As Hogs drove along the road, two shadowy figures flashed across the land and appeared so suddenly in front of the car that it was as if they were ghosts."Dad, look out!" Jezebiah, who was sitting in the passenger seat, cried out as soon as he saw the figures that had appeared out of thin air.Hogs had also spotted the figures and hurriedly slammed on the brakes while spinning the steering wheel to avoid them. However, the car still crashed into the nearby guardrail as it had been traveling at high speed.White smoke drifted from the crumpled section of the car.Still, Hogs, Jezebiah, and Melissa were safe and sound inside.After Hogs crashed his BMW into the guardrail, the two figures standing on the road began to speak."Bard, these are the three nobodies who insulted our lord at Sanders Residence just now, right?"The one who spoke was Bear, one of the Three Commanders of Shadow Division in Faeast.The reserved-looking Bard let out a grunt."I'll teach them a life lesson.
Bear held up his bloodstained triangular knife and pointed it at Hogs. "Why'd you insult my lord, you cur?"Hogs almost wet his pants, his eyes wide. "W-What do you mean?""You insulted Lord Nox. Back at the Sanderses' place," Bear repeated.Something slammed Hogs' mind, and he was reminded of Nox. "You're talking about Greenshade?" He was in disbelief."Ah, so you know his name. Time for you to die." Bear thrust his weapon ahead, and the triangular knife plunged into Hogs' heart.Bard tried to stop him, but he was too late. Bear attacked too fast. The knife pierced Hogs' heart, and he died on the spot. His eyes bulged, and his body convulsed. He fell into a pool of his own blood, dead as a doornail."Fatso!" Bard couldn't believe his friend had killed another guy. He snatched the knife out of Bear's hand. "Are you mad? You can't just kill people like that."Bear snickered. "Just taking out the trash. You're overreacting. The hag's all yours." He backed off.The sight of Hogs a
Draco, Tristan, and Alexander stood nervously outside a room at Dragoncourt, of which the door was tightly shut.Tristan asked, "Commander Fort, did Commander Colton get in trouble again?"A sigh escaped Draco's lips. "Yeah. We told him to lay low, but he wouldn't listen. First day in town, he slaughtered two of the lady's relatives. Unbelievable!"Tristan was speechless. Alexander piped up, "What now, Commander Fort? Should we plead for him?"Draco looked at the shut door. "Give it a minute. No one can stop the lord if he's on a rampage.""Fine."Bear was in the room, hanging his head low like a child who'd been caught doing mischief. Bard stood beside him. Nox, looking stormy, loomed over them.True to his promise, Bard told Nox of Bear's actions. When Nox found out Bear killed Hogs and Jezebiah, he was dark and gloomy, and he said nothing.A long while later, Bear blurted, "Calm down, milord. They're already dead anyway, and they deserved it. Couldn't have them insult you. I
In the eerie Phoenix Chamber, a deadly, gorgeous silhouette in red was staring at the calendar before her. A red X was blotched over the eighth of the month—the day of Nox's wedding.There were three days until that date. The silhouette's eyes were filled with violence and murder. "Three more days, and you'll be marrying that mediocre, unremarkable…"Mutters of dismay escaped her lips. And then she slammed her fist on the obsidian table before her. The table was smashed into pieces."Lonewolf! Where are the Curseland Demons?" she roared.A gaunt, icy man with a saber appeared from behind. "Milord, they should be in Riverton now.""Good." A dark laugh appeared on Aphrodite's face. "Tell them to keep her alive, but make sure she's tortured out of her mind. I want to crush Nox's heart!" hissed Aphrodite mercilessly."Yes, milord." Michael backed out of the chamber.Aphrodite stared into the distance, venom dripping from her gaze. "You'll regret marrying her, Nox! I'll see to that."
"That monster must've taken them away! Officers, you have to save the kids," said the street vendor, a little drunk. The cops were searching in the east of town.They ignored the drunken codger. Vampires? A likely story. It was all bullshit.Old Zimmers cursed the cops' mistrust and said that he would find the children himself. He downed a couple more glasses of wine and went off on his own, armed with nothing but an axe.The old man went down the road, searching the outer ring of town. It was a deserted place. This was a shantytown. All the villages around had been leveled, and only grass and ruin remained, with the exception of a small shrine that many still visited.Whenever festivities swung by, the townsfolk would come and pray. That stopped after the disappearances started happening.A drunk silhouette—old Zimmers—was approaching the shrine. He murmured, "Why won't they believe me?"A moment later, Zimmers reached the shrine. Once proud, the shrine now had a dark air. If
The man didn't even look at Zimmers' body. He darted back into the main chamber, where the shriveled bodies lay. Two black coffins lay on each side of the bodies."A place as good as any," the man croaked."Indeed. Those in Imperia are doubling down on us." An equally grating voice came from the coffin.Blasts echoed as the coffins exploded. Two men, as strange as the first, appeared from within. They were both in black robes, their faces covered in runes. The air was filled with the rancid stench of evil when they appeared.They were the nightmarish Curseland Demons. The trio made their way to infamy years ago. They were in the top ten on Skyweb's Most Wanted.Anyone who was on Skyweb's Most Wanted was a supervillain. They were crooks and mass murderers, and all were at least Grandmasters. They showed no mercy to their enemies.Besides their strength, the Curseland Demons had the backing of the Curseland Five. The families were the origins of the Curses. The Curses were practiti
"Doesn't matter. We have our orders. Now we just have to do it," Bayon said."Of course, Bayon.""Let's go." Bayon turned into a cloud of crimson fog and disappeared.The air around Bason and Badon was slowly filled with crimson fog as well. Moments later, they turned into a blur and disappeared.…Another day went by. There were two days left until the wedding. A bunch of relatives had arrived at Queenie's house thanks to George. He wanted the whole of Riverton to witness this wedding. After all, he knew how stately the man Queenie would marry was.First thing in the morning, more relatives came to Queenie's house. One was Yvette's cousin, while the other two were George's cousin and uncle.George led Queenie out to welcome them. Keith and his team were protecting Queenie and her family as per Nox's orders.A silhouette in a black robe appeared on the corner of the street across. The only thing visible was his devilishly green eyes.His shuddering gaze fell upon Queenie. A lo
Badon returned to their hideout in Riverton."What? The Butcher is here?" Bason asked. For some reason, the mention of Keith contorted his face with rage."Yes. I saw him with my own eyes," answered Badon.Bayon sneered. "No wonder she sent us here. It turns out that we have a Rank Nine Grandmaster guarding the target.""Damn the Butcher! I didn't expect to see him here, but we can finally settle our score! I've been holding it in for three years!" Bason said."Calm down, Bason. The Butcher is a Rank Nine Grandmaster. It won't be easy to take him down," Bayon said."Are we going to just let it slide?" Bason screeched and tore his robes back, revealing a hideous scar dotting his rune-covered torso.Previously, the Shadow Division tracked down Bason when he was in Imperia, and Keith was the one who came. They ran into each other at the train station, and the battle that ensued was terribly ferocious.Bason used everything he had, but he was no match for Keith. In the end, Keith s
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