Yvette ran up to her husband. "What are you doing, George? Queenie hasn't been eating for two days. At least check on her.""Like that's going to be any good. All she thinks of is Greenshade. What can I do about that?" snapped George."She's our only child. Are you going just to stand by while she tortures herself?""What do you suggest I do, then?""We're going to make Greenshade pay for what he did to Queenie," said Yvette.George's face twitched. "You want me to fight him? Yeah, that'll kill me. Greenshade can fight, remember?" George wouldn't face Nox head-on.Yvette was stumped, for she knew George was right. She cried. "What should we do then? Queenie's suffering!"George couldn't stand his wife's crying. "Wait, I remember now!" He smacked his lap."What is it?" asked Yvette quickly."Remember your sister's son? The one we talked about two days ago?"Yvette paused for a moment. "Oh, Derek?""Yep. He made it in life, didn't he? Got into a super secret department after h
"What? They're that important?" The officer was shocked. "Who are they?"William took a deep breath. "The Shadow Division."The officer started shivering. The Shadow Division was a secret department in Faeast rumored to have been established by Lord Nox. In some aspects, it was stronger than national security.Aside from the military, they had to protect Faeast's information and watch for assassins and spies. They could hunt anyone and only report to their superiors after that. If they could confirm that an enemy was hiding in the nation, they had the right to take them down, no matter how vital the enemy was.Every department in the nation had to work with the Shadow Division should they demand it, and anyone who disobeyed their orders would be severely punished.The fact that the Shadow Division was in Riverton made everyone nervous. About half an hour later, four black SUVs appeared on the highway.William noticed them, and he straightened his clothes out. "They're here." He s
The Shadow Division's leader reviewed some files on his tablet."Commander, HQ just gave us the files for Redmoon Auction House." Derek handed the file to the leader."They claim the auction house is the facade for Voxlia's most prominent spy organization, Black Flag. They've been collecting coin for Voxlian military and are the masterminds behind many scams."The leader took a look. "The bastards," he said. "They have the gall to infiltrate Faeast after the Battle of the Ten Nations? Damn them. Derek, I have an order."The leader announced, "Gather all of our members in Riverton. We'll be arresting all of Redmoon Auction House's staff. All of them. Kill anyone who resists capture!" There was a roar in the last part of the sentence.Derek said, "Yes, commander.""We fought off ten nations' army and rained blood on Voxlia. Their country was littered with bodies, and now they dare trouble my nation? If Lord Nox is here, they'd never be so daring."The man was one of Shadow Divisio
Derek nodded and turned his phone off.At the same time, Yvette only got beeps from the call. She was so ready to call her long-lost nephew, too.Curious about Yvette's silence, George asked, "So, did you get through to him?"Yvette shook her head. "I think he hung up on me.""What? But you're his aunt. Quick, call him again," urged George.Yvette called Derek again, but his phone was turned off this time. Flabbergasted, Yvette said, "He turned his phone off.""Unbelievable! He wouldn't take a call from his aunt? Is he trying to distance himself because he's a somebody now?"Yvette shook her head. "Derek's been a good boy. He would never do this.""Then why didn't he take your call?" asked George.Yvette mused over it. "He's probably on a mission."George cursed, but in the end, he said, "Forget it. Try calling him later at night."Yvette sighed. Queenie had been starved and dehydrated for 48 hours now, and she was emaciated.Nox had no idea about this at all, however.…
Jebediah felt a great weight getting lifted off his body. "Yes, milord!" He hurried over to Nox, and what he saw made his eyes go wide.The greenery around Nox had faded, and boulders were crushed. The place seemed like a warzone that extended for a few hundred yards in radius. Jebediah bowed. "I apologize, milord. I shouldn't have interrupted your cultivation."Nox waved him down and turned around. "You've reached your bottleneck, haven't you?"Jebediah was stunned. He did not expect that question but answered, "Yes, milord. I have no talent at all. It has been more than three decades since I began on the path of sorcery, but I could never break through to the next stage, so…"Sorcerers had four stages: Beginner, Attuned, Zen, and Origin. Unlike martial arts, sorcerers needed talent and a deep understanding of the arts. All sorcerers would die just to gain more knowledge.Some sorcerers could spend their whole lives stuck in one stage, just like Jebediah.Nox blurted, "Would you
The member was a newbie."I bet you want to know," Derek said, looking at the ocean. "Do you know what this place is?""The ocean?""Obviously, but do you know where it leads to?" Derek asked again."No.""It leads to the Ocean of Death.""What? The Ocean of Death?" The newbie was shocked. He knew what that place meant."Yes." Derek stared into the distance. "At the ends of these waters is where Faeast's army defeated the ten nations once and for all. That battle dyed the sea crimson and littered it with a mountain of corpses."Derek continued, "In the same battle, the ten nations retreated a thousand miles and suffered the deaths of six top Legend Realms. In the same battle, Lord Nox…"Derek's voice cracked. He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone knew what had happened. Lord Nox had died, and a legend had fallen back then.Everyone stared at the sea in silence. Just then, Keith roared at the waters."Glory be to us all! Yet time waits for none! In the distance lies the
The vehicles made their way into the city center, and they came to a building. It was the headquarters of Shadow Division's Riverton branch. Keith was in the office, going through his files."Commander, column thirty-six's captain is calling. This is urgent." Derek came into the office."Let him in," said Keith, not even raising his head."Yes, commander."And then, a man in a suit appeared. "Greetings, commander. I am Yves Singer, captain of column thirty-six." Yves stood up straight."What is it?" Keith asked, still staring at the tablet."Commander, we have found everything there is to the downfall of Redmoon. It belongs to Black Flag. Our men have attacked all of their bases and caught every single one of them."Keith grunted."And the old man who died at the auction was B Rank spy of Black Flag.""A B Rank?" Keith finally raised his head. Black Flag, being Voxlia's spy organization, had a strict hierarchy where everyone's jobs were clearly stated. The members were split i
Faye smiled. "We must. Mr. Inkheart, you know how powerful Grandmasters are. If someone like him can be a member of our society, it will be a great help."Mr. Inkheart said, "But he's mighty and young. He might not agree to this.""Not to worry. Even if we can't make him part of the society, we can still be friends."Mr. Inkheart said nothing more. The limousine kept going on and would arrive at Dragoncourt a while later.Before the society's members could arrive, however, three black off-road vehicles made it. The doors opened, and lean figures in fighting attire came out.Mr. Inkheart frowned. "That's a lot of warriors."And then a burly silhouette came out of the off-road vehicle. Alarm bells rang in Mr. Inkheart's head. At the same time, he felt tremendous pressure coming off that man. "The pressure. Hallmaster, that man is a terrifying one." Mr. Inkheart stared at the burly figure.Faye was also staring at the figure, but her eyes were wide, and she looked like she'd seen a
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