Morning came. Queenie came down, all dressed up in professional attire. The black suit showed off her waist perfectly, and a pair of black stockings encased her legs. She looked just like a perfect modern lady."I'm going to work, Nono. Stay home, okay?" Queenie drove to the company, leaving Nox alone at home.Nox saw her off and was about to return to his room, but someone sneered. Nox turned around to see George glaring at him."Just because Dad likes you doesn't mean you can stay in this household all you want. As long as I'm here, I'm not going to let this happen. And my daughter is too good for you. I'd leave if I were you. You're nothing but an embarrassment."Nox didn't even bother. He left for his room."Hey, I'm talking to you! Are you deaf? Hey!" George finally realized Nox was ignoring him, and he almost went berserk with rage.Yvette came out. "What's wrong, George?"George stomped his foot. "I can't believe this!""Who got on your nerves?" Yvette was confused."Wh
A truck trudged down the road and came to a stop before the Sanders Residence. A whole stash of Carola roses was tucked in the container. A group of workers leaped off the truck.George and Yvette came out. They saw the truck and the whole stash of beautiful roses, but they wondered what was up."What are you guys doing?" George asked one of the truckers.The trucker answered, "Hey, we have a flower delivery here.""A flower delivery?""Yeah. We bought the whole city's supply of Carola roses this morning for Miss Queenie Sanders. Is she in?"'What? These are for Queenie?' Yvette and George were stupefied. They couldn't believe these people bought the whole city's supply of Carola just for Queenie."You bought the whole city's roses for my daughter? Who sent you?" Yvette asked in shock.One of the truckers answered, "The Empire Corp. Wait, you don't know?"The answer petrified George and Yvette for a moment, and then they started to buzz with excitement. "The Empire Corp again!
Nox was reminded of Draco. That man had once stood before a mountain of corpses, and yet he still charged ahead with no questions asked. Draco was one of his best friends and his fiercest general.In the Battle of the Ten Nations, Nox dispatched Draco to the western battlefront. As a result, Draco wasn't around when Nox fell in battle.Since his friend was coming to the event anyway, Nox answered, "If Draco is coming, then I can make some time for the event.""Of course. Someone will pick you up on the day of the ball."Nox hung up after that and looked at the overcast sky. He blinked.Queenie's parents led the truckers inside."Slow down. Place the roses here." George was leading the way. "Be careful. That's my daughter's favorite rose. Slow down."And then something struck him. "Hey, wait a minute. How'd your boss even know Queenie loves Carola?"The truckers had no answer for that, so they shook their heads. Nox showed up, and his appearance angered George."Hey, Nox, look
Queenie's parents approached her quickly. "Queenie, you're back."Queenie pointed at the sea of flowers in surprise. "What's with these roses?"With a smile, George said, "Alexander bought these for you.""The same Alexander from Empire Corp?" Queenie was speechless.Yvette chimed in, "Yeah. He's really nice, don't you think?"Queenie did not look happy at all. Instead, she was flabbergasted. She thought, 'Empire Corp bought a sea of roses for me? Why? Are they mad?'Curious, she asked, "But why did Alexander get me so many roses?"George answered with a question, "You still can't see why?""You mean you can?" Queenie asked back."Yes. Because he likes you."Shocked, Queenie spewed and sputtered. "That has to be some sort of joke. I don't even know what the guy looks like, and you're telling me he likes me?"George was grinning. "Just because you haven't seen him doesn't mean he hasn't seen you before. Besides, you know full well why a man would buy roses for a lady."Queen
Queenie stepped away."Hold it right there, girl! You think just because you're the head of this family now, I can't keep you in check? I'll never let you marry that bastard as long as I'm alive!"George was screaming like a madman, but Queenie ignored him. She went back to her room only to see another sea of roses, and her face fell. She loved Carolas, but this was still something someone else gave her.She told the servants to take down all the roses and move them out. The servants couldn't believe their ears. "Miss Queenie, are you sure we're discarding all of them?""Yes, all of them. I don't want them," Queenie answered.The servants had a lot of questions, but they kept their mouths shut and moved the roses out.Nox came in. When he saw the servants moving the roses out of Queenie's room, he frowned. Into the room he went, and Queenie saw him."Just in time, Nono." She approached Nox. "Help me toss these roses away.""Why?" Nox was speechless."There is no why. I just do
Queenie locked herself in the study and searched up everything she could about Empire Corp and Alexander. A while later, she saw the information about that company and its owner.She stared at Alexander's photo and huffed angrily. "Holy smokes, this guy is old enough to be my dad. I can't believe he wants to date me. And he also has a daughter about my age. The perv!""No way," she said. "No way I'm letting this perv woo me. I need to meet up with him and clear things up." Queenie closed up her notebook and tried her best to calm down."And I can't believe Nox isn't at least mad or jealous. Another guy is trying to woo me. Unbelievable." Queenie was getting angrier and angrier. She whipped up her panda plushie and started punching it like it was Nox.…For the whole day, Queenie ignored Nox. She was really mad.Nox felt aggrieved. He gave her a whole city's supply of Carola, but Queenie thought it was a gift from Alexander.The next morning, George came to Queenie. Queenie thoug
"Why not? A lot of companies would kill just to get one of those invitation cards.""I don't want to see that old git," answered Queenie."Why? He's never treated you badly. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't be Sanders Pharmaceuticals' owner." George didn't understand why his daughter was so reluctant."And they helped us out. A lot. You should thank Alexander in person, even if it's just out of courtesy."Queenie fell silent. She didn't want to see Alexander, but her father had a point. It was all thanks to Empire Corp that she could stay in the Sanders family. Besides, Queenie had to get a chance to meet Alexander and tell them they were an impossible match.Queenie took a deep breath. "Fine, you made your point. I'll join the ball and meet Alexander.""Really?" George was excited that Queenie would go."Yeah.""That's great. Alright, you have to get ready for the ball. Lighten up your skin, make yourself pretty, and get some gowns while you're at it," said George.Queenie
Nox saw Queenie off, rubbing his chin. "She's going to the ball too, which means I'll have to be extra careful so she won't find out who I am."He went back into his room. Quite a while later, Alexander called. His men would arrive at the Sanders Residence soon. Nox got changed and left for the ball.A Rolls-Royce and two black Maybachs were parked outside the house. The first thing Nox saw was Alexander standing by the car subserviently.Alexander quickly ran up to Nox. "Milord, I am here to pick you up."Nox grunted. Alexander opened the door for him, and Nox went inside the car. Alexander followed him closely. The motorcade turned around and made its way to the ball.George came out of the house and saw the motorcade leaving. His eyes went wide. 'Hey, that's the Empire Corp motorcade,' he thought. He stared into the window and saw someone familiar inside."Nox? Why is he with the Empire Corp? What's going on?" He was stupefied. "No way. I'm seeing things. There's no way Empire
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