Gus laughed. "Haha. I definitely wouldn't lie to you, Mr. Lawrence."Suddenly, Frank found Gus' attitude toward him weird. After all, Gus should be on the Soranos' side and therefore hostile toward Frank. After all, half the reason Zam Sorano was killed was because of Frank. And yet, Gus was not showing any enmity toward Frank now—if anything, he was exceedingly polite, even kind, as if he were just an ordinary younger man."How did you sustain your injury, Mr. Zeller?" he asked nonetheless.Gus smiled. He could tell that Frank's question was clearly loaded and simply admitted, "I was ambushed one night, leaving my organs and meridian nexus in pieces. Thankfully, someone saved me from the ruins." "Someone saved you?" Frank repeated softly."Yes." Gus' gaze turned distant in recollection. "It was a young girl… a kind one. She fed me a golden pill that saved my life, even helping me improve to Ascendant rank."Pausing, he chuckled. "While my life and cultivation was saved, I was
"I see."Frank finally understood how Ciaran survived the siege of Mystic Sky Sect thanks to Gus' tale—Gus himself protected her.But in the end, Ciaran fled abroad and learned the insect hex techniques of Talnam, which now appeared to be caused by trauma.It left him hesitant too—what if Gus found out that the infamous South Sea Crow was that kind girl who saved his life? What would he think?"Like I said, I owe Mystic Sky Sect my life." Gus sighed. "It's a debt I can never pay."Frank waited for a moment before speaking quietly, "It seems that you have seen through me. I must also thank you for not telling anyone, since no one in Morhen seems aware."Gus smiled and raised a palm. "It's really nothing."Frank's gaze turned milder too. "Though we stand apart, I'll treat you to escorting my fellow apprentice to safety. But if we have to fight again… Don't expect me to hold back."Gus chuckled bitterly in turn. "You're really merciless, Mr. Lawrence."Frank shrugged. "Anyway, I'
Abel stopped Frank, smiling confidently. "This is Morhen, Mr. Lawrence, and I've been working here in Morhen for decades. I can't promise you that I can get you anything amazing, but decades and even centuries old natural wonders are not a problem at all. Just leave it to me!"If anything, Abel and Jim were hesitant because Frank's request was too simple, leaving them at a loss. After all, they were ready for Frank to demand something outrageous."Good." Frank nodded, agreeing to the offer and feeling assured.As he left, Abel watched him and sighed in relief, smiling. "He's as noble as he is generous…""Yeah." Jim nodded but soon turned worriedly toward his grandfather with a frown. "What about the Soranos, Gramps?"Abel laughed exasperatedly. "Don't think I can't see through your schemes, brat. That's why you wanted Mr. Lawrence to list his name with us, didn't you?"Turning and giving Jim a solemn look, he said, "I know. The Soranos are pulling all stops to get involved in the
Frank recognized that some of the boys around Helen were Soren's lapdogs, and most of them were studying Helen's face and figure lecherously.Even sitting in the distance, Mandy Doncic was folding her arms before her chest, shooting a sideways glare of displeasure at Helen. After all, Soren was sitting right beside her, but his eyes were glued to Helen's long legs, her black thigh highs seemingly stealing their soul.Frank strode up to them and bellowed coldly at the boys around Helen, "Get out!" "Shit, who the hell are you telling us to leave?!""Don't you know that our friend Soren just booked the whole place for us?!""What the—eh?"The boys started snapping but soon saw Frank's face—it was the man whom Hux Darman was fawning over, and he could hold himself in a fight!Frank took Helen's hand, frowning as he sat down beside her. "What the hell was that?" "They're just Kat's classmates." Helen smiled feebly, seeing the rage on his face. "You're being paranoid.""What…" F
"Okay." Helen nodded tamely."Hey, are you deaf, kid? Didn't you hear me?" Brody strode up, shoving Frank right then."It's okay, boss. Must be deaf and blind." One of his goons hurried forward to keep the peace."S-Shut up!" Brody slapped him across the face, snapping angrily, "I'm not blind or deaf! You don't have to tell me!"On the other hand, Frank did not attack right away despite being shoved, only saying coolly, "Leave before I get angry, or you'll all die here."His threat left Brody laughing, and he pointed at himself as he snorted. "Hey, are you really blind? There's so many of us, and you're telling us to leave? You should be leaving right now—but your girlfriend stays!""Urgh, we had to run into some imbeciles." Frank sighed, clenching his fist. "Last chance. Leave now, all of you."As he slowly looked up, his eyes flashing murderously, several of the thugs were flinching in terror.One of them said, "Brody, I-I don't think we should mess with him. Why don't we jus
Helen asked softly, "So may I be frank with you?" Frank did a double take but soon said quietly, "Yeah.""I've actually missed you… That's why I wanted to stay. I didn't want to leave you," Helen said and shyly hid her face in his chest.Kat's male classmates shot him glares of jealousy, but there was nothing they could do—Frank was simply on another level.Even the car he drove was a rare sight for most of them, and they would have no hope of having a beauty throw herself into their arms.Soren was especially snorting as he glared at Frank in jealousy, though he soon had an idea.At the same time, Frank was laughing and teasing Helen. "Tut, tut… How shocking is this? Ms. Helen Lane, CEO of Lane Holdings whom every Rivertonian reveres as an ice queen, saying something like that to a bum like me. Who would ever believe that? I'm so touched… I've truly been blessed…"Helen flushed up to her neck and thumped his chest with a knuckle.She was always serious and never good when it
"Soren's right. That bastard is nothing good!" The boys nearby quickly agreed."You can see his true nature now, can't you, Kat?" Soren smiled smugly—this was what he wanted—to tarnish Kat's image of Frank while salvaging her impression of him.However, he simply did not understand that Kat had already seen through him.Slapping his hand away, she snapped coldly, "What Master Lawrence is is no business of yours. You don't get to badmouth him!""Kat!" Soren could barely hide his rage and snapped, "I'm just worried about you and don't want you to be tricked, especially by the likes of him!"As he finished, he turned toward Frank pointedly."Oh, sure!" Kat sneered in disdain. "So I should let you trick me instead? It's time you understand what you did—it's really sickening if anyone had to put it into words. And Master Lawrence was nice enough to not hold it against you, but you had to keep badmouthing him every time. I'd be blushing if I were you!"Soren flushed from Kat's usual b
Soren bellowed in rage, "Fucking take her! Anyone who does gets fifty grand!""Fifty grand?!"The bootlickers could not care less about chivalry after Soren shouted his reward, and all of them leapt toward Kat."You pricks…Damn it!" Kat cursed, but she was already giving up.She was immediately at a disadvantage. Not only did she have to deal with the three bodyguards behind him, and her own classmates standing between her and Soren. She knew the extent of her abilities too—it had just been a few days since she started out as a martial artist, and she had barely enough vigor to beat all these boys.Instead, she felt the stinging sensation on her cheek and turned to lunge at Mandy—she will get some payback, even if she could not reach Soren for now!"Argh!"Even as Mandy cried out in panic, Kat floored her with a single slap, leaving her cheek swelling like a bun.With that done, she stood her ground, she turned toward her best friend Lily, shaking her head exasperatedly to te
Frank snorted. "Alright, I'm hanging up. I'm getting started over here soon.""Yeah. Good luck," Jouri replied.Hanging up, Frank looked up at the waterfall overhead, and then at Skyler, who was standing beside him. "So? Is it time yet?""Almost… Now!" Skyler's eyes were glowing even as she stared at her watch."Alright."Frank looked up just as the skies abruptly darkened. "Ah, there it is—the eclipse."The sun seemed to disappear, and the world was suddenly shrouded in darknesses.And beside him, a stone door imbued with the power of the spiritron vein also rumbled as it parted."Got it!" Frank rushed inside without another word as soon as he saw it."Hmph. I'm surprised that you could reach this place." A cold, wrathful voice resounded inside even before Frank got a hold of his surroundings.Looking up, Frank found a youth in a black cossack and sporting grey-white hair, standing upon a cliff as he looked down on him.Frank chuckled. "Hehe. Like I said, I've come to kill
Frank narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?'Crane shrugged. "I don't mind giving it to you straight—members of Torrent are actually… Ahem. A part of Torrent himself."Frank paused. "What's that supposed to mean?""You don't get it, do you?" Crane grinned. "Then let me put it to you this way—every member is a clone of Torrent.""A clone?" Frank gasped in realization."Yes," Crane nodded. "That's why I believe that challenging Crane is just suicide. You have no idea how powerful he is—only death awaits you down that path."Frank smirked. "Oh, but I don't think so."Crane rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever—now listen closely. You will find Torrent in the Mystic Trail, but you would only find that place when the sun and moon coincide, and the entrance is beneath the waterfall south of Horton."As he finished, he snorted coldly. "I have no idea if you can actually do it, but I'm hoping you do kill him… Heh. I'm getting tired of being stuck under his control for so long."Then, waving off
Frank abruptly turned, immediately noticing one of the Cranes crouching, ready to spring forward and blindside him."Got you!" He laughed."Hah! You fell for it!"Just as Frank swung a punch to pulverize that Crane, he suddenly burst into pus that splashed at Frank's face."Damn it!" Frank took a step back, surprised that the clone's presence was identical to the real Crane, and a trap on top of that!"Die!"The Cranes around him each whipped out a dagger, all of them stabbing at Frank at the same time."Get off!" Frank bellowed, unleashing a shockwave that sent all the Cranes flying across all directions."Frank! Above you!" Skyler suddenly shrieked."Yes! I'm right here!" A strange laughter sounded above Frank just as he wiped the pus off his face.Crane was suddenly directly above him, launching an aerial kick straight at Frank's head, and Frank had no time to dodge!"Die!" Crane's smile curled into a twisted angle as he saw that too.He was very confident with this kick
"Disgusting…" Skyler murmured through her hand.Despite being skinned and scalped, the women were all still alive and singing to the music that was playing despite their anguish."Talk about a terrible fetish."Frank was scowling too—why were all the members of Torrent such sick deviants? It seemed like his plan to wipe them out was absolutely correct!"So, you killed my clone?"The lanky man on the couch slowly turned to level his bloodshot eyes at Frank.His lips were wet with bed as they curled upward into an eerie smile."Clone?" Frank narrowed his eyes."Hehe. It's a sage art."Crane shrugged as he stood up and wiped the blood off his lips. "It's only natural that you don't understand… Still, you deserve praise. If you can kill my clone, that means you're not just slightly stronger than Ghost."Naturally, the man was none other than the real Crane.Still, as Skyler studied him from a corner, even she could notice the strange twitch of his fingers, and his veins were pro
Even as Crane ran, he was looking over his shoulder, his heart pounding. "No… I won't win in a one-on-one!"No, as long as I get back to my real body… we can do this together!" He frowned, having seen how Frank sliced off the pinkies of those hood rats. It hence quickly dawned on him that Frank was not just slightly stronger than Ghost, as Torrent had put it!"Almost there!" He gasped when he saw the signboard of Pegasus Showtown in the distance. "As long as I get there and rendezvous with my real body, that brat will lose—"That was when he turned and saw that a shadow had caught up with impossible speed."What?!" Crane's eyes almost popped out in bewilderment. "What speed is that?! Are you kidding—"Even as he spotted the shadow, the shadow turned into a youth with an impassive visage.His fist outstretched, he was clearly punching toward Crane's forehead!"Argh…"Even as Crane looked on, the youth's punch slowed down by tenfold, but his fist kept closing in.Then, whe
Seeing Skyler sigh, the tattooed thug presumed that his extortion worked.He strode up, grabbing Frank's shoulder. "No one's gonna help you, boy. Pay up, or you're not leaving.""Exactly! You're not getting away!" the crowd of hood rats hollered. "Last chance."Frank's eyes were cold and fixed on Dani, however. "Are you going to intervene? If you do, you can keep that check. If you don't…""Ugh. Fuck off! I don't care!" Dani spat, her expression smug as she folded her arms before her chest. "Who do you think you are to threaten me?!""Exactly! Pay up, and you can leave!""Yeah! Ten grand, at least!""You probably don't know my boss Wyvern, but when he's here, you won't get away with just ten grand!"Even as the crowd closed in, Frank shook his head. "Well, you had your chance. Don't blame me for what happens next.""You're giving us a chance?! Hah! Who—argh!"Even before Dani could finish gloating, Frank was suddenly in front of her, grabbing her viciously by the wrist."Arg
"Five grand?! Did you hear that?! He just threw five grand!""Must be a rich kid coming here for a secret rendezvous, out of prying eyes? Those types are the easiest mark!""Fuck! And Dani got one of us… It hurts me more than losing at the races!"Frank could hear the buzz around him but ignored it as he strode past the men flanking him and headed toward the street that stank of blood."Stop!" A big tattooed man grinned sinisterly as he intercepted Frank.As his buddies encircled Frank as well, Frank snorted—it seemed that they took his reaction for a sign of weakness and thought that he could be cowed.The tattooed man rubbed his chin as he leered at Skyler's voluptuous figure, chuckling. "Look, boy. I'm short on cash, so let me take a loan. I'll pay you back some other day, how about that?"His friend laughed. "Exactly! You just gave Dani five grand, and we won't ask for more… just four, how about that?"Skyler scowled in turn and glanced worriedly at Frank beside her—was he
Frank himself had just stepped out of the nightclub when his eyes narrowed."Blood," he murmured, his nostrils twitching."Blood?"Skyler sniffed the air, puzzled. "I can't smell it.""It's from the opposite street… I smell the blood of over a dozen people.""A dozen?!" Skyler did a double take.He could identify the number of people who were killed?! That was just ridiculous!"Come on, let's take a look."Just as Frank led the way toward the source of the stench, a woman suddenly came up, catching Frank off guard and throwing herself into his arms."Hmmm?" He looked down to see that she had thick makeup, average looks, and a rather pudgy belly."Argh! He touched me!" she pointed at Frank and shrieked even before he realized what was happening."What?!" Skyler was staring at the woman too, mystified."Oh, sister! You just didn't see it!"The woman kept hollering, pointing at Frank's face. "Your boyfriend grabbed my ass! Is that how you teach him manners?!""Teach him ma
Wyvern screamed even as he clutched the stump that was his hand, screaming so shrilly one might mistake his voice as inhuman."Oh, just shut up." The lanky man glowered and launched a kick, reducing Wyvern into puddles of blood and pieces of innards, splattering all around the lobby. "Argh!!!" the devilish lady screamed as she watched the carnage unfolded."Another sound, and you'd end up just like him." The lanky man turned and frowned at her impatiently."Hngh…" The devilish lady promptly clasped a hand over her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes as she trembled."What the hell?!"Outside, Wyvern's lackeys heard the screams and ran inside, looking for him. "Hey, where's Wyvern?!"However, the lobby was too dimly lit for them to notice the blood and guts scattered around the walls, and they only sensed that terrible stench."Hngh…" The devilish lady was too scared to speak, and tears trickled out of her eyes."Fuck!"One of the lackeys strode up and seized the lanky man