"Can you repeat what you said to us so we can record it? Just make it sound sincere, and we'll call it a day," said the Saints. They took out a retro camera and placed it at a high vantage point to make them look like they were superior.The camera started to run, but Nox looked like a storm ready to go on a rampage. Confused, the Saint asked, "Why do you look so angry, Nine-State Lord?"Nox charged ahead and grabbed the Saint. "You want to know why? I gave you an explanation, but not enough with an inch, you want a mile." He tossed the camera to his grandfather. "Grandpa."Cassian knew what Nox wanted to do, so he levitated it and started taking a video from a higher point."What do you want? We've stepped back a lot already!" The other Saints were unhappy. The path of the ancient divine had always been the ones calling the shots. Going this far was already their limit. They had no idea why Nox was so mad."Shut the fuck up and get on your knees!" Nox's golden eyes worked their m
One month of punishment wasn't enough to teach her a lesson. "Oh, you don't want the innocent to get dragged into your personal affair, Katherine? Wait, are you talking about your family? Oh, sorry, I thought we were talking about my countrymen. I guess you think they're sinners who deserve to die, huh?"Nox said, "Guess you need a longer stint, then. You're staying with me from this moment on. Everyone says you're my dog? Well, why don't we turn that lie into the truth? Tell them they were right all along," said Nox coldly.Katherine was flabbergasted. Though she said nothing, the look on her face told Nox she was refusing this."You don't get a choice. Well, you do, actually. If you don't want to be my servant, you die right here, right now. You'll pay what you owe my nation with your life." Nox narrowed his eyes.He knew what her reaction would be. As expected, she relented. Katherine was a prodigy among prodigies and the Celestial Goddess. She couldn't die yet. She wasn't even
The Saints nodded. They were doing this for the family. Nox watched everything unfold. He thought, 'Well, at least they're not spineless.' He was also surprised at Katherine's control over her family.Back then, she wasn't this powerful. He mused, 'The Celestial Goddess is something. It hasn't been that long, but she's grown so much. She could come in very handy.'Cassian harrumphed. "Don't give us that look, you three. We're reasonable compared to you. You think you're humiliated because you look down on our nation. Our people are maggots to you, while cultivators of the Mortal World are nothing to you. You think you can trample on us, and that's why you feel insulted."But let me tell you something. A long time ago, the Sovereign ruled this world, and your faction was nothing. The cultivators looked to the Sovereign as their leader. Asking you to leave on all fours is not a big ask at all. If anything, the Sovereign's already kind enough to let you live."That was reasonable, but
The Saints were crawling down the royal path, while Kirin was supervising them. He was hoping these people would stand up for themselves. Then he would have enough reason to kick their asses, but they wouldn't say a word.Kirin cursed, "Hey, you aren't going to say anything even when you're humiliated this much? Come on, don't be a pussy!"The Saints kept quiet and carefully crawled ahead, their bodies shaking. At the same time, after the formation was broken, Vermilion Bird did everything she could to save the people and minimize the casualties, but still, a few hundred died from the accident.At the same time, Azure Dragon just came back from the outskirts after breaking free of the formation. He was trapped so the enemies could threaten Nox, but now that Katherine was captured, there was no reason to keep Azure Dragon trapped."The bastards! Taking advantage of our misery is what they do best." Azure Dragon wanted to kill Katherine."Yes, she should be damned, but we can still
"Of course. That's why I traveled everywhere. This fight is inevitable, and the path of the ancient divine has no weaklings. Their only flaw is their disunity, but our people are different. We are unified, but the people are just mortals. They can't fight those cultivators," said Cassian.Not even the elite Nox Army could fight the path of the ancient divine's cultivators, let alone the civilians. Their cultivators were weaker than their enemies'."I'll go out there and tell them that the crucible is back. I've already established contact with a few of the ancient families' leaders. You have no idea how powerful this crucible's call is. When I'm back, I'll be bringing a surprise with me." Cassian smiled.Nox nodded. He had to count on his grandfather to call back the ancient families. The next day, when dawn rose, Imperia's threat was no more. The Greenshades gathered in the backyard to meet the newly-returned Cassian.The younger ones knelt to him. "Patriarch!" they called him. Ca
Cassian looked at the woman he loved. The erstwhile Celestial Goddess was now a crone who had seen the worst of the world. "You look older than I am, Penelope. People might think you're my mother." Cassian chuckled, but his eyes were red.It was a joke, but there was sadness inside. Penelope looked at Cassian in silence. She knew her husband had it harder than her. No one could understand the hardships he went through alone. At least Penelope had her sons around her."Don't cry, Cassian. I don't want you to sound so down. We fought and suffered for so long so Faeast could rise to power. So, people like us will never be at the mercy of our enemies. We do this for peace. True peace." Penelope cupped Cassian's head in her hands.A tearful Cassian nodded. He swore that day would come, even if it cost him his life.At the same time, Nox had just sat down, but he was already contacting the Temple of Fire. No response. "Shit. Can the Mystians really be crazy enough to attack them?" Nox fr
"Don't change the subject. Just tell me what I should do." Nox snorted."Easy. Let me come with you. Your fate is stronger than mine, and my fate is one that can easily kill anyone. Anyone who tries to plot against me will suffer backfire and get themselves killed. When everyone's killed, the crisis is averted," said Aphrodite.Nox was speechless. He couldn't believe someone as smart as Aphrodite would come up with something so stupid. "If that plan works, all I have to do is ask you to go to them, and the crisis is over," Nox argued."No. I wouldn't dare go back. White Tiger came up with the nonsense of you planting a soul technique in me. They would kill me." Aphrodite shook her head quickly."I thought you didn't fear death. Just tell me what I should do," Nox said, a little irritated."It's simple, but I can't tell you. It's a secret that must be kept safe. Take me with you, and you won't regret it," said Aphrodite confidently."So, in the end, we're going to the Temple of Fi
Aphrodite settled in at the old place. This was the best sleep she'd had since the last few years. The next morning, Black Tortoise and his motorcade came to pick her up. He wasn't happy picking up an ex-traitor, but Faeast's safety was on the line, and the Great General had no choice."Get in." Black Tortoise picked Aphrodite up, and the motorcade made its way to an underground fortress in Imperia. The top brass of Faeast was already in the conference hall. The governors of the nine states and commanders of the military were waiting online.When Aphrodite showed up, they frowned. Some of these people were forced to submit to her. Some were set up and imprisoned. They were only saved when Nox came back. Some straight up had a grudge against her.Tension was rife in the conference hall, but Aphrodite didn't panic. She took the main seat and scanned everyone. One of the military's representatives couldn't hold back. Then, a general who just became a Legend Realm slammed the table."I
Kirin happily flew toward the path of the sword's grounds. Fiery Ignis, however, was worried about Nox. "Be careful, boy. The path of the martial didn't send anyone after you. That can only mean one thing: almost all of their forces are attacking the path of the sword. If you go there, they will attack you as well.""Don't worry. I know what I'm doing," said Nox.Fiery Ignis led his temple's cultivators and the Ice Temple guys toward the path of the sword as well. After the group was gone, Nox kept sending messages everywhere. If any of his mentors were coming his way, they would be redirected to the path of the sword.Then, Nox and the ladies went to the path of the sword. At the same time, the path of the sword had set up defensive formations at every entrance, but they had all fallen. The path of the martial's people was in a melee with the swordsmen.The swordsmen were stretched thin, and it was a matter of time before they were annihilated. Some of them were defending the entr
Jonah came closer and told Nox everything. Nox nodded. "Saints of the Five Elements. They responded to my call first."Fiery Ignis said, "And they're very fickle people. You can't trust them.""Don't worry. They like me, and I know exactly what they want. Only I can help them with their path. No one else can. They must be hitting their bottlenecks, so they're in a hurry to help me out. Only when I grow in power can they use the Sacred Beast Seal to devour sacred beast bones and go further."Back then, he taught the five of them the Sacred Beast Seal, and they taught him the secret arts of the five elements. Back then, Nox was not as powerful. They were already at a bottleneck, and the seal's level wasn't up there yet.Nox had become more powerful, and once he taught them the leveled-up version of the seal, they could continue their training."I see. That's a relief." Fiery Ignis felt better. He looked at Jonah. The guy might be craven and servile, but his luck was great.Nox's me
"With the phoenix's bloodline, she can live for ten thousand years, at least. That's more than enough time to become a Great Saint," said Fiery Ignis. Technically speaking, talent didn't matter as long as a cultivator had enough time and resources. Those alone could make anyone a Great Saint.However, reality was often… different. Cultivators would run into a lot of things beyond their control. Even if they didn't, lifespan was a problem. They would usually die of old age if they couldn't get to the next level.With the phoenix bloodline, Queenie didn't have to worry about her lifespan. With Nox's power, he could easily get her a place to train until she became a Great Saint. After Queenie came out, it was Nox's turn.Fiery Ignis couldn't sense his aura. His divine sense didn't even sense his presence at all. "What is this… Oh, right, if the gap between us is too big, divine sense can't sense them. I wonder how powerful he is now."They came back to the surface, and Fiery Ignis ask
Fiery Ignis would not leave anything to chance. If he made the wrong choice, the effects would be disastrous.Jonah had no choice but to wait outside the temple. If the path of the martial assaulted them, the Ice Temple people would be cannon fodder.Days went by. Nox had been in isolation for more than a week. The altar, after a long silence, finally reacted. Fiery Ignis' divine sense had been keeping an eye on it."Finally!" He was excited. After more than a month, Nox was finally coming out.Everyone was waiting with bated breath, and then Nineve came out. Fiery Ignis sensed her power level immediately. She was Pinnacle Legend Realm and nearly a faux Saint. "Not much difference. She was about the same level before going in. Her talent is limited. Though she has a Sovereign bloodline, her own talent is lacking."Fiery Ignis guessed that she'd finished training a while ago and had been waiting for everyone else. As he guessed, Nineve had finished training a while ago. Though the
'He's improving fast.'"Temple Lord, you told me that Mr. Nox has taken the Ice Temple for himself. Do you think they've turned their backs on him?" a cultivator from the Temple of Fire asked."Not sure, but a Three-ring can't impact anything," said Fiery Ignis.Though the Ice Temple had a lot of people, if they thought they could stop Nox, they would be underestimating the Temple of Fire's power.Jonah noticed the fighting spirit rising in Fiery Ignis, and he quickly said telepathically, "We're here to help you. Nox is my lord. I have sworn my loyalty to him. I would never turn my back on him."Fiery Ignis was one of the oldest people in Mystia. He didn't believe Jonah at all. "Give me a reason. Why should I trust you? Who sent you here?" Fiery Ignis asked back telepathically. He refused to let these Ice Temple people go further.The scout could sense something was wrong, and he turned on the Ice Temple guys. Jonah finally told Fiery Ignis who sent him. "Saints of the Five Eleme
Katherine was being docile here because Nox possessed the Nine-State Crucible. Only people from her faction knew how powerful that item was. They only managed to rise to power because the crucible went missing.Nox said nothing more. He infused his Saint power into the altar, and it woke up. The moment it did, a small space opened up, isolated from the world. Through the altar's entrance, everyone saw the ancient energy within. It was huge. Enough for Nox's use.Then, the energy started to leak. Not even Nox could stop that. "This thing is connected to the island. The whole place is radiating energy. Pick up the pace, people," Nox said.Everyone went into the altar's chamber and quickly took in the energy.Fiery Ignis was on the island, taking the Altar back. He sensed the spilling energy, and he knew Nox had begun. "Get ready, people. If Nox breaks through smoothly, we'll fight with the path of the sword. If he fails… be prepared to fight to the death," he said to the survivors te
If the altar was not unsealed, Nox wouldn't have enough power to handle the path of the martial and the path of the ancient divine. Even if he was only facing the leader of the path of the martial, he only had a sixty-forty chance of winning, and that wasn't enough to turn things around."We need to do this. At this point, we have no choice. We'll do everything we can and leave everything to fate. We must unseal the altar. Even if someone tries to disturb us, any powerup is good news for us," said Aphrodite."Fine, then we'll unseal the altar. You stay here as well. I think there's going to be a lot of this energy. I'll reach my limit very fast. You can use the energy to train as well. Queenie, you're a phoenix. If someone tries to disturb us, devour all the energy," said Nox."But I'm at my bottleneck. Devouring it won't do me any good. It's a waste." Queenie frowned."Better than letting the enemy take it. At worst, you can use them as energy bombs." Nineve curled her lips.Quee
"Will you shut up already? There's plenty of energy here. The Sea of the Fire God has a whole reserve for you." Nox sent Kirin flying away with a kick. The guy just wanted to take advantage of the situation.Replenishing spiritual energy and devouring it were different things. No matter the quality, replenishment would eventually fill up the user's tanks. Power level, however, was different. Lower-level spiritual energy couldn't be absorbed and refined, but higher-level energy was limited. There was no place to house a large amount of it.The fact that Fiery Ignis knew a place like that was a great help for Nox."Come with me." Fiery Ignis led everyone through the Altar and down to the underground. At the deepest depths was a cavern, where water and fire fused like they were perfect for each other. Weaker ones would die here if they stayed long enough, let alone pass through it.Nox used his Saint power to protect everyone as he went down as per Fiery Ignis' orders. After going thr
"The path of the martial would never destroy the Temple of Fire, but Nox forced their hand. Even though you think this is bad enough, something worse is coming," said Aphrodite.Nox first thought of Faeast, after which he remembered the path of the sword. His guesses were correct. Aphrodite explained, "They will attack Faeast, but we can't get distracted now. People will die, but they can't kill everyone. A few deaths for a long-lasting peace is worth it. What we need to do now is raze Mystia to the ground."For that, we need the path of the sword," said Aphrodite. What came next was simple. Their destination was the path of the sword's grounds."Path of the sword? We can do that, but give me some time. I need to take the Altar off the formation and bring it with me," said Fiery Ignis."Of course, but make it quick. They won't hesitate to attack the path of the sword," said Nox solemnly.Fiery Ignis laughed. "They're not as simple as they look, Nox. The path of the martial might o