When Queenie woke up the next morning, she found her room to be freezing. "It's just October. What's with the cold snap?" She flinched a little and got out of bed.The sun was glaring overhead, but for some reason, she found a layer of frost sticking to her window. "The weather's certainly going haywire," Queenie muttered, though she was unperturbed.She approached Nox's room and knocked on his door, but no one took it. A smile curled her lips. "He's sleeping well." She decided to leave Nox alone.Queenie freshened herself up and got changed. Her parents, Hogs, and Jezebiah were in the great hall, waiting for her. When she showed up, George quickly approached her."Finally awake. We've been waiting.""You could've slept in." Queenie entered the great hall."Did you forget? It's your first day taking over the company. We're taking you there to check things out."Queenie grunted."It's getting late. We should move out now," suggested George.Queenie wanted to bring Nox along, bu
"Calm down, Dad. She wants to manage the company? Fine, let's see how she rolls. Don't forget, the company's filled with our men." Jezebiah snickered.Hogs said, "True. She thinks she can steal what is rightfully ours. Never. Son, make some calls and tell them…"Hogs whispered something to Jezebiah, and Jezebiah smiled darkly. "No problem, Dad. Just sit back and enjoy the show." Jezebiah made his way to a quiet corner and started making calls.…While Queenie and her family were on their way to the company, Nox was still in his room, quietly cultivating. A long while later, his eyes snapped open.The slivers of inner energy swirling around him swam into his body. He stretched his arms and leaped off the ground. Nox came out of his room and was met with a blinding ray of sunlight.He wanted to see Queenie, but her bedroom was empty. Nox asked the servants about Queenie's whereabouts. He was told she and her family had gone to Sanders Pharmaceuticals.Nox smiled. "Good. She can fi
These mementos struck a chord with Nox. "Sir?" he called out quietly, but the old man gave no response.Nox checked his pulse. He ruminated, 'Very low frequency of heartbeat, barely any breathing, and his kidneys are close to failing.'But that was not the most important reason for the old man's condition. The real reason was a tumor in his belly. It was no ordinary tumor either, no. Instead, it was a ball of energy.Nox was experienced enough to know that it was inner energy the moment he touched the ball. However, the ball of energy hadn't made its way to the old man's elixir field. Instead, it was stopped and stored in his belly.Unable to be processed, the ball of energy dragged the old man into a weird illness."I see. He must've gotten himself into this because of an accident during training." Nox looked at the old man again. "You're lucky you met me. Since you've served the military your whole life, I shall save you."Nox extended his arm and held the ball of energy down.
Henry looked at his uniform. In surprise, he asked, "Are you a soldier as well?"Nox smiled, but he said nothing."Still, thank you for what you did. I will do what I can to repay this debt," said Henry with respect."You only healed so fast because it wasn't an illness you were down with.""Are you sure?" Henry now had questions."Yes," said Nox. He asked, "You only started feeling ill after your training, didn't you?""How did you know?" Henry was petrified.Nox answered, "Your training went awry, and the circuit of your inner energy went haywire. The inner energy got stuck in your stomach. All I did was smooth out the energy that's been trapped in your belly for years."Henry was at a loss for words. "You're a miracle, sir. Yes, I did get ill after my training. Forty years ago, when the war was still raging, I found an incomplete fist technique manual among the bodies of fallen soldiers."He continued, "After I retired from the military, I started practicing. Everything was
At the same time Nox was healing Henry, Queenie and her family were on their way to Sanders Pharmaceuticals. The factory was on the outskirts.Queenie and her family were in two cars. The one in front housed Queenie and her parents, while the one in the back housed Hogs and Jezebiah.George pointed at the road leading to the factory on the clearing ahead. "We're here, Queenie. And good thing Queenie's the company's owner now. If Dad finds out that Empire Corp bought out the company, he's going to have a heart attack."Yvette said, "What are you talking about? Henry's been in a coma for nearly a year. He can't even get angry at anything.""True." The thought of his wizened father made George sigh.A moment later, they arrived at the factory. The first thing they saw was over a hundred workers huddled in the factory.When Queenie came out of the car, someone shouted, "They're here! Surround them!"The workers quickly surrounded Queenie and her parents. The sudden confrontation sho
"You're the one who owes them, not me. The company belongs to your daughter now, remember?" Hogs answered.George thought he would blow up in fury. He couldn't believe his own brother would do this to him, but he couldn't argue. Queenie was the one who owned the place now, and Henry was still in a coma. He couldn't pay the workers."Give us our money!""Pay us, or you're not leaving!"The workers shouted and screamed again. They closed in on Queenie and her family, weapons at the ready. Hogs and Jezebiah smiled darkly.Just when things were about to get out of control, Queenie stepped forth. "I'll pay you guys."All the workers laid eyes on her. Queenie's parents were flummoxed.They thought, 'You're paying them? With what money? We owe them nearly a million. Collectively.'"You're paying? Fine, then show us the money." One of the worker's leaders stepped ahead. The man's name was Hudson Swines. He was a distant relative of Hogs' wife.When Hogs was the boss of Sanders Pharmac
The reignited wrath of the workers prompted Queenie to take more action. "If you don't believe me, I can swing by the bank and withdraw some money."Hudson sneered. "You're going to withdraw some money? Why should we trust you? What if you run away?"Angrily, Queenie said, "Then, you guys can come with me.""We're not going. We want cash, and we want it right now. Pay us, or you're not leaving," said Hudson, and he riled up the workers. "Listen up, people. We can't let them run away this time!"The workers were convinced, and things got out of control again.Queenie's parents were scared by the sight of this chaos. If they pushed the workers to the brink, they knew these people would stop at nothing to get what they wanted.George had to step in. "Honey, you need to call the family. We need to take whatever cash we have. And call all our friends. We'll have to take a few loans."Yvette was tearing up, but she quickly made the calls. Queenie, on the other hand, was blowing up wit
"Take me to Queenie right now."The servant paused for a moment. "But Master George told me to raise the funds. If they can't pay the workers today, something bad is going to happen.""Don't worry about the money. Just take me to Queenie, and I'll handle it," Nox said.The servant was hesitant. After all, she didn't know Nox. She didn't think she could trust him so easily.In the end, Henry had to step in. "What are you waiting for? Take Queenie's husband and go."The servant shivered and looked at Nox again. "Yes, of course, sir.""I leave Queenie to you, lad. Take her home in one piece," Henry told Nox.A smile curled Nox's lips. "Of course, Henry. I'll bring her home safely." He then left the house quickly and hopped into the car.The servant was driving. On the way there, Nox borrowed a phone from her and called Alexander. "Alex, do you still have the cash I told you to bring along last time?"Alexander was in his office. "Yes, milord. I still have it.""Good. I need some
Nox activated his eyes.From behind the screen came two muffled groans. The next moment, the screen shattered into splinters, revealing two Sacred Realm cultivators staggering backward under the relentless assault of Nox's powers.The pair wore golden robes adorned with intricate ancient runes, their long hair cascading over their traditional attire. Their garb unmistakably marked them as followers of the path of the ancient divine.Behind them, a woman sat poised and composed, sipping tea with an air of unbothered grace as Nox watched. Her crimson lips parted slightly as she set the teacup down, her breathtakingly beautiful face touched with an edge of sharp intensity. "Lord Nox, it's been a while," she said coolly.Nox's pupils contracted, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. He murmured under his breath, "What is she doing here? As far as I know, the Greenshade family hasn't crossed her path."The woman's keen hearing caught his muttering, and her expression darkened inst
Nox stepped into the Greenshade estate alone.As soon as he entered the courtyard, he spotted Atlas, the Defender Lord of the North, kneeling in the middle of the yard.The sight of him kneeling was unsettling. His face twisted in rage, his body trembling, though it was hard to tell if it was from anger or exhaustion.Nox glanced at Atlas briefly, ignoring him completely as he walked past him without a second thought."Huh? Hey! Nox! Don't you care about me at all? I've been kneeling here all night!" Atlas called out, desperate for attention.Nox smirked, clearly amused. "You're hilarious. It's not like I told you to kneel here.""What? Can you at least show some conscience? I heard your family was in trouble, so I brought the Forbidden Army here right away!" Atlas huffed, his cheeks puffed out in frustration.When Nox continued walking without responding, Atlas's face twitched in embarrassment, almost as though he might burst into tears.Just then, Nox flicked his hand, dispel
Nox unleashed his divine sense, scanning the entire perimeter of Imperia. The same scene repeated itself everywhere: borders littered with unconscious civilians, numerous car crashes, and many more trapped victims in desperate need of help."It looks like we need to break this damned formation first. Ugh, what a pain. And of course, we've got to locate the core before we can dismantle it," he muttered in frustration.The Soul Maze Formation was powerful—so much so that only those in the Legend Realm could traverse it unscathed. Imperia didn't boast many cultivators at that level, and those few were already occupied along the borders, rescuing civilians.Nox focused his Divine Sense and quickly pinpointed the core of the formation within minutes."There's a Sacred Realm guardian from the path of the ancient divine stationed at the core," Nox said telepathically to Cassian. "Grandpa, you and Kirin should head there. But don't rush—leave the rest to me."Nox's caution was clear—he di
Aphrodite maintained her usual stoic demeanor, but behind the scenes, she said to White Tiger telepathically, "Being enslaved by Nox's soul technique? That's quite the excuse. Surely, you know I'm naturally immune to soul techniques?"White Tiger scoffed and shot back telepathically, "They'd have chopped you into pieces by now if I hadn't done some fast talking! Do me a favor and behave yourself for once, or I'll handle you personally before they could even get the chance."Despite his grumbling, White Tiger couldn't help but feel a mix of envy and frustration over Aphrodite's extraordinary immunity. It was said that if someone's mind was honed to an unparalleled level, they could naturally resist soul techniques. Aphrodite had truly reached such a pinnacle of intellect.Aphrodite assumed command of the Nox Army as Nox's soul technique had seemingly bound her to him. She immediately ordered them and the nearby forces to retreat, leaving only the Sword Sect of Magic Mountain behind
Kirin and White Tiger had already entered Nox's room, only to freeze at the sight of his stormy expression. Trouble was clearly brewing."Milord, what happened?" White Tiger asked cautiously, lowering his head as if trying to shrink out of sight.Could this be about them swindling Aphrodite? But they had lost everything all night long—wasn't that punishment enough?Nox announced, "Imperia has gone dark. I can't reach Azure Dragon or the others. White Tiger, contact the military zone immediately and arrange for a military aircraft. I need to leave for Imperia right now!"White Tiger instantly tensed at the news. Imperia suddenly going dark, combined with Cassian's imminent return to reunite with Penelope, felt too coincidental. Could someone be targeting the Greenshade family?"Damn those scoundrels! Understood, milord. I'll get everything ready!"He rushed off to make the arrangements.Meanwhile, Aphrodite's telepathic voice reached Nox. "Stay calm. It's not as dire as it seems.
Nox felt choked by the sheer emotion he was feeling. Sometimes, even a thousand promises couldn't compare to the simple vow of staying together in life and death."Don't worry. There's no one in this world capable of killing me," he reassured her with a smile. All the talk about ruling the Nine States and Five Domains or becoming the emperor of the world paled in comparison to having the one he loved by his side.The destroyer ship made its way back to Faeast's inner harbor. Nineve eagerly led the group to the largest shopping mall in the area as soon as they disembarked.The marines quickly found themselves acting as her personal attendants, lugging bags upon bags of purchases. The spree lasted the entire day, only stopping when the mall finally closed for the night.Later that evening, Nox was watching a live news broadcast in the hotel.The screen showed an official spokesperson from Faeast addressing the issue of piracy on the high seas. The statement carefully emphasized the
As the Temple Lord of the Beast Temple, Kirin was none other than the auspicious beast Kirin itself.On the other hand, Mufasa, while known as the temple's guardian, was, in cruder terms, little more than a servant to the golden lion. His master, the golden lion, paled in comparison to the Kirin in both cultivation level and bloodline.Simply put, if the golden lion were present, it would have to kneel before Kirin."What now? Why'd you drag me out? Couldn't you deal with it yourself? You're so annoying! I was just having a great chat with my students," Kirin grumbled, clearly irritated.However, he immediately shut his gob after receiving a hard whack on the head from Nox."I called you out to ask if you could gather the beasts of the Beast Temple. Tell them to withdraw from Mystia and return to Faeast for the time being. I foresee a war with the path of the martial brewing soon, and I'll need a fully armed force of sacred beasts," Nox said, his piercing gaze fixed on Kirin."Ca
Faeast's rise was inevitable. This belief was absolute and unshakable!At that moment, Aphrodite came to a realization that so long as she and Nox had no romantic ties, their hearts could truly be in sync.Love brought complications such as resentment and division. But without personal emotions clouding their judgment, everything they did would be for the nation alone. Take this moment, for example. The intricate trap she had laid was no longer just a scheme. Rather, it had become a necessary move to safeguard Faeast. By nightfall, the destroyer arrived at the island where Voltaic resided. Before the ship even came to a stop, Voltaic stepped onto the water, striding across the waves with Mufasa by his side. With effortless grace, he leaped onto the bow, landing before Nox on the deck. "You old bastard, what's your deal? When I tried reaching out before, you acted like you were deaf. Now that I've shown up, you're all smiles and warm welcomes? What's that supposed to mean?" No
Just then, several pirate ships appeared on the horizon. They were from Capwave Island. Now, Nox had every reason to suspect that these pirates were nothing more than pawns, a smokescreen used by the elites of the island nations to cover their tracks. "Milord, those guys have their eyes on us. What's the call?" the captain asked. "My rule is simple. If they make a move, fire. Wipe them out. But you're the captain, so I'll leave the decision to you," Nox said. The university students onboard were all fired up, ready to take action without a second thought. The captain, mindful of the number of civilians on board, decided to attempt communication first. He picked up the radio to send a warning to the pirates.The deafening roar of jet engines ripped through the sky. A sudden transmission cut into their frequency. The voice on the radio was firm and unmistakable. "This is the Faeast Air Force. We have orders to escort your vessel. Stand by." Above them, fighter jets h