'They're all dead?' Melania thought. The fact that her strongest protectors were killed drained all strength from her, and she sank to the ground. Her face was twisted in fear, and she was trembling. Tears were also streaming down her cheeks."Your turn." Nox turned his attention to Melania."Don't kill me. Please don't kill me. If you do, my grandfather will come after you! The southwest's Martial Alliance will hunt you down."In the face of death, Melania finally relented. She was crying and begging for mercy.Yet, Nox said, "I've told you. Even if your grandfather was here, I would still kill you.""No, please. Please don't kill me. I'll do anything!" Melania kneeled before Nox just to survive, but Nox didn't spare her a look.Even though Melania was beautiful and came from a powerful family, she still got on Nox's wrong side. "Time to die." Nox raised his finger and was about to kill her, but when he got near her, Nox felt a familiar chill radiating from her chest.Even his
First, she was the lady of a big family, and second, her fiance was part of the Southkings. She thought Nox was going to violate her because of his request. Her hands still covering her chest, Melania stared at Nox with fear. "W-What do you want to do to me?""Shut it and strip." Nox didn't bother explaining.Melania shut up. Nothing could stop Nox from killing her. She had to survive, so she closed her eyes. With trembling hands, she started unbuttoning her clothes, revealing her pearly skin and voluptuous chest to Nox.Her breasts were tightly wrapped in a pair of black, lacey bras, and her skin had a faint scent to it. She was like a kitten that needed a hug right now.Nox didn't care. He was staring at the black pearl hanging before Melania's chest. The incredible chill he felt earlier was coming from that thing. Nox scanned it with his Divine Sense and recognized that pearl."That's a Phoenix Eye Bodhi Pearl!"Bodhi Pearls were treasures of the religion of Enlightenment. One
Melania thought Nox was after her, but all he did was take away her pearl. Though she had questions, she didn't dare to voice them out.Nox was observing the pearl closely, his eyes gleaming brighter with every passing moment. "It's the real deal." He turned around, staring at Melania. "Where did you get this?""My grandfather gave it to me," Melania answered truthfully."Drago did?""Yes.""How much of this does he have?" Nox continued to ask. One pearl didn't have enough cold energy to compare with a thousand-year-old ice plant. He needed a handful or even more than a dozen for that."This pearl is a family heirloom. My grandfather wears a bracelet made of it. That's all I know," Melania said honestly.The answer made Nox's eyes twinkle. 'This pearl is about the size of my nail. If Drago has a bracelet, then that's about a dozen of them. Drago's pearls have enough cold energy to rival a thousand-year-old ice plant."A small smile played on Nox's lips. "Good. Finally, somethin
When Melania was done covering herself up, she stood next to Nox with her head bowed. The once arrogant lady of the Regals was now Nox's servant."Tell me, where does your family live?" Nox asked."Southtomb," Melania said."Guess that's where I'm going next."…While Nox was hunting down Melania, his friends waited back in the club. A long time later, three silhouettes appeared at the entrance. The man was handsome while the woman was gorgeous, though she looked haggard and was following the man like a servant.They were Nox and Melania, and following them was Copperpeak.Selina and Jebediah noticed them at once. Quickly, they welcomed Nox. "Finally, Nox. And this lady is…" Selina asked curiously when she saw a stranger following Nox.Jebediah and the other ladies were stunned to see Melania, too. They were looking at her curiously."Melania Regal," Nox said.'What? This is Melania?' Selina took a closer look and finally recognized her. "It is her!" she exclaimed. "Why did y
"You're going out? Where?" Queenie quickly asked."Southtomb," Nox responded. Southtomb was the biggest industrialized city in the southwest. It wasn't just a state, but it was also the central hub of the southwest's economy.The fact that Nox was going there made Queenie curious. "That's sudden. Why?""I have some business there," Nox answered briefly. He didn't want Queenie to worry."How long are you going to be there? When are you coming back?" Queenie was reluctant to see him go."It'll be fast, and then I'll come back right away." Nox squeezed Queenie's hand.Queenie would rather Nox stay with her, but she knew he had work to do. "Fine, but come back soon.""I will." Nox pulled Queenie into his embrace. He then told Selina and Jebediah that he would be paying the Regals a visit.When Selina was told that the Regals had a stash of Phoenix Eye Bodhi Pearls, she asked, "Are you sure those pearls have enough cold energy to rival a thousand-year-old ice plant's?""Yes. The p
The only other companion Nox brought was Copperpeak. Southtomb was more than hundreds of miles away, so Nox was going to take the high-speed rail.Selina was going to have a driver take him there, but Nox declined. High-speed rails were faster and more convenient. Nox and his little group made their way to the station.Since Copperpeak had no ID, Nox cast a spell at the checkpoint so Copperpeak could sneak in. He and Melania bought tickets, of course.Being the lady of a rich family, Melania was driven everywhere in luxury cars. This was her first time riding a high-speed rail. Though disgruntled, she didn't complain out of fear.They got the tickets and waited for their ride. Once it was here, Nox and his little team hopped in. They got business class tickets, so their seats were in the front. After they sat down, the train left the station.It would only take about an hour to get to Southtomb. Nox took out the pearl and fiddled with it. Melania stayed silent, stealing occasional
After that, Nox barely talked to Melania at all. It didn't take long for the train to stop at Southtomb. The little group hopped off their ride, standing at the packed entrance of Southtomb's station. Nox stared at the skyscrapers in the distance. "Here at last."Nox swiveled back. "Your family calls the shots here?""Yes," said Melania."Good. Take me to lunch, then," Nox said imperiously.Melania couldn't refuse, or she would die. Humbly, she asked, "What would you like to eat?""Anything's fine."Melania didn't press on with any more questions. She hailed a ride and led Nox to an eatery. This city was her family's base of operations, so she knew it like the back of her hand. Soon, they arrived at Sunshine Restaurant, the most famous eatery in this city.Every rich businessman or politician would pick Sunshine Restaurant for their gatherings or dining events, so that was where Melania took Nox.The building was octagonal and towered like a mountain. Supercars lined up at the
Master Kingsley smiled. "If you say so, Mr. Hobson. I shall lend a hand, then. After all, us Phantomslayers have always been guest officers for the Regals.""Thank you, Master Kingsley."The group came in, and Donald summoned a waiter to get them the best table, all for Master Kingsley.Just as Master Kingsley was glancing around, he spotted Melania. He shivered. "Could that be…"Noticing that, Donald asked, "What is it, Master Kingsley?"Master Kingsley was looking at Melania closely. He muttered, "But that's Ms. Melania. How can she be here?"That did not escape Donald. Excited, he turned around as well.Finally recognizing Melania, Master Kingsley stood up straighter. "It is her!" He walked up to Nox's table quickly. Donald and his group followed closely."Greetings, Ms. Melania. I am Ashton Kingsley, part of the Phantomslayers." Ashton bowed to Melania.Melania wasn't expecting a run-in with a Phantomslayer here. She looked at Nox, but he didn't even look at them, so she s
"He couldn't even kill Nameless, and he only became an Ascendant through the Heavenly Dao's blessing. However, I can already summon the High Heavens' spiritual energy! How will you cut me down now?" With the spiritual energy he summoned, the enemy leader stirred the clouds, and Nox's will-of-the-sword was getting haywire.Nox scoffed. "The Heavenly Dao's blessing? You think he managed that because of a blessing? And you call yourself the leader of the path of the martial. You know nothing.""And why do you say so?" the enemy leader asked solemnly.Nox took a deep breath and stared at the enemy leader. "The heavens gave me glory, and not even I would say I am blessed by the Heavenly Dao. The founder ascended to save Faeast's people. He wanted someone from the High Heavens to kill Nameless. Answer me this: if you don't have enough power, would you challenge the Heavenly Dao for your faction?"Nox challenged, "If you fail an ascension, you will be destroyed, and that includes your sou
"So, your student's here. If he was one moment later, you'd be dead," the black-robed man said, sneering.Achille did not look happy at all. He looked at Nox with chastise in his eyes. Nox was worried about him. If he didn't show up, Achille would die."This is no sparring session, master. This is about the people of the world. If you want to spar with someone, Dominic and Voltaic are your real rivals. If you want to fight them after this, I won't stop you," said Nox.That managed to calm Achille down. He felt ashamed. "Heavens, my mindset was a mess just now. I thought I could face death calmly, but…""Every living being will try their best to survive, you told me that. We only sacrifice ourselves if the outcome is worth it. Now that I'm here, sacrificing yourself is just being stupid," said Nox.Achille sighed, but he was glad that his student could be so understanding about so many things. It was his honor. "Very well, then we shall kill this leader. You're right. This is no sp
Black Tortoise was stunned. 'So, they're serious?'He stared at the enemies and asked coldly, "Is this offer serious? You'd better not be lying to me.""You think we'd lie? We could trample you easily if we wanted to, but your damn lord is on his way back here!" The captains wanted to surrender immediately, or they might actually die.Black Tortoise was a little hesitant. If Nox was on his way back, he'd never give these people a chance to surrender. That could only mean one thing. The battle was inconclusive, but Aphrodite's plan worked. At least the powerhouses were taken down.The ten powerhouses were the path of the martial's true pillars. The enemies were surrendering without any one of them here, however. That could only mean that something had happened to them."Very well, I accept your terms and offer to surrender. But you'll have to tear down your defenses while the sacred beasts set up a formation," said Black Tortoise.The captains hesitated, but the powerhouses urged
The five powerhouses were persuading and threatening the captain to surrender, but if they did, how would they handle the faction leader's wrath? Left with no choice, they had to tell the captains that the faction leader was dead, and Nox killed him. They had to ask for Aphrodite's help to keep the faction safe."We're surrendering to protect our faction. We need to live if we want revenge. Dying now will mean nothing. Nox will return to Faeast soon, and he will join the fray before you know it. Not even the faction leader is a match for him. You can never even touch him no matter what you do."The captains finally accepted the orders. They would feign a surrender and save whatever power they had left. Jacques was furious."You're surrendering? This is a scam! What if the faction leader isn't dead? What would you do? You'd be traitors! Don't fall for her tricks!"If Nox was really that powerful, the guy who would be commanding their forces here would be Kirin. They were asking the
"Make your choice, or once the battle starts, this opportunity won't come again," Aphrodite urged. They were hesitating, and she gave them an ultimatum. She counted down from three."Three, two, one…"The five stopped hesitating. They'd come in contact with Aphrodite before. She was not the kind of woman who would accept any pleas after she took back her offer. They presented their souls and signed a contract with Aphrodite.Aphrodite smiled evilly. 'They think they can get a new body just because they changed sides? It's not that easy.'Nox had the power to recreate bodies, but the price was dear. When he did it for her last time, it set up a blockade for him on his path to power, or he would've been more than just a One-ring Minor Saint.The five noticed something wrong once the contract was signed, but it was too late for regrets. Aphrodite said coldly, "I want you to tell your faction's men to surrender. Anyone who's preparing to fight or already fighting on the borders, I don
The remaining enemies pulled back their aura and decided to wait and see what would happen. Aphrodite appeared in the formation a while later. Even though she betrayed Nox and killed a lot of Faeast's people, she still gained Nox's trust and took an important position for herself. The enemies did not look happy at all."I have a feeling your family had this all planned out. You played both sides, and no matter who wins, your family benefits," the strongest of the enemy said darkly.Jacques worked for the path of the martial, while Aphrodite returned to Nox. No matter who won the final battle, the Mousses would lose nothing."Whatever you say. You do not have the privilege to play both sides. Nox is on his way to fight your leader. Once the outcome is settled, your choice doesn't matter. Even if your leader wins, even if Nox dies, you can't survive. You have two choices. Self-destruct and end your path of cultivation, or give your soul and atone for your sins like me," said Aphrodite
Dominic was the world's top swordsman. He wouldn't let a young guy like Kirin look down on him. Kirin only laughed. "World's top swordsman? Come on, old man. Don't push yourself. You're the second best now.""You bastard! He only got to me because I was distracted. I'll show you why I'm the best! Come, Heaven's Fountain!" Dominic's sword flew into the air and summoned a heavenly fountain from the skies. The water spilled and turned into a structure a thousand feet tall.Heaven's Fountain was at the heart of this sword domain. Within the domain, Dominic could teleport, and he could go anywhere inside the domain. He was handling all nine enemies easily. They couldn't even stop him, and soon, Dominic's sword was dicing them up."Perfect!" Kirin grinned and dispelled his avatar. He melted into the shadows and cut off the enemies like a blade of darkness. Kirin was a very genuine fighter. He might be obsessed with combat, but he didn't much care about honor or fairness. There was only on
He held up two fingers, and one sword split into ten thousand. He swung his fingers, and the sea of swords sliced through all the escaping enemies. The enemies' leaders were shocked and furious. They couldn't believe Nox was this powerful. They thought Nox was only on par with Kirin, but no. He was stronger.And they hated him for destroying the path of the martial's foundation. They spent so much time and resources raising these elites, but Nox and Kirin killed them all in the blink of an eye. Even if they could escape unscathed, their faction was already chipped away. Not even a thousand years was enough to heal up.Worse, Nox wasn't going to let them escape unscathed. "The God of Murder, the pinnacle of the path of the ancient divine, and the world's strongest swordsman. They're working together. We might not get out of this alive."The enemies knew Nox and his team wouldn't let them escape, and they gave up on retreating. If they did, none of them could escape. They had to work
The voice rumbled the mountains themselves. Kirin, in his sacred beast form, descended upon the path of the sword. He was the size of a hill, and he crashed into Edgegrounds. However, not only did he not destroy the place, but his Saint energy's timely infusion replenished the formation's power.Dos felt energy coursing through his veins, and a wave of incredible will-of-the-sword spread everywhere. It swept through everything in a few miles, and tens of thousands of enemies were culled.No one in Faeast knew Kirin, but Mystia's people knew he was a madman. A killer. A butcher. And he was the God of Murder's follower. If he was here, Nox wasn't far behind.Nox was nearby, and the swordsmen's morale rose at a blistering speed once the news hit them. The path of the martial's people, however, felt their hearts stopping. They lost tens of thousands of elites at once, and their morale had never been lower."Finally. If you had come one moment later, we'd be gone," Dos roared, crawling