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
It was eight at night. Queenie and her mother came out of the house. Queenie was wearing a dress and a pink jacket. She paired it with white sneakers, looking innocent and lovely.Upon seeing that, Keith quickly came up to Queenie. "It's late, milady. Going out?"Queenie smiled. "Yes. We have to be at the train station to pick up a relative.""But it's late. It's not safe," Keith said with concern. Nox told him to keep Queenie safe, and he was going to do just that."You worry too much. It's only eight. The station's about half an hour away. We'll be fine," Queenie said.Keith was hesitating. He checked the darkening sky. "Fine, but we're going too.""Wait, you guys are coming along?" Yvette blurted."Yes," Keith answered adamantly.Speechless, Yvette looked at Queenie. Queenie understood that Keith was just doing his job. She said, "They can come with us, Mom."Though she thought it was weird, Yvette agreed. Keith and his team followed Queenie to the train station.Keith and
Keith, of course, kept an eye on Queenie. Yvette and Queenie weren't worried at all. They didn't think anyone would attack them in public.About fifteen minutes later, a train was coming in. The arrival was announced, and Yvette smiled. "They're here. Been a while since you saw your great-aunt. She adored you when you were little. Took you around for some literal catfishing." Yvette started reminiscing about the past.Queenie smiled. "I remember her. She had a pond at her place. I fell into it when I was a kid, and she saved me.""I'm glad you remember."Tourists shuffled out of the train, luggage in tow. Queenie and Yvette stood on their tiptoes, looking for the dame.A while later, a wrinkly crone in almost anachronistic clothes came out, holding a snakeskin bag. She was in her seventies, her skin rough and tanned from her work in the village. With her was a girl no more than seven years old.The girl had grimy hair as if she had gone a long time not washing it, but her eyes we
Something tugged on Queenie's heartstrings. She picked up the girl and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Nat, but I can't take this.""But great-aunt said you have to. It's for your wedding."Queenie wanted to explain, but the crone stuffed the gift into her hands. "Take it. I don't have much, but it's the least I could do."Queenie held the gift, touched by the gesture. She picked up Nat again. "I'll take it, then. Thank you, Nat. So, where do you want to go? Anything you want to eat? I'll buy it for you."Carefully, the girl said, "I-I want to ride a car. The ones that go up a hill.""You mean the roller coaster?" Queenie smiled."Yes. She saw that on TV and wouldn't shut up about it. So here we are." The crone smiled.Queenie kissed Nat's cheek again. "I'll take you there tomorrow. And we're having a whole day for ourselves.""Thank you, Aunt Queenie!" The girl happily wrapped her arms around Queenie's neck.Keith was listening to the conversation, and he was moved. A long chat
"Oh my god. What is that thing?" Yvette screamed in terror.Queenie was flabbergasted. She had never seen anything this horrifying, and she blanched as well.The Shadow Division members quickly formed a protective circle around the Mini. Everything around them turned into a blur. Suddenly, a crimson claw burst from the fog, charging at Keith's team members and the car behind them.Before the claw could hit, a towering figure landed before the car with a thud. Keith.Keith lashed a fist at the claw. "Who dares attack? Show yourself!" The punch could break almost anything it touched, and the winds it stirred shattered all the shops' glass windows.The fist didn't stop there. It tore through the air and shredded the crimson claw into pieces."I expected no less from the Butcher." Someone chuckled. A silhouette in black robes slowly manifested itself in the mist.His face was obscured, but the air around him was tainted with evil. Keith shot him a glare. "Who are you? How do you kno
The Curseland Demons were strong, of course. They grew up learning cursebugs and witchcraft. All of them were top Zen Realm sorcerers.It was also said that Bayon had been an Origin Realm sorcerer for a few years.Faced with Keith, Bason's eyes glinted. "Let's settle this!" He made hand seals, and black runes appeared before him. He pointed ahead, and the runes shot at Keith like arrows.Keith roared. The purple strongwind turned into a barrier and crushed the runes. He then slammed his fist down on Bason.No sorcerer could take a heavy hit head-on. Bason retreated into the crimson fog. Keith's fist missed, and the energy crushed the house behind.While Keith and Bason were fighting, Keith's team members were on high alert, protecting Queenie and her family.Queenie and her family were stupefied at the scene, especially Yvette. She couldn't believe Keith just destroyed a house in one blow. Her voice was chattering. "W-What's going on, Queenie?"Queenie was similarly stunned. She
The demonic eye covered everything. Its intensity even suppressed Faeast's fate a little. Dominic knew better, though. The empress might look like she had the upper hand, but Faeast's fate was still cleansing her formation. This was her final moment, and the empress was risking her life to fight Nox."If I can't get you, no one can! Die, Greenshade! You will perish today, and I will destroy your nation's fate! Faeast will never see a Sovereign!" The empress had succumbed to madness. Anything she couldn't get, she would destroy.Her eye power attacked again, and the crimson vessels turned black. The black strings weaved a huge web, and every string could destroy any cultivator who was not a Saint. Nox activated his Saintly manual, and the saintly dragons breathed fire. Though it was powerful, it couldn't break the web, and even the dragons were trapped."Saintly dragons, so what? I'll kill them all the same!" The third eye unleashed its power again, but it was the empress' limit. Bla
"Dammit, how'd that bastard take my place? I'm the Sovereign! You're blind, Faeast's fate!" Flame Emperor roared, but the more he complained, the more the nation's fate turned its back on him.The empress' mind was blank. 'What is going on here? He's just a cultivator who's barely trained for twenty years, and he can summon his nation's fate all the way here?' she thought."This can't be. How did this happen? It's impossible!" She was questioning her own power. Her confidence was wavering. She might lose this battle, and Nox would kill her."So what do you think now, empress? Are these dragons enough to pin you down?" Nox walked through the air and passed the barrier easily. Slowly, he approached the empress and looked at the ancient cultivator proudly."You're looking down on me again? You bastard! So what if you have nine saintly dragons? You think Faeast's fate is enough to kill me? You do not have the power!" The empress hated that look. She was the god who controlled this land
If Nox met his end here, it would be very unceremonious compared to his life."Ultimate Sun, Nine Dragons." Nine dragons appeared. These dragons were the avatar of Nox's power. They were not just any avatar; they were sacred beasts."Dragons? You think they can take down an ultimate ruler like me? This is why you're so confident? How childish, Greenshade. I'll shatter your hope, then! Die, dragons!" The empress' third eye unleashed bloody energy, and it formed a sharp web.The web crushed the dragons immediately, and golden rain fell. Though he was bathing in his dragons' blood, Nox wasn't panicking."The dragons alone aren't enough. They can't pin a monster like her!" Dominic looked grim. In ancient times, dragons were nothing but a delicacy for powerful entities. Their power was not enough to scare a monster like the empress."If true dragons aren't enough, what about saintly dragons?" Nox's eyebrow arched, and the empress' pupils contracted."Saintly dragons? You? You think yo
"Say the word, and I shall help you push Faeast to power. All I want is for you to submit to me, not make me your master. Is a woman like me not enough for you? My beauty, power, and brains far outstrip whatever your women have. Survival of the fittest is how this world works. Cultivators like you should know that."Submit to me, and I shall become Heavenly Dao, while you shall rule the Mortal World. I shall rule the heavens, and you shall rule the earth. Together, we are the world!" The empress was making an offer again, and she presented a whole agreement.Unlike the deception she threw to Flame Emperor, she genuinely wanted to work with Nox this time. "You are a master of talisman. You know I'm not lying to you. I admire you, so do not let me down again. Push me into a corner, and no one comes out happy." The empress stared at Nox.She hoped Nox would understand where she was coming from and change his mind. Nox was in her trap, but all he did was laugh. "Let you down? You amuse
White Tiger was crying. A guy who didn't fear death was kneeling on the deck and crying his heart out. The Southern Sea navy gathered around. This man was a Great General, and they wondered what might have happened to him. Everyone knew it must be serious.Fergus was stunned. "Is Nox in trouble?" Nox used to work with Fergus for a while, and the man saw Nox as his own son. He was the future of Faeast. If a man like him were to die, he couldn't imagine what would happen to Faeast.All the Southern Sea navy units thought highly of Nox. He was their boss and comrade. A blanket of despair spread through the fleet. When that emotion reached its peak, it would turn into fury. Anger filled up the Southern Sea navy."Men, heed my order. Open fire at Celestial Domain and do not hold back!" Fergus ordered recklessly. He wanted to fire the forbidden item at Celestial Domain.When the news got back to Imperia, Douglas almost leaped out of his seat. "Are you mad, Fergus? Do you have any idea wh
The empress laughed. "That was a powerful attack, Greenshade. If we'd fought seventy thousand years ago, you'd have killed me, but I'm far stronger than I was. You have no idea how much I've suffered over the years. My eye power is beyond what you can imagine! I've gone through enough pain, and that's why I can stand at the top!"This is the final hurdle! Now I'll show you the suffering I've endured!" The empress' third eye opened, and the eye power it unleashed was twisting space itself. The whole world was shuddering.Heavy pressure weighed down on Nox, and his astral form trembled. Much to Nineve's shock, the third eye flew out of the empress and hovered high up in the skies, replacing the sun and moon. The eye turned crimson, but it reflected different colors and inversed the world's colors.Living beings were black and white in this world."Shit, that's her ultimate Soulcatcher and the level of power every eye technique user dreams of! The moment the kaleidoscope opens, you ar
Queenie didn't care about the big picture. She would do whatever Nox told her to. Flames burned her again, and the fires of a phoenix covered the mountain, suppressing Flame Emperor once more, stopping his release."You are my clan's emblem, phoenix! Why are you doing Greenshade's bidding?" Flame Emperor was furious. At his core, he was as short-tempered as the empress.The empress saw what was going on, and she mocked, "Seventy thousand years, and you are at the mercy of the new Sovereign! Not even your phoenix listens to you now!"Nox's astral form descended and stood before the empress. The bloodlust he radiated made her shake. "You're killing me? Can you really do that? My life is tied to Celestial Domain. Even if it is destroyed, I will not be harmed, but if I die, Celestial Domain will fall. Kirin and Aphrodite will die as well."One is the smartest mortal I've seen all my life. The other is the only cultivator who managed to merge with a sacred beast completely. My life for
For Nox, she could give up everything, even her life. This pain was nothing. "The man I love is a hero. Someone who can stand tall and proud. But even if he's no lord or Sovereign, I love him all the same. Not even death can douse the fires of my love."The pain heightened to its peak, and the flames were now a tribulation. They flew into Queenie's soul. At the same time, a blinding crimson light shone from Queenie's body. The light came from her chest."What?" The empress was trying to kill Dominic, but she sensed something terrible going on, and she froze. "She's my lost heart? Why? Seventy thousand years, and this is what I get?" She was losing it. Her determination was crumbling.Dominic laughed. "You know why? Because you're trying to take over as Heavenly Dao, and it will fight back, hard. Nothing good will come for you! To cultivate means to do good and stay just. Evil will never triumph, and you will die!" His laughter turned into a cackle.No one saw this coming. Who'd hav
"Worry not, Queenie. As long as the phoenix's heart is not destroyed, she will be reborn in flames. Every time a phoenix is reborn, they will gain greater heights." said Flame Emperor.'Yes, that's the legend of the phoenix.' Queenie was once again in awe of nature's magic. 'So Faeast's legends are true. Phoenixes are immortal!'"So where's the heart?" Queenie quickly asked. If she could find it and help Flame Emperor get out of his prison, he and Nox could kill the empress."Silly girl. It's right here. You are the missing heart."Queenie's mind buzzed, and she froze. 'I am the phoenix's heart? Wait, so who or what am I, really?'"That witch enslaved the phoenix's body, but she could never control her heart. No one can. The legends of a phoenix's immortality are not entirely true. Every time they are reborn, they will have died once. The new phoenix will inherit their predecessor's power, but they cannot represent their predecessor."Just like reincarnation, once someone goes in