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
For the next two days, Thalia was imprisoned in Dragoncourt. At first, Thalia kept protesting and shouting, but eventually, she probably became tired, so all she did was space out.Jebediah came bearing food for the girl as usual, but when he opened the door, Thalia leaped out from behind it. Jebediah was startled. "What are you gonna do this time, girl? Try anything funny, and I'll put you under another spell," Jebediah spooked Thalia.Thalia wasn't afraid and simply sneered. "Don't be scared. I just want to know something.""What is it?" Jebediah tossed the food onto the table.Thalia huddled closer to the sorcerer. "I wanna know more about the meanie."Jebediah was stunned."Hey, old git, what's the meanie's name? And who is he, really? Daddy said only the most powerful of the powerful can kill a Grandmaster. Lorelei was a Grandmaster, but the meanie killed her easily. Can you tell me who he really is?"Jebediah smiled proudly. "You think you can extract information about my
Ever since Thalia pledged to marry Nox, she wouldn't stop requesting to meet him every day. Nox was starting to get annoyed.One fine day, a Maserati appeared at the base of the mountain where Dragoncourt was located. Out came Annie, who was dressed in a suit that accentuated her figure, looking as gorgeous as ever.It turned out that since the night Nox saved her and her family, Annie couldn't seem to shake him out of her mind. Even when she was sleeping, she would dream of Nox.She was the daughter of Riverton's richest man, and she had never felt this way toward a man, but now her heart was fluttering. Thus, she mustered her courage and drove all the way to Nox's residence today after she got off work.Annie looked at the estate and made her way up there. Naturally, she fell into the jaws of Cloudpeak Formation that Nox had set up after he moved in."Who dares intrude?" A loud roar washed over Annie from the front, and she saw Jebediah appearing in the fog."It's me," Annie
"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