The situation looked bad—Bazzo knew he was no match for Felix. Once the magical treasure stopped working, he would be dead for sure. He yelled, "Hey! Do you really need to take this so far?" Most of his minions had already run off, and Felix did not stop them from going. That was why Bazzo thought he might still have a chance too. Upon seeing Felix remain silent, Bazzo got desperate. "I didn't hurt Madeline! Why do you have to kill me?" Anger flashed in Felix's eyes. "In today's world, rumors can destroy someone just as badly as physical pain. And you're saying you did nothing wrong?" Felix slowly raised his right hand. "Looks like you know your magical treasure is about to run out of time. Since your grandpa isn't showing up, I won't waste any more time on you." Just as he was about to strike, an old man in a gray trench coat appeared in front of Bazzo. With his messy hair and long beard, he looked rebellious and wild. "Hmph! You've got guts for waiting this long. No wonde
Morius was just about to speak again, but he nearly choked when he heard Felix's words. His eyes showed unprecedented shock, and he felt like he was about to lose his mind. How was this possible? Felix couldn't have reached the peak of Grandmaster Realm already, could he? Not every Grandmaster reached what was called the peak of Grandmaster Realm. While becoming a Grandmaster already showed their martial talent, one thing remained true—there was always someone stronger. It was like someone with ten thousand dollars in savings. Most people they knew were probably in the same financial bracket. But after working hard and saving a million dollars, they suddenly realized there were actually many people with that kind of money. That was the rule—just like with Grandmasters, there were always more impressive individuals out there. Morius had been a Grandmaster for years. Though his power had grown, he had never reached the so-called peak of Grandmaster Realm. Yet now, he sensed it
Right then, Felix threw a punch at Morius. Morius snorted coldly and formed a hand seal, seemingly about to use some extraordinary technique. Unfortunately for him, they were in the middle of the city, and Felix wouldn't want to cause widespread damage. He then used his Dragon Punches to focus his power on a single point. A thunderous boom erupted. Morius shuddered violently before falling straight to the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief. How could the difference between their power be this huge? That was just impossible!Bazzo was dumbfounded. His invincible grandfather had been defeated with a single strike. The shock was beyond words. "You don't deserve to be alive!" When Bazzo heard Felix's voice again, he wanted to beg for mercy. However, darkness overtook him, and he lost his last strand of consciousness. Felix appeared in front of Bazzo. He raised his right hand, and a green vest-like garment flew toward him. It looked like it was woven from some kind of green g
After stepping outside, Felix answered the call. Xena's voice came through instantly. "I've made up my mind," she said.Felix hesitated, knowing this decision was incredibly difficult. Though they had once loved each other and been intimate, several years had passed, and everything had changed. "Maybe you should think about it more," Felix said."I really have thought it through. This is our best chance to get valuable information about the Hall of Souls. I don't want to miss this opportunity." She added one more thing before hanging up, "And since it's with you, I can accept it." Felix sighed deeply. It seemed Xena still loved him. Unfortunately, time had passed. Some things, once missed, could be very difficult to get back. He immediately sent Billy a message. Despite it being late at night, he received a reply right away. "Got it. I'll be in Zuera in three days. I need to prepare some things." "Okay." By the time Felix returned to the hotel, dawn was breaking. There wa
At this point, Steve's expression became quite interesting. "Think about it. Everyone who wants that land plans to grow grapes and open a winery. If the land gets contaminated, what's the point?" Paul was definitely hardcore for being willing to go that far rather than sell the land. What could he possibly be thinking? "As for underhanded methods, those eventually stopped too! Paul has an extremely powerful cousin, and nobody in Zuera dares to mess with him. Anyone who tries those tactics better be prepared for retaliation." Felix rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Everyone had their price. He didn't believe Paul was truly a man without desires—that was simply impossible. "How about this—can you arrange a dinner between me and Paul? That shouldn't be too difficult, right?" Steve smiled. "Absolutely. As long as it doesn't involve that land, Paul will show me the respect I deserve. "But once we're at the table, if you bring up the land, he definitely won't budge. I hope you won't
Paul added, "I'm really just joking. No offense, Mr. Zeller." Even Steve frowned. What kind of ridiculous joke was this? Getting 15 fighter jets to fly over in half an hour? How many people in the entire country could pull that off? This went way beyond what connections or relationships could accomplish. Of course, Paul knew this, too. He said it on purpose to end the matter once and for all, shutting down any further discussion with Felix. "I could do it, but fighter jets aren't for shows or settling bets. They only deploy for emergency missions. Do you understand what I mean?" Felix retorted.If this involved national security, Felix would not hesitate to make the call. But this was just Luna's personal matter, and he hadn't lost his sense of perspective on what warranted such action. "You're right, Mr. Zeller. I was really just kidding." Despite the smile on Paul's face, he was inwardly looking down on Felix. How shameless this young man was—unable to deliver yet still
Felix couldn't care less about all that. He said, "So now, you can make your request. You should believe by now that there's nothing I can't accomplish, right?" Paul glanced at Steve with a helpless expression. Felix's status had reached an unimaginable level, which was totally different from all the previous buyers. If Paul offended someone like this, even without running a normal business, he'd probably find living like a regular citizen impossible. And this wouldn't just be in Zuera, but likely throughout all of Dragonia. Would he need to move abroad because of this? After thinking it over, Paul finally spoke up. "Actually, the person who really has the final say over this land is my cousin. Mr. Jacinto knows about my cousin's existence." Steve's expression changed, but Felix responded nonchalantly, "Fine. Call your cousin here, and I'll talk to him directly." Paul looked uncomfortable and seemed a bit embarrassed. "Well, my cousin has a hot temper and speaks very rudely.
When Felix saw who entered, his expression became incredibly odd—it was almost like he wanted to laugh. So Paul's mysterious cousin turned out to be Cordon, who had worked for Bazzo. At that moment, Felix marveled at the strange workings of fate. He had spared Cordon's life because of the Malevolent Phantoms and because he needed someone to handle the aftermath. Now, it seemed he had made the right choice. Coincidences really could happen all the time. "Ah, Cordon, you're here." Steve greeted him with a smile, while Paul sighed with relief. Now that his cousin had arrived, he believed this matter would be resolved. He had been very clear on the phone earlier. Just as Cordon was about to respond, he spotted Felix and froze completely. "Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Zeller, whom I mentioned on the phone. Though he's young, his status is extremely high. You'd better think before you speak." After Paul finished, he finally noticed something was wrong with Cordon. "Are you
At the edge of Zuera, near the city border, Felix met with Donna. For now, he kept Zara in the car and did not ask her to step out.Felix teased, "I'm guessing S-tier Malevolent Phantoms like you are too proud to ever say 'sorry' to someone like me, huh?"Donna nodded. "This time, it was my mistake. I didn't expect Specter to be bold enough to pull something like that."To say Felix was not angry would have been a lie—he had nearly lost his life because of this. Of course, he had every right to be furious.He argued, "A mistake? Do you even realize that your so-called 'mistake' almost got my soul erased from existence? Then again, judging by how Specter behaved, "It's clear he wasn't interested in the Mystical Explosive Orb, which means you didn't lose a damn thing. You can just move on and pick your next partner like nothing happened."Donna knew she was in the wrong and did not try to reason.Felix continued, "I just don't get it! Zuera's S-tier Phantoms wouldn't let you in,
Terrence's eyes were surprisingly clear as he gave Felix a faint smile. He said, "I'm a dead man anyway, so why worry about all that? Even if I hadn't told you, I doubt you would've fallen for the trick. I could tell from the way you fought—you're too sharp for that."He looked at Felix, his gaze distant with a hint of nostalgia. He added, "Felix, I believe you're one of the few who'll truly shake the world in the days to come. Let me go in peace. If you can, cremate me. I've never liked the idea of rotting underground."Felix pressed a finger to Terrence's forehead, and the latter closed his eyes.Felix still did not dare use soul search on any of Eight Guardians—mainly because of the Ancient Sage. Just thinking back to Bonnie was proof enough that the Ancient Sage's expertise in soul techniques ran deep. There was no saying what kind of protections or traps were in place, and one misstep could backfire in ways Felix could not afford. Besides, the Guardians were not going around
Felix finally felt relaxed once they arrived in Zuera. For now, it looked like Specter was not coming back—at least not anytime soon. Still, he needed to check with Donna to know for sure.He said, "Zara, give me a minute."Right now, the priority was getting some answers out of Terrence. That mattered more than anything else. Otherwise, Felix would have already killed him instead of dragging him back here.In the hotel suite, Terrence lay half-dead on the bed, barely conscious. Yet, when Felix walked in, he actually smiled.He said calmly, "Getting killed by someone like you? Honestly, I've got no regrets. Ask whatever you want. I'll tell you what I can. But if it's something I'm not supposed to reveal, not even a soul search will get it out of me."Felix did not doubt that at all. After all, Eight Guardians served directly under the Ancient Sage—a figure whose power and methods were far beyond anything Felix could predict or afford to mess with. Especially since that exact figur
Specter looked calm and uneventful on the surface, as if nothing happened. However, Felix knew the truth. That strike was far worse than the one before—it had gone straight for his soul.Just as he was about to summon all his soul-bound weapons and activate spells from the Phaeron Codex to counter it, someone suddenly appeared in front of him. Yes, a person—just like that. The person had long hair flowing, no warning, no presence, and no sound. It was as if they had just teleported right in front of him, shielding him without hesitation."Hollow Soul? No way!" Felix gasped.Before he could make sense of it, he heard Specter's voice crack a little as if something shocked even him. Then, the figure turned around."Zara?" Felix blinked in disbelief. He felt like he was dreaming. That gentle smile and that familiar face—it was unmistakably her."Hi, honey." The sound of her voice, calling him the way she used to, brought Felix crashing back to reality. It finally dawned on him tha
Terrence was completely baffled. Forget the abandoned fertilizer plant—at this point, even the area surrounding it for miles had turned into a nightmare. No regular person, not even a Transcendent Realm martial artist, would dare get anywhere near it. They would be running for their lives.And yet, right now, this man who called himself Specter had shown up—calm and unbothered.At the same time, Felix also spotted Specter, and his expression instantly turned dark. He snarled, "Donna! What the hell is going on with you? Weren't you supposed to take care of Specter? So, how the hell is he back in Zuera… and how did he even find this place?"Felix did not believe for a second that Specter came just to catch up and have a friendly chat."What a shame," Specter said with a faint smirk. "I didn't think Donna's method would actually work. No—guess she just found the right person."Felix tried to stall for time. He was already injured, and even if he were at full strength, going up agains
As Terrence launched his final strike, the phantom images of a serpent, grizzly, saber, and panther flickered around him, each one adding to the overwhelming power of the attack. Even before the blow landed, Felix could feel the sheer intensity radiating from it."Your last move?" Felix frowned, sensing another wave of soul energy attacks coming his way. This time, the two streams of soul energy merged mid-air, forming a single, devastating force that descended upon him from above.Without hesitation, Felix summoned the Mountain Mover, a powerful soul-bound weapon he had recently acquired, and hurled it at the merged soul energy. At the same time, he unleashed his Dragon Punches, clashing head-on with Terrence's attack.Soul energy attacks were always faster than any martial technique, so Felix knew he had to neutralize that threat first. He remembered his fight with Bonnie, where he had not had the chance to use his martial skills because of the relentless soul energy assault. He
Everything seemed to move in slow motion, but in reality, it all happened in the blink of an eye. Felix's full set of Dragon Punches was lightning-fast, but something unexpected happened just as he was about to complete the sequence."Damn it!" Felix cursed as two waves of soul energy suddenly surged toward him from both sides, targeting his very soul. Distracted, he halted the Dragon Punches and summoned the Infinite Shield, which barely managed to block the incoming attacks. Based on his assessment, these soul energies were at least at the Iron Spirit Realm level, making them a serious threat."This isn't Terrence's doing," Felix realized. He was sure Terrence had no expertise in soul energy, so who was behind this? When he first arrived, he had scanned the area and sensed only three living beings besides Holden—Terrence and two early-stage Transcendent Realm fighters. Could it be them?Felix quickly focused his senses and was shocked to find the two early-stage Transcendent R
Felix's lips curled into a slight smirk as he launched his fists forward, moving so fast that even afterimages were hard to see. His punches collided violently with Terrence's serpent, grizzly, saber, and panther-like energy forms. The sheer force of their clash instantly reduced the entire fertilizer plant to rubble, as if it had never existed in the first place.Terrence's excitement grew, and he laughed maniacally. "This is exhilarating! No wonder the Ancient Sage has taken notice of you. Now that the warm-up's over, let's get serious."He suddenly bit his finger and muttered something under his breath. Then, the four gray energy arms surrounding him swelled in size and speed.Terrence, who had kept his real hands idle until now, finally began to move them. His power had skyrocketed, forcing Felix to bring out his Dragon Punches to keep up. "Impressive! You're actually pushing me back a bit," Terrence admitted after a few minutes, genuinely shocked by Felix's strength. As o
Felix glanced around, noticing two figures standing on rooftops about a hundred feet away on either side. Both were expressionless and had their eyes locked on him. They had appeared when he arrived, doing nothing but watching him intently."Two early-stage Transcendent Realm martial artists? This is your big gift for me? I thought the Eight Guardians didn't need help, and even if they did, it wouldn't be from these amateurs," Felix said, his tone mocking.Honestly, he could not see how two early-stage Transcendent Realm fighters could pose any threat to him. Even if they attacked him nonstop for three days, they would not be able to scratch him.Terrence let out a cold laugh. "Normally, the Eight Guardians wouldn't need help to deal with someone like you. But what they offered me was too good to refuse. The Ancient Sage never said outsiders couldn't be involved, so why not?" He shrugged and added, "Think of them as spectators. They won't be lifting a finger."He then gestured to