A giant was standing at the entrance to the great hall of the dilapidated manor, silent as a rock. It was Copperpeak. A long while later, a pair of silhouettes appeared in the great hall. Bear and Augustus.Curious about Copperpeak, Bear asked, "Where'd this guy come from?" He had never seen Copperpeak before.Augustus looked at Copperpeak coldly, but he said nothing.Bear approached the corpse titan and asked, "Hey, who are you, big guy? Where'd you come from?"Copperpeak was looking ahead, not even sparing Bear a glance. Even when a fly landed on its eyeball, it didn't move.Bear saw that, and he was confused. "I'm talking to you, big guy. Are you playing dumb?"Copperpeak was still silent."You better talk, or I'm hitting you!" Bear raised his fists, trying to scare Copperpeak."You idiot. Scare it all you want, but it won't talk to you," Augustus blurted."Why?" Bear asked curiously."Because it's not human," said Augustus."What?" Bear gasped."You fool. You should've
His voice was shaking.Nox slowly opened his eyes, and he smiled at Augustus. "Been a while, little one. Missed me?""Yes!" Augustus rushed up to Nox and hugged him tightly. Tears streamed down his cheeks. No one knew that the young marquis was also a sworn brother of Nox.Nox hugged the lad tightly as well, smiling. "It's been a year. You're taller now."The crying Augustus nodded."Alright, stop crying." Nox patted his shoulder. "You're the first young marquis of Faeast. What would people think if they saw you?"Hearing that, Augustus stopped crying, but his voice was still cracked. He looked at Nox. "So, you're still alive? But why did everyone say you're dead?""I'll tell you later. Just know that no one can kill me," said Nox proudly.Augustus nodded."Told you I wasn't lying, you little monster. See, he's healthy. And better looking than usual," Bear said.Augustus didn't roll his eyes this time, and he nodded. They were finally reunited again. Augustus was Nox's sworn
Bear asked, "Now that we have the thing, can we leave?"Nox blurted, "Calm down. I have one more thing to settle.""What is it?" Bear asked curiously."I heard Melania's going to be married off to the Southkings. Is this true, little one?" Nox turned to face Augustus."I've looked into it, but she's not marrying into the main family, just to a member of the branch family. Arthur, they call him."Nox smiled. "I see. And they tried to use your family to threaten me."Murder filled Augustus' eyes. "Say the word, and I'll slaughter them all."Nox waved him down. "It's quite alright. I just want to see their faces when they find out they're going to marry their daughter off to a weakling." A smirk curled his lips.For eight hundred years, the Regals had ruled the southwest, and they wanted to grow more powerful. Because of that, Drago used his connections to hook Melania up with the Southkings.If this marriage went through, they could grow even more powerful. They even wanted to u
An elder gushed, "That's the Southkings! They're here!"Everyone looked outside as if their savior had arrived. "Quick. We need to greet them!" They ran out like dogs welcoming their master.A dozen silhouettes stood at the entrance. The one in the lead was a sallow man with sunken eyes. He had obviously overindulged in his lust. Beside him was a group of powerful disciples from the Southkings.One was an old man with a pockmarked face. The air around him was thick with magick. He certainly looked like a powerful man."Mr. Arthur, this is the family of your fiancee?" The pockmarked man looked at the plaque above.On a closer inspection, the sallow man was not only unhealthy; he was lame. A smile curled his lips. "Yes, Mr. Zanther.""I've heard of their rulership here in the southwest, and their patriarch is number seven on the Heavenly Ranking. If you can take his granddaughter's hand in marriage, you will become part of the main family, I expect," said the pockmarked man."I'll
"Even your patriarch died?" Arthur asked, shocked."Yes," Joshua answered, tears rolling down his cheeks."His body is in the great hall as we speak." A Regal elder wiped the tears away, his voice cracking."Mr. Southking, you must help us.""Mr. Southking, please avenge us!"The Regals started groveling. Arthur looked solemn. He thought the Regals called him to discuss matters regarding the marriage, but now he was tasked with their revenge. Although he was reluctant to dirty his hands, Arthur had to rely on the Regals for his future."Of course. Leave this to me. I would like to see my fiancee. Where is she?"Joshua quickly answered, "She's in the great hall.""She's not touched, I presume?" Arthur asked again."No, but Greenshade made her his servant for a while.""What? He made my woman his servant?" Arthur roared. "Is she still pure, then?"Joshua was stunned for a moment, then he said, "Worry not. She's still pure."Arthur looked stormy. Obviously, he didn't believe a
Arthur sneered. "Do you think I'm a fool? You're a beauty, and you have a perfect body. Any man would want to rail you. I bet that Greenshade bastard had the same idea."Melania felt insulted as she gnashed her teeth. "Shut it, Arthur! You do not get to question my integrity!"A dark smile twisted Arthur's lips. "I'm your fiance. Of course, I get to question you.""If that's the case, then let's cancel the engagement. I will not let this insult slide!" Melania was furious now. She never wanted to marry Arthur in the first place. Now that he had insulted her integrity, she wouldn't stand to be tied to this person any longer than necessary."You're going to cancel our engagement over a bastard, Melania?" Arthur's face was contorted with rage.Melania said nothing. She had made up her mind to annul the engagement. Her silence made Arthur fume, his face turning an ugly shade of magenta."Damn you, Melania. Let's see if you can still take that tone with me after I kill that bastard!"
Nox ignored Mr. Zanther entirely. Instead, he kept going on, "Melania, a word of advice. Annul the engagement. This piece of shit isn't worth it. He doesn't deserve his family's name."Melania probably didn't understand. Nonetheless, she kept her silence even if she did understand his hint."You insolent child!" Mr. Zanther wouldn't stand for this. He stepped ahead again, the magick around him tearing into the air as his eyes bore into Nox's soul."You're insulting the Southkings. No one does that and gets out alive."Bear stepped ahead, taking the challenge. "Hey, the lord is talking, you barmy old codger. One more word and I'll slit your throat wide open!"Mr. Zanther's fury took over his mind. "Damn you!" he roared, charging at Bear with his palm open.Bear didn't even move. Rather, he stood there with a slight smile on his face. However, he suddenly spoke before the palm could hit him, "What the fuck are you waiting for, you little monster?"A white silhouette flickered and
The real pride and joy was the young man who stood with Nox. The air around him was filled with bloodlust, and he had the aura of a powerful swordsman.Bear guffawed and mocked the kneeling entourage, "That's what you get for showing off, you old git. And you, limpy! You call yourself Southkings? Well, come on. Don't let us stop you!"Arthur and Mr. Zanther felt their strength leaving them. They continued groveling. "Please, I'm sorry. I had no idea you were here, Master Augustus. Please, spare me!""You want him to spare you? Who do you think you are?" Bear retorted. "Tell these idiots who's the real pride and joy of the Southkings, you little monster!"Augustus wasn't as much of a braggart as Bear. So, he merely stood in silence."Listen up, Regal idiots! This whole marriage is a farce! This man is nothing but a piece of trash, get it? He doesn't get to call himself a part of the Southkings! He's just a branch family trash! No, that's insulting to trash! This little monster here
Nox patiently watched the fight. His analysis was about the same as Aphrodite's. It would be difficult for Cassian to defeat Zeller.Still, Nox thought that Cassian would likely end the fight with a minor defeat as the power gap would never be too great.As Nox thought that, Cassian struck once more in a move aimed to kill. If Zeller were struck, he would be dead."You're quite strong, Cassian. Still, it's useless. I am certainly no match for you, but even if I can't defeat you, it doesn't mean it can't!"At the very last moment, Zeller pulled out an item that emanated enough energy within a few minutes to rival a cultivator at Saint Realm."That is a sacred artifact. Amazing. He does have great treasures," Nox remarked with narrowed eyes.Zeller was just an average cultivator. That was why he was still stuck at the cusp of Saint Realm. It was still a question if he could be a saint in the future. However, things were different with the aid of a sacred artifact.With the help of
"Haha! Do you think I'm powerless because you took away control of the ghosts?"Cassian Greenshade, your family has protected Faeast for millennia. You have stood in our way for the same amount of time! If not for your family, the Celestial Ordinance's Abode would already be ruling its own country!"Protecting Faeast? What hypocrites!"Nox is now the Human Sovereign, the future ruler of Faeast! He might even be crowned a Monarch! Your family is the new royal family!"How is that any different from what we want? You just want a country that belongs to your family."We are essentially the same. Stop criticizing us. It's like the pot calling the kettle black!" Zeller mockingly spat out. In their eyes, Nox could not be crowned the emperor of Faeast. Nox did not refute that claim as there was no way to talk sense into these people. With different motives and perspectives, nothing he said would get through to them. Cassian flew into a fit of rage. "You scoundrel! You refuse to fee
"Hahaha! I was wondering who this great cultivator was. You were someone I once defeated!"You can't win against me, so you ran all the way here to be a lord?" Cassian smirked. It was clear the two knew each other. He then turned to Nox. "This old priest is the founder of Celestial Ordinance's Abode in Faeast, Nox. I chased him off not long ago, and when I found out he was a powerful figure in Manesia, I journeyed there to defeat him once more. Unfortunately, he's a very slippery man. I've gone after him several times, yet I could never get rid of him. Later on, there was no more news, so I thought he died of old age. I didn't expect him to be hiding here." Meanwhile, Cassian used his Divine Sense to get a feel for the other's cultivation level. "Old git, you've grown stronger by quite a lot. Still, you're just on the cusp of Saint Realm. You aren't even at half Saint, yet you dare to confront us?"With Cassian's four-ring Minor Saint strength, it would only take seconds for Cas
They waited and waited, but there was no movement. "Nox, it looks like Master Zeller doesn't plan to come out. Since he's so rude, I'll force him out!"Cassian began to set Saint power ablaze. With the energy precisely aimed at the hidden talisman hiding in the fortress, he burned the talisman. The ghosts imprisoned within the fortress came pouring out. Millions of ghosts appeared. It was an exceedingly rare sight. The number of ghosts was enough to instantly overwhelm a cultivator at Pinnacle Realm. If it were just Aphrodite, Queenie, and Nineve, they would not have been able to control that many souls. Cassian wanted to help out, but he was too powerful. He would kill the ghosts, and that was not the effect he wanted. "Leave it to me, Grandpa."Nox stepped forward. In an instant, the aura of a Human Sovereign surged from him, welcoming a righteous and natural energy. The agitated ghosts swiftly calmed down. "Everyone, I am Lord Nox of Faeast. Today, I will ensure ju
In some ways, Cassian's fame far surpassed Nox's. Nox was tasked with stabilizing the nation. While even distant countries beyond Faeast’s borders had heard of him, their knowledge was limited to a few of his victories. Cassian, on the other hand, gained his fame through bloodshed. He roamed the world, leaving chaos in his wake across numerous nations. Even now, the mere mention of his name struck fear into many. For example, Cassian was the one to depose Spiajan's king, along with the entire royal family. Once the king was killed, Spiajan no longer had a monarchy. When the middle-aged man learned that the old git who had split his body into half was none other than Cassian, the man who had slaughtered through his country, he fell silent, gripped by fear. "Speak! Keep boasting. Why are you all silent now? What happened to the threats?" Cassian loftily stared at the group of elites. In his eyes, they were just trash. "Whether you're Cassian Greenshade or Lord Nox, you can't ju
The elites were all panic-stricken, and they immediately ordered their bodyguards to come forward to protect them.Accepting their fates, hundreds of bodyguards rushed forward, took out their submachine guns, aimed them at Nox and his group, and pulled the triggers.Gunshots were being fired wildly. However, Cassian blocked all the bullets off with his bronze-red fiery momentum.Presently, Cassian's hair had turned bronze-red, and the muscles all over his body were pumped.Upon witnessing this sight before their very eyes, the elites all thought that Cassian resembled a real Super Saiyan who emerged straight out of an animated series."Die!"As Cassian pressed his palm down, an unparalleled force descended from the sky. Instantly, hundreds of bodyguards were all crushed into a pulp. As a matter of fact, the momentum flattened their bodies even more than it did if a car ran over them.The elites gasped in shock. In their mind, they couldn't help but wonder if Cassian was actually
"That's right! We must severely punish these traitors once Master Zeller kills this group of Faeastians!" a group of elites cursed in unison. As they spoke, a near-rabid desire surfaced in their scarlet eyes.Up to this very moment, they were still thinking of eliminating the insiders. After all, only after getting rid of the insiders could they easily conduct restructuring and divide their shares of power again.Presently, politicians from the neighboring nations also informed everyone that their country's fleet was on their way and would arrive shortly to provide assistance."Damn these Faeastians! We can't spare them like this! Let's kill them and refine violent energy using their spirits!""Agree! These guys are so powerful, so refining violent energy with their souls definitely will be a great supplement for us!"Once again, one by one, the eyes of these elites turned rapacious as they gazed at the gradually approaching group of people like a group of hungry hyenas staring at
The group crossed the battlefield and arrived at a resort built on the island. Everywhere they looked, luxury cars filled the place, and grand mansions lined the area.At the center of these private residences stood their target. The air was thick with violent energy, and dark clouds loomed ominously above. The moment Cassian arrived, he could sense the presence of vengeful spirits."There were many innocent lives that died here," Cassian said to Nox. "That's strange. Why didn't that cultivator cleanse this place when he had such huge power?"Nox thought for a moment before replying, "Perhaps leaving these vengeful spirits here is part of their plan too."Cassian took in a sharp breath as he realized what Nox was implying."If my guess is correct, this person is deliberately feeding the spirits to sustain the elites. While it may grant them eternal youth and extend their lifespans, the cost is that they will become inhumane. What a cruel method. He enslaved the elites, allowing hi
As Nox and Cassian exchanged glances, they both got the same idea."It looks like that mastermind is an evil cultivator.""There are many sinister cultivation techniques that can grant ordinary people eternal youth, immortality, or even cultivation. However, such things are not obtained out of thin air. They are stolen from the others. During the internal turmoil in Faeast, evil cultivators were everywhere. It took me, Sariel, and Magic Mountain a huge effort to get rid of most of them. When they were unable to find a foothold in Faeast, they fled to Southsea."Nox added, "Even so, they continued to target Faeast, wreaking havoc along the coastal regions. The situation grew so dire that His Majesty had to personally deal with them. After I took over, I utilized Vermilion Bird's intelligence network to eliminate almost all of the evil cultivators. It seems that the surviving ones have fled even further to cause trouble."Faeast was a righteous country, so there was no room for evil