It had been eighteen years. The crone never thought she would see Nox ever again. Her callused hands brushed across Nox's cheeks, as if she wanted to see her beloved grandchild through her memory.Nox looked at his beloved grandmother with reddened eyes. 'She's not as young as she once was. Her hair's all wilted.' The once-loving grandmother was now a wizened crone."Grandma, I came back because it's your birthday today." Crying, the crone pulled Nox into her embrace. "I'm glad you're finally home. It's been eighteen years. To be exact, eighteen years, three months, and eight days. My boy, tell me everything. Have you been living well? Did anyone bully you? Did you eat well?"The crone didn't care how many achievements Nox had. She only wanted to know if he had lived well all these years.Nox held her hand. "It's been well, Grandma. Don't worry about me."The matriarch cried tears of sadness. "You were only five when you left us, my boy. Five! Well? How well could it have been?"
Nox only said, "It's your birthday today, Grandma. I don't want to talk about that."The crone understood that there was no agreement, so she sighed and nodded. Nox stayed with her, and a long time later, a petite figure appeared at the entrance. "Who's that, Grandma?"Gina stared at Nox unblinkingly. The crone quickly went to her and held her hand. "It's your brother, Nox.""Nox?" Gina paused, still staring at Nox. "So, he's the one you've been waiting for, Grandma?" Gina asked.Crying, the crone nodded."So, it's really him? Wow! Hey, Nox. I'm Gina," Gina said nicely. "Grandma told me you're the best brother in the world, and she's been waiting for your return. She never stops talking about you. Never stopped thinking about you, either. I often hear her cry in her sleep. See? She cried so much, she's blind in one eye."Gina pointed at the crone's blind eye. Nox felt something squeezing his heart, and he went on his knees. "I'm sorry, Grandma." Nox never knelt to anyone; not the
After Nox made his departure, a burly, elderly Legend Realm in the great hall said, "Mr. Greenshade, someone trespassed upon the matriarch's chambers, and he's more powerful than anyone I've ever seen."Daniel asked quickly, "And the matriarch?""She is unharmed, Mr. Greenshade."Daniel heaved a long sigh of relief, and then he asked sternly, "And who's the intruder who invaded our estate?""I don't know, Mr. Greenshade, but he might be an Advanced Legend Realm or stronger…" the old man trailed off."Is that so?""Yes. I tried to stop him, but he pushed me back without even lifting a finger," the burly man said.Daniels' face fell. He knew how powerful this old man was. After all, he had been in the clan for a hundred years. The Greenshade clan might not have many members, but being the top family in years past, they now still had twelve Legend Realms hiding among them.They were in the shadows, and this was the reason the Greenshade clan was at the top of the clan rankings. 'Y
"My son… is alive? And… and he came back?" Daniel stared into the sky, and his vision blurred, perhaps from excitement or perhaps from something else. A long time later, he bellowed with laughter. "I knew this family's made up of tougher stuff than anything the world has ever seen!"…The night grew older. A silhouette was in a public cemetery, knelt beside a grave. His hair billowed in the breeze, but he remained kneeling like a quiet specter. "Mom, I'm back," he said in a shaky voice.Dim moonlight shone on the silhouette. He was none other than Nox. Eighteen years ago, five-year-old Nox and his mother were exalted from the clan. From then onward, they had no one but each other.Nox's mother once worked four jobs in a day to raise him. About a year later, she fell sick due to overworking, but she pushed through just to raise him. Eventually, when Nox reached the age of seven, his mother died.Nox remembered that day like it was yesterday. His mother had died on the eve of the Ne
"You didn't stand up for me when you kicked me and Mom out of the clan back then. You didn't even go and see her when she overworked herself to death. How dare you call yourself my father after everything you did?" Nox spat his vitriol like venom.Daniel didn't defend himself. He let Nox abuse him all he wanted in silence. A long time later, he said, "Yes, I failed as a father and husband, but it doesn't change the fact the clan's blood flows in your veins. It doesn't change the fact that you are my son!""Silence!" Nox roared and darted ahead like a meteor and then slammed his palm into Daniel's chest.Though he was the leader of his clan and the top dog of Imperia thirty years ago, Daniel didn't dodge this fatal attack. Nox's palm slammed squarely into his chest. A torrent of energy rumbled the cemetery, and dozens of trees broke in half.Even so, Daniel remained in his spot, unmoving and unbudging. The ground around him started to break, and the cracks didn't stop until a few do
"Daniel's a top Legend Realm. Not even the old gits in Imperia can hurt him. How did this happen?" Winston was confused."Damn it! Meishter! Tell me, who did this?" Claude asked Meishter murderously.Meishter quickly answered, "I don't know, Mr. Greenshade. He went to the cemetery where the madam was buried, and then he was hurt.""What? He went to the cemetery?" Claude and Winston had more questions after that. The cemetery in the west of the outskirts was where Daniel's first wife was laid to rest. It had been more than ten years since she died.'So why did Daniel go there?'"Quick, we must see him!" Winston and Claude rushed into the great hall.A dozen Legend Realms stood on the sides of the great hall. When Claude and Winston came in, they knelt. "Greetings, Mr. Claude and Mr. Winston.""Where's Daniel?" Claude asked."He's in the inner sanctum, tending to his wounds," an old servant said.Claude and Winston rushed into the inner sanctum. Daniel was inside, lying on a bed
Daniel and his brothers were powerful men. The fact that one was hurt left the other two seething and raging for vengeance. Just when Claude was about to slaughter the families in Imperia, a voice came from outside, "Hold it right there!"The voice wasn't loud, but Winston and Claude tensed up. "Mother!" They turned around and saw their partially blind mother in the great hall. Beside her was Gina.Claude had to ask, "What brings you here, Mother?"The matriarch gave him a cold stare. "Of course, I had to come. You fools would have ruined this clan otherwise!""But the bastards hurt Daniel! Are we just going to let it slide?" Claude huffed."And who told you the old gits were the ones who did this?" The matriarch gave her son another stern and imperious look."He's a Top Legend Realm. Who else but the old gits in Imperia could do this?" Claude's eyes were red with fury."Wrong. They were not the ones who hurt Daniel. Besides, he was already a Top Legend Realm ten years ago. Do y
Worried, the matriarch held her son. "Don't move. You're still too badly hurt.""It's alright. I can deal with this much." Daniel propped himself up against the headboard and smiled.The matriarch looked at her headstrong son and sighed. "Tell me, what happened?" she asked.Daniel waved the question down. "It's nothing to talk about, Mother. Stop worrying.""Nonsense. You call this nothing to talk about?" said the matriarch.Daniel smiled. "I'm fine, really."The matriarch heaved a long sigh. "I see. I know who did this to you. You know Nox is still alive now, don't you?" Though the matriarch might be blind in one eye, she could still see the truth.The fact that Daniel wasn't angry after getting hurt so much was enough of a surprise, but being happy on top of it could only mean that he knew Nox was alive.Daniel knew his mother was smart, so he nodded. "Yes, I do.""So, he did this to you?" the matriarch asked.Daniel didn't deny it. He looked up proudly. "He's all grown up
If the altar was not unsealed, Nox wouldn't have enough power to handle the path of the martial and the path of the ancient divine. Even if he was only facing the leader of the path of the martial, he only had a sixty-forty chance of winning, and that wasn't enough to turn things around."We need to do this. At this point, we have no choice. We'll do everything we can and leave everything to fate. We must unseal the altar. Even if someone tries to disturb us, any powerup is good news for us," said Aphrodite."Fine, then we'll unseal the altar. You stay here as well. I think there's going to be a lot of this energy. I'll reach my limit very fast. You can use the energy to train as well. Queenie, you're a phoenix. If someone tries to disturb us, devour all the energy," said Nox."But I'm at my bottleneck. Devouring it won't do me any good. It's a waste." Queenie frowned."Better than letting the enemy take it. At worst, you can use them as energy bombs." Nineve curled her lips.Quee
"Will you shut up already? There's plenty of energy here. The Sea of the Fire God has a whole reserve for you." Nox sent Kirin flying away with a kick. The guy just wanted to take advantage of the situation.Replenishing spiritual energy and devouring it were different things. No matter the quality, replenishment would eventually fill up the user's tanks. Power level, however, was different. Lower-level spiritual energy couldn't be absorbed and refined, but higher-level energy was limited. There was no place to house a large amount of it.The fact that Fiery Ignis knew a place like that was a great help for Nox."Come with me." Fiery Ignis led everyone through the Altar and down to the underground. At the deepest depths was a cavern, where water and fire fused like they were perfect for each other. Weaker ones would die here if they stayed long enough, let alone pass through it.Nox used his Saint power to protect everyone as he went down as per Fiery Ignis' orders. After going thr
"The path of the martial would never destroy the Temple of Fire, but Nox forced their hand. Even though you think this is bad enough, something worse is coming," said Aphrodite.Nox first thought of Faeast, after which he remembered the path of the sword. His guesses were correct. Aphrodite explained, "They will attack Faeast, but we can't get distracted now. People will die, but they can't kill everyone. A few deaths for a long-lasting peace is worth it. What we need to do now is raze Mystia to the ground."For that, we need the path of the sword," said Aphrodite. What came next was simple. Their destination was the path of the sword's grounds."Path of the sword? We can do that, but give me some time. I need to take the Altar off the formation and bring it with me," said Fiery Ignis."Of course, but make it quick. They won't hesitate to attack the path of the sword," said Nox solemnly.Fiery Ignis laughed. "They're not as simple as they look, Nox. The path of the martial might o
"Carrying out orders? No beef with the Temple of Fire, you say?" Nox laughed. "But I have a beef with you! Naturally, I will kill you!"Nox swung his hand, and the Minor Saints exploded. Their souls flew out, and they cursed Nox as much as they could. "You're cursing me? Fine, guess you want a slow and painful death, then."They could've died a quick death, but once Nox used his Blazing Holy Eyes, they had to suffer a slow burn. The Minor Saints' screams filled the air. The survivors gleaned grim satisfaction from the enemies' suffering.Nox descended on the altar. The Temple of Fire was only standing thanks to this ancient artifact. It'd have fallen a long time ago otherwise."Mr. Nox!" The Temple of Fire survivors saw Nox as chief of them all, second only to the temple lord."Sorry, I was late." Nox nodded. He came in the nick of time. If he'd been a moment later, these people would be dead.Fiery Ignis wasn't in good shape either, but the Altar was more important. He extracted
William could finally relax a little with Nox in the mix. He told Nox that the remnants of the enemies' temples attacked him because he was friends with the guy. His pavilion was destroyed, and his mentor died in battle. A lot of his fellow students died as well.Fortunately, the Temple of Fire saved him. Before he could even take revenge, the enemies attacked the Temple of Fire. Fortunately, Nox appeared in his darkest hour.Nox cursed, "The bastard! William and I aren't even that close! Why'd you attack him? You're not leaving here alive!"Furious, Nox put the island on lockdown. No one was going to leave this place alive. Thanks to the team's efforts, a group of survivors were saved. The remnants were all cleaned up, and Aphrodite was scouring the leaders' minds with her soul technique for intel.At the same time, Kirin had arrived at the island's center and fought the leader of the invaders. The path of the martial sent out a dozen Saints to destroy the Temple of Fire. Most of
The mocked god was furious, and he wanted to see who the bastard was. However, when he realized who it was, he froze. The woman was the mistress of the Byrds. Then, his eyes shone. This woman was a prodigy among prodigies."Save me, Celestial Goddess! I'll give you everything I have," pleaded the god. He would be her slave if it came to it. The other cultivators asked for Katherine's help as well."The decision lies not with me." Katherine shook her head and looked at Nox.The cultivators were stunned, and they turned their attention to Nox. They thought the young man was unimpressive, and they wondered why Katherine would listen to him.The god of thievery threatened, "I don't care who you are, boy. Tell Celestial Goddess to help us, or I will kill you!"Bloodlust filled Nox's eyes. "You don't care who I am? How dare you! Open your eyes and take a good look. I know you know me."The god of thievery cursed and pushed through the pain of the flames. He focused on Nox's face, and w
Nox unleashed his divine sense and noticed the Temple of Fire standing in the distance. It was in shambles. Mystia's factions had attacked it. "Get to the temple right away, Kirin. I'll stay here and contact my mentors. We'll regroup in a minute," Nox ordered. He sensed cultivators fighting in the distance."Thought you'd never ask. Finally, you're not asking me to act as a guard." The trip to Celestial Domain annoyed Kirin to no end. He almost got killed without a fight, and now he wanted to fight as much as he wanted to.Kirin activated his bloodline and hurtled ahead like a meteor. Nox cast a secret art and sealed his message in talismans, then he sent them flying in all directions. Nox then kept everyone covered with his Saint power and flew ahead to where Kirin was.They flew out of the Sea of the Fire God, and they saw the Temple of Fire. It was located on an island. It was obvious the island used to have a lot of grand buildings, but now it was ravaged by the fires of war, an
If modern language wasn't of any use, Kirin tried ancient Faeastian, but the scorpion only shivered. Left with no choice, Kirin spoke in beast tongue, even though he didn't like it. The scorpion finally gave a response.Aphrodite noticed this, and she could guess the answer. If the mystery person knew Kirin would be here, they must've cleaned up their tracks. As she expected, a short while later, Kirin smacked the scorpion angrily."No wonder it's so stupid. Someone tampered with its brain. It's useless!" Not even the best soul technique users could change memories that easily. Even if they did it, it would hurt the brain of the target.Not everyone had Aphrodite's patience. The mystery person wasn't going to waste their time on a mere beast. They destroyed most of its nerves. The scorpion only survived this long thanks to its power.A while later, Nox unraveled the runes, and the formation was activated. The golden gates leading to Mystia were opened. "Done. You can come in now. K
"They still have saint power in their bodies, and their insides are intact. So are their bodies. Someone destroyed their souls immediately. They couldn't even cast their spells, so that would explain why there are remnants of their energy inside them," said Nox.Everyone was horrified. That meant this mystery person was incredibly powerful. Queenie asked quietly, "Can you deal with them if you run into them, Nono?"Nox frowned. "If my divine sense can't see them, they might be able to stage an ambush and injure me. Even if we get into a fight, they would be a formidable foe. This person alone can keep me busy." He looked solemn.Everyone, however, heaved a sigh of relief. Nox pointed at the pile of bodies on the ground. "What? You think the enemy could kill me as easily as they did these people?"Everyone but Kirin was wondering who the mystery person was. He cursed, "Damn that bastard. I can't believe they set me up! They'd better pray I never find out who they are, or else!"Tho