nine-State Lord, he wasn't big enough to make a saintly swordsman his subordinate, unless the swordsman himself took a liking to the person."But what can you see from this test anyway? Nox would approach that person, even if they weren't a remnant of the Three-Eyed Clan." Mufasa was confused."What do you know? Just watch." Voltaic curled his lips.The destroyer was making its way to its destination, and a short while later, they'd arrived. However, the waters were calm, and nothing seemed to be out of the ordi
"Who would keep so many ships here? And where'd they come from?" The captain cursed, "Shit. The radar's been acting wonky since we came into these waters."The group had no idea there were so many ships here, but the other team had noticed them a while ago. Their cannons were aimed at the destroyer. Then, the enemy captain spoke through the radio."I command you to surrender immediately, or else!""Surrender?" The Faeast Southern Sea navy would never surrender.Nox asked the captain, "They outnumber and outclass us. What will you do? Maybe surrender?"The captain was furious. "What are you saying, milord? Faeast soldiers never surrender! We either take down the enemy, or we die trying! Surrendering without a fight is humiliating!"Nox laughed. "I knew you would say that. Just leave this to me." He was just cracking a joke. Though the enemy had a lot of ships and firepower, it was useless against him. Just when he was about to attack, the captain came to the deck."Size doesn't m
All the enemy attacks were stopped by the destroyer's defense system. Meanwhile, the missiles crashed into the enemy ships, and none of them missed. Though the battleships were big, they were ripped in two nonetheless. The smaller ones were blasted into smithereens.All the enemy ships were sunk. Winds howled, and the fires roared. One Faeastian destroyer took down the enemy ships. The explosion of the enemy ships sent off fireworks into the air."Huh, magnificent show. Nice welcome party for me, I'd say." Cassian was watching the burning flames and shattered ships with glee.Queenie and Nineve were stunned. They didn't know Faeast's ships were already this powerful. Aphrodite watched the husks of the enemy ships sink."We are no longer a nation where foreigners can attack whenever they want. We are one of the top countries in the world. We used to think things were hard for Faeast and took a step back every time we had to because the whole world was our enemy."No, the whole worl
Anything that caught Nox's eye was no ordinary item. Cassian and his team of soldiers had gotten a few sacks of herbs themselves. "Hey, these are expensive herbs, and they're everywhere. Wonder if the real treasure's at the center of the violent energy, just like in Celestial Domain," said Cassian curiously."I told you the formation is just a fraction of the real deal, Grandpa. If this place does have rare herbs everywhere, they'd be harvested a long time ago. The mystery guy isn't using them because he doesn't have to. At some point, elixirs do nothing for a cultivator, let alone herbs," said Nox.Cassian got the message. "I see. Everyone says the guy's hiding in this place, but he's actually trapped. He's waiting for the day he gets a breakthrough." Cassian narrowed his eyes. Anything that had ties to the Three-Eyed Clan must be culled.The soldiers found signs of people living here a while later, and the Marines were on high alert. They went down a path, and the light bouncing o
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