"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
"You're not worthy of knowing my name. Your family head, however, might be," Nox said proudly.Lorelei was shaken once more. For some reason, when she saw Nox, she felt fear filling her heart, and now it was seeping into her bones."Judging from your aura, you must be number ten of The Twelve Zodiacs, the Rooster," Nox said.Lorelei was shocked. It was true. The Wood family had The Twelve Zodiacs. Aside from sect elders and Faeast's Ancient Four, no one knew of this. Nox, however, exposed everything, including her rank.Indeed, Lorelei was the Rooster among the zodiacs. There was a token hanging from her waist, and a picture of a rooster was etched on it. "Impossible. You're so young. You can't know who I am. Are you from Faeast's Ancient Four as well?" Lorelei asked sharply."Hah. Faeast's Ancient Four? They're nothing compared to me," Nox replied proudly."You arrogant fool!" Lorelei screeched and pounced at Nox. As one of The Twelve Zodiacs, Lorelei was a Beginner Grandmaster.
"Worry not. I don't kill children," Nox said."Thank you, Lord Nox." With all her strength, Lorelei turned to Thalia and smiled. "I'm sorry, Ms. Thalia. I don't think I can get you any more lollipops." She let out one final scream and fell into a pool of her own blood."Lorelei!" Thalia ran up to Lorelei, crying and bawling. She hugged Lorelei's head, but the crone was already dead. "You meanie! You killed Lorelei! I'll kill you!" Thalia whipped out a dagger and tried to stab Nox.Nox didn't even look at her. He flicked his finger, and a small energy blast hit Thalia's acupoint. The girl fainted. Thus, the battle came to an end.Just like that, one of The Twelve Zodiacs was killed by Nox, while the girl fell unconscious.The bodyguards, Alexander, and Annie stared at Nox in disbelief. Annie had never seen Nox in battle before. For some reason, the image of Nox in battle was seared in her mind.Nox walked up to Alexander. "It's alright now, Alex."Overwhelmed with emotions, Alexa
When Faeast first crowned a lord, Mattheus appeared in public once, but since then, Nox had never seen anyone from the Wood family. Until now.Nox looked at the unconscious girl again and left in silence. When he came out of the room, Jebediah knelt before him."Milord, please accept my humble greetings. I was blind not to recognize you before. Please, pardon my sin!"Nox narrowed his eyes. "You guessed who I am?""Yes, milord." Jebediah was shivering. He had suspicions that Nox was the Lord Nox, but he had nothing to confirm it. When Lorelei mentioned 'invincible,' Jebediah pieced the puzzle together.The only one who was worthy of that title in the world was none other than Lord Nox. Jebediah wasn't stupid. He finally knew that the man before him was the legendary Lord Nox."Very well. Stand up," Nox said slowly."Thank you, milord." Jebediah stood up, still shivering. "Milord, they say you died during the Battle of the Ten Nations, so how did you…" Jebediah asked curiously.
"Shut it! Eat this!" Thalia darted ahead, pointing her weapon at Jebediah. She wouldn't surrender that easily.Jebediah was a sorcerer, so of course, he wouldn't be stabbed that easily. He dodged the dagger and made a rune with his right hand. "Ensnare!" he said.A gust of black energy tied Thalia's hands. She struggled while shouting, "Let me go, you old git!"Jebediah swung his right hand and cast another spell. This time, it shut the girl up. Thalia couldn't even curse now. Once he pinned the girl down, Jebediah said, "Stay here for a bit."He left his room and went to Nox's." Milord," he greeted respectfully."Is the girl awake?" Nox didn't even look up."Yes, milord, but she's a fierce one. What should we do?" Jebediah asked."She's used to being arrogant. Lock her up for a couple of days, and we'll see.""Yes, milord."Thalia was kept under control by Jebediah's spells for two days. She could only stay in the room and come out during mealtimes.On the third day, Nox mad
Angered by her failure, Thalia tried to stab Nox again. And again. And again. But no matter how hard she tried, the dagger couldn't even pierce Nox, who was like a steel wall.Thalia was in despair. She started screaming and even tossed the dagger away. Then, she plopped onto the ground and started crying.Nox let her cry. After a long while, Thalia finally stopped crying as it exhausted her. Only then did Nox say, "Done? Then tell me what I want to know."Thalia's throat was hoarse, and her eyes were puffy. She lifted her head to glare at Nox. "You meanie. You killed Lorelei, and you want me to talk? Why should I?""Okay, then I'll leave." Nox got up and was really going to leave.Thalia stopped him. "Hold it right there."Nox turned around and looked at the angry Thalia. "Did you change your mind? Are you going to talk now?""I hate you, meanie!" Thalia blurted.Nox didn't care."Why did you kill Lorelei? She was my family!" The death of Lorelei pained Thalia."Because she
The talismans were Magic Mountain's Forbidden Art, and Nox had fused them with Ultimate Sun Dragon Manual. Nox's mentors back in Mystia had taught him the Sovereign Seal earlier than expected.Their goal was simple. If Nox became the Sovereign, he could use the seal to command all the natural energy around him. If he didn't become the Sovereign, he would teach the Sovereign how to use the seal.The Sovereign Seal was a Saintly technique and the most ancient technique around. It was stronger than a Celestial technique.A golden seal brighter than the sun slowly rose into the air. It was the Sovereign Seal.As it appeared, natural energy gathered around it. The energy flew into the relics Brundela took from Faeast. Within a museum not open to the public, a bronze sword started to tremble as natural energy flowed into it. That got the attention of a professor."That sword belonged to Faeast's Emperor Elijah! What is going on?"A silhouette came out of the sword, and his aura was maj
Back in the navy command center, Fergus got the drone footage of Brundela's latest development. There were a few generals from the Nox Army with him. They could see that the monsters in the capital were far stronger than the ones they took out."It's a pity the capital is too densely populated. We have the weapons, but we can't use them." Fergus slammed the table in frustration. Even if the capital were to fall into enemy hands and the people torn apart by the monsters, Fergus could not order his men to fire at the capital, or things would be bad for them.Fergus could only open fire if the monsters were in a no man's land."Commander Parrish, the lord has orders. We are to keep the waters guarded. Once the capital's crisis is over, we are to make our way to the port and give humanitarian aid," a Nox Army general said telepathically. He just got Nox's orders."Is that so? Then Nox can stop this crisis." Fergus' eyes shone. He had no idea what Nox was planning, but he was the Sovere
Demons were walking the lands of Brundela. Legendary creatures were roaming the streets as if the end of days were here. The resurrected monsters were causing chaos everywhere. When the Titans showed themselves, despair washed over Brundela.There were too many monsters running around. Even after the Twilight Order and Ice Temple cultivators sent out everyone they had, it still wasn't enough to stop these creatures. The monsters went straight to the council hall, and so did the Titans.The Ice Temple Lord created a Magic Ice Formation and kept using Forbidden Arts and mystical artifacts to fend off the enemies. He had already done his best."You have to do something, Nine-State Lord. I can't hold on much longer!" the Ice Temple Lord said telepathically.Though monsters were about, they were not a threat to the Ice Temple Lord. he could leave anytime he wanted, but he had a deal with Nox. If he were to desert the battlefield, he would face a hell far worse than he could imagine late
Their targets were the relics around the altars. The moment the whirlpool showed up, the black energy conjured black walls and kept Brundela on lockdown, cutting off all communications.Possessed by evil spirits, gods from ancient civilizations came back to life. In the underground graveyard, the dead came bursting out of their coffins, and skeletons with phantom flames flickering around them charged at the holy knights and James' secret agents.Nothing more needed to be said. The holy knights' leader led the charge. The other knights resolved to fight to the death as they battled the skeleton gods.James and his secret agents fired off at the enemies, but the bullets did nothing to the skeletons. All they managed was to light a big spark. Only grenades and howitzers could deal damage to them, and even then, the damage was light.The battle was fierce. Though the knights did not fear death, they were still weaker than the prehistoric gods. These skeletons were nigh invincible, and
Nox was hovering higher than the Ice Temple Lord, and he got everyone's attention."Who's that?""It's a Faeastian!""My God, it's the Nine-State Lord!" Nox was known throughout Faeast and the world. Brundela's council members had recognized him the moment he showed up. They had nothing but fear for gods, yet Nox was the strongest man in the Mortal World, so they respected him.The clouds in Brundela's skies were hanging heavily over the ground, and the icy aura they radiated was making everyone shiver. Winter seemed to have come early for Brundela. The temperature was dipping fast.Back in the control center, intelligence agents were watching the surveillance footage closely, and they noticed the altar. The Twilight Order and Ice Temple cultivators were there, strengthening the altars' seal the best they could. There were soldiers guarding the altar as well.For some reason, the secret agents had a feeling something bad was going to happen. Murphy's Law, as they said.Suddenly,
A sliver of energy flew out of the puppet and gathered natural energy around it. Then, the temperature rose at a blistering rate. Fortunately, Bard's reminder came just in time, and Vermilion Bird was prepared for this. She led her team away from the spot.A pillar of fire engulfed the building, and heat waves shot off in every direction, lethal and deadly. The light eventually faded, and all buildings in a few hundred yards were razed to the ground.If Vermilion Bird had killed the puppet without thinking just now, she would have lost all her men and suffered serious injuries. "That bitch! I'm going to make her into a human swine one day! I'll give her hell!" she cursed.Bard gasped. 'Yeah, women can be really terrifying.' Not one General was a normal person.This incident didn't escape Nox, of course. He saw it through his divine sense. "Heh, you can't fight the flow of history? You say that, Aphrodite, but you've done the same thing more than once. Schemes and plots when your ey
Aphrodite was a master manipulator. She knew the weaknesses of Nox's underlings, and she praised Bard, "At least you know where you stand, Bard. You never overreach. Though we failed to make you one of us, I still thought it'd be a shame to kill you."Bard smiled. "Oh, you're such an actor, Ms. Mousse. You know why we don't like you? Queenie is a genuine lady, just like our lord. You're far inferior to her. And don't flatter yourself. Of course, I know where I stand. I can't even reach the pinnacle of martial arts, let alone cultivation."No matter how smart I am, my lack of talents holds me back. I can never be made an important leader." He was only spared because he couldn't become a threat to the Mousses.Nox didn't use schemes because he didn't need them. Absolute power could trump any plot.Vermilion Bird clenched her teeth. "What is the meaning of this? The lord knows that the bitch is here?"Bard shook his head. Vermilion Bird was a smart woman, but Aphrodite made her lose
Aphrodite felt nothing but sorrow, and Vermilion Bird burst into laughter. "I expected nothing less from these people. Your men are just like their employers. Hey, knights, you guys want to find out more about Faeast martial arts? See those Mousse guys? They're masters. Deal with them."Vermilion Bird gave her orders. She knew these people would escape the moment she showed up. The knights flew off, going after the escaped Mousses. The Mousses were a family of warriors, while these knights were cultivators, to an extent. They wore mystical artifacts, and the Mousses' guys didn't have something like that.The battle was fierce but short. The Mousses' powerhouses were taken out, and the rest were dealt with by the Shadow Division."And now only you're left. Interesting, isn't it? Karma always bites you in the ass. You betrayed my lord, and now your men betray you. You deserve this," Vermilion Bird cursed."Yes, I deserve this, but as long as he wants to be the Nine-State Lord, then w
'The beating heart of this land?' The woman's underlings looked grim. They were supposed to be the master tacticians here. Yet, Nox played them like a cheap kazoo. 'He's a far better tactician than we expected!'Nox began his counterattack not long after the Ocean of Death incident. This woman was none other than Aphrodite, Nox's old flame. When she saw Brundela's fate stabilizing, she knew right then that things had gotten out of her hands."Tell the Mousses in Eropa to retreat right away. There is no need to stay here any longer. He's not attacking us because he's waiting for us to do the same. The moment our men try to start anything, he'll swoop in and take them all out. "No one can beat him if he decides to go all the way. Not even me," said Aphrodite.Suddenly, the Mousses' powerhouse noticed something. "I sense bloodlust. Who goes there? Show yourself!" The powerhouses unsheathed their weapons and stood around Aphrodite, protecting her.A group of black silhouettes appeare