《Legendary Sword God Sect》 Chapter 1 - A Mystical Sword (Updated) In the cultivation world, it''s the survival of the fittest. The strong tramples on the weak, that''s the only rule in this world. In this world,your life is worth nothing if you''re weak. Even if you''re right,the strong gets it their way and things are always in their favour. In a faraway village,there lives a young child at the age of 13 with his family which has a strength of a few hundred and yet.. On the day where the child turns 14,his family was attacked and his whole family was massacred. He was only lucky to stay alive since he was forced away by his family to the Nascent Mountain behind his village... "Father,mother,brother,sister... I promise to avenge all of you,even at the expense of my own life! Heaven why are you doing this to me! Just what have I done wrong to deserve this!" Unable to accept the pain and the destiny which has been thrown onto him. His shoulders felt heavy,a great burden was thrown onto him. The need for revenge as a mortal. Running into the nearby forest once again,he went to his usual spot where he trains his sword. Everyday,the young boy made it a point to go through the tough routine,eight hours of swordmanship training a day. One must not neglect the fact that he''s merely a mortal. Running into the cave,a sharp glare of light suddenly blinded his eyes. Yet,his eyes didn''t felt any piercing pain,all he felt was that the light was trying to guide him. The light was making a huge attempt to pull him out from the shackles of chains restraining him in the darkness amidst the chaos. Just then,something hidden within the bushes caught his eye. It was an exquisite long sword with majestic dragon carvings on it. It had a deep shade of crimson red. Out of curiousity he picked it up and then the next moment... Just then,a sound popped out in his head all of a sudden. "Congratulations to host Nightin for being the first and only person in history who unlocked the Legendary Sword God System! With my assistance,you''ll definitely be able to stand at the peak of the world !" Nightin was shocked when the sound appeared,the next moment a list appeared in front of him. Legendary Sword God System Cultivation:None Rank:None Skills:None Inventory:Newbie gift pack After a few moments he calmed down and thought about it carefully. Thinking deep down in his heart"Who cares what this system is,as long as I can get stronger with it?" The next moment he said"Open the Newbie Gift Pack" "Congratulations to host for unlocking the cultivation system and the foundation sword moves!" At this moment,a set of foundation sword moves entered Nightin''s brain. Nightin was amazed and captivated by the sudden information he received. The foundation sword moves he were seeing,are no different from the ones he know now. They gave off a feeling of sharpness, impact and the speed to execute the move with the least strength possible. Besides needing the least strength due to the change in the angle of swing,which in turn reduces the air resistance faced when swinging,it also increases the speed tremendously. If the two were to be compared. No. The two can''t even be compared, it''s like trying to compare the heaven and earth to each other. If two cultivators of equal cultivation were to face off with the two different sword levels, the victor is obvious. To be even more precise,even a mortal might be able to kill a Martial Master without any difficulty with just a single move at its peak. Can any cultivator not shudder in fear when facing such a terrifying foe? Nightin looked at the system as a series of information appeared in his head. From what he knows now,the system wouldn''t be assisting him much personally. Its only job would be to assist him in the building of the sect. Such as giving out suggestions or paths to take; providing the needed facilities;providing the pinnacle cultivation grounds to his sect including the best resources if missions given by the system is cleared. With this,how would the life of Nightin turn out from here as he makes it to the peak of the world,through great effort and determination. If people were to ask him what brought him this far,he can laugh out loud and tell them "I made it this far though pain and sweat,blood and tears." The effort he went through would be enough to make him bleed profusely. Externally,internally,mentally,emotionally and even the pain of the heart. Author''s note:I didn''t want to change the initial plot too much,If I really have to state a reason why I won''t be writing it again from scratch,it would be so I can look back. Realise how much I can improve on. Chapter 2 - First battle Feeling the pressure from having to avenge his family within a month,Nightin knows that he can''t waste even a single second. Picking up his sword from the ground,he decided to enter deeper into the Nascent mountain in search of food and water. After around 10 minutes,he reached the outer area of the Nascent Mountain. Here, it''s where all the spirit gathering realm beasts gather. Ranging from the first realm to the ninth realm. Looking up ahead,he saw a sparkling river and decided to obtain some water from it. He quickened his footsteps while advancing towards the river swiftly. Just then, a wolf pounced on him from nowhere. Instinctively,he dodged to the side and almost fell into the river. Almost ending up as the wolf''s meal from the day "Timed quest has been triggered!" Kill the Rabid Wolf within 5 minutes Rewards:Swift Steps Motivated by the system''s sudden quest,Nightin unsheathed his long sword and without hesitation,slashed towards the rabid wolf. However,the wolf was too fast and his strike ended up hitting nothing but air. Just then,a gale of wind that formed a ''X'' was released from the wolf''s mouth. Despite seeing it,Nightin was unable to dodge the attack and was struck right in the chest. Nightin flew a few meter backwards and landed on a rock nearby. "Damn wolf! You''ll get it from me!" Despite the grueling pain from his chest wound,Nightin picked himself back up from the ground. The next moment,he slashed towards the Rabid Wolf yet it was dodged by the wolf who retreated backwards. However the slash was just a feint and the real attack was a thrust,striking the wolf right inside its mouth. Knowing that it''s probably his only chance,Nightin pushed the long sword all the way inside the Rabid Wolf''s mouth,as deep in as he can. "Congratulations to host for completing the timed quest! Rewards:Data analysis! "Congratulations to host for completing the hidden quest!" "Killing your first ever living being!" Rewards: Increase in realm! Wind Slash! Rewards for killing a class 1 rank 2 beast(spirit gathering realm 2 beast) Rewards:Sword Proficiency +1 Realm +10 LGS System Cultivation:spirit gathering realm 3(10/400) Rank:Newbie Swordman(28/100) Skills:Swift Steps,Wind Slash Inventory:Bottle of water Dragonic Long Sword Nightin felt excited,seeing the great lists of rewards that he had obtained. Knowing that he had another way to get stronger in a quicker period of time and he''s advancing towards avenging his family quickly. Without further hesitation,he turned around and went deeper into the mountains in search of more prey. These preys are his only way to get stronger in the shortest amount of time! He wants the people who murdered his family dead! He wants everyone who killed his family to die! Even those who were only helping from the sidelines! How will things unfold from here? Will things go smoothly in the mountains? Or will things be rough for him? Chapter 3 - All Rounded Improvement,Lucky Encounter It has been five days since Nightin awakened the LSG system. In the four days he spent in the Nascent Mountain,he went around killing countless number of spirit gathering realm beasts,ranging from the second to fourth realm. LSG System Cultivation: spirit gathering realm four(0/800) Rank:Newbie Swordman(81/100) Skills:Mortal rank:Swift Steps,Wind Slash Inventory:Water bottle,Dragonic Long Sword Looking back at his stats,he finds all his effort worth it. However he knowa that his current strength is nothing compared to the enemy he''s facing. "If this is my current strength, I''ll be nothing but a piece of trash to the rosa family! I have to get stronger,much much stronger!" In front of him right now is a Wild demonic ape at the spirit gathering realm five. "Take this,wind slash!" However,his attack did nothing to the wild ape besides getting it triggered. The wild ape threw a fist towards Nightin forcing him to dodge to the side,falling inside a deep hole hidden within the bushes... "Ouch,why am I?" Looking around,all Nightin see is pitch black darkness. Just then a light source appeared in front of him,without being able to control himself,he started walking towards it one step at a time. Upon exiting the cave by following the light source,a spirit appeared in front of him. "Looks like you''re the destined person master has been looking for. Follow me I''ll lead you to him." Before being able to question the spirit,a gust of wind swept him up and the next moment an old man appeared in front of him. Being confused,Nightin asked"Excuse me,but who are you? What did you bring me here for?" The old man looked deeply into Nightin sapphire coloured eyes,replying "Me? I''m the sword saint,Phoenix who once stood at the peak of the world ten thousand years ago! However,right now I''m nothing but an old man whose life is ending,hoping to find a successor whose talent surpasses mine at my peak!" Nightin was shocked,he didn''t know how to reply the old man. He didn''t expect something such as an lucky encounter to fall on him. Though the old man has no cultivation right now, he''s sure that the old man still has his own ways of killing him easily... "Sir Phoenix, I''m sorry to reject your offer,but I don''t think that I''m anywhere near qualified to receive your inheritance." A sharp glint appeared within the Phoenix eyes"Oh really? You''re looking down on your talent! I can tell you one thing for sure,even if you''re trash right now, you''re bound to become a dragon who will soar the skies one day,becoming a figure which everyone looks up to upon!" Straightaway after saying that,Phoenix started fading...Receive my inheritance,just help me to take care of the Soaring Sword Sect... Just then Nightin felt as if his whole body is on fire,the pain wasn''t only afflicted on his external body,the heat was also causing him extreme pain within his body Out of pain,Nightin shouted"Argh! What''s this pain? Can I give up... Will Nightin choose to give up from here? Will Nightin choose to receive the full inheritance and legacy of old man Phoenix? Or will Nightin somehow receive something more than just the inheritance of the old man Phoenix? Chapter 4 - Nirvana Sword Body After what felt like an eternity to Nightin,the pain that''s torturing him started fading away slowly. Before he could recollect his thoughts,he suddenly felt dizzy and fainted. After some period of time passed,Nightin finally regained consciousness. Nightin muttered to himself"Looks like old man Phoenix spirit has totally vanished from this world. Don''t worry I''ll take good care of the Soaring Sword Sect "Congratulations to host for unlocking the mortal rank body:Nirvana Sword Body Nirvana Sword Body:Will undergo a nirvana rebirth whenever the cultivator reaches a brand new realm! Helps to double the cultivator cultivation speed and increases the cultivator affinity with both the fire element and sword! Nightin was amazed by the effects of the Nirvana sword body, after all it''s only at the mortal rank right now. Nightin thought to himself"This is only the mortal rank,what if it were to arrive at the Earth Realm!" With this,Nightin is more confident in avenging his family. "Rosa family,just you wait! Twenty days from now will be the day your family is eliminated!" With this,Nightin left the cave and returned back to the surface. Upon exiting the cave,a purple coloured flower that is emitting a pleasant smell caught his attention. "Demonic Lavender Flower! This flower is capable of helping someone to make an instant breakthrough to the next realm!" Without further ado,he leaped off the ground and plucked the flower off the tree and consumed it immediately. Five minutes later... LGS System Cultivation: spirit gathering realm five(0/1600) Rank:Newbie Swordman(81/100) Skills:Mortal Rank:swift steps,wind slash Saint rank: Nirvana Rebirth(Cultivation) Inventory: Dragonic longsword "Since I have the Nirvana sword body right now,I should probably try to obtain a fire element based skill. There''s still twenty days left before I take action,I still have to get stronger! Looks like I''ll have to invest time into the Nirvana Rebirth Cultivation Technique After resting for a couple of minutes,Nightin left the area and decided to head deeper into the Nascent Mountain. "Roar!!!" A loud sound suddenly resounded within the Nascent Mountain,sending chills down Nightin''s spine. Nightin thought to himself "Just what was that! I have be careful to avoid it!" Upon this, Nightin decided to change. directions and head somewhere else. Nightin knows that it probably isn''t a good time to be roaming about at this point of time. After travelling for a period of time,a cave appeared within his vision and he decided to take residence within the cave in the meantime... Will things go as Nightin wish? Or will things take a turn for the worse? Will it be a blessing or a curse? Chapter 5 - Rapid Improvement,Trouble Strikes With the help of the Nirvana Rebirth cultivation technique,Nightin cultivation was soaring and improving at a rapid pace. Increasing by about 400exp per day,while his sword proficiency is improving by about 2 points per day due to the lack or a better sword technique. Twelve days passed quietly while Nightin was in the cave.Nightin muttered in his mind"Open system stats" LSG System Cultivation:Spirit Gathering Realm seven(0/6400) Rank:Advanced Swordman(0/200) Skills:Mortal Rank: swift steps,wind slash Saint rank:nirvana rebirth(Cultivation) Inventory:Dragonic longsword Looking at his current stats,Nightin felt that he has acheived his target and a smile formed on his face. Looking up into the beautiful night sky filled with stars shining so dazzling that they are blinding him,he muttered to himself"One day, I''ll be standing alongside those stars,or even above them! However, I''ll have to deal with the Rosa family first!" Upon saying so,his lost control of his aura and it spreaded outwards in all directions.Causing the wind around him to go out on control and the bushes near him to sway. "Roar!" Nightin was shocked by the sudden loud roar,which most possibly was attracted by the commotion caused when he lost control of his aura. Nightin knows that its most likely heading straight for him right now. Instead of retreating to somewhere safe,he decided to stay put. "This is my only chance to get stronger before taking revenge. I can''t let this great opportunity slip past me,if not how can I even think about becoming someone who stands at the peak of the world!" Determined,Nightin stayed put at his current location. Shortly after a wild snake appeared in front of him. Upon seeing it,Nightin prepared himself and was totally focused. "Data Analysis!" "Data extracted!" Species:Spitfire snake Cultivation: Foundation realm one(1%) bloodline Nightin wasn''t sure and thus asked the system"What''s with the 1% bloodline?" The system replied in a robotic voice"That signifies that the snake has a 1% bloodline of a true dragon. Which is what helped the snake breakthrough from the spirit gathering realm to the foundation realm. Upon hearing this,Nightin knows that the snake is a complete disaster for him and immediately retreated backwards at full speed with the help of swift steps. However,his movement caught the snake''s attention and it dashed towards him immediately. Seeing this,Nightin shouted"Damn it,I need to be faster,I can''t afford to die here! I still have to avenge my family!" His muscles started tearing due to him pushing himself to go beyond his limits. "Congratulations to host! Swift Steps has broken through from the mortal rank to the earth rank. Earth Rank:Phantom Steps "Congratulations to host! Due to the Nirvana Sword Body,wind slash has experienced an element change and has also broken through to the earth rank Earth Rank:Inferno Slash Nightin was pressured so badly that his stats rose quickly. However,he knows it''s not enough and could only force himself to go faster. With this,he sped up once more,making a beeline for the inner forest. In the forest,things might get more tricky for him,yet it''s also another chance for him to escape. Considering his current situation,his only choice was to dive straight into the forest. He had to take the risk,it is his only chance to survive. "Swoosh!" A figure dashed right into the forest,being chased by a gigantic snake. Will Nightin be able to escape? Will he be able to survive? Will he be able to fight back? Will he experience another lucky encounter? Chapter 6 - Escape,Revenge! LSG System Cultivation:Spirit Gathering Realm seven(0/6400) Rank:Advanced Swordman(0/200) Skills:Earth Rank: phantom steps,inferno slash Saint rank:nirvana rebirth(Cultivation) Inventory:Dragonic longsword Thirty minutes into the forest... Nightin was panting and it became a challenge for him to even keep himself awake due to the exhaustion. Looking up ahead of him,all he see is a cliff suspended high up. Behind him is the Spitfire Snake,in front of him is a cliff of unknown height. Considering the fact that turning back or even stopping will mean death,he forced himself to jumped down the cliff,knowing that his chance of survival is slim even so. Closing his eyes,Nightin spoke to himself in a voice only he himself can hear"Will this be the end of me...?" A beam of sunlight suddenly shined towards Nightin''s face,waking him up from his "eternal sleep" Nightin slowly opened his eyes,his sapphire coloured eyes looking straight towards the beautiful eyes of a young woman standing in front of him. The woman looked at Nightin and shouted"Oh my god! you''re finally awake! you''ve been asleep for seven days straight and your life vitals were fading. How are you even still alive!?" Nightin looked at her and laughed"Miss,thanks for saving my life.As for why I''m still alive, I''m sorry but I''ll have to keep it a secret."Nightin knows deeply that he can''t let anyone know about the existence of this system of his. Nightin asked the woman in a polite manner"By the way miss,how do I address you?" The woman looked at Nightin and laughed so hardly that the two rabbits in front of her chest were leaping. "My name is Yue Lan. I''m from the Yue family of Qing Zhou city." Nightin looked at her,saying"I see,thanks for saving my life. But I have a urgent matter at hand right now, I''ll have to take my leave first." Before Yue Lan could say anything,Nightin had already vanished from her sight. Yue Lan muttered to herself "As expected,he isn''t a simple person..." Yue Lan looked far away into the horizon,with hope shining within her eyes... At some point further away... "I only have one day left. I have to take action tonight!" Nightin travelled at full speed towards the exit of the Nascent Mountain. This is made possible due to the help of phantom steps,if his movement technique had still been restricted to swift steps, there''s no way he''ll make it to the Rosa family in time. With the sun going down,the moon made an appearance. Giving off a brilliant shine,so dazzling that everything pales in comparison compared to it. Late into the night,a shadow dashed into the Rosa family,heading straight for the core area of the family. "The core area must be where the mastermind is!" Upon reaching the core area,a figure appeared in front on him. It''s a middle aged man possibly in his forties. "So you''re his son? Did you come here to seek revenge? You cultivation may have been improving quickly,but you aren''t the only one." Upon ending his sentence,a powerful aura was released by him. Nightin looked at him and whispered in his mind "data analysis!" Cultivation: spirit gathering realm nine Nightin looked at him in shock,questioning him" How did your cultivation improve so quickly?" The middle aged man looked at him and laughed while telling him in a calm voice"Isn''t the answer obvious,I used the blood essence of every single member of your family,in order to form a blood orb. However, don''t worry they didn''t die in vain. After all,they helped me to reach a realm I''ve never expected to reach in this lifetime!" Nightin looked at him and shouted" You''re a cultivator of the evil path! You''re a demon,a demon who should be exterminated!" The man looked at him,a sharp glint within his eyes. With a grin forming on his face,he whispered in a voice so soft that Nightin could barely hear it. "That''s right. You don''t get a reward though. I''ll be sending you to your family. Remember this,the person who killed you is Rosa Whiz!" Upon ending off,he dashed towards Nightin. "Die!" The only word he said towards Nightin before forming a claw made up of spiritual energy,slashing towards him at full force. Nightin immediately focused his gaze "you may be strong. But you''re still too weak to be my opponent!" "Inferno slash!" Nightin slashed towards Rosa Whiz with all his might,gathering as much spiritual energy as possible from the air around him. "Clang!" A resounding sound destroyed the deep silence of the night. Everyone from the Rosa family rushed to the area,curious and afraid of whatever is happening. The first person to arrived at the scene was a young girl,probably around the age of twelve. Worry was covered over the girl''s face,he shouted to Rosa Whiz "Father, what''s happening? I''m scared!" Rosa Whiz body shook due to the sudden voice so familiar to him which made him lose his attention for a split moment. But in a life and death match,one split second can mean everything. Despite wanting to dodge,his body felt too heavy and he couldn''t move... Letting the heavy slash from Nightin slash him into half. His last words were"Please spare the life of my family members...They are innocent and have nothing to do with this..." Nightin looked at his corpse,before looking up towards every single person. He told all of them"I''ll be sparing all of you today,if you all want to take revenge,be my guest. Remember,my name is Nightin!" Before vanishing from the scene, leaving a bunch of people looking at the spot where he vanished. Fear was covered on their faces. In a far corner...There was a girl whose behaviour was different from the rest. Instead of being scared and worrying about their future. She only looked at the spot where Nightin vanished,whispering to herself in a voice only she can hear "Is that the strength of a true cultivator? One day, I''ll find you!" Before running away from the family... At a cave... "Congratulations to host for completing the quest! Due to the sudden spike in difficulty,rewards have been greatly increased!" "New sword technique(Mystic rank):Phoenix dance!" "Cultivation has been increased to the foundation realm!" "End seal(low grade),has the ability to instantly kill off a martial master!" LGS System Cultivation:Foundation Realm(0/100) (1 exp here is worth 10 exp in the previous realm),10 exp per day(Nirvana Rebirth,Saint) Rank:Advance Swordman(0/200),20 proficiency per day(Phoenix Dance,Mystic) Skills:Phantom Steps(Earth Rank),Inferno Slash(Earth Rank) Inventory:Dragonic Long Sword,Low grade end seal Chapter 7 - Sect,Cloud Moon City Cultivation:Foundation Realm(0/100),10 exp per day(Nirvana Rebirth,Saint) Rank:Advance Swordman(0/200),20 proficiency per day(Phoenix Dance,Mystic) Skills:Phantom Steps(Earth Rank),Inferno Slash(Earth Rank) Inventory:Dragonic Long Sword,Low grade end seal "System,where do you suggest I go to right now?" "Host is recommended to go to Cloud Moon City. There are three paths you can choose to take. Firstly,join a sect and secure the spot of number of disciple,which will allow you to get countless precious resources easily. Secondly,you can choose to be a roaming cultivator,not joining any forces or sects. Through this, you''ll have to earn all resources by yourself,but you won''t be restricted by any rules. Thirdly,create a sect and become a sect master of your own. Owning your own force which will assist you in times of need. However,this path is the least recommened." After careful consideration,Nightin asked in his mind"Why is creating a sect of my own not a good decision?" "By creating a sect of your own, you''ll have to face pressure from all the other sects till the day your sect is strong enough that others won''t dare to provoke your sect. You might also face betrayal and in the first place,who will want to join. a sect with the sect master only at the foundation realm." Nightin pondered over it,before picking up the courage to say"I choose to become a sect master. I won''t wish to make a sect that''s filled with numbers,but a sect filled with loyal and truthful elites with good moral character." "Host choice has been registered. Please name the sect." "Nirvana Sect,meaning that there''s no giving up. If members of the sect face a setback,they aren''t allowed to give up,instead they should tackle the problem. Using it as a chance to improve themselves." "Sect''s name has been registered." "Quest one:Become a fourth grade force within one year. Target location is Cloud Moon City. Requirements: Sect master, martial lord realm(0/1) 2 Elders, martial master realm(0/2) 10 disciples,foundation realm(0/10) Nightin looked at the requirements,thinking it over and decided that his personal strength took priority first. He had to be strong enough to deal with any difficult situations that the sect faces. A gust of wind sweeped up behind him as he started heading North towards Cloud Moon City. Two days later,Nightin finally arrived at Cloud Moon City. Nightin decided that it would he better for him to ask around the city for more information first. Two men were talking at a corner,one of them whispering "Have you heard about the recent news? Cloud Moon City has decided to increase the number of established sects from six to eight around their area. One can register themselves at the registration hall found at the core area of the city. Wanna go try our luck?" Nightin left and headed for the registration hall. At the counter was a young lady in her twenties. He asked "Can I register for my sect to be established?" The woman replied "Firstly,are you even at the foundation realm? Secondly,you must have a technique unique to your sect,the technique must be of the heaven rank at least. Thirdly,you must show that you are capable of doing so." Nightin replied "I fufill all three conditions,can I register for it?" The woman told him "Get lost. You are way too young for that." Nightin said "Are you that confident? If that how the registration hall does things? By age? Seriously,what a joke!" Nightin left straight after saying so. Nightin decided "Since I can''t register my sect officially,I will establish it as a hidden sect within the mountains." Nightin went straight for the abandoned mountain known as the Sky Crystal mountain. Based on the system,beneath it is a god tier spiritual root,but people just don''t realise it. The system gave Nightin 100 individual houses,each with spiritual energy ten times purer than the outside world. Nightin only hanged one sign at the entrance "Only geniuses are allowed in here." Chapter 8 - First disciple Cultivation:Foundation Realm(0/100),10 exp per day(Nirvana Rebirth,Saint) Rank:Advance Swordman(0/200),20 proficiency per day(Phoenix Dance,Mystic) Skills:Phantom Steps(Earth Rank),Inferno Slash(Earth Rank) Inventory:Dragonic Long Sword,Low grade end seal Just like that,three days went by in the blink ot an eye... Cultivation:Foundation Realm(30/100),10 exp per day(Nirvana Rebirth,Saint) Rank:Expert Swordman(0/400),20 proficiency per day(Phoenix Dance,Mystic) Skills:Phantom Steps(Earth Rank),Inferno Slash(Earth Rank) Inventory:Dragonic Long Sword,Low grade end seal Just when Nightin thought the fourth day will end up the same,a man in tattered clothes appeared in front of his sect. He asked "Can I join your sect? I may be a weakling right now,but my talent is there." Nightin asked calmly "What is your age? What is your name? What is your background? Why do you want to join my sect? What is your talent level? The man replied "My name is Lancelot, I''m fifteen this year. I''m from the White Wolf family which got destroyed three years ago. I want to join your sect to get stronger,to take revenge upon those who massacred my family. I''m a god rank talent." Nightin agreed to let him in upon hearing that he is a god rank talent. Geniuses like him are what his sect lack the most currently. Upon entering the sect,Nightin told his first disciple Lancelot "Take note that as my first disciple,I expect you to be one of the strongest even when the sect grow in numbers. For now,you can choose any house that you like. "Beep! System reward has been given as the host has the first member of his sect!" "Four foundation building rooms" Only one person can be using it at a time. Inside, there''s a array which can help to improve the person''s speed,strength,defence and spirit essence control. When a person has foundation is strong enough,the person should be capable of skipping at least three cultivation ranks to defeat their opponent. Nightin decided to place them 200m west from the main hall(mc house,sorry that I forgot to mention it in the last chap) while the disciple houses are two hundred metres east of the main hall. Nightin decided to experience the effect of the foundation building room for himself and entered one of them. "Beep! Will you choose speed,strength,defence or spirit essence control? "I choose speed." "Beep! User choice has been registered!" The next moment,the view around Nightin changed. He was in the vast desert all alone by himself. A few desert lions were behind him,each at the fourth foundation realm. Exactly three realms above him. "Beep! User''s mission is to survive for one hour. Death here will not result in your actual death in the real world,but the trauma will still be there." The lions started chasing him after the voice faded off. Left with no choice,Nightin could only start dashing off towards the other end of the desert in a bid to get away from them. First thirty minutes,Nightin thought "It isn''t that difficult." However the remaining ninety minutes made him change his mind "God damn it! My spirit essence is running out!" By the time he left the foundation building room,he was so exhausted that he collapsed on the ground. Lancelot walked up to him and asked "Sect master,are you okay?" Nightin got up on his feet and told Lancelot "You want to get stronger right? Enter one of those rooms if you want to. Don''t ask me any questions." Nightin wanted Lancelot to experience what he had just went through and see how he will deal with it. Lancelot nodded his head and walked into one of the rooms. Five minutes later... A figure was blown out of the room. Lancelot hair was totally messy even though he had tidied it up before he entered the room. His robe was also in tatters,leaving Nightin to think "I should customise a sect outfit for every disciple." Lancelot looked at Nightin and said "Sect master,is that going to be my training? Can I choose to give up?" Nightin looked at him sternly and said "No,you want to give up just after that one experience? Don''t you want to avenge your family and kill all those who harmed them? Are you really going to betray the trust and faith I have places in you just from a small setback? If you really want to give up,you may leave right now." Lancelot got up on his feet, determination could be seen on his face. He told Nightin "Sect master,I have thought it true. I will give it all I have got and push myself to the limit." Nightin nodded his head and told Lancelot "I will be checking your progress after twenty days." Nightin then turned around and returned to the main hall. As for their meals,they can just hunt for wild meat,they are in a forest after all. Just like that,twenty days went pass in the blink of an eye. Cultivation:Foundation second realm(130/200),10 exp per day(Nirvana Rebirth,Saint) Rank:Sword Master (0/800),20 proficiency per day(Phoenix Dance,Mystic) Skills:Phantom Steps(Earth Rank),Inferno Slash(Earth Rank) Inventory:Dragonic Long Sword,Low grade end seal Nightin walked up to the foundation building rooms to check on Lancelot progress. When Lancelot saw Nightin,he got down on his knees and said "Disciple Lancelot pays respect to sect master." Nightin replied "You may recover,by the way how is your progress thus far?" Lancelot replied "I have reached the seventh realm of spirit gathering,my combat strength should be equivalent to that of a peak spirit gathering cultivator." Nightin isn''t surprised by Lancelot current cultivation. Lancelot is cultivating the Nirvana Rebirth technique after all,it will be weird if his cultivation didn''t reach his current stage despite his talent and efforts. Nightin told Lancelot that day "I wish to participate in the fourth grade sect tournament eleven months from now. I need you to get much stronger than how you are right now,it is best if you can actually reach the martial master realm..." Determination can be seen on Lancelot''s face as he told Nightin that he will give it his all... Chapter 9 - Sorry Sorry,but I''ve decided that there are too many plot holes and the story isn''t really that interesting. Instead or writing this story blindly, I''ve decided to write a new novel from scratch this time. Chapter 10 - Minor grade sect tournament Nightin lay down on his bed as he looked up at the ceiling,thinking to himself "It has already been one month ever since that day,to think that even someone like me will have a day where I start to rise up..." The next day,Nightin was woken up by Lancelot who had a scroll in his hands. In the middle of the scroll was the lion seal which belongs exclusively to the sect association. The association which rejected him when he attempted to register his sect. Lancelot passed it to Nightin with both hands respectfully as he said "Sect master,a messenger who claimed that he''s from the sect association told me to pass you this scroll." Nightin took the letter over casually with one as he opened it up: I''m the assocation master of our branch in the Cloud Moon city, I''ve heard of what has happened and would like to deeply apologise for the rudeness of our worker. Now to the main point,we hope that you''ll participate in the minor grade sect tournament where eight grade one sects including yours will participate in. It will be held in the Cloud Moon city battle arena." Nightin wrinkled his eyebrows, seemingly in deep thoughts as he asked Lancelot "Did the messenger who passed you the scroll make any weird actions?" Lancelot pondered carefully for some time before shaking his head while saying that the messenger was behaving normally. Nightin informed Lancelot of the minor grade tournament which their sect will be taking part in one month from now. Lancelot looked at Nightin as he said "Don''t worry sect master, I''ll work hard in this one month and won''t let you down." After finishing he had to say,he left the room as he closed the doors up before heading to cultivate. Nightin destroyed the scroll in his hand after Lancelot left the room as he started to think to himself "Why would the association head suddenly contact me and know about what happened? Since I can''t figure it out,the only thing I can do right now is get stronger." Leaving his room,Nightin heads towards the desolate mountain area to the northwest of the sect. With Nightin''s current cultivation at the second realm of the martial master realm,he arrived at the foot of the mountain shortly after. Nightin started to ascend the mountain while heading towards the inner area of it. At the start,countless beasts attempted to make him their meal of the day,only to be killed by him instead. The strength of the beasts started to increase gradually until the second class fourth grade demon beasts appear on a regular basis. Just when Nightin had decided to stay here,around the middle area of the mountain,a demon ape appeared in front of him. The demon ape had a menacing look with four arms as it bellowed at Nightin. Nightin didn''t had to think,that demon ape must be the ruler of this area. Nightin continuous killing of its servants must have angered him. Nightin took his blade out as he got into battle stance,waiting for the demon ape in front of him to make the first move. If only he had been more careful,this might not have happened. Taking a deep breathe to calm down his thoughts that are running wild,he decided to make the first move. Circling to the back of the ape,his sword stabbed straight into its back with the first sword of the nine mystic swords. Nine mystic swords,a self created technique of his in which only the first move has been developed. In this technique of his,the increase in every sword layer will be double of the previous one. Even though his cultivation is only at the second realm of the Martial Master realm,his strength is comparable to that of the fourth realm. With the increase in strength with the first of nine swords,the attack power can be compared to that of a average fifth realm martial master. Even so,his attack was futile as the sword attack was destroyed without even leaving a scratch on the back of the demon ape. The attack of his enraged the demon ape as it swung its arm towards Nightin. Before Nothing blacked out,he saw a man holding a zither plucking one the strings... When Nightin woke up,he was in a cave with a campfire lit out as the only light source providing warmth as well. The sun had set down already as the night moon hanged high up in the sky. Seeing that Nightin was awake,the man asked him "Young man,what are you doing in such a dangerous place like this? You should know that one wrong move would cost your life,just what are you doing this for." Nightin look at the eyes of the man,trying to understand his motive,yet all he could is that the man has experienced a life filled with ordeals... Shaking his thoughts off,Nightin told the man "My name is Nightin,I aspire to become a sect master,if I''m not strong enough,how will I be able to protect the disciples of my sect? I appreciate your effort in saving me, but just what do you want?" The man laughed out loud,his laughter resounding off the walls of the cave,echoing throughout the area. "I''m Liam,a seven star musician and one of the ten experts in this world. I''m sure that you are wanting me to join your sect by now,but I''m afraid that I''ll have to reject your offer. I can stay here to help you out for half a month with your cultivation if you want to though." Nightin half kneeled on his knees as he thanked the senior for his kind efforts. He understands that as a person with such a high status,he must be busy enough in life to barely have enough free time. Just like this,Nightin started to undergo the demon training under the man who claimed to be a figure who stands at the peak of this world... Back in the sect,Lancelot actually picked the spear as his weapon and actually condensed out his first spear energy. From what Nightin had told him,the limit is 999 of these energies,only then will one be able to condense out the strongest intents. Be it rain or shine,day or night. Both the sect master and disciple were undoing training which can be described as hell at every single moment. Today is the last day before the arrival of the minor grade sect tournament. Nightin''s cultivation arrived at the seventh martial master realm,while Lancelot arrived at the half step martial master realm. Not only that,Lancelot had managed to condense out twenty spear energies in total while building a strong foundation. With his current strength,winning this tournament will be a breeze... Chapter 11 - Auction When Nightin met up with Lancelot at the Peacock merchant hall,he patted Lancelot''s shoulder as he said "I know that the past month wasn''t easy for you,tomorrow will be your time to shine." (Forgot to mention in previous chap about their meeting location) Lancelot shook his head while telling Nightin "I''m not only doing so for the sect,but to take revenge against the White Ravens as well. The only way I can do so would be to attain Lord." Right when Nightin was about to comfort Lancelot,a man stepped into the merchant hall exclaiming "What are these two beggars doing here! Is this how the Peacock do things,even lowly existences like them can step inside here?" Nightin''s was able to ignore the criticism of that man,but Lancelot definitely isn''t able to. When the word beggar left the man''s mouth,it reminded him of his dark past,a memory which he didn''t want to recall. Without even using his speak and keeping it behind his back,he throws a punch towards the man''s face sending him flying backwards. The man started to wail in pain as he shouted at Nightin and Lancelot "You guys dare to punch me? I''m Ever Gray from the Ever family,you guys are dead for sure! Guards,them take down!" Two guards clad in iron armor with a iron sword in hand stepped out from behind him as they swing their swords towards Lancelot without hesitation. Nightin stood at the back without the slightest intention to make a move,those guards may be at the martial master second realm,but he wanted to know where Lancelot current strength lies. A grin formed on Lancelot''s face as he prepared his spear and got ready for battle,laughing out "Haha,I can finally have a heated match with opponents who are strong enough!" Eleven spear energies formed in the air before condensing together into one as they enter the spear. Lighting coiled around the spear giving off a vzzt vzzt sound. Swinging his spear towards the two incoming swords,he managed to block the attack without taking a step back as he send the guards backwards a few steps. At this point of time,a crowd had gathered at the area as they chattered. "Hey, isn''t that Ever Gray from the Ever family?" "That brat is dead for sure,he actually had the courage to beat up the second master of the Ever family." "I know right,Ever Gray may only be someone who induldge in the pleasures of life,yet his identity is still there after all." Lancelot looked at the two guards as the two sides started to stare at each other intensely, each wanting to devour the other. Both sides dash towards other for another clash,both going out at full force. "That''s enough! My merchant hall may be protected by formation arrays,but that doesn''t mean that this is a battleground for you guys!" A sound filled with aura made the crowd go silent as the man stood in the middle of both attacks and deflected them away easily,keeping them rooted to the spot. The man ignored them as he looked at Nightin "Young lad,I don''t wish to make you my enemy. Not only that,my merchant hall wishes to befriend you as an ally,we can talk about the details in one of the meeting rooms here,follow me." Staring at Ever Gray,he told him "You sure like to cause troubles for your family, I''ll pay them a visit later on." Cold sweat started to drip down Every Gray''s face as he fell on the ground,he knows that his father will definitely rip off a skin layer from his this time. Out of all the forces,the Peacock merchant hall is a force that even the royals are afraid of and yet he actually offended them. Nightin look at Lancelot and signalled for him to stay behind as he followed the man inside. After entering the room,the man cut straight to the chase as he said "I''m the seventh elder of the Peacock merchant hall,our hall master informed me to befriend you at all cost,would you perhaps know the reason why?" Nightin asked the man back in return "Who is your hall master? I don''t remember knowing such a figure." "Haha haha,my dear nephew from the Gale family,have you forgotten about your dear uncle?" The voice of a man probably in his forties interrupted in. Nightin sneered at him "Uncle? I''m just a orphan who doesn''t belong to any family. Don''t lump me in with trash like you who abandoned my whole branch just because our talent is lower. Don''t expect me to join back into the main family just because my talent exceeds your expectations either!" At this point,all the pent up anger inside Nightin started to get release towards his uncle. Should he let him know about the truth? About why his branch was abandoned due to his mother? Jacob Gale his uncle thought to himself before making the determination to tell Nightin the truth. "Do you truly think that our main family will be heartless enough to abandon your father and mother? The only reason they branch out willingly themselves is because they made enemies from four out of the top ten experts on our continent." Jacob Gale continued "There''s no way your parents will be dead either. With their cultivation talent after tens of years has passed,even the top ten experts gathering together won''t be their match. Their current opponents are those of the upper realm." Nightin heart shook as thoughts started to run wild in his mind. "My parents are still alive. They weren''t abandoned by the family but left themselves. Should I return to the main branch of the Gale family?" Thoughts were storming in Nightin''s brain as he got down on his knees hugging his head in pain. Nightin asked his uncle "Can I meet my parents?" Jacob Gale sighed "Your grandparents miss both your parents as well,but there''s no way we can contact them. They have already left this realm,heading towards a cultivation world of a higher level." Knowing that this might be his only chance to renuite with his parents if he were to join forges with the Gale family,Nightin asked his uncle at this moment "If I''m able to stand at the top of this realm within ten years,will the Gale family assist me and my sect? The strongest existence who is my grandfather is already a Emperor from what I''ve heard,will he be willing to assist me?" Jacob Gale laughed out "Of course he will, that''s the reason I''m here today. From now on as well,the Peacock Merchant Hall hundreds of branches around this very continent will be under you. As for our residence, we''ll be able to shift our current ones to your mountain easily. We''ll meet again three months later at your sect." Chapter 12 - Easy Victory Back to the battle arena of the Cloud Moon city. Countless cultivators including the mortals were gathered there,each wanting to spectate heated battles between the younger generation. Nightin stood beside Lancelot as Lancelot stepped onto the battle platform. The moment the eight representatives of the eight sects were spread out,the judge started to announce the rules. "Welcome to the 31st annual minor grade tournament as we behold the heated battles between the strongest youth of all the sects here. Now to invite..." After a long speech which caused many people to doze off,the judge finally got to the rules. "This year will be different in order to speed up the progress of the tournament. It will be a chaotic fight as all eight youths challenge each other on the stage at this very moment at the same time. Without further ado,the competition will begin right now." The representative from the wind sect sneered at Lancelot "What''s a trash disciple from a trash sect like you doing right here? I''ll give you the privilege of being the first one to get knocked off the stage." The representative swing his axe towards Lancelot at full force,his killing intention could be sensed by everyone below. Lancelot grinned at him as he held his palm out,blocking his axe with just one finger before sending him off the stage with a kick. Nightin interjected at this point "Hey guys,take a look. There''s a human rocket who just crashed on the stage. Oh my god,why is he even spreading his legs wide apart." Everyone turned towards that representative to take a look,only to see him truly spreading his legs wide apart for all to see. "Argh! My eyes hurt!" "Is he really one of the strongest youths out here?" "Just what did his seniors teach him!" "Does he know no shame?" Countless people started to insult the wind sect for teaching out such a disciple as they targeted the elder of the wind sect who is present. "That''s enough!" The elder started at Nightin viciously,seemingly wanting to kill his at this very moment. "Are you his sect master?" Nightin replied as he close his eyes "So what if I am? If you don''t intend for your sect to be destroyed,I would recommend you to take a step back right now and even apologise to me for your rudeness just now." "Haha, there''s no such thing to people like me from the wind sect,you can die right now!" "Mortal grade technique,Eagle Claw!" The elder formed a wind claw mid air before dashing towards Nightin with it. Something that only cultivators at the martial master realm are capable of doing. Nightin laughed at him "I guess that you are wanting to join that genius from your sect in spreading your legs wide apart for everyone to see as well." With a swift kick, the elder was sent flying as he laid beside the genius of his sect. This caused many people to puke as the elder pants actually splited apart... Of course,this is just a small case that was happening below the arena. Shortly after, everyone regained their composure and turned their eyes back onto the stage. Lancelot was standing there casually as he watched the other six geniuses stare at him,the aura from him making all the other geniuses cower in fear. To make this much progress,the number of life that he had taken isn''t something that these young representatives can understand. Most of them had probably not even taken a single life yet. The six geniuses seemingly in unison,attacked Lancelot at the same time with the martial technique unique to their sect. "So what if you''re wrong, there''s no way you can take this full out attack of ours!" "You may be a genius more talented than us,but you won''t be our match no matter how much you try!" The geniuses mocked Lancelot as dark smoke from the impact started to cover him up. "A pathetic bunch of fools!" To their surprise,Lancelot walked out of the smoke cover unharmed. Not even the slightest scratch could be seen on his body. "This tournament sure is boring,I expected much stronger opponents!" Lancelot thought to himself before sending each and every single on of them off the stage. All ending up in the same position as the duo from the wind sect. Seeing this,the respective elders picked their sect''s genius up before rushing back to their sect. Worried that the demon might come after them and give all of them the same treatment. Nightin stepped out onto the battle arena at this time as he announced to everyone "The winner of the 31st minor grade sect tournament is my sect''s first disciple Lancelot,may everyone give him a warm round of applause!" Everyone turned to look at each other, shock covered their face as they got dumbfounded. That idiot just now is the sect master of this new Nirvana sect somehow,even though no one wanted to believe this, it''s a undeniable fact. Despite so,many youths started to rush towards him to get registered. After careful deliberation of the Cloud Moon city youths,he decided to only pick those the hundred youths with the best talent out of the few thousand. To his surprise,one people he took in shocked him when the system told him,that person has a talent that''s even comparable to Lancelot at the very least. The only disciple of the blood demon who stands at the peak of this world and has ascended to the upper realm since hundred of years ago. That person may be intending to join the Nirvana sect and lay low to stay safe against the other great forces which might try to kill him to steal his body constitution. The devil blood body which is currently sealed. Nightin walked up to him as he said "you''ll be the second core disciple of my sect. Follow me, I''ll help you to unseal the shackles limiting your talent right now." Chapter 13 - Sect system The hundred and one disciples followed Nightin back as Ayden and Lancelot stood beside him. Anyone person who saw them travel past paid special attention to the three of them at the front and tried to remember their faces. News of them being the champion has already spread far at this point of time. Upon reaching the sect,everyone was shocked by the immense spiritual energy in the air. Here,their cultivation speed will at least be five times faster than the usual. Not only that,the five foundation building rooms are always being fought for by every disciple after they learnt about its effects. Nightin told Ayden to follow him to the back of the mountain as no one will find him there. After reaching the area, Nightin took out a demonic blood vine,a extinct plant in this world which he found back then in the old man''s Phoenix cave. Nightin passed the demonic blood vine over to Ayden whole telling him "Swallow it and wait for the effect to come. It may hurt slightly,but the rewards you reap will greatly you in the future." Ayden took it over as he nodded solemnly telling Nightin "I''ll do my best to not let you down!" In one swift motion,Ayden swallowed the demonic blood vine. One hour later,Ayden asked Nightin "Sect master, I''m not feeling any changes or pain within my body. I appreciate your effort,but I''ll me taking my leave first if there''s nothing else on. Right when Ayden stood up,a sharp pain travelled around his body. The sudden pain made him fall on the ground as he wailed in pain. He felt as though as if his blood was all being extracted from him while being forcibly refined back into his body. His bones were all shattering and regrouping themselves once again. His meridians were all being destroyed and replaced by golden coloured ones in place. While Ayden had sweat dripping down his ashen face,he asked Nightin while struggling "Sect master, how is this just a little bit of pain?" Before Ayden knew it,the process was finally finished. To his amaze,four hours had already passed by at this moment. When he stood up,a stench was coming out from his body in which disgusted the duo of disciple and master. Without Nightin orders,Ayden went to wash himself up before returning to his cultivation residence. After Ayden returned to his residence, Nightin built up a martial tower on the mountain. The thing which will make his sect stand out from the others is that every single disciple will be able to cultivate the Nirvana technique. A technique of unknown rank with the grade decided by the cultivator based on the number of times they make a breakthrough in this technique. As for martial skills of other grades,he only placed in four earth rank skills which his uncle had left him that day. Earth rank:Firmament Slash(Sword) Earth rank:Cyclone Whirl(Spear) Earth rank:Seven stars(Bow) Earth rank:Phantom steps(movement) With this, his sect had their very first foundation to stand against others. Not only that,his sect will be one step closer to standing at the top of this world. The next day,in the early morning where most disciples had just finished resting,Nightin gathered everyone at the main hall. Standing before everyone,he started to share with everyone about the new martial tower and the ranks in which disciples will be divided into. The disciples will be divided into four different grades from lowest to highest: Outer disciple,Inner disciple,Core disciple,Legacy disciple respectively. Outer disciples will be entitled to the sect''s unique cultivation technique,the Nirvana Rebirth technique and access to the earth rank martial skill Phantom Steps. Inner disciples will be entitled to the above mentioned privileges and are able to choose an additional martial skill from the martial tower. Core disciples will be entitled to all the above mentioned privileges and access to four hours of the foundation building room daily. Not only that, they''ll be prioritised for most events including the upcoming middle grade sect tournament. Legacy disciples will be entitled to all privileges that are available to the sect,they will be able to represent the sect master in any case if needed. They''ll be prioritised for any cultivation resources as well and can have a sub mountain of their own. The front condition being that they don''t belong under any mountain. At the moment,only Lancelot and Ayden are legacy disciples while the rest are mere outer disciples at the moment. If they wish to rise up in title, it''ll depend on their contribution to the sect through various methods. Such as clearing off bandits or quests on the mission board or contributing items to the sect such as the inner pill of a demon beast etc. Lancelot''s mountain represented the spear path while Ayden''s mountain represented the path of body tempering. Not only that,the rules on their mountain won''t receive any restriction so long as no deaths are caused. In the end,seventeen people decided to enter the spear mountain while only four decided to enter the body tempering mountain. The rest remained on the main mountain where they will await the rise of the next legacy disciple or arrival of an elder. On the mountain of spear path,early morning when the sun had just rise,would be the time they train their spear foundation moves,even Lancelot himself will be present with everyone. In the afternoon, they''ll take a break and cultivate the Nirvana Rebirth Technique and in the evening, they''ll set up to the wild to clear off bandits or fight demon beasts to gain combat experience. On the mountain or body tempering,they only had one routine besides the cultivation of the Nirvana Rebirth technique at night. They would be pushing their body to the extreme beyond their limits time and time again. Standing under a waterfall,attacking walls at full force without leaving a scratch on it and only injuring themselves. Three days has passed since then and the average strength of the sect has increased tremendously. The average cultivation of disciples is already at the fourth realm of the martial apprentice realm while Nightin''s cultivation has stepped into the eighth realm of martial master. Ayden and Lancelot have also made a breakthrough to the martial master realm. Chapter 14 - Unexpected first elder On the fourth day,everything was going as usual until a young woman arrived at the foot of the mountain. The young woman was wearing a blue robe that sticks closely to her skin,showing off her curvy figure. Behind her was a bow that was actually about her body size. If something about her really has to be mentioned,it would be the aura that she''s giving off. Inside the main hall, Nightin was cultivating peacefully as per usual,yet he stopped so when he sensed someone coming towards the sect. No,the person is already waiting for him at the bottom of the mountain. Despite not knowing the reason for the person''s arrival,Nightin still decided to go look for the person. Shortly after,he arrived at the foot of the mountain and met the woman face to face. A grin formed on the woman''s face as she said "Hey,you must be the sect master of the rising Nirvana sect right? I''m Isabella Leaf from the Leaf Royal family of the Leafal City. I''m the king''s only daughter in fact. How about this, I''ll join your sect if you defeat me. But if you lose, you''ll be my servant. How about it?" Nightin laughed at her "Miss Leaf,are you sure that you can defeat me? You''re nothing but a porcelain protected by your..." "Boom!" An intimidating aura burst out from Isabella which actually shocked Nightin. Nightin took out his sword immediately and readied himself to deal with any coming situation that might arise. Isabella mocked back at him this time "You may not know,but I''m the youth who is ranked third out of all the city geniuses. I may only be seventeen years old,but I''m already at second realm of martial spirit." Isabella gave Nightin a smile before taking out her bow and pulling the string,condensing an arrow made out of spirit energy "Have fun with this shot little brother!" Nightin stood there as he took out his sword, swinging it twice in a row. Two swords of the Nine Mystic Swords collides with the arrow and destroyed it easily. Without any sign of stopping,it dashes towards Isabella. Damn it,how is this even possible. Without any hesitation,Isabella dodged to her left,not knowing that the trap had already been laid out for her in advance. In the past month,Nightin''s cultivation had not only increased,but he also condensed out the third sword of the nine mystics. The moment Isabella''s foot landed on the ground,a sword shot up from the group and condensed into a net wrapping her up. The biggest improvement he had made would be his breakthrough one the sword path in which he improved his control mostly. Right now,the movements of his sword won''t be restricted to only those of the sword path,but in any way he wants to. Something that even most first class sword master''s aren''t capable of doing. (More details as story advances) With a swift motion,the net entangled Isabella and trapped her within the sword net. Isabella struggled and tried to break the net apart with her spirit energy,only for the next to contract tighter causing her pain. "Hey, hey that''s enough alright! I give up already! I''ll join your sect as an elder ok?" Nightin released the sword net as he asked "I know what you''re about to ask,if it''s a bow technique you want, there''s one of the earth rank which you can learn in advance. In return, you''ll take in some disciples from my sect under you,simply speaking, you''ll be in charge of your own mountain." She definitely has more to ask,I have to be careful. Isabella puffed her cheeks and said "That''s a promise right! Not only that,I expect no restrictions at all! Also,will resources be given out to my mountain? Will I be able to command every disciple? Will I..." Nightin couldn''t stand Isabella anymore and had no choice but to cut her off "Alright alright, we''ll talk about all this later alright?" With that,the new rising Nirvana sect has their first elder with her very own mountain,the mountain of bow path. Swinging her green coloured ponytail to the side,Isabella stood at the top of her mountain and shouted at everyone "Listen up kids,if you want to learn how to become a great archer,climb up this mountain and look for me! I only accept females by the way!" Nightin was nodding as approval of her plans until he heard the part ''females only'' which made him want to vomit blood. Doesn''t this mean that the current male disciples won''t gain access to any archery skills? But of course,he kept quiet as this is what he had promised Isabella just now. In the end,only two disciples joined Isabella''s mountain,not only that,the two she chose had the best aptitude and looks out of all the females present as well. With this,it acted as a morale boost to the guys who are actually courting them right now. Nightin stood below as he sighed "I guess this acts as a sort of motivation for them at least." The very next day,Nightin gathered everyone in the main hall as he made some new announcements "Three months from now,our sect will be participating in the middle grade sect tournament and we have been granted six spots. With Lancelot and Ayden reserving one each,there are only four spots left." At this moment,the disciples in the main all were all excited with the wild flame in their heart slowly coming alive,burning with passion. "I must work hard no matter what, I''ll definitely obtain one of the spots!" "You can stop dreaming, you''re only at the third realm of martial apprentice right now!" Nightin was shocked when he saw one disciple acting calmly,not only that,his cultivation was at the seventh realm of martial apprentice as well even though he hasn''t received training from any of the mountain leaders. Deciding in his heart,Nightin remembered the person''s face and decided to get him to stay behind after everyone has taken their leave. Clearing his throat,Nightin continued "After careful deliberation, I''ve decided to give one spot to every mountain and one to the disciples who have not chosen any mountain yet. After one month time,the candidates must be chosen as they''ll receive special training." Nightin''s face sent a chill down everyone''s spine as the same thought went through everyone''s mind: The sect master must be up to no good. Before dismissing everyone,he said "The guy in black robe is to stay back,the rest of you can be dismissed!" Hearing this,the countless disciples rushed out of the main hall as they headed to cultivate,at this moment, they''ll have to seize every precious moment and resource they can to cultivate. The disciple asked to stay back wrinkled his eyebrows as he asked "Sect master,can I know the reason behind why I''m staying back while everyone has already taken their leave?" Nightin smiled at him as he said "There''s no particular reason,you just caught my eye. I''ll just ask you one question,what are you cultivating for?" The disciple body shook at this moment,clenching his fists tightly he replied "There''s no particular reason,I just want to know the limits of cultivation. While others may be using practical weapons such as swords,knives,axes and many more,my weapon is my spirit essence. My spiritual treasure which is a scroll already at the rare grade." Nightin looked at him, appreciation could be seen in his eyes "Very well,I hope you won''t let me down three months from now. Just remember this, there''s no limit to the world of cultivation. The only limit is ourselves. Chapter 15 - The chosen ones Ever since that day,the whole sect had been on a frenzy with every disciple doing everything they can to get stronger. From clearing missions to cultivating to fighting for resources. Everyone in the sect in fact,have already left the sect and experienced life and death battles. Only by putting their lives on the line,will they be able to grow at the fastest speed. Right now,exactly one month ever since that day,even the weakest disciple is at the seventh realm of martial apprentice while the highest is Lancelot and Ayden tied neck to neck at the fourth realm of martial master. As for Nightin himself,he made a breakthrough to the martial spirit first realm and has already condensed out one hundred and ninety nine sword energies and successfully cultivated the fourth sword of nine mystics. Now,will be the day where the other four disciples for the middle grade sect tournament will be chosen. From the mountain of spear path lead by Lancelot,it will be him who is currently at the sixth realm of martial master and his disciple Ray Leohart who is at the fourth realm of martial master. Even though there''s someone who''s at the fifth realm of martial master which is above Ray,his combat strength can''t be compared to Ray who had already condensed out one twenty and twenty nine spear energies. Next up, there''s the mountain ot body tempering. The two representing will be Ayden who is also at the sixth realm of martial master and his disciple which everyone calls little black. As for the reason, it''s because unlike others,his skin is so tanned that you won''t even be able to see him with the naked eye in the dark. To top it up,his cultivation may only be at the second realm or martial master,yet he''s born with divine strength which gives him an edge over others,making him not any weaker than Ray. Thirdly,will be the mountain or archery. The disciple representing will be Abby Lee who has the highest cultivation out of all the disciples here,even above Lancelot and Ayden. A high grade martial master at the seventh realm and not only that,she had already condensed out one hundred and forty nine arrow energies,only twenty below Lancelot and Ayden. If it weren''t for her wanting to serve under Isabella as her right hand woman, she would definitely have the chance to be a legacy disciple as well. In terms of combat strength however,even Lancelot and Ayden together might not be Abby''s match. Reason being that there''s a huge difference in the amount of spirit energy that they have. From the first realm to the third grade of every major rank,one is known to be at the low grade. From the fourth realm to sixth realm of every major rank,one is known to be at the middle grade. From the seventh to ninth realm is thus the high grade. Last but not least,everyone was shocked by the sect master Nightin''s last choice,the black robe disciple,Alexander Adam. At this point,people were chattering and discussing with each other about the sect master''s sudden choice. "Hey,who is that guy? I don''t even remember seeing him before." "I know right,maybe he bribed our sect master somehow which is why he obtained the spot." "Don''t jump into conclusions so early,who knows,he might have been staying low key throughout." At this moment,Alexander released his aura which surprised everyone,the fourth realm of martial master. Not only that,everyone was looking at the scroll which he summoned out,some filled with curiosity,some puzzled by the sudden appearance of this scroll. This would be a good moment to step out,seeing this chance to raise everyone''s morale to a higher level,Nightin stepped out "The reason I chose Alexander for the sixth disciple participating is simple,he managed to awakened his spiritual treasure and even raised it to the middle grade, something that even most geniuses of those great sects can''t achieve. Spiritual treasures are divided into the common,rare and epic grade which is equivalent to the mortal,magical and royale weapons respectively." Taking a deep breathe,Nightin continued "If there''s nothing else,everyone is dismissed from here. I don''t expect anyone to be slacking off just because you missed the opportunity this time. As a cultivator,your priority would be to protect those around you,fame and prestige are nothing compared to your loved ones." After everyone besides those who were chosen had left the main hall, Nightin got them to follow him to the back mountain. When everyone reached the back mountain,what they saw was a peaceful area with a gigantic waterfall and lush plants growing in the forest. Everywhere was brimming with life,with the sunlight shining in,the whole place could be described as a paradise. Everyone besides Nightin was surprised by this place blazing with vibrant life in front of them. Only for Nightin to pour cold water on them the next moment. Turning his head towards everyone,he told them "Welcome to the first day of your lovely hell little fellas!" Everyone took a deep gulp of saliva and without knowing when,Alexander had actually tried to slip off. "Sect master,your disciple Alexander has some matters to attend to and will be taking his leave first, I''ll see you again two months later!" Finishing what he had to say,Alexander immediately tried to escape,only to be caught back by Nightin''s sword net and thrown into the water. With a stern face,Nightin scolded Alexander "Alexander I don''t have time to waste with you,if you don''t want to cultivate then you can get out of here right now!" Nightin''s words struck deep into Alexander''s heart as he deeply apologised while lowering his head "I''m sorry for my selfish thought." And with this small case closed,the hell training officially begins. Chapter 16 - Hell training According to Nightin''s orders,all of them will be going through different trainings as an individual,all made for each of them after careful thoughts and thinking. These trainings will fully bring out the potential of every disciple and speed up their growth. So,to the first disciple of the sect Lancelot. Lancelot''s speciality may be his spear,but he had never been through weighted training. In the case where he''s in a tough battle,his opponent will just have to suppress him to win the whole battle or even take his life without much difficulty. As such,Lancelot would have to be training under the waterfall at any time,if any object were to fall,he would be in charge of defending himself. The purpose of this training is to ensure that no matter how much pressure he''s under, he''ll be able to fight back in his peak state and even use it to his own advantage against the opponent. Without any hesitation,Lancelot followed Nightin''s orders,if not for him,he would still be a lowly beggar right now. It was Nightin who had given him a new lease of life,a chance to take revenge for his family. Even if Nightin told him to die,he would do so without any hesitation after taking revenge. Seeing this, Alexander tried to escape again as he asked "Sect master,take a look I''m so skinny,I would die under that waterfall. To prevent my death,you won''t be letting me be under the waterfall right?" Nightin smiled and replied "Of course,what you''ll be doing is gaining actual combat experience. To do that,I expect you to kill ten demon beasts two minor ranks above your cultivation every single day. You wouldn''t want to miss the criteria,hehe." Seeing this,Alexander took a step back and hurriedly agreed to whatever conditions that Nightin gave him,unless he wants to suffer more hardship of course. As for Ayden, he''s also the second person who is willing to serve Nightin with his life. Nightin got Ayden to stand upright against the waterfall which weighs up to five hundred kilograms(kg) at the moment,a weight that most martial spirits will be barely able to handle. Not only that, he''s expected to be advancing into the deeper parts where the force of the waterfall increases gradually. The purpose of this is to increase his body strength so that he can further make use of his speciality and use it to its fullest potential. For people like him, techniques aren''t that important. All he needs is the strength to give his heavy sword one strong swing to defeat the opponent. Abby''s training will be personally lead by Isabella as she''s the only archer in the sect after all. Even If Nightin wanted to teach her,he had no idea of how to do so at all. As for Ray and Little Black, they''ll be following their individual masters for the same training,but on a lower scale. As for the reason, it''s because their trainings don''t differ much from Lancelot and Ayden. With this,the first day of hell officially begins. At the start,everyone was brimming with energy as Nightin sat there calmly to cultivated. Expecting their cultivation and strength to rise rapidly with their high cultivation talent that can out even the most dazzling talents to shame,or so they believe. Whenever they fell to the ground,the gritted their teeth and picked themselves back up. Not willing to bend down to their limits this easily. Even if the sky were to fall,they still think that they''ll have the confidence to shoulder it. However,that amazing passion of theirs started to die off as time passes. By the time the sun went down which signalled the end of the first day however, everyone including Lancelot and Ayden actually requested for their trainings to be reduced. "Sect master, we''ll all collapse at this rate." said Ray who was sitting at the back behind everyone. Ray was someone who keeps quiet usually,for him to stand out and voice out everyone''s though right now is already an miracle. Nightin opened his eyes, slowly exhaling "You guys don''t get it, there''s nothing such as giving up in this world. The moment you decided to take a step back,it will be the moment your life goes on the back track. You won''t ever be able to aspire for the top no matter how hard you try,this simple training will end up being your heart demon." Hearing this,everyone went silent. If a needle were to drop right now,everyone would be able to hear it clearly. Alexander laughed out loud "Haha haha,I agree with our sect master! I have already been backing out for a few times already! If I keep this up,how will I ever be able to climb to the top of the pyramid and stand at the top of the cultivation world. How can I have my own harem and riches..." Alexander hurriedly covers his own mouth knowing that he had said the wrong thing at the weirdest timing possible. Abby looked at him in disdain and splashed water on him "With those dreams and aspirations of yours,no women will truly love you in this lifetime. I may not be in a position to say so,but that''ll be something you regret for life." Alexander raged and summoned out his scroll up and readied his spell while Abby readied her arrow,ready to fire it at any moment. Just what do you two want,Nightin silently thought to himself at the side. Before he could step out to interrupt them,Lancelot took the initiative to do so. "That''s enough! We''re supposed to be cooperating with other,what are you two doing right now? Do you two not have any respect for our sect master,even when he is directly in front of the two of you at this very moment? What a disgrace!" Seeing this, Alexander opened his mouth as he said "That bitch started it first,what does it have to do with me?" Abby opened her mouth only to get interrupted once again "Abby,take a step back. It''s not worth getting angry over a man like this." Isabella had arrived since some time ago and decided to cut in at this moment. Looking at Alexander,she told him "I don''t care about what your dreams or aspirations are. But my disciple is right,if you keep up with this stinky attitude of yours,failure will just be by your side,within your grasp with a single thought." Nightin signalled Isabella with his eye,before the both of them took their leave at this very moment. Nightin told Isabella "Isabella,follow me,I have something important to discuss with you right now." Before he left,he turned around to tell everyone "Now is your time to rest before your second day of training early morning tomorrow." "Roar!" "Boom! Boom!" A wild demon beast actually appeared at the very moment their masters left... Chapter 17 - Importance of teamwork A third grade demon beast,the Fire Fang Tiger,one of the stronger demon beasts among those of the third grade. Luckily for the bunch, it''s only at the lower third grade. The Fire Fang Tiger slowly approached them,its saliva dripping down onto the floor,the excitement in its eyes couldn''t be hidden at all. The bunch has become its prey for the day. Flames were surrounding its body as it wagged its tail, its face seemingly to be mocking them for being a bunch of weaklings. "Roar!" With a loud roar to build up its dominance,it pounced into Isabella feeling a dangerous vibe coming from her. Even though a third grade demon beast hasn''t awaken their intelligence,their natural instinct allows them to detect the foe which poses the most danger. "Ah!" Isabella screamed and tried to shift backwards,only to realise that her body has been rooted to the spot. Spiritual dominance,something that occurs when the strength difference between both parties is just way too much. Just when Isabella thought she was done for,a figure in a black robe dashed in front of her. "Mortal Rank:Flame Wall!" "Sizzle!" A flame wall made out of fire appeared from the ground and attempted to block the Fire Fang Tiger''s attack. However,it was all a futile effort as the wall was broken through easily,only managing to slow it down slightly. Seeing this,Alexander mustered up the rest of his strength and forcibly pushed Isabella away from him. "No!" Isabella didn''t expect Alexander to do this at all,one moment ago they were arguing with each other,yet now he''s risking his life to protect her. Not knowing when,tears had already started to flow down Isabella''s cheeks uncontrollably. "Argh!" Alexander was scratched by the Fire Fang Tiger and crashed into a nearby tree before landing on the ground. Seeing this,Ray who was closest to him rushed over and checked on him. "He''s alive." Ray assured everyone that Alexander is still alive and that he''s only seriously injured. At this moment,everyone is already raging with fury. Under their eyes,their very own friend got seriously injured,yet all they could do was be a spectator. Watching fate fool around with them,without the ability to fight back. Looking at Alexander,Nightin''s words started to flow back into everyone''s mind: The moment you take a step back,it will be the moment your life goes on the back track. That''s right,they can''t afford to give up now. They can''t give up on Alexander and just leave him here. Even if it costs their life,they will still have to fight back with every single ounce of strength they can muster. I have to gather everyone together first, there''s no way we can kill it without working together. Lancelot being the first one to regain his composure,shouted to everyone "Gather together! If we want to win, we''ll have to work together!" Hearing Lancelot''s words,they actually subconsciously followed his order. Just like a solider who had battled with his lord through hundreds of battles,a soldier who will follow the lord''s orders without the slightest bit of hesitation. Seeing that he had gathered everyone''s attention,he continued "Ayden and Little Black will take the vanguard,Ray and me will assist you two from the sides,Isabella will take the rear!" Everyone immediately spread out and assumed their positions knowing that they can''t afford to waste even a single moment. Ayden took the initiative to attack by throwing a punch to the Fire Fang Tiger,only to hit the air with it dodging to the right before trying to pounce of Isabella again. Seeing this,Ayden realised he messed up and tried to turn back to get the demon beast. Just then,a voice from his side assured him. "Brother Ayden,leave it to Little Black. I''ll block it off." Swinging a kick towards the abdomen of the Fire Fang Tiger,he caused it to retreat from the impact. At the sidelines,Isabella and Nightin were chatting with each other. "Hey Isabella,do you think that Alexander and Abby might get together as a couple?" Isabella sighed "I hope not,that Alexander might throw her away one day." With a smile forming on her face,she continued "Even so,I won''t object to them getting together as long as Abby is happy with it." Pulling her bow back,Abby shot out seven arrows. "Seven Stars!" Seven deadly arrows pierced through the wind as they dashed towards the Fire Fang Tiger,every arrow aiming for a critical shot. The seven arrows pierced through the air as they and struck the Fire Fang Tiger,making it stumble backwards. Seeing this chance,Lancelot rushed up and stabbed it from the side with Ray. At this very moment,Little Black and Ayden gave it a heavy strike towards the head as well. "Boom!" The aura from the Fire Fang Tiger continued to rise as a fire ring formed around it. The worst had happened. It made a breakthrough the to third grade middle stage at this very moment where the fight was supposed to have ended. Even though the wounds on it are still there and there as blood flows from the serious wounds, it''s still alive. Despair filled everyone''s face as they closed their eyes, knowing that whatever they do now is just a futile effort. In the previous combined attack just now,they had used up all their spirit essence,hoping to end it in one sweep. Yet,fate had to play around with them. "Saint rank, Inferno Slash!" Alexander appeared from behind everyone as a gigantic flame sword formed behind him. In front of it,the Fire Fang Tiger is just an ant trying to defeat an elephant alone. "Boom!" Thick smoke started to cover up the area as Alexander fell on the ground with a thud. His face grimacing in pain,blood void from his body. At the other side,the Fire Fang Tiger had died so completely that not even its corpse is left behind. The flesh. The bones. The blood. Everything burned to ashes,disappearing into nothingness in this world,as though as if it didn''t exist to begin with. "Alexander!" Isabella cried out as she ran towards Alexander who was on the ground after his attack. Tears were flowing from her eyes,down her cheeks,as they landed on the grounded. Isabella hugged Alexander while crying out "Why are you so foolish? None of us even deserves this? You could have escaped while leaving us to our own devices! You goddamn idiot! You..." She started to choke on her words as she cried,she was in so much pain that she can''t even utter a single word anymore. Everyone stood around her while keeping silent,despite wanting to do something,they realised that they''re incapable of doing anything right now. They regretted it,they had overestimated themselves,their confidence had taken their comrade''s life. If only they had worked been in unison since the start before Alexander got injured while protecting Isabella,this wouldn''t have happened if they had that little bit more of attack power. In this world,not only mortals,but even cultivators have feelings as well. We feel pain,feel hurt,feel angry,feel annoyed,these are what makes us human. And yet,why do we only learn what regret is after losing something precious. Someone precious to us. Everything in this world might have a cure towards it,yet regret is the only thing that''s off the list. "Y''all don''t have to worry, I''m not dead yet!" Chapter 18 - Unparalleled talent To their surprise,colour started to return to Alexander''s body as he smiled. Slowly hugging Isabella and carrying her who had feel asleep in her sorrow in his embrace,he slowly stood up. After putting Isabella under a tree to rest,he started to turn his head towards the group. Taking a deep breathe,he told them "I know that all of you here expect an answer from me right now. I don''t expect myself to hide it for any longer either. You feelings to protect have touched me. A sacred strength that only ''idiots'' like you are capable of doing." What Alexander said was just like a thunder that had went off with a wham deep in everyone''s heart. The minor thing is that Alexander''s talent is much above theirs. The important thing here is that, Alexander mentioned about the sacred strength,something that every cultivator including those at the lowest ladder will know. The sacred strength, it''s said that every cultivator who manages to achieve it will not only receive a increase in talent,but it''ll also benefit them greatly in the future. Many people believe that the best and only way to achieve the sacred strength is through experiencing life and death encounters,not even one experience of the sacred strength awakening through something like protect had been ever heard. As this moment where the immense tension in the air seems to be crushing everyone,Nightin and Isabella appeared at this very moment which immediately lightened the pressure in the air. Nightin gave Alexander a smile and said "As expected from the crown prince of the Damian family,am I right? Damian Alexander, that''s your true name right?" Shock appeared on Alexander''s face as he got down on his knees and said in a hurry "I''m sorry for lying to you sect master. But it''s just that,if I were to enter with my true status,none of you would be willing to accept me in then,or that''s what I''m afraid of." To everyone''s surprise,Nightin actually gave Alexander a tight slap to the face. Fury could be seen on his face as he started to rage at Alexander "What do you think my sect is! I can tell you,it doesn''t matter if you''re the crown prince,the ruler of the world,or just a lowly beggar! In my sect,everything and everyone is treated fairly and equally,your status in the outside world doesn''t mean anything! Do you get it?" Guilt could be seen clearly on Alexander''s face as he lowered his face, not being able to raise the courage to face Nightin. Opening his mouth,all that managed to come out were two words spoken so softly that even the sound of the wind passing by can be heard "I''m sorry." Those two words seemed to have used up all his strength as he kneeled down on the floor, strength being drained away from his body. Mentally,from the lecture that he had just been given. Physically from the overuse of spirit essence from the move just now. After a few minutes which have felt like a few years to everyone have passed,Damian plucked up his courage and gradually stood up. "Sect master,elder Isabella, everyone else here, I''m sorry for lying to all of you." Taking in a deep breathe of air to calm himself down,he continued "Allow me to make a proper introduction this time. Damian Alexander at the age of eighteen,crown prince of the Damian royal family who rules the southern continent. Martial Lord fourth realm." A smile formed on Nightin''s mouth as he told everyone "I''m sure y''all are curious as to why a Martial Lord actually took so much effort to defeat a third grade beast. The reason is simple,he was already injured before that which resulted in his realm dropping massively. It''s the sacred strength of everyone combined which gave him a new lease of life and breakthrough to the middle class Martial Lord realm." Nightin gave Alexander a serious look as he asked "Alexander,if I give you a choice right now,what would it be that you want?" To everyone''s surprise,Alexander actually gave an unexpected answer to everyone. "If given a choice,I would like to become a general in charge of my very own army. The general of our sect''s army which will defend our sect and fight against all foes that stand in our way!" No one had expected this turn of events or change in Alexander. One moment ago,he was someone aspiring to be someone who lives life to the fullest,just like the king of a mortal kingdom. Yet now, he''s someone who aspires to be a great general under the heavens and serve his lord,clearing all obstacles and paving the way for his lord. Nightin nodded and took out a seal from his robe. The seal was carved out of Jade and has the shape of a dragon with one claw,one star could be seen at the exact front of it. Nightin passed it to Alexander as he told him "Alexander will return to the sect with me,the rest of you will stay right here and continue with your training." Giving all of them a stare that sent chill down their spines,making them shudder in fear,his cold voice came down on them again "Don''t say I didn''t warn you,the lives of your loved ones and friends are in your hands." Taking off into the air,Alexander followed him and caught up while Isabella stayed behind to look after them. After Alexander had left,everyone gathered around a campfire and faced each other,sitting around in a circle while Abby lied down at the side. Lancelot,being the leader at this moment,took the initiative to start up the conversation "I guess that none of us would have expected such an thing to happen with, there''s no need for us to feel guilty." Little Black who has always been an innocent little boy to everyone cuts in at this moment,his fist pointing up to the air "That''s right,I believe that big brother Alexander will come back stronger than ever!" Everyone broke out in laughter after what Little Black had said which lightened up the heavy atmosphere which seems to be strangling them in an instant. "Alexander..." At this moment,Abby actually woke up. Chapter 19 - Azure Dragons Seeing that Isabella suddenly woke up and asked for Alexander, everyone''s heart jump a beat. The same thought should have flashed past everyone''s mind this time: This is bad,how should we explain to her. Of course,this applied to everyone except our innocent Little Black. Little Black looked at Isabella who had just woke up and told her everything. Fortunately,Isabella did not get worked up as everyone expected, which calmed their hearts down. If Isabella were to get worked up,all of them would be helpless against the situation. The only thing they know is cultivating, fighting and killing, something like consoling a girl and stuff is a tall ordeal for them. Isabella gave everyone a broad smile as she said out loud "I expected it,I knew that he isn''t simple. The aura he gave off,gives someone the feeling of assurance, that''s what made me realise his uniqueness." At the Nirvana sect,Alexander who had showed his true looks actually shocked everyone. Never in their mind would they have expected him to look like this Not only is Alexander muscular,but with the scroll in hand which has changed to a heavy halberd and already at the high rare grade;the dominating aura that he''s giving off,everyone felt like as though as if their life is in danger. Alexander struck his halberd down to the ground,which caused the tiles in the palace below him to actually crack and shatter. Shouting at everyone at the top of his lungs,he announced "From today onwards,the Azure Dragons will be formed! We''ll become the spear to clear the way for our lord! We''ll become the dragon to soar the skies with our master! We''ll rid the world of evil for the peace of the world! Who is willing to join me!" His rallying speech sent everyone into a high state as the same loud cheer started to resonance in the main hall from a small group of people. "We are the Azure Dragons who serve our lord!" Again and again,the small group of nine people actually covered the voice of everyone in the hall,showing their determination to join the army. With this,the meeting is over. After all the disciples have returned to their residence except the nine who had stayed behind to join the army,only Nightin and Alexander were left. Nightin told Alexander "Before you leave,do remember to fix the palace tiles..." Alexander put his hand behind his head as he apologised "Um, I''m sorry sect master. You see,I got too agitated, I''ll get it fixed right away." Nightin told Alexander "I''ll be leaving the sect for a period of time,but I''ll definitely be back before the tournament." Alexander looked at him as he asked "Why? Our sect is at the peak of its development right now. We need you here with us." Nightin shook his head to the sides and told Alexander "I need to get stronger, that''s all. Before I leave,I have two tasks for the Azure Dragons. First,eliminate all the bandits in this area and protect the civilians if needed. Second,If the beast tide comes again, you''re given the authority to lead every disciple to assist the Cloud Moon City." Before Alexander could say anything,Nightin had already taken his leave and flew off on his sword. Standing in his sword,above the mountain peak,he told himself "This sure is a exciting world. Now then,where should I go?" Taking off to the east,he flew past many villages and finally arrived at the next nearest city before the arrival of the moon. Landing on the city entrance,he tried to enter only to be stopped by the guards. One of the guards holding a spear told him "If you wish to enter the Breezy City,a entrance fee of one spirit stone is needed. Spirit stones,the currency used in this world which can also be used to speed up a cultivator''s cultivation speed. Spirit stones are divided into four grades,low grade,middle grade,high grade and peak grade. In this world,low grade spirit stones are the ones used as currency. Taking out a spirit stone which he had received hundred of from the low grade sects tournament,he entered the city and found a inn to stay. Upon entering the city,the chattering of people could be heard. Compared to the Breezy city,the Cloud Moon city can be treated as nothing. This is the difference between a low grade city and a high grade city. In terms of size,a high grade city is at least a hundred times bigger,in terms of resources,the two can''t even compare. While low grade spirit stones can be found everywhere in a high grade city,low grade spirit stones are treated as a rare treasure in low grade cities. With this, there''s no way for the low grade city to catch up while the higher grades ones increase in strength rapidly. "Hey,have you heard? The beast tide approaching our city this time if of the peak fifth grade!" "Holy cow! Are you serious? Will our defence be able to hold?" "I''m not sure either,the attack this time is of a much greater scale compared to the ones our city have defended against in the past." Hearing this,Nightin gained some information and knew that the beast tide would be reaching their hands out to here as well,within at most a week,the war will break out. Not only that,after gathering more information from the passerbys,he learnt about the existence of a reward system. Before the war breaks out,every defending cultivator will receive a token from them. On the token,their name and demon beasts killed will be recorded which will then be converted to points based on the conversion rate. Nightin walked up to a nearby youth in the inn and asked him "I''m sorry,but may I know how I can apply for a token?" The man who was playing around with a dagger in his told him "Just walk up to the registration hall and you''ll find it." This will be awkward,I don''t even know where the registration hall is... Nightin had no choice but to ask the youth again "I''m sorry but,where is the registration hall?" The youth smiled and throw an apple towards Nightin,which he caught easily with one hand. "Not bad,few people of my age can receive an apple from me that easily. How about this,join me for a drink first. I''ll be heading to the registration hall after this." Nightin sat down and poured himself a cup of wine as well. Taking up his cup,he lifted it above his head towards the youth to show respect,with the youth doing the same. "Damn,this is some strong wine." Nightin exclaimed. He had confidence that most people would collapse from just a sip of this wine,if it weren''t for his strong cultivation,he would already have fainted. To the youth at this point,Nightin felt like an person surrounded by a aura which is constantly whirling around him. Even with his cultivation,he could not see through the man opposite of him right now. "I''m Aiden Williams,you can just call me Aiden. I''m fifteen this year and to let you in on a secret, I''m already a martial spirit." Nightin smiled at him as he gave a formal introduction as well "The name''s Nightin Gale,you can just call me Nightin. I''m fifteen this year as well and am also a martial spirit." "Hell yea man! Finally met someone who can contest against me as a rival!" Aiden jumped out in joy as he smashed the table,if not for Nightin who stabled it quickly,the cups and wine would have fallen onto the ground. Aiden continued "Hey,how many weapon energies have you condensed already? I''ve already condensed out 567 of them, within a year, I''ll become a third class assassin." Nightin''s interest was sparked when he heard the word assassin,something which his sect hasn''t established yet. Even so,Nightin decided to continue checking on Aiden first before deciding whether to take him in or not. If Aiden possess to be a threat or anything,he has no choice but to not take him in. Elites may be important for the sect''s development and growth,but not if they are a traitor who will turn their blades against the sect. Chapter 20 - Registration Hall After some careful thinking,Nightin asked Aiden "What if I were to say,I want you to serve under me,what would you say?" Aiden gave Nightin a brittle smile as he replied "I''ll only serve someone whose talent is above me. Someone who is destined to be someone who heads towards the upper realm as well." Aiden at this time is just like a great general that stands at the peak of the world back in the warring states,unable to find a lord who is qualified to be his master. Nightin raised his cup of wine and toasted it towards Aiden as he returned it back. By the time they had finished drinking,night had already fallen before the manage to know about it and the registration hall has already closed down for the day. Without a choice left,they could only spend their night in the inn for the night and head towards the registration hall tomorrow. Lying down on the simple yet luxurious bed in his room, Nightin started to think about his disciples: Are they still training? Are they still doing fine? Will they be okay without me? Wild thoughts were flashing within his mind as he started to worry. "Killing intent!" A killing intent suddenly surrounded Nightin''s room and closed in on him. Even though it''s not something that he wants to happen,the attacker has saved his life this time. If not for him being disrupted away from his thoughts,he would have fallen to his heart demon and the consequences wouldn''t be desirable. Turning on the lights,what appeared in front of him was the same environment as compared to when he first entered the room. The same environment without anything having changed,yet it just feels different. In front of him was the same wooden table and chair at the side of the room,a window near his bed and the door at the opposite end of his door. Even so, the killing intent surrounding his room still remained there and got stronger for every passing second. "Die!" A sharp gust of air rose from the side all of a sudden as a dagger actually stabbed towards him from behind. Not having enough time to take his sword out,he could only use his arms to block it. "Damn it!" Although Nightin managed to block the assassin''s attack,blood started to flow profusely from his arms from the clean cut on both of his arms. Taking out his sword,he pierced it through the air as he aimed for the assassin''s vitals,aiming for a one shot kill. "Hey stop! It''s me Aiden! Are you trying to kill me?" It was a familiar voice that Nightin knows and have just been hearing since just now. Nightin barely managed to stop his sword one inch away from Aiden''s body as he asked coldly,his body shaking in anger "Just what do you want?" Aiden kept his weapon as he took a step backwards,got down on his kneels and said "Nightin,do allow me to serve under you! For years since birth, I''ve been told that my destiny is to serve the person who I can''t see through. Over the years, I''ve met countless experts who wanted to take me in as a disciple. Yet,I rejected all of them,one of them was even at the peak Emperor realm,the strongest in this world." Aiden took in a deep breathe as he continued "After my countless years of searching, I''ve finally found you. Please accept me in." Nightin looked down,only to see a young boy kneeling down facing him,hope to be accepted could be seen on his face. Nightin couldn''t bear to reject Aiden anymore,even though Aiden might have been trying to lie to him,nothing but seriousness could be seen in his eyes. The eyes of someone who has experienced the various struggles of life,clinging onto that little hope which might never come for them. Nightin told him "Get up,from now on, you''ll be the assassin hall master of my sect. Don''t let me down." Aiden got up excitedly as he shouted "Really? Don''t you go back on yours words! A sect master? How strong is your sect?" Nightin gave him a small smile "Mine is just a small sect still at the first rank,if you''re talking about the official rank that is. Now then,lead me to the registration hall." Aiden left the room as he got Nightin to follow him to the registration hall. After two right turns and a left turn,they arrived at the registration hall. The registration hall was not just huge,but colossal. While the other stalls and buildings nearby occupy a whole street together,the registration hall itself is at least as big as that whole stretch. Not only that,strong cultivators of at least the martial master realm could be seen everywhere on the streets,as though as if they are cabbages which can be bought easily. Stepping into the registration hall,a woman probably around her early twenties walked up to him and asked "Sir,may I ask if you are here to register for a token as well?" Nightin nodded and pointed to Aiden who was behind him. The woman being experienced with the expectations of customers,knew exactly what Nightin meant. Nightin was shocked when he tried to check out the cultivation of that woman,it was actually blocked off by spirit energy. Cultivators at the Martial Spirit realm and above uses what is known as spirit energy while below that,all energies are actually just heavenly energy which is the energy in this world. Compared to the spirit energy,the heavenly energy is at least ten times weaker if they were to be compared. The woman seemed to have realised what Nightin was doing and just turned around,telling Nightin "Sire,please follow me." On the way,the woman gave Nightin a stare while shouting "Don''t even try something like that again." Being a wise person,Nightin kept quiet. It would be the stupidest thing for a man to argue with a woman. One word from him and he''ll have to face continuous nagging and ranting from her. Nightin followed suit after her with Aiden behind him. After awhile,they arrived in front of an old man sitting on a wooden chair. In front of him was a simple table with ginseng tea in front of him. The old man drank a cup of tea before saying "Not bad,to think that there would be too geniuses this time,those who have actually experienced the cruelness of this world to be exact." Nightin and Aiden were shocked,how did the old man know about this? That''s the only thought in their mind right now. Taking into consideration that the old man did not know them before that,it could only show that he''s an expert of this world. The old man told them "To your right is a formation array that can assess out your true strength. Depending in your performance this time round,the initial reward you receive from us may very much be different as well." Nightin gave Aiden the signal to enter the formation array as he stepped into the other one nearby as well. Unknown to him of course,everything he does inside can be seen by the old man outside. Stepping into the formation array,what appeared in front of Nightin was a cultivator at the Martial Spirit second realm,exactly one sub realm above him. Chapter 21 - Encompassing sword heart intent Even though the opponent might prove to be a challenge for most average cultivators,it was nothing against Nightin who had strength which surpassed a cultivator his his realm. Without even taking out his sword,one sword energy of his easily took the opponent out. Next up was a cultivator two sub realms above him,without any difficulty again,only twenty sword energies were used this time, with the battle ending in a flash. The next one was a middle grade Martial Spirit of the fourth sub realm. With the difference between a middle grade and low grade cultivator,Nightin had no choice but to be slightly more serious. "Whirr!" Summoning out all 999 sword energies,they spiralled towards the opponent cultivator as they pierced through his body,taking his life in an instant as he vanished into particles into the air. At the fifth sub realm Martial Spirit,Nightin had to use his sword to end the battle swiftly in one move,one swing of his sword from a certain distance took out the opponent with just the sword wave from far. It wouldn''t be a wise choice to drag the battle out as it''ll just be a waste of his spirit energy. Against the sixth sub realm Martial Spirit,he finally actually turned serious and used the first three swords of the nine mystics. Without it,even if he won,it wouldn''t be easy. By then,he would have suffered injuries way too serious for him to continue. Finally,the first wall came towards him,a high grade Martial Spirit who is at not any weaker than him on the axe path as opposed to his sword. Dashing behind the opponent,Nightin used the first sword which was blocked easily. Making use of the momentum that pushed him backwards,he dashed forwards with phantom steps as swung his sword again with the momentum boost. The attack was blocked again however,it managed to send the opponent backwards. Forming a trap from below,the third sword spiralled up from behind the opponent and aimed towards his head. Seeing this chance,he rushed up and decided to end the battle once and for all here. "Fourth sword of the nine mystics!" To his surprise,the opponent actually took on the actual form of a human body,holding two gigantic axe in both hands with his cultivation overpowering Nightin totally. A peak grade Martial Spirit,something that Nightin can''t ever contend against at this point of time. The old man looked at the formation array as he dropped the cup of tea he was drinking. Shattering it into pieces as they jumped on the spot and landed on difference locations. "How is this possible...How did he come back alive again? I definitely sealed his body up,unless he made a breakthrough to the peak Martial Spirit grade!" Pounding his fist on the table,he tried to deactivate the formation array,only to realise that the array imprints within have already been broken. "Damn it! Boy,you better stay alive or I''ll stay guilty for life." Even though the old man had the intention to prevent it,he was helpless against the current situation. Nightin''s life is in his own hands right now. With a whirlwind cyclone around himself,the man blocked off both attacks at once as he swinged it towards Nightin after that,sending him flying away. Nightin landed on the ground with a loud thud as he started to cough blood out. That attack had only grazed past his chest,yet the impact from it actually shifted his internal organs and caused him a serious external wound. Nightin gritted his teeth as he tried to withstand the pain and stand back up. He couldn''t afford to die here. He still has so much to do in life. He still has his dreams and aspirations and his destiny to fulfill. Even so,his legs gave up on him. Before he could even stand up halfway,his legs ran out of strength and weren''t able to support him up anymore. The man mocked at him "You''re just another one of those talented genius who overestimates themselves,remember the name of the person who killed you,Blood Thirster is the name!" With a heavy overhead slash,he slashed his axe towards Nightin with the intention to smash his body into pieces. Nightin''s gaze tightened on the axe,time seemed to have froze at this time. The axe frozen in the air,the gaze of the man,the air around him,everything seems to be a mystery as they surround him. In this world,there are never a lack of geniuses,yet how many of them can truly grow and become a Emperor? Many people have stepped onto the sword path,yet the sword is the only thing in their eyes. It''s however different in Nightin''s eyes. To him,the sword itself is a single entity,the sect is,the world is... Nightin laughed at himself "Why should I be limiting myself to the sword intents known to people? From today onwards, I''ll walk out a sword path which belongs to the whole world." From today onwards,a sword master which will rage storms and war in the world has been born,yet no one knows about it yet. To be more exact,against the enemies of this world,the savior of the world. Nightin opened his eyes again,this time when taking out sword,he gave off a different aura. The aura of a king,descent of the lord who rules the world. Blood thirster didn''t know why,but the Nightin right now gave him a sense of danger,a danger that exceeds every life and death encounter he has ever faced in his life. Raising his sword up above his head,Nightin swung it towards Blood Thirster,sending a long sword wave that dashed towards him. Everywhere the sword wave went,the air splits apart and not only that,Blood Thirster found that his body was rooted to the ground. Before he could even beg for mercy,the slash had already split his body into half cleanly without even a single blood spilling out. Nightin walked out of the formation array and looked at the old man,hatred could be seen in his eyes. Even though that life and death experience had helped him out,it doesn''t change the fact that it almost caused him his life. The old man being an experienced person could tell that Nightin is in fury right now,but he doesn''t blame him. It was his own fault after all. Taking a token out of his spatial ring,he threw it towards Nightin who caught it easily. The old man told him "I know you may be thinking that I''m in the wrong and that any compensation wouldn''t suffice,this is the best that I can give you." On the token,seven stars were carved on it with the number ''3'' in the middle. The old man continued "This is a token to enter the sword tower where you''ll be able to learn about methods of cultivating sword intent and how to reach the next stage of second class sword master." At this moment,Ayden jumped out of the formation array while shouting as he stomped the ground "Damn it,I almost died in there!" Chapter 22 - Tower of intents The old man looked at Aiden as he asked "Boy,what reward do you want?" According to the rules,if someone manages to defeat me someone three sub realms and above, they''ll be able to choose a reward of their choice in the reasonable range of course." Aiden said "Old man,I want to enter the tower of intents as well,three days of the fourth star will do." The old man gave him a weak smile as he smiled "Are you sure about this? You''re still some distance away from cultivating out your assassin intent." Aiden gave him a serious look as he nodded "I''m very sure about it,three days will suffice. Don''t worry,as a assassin, I''ll never turn back if I fail my mission, the same applies to everything I do in life." The old man threw him a token, the same one as Nightin as he said "I can give you three days,but you''ll be entitled to the fifth star one,is that fine with you?" Aiden jumped in joy "Old man,you said that yourself,you can''t go back on your words or you''ll die a early death soon." Black lines started to appear on the old man''s forehead as he thought to himself about how dangerous the two youths in front of him are. All he did was tried to help Aiden and he was cursed back to have a early death. After Nightin and Aiden left the registration hall and started to make their way to the tower of intents at the exact centre of the city,Nightin asked Aiden "Aiden,do you know what the tower of intent is about? Why were you so excited about it?" Aiden looked at Nightin in shock,but quickly regained his composure after remembering that Nightin isn''t from the area "Master,the tower of intents is a place where many different intents can be cultivated for all cultivators below the Ancestor grade,even those at the first class realm desire to enter the tower at any costs." "In the tower of intents,many different intents can be cultivated,the five elements,any weapon intents,the heart intent, shadow intent and many more. But of course, unique intents such as the time law,space law and life and death laws are excluded. They are on a different level compared to the intents." Nightin continued to ask again "What is the difference between the intents and laws?" "If intents were to be compared to laws,then it would be akin to comparing a baby trying to right against a full grown adult,helpless and unable to do nothing against it. But of course, it''s rumored that some unique intents can be evolved into the laws realm. What makes law realm so rare is that they only exist in the Ancestor realm,yet some geniuses actually awakens them straight away." Before long,they had arrived at the tower of intents and entered separated intent rooms based on what they need most at the moment. Back near the Cloud Moon city area,Alexander was leading the Azure Dragon army which has already expanded to 87 people around the area,clearing any bandits which does evil deeds around the area. With his cultivation at the middle stage Martial Spirit,it would be a easy task to eliminate all of them on his own, yet he isn''t doing so just that he can train his army. Right now,the army consists of ten low grade Martial masters; middle and high grades martial apprentices. The terrifying thing about them is that they''ve already seen through death and are always charging straight to the enemy without fear. Whenever they arrive,the opponent will already be shuddering in fear just from the aura they''ve gained through the countless battles and not only that,all of them could at least challenge a opponent one sub realm above them despite having average talents. Right now,the spear have been forged, waiting for the next fire to purify it of all the other particles to arrive at the next stage. At this moment,the name of Azure Dragons have spread far as many people aspire to join them through the sect. After Alexander talked it out with the rest of the legacy disciples and elder,they agreed to hold the entry examination after Nightin has returned and increase the number of disciples to 500,the number needed for a third grade sect at the very least. Back in the tower of intents, Nightin was meditating on the ground as he tried to further his understanding on the intent realm. From what he has comprehended in the past hour,he felt as though as if he had been cultivating for a month. To become a second class sword master,he must train his sword intent till the limit,until it''s in his blood and bones; until it reaches the stage where he can infuse his intent into his every single action of his. After that, he''ll have to condense all of it into a portal sealed within his body,only then can he further cultivate his sword intent. After the portal reaches its limit as well, there''ll be a gate which he''ll have to shatter. After breaking the first gate, he''ll be able to enter the Sword Ancestor realm. Yet that''s not his goal, it''s rumored that only by breaking apart the fifth gate and above will the intent transform into its law state. If one doesn''t,the early stage of Sword Ancestor will be the person''s limit for life unless an miracle occurs. After one hour,Nightin had only managed to cultivate one percent of the whole intent. With his talent,the sword intent he''ll be able to absorb can be described as terrifying, which is why it''ll take him a longer time as well. Soon,three days passed by in the blink of an eye,at this time,Nightin has managed to control his aura freely without any difficulty and condensed twenty percent of it. With time passing,the process got more and more difficult and it''ll be a even longer process without anymore external help. As for Aiden,he managed to cultivate out the shadow intent and condense three percent of it. The shadow intent is believed to be one of the stronger intents for those who step onto the assasination path. Not only will the assassin be able to move much more quickly and silently,the assassin can summon out two shadow clones at the second class with it having 30% of the original strength. For the first class,they can summon three which has 40% of the person''s original strength. As for Aiden, he''ll only be able to summon a shadow clone with 20% of his strength after reaching the peak of the third class. "Boom!" "Roar!" "Ring! Ring!" "Everyone take not and get into defense formation,the demon beasts have arrived! Every soldier and cultivator,take out your weapons and fight to the death with the demon beasts! This isn''t only for yourself,but for every human being and your loved ones!". With just one rally, the commander of the peak Martial Lord realm increased everyone''s morale to the peak as the city gates slowly opened themselves... Chapter 23 - The first clash After entering the cave,a divine beast actually appeared before their very eyes. The Azure Dragon,one of the four great divine beasts in the world. The Azure Dragon opened its eyes as it looked at them "After thousands of years,finally some group made it here together alive. The bond between all of you have shocked me, especially your general,that talent can be said to be unparallel in this world. Right now,I have something important to request of all of you here. The gates started to open the side as the whole battlefield slowly came into everyone''s view. On the battlefield, countless corpses of soldiers and demon beasts could be seen,these corpses while generated from the minor invasions of the demon beasts which come on a regular basis, still have large numbers. A demon beast who had taken the form of a human slowly walked up the the front as he raised his staff,shouting to everyone "Humans,if you surrender right now, I''ll give all of you the privilege of becoming the slaves of us demon beasts! How about it,quite a tempting offer isn''t it?" Everyone took in a deep gulp of saliva as they slowly advanced onto the battlefield,for a demon beast to have taken the human form,it shows that it''s at least of the fifth grade and a genius as well in the demon beast race. Seeing that everyone was starting to panic after the Demon King on the other side intimidated them,he rallied back "To hell we''ll surrender that easily! Victory has been on our side for the past few hundred years and the ending result will still be the same this time!Every brave cultivator,follow me as we take the life of these cruel demon beasts!" Holding his spear,he charged straight to the front and clashed with the vanguard commander of the opposing side. A ninth grade Martial Lord only slightly weaker than him in cultivation. In just a few short moments,the two have already clashed for tens of times. Summoning a portal behind him,he charged up all of his strength while borrowing the momentum from the previous few moves into this one spear. "Raging dragon waves!" With a sweep,he took the head of the opponent''s demon beast commander and claimed the first blood on the battlefield. "Everyone! Charge!" With this,the vanguard of both sides started to clash with each other. Aiden has already hidden his presence on the battlefield as he lurked around helping anyone in need. As for Nightin,he stayed at the back as he continued to observe the battlefield, waiting for the perfect moment to join in and to prevent any unexpected changes At this moment,the commander has been surrounded by four nine grade Demon Lords. Even though the four demon lord''s aren''t his match even when together,they have managed to keep his stuck with them in a battle,preventing him from causing any heavy casualties to their side. Even so,this doesn''t change the fact that the morale of the cultivators is much above that of the demon beasts. Without any hesitation,they charged straight onto a demon beast and began the battle. Before long,the whole battlefield was in chaos as the smell of blood started to fill the air, corpses could be seen lying everywhere. The cries of pain and agony can be heard throughout the battlefield,from both humans and the demon beasts. Even so,neither side was willing to back off at this point,giving up means hell. Whichever side surrenders,will face total elimination. Right now, there''s only victory in everyone''s life,backing up isn''t a option anymore ever since the start of the battle. "Argh!" "Damn it,demon beasts are rushing in from the right flank!" Hearing this,Nightin immediately advanced towards the right flank to help them out. If he doesn''t,the battle will soon be over with them losing the whole battle totally. In front of him were hundreds of demon beasts of the third grade. Taking out his sword,the encompassing sword heart intent started to envelop his sword and body. "Dancing mystic blades!" Summoning out five mystic swords, they started to fly around behind him,just like as though as if they have came to live. When Nightin successfully cultivated the fifth mystic sword and merged it with his intent,his sword came alive and were able to fly around him at his own will. With just a single thought,the five swords started to fly towards the invading army. Wherever they went,the cries of demon beasts could be heard. Wherever they went,blood goes flying in the air. Wherever they went,countless demon beasts are killed. Without any difficulty,the demon beast invasion plan was stopped by Nightin alone. At this time,everyone knew that there''s an expert lurking around them helping them out. With this,the advantage was back to the cultivators as they struck back fiercely against the enemies, not giving them a chance to regroup themselves. Nightin looked at the battlefield and the more he see and understand, the more shocked he is. The demon beasts horde seems to be protecting something more than their king. Despite not being sure whether it''s a wise choice to check it out,he still decided to advance slowly towards the hidden part which no one has realised yet. Along the way,he killed countless demon beasts as he advanced,until he was spotted and stopped by a demon lord as well. A low grade Demon Lord is more than enough of a opponent for him at this moment,as for escaping, it''s even more not possible. Behind him were three more demon lords as well,not only that,all of them were capable of aerial flight. Left without a choice,he took out his blade and slashed towards the nearest flying demon beast,only for it to fly into the air and release a wind gust towards him. Dodging it with phantom steps,what faced him was a razor sharp claw,raising his sword to block it,he was pushed backwards a few metres. Damn it,if this keeps up,I would definitely die here. Gathering all the strength in his sword,he slashed towards the nearest flying demon beast,combing the strength of five mystic swords. Before that demon beast could react,the slash had already cut his body into half cleanly. At this moment,a demon beast appeared behind him and slashed towards him in fury,even thought they are demon beasts with low intelligence,they still have feelings. The next moment,all Nightin could see was pitch black in front of him as he closed his eyes and fainted... Back around the Cloud Moon city,the Azure Dragon army is currently trapped in a cave which they fell into when rushing to the battlefield after hearing the news of a war. When Alexander tried to get out by destroying the wall,what faced him was a strong rebound which caused his some minor internal injuries. Left without a choice,the army could only advance forward. Straight into the pitch black darkness which devours them as they slowly vanished from the world''s view. "Hey,will we really die here?" "We might really die..." "I don''t want to die! My family is still waiting for my return!" "I..." At this time,a creepy voice resounded through the cave "Come to me little ones,my delicious meals. Hahahah!" This sent a chill down everyone''s spine as cold sweat started to break out. The mental fear and pressure right now is destroying their mental state right now,if this keeps up, they''ll die from this. At this very moment,a voice brought them back into reality "Don''t forget who we are,we are the Azure Dragons,we don''t fall this easily!" "That''s right, how can we give up this easily?" "All hail the general! All hail the general!" At this moment,the whole army was sent into a state of high morale which they had never been in before. Not only that,a path seemed to have open itself before their very eyes as light started to shine into the cave. Seeing this,everyone mustered up their courage and made the final dash towards the exit,they wanted to get out of this living hell as quickly as possible. After leaving the the darkness,what appeared in front of them was a gigantic divine beast. The Azure Dragon,one of the four great Divine beasts who rules the Eastern continent in the upper realm,a legend that everyone has heard from their parents ever since a young age. The Azure Dragon slowly looked at them,its gaze fixated on Alexander as he said "The co-operation and friendship between all of you have impressed me, I''ve been paying special attention to you since the start especially Alexander. Within your blood, there''s actually my bloodline." Alexander stepped back as he got everyone to start falling back and make their preparations to escape. The Azure Dragon laughed at them as he said "What are all of you doing? I''m planning to give your general my legacy inheritance. In return,you guys must make it to the eastern continent of the upper realm and free me from the shackles." Before Alexander of his army could ask any questions,the Azure Dragon had turned into a energy orb and flew into he middle of everyone''s forehead. The next moment,a spectacular sight happened as all the low grade Martial Masters started to breakthrough to the high grade Martial Master realm while all the Martial Apprentices started to breakthrough to the Martial Master realm. Not only that,all of them actually skipped past the stage of cultivating the energies needed and jumped straight to the third class. As for what they''ll be called, they''ll still be the Azure Dragons no matter the class. Not only that,Among the hundred of them (some joined in the seven days),their cultivation speed for the intent is shared,giving them an edge over others. As for Alexander,he became a high grade Martial Lord with terrifying combat abilities,the current him isn''t any weaker than the average Martial King at the lower realms. With this,this exit appeared in front of them as they made a beeline to the battlefield as quickly as possible. Chapter 24 - Unexpected backup teams On the battlefield,even though the cultivators had high morale at the start, their stamina decreasing as time passes started to take a serious toll on them. This was especially true for the battlefield where the first and second grade demon beasts are commanded by a low grade Demon Lord. At the start,victory was on their side,just more pushing and victory would be theirs. Now however,the tides have turned. At this point of time, they were nothing but weaklings struggling to survive in the face of a strong foe,not to mentioned fighting back and getting the kill. Right when everyone thought that this is the end of the line for them,a command filled with vigour and energy made them recover the motivation to fight back once again. "Azure Dragons,take out weapons and face the enemy!" "Yes general!" The Azure Dragons right now are different from the ones before. Right now,they are a elite army of a hundred which can be compared to a thousand. Taking out their weapons,the azure dragon intent filled the air as they pressured towards the demon beast army. In just their first charge,the demon beast army suffered heavy casualties and started to retreat backwards to regroup themselves. Just then,a shockwave sent all of them flying backwards,all suffering injuries of different scales. The Demon Lord who is their commander has finally made his move against them. It could sense that they''re a serious threat to them and if he doesn''t kill them now,his side of the battlefield will lose. Alexander took out his scroll and transformed it into a heavy sword this time. "Roaring waves!" Swinging the sword twice in front of him,a sword wave dashed towards the Demon Lord,the air splitting apart wherever it went. Seeing this,the Demon Lord took out his axe and slashed towards the sword wave. As a demon beast still,he knows no fear and only knows how to attack with brute force purely. As a result,it ended up flying backwards tens of metres away and got finished off with an arrow which had already been prepared for him as it pierced through its demon core. Seeing this,all the cultivators started to cheer in joy as they rushed forward once again, stronger than ever without any fear. To the demon beast,it was a one sided slaughter that awaited them without any escape path. The demon beasts with their low intelligence couldn''t think of a plan as all of them went into a frenzy and started attacking any human they see with attacks as vicious as possible,aiming to kill a human with them even at the expense of their life. With this,the vanguard side of the battlefield has been won as well,leaving everything up to the right flank. If the right flank wins as well,they would have won for the very first day of the battle. With the number of demon beasts invading,it wouldn''t be a surprise if the battle drags on for a long time. At the right flank,Lancelot and the other disciples who were undergoing training were there to help out with the exception of elder Isabella who had stay in the sect to take care of it. Lancelot,Ray,Ayden and Little Black each took one side of the whole army to cover them up. Right now,all of them were capable of defeating a Martial Spirit at the early realm,the problem here is the Demon Lord commander of the demon beasts army. As for Abby,she stayed in the middle as she fired rains of arrows towards the demon beasts army,causing them heavy casualties and making escape difficult for them. The Demon Lord has noticed Abby at this time and flied towards her,it flapped its wings as it took off into the air and charged towards Abby with its razor sharp claws, it was a eagle type demon beast. It had to eliminate Abby right now, she''s posing too much of a threat to the demon beast army. Seeing this,the whole bunch of them with Lancelot charged towards it,even though it might be a losing battle,they had to kill it if they want to win the whole battle here. This is their one and only chance to turn the tides in their favour. Lancelot and Ray stabbed it from the side with their spears,while Ayden and Little Black struck it from the front with their heavy swords causing it to stagger backwards as Abby fired a arrow one of its eye,blinding its view from one side. Even so,the Demon Lord wasn''t willing to go down as it sweep all of them away and made all of them tumble backwards while charging for Abby once again. Abby had taken one of its eye which will most likely never recover for life,the revenge is a must for it. Right when Abby thought she was over,an arrow pierced through the demon beast''s head and ended its life. On top of the city wall was a youth,on his robe was the token on a wandering cultivator. Not only that,he seems to be around their age,but much stronger than them. Before they could ask the youth about his age or anything,he had already left towards other parts of the battlefield to help out. Soon,the first day of battle had ended with the demon beasts suffering twice the casualties of the cultivators side. Even so,the demon beasts still had the number advantage since they had started with triple their numbers. Furthermore,most of the Lords in this battle haven''t made their move yet with only the lower ranks one fighting with each other on the battlefield. Back in the camp on the cultivators side,the commander gathered everyone near the city walls as he made his announcement for the day which raised everyone''s morale up. Even though they have fewer numbers,the demon beasts having twice their casualties means that victory is within sight. After that,he made a special announcement "Today,there are a few groups of people we have to thank, I''ll have them introduce themselves next." "Hello everyone, I''m Alexander from the Azure Dragons which belongs to the Nirvana sect,the only reason I''m here is due to the orders of my master." Abby represented everyone in the group,after a tough battle,who would want to listen to a man compared to a pretty and young lady. "Everyone, we''re the legacy disciples of the Nirvana sect. If we win the battle,do make sure to give us all your support!" "Yes I will!" "Hey,are there more young ladies like you!" "Can I join your sect?" With just one sentence from Abby,the Nirvana sect had gained the recognition of the Breezy city. Soon,a glowing ball of light started to rise from the east,bringing new light into the world filled with darkness. The new light seems to be giving everyone hope as they readied themselves once again for a cruel battle. This time, they were surprised to only see about a thousand demon beasts on the opponent side. The Iron Hide Rhinos. With their sharp horn and tough body and being half steps Demon Lords,they easily charged straight into the middle of the cultivators formation and caused huge damage that they''ve never expected. By the time defensive measures were taken,all three sides has actually faced the same unexpected attack,yet this was only the first wave out of the many. Soon,another wave of demon beasts once again appeared,Earthfire snakes. By going from underground onto the surface,they take down a human cultivator easily with each ambush attack. Even though the human cultivators tried to protect each other,the synchronisation between the two demon beasts were just way too fast for them. The mental pressure itself was taking a huge toll on them as they struggle to even keep themselves standing,not to mention fighting back. Even though the Azure Dragons and Lancelot''s group were trying their best,their efforts were far from enough. The difference in number between elites is just way too much,while the commander is once again singled out by a group of demon beasts. The worst thing is that the Demon King is still staying passive and hasn''t make his move against them. This was however,only the beginning of everyone''s nightmare. Every cultivator inside the Breezy City who are at the lowest Martial Apprentice realm are actually mutating into ferocious werewolves as they attack any humans around them. Even though the royal guards left at the city can kill them easily, there''s just way too many of them various different parts of the city. Whenever they kill one,another case just happens far away, again and again without rest. If this keeps up,the battle will end today without the Demon King of the demon beasts even making a single move against them at all. All he had to do was strategize and make the plans for the demon beasts army. Obtaining victory with only the weaker elites while having minimal casualties which won''t decrease their overall strength. Chapter 25 - The seven great demons Back in the Demon King camp,the Demon King sat there as he placed his face on one of his knees with looking at Nightin,beside him were two half human snakes of the female sex serving him. Looking at Nightin,he told him while teasing one of the female beside him "Pretty impressive for such a young human like you to have even made it this far to begin with. I''m sure you''re curious as to why I''m even protecting something in the middle of a war." Nightin gritted his teeth as he kneeled on the floor trying to remove the shackles on his four limbs and necks which are restraining his movements. Even so,it was all a futile effort. The chains were made of a rare metal that even the Demon King himself finds difficult to even make a scratch on. "So what if I care,now that you''ve gotten me,why don''t you just take my life? What''s the purpose in you capturing me alive? I won''t serve you and I will never do so!" The Demon King chuckled as he got both the females beside him to return while he stood up as he tidied his robe and hair. "Calm down,why don''t you follow me first before you jump to such a conclusion." With a single energy light that flew out from the Demon King index finger,it flew towards the shackles restraining Nightin and unshackled him. "Die!" "Boom!" A thick gust of smoke covered both of them up as Nightin struck the Demon King with his sword as soon as he was released and gained freedom. What awaited him next however was the chuckle of the Demon King once again,the mocking sound,the sound of a King looking down on his officer. "Young boy,calm down,just do what you''re told if you don''t want the destruction of the human race yet." The demon king had caught Nightin''s sword easily with just his index and middle finger as he stood there without even moving a inch,no fear,no worries could be seen. Nightin kept his aura back in as he kept his sword,getting the Demon King to lead the way,he followed behind him keeping quiet the whole time. If not for the Demon King being too strong and that he would sense it if Nightin tried to escape,he would have already done so a thousand times. He still had to rush back to the battlefield before the human cultivators get eliminated,from the ambush he faced just now,one thing is certain. If the demon beasts race really wants to destroy their city and end them,they would have already been dead by now. Even Demon Lords are only guards of the outer areas,as for the man in front of him right now. He might even be a Emperor,a extremely young one on top of that. On the way, countless servants and guards bowed down and paid respects to the Demon King,even the other Demon Kings did the same, proving one thing. The one in front of him right now,is a Demon Emperor. Only a Demon Emperor could make a Demon King become his servant willingly. Soon,they approached a tall mountain,the mountain known as the Desolate Wasteland. Here,countless demon beasts of the Demon Lord realm can be found everywhere,yet news of a Demon Emperor has never ever been heard of. The Demon Emperor in front of him finally made a formal introduction to him "Young lad, I''m sure that you''re curious of my actual identity by now. The names Lucifer,one of the seven great demons who once ruled this world,the demon of pride." Nightin looked at the Desolate Wasteland in front of him as he asked "With your capability and previous cultivation, there''s no way you''ll be in the lower realm. Just who exactly are you!" Lucifer looked at the Desolate Wasteland as well as he started to talk about a long story. "You see,as the demon of pride,the other six great demons aren''t happy with the way I do stuff. Because of me,we actually got into a battle with the seven angels ourselves,in the end,both sides agreed to seal me here in the Desolate Wasteland." Lucifer sighed as he looked at the Desolate Wasteland "Right now,even if I get back to the peak, there''s no way that I can contend against them no matter how hard I try. I''ve reached the limit even at the upper realm. This might be too far foe you right now, but I believe that the upper realm isn''t the limit." Lucifer laughed,his laughter resounding around the area,the laughter of someone mocking himself,for being too pathetic,too useless,too foolish. "You see, it''s been rumored by the mortals that above the sky is somewhere known as space. If I''m not wrong,the space really exists, that''s where gods truly belong,in the eyes of gods,us cultivators are no different from mortals." Nightin''s face turned solemn as he looked at the ground. The ground right now is them while the gods are the ones in the sky. They''ll forever be at the bottom,the gods will always be at the top. The cruel truth,the harsh reality,feels like a thousand blades stabbing his heart. [Lucifer''s flashback] "Lucifer,why are you this foolish? If we were to fight the seven great angels right now, it''ll be putting ourselves into a great war which should have never happened!" "I''m sorry Lucifer,but we won''t be protecting you this time, we''ve agreed to work together with the angels this time to send you to the lower realm and seal you up once and for all." Lucifer looked at the six of them,disbelief could be seen in his eyes. Never have he ever expected his own comrades and allies who have gone through thick and thin with him to betray him like this. Lucifer had attacked one of the seven great angels when he was out in the city taking a walk that day. The angel he attacked was Cameal,the angel of strength,courage and war. The reason is simple,Cameal tried to **** a woman thinking that she won''t be able to do nothing against him. Out of rage,Lucifer had given him a punch in the face which resulted in the current plight that he''s in. Betrayal from his closest friends,what can hurt more than betrayal? Knife wounds,sword wounds,soul wounds,yet how can they compare to wounds of the heart when the things closest to us betray us. Lucifer looked at them with resentment in his eyes,yet he showed no signs fighting back as they sealed him at the lower realm. If even his closest friends can betray him, what''s the point in life anymore. Having lost his light in life and being left in the darkness alone, what''s the point in staying alive? To live out a life alone by himself till the day he finally dies,no, definitely unwanted. Only a hundred years later,did he understand, there''s no point in doing what they want. If he really wants to, what he needs to do is fight back against them. Lucifer turned to look at Nightin as he asked "Hey young lad,how about we work together with each other to carve out a future to the space and contend against the gods?" Nightin nodded as he replied "Sure,but I expect the demon army to fall back right away." "Of course..." Chapter 26 - Unexpected surrender Nightin told Lucifer "Escort me to the battlefield right now, there''s not a single second to waste!" Lucifer chuckled as he replied "There''s no need to, I''ll be able to get them to stop the battle immediately and retreat from here." As Lucifer was speaking,a purple ring formed above his head which he used to relay the message of retreat to all the demon beasts. "Roar!" Lucifer summoned out his pet dragon and jumped onto its back as Nightin looked at it in amazement. The dragon had razor sharp claws and its purple scales seems to be radiating off light;not only that, it''s actually about a hundred metres big in size while its wings spanned for tens of metres. Lucifer chuckled as he told Nightin "Hop on young lad, I''ll bring you to the battlefield right now. As for meeting up, we''ll meet again one day in the near future,probably in the upper realm by then." Nightin hopped on and the dragon took off in a flash,in just a few moments time,they actually arrived at the battlefield. A distance which would have taken Nightin close to a day even when he''s travelling at his fastest speed. Before Nightin left,Lucifer took out a bottle of Demon Emperor blood and passed it over to Nightin as he said "You can have this and present in to the city lord, I''m sure that he''ll be willing to greatly reward you." Nightin hopped off while saying goodbye as he shouted towards the majority who was still in a frenzy and chasing the demon beasts,not realising that they are already retreating away from the battlefield. "Everyone, we''ve won! The demon beasts are retreating!" Hearing this,everyone stopped their footsteps as they looked at the demon beasts who had run away,never had they expect the demon beast invasion this time to have ended this quickly. Not only that, they only suffered minimal casualties this time,the least number of casualties in their history of defence. Everyone started to cheer in joy as the commander of the army walked up to Nightin slowly,his body was covered in blood,yet it doesn''t hide his ferociousness. Something that only comes by from countless battles on the battlefield and making it out alive every single time. "You must be the sect mast of Nirvana sect,am I right to say so? I''m the commander of the defending army this time and if possible,I would like to make friends with you." The commander approached for a handshake as he tilted his head towards the Azure Dragons and Lancelot''s group. Nightin smiled back as he made a handshake with the commander while replying "Yes,I am the sect master of the Nirvana sect. As for becoming friends, I''m totally fine with that,as for how deep the friendship goes,it depends on you." The commander opened his mouth to speak up only to get interjected by a man''s voice from far "Sect master, you''re finally here?" The person who approached was Alexander and his whole army behind him,in this battle,they covered for each other and stayed safe throughout without anyone suffering heavy injuries or death. Nightin patted Alexander''s shoulder as he told him "Keep up the good work,this is only the beginning of everything, there''s still a long path ahead of us." "Sect master!" Lancelot shouted out as the group moved towards Nightin,it may only have been a short time of separation, yet it felt like a long period of time. Nightin was the one who gave them a chance to rise up and leave the group which always stays behind. Nightin gave them a feeble smile as he got them to return to the Nirvana sect first "Lancelot, you''ll bring the rest back first,I have some matters to attend to." Lancelot accepted the order as the group including the Azure Dragons started to to return to the Nirvana sect. On the way, there were countless people throwing praises and cheers at them,for being their savior. Nightin looked at the commander as he whispered into his ears "What can the city give me in exchange for the blood of a Demon Emperor." The commander froze as he replied with a poker face "I''m not sure about that as well,why don''t you follow me to meet the city lord first, I''m sure that he''ll be glad to see the legendary Nirvana sect,sect master." Nightin nodded as he followed the commander towards the city lord''s residence,on the way,many people were feelings joys of sadness. Though they have won this time,many parents have lost their child to the werewolves mutated demon beasts. The commander kept his sword in as he told Nightin "This is the cruel reality of the world,wherever we go,deaths are everywhere in the cultivation world. Many people think that we cultivators of the good path are defending them for the sake of it. Never will they know that most of us are just doing it for the rewards." Nightin replied as he sighed,looking at the mortals around him "While the evil path may always be doing merciless and cruel stuff,the same applies to us of the good path as well,we can deceive others,but definitely not ourselves." Before long,they arrived at the city lord''s residence,protecting the gate were four guards at the martial master realm. The commander took out a token as he said "I''m the commander of the defending army of the Breezy city,I request for a audience with the city lord." The guards stepped aside as one of them volunteered to lead the way to the city lord who is currently at the garden managing his plants and flowers which she has grown by herself. As guards of the city lord residence, there''s no way that they won''t be able to identify the token of the defending commander of this city. While the commander appeared pretty calm,Nightin was shocked when he saw the city lord. It wasn''t a old man or a man in his seniors who is tending to the flowers,but a pretty woman who was probably only around his age. Her silky white hair flowed down one side of her shoulder while the rest remained behind,her skin seems to be whiter than snow,just by standing there,she gives off the feeling of grace and elegance without the intend to do so. Nightin looked at her as she smiled back while being the one to initiate the conversation which saved Nightin from his awkward situation "Hello,The name''s Charlotte Snow,nice to meet you." Nightin tried to replied,only to realise that he''s stuttering "Nice to meet you, I. I''m." Charlotte laughed at Nightin''s stuttering,when she smiled,time seemed to froze as the only scene that Nightin could see in front of him was Charlotte and her only. Chapter 27 - Charlotte Snow Nightin took in a deep breathe as he calmed himself down,trying to make himself look as natural and calm as possible. Putting his hands out for a handshake,he made a formal introduction of himself "My name is Nightin and I''m the sect master of the Nirvana sect as you already know." Charlotte returned the handshake as she gestured for Nightin to take a seat opposite of her on the stone chair. The chairs and table were made of simple stones that can be found anywhere even in the world of mortals,yet they gave off the feeling of simplicity and perfection at this moment. The simple stones material has blended in with the pure yet carefree garden,the plants and flowers free from the struggles and chaos of the world. Even in the darkest periods and worst times,such a place could definitely bring light into the person''s life and pull him out from the shackles of darkness. After the two of them had sat down,Charlotte looked at Nightin,only to get dazed by Nightin who is looking at her. Before she realised it,she started to blush with two patches of light red appearing on the sides of her face. Nightin subconsciously looked back as well and raised his hand up towards Charlotte''s face. Slowly yet gradually,at the exact moment his hand touched Charlotte''s face... "Hey! What are you doing to my granddaughter in my residence!" A loud voice of a old man sounded out from behind which startled both Nightin and Charlotte as they pulled back from each other. Charlotte''s blush couldn''t be hidden as the same thought keeps flashing past her mind: This is bad,someone is going to misunderstand us. The old man appeared as he looked at Nightin saying "Young man,walk up to me." Just a casual remark from him,yet it was filled with the power to influence anyone who has a weak mind easily. Nightin sat down on the spot,even though the person may be Charlotte''s grandfather,he doesn''t qualify to make him lower his pride against him. Ignoring his orders,he just stared back straight at the old man without any fear. "Oh,are you trying to push my limits?" The old man questioned back,his anger could be sensed from his tone. A strong aura started to crush Nightin''s body,even so,he wasn''t willing to go down. He didn''t even shout out in pain, didn''t even beg for mercy,he merely sat there without any feeling. He could feel his bones breaking apart while the blood in his body started to rampage around. The old man laughed out loud at this time,only to get interrupted by Charlotte. Being his granddaughter,how could she not know what he''s up to right now. "Grandfather, that''s enough! He''ll die at this rate!" The old man''s laughter stopped as his expression froze for a moment. The next moment,he took out an elixir from his spatial ring and pushed it into Nightin''s mouth. The moment the elixir entered Nightin''s mouth,his blood started to recover as his bones mended themselves back. Not only that,he could feel that his bones were much stronger than before and that impurities have been purified within his body. To top if off,Nightin could feel his cultivation increasing rapidly,with the excess medicinal spirit essence left,he would be able to step into the second realm of Martial Spirit soon, within three days. The old man started to pat Nightin''s shoulder as he looked at him in worry while saying "Young lad Nightin,so forgive me for what had happened just now. I was merely testing if you''re worthy of becoming my son in law, but I got too excited over witnessing a genius with strong determination and will,resulting in me forgetting to keep my pressure back in. Nightin inhaled a few deep breathes of air before he slowly started to speak up "It''s okay senior,I still have yet to thank you for the elixir for elixir that you''ve given me,it must have been extremely precious to you." Nightin grinned,the old man Charlotte''s grandfather Eira Snow shuddered as he looked at Nightin,that grin of his gave him a feeling that something bad will be coming out from his mouth. "I''ve passed the test for your granddaughter right, does that mean that Charlotte belongs to me right now?" Nightin chuckled as he looked at Charlotte who was still blushing in the corner,her face looking at the ground as both of her hands were tugging her robe nervously. Charlotte didn''t know why but the man in front of her has seemed to capture her heart. Ever since young,people only approach her to harm her who is only safe until now thanks to Eira''s protection. As for people who approach her not just because of her looks or status,she has never met one in her life. Never in her life did she expect such a person like Nightin to barge into this peaceful yet dull life or hers. Charlotte couldn''t see the desire to have her to himself or his interest in her status or looks,Nightin himself didn''t know what his feelings for Charlotte were like either. At this moment,Eira and Nightin had already left the area as they head towards Eira''s secret chamber where formation arrays have been formed. Everything they talk about within this chamber won''t be know to the outside world and will be kept hidden. Eira looked at Nightin as he said "You may be a genius,but you''re far from being strong enough. I''ll be honest with you,Charlotte is someone who is bound to stand at the top of the younger generation one day,in the upper realm." Nightin replied as he exhaled "It doesn''t matter to me, I''ve placed my sights further than the upper realm,the upper realm will just be another paving stone of mine." Eira didn''t know why,the young child in front of him may only be a average genius for his age, yet he had the feeling that Nightin isn''t this simple. After his countless years of living, it''s the first time that he actually met a youth who he couldn''t see through. Eira mocked himself for being useless,a saint being unable to see through a youth? If news of this were to spread in the upper realm,countless forces will either be trying to rope Nightin in or eliminate him who is a threat to them. Eira told Nightin "You don''t get it,Charlotte doesn''t know about this either. But ten years from now,Charlotte has an arranged with the young master of the Marquis Sanctuary,one of the top ten forces in the upper realm. If you really want to break her free from her fate,you will have to contend against saints in the upper realm,are you confident of that?" Nightin replied with confidence,no fear or hesitation is could be seen or heard by Eira "Don''t worry,ten years is more than enough. In two years, I''ll leave the upper realm along with my sect. The number of disciples will only be a thousand by then,a thousand elites whose talent aren''t any weaker than the first class geniuses in the upper realm. As for my backing, he''s more than you can ever imagine." Eira''s body froze when Nightin mentioned his backing,before he actually knew it,cold sweat had actually already formed on the back of his body. When Nightin mentioned the backing,he could feel that it wasn''t pure arrogance,but confidence that his backing was strong enough. Eira laughed,his voice resounding in the chamber as Nightin looked at him while keeping silent without uttering a single word or making any movement to disrupt Eira. Eira looked at him,this time with respect. "I''m sorry,but due to some unexpected changes,Charlotte will be heading back to the upper realm with me. Ten years,I hope I''ll see you then, don''t go missing on me. Charlotte''s life is in your hands." Nightin nodded as he asked "Senior Eira,can I talk to Charlotte for awhile. Just before she leaves, you can agree to this small request of mine right?" Eira waved his hand and have Nightin his agreement. He was the one who has actually wanted Nightin to go for Charlotte after all,though it might be courting death in the eyes of others,he believes that Nightin can do it. How could he bear to be this cruel to not even give them some alone time? Chapter 28 - Rise of the Nirvana sect Nightin walked back to the gardens,only to see Charlotte looking at the beautiful flowers and plants of the lush garden. She seems to have became the Queen of the garden at this very moment,the flowers and plants being her servants and guards. Nightin looked at her as he slowly walked up to her quietly,not wanting to destroy the current serene environment that she''s in. Reaching behind Charlotte,he hugged her from behind while keeping silent. As for Charlotte,she just laid in Nightin''s embrace while closing her eyes to enjoy this moment. After a short while which have felt like an eternity,Nightin slowly released Charlotte from his embrace and carried her to a nearby swinging bench in the garden and sat down on it with Charlotte on his lap. At this time,his aura of a lord of this world has changed,right now he''s only a youth in love. "Hey Charlotte,do you know about it?" Nightin gradually opened his mouth and asked Charlotte this question softly,with a voice that only she can hear. When he asked,his heart was actually panicking,Charlotte might get offended by his sudden question and this peaceful moment would be broken. Charlotte smiled as she remained silent,to show that she actually knows about all this,that she has actually resigned to her fate. Charlotte got close to Nightin''s ears as she whispered "Do you know,it was you who brought light into my life and gave me hope for the really first time?" When Charlotte said this,tears of joy started to well up in those clear eyes of hers. Seeing this,Nightin brought her closer into his embrace as he told her "It''s okay,give me some time, I''ll definitely be the man in your life." Charlotte started to talk to Nightin about everything she knows about her life ever since the beginning. Since birth,she was destined to be a peerless genius and had awakened a bloodline which is of a higher caliber than that of her ancestors. About how her parents had to send her to the lower realm during these fifteen years to protect her from the family crisis in the family which they had finally settled after a long period of time of fifteen years. How she didn''t know whether to love or hate her parents for leaving her alone with her grandfather down here in the lower realm to fend for themselves. Even if it was for her sake and safety,she really wonders if it was really a good choice for her parents to make. Aren''t they afraid of her hating them for life,she usually thinks to herself. Nightin assured her "Don''t worry, I''ll always be there for you, I''ll protect you with everything I''ve got." Charlotte replied with a soft "En!" as her face started to turn red. Before long,Eira had appeared and brought Charlotte away with him. It was a simple departure as Nightin turned away,not being able to bear leaving Charlotte when they had just met. It was love at first sight for them,yet they felt like the other person was already a essential part of each other''s life. Before long,Nightin returned back to the Nirvana sect. Countless people were cheering for him while questions while being rained at him like a rain of arrows fired by a huge army of archers. "Hey,can I join your sect?" "Young master Nightin,do you need a servant, I''m willing to serve you!" "Young master Nightin,are you taken?" "Young master Nightin, we''ll support you forever!" Everyone was cheering for Nightin at this time,countless girls were trying to chase after him and he had a huge fan base formed by his fans who are always supporting him. Nightin calmed down the shock in his heart,all he had wanted was to develop his sect peacefully and grow stronger day by day at their own pace,yet he''s the hope in everyone''s eyes right now,the rising star! Life had fooled around with him,his life has taken a turn. He had to get stronger,at the fastest speed possible,he has a goal which he has to achieve. A promise he has made which must never be broken no matter what happens. Nightin slowly walked into the sect while ignoring the crowd and commotion around him wherever he travels. Walking into the Nirvana sect,he saw a totally different sect,yet he''s sure it''s his sect without any doubt. All the residences have been polished up and painted with bright colours, every place was rid of bushes and weeds,as though new life has been given to them. Walking into the majestic palace hall,what awaited him was Alexander and his other few legacy disciples including Little Black and Ray. Nightin looked at them as he broke out a smile "It''s good to see y''all doing fine. I''m afraid I have to say this though,I have a brand new target which I''ll announce later on to the other disciples as well.", All of them gave their agreement as Abby sat who was sitting beside Alexander asked Nightin "Sect master,when are we holding the sect entry examination?" Nightin gave her a simple reply that none of them had expected "It''s simple, they can join as long as they want to. But they''ll have to sought for resources on their very own and they''ll begin from a position lower than outer disciples. Entry disciples who will not be entitled to any sect benefits." Abby nodded as she said "I''ll take care of it." Nightin looked at Alexander as he asked "So Alexander,what reward do you want?" Alexander waved his hand and replied back "I don''t need any rewards." "Not even if it''s Abby?" Nightin''s next sentence shocked Alexander as he started to panic "Sect master...I..." "You only have one chance" Alexander gritted his teeth and said "I''ll take it." Abby who was beside him had her cheeks flushed as she laid down on his shoulder happily and carefree. As for the others in the main hall,everyone broke out in laughter as they wished the new couple congratulations. What Little Black said next however actually made everyone broke out in laughter when he asked "Sister Abby,brother Alexander,when will you two be having a baby? My mother said that when two people are together, they''ll have a child very soon." In the main palace two days from now,Nightin stood above everyone as he made an announcement to the new sect disciples which brought their total number up to 473. Not only that,all these disciples have amazing talent which even they themselves have yet to know,it was the system who had informed him about it. "From today onwards,the Nirvana sect will begin its first page! In just two years, we''ll head towards the upper realm!" Everyone looked at each other in disbelief,something such as a whole sect ascending into the upper realm together has never been heard. And with this,the Nirvana sect has started its first page. Even though many people expected the Nirvana sect to rise,no one has ever expected it to be the one sect who changes this world. Of course, that''ll be much later on in the future... Chapter 29 - Volume 1 Conclusion After about half a month of so, we''ve finally gotten past the first development part of the story. In the second volume, I''ll stop rushing the story. I''ll go through more on things such as the details as well. Fillers will be included so that the story can link and flow well with each other. The next volume will be known as , in this volume,it wouldn''t be as simple as them just cultivating to get stronger. What will they do when oppressed by the stronger sects and when the unexpected happens which almost destroyed humanity. For the lower realm to be in chaos,what exactly went of of control in the upper realm? Just who are Nightin''s parents? Who are his enemies? More and more questions and answers will slowly be unravelled in this volume. Which of course,leads to new mysteries,the world of cultivation has no limits after all. Without further ado, I''ll start introducing the new realms and stuff which will be coming into volume 2 which will be a much longer arc with much more content of course. Small change:Martial King lower tier is highest cultivation realm in lower realm world. Realms: Martial Apprentice,Martial Master,Martial Spirit,Martial Lord,Martial King,Martial Emperor,Martial Saint Items:Mortal (Common),Magical(Rare),Royale(Epic), Noble (Unique),Savior (Legendary) Skills:Mortal,Earth,Heaven,Saint (Each further divided into low,medium and high.) Alchemist:Make elixirs and are divided into different grades. Alchemist apprentice,Alchemist novice,Alchemist rookie, Alchemist master,Alchemist grandmaster... Array masters:Form formation arrays with many versatile uses. First grade array master~Eighth grade array master How will these two professions make a huge impact in volume 2 of the novel. Not only that, there''ll be other contents which aren''t added in here, intentionally of course. Volume 2 will officially start three days from now,have a nice and good rest till then. I''ll be having some amount of fillers as well to make up for the poor starting of the novel as well. Chapter 30 - A brand new beginning In the Nirvana sect,all the disciples were shocked and a few of them even started to pose a few questions. All of them had many questions going through their mind right now,lots of answers are awaiting their discovery. "Sect master, don''t you think that you''re being overambitious?" "Sect master,two years is just not enough no matter how much you think about it! Nightin kept quiet as he allowed the disciples to rant all they want,some even decided to leave the sect straight away. To them,being in such a sect will only bring them misfortune and cause them their deaths one day. They were still thinking to themselves deep down in their hearts that they''re a genius,oblivious to the fact that they''re the true idiots. Soon,about a hundred of the new disciples had left,leaving the hall with only about 300 disciples left,yet it was exactly what Nightin wanted. Talent may be one thing,but if they can''t stay faithful to the sect throughout their time here,their presence is redundant. In fact,it would be a blessing for the sect that such people without any backbone or ambitions left the sect,if they were left behind,they might become a threat to the sect one day. For those who stayed, they''re the ones who have passed the entry test to become a outer disciple,yet they won''t know about it yet until they prove to be worthy of the higher rank. For those who left,they turned back expecting to see many people who are tempted to leave like them or even be hesitant. Yet reality struck them real hard here. No one turned back to even pay them the slightest attention,just like how a high king will walk last a lowly beggar without even paying him an eye, it''s just not worth the time and effort. Those who left would never know that they have been left out on the ship which will sail to the seven seas. They''ll forever be stranded alone on the ocean or sea,near the beach of lakes,forever staying at rock bottom while others are already at the peak. Those at the bottom wants to gain the attention and recognition of those above,yet all they receive is them being treated as air with their existence unknown to people. Nightin looked at everyone below him as he stood up and prepared to speak up. Just from the aura he''s giving right now,the new disciples felt that they had made the right decision. They had a feeling that their sect leader will lead them to glory and new heights which they had never dare to imagine in the past. "As the first sect master of the Nirvana sect,I hereby announce the first mission of our sect. From now on, we''ll work hard and strive for the upper realm within two years. It might seem impossible,but there''s a reason for this. Are you all willing to join me in this seemingly impossible conquest!" Everyone shouted yes out in unison,at this moment,everyone could feel a flame within their hearts. The flame being their passion,burning vigorously with strength more than ever,the flame which will grant them power and strength. No matter what they won''t let it go out of control or the world will go up in flames. With this,the Nirvana sect has been officially established as a second grade sect in the outside world. As for the middle grade sects competition, they''ll have to give it a miss as their participation will ruin the balance between all the competing sects. Their growth speed had outstripped the other sects by a far margin. They had their eyes set on something else,the battle between King forces. While sects are divided from the first grade to the fifth grade,powers above that are known as King forces,which stands at the apex of the lower realm. It''ll be held one year from now and the number of sect disciples that can participate aren''t limited at all. Not only that, it''ll be their only chance to attain King within two years time,they had to take the risk by placing their life on the line. From now on,the sect is known for having a few different choices. The spear path,sword path,bow path and the new assassination path if those who only focuses on the cultivation of heart is excluded. Aiden has appeared at this time,as for the reason he only appeared now, it''s because something cropped up when he was on the way here. He forgot to claim his reward from the city lord,who has sadly already vanished without anyone knowing about it. Even so, the higher ups of the city and association hall gathered together and decided to reward him with one of the top ten assasination heaven rank skills,Shadow Star. The reason shadow star only has one copy in the entire world is because those who have tried to copy or bring it to the upper realm have all surprisingly died,resulting in this skill being forgotten gradually over the passage of time and was sealed up as a forbidden skill. If not for the fact that the skill scroll actually flew out from the seal and entered Aiden''s body,they would not have given him the Shadow Star at all cost. It''s said that whenever an assassin uses shadow star, he''ll be able to instant kill a opponent one major realm above him at the expense of a long period of fatigue. With this,a new path has appeared for the disciples of the Nirvana sect. The assasination path. As for the entry requirements however,it made most of them gave up immediately after seeing it. The first being unflinching killing intent, whenever taking a life,it sould be a grave mistake to even let out a smile or a split moment of hesitation. To a true asssassin,one mistake means death. A simple rule that have stayed through since the beginning of time. Acute observation is also necessary to be wary against any traps while being knowledgeable about how to deal with them. Not only that,one must be capable of blending in with any situation when on a undercover mission. After a long selection,only two barely passed and succeeded. Aiden looked at Nightin as he sighed while shaking his head "I''m sorry to say,but there''s not even one person in the sect worthy of my private teachings. The most they''ll receive is some techniques,experience and knowledge that I know about and some others which can be found in the outside world. Nightin nodded as he told Aiden "Aiden,why don''t you head to the outside world alone,just return when its time. I still need your help with the development of the sect." Aiden got down on his kneels as he said "Your orders have been received" Thanking Nightin for giving him the opportunity to do so, Aiden took off for the outside world. He was still young and has the potential to grow and develop. Even though he wants to serve Nightin,his curiosity and desire to explore the outside world is still hidden deep within his heart. Right now,Nightin has given him the key to unlock the door within him as he leaves for the place which he wants to. With Aiden''s departure,the sect was still continue its development peacefully. Without facing any troubles,the sect had three days of development without any difficulty. But of course on the other side,the storm was already brewing. Many powers of the lower realm has already placed the Nirvana sect as a enemy of their sect. If they were to develop and grow, they would lose the resources and dominance which they have built up over the years. Even though the Nirvana sect might be growing rapidly, it''s still far too soon for them to make enemies with a King force. The current them doesn''t have the qualifications or strength to do so yet,for now at least. Back in the Nirvana sect,Isabella stretched her back as she asked Nightin "Hey,is it possible for my older brother to join our sect? In terms of talent,even the current me with the sect''s assistance can''t compare to him." Nightin wrinkled his eyebrows,Isabella wasn''t the type to ask him for permission and he would usually just let her do whatever she wants as long as she doesn''t cross the line. Yet this time however,Isabella actually lowered her pride and asked for permission. Nightin kept silent as he looked into the horizon. Seeing this,Isabella started to panic and explain "Sect master, it''s because my brother current sect is forcing him to sacrifice his Lord energy for the sect''s number one disciple. If my brother doesn''t join us, he''ll be nothing but a puppet of that sect once he loses." Nightin sighed as he asked Isabella "Which King force is your brother in right now?" Isabella hurriedly replied,worried that Nightin might take back his decision "The Guards!" The guards,one of the top five king forces in the lower realm. It''s said that their backing is the actual saint force in the upper realm and that they are only a lower branch. Even so,the headquarters won''t leave them in the lurch if needed,they still had their pride to keep after all. Chapter 31 - Isabella and Alan Isabella timidly asked,her voice filled with urgency and the desire for hope that her selfish request will be accepted. Nightin stood there silently without the slightest intention of even leaving,seeing this,Isabella immediately understood what Nightin meant. "My brother''s name is Leaf Alan and he always carries around a bow with him, that boy of his has the imprint of a phoenix on it and whenever he fires an arrow, it''s definitely a surefire kill." Isabella''s description reminded him of one person who Lancelot had mentioned to him previously back in the main hall. Based on Lancelot,a youth who seemed to be around their age took the life of an enemy which they struggled to even defend against easily without the slightest difficulty. Even without Isabella''s request right now,he would have left to find that youth himself. With him joining the Nirvana sect, they''ll grow stronger than ever. As for him meant to be the catalyst of the number one youth guard in the king force Guards,he must have received wind of it and made use of the war to escape and live as a wandering cultivator. Even though this may cause him to lose countless of cultivation resources and the supreb cultivation environment he receives,at least he won''t become nothing but a tool for others. Only to get discarded and thrown away as trash after usage, that''s something that every genius won''t want. The arrogance within them won''t allow it,their confidence isn''t meant to be trampled on. Nightin looked at Isabella who was obviously panicking while waiting for his answer,her face had already turned pale white from worry. At this moment, Nightin was actually greatly astonished and amazed by Alan. He did not panic or fret for his cultivation,he faced the situation as a true man. Without any hesitation,he gave up all the temptations which laid ahead of him and escaped without ever turning back. Nightin looked at Isabella who was still worried as he called out to her "Hey, don''t worry,your brother will be fine." Isabella stopped worrying and tried to calm herself down as she asked slowly "What...Did...You just say? My brother''s still alive and that he''s fine?" Isabella took out her bow as she fired a chain of arrows towards Nightin while shouting "Stop lying to me! Just let me know if you aren''t willing to save my brother,I can do it myself!" Isabella wanted to believe Nightin''s words,but she was afraid that it would be nothing but a bubble,soon to be popped. With high hopes,comes great depression. She was afraid of getting hurt,she couldn''t afford to lose Alan. Nightin took out his sword and destroyed Isabella''s sword while shouting back "I''m not someone to make such a lie to comfort you! Your brother has escaped from the guards and is on the run right now with the identity of a wandering cultivator!" Isabella started to cry as she fell forwards all of a sudden. Seeing this,Nightin immediately rushed forward and pulled her into his embrace. He couldn''t let Isabella fall in front of his eyes, that''s just part of his pride, yet it''s what makes Nightin the true him. Isabella started to tell Nightin about her story. About how Alan isn''t her blood related brother and she only calls her brother just because her father requests her to. About how Alan has always been protecting her since young whenever she was bullied and picked on by the others. Isabella looked up to Alan ever since young and before long,they had fell in love with each other. Yet,life strikes them hard as the guards came to bring Alan back with them on that very fateful day. Alan tried to fight back,yet he was way too weak to protect himself and Isabella. Left with no choice,he had to leave with them to protect Isabella. While Isabella and Alan may be nothing but siblings who are close to each other in the eyes of others, they''re actually a couple who are together with each other,just that no one knows about it. Nightin looked at Isabella who had just found hope in the fact that her lover is still alive. The Isabella crying right now can be said to be the polar opposite of the usual her. Usually,she can be described as overbearing and always takes matters into her own hands without a regard about the consequences that she may have to face. Yet right now, she''s just like a fragile woman in the mortal world. Awaiting her husband''s safe return from the cruel war that he''ll be in, constantly hoping that he''ll be safe and that he would be back on one piece. About how she doesn''t want him and her to get involved in the ties of the world and just want to have a world that belongs to them. The next day, sunlight shone through the clouds and brought new light into the world,the chirping of birds could be heard as a new day came alive once again. Isabella gradually opened her eyes and what she saw in front of her was her room. The same green curtains which Alan had bought for her,the same furnitures and the same placements. Without any doubt,this is Isabella''s room. Isabella stood up and opened the door,breathing in the fresh air,she exclaimed to herself "This will be a wonderful day!" Isabella walked out of the room and she headed to the eating area to have her breakfast as per usual. Upon her arrival,the chef which Nightin had brought in along with his four other servants and two waiters immediately served Isabella her simple breakfast. A slice of bread with cheese in between and a cup of coffee. A simple meal which even the commoners among mortals can afford easily. Even though cultivators like Isabella can go for up to half a month or even a month without food and water, it''s still a daily habit she has maintain since young. Every day,she would sit down together with Alan for a meal at least once a day except for the times when Alan enters seclusion to cultivate. The waiter served Isabella her food while telling her "Miss Leaf,you look good today. Did something happen?" Isabella shook her head and brushed off the waiter''s question with a smile on her face. The waiter understood her intentions and stepped back without the slightest intention to probe any further,it was her privacy after all. Chapter 32 - Alchemist guild Seeing that the sun was starting to set down and that most disciples have already returned to their room to rest,Nightin walked out of his room. When Nightin was alone in his room,he was making plans for the next step. His sect needed the assistance of a Alchemist,this was the conclusion he came to after a whole afternoon of pondering. A Alchemist will not only provide elixirs for the sect to speed up the disciples cultivation speed and strengthen their foundation,it would also help them to generate money. By placing those elixirs for sale up on the market,it wouldn''t be difficult for the sect to profit greatly from it. With the profit gained,the sect would be able to advance in many areas. Breathing in the fresh air,he started to walk down the steps slowly as he travelled towards the Cloud Moon city. The current him is no different from a mortal as he took his time to enter the Cloud Moon city. With his cultivation,it wouldn''t be difficult to arrive at the Cloud Moon city in just a few moments. Even so,he wanted to experience what the mortals experience,he had one been one of them. Their life had been carved in his bones which ingrained the attitude of hard work and resilience in him. Entering the city,what he saw was a bustling city with many road stalls beautifully decorated with bright lightings. The simple yet exquisite lightings gave the place a different atmosphere. It gave Nightin a inspiration to give his sect a different feeling from the others, he''ll open it to the public. Any mortal or cultivator can head to the martial hall to cultivate together,they can share about their experiences and many other stuffs,it would benefit the cultivation world greatly. In the cultivation world, such a site could never be seen. People were all too busy cultivating and fighting for every single resource they can get,who would bother wasting their time just to have some fun with mortals? Walking past the road stalls and making a left turn,he arrived in front of the alchemist hall where people are crowding at the entrance. The Alchemist Hall was decorated with simple wooden materials on the exterior,those wood were so clean that not a single speck of dust could be seen. The exterior was made of Oak Wood which has went through three layers of purification from the Alchemists and were enchanted as well. The entrance was opened widely with the two words "Alchemist Hall" hanging up there alone by themselves. Entering the alchemist hall,Nightin walked up to the young man at the counter as he told him "I''m the sect master of the Nirvana sect,I would like to meet your hall master." The man bowed as he informed Nightin "I''m sorry,but our hall master isn''t around at the moment,can I know why you are looking for him?" Nightin replied as he took out a scroll "Do help me to pass this to you hall master once he returns, don''t even try to open it if you value your life." The youth at the counter rejected the letter as he said "I''m sorry,but I''m not qualified to receive a letter which should be passed on to the hall master. Give me a moment, I''ll got get a elder to meet you instead. The youth was hesitant about the identity of the man in front of him,if he was a fake,he would most likely lose this small job of his. But considering the consequences,he had no choice but to take the risk and find a elder. Soon,the youth came back with a elder behind him. The elder was wearing a green robe which has a insignia imprinted on his robe,to show that he''s actually a Alchemist master. One must know what even in the whole southern continent,the number of alchemist masters is still below a hundred,yet one is standing right before him right now. The elder introduced himself to Nightin "Young fella Nightin, I''ve been hearing your names wherever I go for the past few days,it really is a honour for me to meet you in person." The elder took over the scroll as he invited Nightin into a secret meeting chamber to discuss about some matters. After entering the room,a formation array was activated to prevent their conversation from being heard by anyone outside. Nightin had once saw a similar formation array similar to this at Eira''s house that day. The elder took the initiative to initiate the conversation with a question "Young fella Nightin, I''m there first elder of the alchemist hall around this area,may I humbly request to know the reason for your sudden visit?" Nightin kept silent as he poured himself a cup of tea,red rose tea. Lifting it up and breathing in its fragrance,he took a sip of it. The energy within the red rose leaves seems to have increased his spirit energy slightly,this shows that the tea that he''s drinking right now doesn''t come by easily to have a effect of a martial spirit like him. Slowly bringing himself back from the amazement brought from the tea,he replied "It''s nothing much either,I just hope to establish a friendly cooperation between the alchemist hall and my Nirvana sect,may I know if you have the authority to decide on something like this?" The first elder body shook for an instant,yet he calmed himself down immediately. As someone with experience in the cultivation world, it''s not a wonder that he can calm himself down almost instantly. Even though he hid it well,this little action of his wasn''t able to escape Nightin''s eyes. Nightin looked at the elder as he warned "Don''t you dare to try anything stupid if you still value your life." The elder had no choice but to take back his thoughts. In both of their heads right now,the two of them were thinking of methods,vicious and merciless ways of killing. They both may be acting on the surface,but the duo here definitely have the same thoughts. The son of the head of the alchemist hall had used his power to force him to poison Nightin to death,but now that his plan has been exposed, there''s no point in trying to hide it anymore. The elder closed his eyes as he laughed "You have seen right through me,I can''t tell you who told me to do so,but I can lead you to the hall master. When he said this,his eyebrows twitched slightly. His first plan may have failed,but he still had a backup method The elder placed his hand inside his robe as he took out a map,a map precious enough for him to keep it within his sight at all times regardless of the situation. The map marked out a single location,the secret basement of the alchemist hall. The first elder passed it over to Nightin with a sly smile which escaped Nightin''s eyes "Little fella Nightin,you have to save our hall master,our hall master has been trapped within the secret chamber." Nightin took over the map and opened it up to take a look. From what he can see,the hall master is trapped in a area under the alchemist wall,in which the area can only be accessed through entering the formation array. Nightin asked the elder "Elder,may I trouble you to lead me to the formation array, I''ll have to make a trip personally to save the hall master." The elder laughed as he agreed without any hesitation "Very well,follow me. You''ll definitely be greatly rewarded if you were to save our hall master successfully." Nightin nodded his head as he followed behind the elder. On the way,he could see that the alchemist hall may only be made of wood,yet they were actually all dusk wood. Dusk wood is a material which can withstand even the full attack of a Martial Lord. The ground was decorated with a single red carpet with yellow diamond lines at the side as a design,this simple design actually gave the place a feeling of simplicity. Soon, Nightin and the elder arrived in front of the formation array. The elder looked at Nightin as he asked solemnly "Are you sure about your decision?" Nightin nodded his head and agreed without hesitation while saying "Of course I''m sure of it. I''m sure that nothing is too difficult for me and that I''ll save the hall master without any difficulty." In the eyes of the elder,Nightin is nothing but his meal of the day for him to further improve his cultivation. To him,Nightin was just another young genius who''s getting arrogant about himself because of one small achievement which he had managed to do by a stroke of luck. Right when Nightin turned his head around,the elder pushed him into the formation array while telling him "You''ll be a great help for my cultivation,child!" Chapter 33 - Life and death battle When Nightin fell inside the formation array,he landed on the cold hard pathway of a forest. Even though it was the day right now,the forest gave off a gloomy feeling and the whole area seems to be of a creepy dark shade of blue with bright lights. Nightin swallowed a deep gulp of his saliva as he raised his index finger and pointed it towards the elder "Elder,what are you doing right now? Aren''t we here to save the hall master who has been trapped?" The elder raised his palm up as he licked his fingers one by one as they slowly turned into razor sharp claws. Looking at Nightin,he gave him a farewell smile "You''re still too young child, haven''t you heard about the term of demonic cultivators? I''ve joined the evil path and in return,they gave me this cultivation which helped me to breakthrough to the peak of Martial Spirit. After consuming you,even the Lord realm wouldn''t be a impossible dream for me anymore. Nightin took a step backwards and more gradually while moving backwards as he said with his finger raised up "You''re a cultivator of the evil path! Just how many misdeeds have you done till now! Today,you shall pay with your life!" Nightin released his aura towards the elder as he took out his sword as five mystic swords clad in the colour of black surrounded him The elder laughed "Haha! Haha! You''re already at your wits end,you should just surrender while you can. I may not know how a low grade Martial Spirit like you can obtain the blood of a Demon Emperor,but there''s no way that you''ll be able to escape from my clutches today!" Nightin smirked as he rushed forward and stabbed towards the evil cultivator "You don''t get it do you. I''ve been playing along with your plans just so that you''ll guide me here,do you think that since someone to do something without the confidence to do so?" The evil cultivator''s body shook for a moment,yet the force of his attack didn''t decrease and increased instead. "Boom!" A claw and sword clashed against each other as both parties retreated backwards for a few metres,they were actually evenly matched against each other in terms of brute force. The face of the evil cultivator changed as he dashed towards Nightin again,this time much stronger than the claw attack before as he infuse all the spirit energy he can into this one move. The evil cultivator knew that the longer this fight dragged on,the more the battle will tilt towards Nightin. What geniuses like Nightin doesn''t fear most is a dragged out battle,they have many tricks up their sleeves. Nightin wasn''t willing to back down either,this was a life and death battle,defeat means death. Raising his sword above his head,he slashed towards the evil cultivator again with the strength of five mystic swords combined. The air splits apart wherever the sword wave went as it clashed against the claw. In their clash,the claw was shredded like paper as the sword continued to dash towards the evil cultivator. The evil cultivator jumped away and managed to barely avoid the attack. In the process,one arm could be seen flying in the air as it landed on the cold hard ground. "Argh! Damn you!" The evil cultivator screamed out in pain as he covered the wound from his right arm which is his dominant arm. A clean cut was made from his shoulder and not only that, the sword energy remained there which made it difficult for his wound to recover. At this rate, he''ll lose his whole arm. The evil cultivator hurriedly took out a token from his robe,as he started to chant "O great demon lord,go grant me the strength to kill this brat in front of me and recover my arm, I''m willing to give up four hundred years of my lifespan in return." Nightin was shocked at this moment,the evil cultivator in front of him has went mad. The average Martial Spirit would only have a lifespan of five hundred years while a Martial Lord have a lifespan of a thousand years. With the evil cultivator in front of him right now sacrificing four hundred years of his lifespan,he would be at his deathbed even with a breakthrough. He would have lost too much of his life essence in the process,sadly for him, it''s something he would never know about. Nightin immediately sent out all five of his mystic swords towards the evil cultivator and attempted to take his life,he had to end the battle right now before the evil cultivator gets much stronger after the chant. "Hehehehe!" A sinister laughter sounded out from a demon who had appeared behind the evil cultivator. It had four arms and a yellow ring around its neck; only his upper body could be seen while the lower body of his seems to be missing. "Young fella,thanks for the nice meal that you''ve just given me. In return, I''ll force the summoner to give you a swift death. Hehehehe!" "Poof!" The demon finished as he finished what he has to say,just like as though as if it had never appeared with to begin in the first place. The evil cultivator looked at Nightin as he closed his eyes until his eyeballs couldn''t even be seen,his razor sharp claws were placed in front of his chest. Looking at Nightin,fury started to rise from his chest as he shouted and mocked at the same time "Young fella, I''ll make sure that you regret whatever you''ve done to me!" Nightin smirked "As expected from a demon,you definitely don''t keep your promise. Hey,is there any point in giving your powers to a servant who disobeys you?" The evil cultivator laughed "Hahahaha! You don''t get it don''t you? It was the demon himself who gave my the order to kill you and even torture you alive and drained your body of its blood and serve it to him as a worship. Nightin shook his head as he readied his sword. Everything was clear right now,the lower realm is already in a mess right now for such demons to be existing and causing havoc in the cultivation world. Nightin smiled and closed his eyes before releasing his sword aura once and for all,releasing the Encompassing Sword Heart intent to its limit as the spirit essence in the surroundings all started to flow towards him. The him right now is just like the center of a whirlpool which sucks all the water in,into a endless circulation again and again. "The air,the trees,the plants,the flowers,the spirit energies,everything here right now,please lend me your strength to slay this demon in front of me right now!" The surrounding seemed to be responding to him as spirit essence started to flow into him endlessly before circulating to his sword. The sword which Phoenix had entrusted him with before his death,the sword of Rebirth. With the sword in hand,he danced on the spot as fire feathers started to appear and surround him while whirling around him just like a tornado. At this moment,he opened his eyes as the feathers all vanished as a slash appeared out of nowhere and dashed towards the evil cultivator who has attained Lord. The evil cultivator laughed as he started to mock Nightin once again "Just give up, there''s no way you can defeat a Martial Lord no matter how much you try, that''s not possible no matter how much you true!" In this world, skipping a major realm to defeat a opportunity may be possible below the Martial Lord realm,but that''s because there isn''t a substantial difference between them. It''s however a whole different story in such a high realm. A Martial Lord not only has the ability to use Spiritual energy at a higher level, their spirit essence is at least ten times thicker as well. Raising his claws this time,he actually attacked with both his claws this time as two blood red claws intersected with each other in the middle and advanced together. Wherever they went,the surrounding would rustle while air would be split from the intense pressure. Nightin''s slash seemed simple,yet only he understood how scary that attack of his is. Dance of the Rebirth,an attack which he can only use once before running out of spirit energy. If he fails to end the battle now,it would be the end of the line for him. The sword wave and claws clashed with each other in the air as they started to push each other away. Neither wanting to be pushed back,both of them were betting their lives on this attack,both of them knew and yet all they could see right now is survival. Their survival instincts are pushing their body beyond its limits both physically and mentally,their body knew that their time wasn''t up yet. Right at this moment, Nightin''s sword wave actually lost by that one bit and vanished into the air while the blood claws charged on with that little momentum left, yet this little was enough to kill Nightin. Nightin tried to raise his sword with whatever strength he had left,he wasn''t ready to die. Soon, the blood claws struck his sword and sent him flying backwards for tens of metres as he landed on the ground flat with a loud thud. Nightin lied down on the floor as blood continued to bleed profusely from his chest wound. His bones could be seen which shows how much the blood claw had pierced through his body. If not for that final block,he would already be a corpse. The energy which has rampaged into his body was ravaging from within as well,making it a tough ordeal for him to even move a single bit. The evil cultivator slowly walked up Nightin as he placed his foot on Nightin''s chest and pressed down on his bones. "Crack!" Nightin could hear his bones cracking which made him opened his eyes while he still kept his mouth shut, Lucifer''s pride seemed to have influence his mentality greatly here. The evil cultivator started at Nightin viciously as he repeated again and again "Will you shout? Will you scream? Will you shout? Will you scream?" The evil cultivator had already went mad at this time as he tried to torture Nightin continuously without the intention to kill him at all. He''s hopeless and done for already, yet he''s still capable of taking Nightin''s life. Seeing that Nightin wasn''t willing to listen to him,his killing instinct took over. Raising his claws up,he stabbed it towards Nightin''s face. Nightin knew that he was done for as he closed his eyes and waited for death,yet what he was awaiting for didn''t arrive. A old man had killed the evil cultivator in one move with just one palm of his,killing a Martial Lord easily with just one move... Chapter 34 - Hall master Nightin saw the old man pick him up from the ground before he fainted as he closed his eyes. His body and mind had already went past its limit from that battle. His wounds were serious enough to make him a cripple for life and make it impossible for his cultivation to advance any further. In the forest,a old man could be seen treating Nightin as he took out a box of needles and a bottle of elixir liquid. Picking up the bottle,he poured the liquid directly on Nightin''s bone since he wouldn''t feel any pain considering that he has already fainted. Before the liquid could spread or leak to the ground,he picked up his needle and stabbed four different areas of the bone in quick succession,making it impossible for the liquid to escape as it started to get absorbed by the bones. Seeing that the first process was done,the old man exhaled deeply as he took out a elixir. The elixir has a single white line on it which curved diagonally from top to bottom,the strong medicinal smell of the elixir could be smelled. Slowly prying open Nightin''s mouth carefully,he helped Nightin to swallow the elixir. Once the elixir has been swallowed,he slowly helped Nightin to guide the effects of the elixir through the meridians in his body as it slowly spreads to every part of his body. By the time he was done, Nightin''s flesh has already started to grow back at a speed which can be seen by the naked eye,the rest was up to when he would recover. The old man slowly breathed as he sat down beside the campfire he had made to recover his spirit energy. Swallowing a few elixirs down,he sped up his progress rapidly as he waited for Nightin to recover from his coma at the side. Three days later,Nightin woke up only to see that his body was fine and that he wasn''t feeling any pain at all. Scanning around,he saw a old man looking at him with his eyes wide opened as though as if he has seen a ghost. The old man raised up his index finger as he pointed it towards Nightin "Are you a ghost? There''s no way you could have recovered this quickly? Even if the process was fast,it would have taken up to a few months at least..." Nightin shook his head as he smiled towards the old man and bowed to him. "Thank you for saving my life senior. The only reason that I''m alive and awake right now is because of my body''s special constitution,but it''s a secret I can''t explain to you." The old man took a few deep breathes and looked at Nightin again and again to confirm that he''s definitely still a human that''s alive right now. Pointing his finger towards the side of the cave opposite him,he told Nightin "Young lad,why don''t you sit down and have a small chat with me?" Nightin sat down as he started to have a long conversation with the old man as they chatted with each other over some great wine. Back in the Nirvana sect,Lancelot and the disciples have all been making continuous breakthroughs. Right now,even the weakest disciples are at the Martial Master realm. As for the Azure Dragons,their number have already reached a thousand,all of them being at least of the middle grade Martial Master as well,it can be said that they''re the strongest force in the Nirvana sect with the highest authority right now. Lancelot invited Alexander to join him for a drink as he started to discuss with him about the sect''s overall development. "Alexander,do you have any ways to obtain much more resources for the sect, it''s about time we start giving them their monthly cultivation resources." Alexander looked at the ground as the leaves rustled with the passing of the wind. Looking at elder Isabella who had just joined in their conversation,he started "I have a plan in mid,but I''m not sure if it will work out." Isabella and Lancelot asked in unison "What is it?" The both of them wants to know the plan,the development of the sect is in their hands right now since their sect master Nightin is away. Alexander continued "Now that my army have a strength of a thousand and all the bandits in the area have been cleared out,we can consider splitting the other nine armies besides mine into nine hundred man commanders. Eighty percent of the rewards they earn will go to them while twenty percent will go to the sect,in return, they''ll have access to the utilities and cultivation grounds of the sect. It''s a win win situation right?" Back in the cave,Nightin was still continuing the conversation with the old man until he suddenly asked Nightin a question "Aren''t you curious about my identity?" Nightin replied as he took another gulp of wine "It doesn''t matter what your identity is, I''m sure that you save me without the slightest intention of me wanting to pay you back. Otherwise you would have killed me and taken my spatial ring before escaping without anyone knowing that you''re the killer." The old man stood up as he looked outside the cave,his back view facing Nightin "I''m the hall master of the alchemist hall in Cloud Moon city,or you can also know me as one of the top ten alchemists in the world who exceeds the mere realm of Alchemist Grandmaster." "Vzzt!" A thunder went off in Nightin''s head,never had he expected the old man to have such a background and terrifying identity. The top ten alchemists who exceeds the Alchemist Grandmaster stage can only exist in the upper realm,not to mention standing above the crowd in the upper realm. Nightin took a deep gulp of saliva as he smiled while shaking his head "Senior, why did you save me and what are you doing in the lower realm?" The old man laughed as he replied "I merely saved you because I felt like doing so as for your second question, I''m afraid that I can''t answer you." Nightin nodded as he replied simply "I understand." The old man after that continued his conversation with Nightin as he got Nightin to call him by his surname Lin. Nightin looked at Lin Ming as he asked "Senior Lin,is there by any chance that you can cooperate with our sect?" Lin Ming laughed as he looked at Nightin and replied "A cooperation is impossible between us." Nightin looked down and shook his head while saying "I should have expected this,how could someone like senior lower your status to help me out after all." Lin Ming looked at Nightin as he said "What if I say that I can''t work together with you,but I can join your sect?" Nightin spat out his wine as he shouted "What!" Lin Ming looked at him and said solemnly "There''s nothing such as a free lunch in this world though,I expect you to help me kill someone in the upper realm,can you do it?" Nightin and Lin Ming gradually came to a conclusion about their cooperation with each other.Lin Ming officially joins the sect as their head alchemist and is given the privilege to take in disciples under him so long as he wants to. Chapter 35 - Ho brothers With this,Lin Ming returned to the Nirvana sect alongside Nightin who was leading the way. The whole duration which would have taken Nightin three days and nights only took around an hour. Lin Ming had taken out his noble treasure which is a vehicle,it looked like a cloud which is golden in colour on the exterior. In the interior was a big area which measured about a hundred metres in size with two simple tables and four chairs. Based on Lin Ming,he had received this spatial cloud which is ranked seventh in the Noble treasures in an ancient ruin which he had entered a few hundreds years ago when he was still young. Arriving at the foot of the sect''s mountain,they got to the top in an instant. Upon reaching the entrance,two disciples who were on guard duty today were sitting down there cultivating. Sensing the arrival of someone,the two guards ended their cultivation process as they swiftly stood up and questioned "Who are you guys? What are you doing here?" Nightin stepped up and explained "I''m your sect master, don''t you guys recognise me?" The two disciples looked at each other and said in unison "Our sect master looks much better than you!" Nightin looked at himself only to realise that his clothes were in tatters and that his hair was in a mess while his skin was covered with black filth. Even though he may be a sword master,something as simple as using some water can be done easily by anyone at the Martial Spirit realm. Summoning some water out,he used it to wash himself swiftly while changing into a new set of clean clothes which he had left in his spatial ring previously just in case the need for it arises. After what seemed like a simple action,he looked totally different. The previous him could be described as a beggar,but the current him looks like those type of youths whose looks can even put most females to shame. The disciple on the left took out his rod as he asked "Just who are you?" His tone this time was much fiercer than the previous time his friend had questioned. Nightin took out a mirror,only to be shocked by his own looks. The current him looks like those type of man who live off their looks,his usual appearance of a handsome youth with a resilient face and well tanned skin couldn''t be seen. Nightin turned around to look at Lin Ming who was behind him while thinking that all this must be what Lin Ming has done. Lin Ming smiled at him apologetically as he raised his hands up to signify that he was left with choice while explaning "That''s just a temporary effect,you should pay more attention to the changes within your body." Nightin scanned inside his body,only to see that his meridians seemed to have increased by one tenth of its previous size while his skin tissues seemed to be undergoing a change for the better. With the increase in his meridian size,it would help him to have more spirit essence than cultivators of the same realm even though it may take him a longer time to reach a higher realm. However,this also makes breaking through bottlenecks easier with purer and more spirit essence to charge through the shackles restricting one''s cultivation. To top if off,he would also have a greater advantage in battle. Lin Ming took out a elixir and passed it to Nightin while telling him telepathy,something which only the strongest Emperors or saints can do "Consume this elixir, it''ll help you to regain your previous looks by speeding up the changes in your skin tissues rapidly with a speed which can be seen with the naked eye." The next moment, Nightin''s skin which was milk coloured previously dropped on the ground as they revealed the well tanned yellow skin below. The two disciples opened their mouth widely as their jaws drop,never can they link the beggar in front of them just now to the handsome sect master with them right now, it''s just like trying to compare the heaven and earth to each other. The two of them hurriedly stepped aside as one of them took the initiative to say "I''m sorry sect master,do forgive our rudeness. We just wanted to make sure that we fulfill our duties well." Nightin waved his hand to signal that it''s okay while asking for their names. From what they said,the two of them are brothers and are known as Shawn Ho and Pawn Ho respectively. The older one who looks more muscular is Shawn while the thinner one is known as Pawn. Nightin looked at Lin Ming who was behind him as he asked politely "Senior Lin,do you think that they have the aptitude to become a alchemist?" Lin Ming looked at Shawn and Pawn as he took their wrist over and checked their meridians. At first,he merely did so casually since Nightin had asked him to. Never did he expect that Shawn would have cultivated out his flame essence already and it''s actually a peak grade flame essence as well. The Burning Rage Lotus which is one of the top the alchemist flames essences. As for Pawn,he sighed as he told Nightin "I can only bring Shawn under me,his potential definitely isn''t any lower than me. As for Pawn,his aptitude is for that of array masters,he actually awaked the Sea Heart of Mirrors. To put it simply,his potential for formation arrays may actually be above every single person even in the upper realm. If others were to take ten breathes to form a formation array he would be able to do up to four in six breathes. Doing multiple formation arrays while taking a much shorter time than others." Pawn looked at Nightin as he opened his eyes wide and asked "Sect master,can I learn about formation arrays?" Nightin could see determination in Pawn as his eyes burned with the raging passion of flames. Nightin shook his head as he said "I''m sorry Pawn,but there''s no array master in our sect, I''m afraid that I''ll have to let you down." Pawn wasn''t willing to back down as he asked "Sect master,I hereby request for permission to leave the sect today. I promise to be back in time for the worldly forces battle in eleven months time. Do grant this selfish disciple of yours the permission to leave." Nightin looked at Pawn''s eyes,no fear could be seen,all that could be seen was determination to fulfill his dreams and ambitions. Nightin decided to himself that he needed to let Pawn leave,he had to. Compared to a cultivator who stays in the sect every single day,one that survives on their own in the outside world will be much stronger. Shawn looked at Pawn as he said "Brother,are you sure about this?" Pawn gritted his teeth as he nodded his head. Shawn smiled so widely that his clean white teeth could be seen as he said "Stay alive, don''t die on me by yourself in the outside world,I won''t be able to answer to our parents." Pawn laughed "Don''t worry, I''ll come back alive." Nightin passed Pawn a token and granted him permission to leave the sect. Before Pawn left,he told him solemnly "Come back alive,this is an order,not a request." Pawn ran towards the outside world while shouting "I''ll come back alive!" as he left only his back view for everyone to see. As for Shawn,he followed Lin Ming who brought him onto the mountain to start up on his foundation through the understanding of theory. Who would have expected that these two supposedly ordinary brothers would be come two gigantic pillars of the sect one day? Chapter 36 - Sects development and improvement Nightin walked into the sect and entered the martial tower,currently it had seven floors while each floor had eight different sections. On the first floor,there were currently the four earth grade movement techniques which are divided into the four categories:Movement,Bow,Sword and Spear After killing the evil cultivator in that life and death battle that time,not only did his cultivation grow much closer to the third realm of Martial Spirit,his sword intent also reached about twenty five percent. The things which will benefit his sect greatly are the three Earth grade techniques. Blood Claw:Only suitable for those who are capable of killing without blinking an eye. If one can choose to use this technique only to protect loved ones or kill the evil,his or her mentality can make this move no weaker than even the stronger heaven techniques. However,if one doesn''t fulfill the requirement,one might lose control of themselves and result in death. Golden Shield:Divided into three layers. When the cultivator successfully cultivates the first layer,the cultivator will be capable of blocking the attack of a cultivator one sub realm above easily. Two sub realms during the Second layer and one grade upon reaching the final layer of this move. Mental Spirit Foundation:Helps the cultivator to learn about the basics of mental strength and its foundation. Basic way of cultivating mental strength will be shown to the cultivator. Out of all the seven techniques in the martial tower right now,the Mental Spirit Foundation can be said to be the most precious one out of all. In this world,mental cultivation techniques are the rarest and even in the upper realm,even some great forces do not have control over even the foundation mental cultivation methods. It''s known to every cultivator that whenever someone makes a breakthrough, their mental spirit will increase slightly as well with a major increase when one steps into the Emperor realm. The reason someone at the Emperor realm can kill anyone below the Lord realm with just a single thought is because of the mental pressure dominance. If every disciple in the sect cultivates their mental strength, it''ll greatly benefit them when facing danger as they''ll be able to stay calmer and it also increases their wisdom, which helps to increase cultivation speed. Soon,news of the first floor of the martial tower being updated has been announced to the whole sect as everyone fought to enter. To everyone''s surprise,most of them couldn''t enter and a token appeared in front of them,their initials were carved on it. From what they know about the new rule, the only way to enter would be through contribution points earned from clearing missions and selling items off to the sect. Of course,there are various other methods as well such a securing a strong force to assist the Nirvana sect and stuff. On the second floor,everyone was excited was they heard that scrolls and notes of general knowledge can be found there. The general knowledge includes details about the main difference between every cultivation realm;how mental strength is important;the various continents and danger grounds in the lower realm;what alchemists and array masters are. Of course,there are also much more knowledge for the disciples to learn about which will greatly benefit them in this world where survival can be cruel. General knowledge they learn from here might save their life one day in the outside world. Of course,now that Nightin has returned,this won''t be the only change in the sect. He had to further improve his sect facilities to speed up the growth and development of the sect, it''s his duty as the sect leader after all. The next place he headed to was a empty area behind the martial tower. After careful consideration,he has decided to choose a few disciples with the water or earth element spiritual root to cultivate the sect''s very own herbs. If they were to cultivate their very own herbs,not only would they save up on the production cost,the medicinal aroma the herbs release when being grown will improve the atmosphere in the sect,helping to speed up everyone''s cultivation speed slightly. In the long run,the effects would definitely show and prove to be of great help. After careful consideration,Nightin pulled out a outer disciple known as Fir Green. Nightin further announced that another role will be released and it''ll be known as the special disciples. Even though they might not be that strong in terms of cultivation,there would be a area where they specialise in. Green chose eight disciples to help him out with the development of the sect''s herbs planting. Based on Green,the nine of them had been great friends since young and they would be able to cooperate well with each other. Based on Green''s estimation,they would be able to make a herb grow at ten times its initial speed for now. As for faster growth,it would depend on if Nightin could get them better fertilizers of if they manage to improve their skills. To them,the positioning of the water source and soil,fertilisation timing all these makes a huge impact in both quality and growth speed. Next up will be the foundation building rooms which have been removed. For the current disciples,the foundation building rooms are way too insignificant in helping them out anymore. Nightin asked the system "System,I know it has been some time. But have I managed to obtain anything from what I''ve done till now?" "Yes host. According to the data collected. You''ve built up your own sect which can compete against most third grade forces at the moment; you''ve formed up your own army of elites which consists of Martial Spirits and a eighth grade Martial Lord,all of which have exceedingly high potential;the overall strength of your sect has exceeded the system''s initial estimation and development plan." "After tabulating all the data together,your rewards have been compiled. Middle grade spirit vine of the five elements and intents;first class fertiliser which can help to improve soil quality by at least three times;the realm of life and death.", According to the system,the effects of the spirit vine gave Nightin a great shock. The spirit vine allows all cultivators within the sect radius to cultivate at a speed three times faster than what it''s now while making breaking through much easier at the same time. Not only that,within the area of this spirit vine,everyone would be able to comprehend laws at double their usual speed. This is something that only the top Saint forces in the upper realm will have,yet it''s in the control of tiny third grade sect right now. As for the realm of life and death,disciples would be able to enter and face countless demon beasts. A continuous number of demon beasts would charge at them until they were to die inside. But of course,they won''t die in the outside world,however the mental fatigue and trauma from the death will still be there. If every disciple in the sect can go through this without any fear, that would be the moment where they would become unstoppable. What makes people weaker than demon beasts? It''s their fear that they''ll die,human cultivators won''t be daring enough to take the risks,only to let chances slip by. Never will they know that,the one chance was the reason they died as they missed it. Why? Because they''re scared of death,they aren''t brave enough to confront their fear and face it head on with a even stronger will. After settling all this,Nightin walked to the garden in the sect. Taking out the fertilizer,he asked Green "With the new environment of the sect and this fertilizer that I''m about give you,what would be the grade of herbs that you can grow and their growth speed?" Green thought for a short while before replying "With everything I have now,I would be able speed up the development of herbs by twenty times, which means that the herbs which I''m growing right now will only require a month before being sold. As for the quality,they should be around the fourth rank,two ranks above those which are commonly found." Nightin looked at Green as he said "We won''t be putting those herbs up for sale,if we do so,our rivals would come after us and eliminate us straight away. Instead, we''ll pass the herbs over to our alchemist hall?" Green eyes opened wide as he asked "We have a alchemist hall? Why does know about it? It wasn''t said to any of us." Nightin replied "Of course you don''t know about it,the alchemist hall was just established by me in the morning,it can be located east of the Martial Tower. Every time the herbs are harvested,you can arrange for someone to transport the goods over there immediately." Green nodded as he gave his agreement and promise that he''ll do his best and not let Nightin down. Green was merely expecting to be a lowly outer disciple for life,never had he expected that the sect master would actually give him a chance to prove himself. Back in the rooms, Little Black and Ray made a breakthrough at the same time to the second realm of Martial Spirit. Abby had made a breakthrough to the third realm of Martial Spirit while Lancelot and Ayden was only slightly away from the Middle grade Martial Spirit Realm. Lancelot stood up from his cultivating position as he patted off the dust from his robe and went to take a shower. He was sweaty all over after days of tough training without even taking a single break or giving himself some rest time. Lying with his back on the wooden tub,he resolved to himself that it''s time he left the sect. Even though the sect will help him to cultivate more quickly,he had to leave for the outside world. He wanted to take revenge before the Worldly Forces Battle which will take place soon with only eleven months left for him. If he doesn''t destroy the White Ravens,they would become his heart demon and haunt him for life, making it impossible for him to make any further progress on the path of cultivation. Standing up to wipe his body with a towel,he wore a clear white robe as he stepped outside the door and went towards the main hall to find Nightin. After hearing news that Nightin was in the garden,he headed towards the garden after finding out the directions from a few other disciples. Lancelot stopped in front of Nightin as he asked "Sect master,can we have a talk at the side? There''s something which I want to request for permission to do." Chapter 37 - Decision of disciples Nightin got Lancelot to wait for him at the side as he finalised the details about the plantation garden with Green. After a brief discussion with Green,he headed to find Lancelot who was waiting for him at the side. Nightin looked at Lancelot and paused for a short while before asking "So Lancelot,what is that you want to request for permission for? Lancelot took out his spear as he smiled towards it before raising his head to look at Nightin. "Sect master, I''m sure that you still remember what I said when first entered the sect. Today, I hereby request for permission to leave the sect to fulfill the promise that I''ve made to myself." Nightin looked at Lancelot, various emotions could be seen in his eyes. Is it the sadness that his great disciple leaving? Is it the gladness that his great disciple has grown enough to do what he wants? Or is it the joy that his sect has made it this far with the help of his great disciple? "Lancelot,are you sure about this? You should know that your current strength is far from enough to defeat the leader of the White Ravens who is a Martial Lord." Nightin wanted to be sure of Lancelot''s choice and answer,this could very well determinate his life and death. Lancelot exhaled deeply as he said once again with much more confidence "I Lancelot, hereby request for permission to leave the sect to fulfill the promise that I''ve made to myself!" Lancelot said this while stabbing his spear deeply into the ground with as much strength as he could muster,the tiles below him broke apart as lines of cracks appeared. Lancelot was no longer the young boy who needed guidance for everything. He''s now able to face the cruelness of the world and take things into his own stride. He''s no longer the youth who gets excited just because of some slight improvement in his cultivation. Nightin closed his eyes while taking out a token as he passed it over to Lancelot while instructing "Take this,if you ever need help,just shatter the token. I''ll make it there immediately no matter where I am at that point of time." Lancelot was touched as he got down on his knees and said "Thank you sect master for granting this selfish request of mine!" Nightin looked at Lancelot as he supported him up while saying "What fo you think you are doing? As a man,you should only kneel to your parents,even the heavens shouldn''t make you bend your knees and kneel to anyone." Nightin this said very slowly,in a very soft voice which only Lancelot could hear. Lancelot stood up as he said "You''re my only family member right now. Ever since the day you became my master, I''ve treated you as my father and this will stay true for life." Lancelot plucked his spear out from the ground as he turned around with his back facing Nightin. "I''ll be back." After Lancelot left, many of his core and legacy disciples decided to leave as well. One by one,they approached him and asked for permission. After a few core disciples asked,he decided to give all disciples the freedom to leave the sect if needed. However,the legacy disciples still decided to let him know,all of them only made it this far thanks to Nightin''s help. As for Abby, she decided to join Alexander on the battlefield. Adding on another great force into Alexander''s main army. As for Little Black and Ray, they''ve decided to return to their hometowns to visit their loved ones while exploring the outside world. Before they left,Nightin told both of them this "If you guys want to,you guys can bring your family members back into the sect. Let everyone know too before you leave as well." The two of them nodded before dashing off into the outside world while letting a few outer disciples who are still in the sect to spread the message. With these,majority of the disciples decided to leave the sect as they venture into the outside world,to experience the true cultivation world. Out of all the legacy disciples,the only one who actually stayed behind was Ayden. Out of curiosity,Nightin went to look for Ayden who was still training under that waterfall. Based on Nightin''s estimation,Ayden was already training under the immense pressure of five thousand kilograms which can be compared to the full attack of the average low grade Martial Lords. Nightin walked up to the waterfall as he called Ayden who was training under it to meet him "Hey Ayden, what''s the reason for you staying behind? If you stay behind,your growth would be much slower than the other legacy disciples and it would be a great waste of your body constitution." Ayden stood under the waterfall as his face twitched from the pain,the only thing keeping him standing right now is his resilience. "The only reason I''m staying behind is only because of this waterfall, I''m only withstanding a small fraction of its force." After that Ayden talked to Nightin about his reason for staying behind which greatly shocked him. From what Ayden had said,this waterfall isn''t just simply water,but pure water which actually weighs ten times more than the usual drop of water. Also,the waterfall which they see now on the exterior is merely the beginning,the stronger and taller waterfalls are all inside. The further Ayden ventured in while avoiding the waterfall that time,the stronger the water essence were. Ayden had a feeling that if he were to stay behind,the waterfall would not only help him train his body,but also help him cultivate the law of water,directly skipping past the intent stage. Even though the law of water may only be one of the basic laws,its potential is unlimited. It''s a natural element of this world,to a cultivator,underestimating the forces of nature would be the most foolish mistake they can ever made. With that,Nightin left the area as he headed back to the sect. Looking at the few disciples who stayed behind due to various reasons,he realised that he needs to get stronger. If he''s too weak,how can he protect the sect? How can he defend his disciples in the case of great danger? Making a deep resolution,he decided to leave the sect as well,only informing Isabella who was still cultivating in her residence. Looking at Isabella''s mountain,he started to ascend the stairs made of simple stone while looking at the surroundings. Isabella''s mountain was decorated with many trees and flowers,which made Nightin think of someone. Isabella actually has the same hobby as Charlotte,what a small world it is. Walking towards her residence,many beautiful flowers could be seen with roses making up most of them. The scarlet red from the roses seemed to blend in well with the surroundings,giving the whole place a more vibrant feeling. It may seem excessive,yet it seems simple at the same time with the perfect ratio between them. Nightin walked up to Isabella''s residence as he knocked on the door. Shortly after,the sound of the door opening could be heard as Isabella appeared at the door while holding a scroll in hand. Isabella placed the scroll back into her spatial ring which was carved as a simple yet exquisite sapphire blue gem on her bow. Placing her hands behind her head,she started to tie her hair into a ponytail while asking "What are you doing here at my doorstep all of a sudden?" Nightin was about to reply until he saw Isabella who was tying her hair having her chest actually raised up facing him. Taking a deep gulp and turning his face away while stepping back,he told her "I just wanted to tell you that I''ll be leaving the sect for a period of time as well." Before Isabella could reply,Nightin had already left as he dashed down the mountain and left the sect. Isabella chuckled at this sight as she thought to herself "He''s still a young boy after all. I wonder what the other disciples would think if they know about this,haha." In the end,Nightin is still a young boy who has yet to seen a woman before. Even though he always tells his disciples to stay calm,this is the one moment which they might actually do much better than him. Chapter 38 - The Swamp of poisons After some careful consideration,he decided to head towards the Moss forest which is about a few thousand miles away from the sect. Even with his cultivation,it would take him around a month to arrive at that area. Despite so,he still didn''t change his mind in the end. He himself was a youth with curiosity hidden deep within him unlike others of his age. He had experienced so much more to know when he can finally set himself free and make a run for the outside world and now was the time. Along the way, the first part of the journey would require him to pass through a swamp where many Martial Master demon beasts live. It''s even rumored that this place,is ruled by a Demon King as well, the peak existence ij the lower realm. This was the territory of the poisonous demon beasts,even most Martial Spirits would dare to enter this area unless they have absolute confidence. One wrong step in this area could mean even death for a Martial Lord. Of course,not everyone would treat this place as nothing but danger. To the poison experts,this place could be the one of the best locations for them to improve their poisonous arts. They could study the various plants and demon beasts here which collecting information on each and every single one of them. Sooner or later,they would be able to their very own poison as long as their theory proves to be true. Some of them could even make use of the poisonous characteristics and disguise them as an elixir to be sold to others. In fact, there''s a famous story that most cultivators know about. In the past,there was a mortal whose family was killed by a Emperor just because his father accidentally blocked his path when he was rushing to somewhere else. Knowing that it wasn''t possible or even realistic to attempt to take revenge,he decided to enter this swamp. Soon,tens of years went past in the blink of an eye. At that time,many famous wandering cultivators were wandering around the world,especially one who called himself the King of Poisons. During the Martial Emperor last day in the lower realm after he had finished whatever task he had to do,he invited every single wandering cultivator or forces for a final gathering. During that time,the person who called himself the Poison King gave an elixir to the Martial Emperor, without him knowing that it was actually fatal poison strong enough to kill him. The Martial Emperor with his cultivation,saw through the elixir pill and thought that it was safe as he consumed it immediately on the spot as the Poison King had told him "Dear Emperor,you would be able to make another small breakthrough in the Martial Emperor realm with this elixir pill,the only drawback is that it can only be taken out for ten breathes before losing its effect. Hearing this,the Martial Emperor wasn''t willing to hesitate anymore as he swallowed the elixir pill down immediately. In his mind,he was still thinking about how he would have advanced one step further on the cultivation path with just this one single elixir pill. When the Poison King was speaking,he didn''t have the intention to hide his voice,thus everyone had heard what he said. After the Martial Emperor had swallowed the elixir pill,everyone was anticipating the arrival of something amazing. Yet what happened next greatly shocked them,never would they have expected something like this to happen. The face of the Martial Emperor started to turn purple while red dots which seemed like rashes started to appear on his skin. From his face to his body to his legs,to every single part of his body. When the Martial Emperor tried to force the poison out with his spirit energy,he actually vomited out dark red blood instead. The Poison King walked up to the Martial Emperor who was tumbling on the ground slowly and lifted his face up "You deserve this. All of this was foreshadowed from the day you killed my family." The Martial Emperor''s body was still shaking as he asked "Who is it that I killed?" His voice was shaking with every word he said as he panted heavily,fighting for oxygen in the air around him. The Martial Emperor wanted to know,the reason for the Poison King doing this to him. The Poison King smirked,picking up the Martial Emperor from the ground and punching him on the face,he shouted to his face "There''s no way you will know who my father is,my father was just a mortal!" What the Poison King had just said shocked every single cultivator who was present at the area,sending a huge tidal wave into everyone''s heart. The Martial Emperor which they all had looked up to in his years down here was actually such a cruel person. Even though no one says this,everyone knows that cultivators like them shouldn''t get involved in ties with the mortals. As for killing them, that''s already a taboo in the world of cultivators who are on the good path. The Martial Emperor laughed as he laid on the ground,his face looking towards everyone. His hair was in a mess while blood flowed down his face. "Hahahaha,to think that a Martial Emperor like me would die from poison in the lower realm! Just all of you wait,in a thousand years time,my kingdom would come for me!" Before anyone could say anything,the Martial Emperor had already burned his whole body into ashes. Everyone looked at each other,unsure of what to do from now. A thousand years from now,what would they be able to do then. Ever since then,this part of the story became a part which was unknown to many cultivators. Never will they know that,it would actually be coming for them soon. Back in the Swamp of Poisons,Nightin was traversing across the poisonous swamp while keeping a lookout for any poisonous substances which he might accidentally get into contact with. Even so,Nightin still had to protect his own body with his sword intent. Here,the sword intent will be much more useful compared to the spirit essence in keeping the poison away from invading his body. Additionally,he would be able to cultivate his sword intent and familiarise himself with his sword intent. Nightin continued to advance forward,oblivious to the fact that danger was lurking ahead of him. The place gave off an eerie feeling as well which made him more conscious of his surrounding. Right at this moment,a long slithering wet tongue dashed towards himself from his back. Nightin only managed to barely sense it as he rolled to the side and looked towards his back. A gigantic toad about double his size slowly came into his view. Nightin could sense that the toad was only in the low grade Demon Spirit realm,yet it gave him a great sense of danger. One has to know that only a Martial Lord nearing the middle grade can give him such a feeling. Taking out his longsword,five mystic swords started to spiral and dance around him. Closing his eyes,he could sense that there are more than one of those toads around him,they were a whole group. Chapter 39 - Uncle Ding With his longsword in hand,Nightin dashed forwards towards the only Demon Toad in his view. The Demon Toad being a demon beast who has cultivated this far in such a cruel environment, instinctively sensed the danger within that attack as it dodged by jumping backwards. In this Swamp of Poisons,the conditions for living are much more harsher. If on land it could be described as survival of the fittest,here could be described as survival of the strongest. Every single demon beast here could easily defeat a demon beast of equal cultivation level on land. Nightin wasn''t willing to give in as he landed on the ground and propelled himself forward with his right leg and slashed towards the toad once again. The Demon Toad decided not to dodge anymore as it stuck out its tongue and whipped it towards Nightin''s sword,sending him flying backwards. Nightin struck his sword into the ground below him to stop himself from flying backwards anymore,just a few more centimetres and he would have fallen into that trap of those toads. The toad in front of him seemed to have been pissed off by the fact that Nightin manage to avoid his trap as it pounced towards him with a back kick. Nightin saw this and knew that he could only advance forward,all four directions of his were blocked off by this point. With the toad in front of him being only way alive. Lifting up his longsword above his head,he slashed forwards once again. This time,Nightin had merged his sword intent into this attack,all prepared for a surprise attack against the toad who was in front of him right now. In just that single slash,the toad''s body was split in half as toxic poison exploded from its body. Nightin didn''t expect this and by the time he realised and dodged,some of the toxic poison from the explosion had gotten onto his skin. Nightin took out a bottle and poured out the antidote which Lin Ming had prepared for him. Before he left for the journey,Lin Ming somehow caught news about him leaving the sect and passed him these antidotes alongside some other elixirs,which will definitely help him out at some point. Swallowing the antidote down,his arm started to recover with a speed which can be seen by the naked eye. After all,the antidote he had taken was useful even for Martial Saints,not to mention a mere Martial Spirit like him. Readying his sword,he sent out three of his mystic swords to the other three toads who were lurking around him,forcing them out of their hiding spot. The three toads having good chemistry after having been in a group for a long period of time,all shot their tongues towards Nightin. The tongues all aimed for his vitals and blind spots,making it impossible for him to block all three attacks,or so the toads thought. Never in their wildest mind would they expect a mere human to cut off their tongues with just a single whirlwind slash. Their tongues were strong enough to withstand the attacks of even a Martial Lord and had the ability to corrode everything below that. The human in front of them actually sliced their tongues off without even a single form of dent of corrosion which can be seen on his sword. Nightin smirked,how could they actually think of overpowering his sword intent that easily. With just his sword intent,everything below the Martial Lord realm won''t even pose a match for him. The three toads jumped backwards as they shrieked in pain,all escaping towards different directions within the poisonous swamp. Nightin stood there as he watched them leave without the slightest intention to pursue them for the kill. Firstly,he had no reason to. Secondly,it would be a waste of his spirit energy which is of utmost important in this swamp. Right when he was about to sit down and recover his spirit energy,a man appeared in front of him. The man took out a scroll and opened it up in front of Nightin. "As expected from the son of Wisteria Gale,a talented genius indeed." The man spoke out,his voice was hoarse and gave Nightin a creepy feeling. Nightin prepared for escape,he wasn''t able to sense any danger or killing intent from the man. With his experience however,he could tell that the man in front of him definitely isn''t simple. It''s not that the man has no intent or anything towards Nightin,but because he concealed it so well that even Nightin couldn''t sense anything with his sharp awareness and senses. Nightin kept his sword as he questioned the man while preparing to make an escape if needed. The man laughed as he said "Young master,have you probably already forgotten about me?" The man took off his hood and what appeared in front of Nightin was a face that he had seen countless times in his life since young. Nightin called out subconsciously "Uncle Ding..." Uncle Ding had been taking care of Nightin ever since he was young. Whenever he goes to the market,to have fun or anywhere,uncle Ding would always be there with him. Jaxson Ding looked at Nightin as he smiled,saying "You must have suffered over this past year my child." [Nightin''s POV flashback] When I was young, many people in the family didn''t like me. In the eyes of others, I''m just a trash who can''t cultivate in the eyes of others. Besides my parents and siblings,only uncle Ding was willing to care for me. Back in the market near my house three years ago,I was always being bullied there whenever I went alone. Uncle Ding had somehow managed to catch wind of it and made his way there to save me. Ever since then,no one dared to bully me anymore,everyone only knew Uncle Ding as a Martial Apprentice sixth realm cultivator that time. Of course,all of this only happened because of that one incident. When Nightin was seven,uncle Ding saw him practicing with a sword under a tree. At that time,he walked up to him and asked "Young master,why are you trying so hard? Even if you have some achievements on the sword path,it would still be impossible for you to step onto the cultivation path." Nightin at that time,looked at Jaxson Ding with a innocent yet resolute face as he replied "It doesn''t matter whether I have spiritual roots to cultivate or I don''t. One day, I''ll step onto the peak of the cultivation world as everyone looks up to me. I won''t become anyone''s slave just because I''m a mortal!" Jaxson Ding sighed as he said that time "Even though I may have stepped into the Supreme realm of weapons, I''ll still unable to help you..." Nightin looked at Jaxson Ding as he asked with courtesy "Uncle Ding,how are you still alive? Just what exactly happened that night? Y''all were dead when I reached there..." Jaxson Ding shook his head and told Nightin "This will be a long story..." "On that day,your parents enemies from the upper realm somehow breached the barrier and sneaked down. Even though your parents were able to escape successfully with my help,I wasn''t able to protect the others. Buy we all escaped successfully due to..." Chapter 40 - Wisteria Gale Back on that fateful night, Nightin''s parents enemies from the upper realm had somehow managed to breached past the laws of the lower and upper realm boundaries and sneaked down. Nightin''s father Wisteria Gale and his mother Crystal Blue had sent him to the mountain that day to collect some wood. But of course,this was just a lie to get Nightin to stay away when their enemies arrive. [Wisteria''s Gale POV] Looking at my dear wife Crystal Blue,I told her affectionately "Crystal,you should leave now before they arrive." Crystal being Wisteria''s wife, wasn''t willing to leave. They had went through so much together, experienced countless life and deaths situations,braved through thick and thin together,what else could she be afraid of? If she really has to say one thing,the only thing or two persons be scared of losing is her husband and son. I sighed as I looked down, only to see my wife''s eyes watering up. I walked up to hug her and pulled her into my embrace as I whispered into her eyes "I''m sorry for making you go through this with me. If only they came five years later,my injuries would have recovered by then." The previous moment,I was just a husband who loved my wife dearly and wanted to keep her away from harm. But now, I''m nothing but a person filled with killing intent and resentment towards my enemies and,God. Stepping outside of the room with Crystal with who was laying in my embrace,I stood in front of the whole family as I gathered them in front of me. I may not be able to defeat the enemies,but tricking them wouldn''t be a difficult task for me. In exchange of my son''s spiritual roots that day,I had made enough substitute puppets to replace for everyone in the family. Those few who know,including my wife and Jaxson kept their lips shut about this and for the other few who know, they''re definitely willing to die just to keep this matter a secret. Sometimes I ask myself,am I still a good father to my child? Many people know that my son is someone who aspires to become a great cultivator who shakes the heaven and earth. In his life,all he wants is to step onto the true path of cultivation. Yet as a father,I robbed my son of his aspirations,his dreams,his future. I''m a failure aren''t I? Standing in front of everyone,I told them "Members of the Gale family,take heed of my next orders. Our enemies have somehow managed to make it down into the lower realm,in order to keep my son who is your young master safe, we''ll all escape back into the upper realm." One of the four great elders of the family stood up and questioned me "Wisteria,you may be the family head,but don''t your think that your current actions are just way too selfish?" No one disagreed with this elder,in the four great elders,he held the greatest authority and respect beneath their family head. Everyone recognises him for his fair judgements and thinking for the whole family under every circumstance. Looking at everyone and turning my gaze towards the great elder of my family "Y''all may not know this,but I''ve still yet to recover from my injuries then,I won''t be able to keep everyone safe with just the strength I have currently." A low ranking family member somehow had the guts to pose a question in front of everyone as he stepped out and ask "Family head,how are we going to escape?" I sighed,countless emotions were going through me at this very moment. I sacrificed so much of my son''s future just for them,only to get questioned back. Giving all of them a deep stare,I told them this "So me sacrificing my son who has spiritual roots of the half god grade isn''t enough for the family?" My voice could be said to be shouting out at all of them at this time,yet I made myself make it sound as calm as possible. Soon,a chain reaction went through everyone in the family with one elder taking the lead. "Family head,what did you just say? Did you just say that the young master was a half saint talent?" "Holy shit! If so,then why can''t the young master cultivate?" "Family head,I...We..." I looked at them and kept my mouth shut. The whole area was filled with a intense pressure in the air that seemed to be pressing down on everyone. Is it the pressure their family head is emitting towards them right now? Or is it the curiosity within them that seems to be devouring them for curiosity. Looking at them,I started to tell them about everything from the beginning. How I wish I could turn back the hands of time,I regretted my selfish yet selfless decision,yet what can I do? I told them about how my son was found to have a half Saint rank spiritual root,only to be extracted personally by his blood father to make sacrificial puppets for everyone in the family. To escape from their enemies who are constantly on the hunt for their lives. How I have expected this scenario and situation to happen and this being the backup plan for the worst case scenario. My thoughts proved true as they have already made their way down here,on the chase for us. Closing my eyes,I announced "Members of the Gale family, we''ll evacuate right away!" My heart was filled with pain when I heard this,I didn''t and wouldn''t have the chance to ever tell my son the truth again,about how I have to leave him right now. I didn''t have the time to get my son back,all he''ll see are the sea of corpses of the family when he returns. Would he be able to handle the pressure? Before we left,my elder son Crever Gale walked up to me as he asked "Father,are we really going to leave Nightin behind? He did nothing wrong to deserve this. In fact,he deserves credit for sacrificing his own future!" I could tell,Crever wasn''t willing to accept my decisions,even though Crever wasn''t that close to my younger son Nightin,they were blood brothers after all. Crever could even be said to be one of the best older brother in the world. Ever since young,he cared for Nightin despite him being unable to cultivate. Whenever Nightin was oppressed of needs help,he would always be the first one to step out and help him. And with that... [Back to Nightin] Nightin looked at Jaxson as he said "Uncle Ding,is what you''ve just said true? About my spiritual root,my father extracted it from me against my own will?" Jaxson returned Nightin''s gaze as he answered his questions slowly,one by one. Chapter 41 - Toxic Ruins Jaxson told Nightin all the questions he wanted to know,giving him the answers which he had been desiring for to know. Nightin posed various questions such as what are the identities of his siblings, how''s the current situation of his family like right now,how could he be of any help. Jaxson answered all of them without any hesitation,but he paused when Nightin asked how he could help. Jaxson opened up a portal behind him as he left while informing Nightin "If you truly wish to help,make it to the upper realm at least." Jaxson had left saying this while thinking to himself "If only the young master still has his spiritual roots. There''s no possible way for him to transcend into the upper realm,without any cultivation spiritual root. Neither did Nightin nor Jaxson know that Phoenix had actually left his spiritual root behind for Nightin. The spiritual root was blazing flames as it gave off a scorching,searing heating sensation. Yet Nightin didn''t know about it as it laid dormant within him. Jaxson may have left,yet countless questions are still in his head,without an answer towards them. The toxic swamp however still laid in front of him. To the side were tall gigantic trees with huge tree branches with fruits hanging down from them. Every tree had too many leaves to count as they gather up together,acting as an umbrella to shield the sunlight off from the swamp. The leaves were purple as well,giving the swamp a gloomy feeling. Nightin slowly circulated his spirit energy before traversing the swamp quickly but carefully. It wasn''t a simple task as with time passing,his spirit energy would soon deplete. He could only keep this up for about four hours,which isn''t quite enough to leave this place. Along the way,Nightin was intercepted by many ferocious and strong poisonous demon beasts,all of them glaring their fangs towards him. The demon beasts who are still alive in such a area,were all wary of their surroundings and barely approach other demon beasts. Usually,they would be feeding on the berries and plants they could find in the toxic swamp and once in every while some small fishes in the small lakes. If they were to detect any demon beasts nearby,both sides would usually bug out and retreat from the area. If one were to suffer any injuries,it could very well cause them their lives in this place. Here,only the Demon King who rules the area wouldn''t have to fret for its own life unlike the others. With Nightin''s cultivation and sword skills,the usual demon beasts wouldn''t even pose a match to him. Without much difficulty,he traversed through the swamp and managed to find a cave. A cave which was actually lit up by purple light glowing from within it. Nightin wrinkled his eyebrows as he hid his presence while advancing towards the cave as slowly and carefully as possible. One mistake here would cost him his life. As a cultivator and swordman,the greatest enemy isn''t the opponent,but oneself. One must never underestimate the opponents or overestimate themselves. When that happens,that person is bound to have ended his journey on the path of cultivation without the slightest chance of making any further advancement. Nightin took out his sword as he slowly entered the cave,what appeared in front of him was a grand sight. Something which shouldn''t exist in such a place appeared before his very eyes. Nightin was mind blown,how could he be seeing this,was he seeing things? Many questions started to run through his mind as they left through the gate quickly. The cave was cleanly carved,one look and it''s obvious that the cave is man made. The ceilings were decorated with small light rings that stuck onto it as they gave off the purple light he saw from afar. To the sides were sapphire clear crystals which was so clear that one could even see their own reflection clearly on it. Nightin decided not to advance any further until he could make sense of what exactly is going on here. Sitting down of the cold hard ground. No,the ground actually felt warm. Nightin understood one thing for sure right now,this is where the Demon King resides. Even so,he has no choice but to stay behind and recover his spirit energy first before leaving. If he were to make any rash movements and leave right now,the toxic air would corrode him immediately. The moment he started to recover his spirit energy,a figure actually appeared in front of him. No,two figures. A man and a woman...A succubus. Nightin leaped up and jumped back as he prepared for a tough battle. The man waved both of his hands up into the air as he kept his hammer. The man didn''t have a vicious and menacing look,neither did he have any killing intent towards Nightin. The man looked at him as he asked "Are you the owner of that sword?" The man''s voice was shocking,he clenched his fists tightly as he awaited Nightin''s answer. Boom! A thunder struck Nightin as he froze on the spot. The man actually knew about the mystical sword which was embedded in his soul,how could he actually know? Nightin decided to test the waters first by acting that he wasn''t aware of the sword''s existence as he asked with a curious face "What sword are you talking about? The only sword I have is this one." Nightin took out his phoenix sword as he caressed its blade carefully. The sword had exquisite carvings on a phoenix and dragon carved on the two different sides as it glazed with flames. The man looked at his sword and his face froze,he opened his mouth,only for a few words to barely come out. "Where''s Phoenix?" Nightin was astonished,the man actually knew Phoenix and they seem quite close to each other. Otherwise,the man wouldn''t have such a shocked expression filled with fear,regret and pain. Nightin brought his sword to the side as he asked "How are you related to old man Phoenix?" The man''s face twisted in agony and pain as he took out his hammer once again. The hammer this time was different,scorch marks could be seen on it,which only amplifies to the fear and destruction it can bring. Lightning coiled around it like a snake wrapping its prey as it faced Nightin. The man swung the hammer towards Nightin as it pierced through the air with great velocity. In front of the incoming hammer,Nightin realised that he couldn''t move an inch. The space and void around him had been sealed up, leaving him helpless against the approaching attack. Right when Nightin thought that it was all over for him,a voice broke through the void and space to pull him out. Nightin recognised the voice,it was the succubus who saved his life. When Nightin got out,he was panting heavily as his chest heaved up and down,cold beads of sweat were dripping down his face. The succubus gave the man a stare before asking Nightin "That mystical sword is on you right?" The succubus posed a question which she herself has answered. The answer was clear to them,Nightin had the sword. Nightin didn''t bother to retreat or make a move,his efforts would be futile anyways. The succubus and man were both much stronger than him,they gave off a great pressure. One that overwhelms Phoenix who was at the peak Saint realm. Nightin wanted to ask them just what their identities are,but he chose not to. Even if he asked,he wouldn''t get an answer at all,they might even silence him. Nightin told the two of them "Phoenix entrusted this sword to me before he passed on,I promised him and made a vow that day. I would search for the Soaring Sword Sect,even if they are above the heavens or below the sea,I won''t break my promise." "Boom!" A thunderbolt struck down outside the cave as though as if Nightin''s words has angered the heavens. Nightin had actually attempted to challenge the heavens and its pride. Chapter 42 - Sword Intent evolution? Both sides were staring into each other''s eyes intensely,neither side was willing to back down,the heavy atmosphere in the air seems to be suffocating them. The man kept his hammer as he controlled his aura,lifting the heavy atmosphere away from the air. The man broke out in a depressed smile as he threw Nightin a question "Hey,what exactly happened to Phoenix?" Nightin walked up a side of the cave and slumped his back against it,the blueish glow from the crystals radiating off his stern face. Nightin shook his head towards the side as he told the man "Senior,why don''t you take a seat beside me? Miss succubus,you can rest beside us first." The succubus had long brown hair which flowed down behind her head like a waterfall. She had clear silver eyes and her alluring body is enough to attract even those men with a strong will and mind. No men could possibly resist her charm is she attempts to have them. The man placed his butt down on the floor and swept the dust off his robes. Placing his hand on his forehead,he pushed his blonde hair back and took out a pendent. The pendent was oval shape in colour with a vermilion shaped gem in the middle. The pendent though made of such materials,are giving off a feeling of scorching heat. If a weak cultivator were to get near to the pendent,they would be turned to ashes immediately. Nightin was only safe because the man formed a circular energy shield to keep him away from the heat. Nightin had a feeling that even a Martial Emperor wouldn''t be able to handle that scorching heat. The man started to talk about a long story at this time. [From Gaven''s POV] When I was young,I was detected to become the pillar of my family. My talent was enough to put even the most talented geniuses to shame. Even those geniuses known as others by demons can''t compare to me. The confidence and pride those demons had were nothing in my eyes,it was just pure arrogance backed up with nothing but big talk. Those demons had no moral values,they would resort to any means just to get what they desire for,even at the expense of lives and blood. Many people viewed me as their savior,until I got into contact with the path of forging one day. I saw a grand path ahead of me,I was astonished and captivated by the mechanics and designs of everything in this world. I made a vow on that day to step onto the true path of forging and become the greatest Forgist in the world,yet things didn''t go my way. People who viewed me as the savior,all wanted me to focus on the cultivation path. Many excuses and reasons were told to me. About how I can just hire some great Forgists to work under me and help me with the designing and creation of whatever I want. Never did they know that deep within me,forging was an essential part of my life. It was just as important as water and air for me,losing it would be robbing me of my life. I would be nothing but a puppet of the world,why should I listen to them? I''m still human after all,I have the rights to make my own decisions,no one owns me. As for my parents,who cares about those selfish faggots who only treat me as their war machine and path to fame. That fateful night I turned fifteen,I left my family. I travelled across the many continents,met countless geniuses who might even have higher talent than me. Travelled through crowds of mortals,travelled the land and water. I seek every opportunity to improve myself on the path of forging,I was bound to become a great Forgist. Yet,I was faced with a bottleneck soon after,I couldn''t make any further progress all alone by myself. No matter how much I tried,I couldn''t break through the wall blocking my path. Right when I thought that it was the end of the road for me,Phoenix helped me paved the future pavement. From then on,I accompanied Phoenix on his future journeys and tasks. Through following him,I learnt many incredible forging methods over those years. I obtained my personal flame essence,the Scarlet Inferno Flame,ranked third out of the world top hundred flames. To me, Phoenix wasn''t just a tutor. He was my master,my father. He was the only person I could turn to when I needed help. After I obtained the Scarlet Inferno Flame however,he had already left. I search all over the world,explored countless dangerous grounds. Yet,it was all a futile effort,I thought he was dead. The only reason I could even find you right now,is because of the familiar aura contained within that sword. My master Phoenix may have contained his life flame inside,but he definitely hasn''t kick the bucket yet. All you saw that time was nothing but an illusion. Nightin regained his senses gradually after Gaven brought him on a trip down his memory lane. He finally understood why he was this agitated when he first saw Nightin. His reaction was no different from Nightin who had went on a frenzy and lost control of himself when he first lost his family. Nightin understood now,the cultivation world may be cruel,yet it''s filled with countless answers and discoveries waiting to be unravelled from their boxes. "Whirr!" Nightin felt like as though as if a new world has appeared in front of him. He isn''t the only world who has to face the cruelty of reality,there are many others like him. They can blame the heavens and the world for treating them this way,yet have they ever truly tried to resist? The reason why people think that the saint realm is the limit,is because they''ve restricted them. To them,the saint realm means the apex of the world they''re in,losing their will to strive for a higher realm,the myth became a reality. The next moment,Nightin was actually back to his childhood. At the moment he was twelve years old,training all alone by himself in a cave. The thunder intersected with the rain as they seemingly combined together,bringing down heaven''s tears as they fall on the ground. The plants and flowers swayed along with the wind as a boy stood under the rain all alone by himself,swinging his sword repetatively under the heavy rain. The boy was Nightin himself when young. A child who wasn''t willing to bow down to fate as he went through arduous through every cycle of day and night. Nightin called out to himself "Hey,can your hear me?" What replied Nightin however was complete silence. The boy in front of him continuing swinging his sword in the same style repeatedly. The next moment,Nightin was dragged and pulled into another time dimensional realm,something which had happened when he was thirteen. That day,his father decided to bring him along to the merchant hall to take part in the auction. His father had went there aiming for the finale,a thousand year old ginseng. In this world,even hundred years herbs are rare,not to mention one which has grown for a thousand years. The thickness of the medicinal effects would be much more than that of a hundred year one. Nightin''s father Wisteria Gale,had decided that it was time for his son to see the true world. All Wisteria wanted,was to let his son have the ability to protect himself. Even if he couldn''t cultivate,he would at least be able to keep himself away and safe from the various struggles for power in this world. Yet Wisteria was bound to be disappointed the moment this decision was made. Nightin merely looked at the auction without much interest throughout,he only had his eyes set on a iron sword of excellent quality. To someone who can''t cultivate like him,it was the greatest gift. Wisteria left with no choice,could only waste part of his money of the sword. His enemies here intentionally targeted him and made him waste his money. It was pretty obvious to them that the sword was for his son,who was nothing but trash. Again and again,forty nine different scenes of his past flashed past him again and again. All forty nine flashbacks were those who were deeply carved in his heart,each holding a special meaning in their own way. In the next scene,he was a top scholar. He had a high official ranking and had the special attention of the King. He was the closest aide of the king as well. Many strong cultivators and officials fought just to become his pet dog,countless beauties which who were the goddess in others eyes were throwing themselves at him. Even so, this wasn''t enough for Nightin to lose sense of who he really is and what he truly aspires to be. Next up,was him being the imperial general. The lives of countless innocent civilians were in his hands,everyone treated him with utmost respect. He was the savior of the city,the hero in everyone''s eyes,the source of motivation for every soldier and the dream for every youth. This was close to his dream,everyone respected him as a general who excels on the sword path. Still,he hasn''t forgotten his own path. Again and again,he went through many different cycles of life,yet all of them weren''t enough to shake his determined heart. Soon,he arrived at the 99th cycle. In this life,he wasn''t just a mortal anymore. This time,he is the number one Spear Ancestor in the world,no one could block even one attack of his. Even in the saint realm,he was unmatched for to other saints. Soon, he actually broke through space and travelled to higher cultivation grounds. Nightin gradually found himself falling into this vicious cycle which is luring him in,yet he can''t seem to pull himself out from it. Chapter 43 - Samsara Sword Intent Nightin dream was to become a great cultivator who pierces through the sky and shatter the barrier as he heads towards a higher realm, one that exceeds the mere upper realm they know now. If he heads within that illusionary world now, wouldn''t he have whatever he had wanted for much more easily? Right when Nightin was about to fully immerse himself in that cultivation world,a system''s message shocked him and snapped him back to reality. "Congratulations to host for awakening the law of Samsara,one of the top ten great intents in this world which holds great power." "As a reward,the host will receive a new martial technique of the Saint grade once again." Dimensional Slash was the move the system had awarded him with. The move was divided into three different levels. The first level was capable of piercing through space and causing ripples wherever it travels. The second level was capable of freezing the void around that person,rendering that person incapable of defence,which was also what Gaven had did to him. At the third and final realm,one would be capable of piercing through any arrays,any boundaries and kill their opponent from afar. Nightin was amazed by the strength of this move. He was sure that if he cultivates this sword technique,his combat skills will leap up to a much higher stage. Next up was the Samsara sword law. His previous sword intent had actually evolved into a law. To his surprise,he actually skipped past the stage of second class swordmaster and arrived at the first class swordmaster realm immediately. His next objective would he to shatter through the gates once he feels that he''s ready, it''ll determine the final growth and potential of his Samsara law,a single mistake wouldn''t be tolerated here. The samsara Law he has cultivated,is one that revolves around reincarnation and the cycles of life. Unlike intents,law can only be cultivated through a greater understanding and comprehension of the law one has. For example,the water law of the five basic elements which is also one of the laws in nature. The deeper one understands water,the more their law grows. In the law stage of water,the cultivator would understand many things about it from many different perspectives. About how water is actually a precious resource even for those mortals,how water can cause great destruction at high speed. There are many things to know about water itself,way too many for cultivators to delve themselves within. As for Nightin,his samsara law could be said as one of the highest difficulties law to cultivate, yet it brings about immense force and clean destruction. Attacks won''t cause any damage to the surrounding,but they will towards the enemy as all the strength of that one swing gathers together. On top of that,Nightin miraculously found that his samsara intent actually merged with one of his five swords,making the sword rank much higher than the others. Nightin could feel that the sword itself,contained a tremendous amount of power which can be equivalent to him at full strength. When Nightin raised his head up, Gaven who had been sitting beside him looked at him in both amazement and astonishment. Gaven definitely must have been thinking to himself, just what did I do? All I did was told him about my story... Gaven looked at him as he posed a question,curiosity and self doubt lit up within him "Nightin,what happened to you there. When I finished showing you my memories,you went in a daze. Were you perhaps in the mysterious state of enlightenment?" Enlightenment. Something which every cultivator knows about,yet few people are able to get into the state of enlightenment. It''s said that when a cultivator manages to break free from the state of enlightenment,they would come back much stronger. If they fail however,it results in their death. Many people call it a double edged sword,yet many are willing to risk their lives just go undergo this process. It''s said that the more enlightenment a cultivator undergoes, the higher his underlaying potential to grow. Nightin who was sitting on the ground,exhaled from his mouth and cold mist could be seen. Rubbing his hands together as he hugged his own legs and pulled them towards himself,he replied without a single change in his expression "I was indeed in the state of enlightenment. Thank you senior for sharing your memories with me,it was your backstory which made me see the world from a contrasting view." The man laughed out loud as he stood up and took his hammer out,swinging it to the ground which caused cracks to appear. The man pointed at the ground as he observed Nightin. Nightin sat down there without moving, thoughts were racing around in his mind. Nightin felt like an ant trying to compare itself to a huge elephant,many folds it own size. Even if he grew and became a killer ant,he would be nothing but a stomp from the elephant. The man gave him a weak smile,as he released his cultivation aura. Outside of Nightin''s expectations,Gaven''s aura wasn''t dominant or overpowering his, his aura were peaceful yet calm. Nightin was sure of one thing,even though Gaven''s cultivation might not place him among the Saints,his strength is much more terrifying than them. Gaven released out wings from his back the next moment. The wings spanned for about two metres on both sides,the wings were crimson red in colour and were made from the wings of the Blazing Falcon. The Blazing Falcon was one of the ten great aerial beasts In this world and was stronger than even two Martial Saints combined. Giving Nightin a deep stare,he started to recollect his thoughts to Nightin "When I first followed Phoenix,he told me that he has a gift for me. One that will help me out greatly in this cultivation world. What he gave me were the feathers of the Blazing Falcon..." Nightin was shocked,but he appeared to be much calmer this time. He had expected no less from Phoenix. The succubus walked up to them as she stood before them,swinging her brown hair behind her head as she arched her back. Nightin subconscious placed his eye on the succubus body,focusing his gaze on her attractive body as she slowly walked up to him in a graceful way. "Ta,Ta,Ta,Ta" "Ba Thump! Ba thump!" Nightin could feel his heart pulsating faster for every step she took,he started to pant more and more heavily,blood was rushing to him down there as his face started to flush red. She gave off the demeanor of a woman who craves a man greatly, a woman who''s a vicious scorpion however was her true identity. She was a beautiful rose,covered by sharp thorns which takes life mercilessly. The succubus ambled behind Nightin and wrapped her arms around him, whispering into his ear "Is the fortitude of your heart this weak? I''ve not even used any of my charm abilities yet. Hehe." Nightin snapped back to reality as the succubus released her domain. The domain is something which only a few saints are competent of manipulating. The succubus sat down as she crossed her right leg over another,her long slit dress barely covering her ass,which continued to tempted Nightin. The succubus broke out in laughter when she saw this "Seriously? Who would have expected a genius swordmaster like you to be afraid of a woman, you''re still a young boy after all." Nightin''s face went red as he puffed his cheeks just like how a young boy would. "Who is a young boy?" The succubus didn''t laugh this time,but broke out in a sly smile "It doesn''t matter, you''re just a young boy in my eyes. As for my name,the name''s Stella Mist,you can just call me Stella or Star." Nightin turned around and faced Stella with her back as he asked her "Star,why are you willing to follow Gaven? With your cultivation,breaking through the space and heading off into the higher cultivation world should be possible. Stella smiled as she turned her neck to look at Gaven who was behind her. Having spent time together,Gaven gave her a nod as he stepped back and went inside the cave. Leaving Stella alone with Nightin. Chapter 44 - Forgist and Charmist Stella with her clear silver eyes, found a clean spot on the ground before taking out a small carpet and placing it on the ground. After the carpet was laid out, she sat down on it while she got Nightin to sit opposite her "Hey,why are you still standing there? Go on and take a seat opposite of me, hehe." Nightin shook his head as he slumped against the wall and slid down,his sword was placed beside him. Nightin sat down cross legged as he started to initiate the conversation "Hey Star,are you going to tell me the reason now?" Stella broke out in laughter once again before she started to speak "Before I start talking about me and Gaven. I''ll have to fill you in about Forgists and Charmists first." In this world,there are various professions. These professions were divided into the nine great professions known to people. Alchemists are the ones who form elixirs which are widely spread in the world,making it the highest ranked profession of the nine. After Alchemists are array masters who can create many arrays which can be utilised in most situations. Be in in combat or support, they would definitely have a purpose to serve. The third and fourth are known as the Forgists and Charmists respectively. Even though they are ranked below alchemists and array masters, one shouldn''t underestimate their importance in the world of cultivation. Forgists are well known for their ability to create mechanics and puppets. Out of all the nine professions, this profession is the one which stands out the most. A Forgist is a profession which even mortals can learn. To the mortals,Forgists are known as mechanics or engineers. It''s said that for a Forgist, realm will always be second compared to their life equipment. The stronger one''s life equipment is,the higher their personal strength. A life equipment is the strongest weapon which a Forgist would have crafted in his life, they would seal their life force together with it. The thing about the life equipment is that it can be changed as long as there''s a stronger one in place of it. As for a Charmist, they specialise in the making of charms, talismans and trinkets. All of them may seem simple, but the production cost and effects are definitely worth it. Charms can be used to create illusions and trick their enemies or used to assist their ally giving them a increase in strength. Talismans are items which can only be used once. They are usually used for escape or sometimes to form up a communication in the dark. As for trinkets, they are something like small accessories and can benefit a cultivator immensely. Such as increasing their wisdom slightly or speeding up their cultivation speed. Trinkets may be the most useful item to own for any cultivator, but they''re extremely rare and can never be found on the market. As for the other five great professions,they are known as... Nightin finished listening to Stella''s explanation as he posed a question towards her "Star,I understand what you''re trying to say. But what does this have to do with you and Gaven being a couple?" Stella smiled as she turned her head towards the tunnel, presumably looking for traces of Gaven. Taking out a charm,she told Nightin "This is a charm which me and Gaven have done together,both of us have one each." Nightin was puzzled, it''s understandable why a Charmist and Forgist would work together with each other,but what does this have to do with them breaching the rules between races to become a couple? Stella laughed, seemingly mocking herself for her own foolishness "This token is both a trinket and a mechanic. Both Gaven and me have the ability to teleport towards each other and access the mind of the other person easily. To put it simply, telepathy is what it gives us and it also have various functions. With just the functions alone,even taking the life of a Martial Saint is possible,hehe. A tinge of disappointment could be seen on Stella''s face even though she hid it quickly, it''s pretty obvious that she felt guilty towards Gaven. Because of her race and existence,Gaven had cut off his ties with the outside world and resided here with her. She may a demon,but she''s kind by nature. Even though there are countless of kind demons who have never harmed humans in the outside world, cultivators have never spared them. In this world, humans themselves might even be more ruthless and cruel than the demon beasts. Stella brushed her guilt off as she faced Nightin again. The sudden hidden attractiveness Stella showed Nightin had forced him to avert his gaze away,he doesn''t want to fall into a trance again. Stella sighed once again as she placed her left hand on her knee and rested her face on it. "No matter where we go, we''ll always be discriminated against,hehe." Her dejection could be heard from her small laughter. Nightin felt pity for her,yet there was nothing he could do. At this moment however,a brazen thought arose in his mind. Nightin abruptly asked Stella "Star,is there by any chance that you and Gaven could join my sect?" Stella froze as she crawled toward and stared at him with the eyes of curiosity like a cat. "You are kidding me right?" Nightin looked at her seriously and said once again "I hereby request for you and Gaven to join my sect." Stella blinked and backed out before getting back into her previous seductive posture while saying "Aren''t you afraid that I might hook your disciples up? As for joining your sect, I''m afraid we would have to reject that offer. Me and Gaven have already been accustomed to a life of our own,we wouldn''t want to get involved with the outside world." Nightin nodded and kept silent,as he fell back and slump against the wall once again. Raising his head to look at the ceiling... Back in the Nirvana sect, Isabella who was in charge of the sect when Nightin was away,stood at the mountain peak as she asked the group below "What''s your identity and what the hell is with those numbers? Ars you trying to start a war!" Her curiosity gradually got overtaken by her anger as she shouted at the mysterious group. The leading man in front was the family head of the Gale family,of the lower branch. The man was known as Civar Gale as he stepped out, holding a scroll in his hand. The man patted the dust off his robe and pulled down his hoodie to reveal his face,the stranger had good facial features with sharp eyebrows,clear black eyes and a short brown overhead haircut. The person took out a scroll as he told Isabella "Miss,may I know where your sect master Nightin is at? I''m here to assist his sect after receiving his orders, do grant me the permission to seek an audience with him. Finishing,he threw the scroll towards Nightin. "Swoosh!" The scroll flew through the air as Isabella caught it easily with one hand,the other still holding her bow in shooting stance. Pulling the scroll open,a list of words started to appear before her eyes: Isabella,when you read this message,treat them with respect and give them somewhere to build their own residences quickly. Before Nightin had left,he made a trip to the Gale family before heading on his way towards the Moss forest. This scroll right now was definitely written by him, his spiritual signature was still on it. The spiritual signature is something which can''t be changed throughout a person''s life and the colour and style is greatly influenced by the growth and element of the person. Isabella kept her bow as she told the two disciples guarding the gate to let the visitors in. Isabella then called for a few disciples to lead the guests to the guest hall as she made her way there. When Isabella arrived,the group had already sat down. The remaining members were all standing behind as they awaited further orders from their family head. The family head, Civar Gale was the one to initiate the conversation, he was the side who was meant to assist them after all. "I''m here to assist your sect in its development after receiving orders from the pride of my Gale family, your sect master Nightin." Not a single tinge of excitement or happiness could be seen on Isabellas face,to everyone present,she didn''t really care about this agreement. Deep down Isabella''s heart however,she was thinking out loud to herself "Haha,with the assistance of the Gale family, our sect will have proper grounds and shops to sell our elixirs. Good connections with the neighbouring lands which help us to bring in great trades as well. We''ll have... A wave of thoughts were racing around in Isabella''s head as she gradually calmed her mind down and told the newly promoted core disciple beside her "Bring our guests to the land which we''ve proposed to give them. I''ll meet them shortly after I''m done with some trivial matters." The disciple bowed and replied "Yes." As she walked down the steps and suggested for the guests to follow her. Chapter 45 - A cup of tea Nightin who was sitting in the cave with Stella and Gaven stood up as he turned towards the exit. Gazing afar,the beautiful evening horizon could be seen as a few birds flew past the orange yet blueish sky. Gaven could tell what Nightin was about to say as he took the initiative to do so for him "Nightin,you can leave first if you need to. I believe that we''ll meet again one day,on a grander stage." Nightin turned around as he bowed to Stella and Gaven "Thank you seniors for the previous few days,I have learnt many knowledge from the two of you. I''m sure that these information will come in handy one day,haha." Stella who was laying down on Gaven''s shoulder hugged him as she told Nightin "Hopefully you would have become a true man by the time we meet again,hehe." Three black lines formed above Nightin''s forehead as he turned around to take his leave,he was thinking in his mind "Star still has the mood to joke with me despite my departure...Just what''s wrong with her mentality..." Nightin slowly walked out of the cave. From the perspective of someone looking from parallel of the cave,the figure of a young man could barely be seen,with two silhouettes could be seen waving bye to him. Contrasting to the evening sky,those three shadows brought about a tinge of sadness within the supposed joyful moment,the birds were chirping around as they enjoyed themselves. Yet, the world seemed to have went silent at this time. Quietness. Not a sound to be heard. Nightin headed towards the exit route of the toxic swamp based on the directions Stella had given him before his departure. The path this time was much more peaceful,besides the few poisonous plants which grows here,not a single trace of demon beasts could be seen. From Nightin''s deduction,this must have been a path made by Stella who has scattered her own aura around this area. With her dominating aura here,no demon beasts would be foolish enough to step inside this area. Before night fell,Nightin managed to leave the toxic swamp as he decided to find a village to rest. After about half an hour of speeding,he finally came across a small village. Stopping in front of the village,he walked inside it. The next sight he saw greatly shocked him. The area didn''t have any bustling night stalls or any children playing around like he imagined,neither could he see any plot of land for farmers to grow corpses. All he could see were the skeleton heads of many corpses being hanged around the village outside the houses,seemingly as a decoration. Even so,he still decided to find a inn and stay here for the night. The first reason being that he has absolute confidence in his strength,even if he faces danger,making a full retreat wouldn''t be impossible. Secondly,he wanted to find out just what exactly happened here. After he entered the inn,he didn''t see any customers sitting around the tables and having a drink together. There were around eight long wooden tables with two benches on each of the opposite sides,yet all of them were unoccupied. The inn, chandeliers that seem to be made of sticks Walking up to the registration counter,he pressed the bell to alert the worker that he''s here. Soon,a old granny appeared in front of his view. She had curly white hair and wore a black spectacle with rectangular frames,a necklace made of the fangs of thirty two demon beasts could be seen hanging around her neck. On her ring finger,was a silver ring carved from bones. Nightin waved at her and asked politely "Old granny,I would like to stay here for a night." The old granny smiled and revealed her yellowish teeth "It costs a spirit stone to stay here for a night." Nightin attempted to take out a spirit stone from his spatial ring,only to realise that he had left all of his wealth to the sect before leaving. Nightin placed his hand behind his head awkwardly and laughed "Old granny,I don''t have a spirit stone with me right now. Can you make a concession for me?" The old granny in front of him took out a dagger and asked "You can stay here if you become my puppet,pretty good offer right?" Nightin could sense that something was amiss, without any hesitation,he turned back and took his leave. At the exact moment his right foot was about to leave the inn,the granny behind him stated another offer "There''s a second way of payment. Drink the tea I''ve made and I''ll let you stay here for a night." Nightin paused his footsteps and turned around. Looking at the wooden table nearest to the counter,he walked to it and sat down on the bench. After a moment,the old granny came back with a cup of tea in her hand,it released a fresh aroma yet brought the feeling of death along it. Nightin hesitated for a moment,but still reached his hand out for the tea and slowly lifted it to his lips As though as if he has made a big decision,he gulped the tea down in one shot. The consequences,he didn''t want to think about it. Nightin''s head felt dizzy and when he awoke,he was in another world. A mysterious voice sounded in his head "It has been a hundred years since someone has made it here. Don''t let me down little fella." Nightin was in a world filled with greenery. The bushy trees,the dancing flowers,the healthy weeds all seem to be alive as one entity. Around Nightin,he could see many families having a picnic together. Sitting on the ground together,with a carpet on the floor and a basket filled with food between them. Children were flying kites and having fun,some were playing around in the lake catching fishes. The next moment however,a wave of demons came. Vampires,bats,zombies,mummies and skeletons. Many undead came alive as they attacked the innocent people,lives were being taken every minute. Nightin wanted to help out,yet his body was rooted to the ground. He was immobilized by a mysterious force as a dark root rose from the ground and tangled his legs. Nightin struggled,which only made the root constrain itself tighter, rendering him incapable of moving. Lives were dying every second in front of his eyes,yet all he could do was become a spectator. For once,he felt helpless again. Fate was playing with him again,he couldn''t even be sure if this was reality or just an illusion. The scarlet red flowing on the ground,the sweet smell of the blood veiled up the air like a fog. Nightin''s eyes turned blood red,he struggled,only for the scene to unfold more quickly in front of his eyes. At this time,the mysterious voice sounded again "How does this feel? Challenging my tea will be your worst mistake!" Nightin shouted back in his mind "No! I won''t regret my decision or the path I''ve taken! I''ll fight against fate!" The voice shuddered for a moment and paused. Back in the hall of Moonlight,the temple god Estes smiled as she drank his tea. Estes looked at her daughter beside and told her "Daughter, there''s someone who might be qualified to challenge you." The woman,also known as Ashley Moon smirked and said arrogantly "It doesn''t matter, he''ll still be nothing in my eyes." Back to Nightin,the current him was drenched in blood. The blood from all those humans have formed a pool around him in this enclosed space. He was panting heavily as he tried to reach out and escape. Nightin understood that this may just be an illusion,but everything he sees right now are definitely happening out there in the cultivation world. If he falls and lose himself here,who could protect them? Closing his eyes,the scenery in front of him changed. He understood something new as well,life and death may be predetermined,but they can be changed. When Nightin came back to his senses,the old granny was sitting down in front of him. His second sword appeared itself as it glowed with the blade being half black and white each. As for its first blade,it was clad in purple. These two blades themselves could contend against a Martial Lord... Chapter 46 - New path Nightin turned his view back to the front,only to see two lines of yellowish teeth looking at him. The old granny had crawled up to him as she kneeled on the table,lifting up her spectacles and taking it off,she whispered to herself "How could someone actually make it out alive after drinking this cup of tea..." The old granny was bewildered,it was the first time this had happened. From what the hall master has told her,only a peerless genius with a resolute heart would be able to walk out of it alive. The hall master even emphasised on one thing that time "No matter what, don''t mess with someone who manages to survive through. That one person would be the savior of your village..." Since then,thousands of years have passed as she waited alone in this village. If not for Nightin''s sudden appearance,she would have already given up her own life. The old granny sighed as the heavy stone was lifted off her chest as her body started to change. Nightin looked at her as he blinked,thinking to himself out aloud "What the hell is this!" The old granny in front of him disappeared and a elegant woman appeared in front of his view. All she had were a few black feathers to cover her private parts which made Nightin avert his gaze again,as he cursed under his breath "Damn it,not again.", The woman had long gray hair which flowed down one side of her shoulder,her skin was fair as snow and her clothing and aura right now. They gave off a sense of despair filled with elegance,no doubt that she''s a beautiful black tulip surrounded by invisible thorns. The woman shortly after,covered up her body with a long black robe as she told Nightin who was looking at the opposite direction from her "Hey,you can turn around now." Nightin turned around slowly,only to be amazed by her beauty. Nightin struggled to open his mouth as he asked "Just who are you? Where''s the old granny who was here a moment ago?" The woman chuckled as she said "I was the old granny who was in front of you just now." Nightin was thinking at this time,just what exactly happened for the sudden change in appearance to happen. Before Nightin could ask,the woman seemed to have already anticipated it as she said "If I say that I''m a Witch,would you understand now? I''m a Necromancer." Nightin looked at her,his face totally gave him off. He didn''t know what a Witch is,not to mention about the Necromancer. The woman almost fainted as she held her fist back,if she loses control,she would be killing the person meant to help her. The Witch took out her staff and introduced herself first,if she doesn''t introduce herself now, she''s sure that Nightin will call her old granny later. Her staff was made of sturdy bones,on the top of it was a simple orb which was bottle green yet it was actually giving off a shine. "I''ll just say this first, don''t ever forget about what I''m going to tell you next." Nightin looked at her and nodded to show that her understood her intention. The woman smirked and him as she looked up above "I''m Cordelia,one of the seven great magus of the Moonlight Hall." Nightin nodded and asked "Old gran..." Nightin realised his mistake and tried to correct it immediately,yet a first made of bones was already piercing through the air and aiming for his body. "Argh!" Nightin flew backwards as he knocked down a few wooden tables on the way before crashing against the wall. Even though the attack was strong,the woman definitely had no intention to kill him. All she wanted to,was to teach Nightin a lesson. This is the moment when Nightin remembered something his father had told him "My child,remember this deeply. A woman''s heart is deeper than even the ocean, don''t offend them in any case." Nightin shook his head and slowly stood up,only to see Cordelia raising up her staff and preparing to teach him another lesson. Left with no choice,he could only quickly call out "Cordelia, a beauty like you won''t pick on a young child like me right? You would be tarnishing your elegant and noble aura if you make a move on me." Cordelia''s stern face disappeared and what replaced it was a broad smile. She whirled her staff behind her back and held it with her right hand. "That''s for sure!" Cordelia''s smile however disappeared the next moment,in place of it was a face full of worries. Cordelia started to chant as she raised her staff upwards "With thy magic,I hereby summon my soul beast!" Nightin looked at her in suspense,he was curious what the soul beast of a witch would be like. Would it be a titanic soul beast or one whose body is made of bones? The next moment,a glow of light appeared above her head and landed on her shoulder. A petite white beast appeared as in landed with a poof on her shoulder. The white beast had white fur which was whiter than snow,small fangs which made it appear to be cuter with a tail that stretches outwards with razor sharp claws. It was a snow wolf which has undergone an mutation,its future can''t be measured by the usual standards. The little wolf glared at Nightin as it flared its sharp yet tiny fangs,it was being defensive of its master. Nightin returned its gaze as he take a step back and say "Little wolfie,I have no intentions to harm your master. If there''s nothing else, I''ll be taking my leave first." Before Cordelia or Nightin could react,the snow wolf had already leaped off its master shoulder, jumped backwards into the air and fired a tiny snowball which rolled towards Nightin through the air. Nightin was shocked,yet all he did was smile. As though as if the sword of Life and Death had its own consciousness, it flew out from Nightin''s back as it slashed the snowball cleanly. After that,the sword of Life and Death returned to Nightin''s body and rested within him. Cordelia who was holding her staff and prepared to cast a quick spell to protect Nightin was greatly shocked, did she just see a sword fly out from Nightin''s body? Cordelia took out her glasses and rubbed her eyes before putting them back on,only to realise that the residual energy was still in the air. She could be sure of one thing,she wasn''t seeing things just now. At this time,the snow wolf which had jumped off Cordelia''s shoulder landed back there as it growled towards Nightin. As for Cordelia,she couldn''t care less about her snow wolf right now. A million thoughts were racing across her mind right now as she threw a flurry of questions towards Nightin. "Hey,are you perhaps the chosen one of destiny?" "Or are you the legacy disciple of some old fogey who''s actually a Saint in the upper realm? "Could it be there there''s actually a terrifying creature who lays within you and is helping you with your cultivation?" "Oh my god,could it be that the creature has laid its eyes on your body?" Nightin immediately rebutted back when Cordelia said this "What the hell are you even thinking of!" Nightin was thinking to himself at this time,what if all the women he meet in this life behaves life Stella and Cordelia... Nightin decided that he should start explaining everything to Cordelia before her mind goes wild once again. "Cordelia,what you saw right now was merely my sword,which was infused with one of the sword intents I have cultivated." Nightin made it sound like something simple,yet he didn''t know that he had just sent ripple of waves into Cordelia''s heart. Cordelia was thinking wildly again once again,but the next moment,all that she could thinking of was scolding Nightin. Cordelia''s shocked face froze as she clenched her staff tightly and point it towards Nightin,two skeleton heads with neon green gas behind them flowed behind them. "What the hell fo you mean by one of your sword intents! Don''t you know that one person can only cultivate on sword intent in their life?" Cordelia''s rage slowly turned into a question,a question which Nightin couldn''t find an answer to. Nightin summoned out all five of his blades as two stood out from within them. The first one was clad in purple while the second one was clad in black and white. The two were above the other three swords as they stacked on top of each other,just like a pyramid. Cordelia closed her eyes and chanted a spell. When she opened her eyes again,black spirals replaced her whole eye as she focused her gaze on those two swords,her face slowly turning from amazement into shock which led to astonishment. When Cordelia returned to her usual state,she asked Nightin "Just what the hell do you think you are doing? Cultivating both the Samsara intent and the Life and Death intent at the same time? Do you have a death wish? Or are you just being too arrogant of yourself?" Nightin could sense the seriousness in Cordelia''s tone as he asked "Is there a problem with cultivating dual intents?" Cordelia nodded as she puffed her chest,which made Nightin subconsciously avert his gaze from her chest area as she continued "Cultivating dual intents is a common thing among the true geniuses,yet what they cultivate are at most the advanced laws. Even the most demonic ones among them can only dual cultivate two weaker expert grade ones." Nightin was confused again,what the hell was Cordelia even talking about? There''s a difference between the laws which people cultivate? "Cordelia, what''s the difference between those laws?" Cordelia''s face turned black as she shouted back "You are telling me that you don''t god damn have the slightest clue?" Chapter 47 - New path part 2 Nightin could only nod his head and keep quiet,it wouldn''t be a wise decision to rebut a woman like Cordelia. He didn''t want to dig his own grave and die an early death,it would be a foolish decision. Cordelia explained to Nightin about the major difference between the many different intents and laws in this world at this time. All of these are divided into five major ranks according to the historical records of the cultivation world they reside in. From highest to lowest,they are known as Foundation,Advanced,Expert,Holy and Divine respectively. Examples of the foundation intents would be the five elements and a few others such as the metal element. Examples of the advanced intents would be the combination between two different elements such as the erosion element which forms due to wind, water and ice element. Examples of the Expert intents and laws would be the Shadow intent which is also known as the doppelganger law once it advances. Examples of the Holy Law would be examples such as the Void law which exists and goes against the existence of the universe. The void law is one of the laws, which might be able to contend against the weaker divine laws. The last would be the Divine laws,both the Samsara law and Life and Death law are both Divine laws. The samsara intents at its peak,would allow the user to kill cultivators who are weaker than him with just a single thought. As for the Life and Death realm,his recovery ability would place any opponent into despair while his attacks can actually cause the opponent permanent damage. Even if they can recover from the law, their strength would never be able to return to their peak. Nightin sucked in a deep breathe of air,never had he expected that the two laws he cultivate to actually be of a such a high rank. Looking at Nightin who was beaming with joy right now,Cordelia smirked and decided that it was time. "Hey,just to let you know,the Nine Mystics Swords you have created has a major drawback." Nightin was still jumping around in joy until Cordelia splashed water on him as he froze and looked at her. "What?" Cordelia sighed and shook her head "Are you an idiot? For you to cultivate the Nine Mystic Swords to its final state,you would need to cultivate out seven other Divine laws. Which means that you''ll need nine times the effort of other Divine laws cultivators to cultivate with them. Also,Divine laws while known for their overbearing strength,are rumored to be at least ten times harder to cultivate than the Holy laws." Nightin smiled as he replied "How would I not know that? I was just trying to hide away from the difficult path just now,even if it was just for a moment. But don''t worry, I''ll complete the path that I''ve stepped onto and walk out a path of my own. I''ll carve my name into the historical records as I head towards the space beyond the upper realm!" Nightin may be worried,but this gave him hope as well. If here were to follow those idiots of the upper realm,he would definitely be unable to shatter through the shackles and head towards outer space. Cordelia smiled as she whirled her staff around and formed a magic circle filled with complicated lines and arrays as it glowed a beautiful emerald neon green. She waved her staff which brought it to life as its glow was enough to blind the whole room and captured Nightin''s attention totally. Cordelia looked at Nightin and told him "I''ll help you to cultivate your two laws right now. Do take note that this will only last for a day and in return, you''ll owe me a request." Nightin wanted to accept it straight away,but as a swordmaster,what he abominates the most is the idea of owing people a favour. Cordelia being a witch who have lived for thousands of years,was clear about what Nightin was thinking as she told him "You don''t have to worry,just treat as you''re helping out a friend in need when the time comes in the near future. Nightin after careful consideration, stepped inside the magic circle which brought him into a new place. Nightin was facing the same scenario which he had face when first comprehending the Samsara law. This time however,he was a great musician well known for his expertise in the field of Zither. Even though he may be a mortal,many great people respect him. Even the Saints wouldn''t want to mess with him,his musical skills with the Zither would be enough to play around with their mind. Messing with him meant death. Nightin was totally immersed at the beginning,but his subconscious mind gradually brought him back to reality and snapped him out of the illusion. He panted heavily when he left the illusion realm. Even though it reaped him immense advancement in the Samsara law,he almost lost himself just to the first illusion realm of all. He started to wonder just how weak his mind is,he couldn''t even withstand such a weak illusion. Even so,he continued,now wasn''t the time to back out from the grand path. Soon,countless illusionary realms started to bring Nightin in one at a time. Before he knew it,he was already at the 99th illusionary realm,the final and strongest one. This time,he was a Saint who stood at the apex of the cultivation world. Charlotte was beside him as he stood above everyone else with the intention of tearing through space within a year. Every evil cultivator feared him and all switched to the good path of cultivation. If not,Nightin would be able to kill them with a single thought,regardless of the distance they are from him. Even Saints would be nothing but the blink of an eye for him. The cultivators of the good path however revered him and worshipped him,to them,his existence was god descending onto this world just for them. To lead them to greater heights they could not have imagined to begin with. Nightin''s mind started to slowly yet truly slip into the illusion as he became fazed by the illusion. Everything he''s seeing right now is the future he aspires for, what other reason is there to give up now when a shortcut arises for him. If he missed this ship,this would be it for him. Slowly,Nightin walked towards the illusionary realm as he got closer to it. Ten steps away...Nine steps away...Eight steps away ... What should have taken a flash,was actually feeling like an eternity right now. Slowly,a figure approached the illusionary realm as his hand reached out for it,one final step was all he needed. At the moment he was about to take the last step,the sound of a robotic voice brought him back to his senses "Detected that host is falling prey to the illusionary realm,host will be brought back into a state of consciousness. System will remain inactive for three months." After Nightin regained his consciousness,he immediately called out for the system "System,are you there?" But of course,what replied him was absolute silence. Nightin kept silent,he wasn''t a fool. He understood why the system did so,yet his heart still hurts as though as if a thousand blades were stabbing it. The system and him were merely using each other,why does he feel pain? The next moment,he felt that his sword clad with Samsara intent glow as the blade itself appeared to be sharpened. Nightin didn''t know since when or how,but he felt that if he wants to,he can cause anyone below his cultivation realm to shudder in fear. Chapter 48 - The system and the favour Nightin knew that he could do nothing to help the system right now,all he could do right now is to get stronger. Even though the system hasn''t explained its reason for assisting him,he believes that the system has no intentions to harm him. He didn''t have any reason to back it up,it was purely his gut feeling and instinct. Even though the chances of the system wanting to cause him harm is higher through deductions, he''s willing to trust it with his life as the bet. Back in the system,a man who looked to be in his forties was alone by himself in a enclosed area. He was blocked off by a prismatic structure which glowed with colourful neon lights. The prismatic structure was made up of five colours. Crimson red to represent the raging flame,burning off every single thing that comes into contact with it. As long as something brushes past it, it would be burned into ashes until they disperse into nothingness. Red here showing the strength and determination for war,yet showing great determination and passionate love at the same time. A simple yet conflicting colour which holds many meanings. Navy blue to represent the water which is the peaceful yet calming ocean,showing freedom and inspiration. It shows the desire of every living being to explore the world,even thought they may have hidden it deeply within themselves. The bright green here represents the wind is flowing in the air throughout the world,the essential nature element for every human being including cultivators. It represents the world which is beaming with life as luster plants and flowers grow,yet a small fraction of it is actually corrupted by the word ''greed''. The dark brown here represents the earth which we are stepping on now. Earth is all around us as it protects us just like our children. Earth being everywhere with us shows us the difficult duty and huge responsibility it has in protecting us; maintaining peace in this world to prevent chaos and destruction. Last but not least we have white which represents the metal elements and every ore in this world. It brings about light and spirituality and is the colour that represents everything which is on the bright side of life. The man who was trapped within sighed as he said "Three more months of boredom I guess." Back in reality,Nightin was panting heavily as he barely stood up with his sword stabbed into the ground. Nightin wasn''t just mentally fatigued but emotionally exhausted as well. Even though it might only a short the system leaving for awhile,it had helped him to understand that the world still has some true feelings. Even if the other party doesn''t has any reason or benefit to gain through helping you,that individual might still do so. Nightin slowly lifted his sword off the ground as he stood up resolutely,his sword kept to his side as he straightened his back. Determination could be seen in his eyes,his mentality right now is miles apart from just now. If he were to face the same illusion again,he would remain unfazed and break through it easily. Nightin realised that the Samsara law he had cultivated right now,had no limits or signs of breakthroughs even though it got stronger. Despite the problem,he had no choice but to face it and find a solution in the far future. As for his Life and Death law, he''s currently only capable of increasing the recovery speed of his body and kill people easily without even flinching. If he had to compare,his comprehension for the Death law is much beneath that of his Life law. Shortly after he realised this, the Life and Death sword separated away from each other into two divine swords, which means that he held three Divine laws right now. Soon,Nightin began to realise that cracks were appearing on the magic array and spread around like spider webs. The next moment,a strong suction force from above forcibly dragged Nightin out from the magic array as he landed in front of Cordelia again the next moment. Cordelia looked at him as she kept her staff and sat down on the chair at the counter,on the counter table was a drink which was deep red in colour and held a close resemblance to blood. Nightin was about to thank Cordelia,only to realise that her face was pale white and void of colour. Her spirit energy was in complete disorder and her breathing was erratic. Her hair had turned a deeper shade of gray and it was obvious her body was lacking blood essence as well. Nightin thought back to the blood like drink on the table and could only link it back to Cordelia who was leaning against the counter table right now as she struggled to keep her eyelids open. Cordelia gave Nightin a weak smile and told him "Remember I say that you owe me a favour? Me requesting you to drink this cup would be the first step to repaying me." Nightin didn''t know what to say,his heart was in a mess. Again and again, people close to him always get implicated everytime he grows. Is there even any chance that he can get stronger without inflicting any harm or suffering to people around him? Nightin closed his eyes as he tightened his fists,his veins could be seen clearly which amplifies the absolute effort he''s going through now. It was a simple decision which could change his future and affect his decisions from now,yet he had made a promise to Cordelia. As a true man, there''s no way he would go back on his promises, he''ll never take back his decisions. In a single shot,he took over the cup and swallowed all the blood in one shot without any hesitation,it tasted sweet yet bitter. When Nightin swallowed the cup,Cordelia who was looking at him gave a weak smile and said "You should know about my body situation right now?" Nightin nodded as he asked "Just what is it that you have to ask from me? Is it worth you giving up so much?" Cordelia''s weak smile gradually turned into despair as she said "After casting the magic array and losing so much blood essence,I only have a few moments left to live. My only request is that... you''ll find the Undead Prince... and assist him in his conquest, also please tell him... that I''m... sorry..." Before Nightin could answer,Cordelia had already vanished and what appeared in place of her was a shining emerald. The emerald was hexagonal and had six sharp pointed sides as it reflected off the lighting of this inn. Nightin picked the emerald up from the ground carefully before finding a proper jade casing to store it in. After that was done,he placed it within a safe area in the spatial ring of his. Nightin decided that it''s pointless to waste time in reminiscing about the system and Cordelia anymore. The best he could do right now is continue on the arduous journey of cultivation. Who knows,he might even find a method to revive Cordelia one day. From this day onwards, Nightin vowed to himself "Towards my allies, I''ll protect them at any cost and won''t make them suffer anymore because of me. Towards my enemies, I''ll never show any signs of kindness of hesitation, I can''t give them any chance to harm my loved ones." Chapter 49 - Voyager Harbour Nightin left the village as he continued his journey due North towards the Moss forest. The village might have only been a short part of his life,yet it will bring him memories which will be etched in his mind for life. After leaving the village,the next route would be a long voyage which will take up to three days by ship. After careful consideration and studying of the various routes with the help of the map, he came to a final conclusion. After about two hours of travelling,Nightin finally arrived at the Voyager harbour. The Voyager harbour was renowned for having the best ships in the world. Even in the upper realm,they were a force not to be reckoned with. The Voyager harbour alone had seven Martial Saints in control of it alongside countless forces who rely on them for travelling. In the cultivation world, there''s this saying that everyone cultivator would have heard about "If you still need the seas and oceans,don''t ever offend the Voyagers." If you offend the Voyagers, it meant that you''ll be blacklisted by them and won''t be allowed to travel by sea anymore. The sun was ending its shift for the day as it left its post gradually while the full moon slowly rose from its deep slumber as it hung in the night sky, behind the clouds among the dazzling stars. Even though the stars tried to compare their gleam to the moon, it was all a futile effort. Nightin walked into the Voyager Harbour as he walked into the open streets. On the streets were many food stalls which were selling a diverse variety of seafood. Some stalls were selling grilled fish while some while putting up baked fish and other cooking methods of fishes. Other seafoods were being sold as well such as calms and snails. "One baked fish for two spirit stones! Three baked fishes for five spirit stones!" "One steamed fish for one spirit stone! Five steamed fishes for three spirit stones!" Many vendors were fighting with each other to garner customers for profit. Besides food,there were things such as accessories and equipments as well. Simple accessories such as pearl necklaces, simple rings made of seashells and a string with many other ones. As for the clothing, they were made with the skin of the sea beasts. Nightin stood on the spot and pondered for a short moment before entering the marketplace, he still had about three thousand spirit stones left with him after killing the evil cultivator that time. At the center district of the Voyager district was a tall tower which was made up of gold which has been purified and refined for up to four times. Even the full attack of a Martial King won''t be able to leave a scratch on it. The tower stood out in the center district and was divided into four layers, from lowest to highest respectively. The higher the layer is, the smaller the area it occupies. Nightin walked up to the entrance and entered the tower. The first floor of the tower was the largest in side with the most items displayed. All the items here on the first floor are targeted towards Martial Masters. This further shows how insignificant a Martial Apprentice is in the true cultivation world. Walking up the stairs,he climbed to the third floor where the items for Martial Lords are displayed. The items here are all priced around a thousand spirit as the base price which is many times more compared to the costs below. In terms of quality however, the offers here are of a much better deal. Nightin strolled around the third floor of the tower as he scanned through the various treasures and elixirs here. While doing do, he made sure to pay attention to the amount of spirit stones needed for each of them. It would be a disgrace if he attempted to buy something beyond his financial means. At this moment, a certain location on the third floor caught his attention. The "Stone of Luck" gambling station. A man in his senior age was lying down on a blue and white striped rest chair at the counter over there. He had well combed brown overhead hair and a muscular body. With a pair of black rectangular spectacle frames, it gave him a feeling of elegance filled with attractiveness. Nightin walked up to him slowly and inquired "I''m sorry to bother you, but may I know the payment method to participate for once at this station?" The man lazily pointed to a minimized formation array at the side before he closed his eyes to continue resting. Nightin took out two thousand spirit stones from his spatial ring and transferred them over to the Voyager bank in exchange for one attempt. The counter man stretch his arms and legs before standing up slowly and pulling the board open. Based on what the data had shown,out of the thousand check pieces here,only three of them were filled with rewards. Nightin closed his eyes as he made use of his Samsara law to see through the defensive barrier within the spirit stones. After careful consideration, he chose the one which beamed with the brightest glow which illuminated the third floor. The sudden burst of light may have only lasted for a brief moment, yet it was enough to catch everyone''s attention. Even though many people were driven with curiosity and wanted to know what happened, they knew that it was confidential to them and this kept quiet. The counter man took a step backwards as he stuttered to the back and took our a scroll from the second drawer from the top. Back in the upper realm,at the Voyager headquarters where one of the seven Voyager Saints reside, a old man jolted up when he saw the scroll he infused with his ocean law got broken through. The man immediately made a decision as he transmitted his thoughts to the lower realm through the scroll. Words were being transported onto the scroll on the lower realm as the counter man made absolute sure that be read the words correctly. The man''s face gradually turn from shock to astonishment as he turned around to peek at Nightin as though as if he had just saw a ghost. Nightin could saw the man peeking at him and thus asked him "Sir, may I know if I''ve won anything? I''ll be taking my leave first if there''s nothing else going on." As the man heard Nightin footsteps, he immediately raised his head and call out "Sir, our Voyager master would like to have a word with you. Please give me a moment to call for him." Nightin stopped and turned around to look at the man before nodding to show that he can wait. The man exhaled as his chest heaved up and down, if Nightin had left there, this head of his would definitely be rolling on the ground. Taking out a voice transmitting stone, he immediately called out "Voyager master, there''s a urgent matter on the third floor. Please make your way as soon as possible." Just a few short moments later, a old man appeared within Nightin''s view. On his right hand was a rod made of the scales of sea beasts. Even though the man was old, his eyes were still clear which shows that he definitely isn''t simple. The old man walked past Nightin as though as if he''s air as he headed towards the counter man and placed a voice sealing array to encircle the two of them. This scene made Nightin almost break out in laughter. The Voyager master who was looking for him actually ignored his existence and went straight for the counter man instead. The counter man immediately explained to the Voyager master after seeing him about what had happened. After he had finish, seriousness could be seen over the Voyager master face as he specified again and again "Do not let a third person know about this, unless you have a death wish." The counter man immediately nodded and replied yes before taking his leave. Before he had forgotten, he took over a scroll and passed it over to the Voyager master carefully. The staff who was at the counter told him "Voyager master, this is a quick portrait of the man that you''re looking for." The owner of this place took it over and was shocked when he opened it. The image was a youth wearing a dark purple and black robe with silver outlines and stars as the decorations. A sword was to his side as his hair was tied up in a ponytail. Clear looking eyes coupled with a fit body and well tanned skin. This isn''t the important matter here, he just realised that he ignored this youth just now. Immediately retracting the formation array, he turn his body around only to see a youth looking at him. The youth somehow had an apple in hand and bit into it before asking him "Old man, are you perhaps looking for me?" Chapter 50 - Voyagers request The old man smiled at Nightin awkwardly as he remained at a lost for words. The arm of his holding the staff was already covered in cold sweat as he only had one way out of this scenario. "Young fella, were you the one who chose a luck stone just now?" If he doesn''t initiate a conversation here, things would definitely go out of hand. Left with no choice, he could only place his pride aside and ask Nightin a question in which the answer was obvious. He would be lowering his stance to be asking a youth politely, but he has to do so in order to avoid the consequences, from his higher ups. Nightin nodded as he shrugged his shoulders, it was simple for him to choose the best luck stone. The only reason he''s even replying the old man right now is for the promised reward. With his Samsara Law, even illusions won''t aren''t able to deceive him, not to mention a mere concealing array. The old man scanned around the third floor and realised that even though there are much fewer cultivators here compared to the other floors, it still wouldn''t be a wise decision to have the discussion here. The old man took out his hand and whispered to Nightin softly "The name''s Voyager Harward, please follow me as we hold our conversation somewhere else alongside your promised reward." Nightin was a smart person and immediately understood Harvard''s intention, deep down he was thinking to himself that Harvard isn''t simple. Nightin shrugged his shoulders while taking another bite of his apple, signalling with his hand for Harward to lead the way. Even though he doesn''t want to waste time here, he wanted his reward and thus had to comply. Harward shook his head as he started to think if it''s because he''s behind times, or is it just this youth who he can''t see true at all. Be it his aura or behavior, it has a sense of maturity far beyond his years. Harward brought Nightin all the way up to the fourth floor which was currently desolated. There were few Martial Kings in this world after all, it wouldn''t be weird for this place to be quiet without a single soul around. Only thirty two glass casings could be seen here, every treasure here is protected by a cube shaped protective layer of glass which can only be destroyed by Martial Saints. Every treasure here could bring storms and cause great slaughter as countless cultivators fight for them. Even in the upper realm, everything here will still cause even those Martial Emperors to go on a frenzy just to obtain them, yet they''re being sold by the Voyager harbour. Even so, no one could muster up the courage to commit theft against them. It means absolute yet painful death without a single chance of survival or escape. Even in the upper realm, there''s no cultivator who''s capable of defeating Seven Martial Saints alone while taking on the whole world excluding the Martial Saints as their enemies. This gave the Seven Martial Saints their nickname "Seven Snowy Ravens". Everyone knows that the Seven Snowy Ravens aren''t only well known for their strength, they were also recognised for their astounding prophecy and insight skills. Many cultivators were willing to pay an arm and an leg just to have their future foretold to them. Harward observed every area of the fourth floor, yet he still felt that something was off. Signalling for Nightin to follow him by raising his hand, he turned towards the counter and took out a talisman from somewhere. Harward could tell that Nightin was shocked and laughed "You''ve never seen a talisman before right?" Nightin rolled his eyeballs as he replied the old man''s question "I''ve seen one before. I''m more surprised that the Voyager harbour would actually have such a precious talisman though." Though it may have seemed like a simple reply for Nightin, it actually sent ripples of shock into Harvard''s heart. A youth like him has seen a talisman before, one has to know that talismans are extremely rare. Even some Martial Emperors would not have one of them. A information sealing array which can even conceal its presence a against Martial Emperor, it''s the perfect way to have a concealed talk which shouldn''t be eavesdropped by others. Soon, Nightin and Harvard sat down on the opposite chairs. The room had nothing else besides them, even the formalities of a table and tea were dropped. Nightin could sense the direction where this conversation is going which made him serious about this for once. Nightin paused his gaze at the talisman array surrounding them before posing a question which Harvard has never expected "What do I get for helping you out?" Harvard being someone who has lived for thousands of years, he has seen too many types of people in this lifetime of his. Yet it''s his first time seeing someone behave like Nightin, especially when he''s just a youth who is probably only around fifteen or sixteen. Even if there are arrogant people out there, they would at least ask about the request first before asking for the reward, after a short moment of pondering. The only ones who have the guts to request for the rewards immediately are all those peak experts with absolute confidence to clear the request. Yet, this is coming from the adolescent in front of him... Harvard calmed down the racing thoughts and hypothesis going on in his mind as he decided to stop beating around the bush. "Young fella Nightin, I''m sure that you know what I want to ask for. As such, I''ll be cutting straight to the chase." Harvard took out what seemed like a trinket before taking out a small vial which contained a drip of blood. Opening the tiny bottle carefully, he poured the drop of red onto the trinket. The trinket glowed and released a colour of deep oceanic blue. Just the pressure from the trinket alone made Nightin felt like his life was in danger. A man gradually appeared in front of him, a visual effect of him to be exact. It was against the rules of this world for Martial Saints to descend upon the lower realm, even Martial Emperors must seek the permission from the Moonlight Hall to come down. The man wasn''t a old fogey as Nightin had expected, but a youth who''s probably around his early twenties. A cultivator can hide his or her appearance, but definitely not the age of the skeletal structure of blood flowing within the body. The young man had a sabre beside him as he gave off the aura of someone who has advanced a far distance in the path of sabres. Nightin could feel that this man, was at least a Martial Emperor already despite the extremely young age. The young man fixated his gaze on Nightin as his initial face of expectation, ended up changing into one of disappointment. Opening his mouth to speak up, he told this to Nightin "I''m not sure what methods you used to overcome the barrier which I''ve placed on that particular luck stone, but to think that you''re only a Martial Spirit at the age of sixteen." Nightin smirked as he questioned back "I don''t think that my cultivation or anything has to do with you, if you really think that my talent is low, why don''t you try this?" Nightin only released out his Samsara intent, it wouldn''t be beneficial for him if others were to know that he has the qualifications to rewrite the records of history and begin a new era. Astonishment could be seen in the eyes of the young man, even he himself had only cultivated a Holy law and that was his limit. The young man coughed as he started to introduce himself, this time with a respectful and formal tone "I''m the young master of the Voyages clan and the name is Heather Voyager. On behalf of my father today, I''m here to invite you to join our Voyager clan as we aspire for even greater heights." Heather made it sound like as though as if joining his family was the only path ahead for Nightin, but never will he know that Nightin will be the reason he manages to leave this world one day. Nightin calmly replied without any hesitation as he said in a calm voice void of emotions "I reject your offer." Heather at this time initially thought that Nightin would approve as he said "Not bad, you still have hope." But when he thought about it carefully, he swore that he heard Nightin rejecting his offer and thus asked again, in a stern voice "What did you just say!" Nightin repeated himself in a more polite manner as he replied "I appreciate the Voyager clan for thinking so highly of me, but I''m unable to join you guys due to personal reasons." Heather was fuming with rage at this time as his chest started to heave up and down. Ever since he was young, things had always been going his way. He has never been pushed away by others, how could he tolerate it when Nightin who was just an ant to him was pushing his limits. Raising his sabre up, he attempted to slash Nightin witbout any signs or warning, it was obvious that he wasn''t planning to hold back in the slightest. Right when Heater was about to forcibly destroy the barrier, the mature voice of a woman sounded out and stopped him. Chapter 51 - Conflict into reap of rewards "Hey Heater, what do you think you''re doing to this distinguished guest?" At this moment, Heater realised that he has actually descended into the lower realm with his elder sister beside him. Heater turned around abruptly towards the direction of the voice as his body shuddered for just one short moment. He immediately dispersed his energy attack and acted like he was merely posing. Heater unclenched his fists as he crossed them behind his back while looking up and asked Nightin "The sky is beautiful, isn''t it?" Nightin turned his head upwards, only to see the ceiling which was made of gold and nothing else. Nightin wanted to help Heater out, only to realised that he would be digging his own grave. Nightin pointed towards the ceiling and said something which always made Heater puke blood as the woman broke out in laughter. "Senior Heater, how are you seeing the sky right now? All I see is the ceiling made of gold above me." Heater remained at a loss for words and before he could say anything, the woman had already walked up to him and dragged him by the ear into the corner. "Heater, you dare to defy father orders! Seems like you need a good lesson!" By this time,the woman had already dragged Heater to a place where they couldn''t be seen. During the first few moments, the whole place remained quiet which got Nightin and Harvard both curious about what was happening. "Hey, what do you think that woman will do to Heater?" Nightin politely asked. Harvard whispered back "I''m not sure either, but she''s known for being violent at times like this, it''s the first time it has been this quiet. The next moment however, the screaming of a man could be heard from afar as he cried out in pain. "I''m sorry sister, please forgive me for ignoring father orders! Ahh!" "Sister, you''re such a pretty yet graceful and elegant woman, you won''t bully a weakling like me right!" Right when Nightin and Harvard thought that Heater would be spared after that, another ear piercing scream can from afar again which sent shudders down their spine. Nightin and Harvard turned to look at each other before they both started to observe one minute of silence for Heater. They could only see pitch blackness towards that area, but could smell the thin wisp of blood in the air. After a few chapters had passed, the screaming and shouting had finally ceased as peace return to this area. The woman dragged Heater across the floor as he laid down there with his arms and legs spread out. If not for the fact that he still had a breath, they would be worrying if he was dead. The next moment, she threw Heater across the floor as she found a chair and sat down on it. This was the first time Nightin paid close attention to the woman. She combed one strand of her hair behind her before introducing herself "I''m Heater''s sister Waverly Voyager and I''m here today on behalf of my father to relay his message." Waverly had tied her oceanic blue hair into a ponytail behind her as her long fringe was spread out evenly just above her eyebrows. Her skin was slightly tanned yet fair, her eyebrow was cocked as she pouted her cherry red lips. "Hey, just what did you do to attract the attention of my father? Even if it''s because you cultivate a Divine law or manage to locate the correct luck stone, it wouldn''t be enough of a reason for him to issue this order. Waverly asked Nightin as she crossed her arms over her chest which Nightin merely ignored. Even though she was pretty, she would pale slightly in comparison to both Stella and Cordelia or even Charlotte. But if he had to say,she had her unique charm and attractiveness which no other woman owned. Nightin started to ponder over the possible reasons and how he would deal with them. Even after cracking his brains to think of an idea, he wasn''t able to think of any possible reasons which might have resulted in this. One minute passed in the blink of an eye as Waverly got impatient and pursed her lips as she stamped her foot on the ground just like a little girl. "Hey, how long are you going to take just to give me a simple answer? How are you going to compensate me for lost time?" Nightin frowned as his eyebrows arched up, all he did was spend a little time thinking in his own world and yet he had actually gotten someone pissed off for him. If not for his maturity and methods of handling problems, he would already have flared up against Waverly. Harvard could see the tense atmosphere in the as he stepped out to interrupt them. "Missy, the only reason he took this long is because he himself has no clue about the reason as well." Waverly wasn''t willing to back down and shouted back "It doesn''t change the fact that he wasted a minute of my life!" Nightin interjected in at this time "Miss Waverly, I''m sorry for wasting your time, but what''s the reason your father sent you here?" Waverly was about to rebut, but she stopped herself after recalling the important order her father had entrusted her with. Waverly took out a scroll and read it as she said "My father said that the reason he was seeking you is because of the sword of yours. My father who''s a Sword Ancestor can''t tell the realm which your sword skills are at. It''s like as though as if, you have stepped onto a different path." Nightin was shocked, but wasn''t afraid. Nightin Calmly replied "You can tell your father that I''ve attempted to walk a different way on the sword path. Still, what''s the reason that your father is seeking me?" Waverly shook her head and shrugged her shoulders and replied "Like my brother have said, he hopes that you can join the Voyager family. As for your sect, it can join us as well." Nightin wrinkled his eyebrows, he could smell the fragrance of floral from Waverly and could hear her breathing getting slower as well. Waverly herself needed him to accept the request, his final decision might affect her whole life. Even so, Nightin couldn''t afford to back down at this moment. Raising his head up, his gaze met Waverly''s clear blue eyes as he said "I''m sorry, but I still aren''t able to join the Voyager family. However, establishing a friendly relationship isn''t impossible." Waverly felt her heart sinking into the depths of the water when she heard Nightin saying that he has to reject the offer. But when Nightin said that a friendly relationship could be built up between them, he shone light into her eyes as it passed through the opaque water. The hands of light pulled her out from the deep water and gave her hope once again. Waverly knew that this might not be the best result her father wants, but she''ll definitely be able to explain herself if the negotiations between her and Nightin goes well. Chapter 52 - Mental energy Waverly eyes which were losing their colour suddenly shone with light again as her body shook for just a moment. "Really?" That word had left her mouth abruptly before she could stop herself, which made her ashamed of herself as he cheeks turned slightly red. Nightin appeared to be calm on the surface while the same thought appeared in his mind once again "Why am I always meeting these type of women?" Still, Nightin had to reply Waverly before she is unable to handle the stress and pressure building up with every passing moment. "Yes, but it''ll depend on the Voyager family to determine the level of our relationship." Even though Nightin was still leaving the Voyager family a choice, it''s actually unfair for them. The Voyager family was a powerhouse even in the upper realm and is greatly respected by most forces. Yet now, they would have to lower their pride and make a change of decision to cooperate with a youth? Even if it''s the decision of the family head, it would still cause the thought of unfairness to spread through the Voyager family. Waverly sent a message back to her father as she awaited an reply. In the meantime, she took out a small tower which has ten layers to it. On each layer, the numbers were marked from 1 to 10 from the bottom to the top. Nightin placed his hand below his chin as he started to think if he had seen something like this before. After a very short moment, he told Waverly "I''m sorry, but I''ve never seen anything like this before." Waverly smiled as she jumped on the spot like a little girl who had just received her birthday present. "Hehe, I knew that you wouldn''t know what it is. I''ll tell you if you beg me for it." Nightin took out his sword and showed it to Waverly before asking "Do you know what this is?" Waverly looked at it and was captivated by the sword. It was the Phoenix sword which Gaven has made some slight amendments to as a departure gift for him. The Phoenix sword was about 1.7m in length and about 20cm wide. It had a sharp blade and was scarlet red in colour. At the end of the pommel, was a crimson feather which contrasts with the scarlet red blade and beige colour hilt. Waverly blinked as she leaped towards the sword and attempted to pull it over to herself. She wanted to admire the beauty and great craftsmanship of the blazing sword in front of her eyes. Even though Waverly might not have her brother''s cultivation talent, everyone treated her more respectfully and had higher hopes for her. Her talent in the path of craftsmanship, (A sub path of Forgist) especially when it comes to boats exceeds that of all the Seven Snowy Ravens. Along with her Forgist talent, her great intelligence and beauty could be said to be unmatched in her era. She even had a nickname for herself as a individual. Everyone know her as the Rising Angel, in a world where they''re fewer people cultivating to the Martial Saint realm and with the average cultivation level decreasing, her talent could compare to those demons of the past. Demons who have once wrecked havoc and cause great destruction in their era before the upper realm became the limit. Nightin immediately swing his sword behind him and told Waverly "I''m sorry, but I can''t allow you to have the sword." Waverly pouted her lips and was about to rebut until she saw Nightin''s face. His face was serious right now and she had a feeling that if he were to do it by force, it might bring the fall of the Voyager family. Stopping in her footsteps, she retracted her arms back and told Nightin "That tower is also known as the Tower of mental strength." In this world, there area variety of measurement treasures to gauge the a cultivator in every aspect. Be it spirit essence or mental strength or some others, there are many different items out there to measure them. Waverly threw the tiny tower towards Nightin as he caught it easily with one hand. Before he could ask how to use it, Waverly''s voice sounded beside his ears "Take it and inject your mental strength into it." Nightin nodded as he held the token and closed his eyes. One breath passed as Waverly started to wrinkle her eyebrows... Two breaths passed as Waverly started to clench her fists... As the third breath passed, Waverly couldn''t keep her anger in as she shouted "Are you an idiot? Is it that difficult to inject mental strength into that small tower?" Nightin looked at Waverly and laughed awkwardly "I''ve never been taught how to do so..." Waverly face palmed herself before saying "That''s right, I forgot that you''re still a cultivator of the lower realm after all." Waverly took out a book from her spatial ring and threw it over to Nightin while telling raising her head like a proud peacock "This is the guidebook on how one can control their mental energy. The better you can control it, the more it''ll benefit you in the higher cultivation realms. The..." Waverly raged once again as she stomped her feet once again, Nightin had actually ignored her as he had already got engrossed in the book. Waverly and Harvard who were at the side decided to take this time to cultivate, even if Nightin had high talent, they expected him to take at least three days. Even Waverly herself took two and a half days just to comprehend this deep yet mysterious concept. Soon, half a day had passed as a orb of light started to rise from the east, illuminating new light into this world. With its appearance, it brought about the finding of new found orb and the sense of time into the tower. Waverly and Harvard had just finished their cycle of cultivation and opened their eyes, only for the unexpected to have actually happened in front of them. Nightin had already finished learning how to use his mental energy and was already trying it out with a small knife he took out from his spatial ring. The small knife was dancing in the air as it drew out the shape of the ancient beast, the Phoenix. The shape of a phoenix could be seen as marks of flame were left behind the knife wherever it passes. Nightin who was focused at this time was too busy and forgot about Waverly and Harvard who were close to him at the moment. Their mouths were open wide as their eyeballs were popping out of their eye sockets. The same thought came across their mind "How is this even possible?" One has to know that Nightin had already reached the second stage of mental energy control. Even Waverly herself has barely grasped this topic, yet it felt natural when Nightin was doing it. One has to know that the reasons behind the lack of Martial Emperors and Martial Saints aren''t due to just a weak foundation or low innate talent. The main reason here is mental energy which most cultivators lack, eliminating up to at least half the cultivators of their hope. The hardest criteria which stops most Martial Kings in their track, is their mental energy being unable to reach the second stage which Nightin is already at. That''s the reason why every Martial Emperor can bring out the strength of their respective element with anything and the reason for their ability to kill with just a thought. The main reason in strength between Martial Emperors is their mental energy. Cultivators of the Martial Emperor realm can cultivate what''s known as the mental gate which is the main reason for their strength. From what every Martial Emperor knows, the only way to attain Saint would be to shatter though at least three of the eight gates in their mental mind. As for every additional gate after that, the difficulty could be imagined as every step is ten times tougher. After around five minutes have passed, Nightin finished his practice and kept his sword back, only to see Waverly and Harvard who were looking at him in great astonishment. Chapter 53 - Negotiations Nightin calmly looked at them before turning around to face Waverly. Letting the knife who was still blazing with flames dance around within his hand, he asked Waverly "Waverly, what happened? Why are there two scientists observing me as a test subject all of a sudden?" Waverly blinked her eyes as she asked "You don''t know what you just did?" Waverly couldn''t understand how such an idiot actually had such high innate talents, she herself was starting to doubt everyone who said that she''s a demon who won''t find any opponents among her generation. Her meant to be the goddess of her era feels just like a pathetic joke to her right now! In front of her eyes right now, she was witnessing the rise of someone who has already thrown her miles apart despite bring younger. Even for her to enter the second stage of mental strength, it would take her at least another year to do so. By then, she would already be twenty two while Nightin would only be seventeen years old. Waverly could see the bright future which Nightin would have ahead of him and decided deep down that the Voyager family had a chance right now. If the Voyager family wants to rise up, their only choice would be to join Nightin in his adventures. It was a gamble which could concern the future and fate of her family. There aren''t a lack of geniuses in this world, but how many of them could truly survive through the countless ordeals and growth? If they succeed this time, it meant a great future ahead of them while failure means absolute death for the whole family. Waverly pointed to the tower of mental strength and asked Nightin "Hey, how many layers did you light up just now?" Nightin honestly replied without the intention to hide it from her "Seven. I lit up seven layers of that tower." Nightin didn''t know why, but he has the feeling that Waverly would be someone he can truly trust. Even though they might not be that close, he had a feeling that they would be comrades. Allies who can deal with life and death situations together as they reveal their back to each other. Waverly broke out in a bitter smile as she started to tell Nightin "Do you know, even I''m only capable of lighting up six layers." Nightin may seem calm on the surface, but he keep cursing himself for being an idiot deep down. He was only intending to show that he has the talent to exceed Waverly, yet he proved that he has already exceeded her unintentionally. Nightin who was still at the third realm or Martial Spirit asked Waverly at this time "Waverly, is mental energy and strength that important?" Waverly was fuming with rage when Nightin asked her this question, is it was anyone else with her cultivation, they would already have smacked him to death. Waverly started to explain to Nightin everything that she knows about mental energy. About how mental energy is actually the barrier which prevents Martial Kings from taking that last step. About how mental energy could be used to detect traps, increasing the difficulty for one to become an Assassin. The more Nightin listened, the more shocked he gets as clouds which were fogging up his mind started to disperse. In place of the clouds were golden clouds this time which held much more weight. Nightin truthfully thanked Waverly from the bottom of his heart this time. If not for her willingness to share about her knowledge and experiences with him, he would have taken many wrong turns on the path of cultivation. To a young genius like him, time could be said as the most precious thing. Every second and minute here matters when they''re still young. It''s rumored ever since the ancient era that if someone steps into the Martial Saint realm before the age of thirty, they would have a chance to contend with the demons of that era. If someone manages to breakthrough to the Martial Saint realm before they hit twenty eight years, they would be able to contend against cultivators outside this world. As for Waverly, she has decided to step onto a different path of cultivation as well. She wanted to cultivate through being a Forgist, everytime she crafts something, she always feels spirit energy entering her body ever since half a year ago. She realised that whenever this happens, something which took her three days to craft would be equivalent to three months of cultivation for her... Nightin decided that it was time to cut to the chase as he asked "Waverly, I truly thank you for helping me out this time. But pardon my rudeness as I still want my reward." Waverly pouted her lips once again before taking out the scroll and opening it up: Waverly, you can go ahead and make the decisions. Father has great trust in you." Waverly was surprised by her father''s sudden action, one has to know that her father only had high hopes for her brother, she had always been treated as air since young. After careful consideration as she placed her middle and index finger below her mouth, she told Nightin this "After the family''s decision, we''ve decided to award you with any treasure from the fourth floor so as long as you need them. That''s the relationship our family wants to establish." Nightin turned around to scanned the treasures without replying, Waverly was a smart woman who could understand his intentions. After walking around, three different treasures caught his attention as he took them without hesitation. The first treasure was something known as the meridian cleansing pill which is usually useless for those at the Martial King and above realms. This is however a heavenly treasure for those who have yet to step into the Martial King realm. For him, this could be described as a priceless treasure. It would help him to overcome his current slow cultivation speed problem. The second treasure was a martial technique which he will make up for his lack of a mental attack. Classless rank:Piercing eyes of death With a single stare, opponents with a weak mental strength or fortitude would suffer instant death while those with stronger minds would be affected for a short moment. One has to know that between battles against evenly matched opponents, one slight mistake would be fatal. As for the third and final treasure, it was a ordinary orb with the simplest wind element contained within it. One might ask,what made it deserve its place in the fourth floor. The reason is simple, it can help a cultivate awaken a intent or law depending on the cultivator within the three days within the orb''s world. Nightin had only chose this orb with one goal in mind, his third Divine Law. Like Cordelia told him, even something as simple as the wind element has no limits to it. He just has to dig its potential out fully. Waverly frowned her eyebrows as she puffed a side of her cheek while saying "Are you sure that you just want these three items? They''re the ones with the lowest price here." Nightin nodded as he said "I understand what you mean, but these items I have chosen right now will benefit the most at my current stage." Waverly could only reply as her hands spread out to the side like a blooming flower as she said "Very well then, as for the level of relationship established?" Chapter 54 - The Wind Orb Nightin wasn''t able to reply that question as he stood rooted to the spot, his gaze fixated on the ceiling made of gold as he looked up. From the shiny appearance of the ceiling, he could see his appearance mocking himself. He was the one who mentioned that the status of cooperation will be determined by the Voyager family, but had never expected them to be so serious about this. Nightin bit his lips as he told Waverly "I understand the efforts and the reason the Voyager family is doing this, but I''m afraid that I''m unable to fully support the family yet." The treasures may have been given to Nightin, but that''s it for their side. If they really want to, it depends on how the Voyager family is going to treat Nightin. Waverly understood this fact and didn''t rebut him this time. Instead, she stood aside and decided to lead him to the secret chamber. Waverly took out a key, the key was silver platinum in colour. It could be seen that the key had went through the passage of time, yet its exterior made it felt like a newborn baby. Waverly flashed the key towards Nightin as she held it tightly in her hand, seemingly afraid that Nightin might just steal the key from her. Waverly showed Nightin her pearl white teeth as she chuckled "Hey, you want to absorb the Wind Orb right?" Nightin knew that it was pointless to hide anything from Waverly, she had the power of prophecy and she would be willing to take risks. "Yes, I need some hidden location to absorb the Wind Orb. Would you perhaps be able to help me?" Waverly could swear that if it weren''t for their level of relationship, she would already have taught Nightin a good lesson. Clenching her fists at the side, her face twisted in anger as she said "I have made it pretty obvious. Harvard, you''ll stay behind to look after this tower." Harvard stepped to the side as he acknowledged Waverly orders before heading down towards the lower floors to supervise. As for Nightin, Waverly signalled for Nightin to follow her as she clicked on one of the hidden buttons on the fourth floor. With a soft yet draggy click, a door appeared before Nightin. The golden wall behind the counter had opened up as a portal glowing silver in colour spiralled in the middle. Waverly leaped in as she turned around tell Nightin "Hop on." Nightin followed suit shortly after without even showing the slightest signs of hesitation, if Waverly had wanted to harm him, she wouldn''t have jumped in without sparing a second thought. After entering the portal, a new world came into Nightin''s sight. It wasn''t a spatial area of void where all he could see is darkness. In his eyes, what he see is the majestic ocean. He was on a cliff which stands at a height much above the ocean. The ocean waves were hitting themselves against the rocky cliff as the sunlight reflected off a beautiful glow towards them. Nightin felt calm right now, he felt like the water was part of him. Even so, he knows that the path of water isn''t something which he should get into contact with. Shattering the wind orb in his hand, the scenery changed once again with Waverly beside him. The scenery around him started to wrap themselves up in blades of wind as he got transported in another world without Waverly. The ground he is standing on, is wind. The scenery he is seeing, is wind. The atmosphere he is feeling, is wind. He''s wrapped in a world of wind all alone by himself, Waverly had disappeared from his sight of view. Taking a deep breath, he could smell the fresh wind as they come into light contact with their skin. Closing his eyes, he couldn''t understand anything about the wind. The only thing he understood right now is that, the wind is around him. Closing his eyes, he could sense the wind around him surrounding him, all flowing towards him who is the catalyst. He felt like the one who''s in charge of controlling the wind here, he was the ruler and the wind was him. When he opened his eyes again, he could see many mortals and cultivators all waking around him, doing their daily tasks. Plotting, farming, cultivating. Yet the moment the air in the wind vanished, the mortals started to suffocate first. They were grabbing their necks with their hands, reaching out their hands in despair as they struggle to survive. Children were screaming, only for the sound of silence to come up from their throats. Toddlers were crying as they wailed and cried, yet no one could help them. Adults could be seen crawling on the ground as they struggled to live. Cultivators below the Martial Spirit realm were facing the same fate as those mortals. They were still cultivating Heavenly energy which could be found in nature around them. With the lack of wind or air, they were no different from mortals. Martial Spirits and Martial Kings were circulating their spirit energy as quickly as possible, yet the moment where they run out of spirit energy would eventually arrive. Nightin at this time, has utterly failed to comprehend the intent of wind. He has awakened a new law all by himself at this time. A law which no one would have expected to rise again, a law which should have been forbidden in the cultivation world. The Gale Blades of Slaughter, one of the strongest Divine laws in this world which should have never been awakened ever since the ancient eras... With the newborn law, calamity would soon strike them once again... Many demonic beasts of great evil would start awakening from their deep slumber... Slaughter and storms would occur in the upper realm...What would happen to them... Chapter 55 - The fallen saints When Nightin opened his eyes once again, the moon had already swapped shifts with the sun. The peaceful moonlight shone through the glass window as they lightly illuminated up the pitch black area, making view a possible thing in the dark night. Waverly could be seen sitting on the chair at the counter, her back was arched forwards as she rested her elbows on the counter table. In her hand was a book about mechanisms, it was merely the foundations which she has already memorised by heart, yet she was still studying it with all her effort. Everytime she opens the book and goes through it again, she realises that there are actually many more secrets hidden within this book, she just needs to learn how to apply her concept into real life. She may gotten her foundations for theory down, but she has close to zero practical experiences. She has made her mind up this time to do so after she returns to the upper realm. With her authority and position in the family, it wouldn''t be difficult for her to have her personal forging room with the materials and equipments needed provided. As for Nightin at this time, he didn''t have the attention to divide towards Waverly. He felt like as though as if he had just experienced a long dream. In that dream, people knew him as the Holy Calamity who cultivates the Gale Blades of Death. Wherever he goes, it meant the death of every Martial Saint in that area... [Flashback...] Back in the ancient era, it was the moment where the spiritual energy in the air was at its thickest. In that era, Martial Saints weren''t a rare sight while Martial Emperors were quite common and can be found almost anywhere. Many cultivators had left the cultivation world just to head towards a even higher cultivation world. At that moment, ten Martial Saints of that era committed a great sin. They actually ventured towards the number one forbidden ground of the whole world. The forbidden ground was known as the Wasteland of Hurricanes. At the Wasteland of Hurricanes, strong gusts of wind were constantly blowing. Even Martial Emperors weren''t even capable of seeing through the wind. The wind was surrounded by a mysterious force which will blind every cultivator who tries to probe it, they might even take that cultivator''s life just to silence them. The wind itself was a living entity which even Martial Saints feared, yet the true ruler of that place has never showed his true face. Many people only knew one thing, At the Wasteland of Hurricanes lived countless beings who call themselves demigods. Those demigods themselves acclaimed to serve a god who they know as Ninetails... On that very fateful day, ten Martial Saints who are believed to be the strongest of that era, made the gravest mistake in the history of mankind. They actually attempted to venture into the Wasteland of Hurricanes. Before heading towards the forbidden ground, they all had gathered up for a meeting beforehand. They gathered at the peach blossom mountain which was the number one beauty of nature that time, yet it has lost its previous glamour. It was nothing but a factory for metals right now. One of the Saints who was known as the Saint of blazing flames took the initiative to burn up the vigour within everyone. Slamming his gourd of wine on the table, he seemingly shouted while speaking "Why should we care about those damn wind blades? We should just shatter them together!" The Saint of the ocean continued by stepping in "Even if we manage to get past the blades of wind, who among us would be able to contend against a demigod?" The Saint of Poison licked his lips as his pet scorpion laid on his shoulder. It had a small slender body with vicious claws and a deadly tail, its poison was strong enough to kill even the weaker Martial Saints. "Yo, we shouldn''t think that far yet. We are going to face a whole group of demigods, not just one." After a long three days and night, they have finally finished their long conversation as they headed towards the Wasteland of Hurricanes. After appearing at the entrance, a strong gust of wind formed by two blades of wind spiralled towards them. The Saint of thunder immediately set up a lightning array which managed to block off the blades of wind and shock them, making them retreat backwards. The wind blades were creatures with intelligence and wisdom which were comparable to humans after all, they knew that they weren''t enough to deal with these Martial Saints and fell back. After they left, the Saint of Peace exclaimed "Have we made the wrong choice to come here?" Everyone went silent after hearing this, that wind blade just now had totally shocked them. If not for the Saint of thunder who had quick reflexes, they might have already died at the first stage of their conquest. That wind blade just now actually changed directions countless times while dashing towards them without losing speed. Its speed was so quick that none of them were able to capture it, even the lightning array was just a fluke since it covered the whole area. The Saint of Darkness interjected in "Do you guys think we should retreat? If we really want to explore this area, it would have to wait until the day we return from the higher ranked worlds." All of the saints started to debate at this time of whether they should retreat. In the end, all of them voted to leave the area immediately except for the Saint of void. The saint of Void slowly looked at everyone eye to eye before saying "It''s not that I don''t wish to return, but it''s because that, one demigod is already here." Everyone turned around towards the South as a tall yet slender body of about two metres appeared in front of them. It had bamboo like legs which were sharp at the end and had curved in razor sharp blades. Before they could even made a move, the demigod had already arrived in front of the Saint of wind in an instant before stabbing its blade through his heart. The blade pierced through the heart before crushing it to fragments which can never be restored, his mind was totally destroyed as well. As for his soul, it was actually absorbed by the demigod, which meant that reincarnation won''t happen for him anymore. This sent a shudder down everyone''s spine. The Saint of wind was known for his extreme speed, yet he wasn''t even able to react when the demigod approached for him. The battle wasn''t even a fight, it was a one sided slaughter this time. They were the pigs stuck in the pen, trying their futile best to escape from the confined and trapped area. All of them seemingly in unison all dashed towards eight different areas in a bid to shake the demigod off. No one including the demigod has noticed that the Saint of void had already went into hiding. He had taken the risk to enter another void before escaping into another time realm, which is exactly a few thousand years into the future. It''s time for the new ten saints to arise, who would be the chosen ones? The demigod didn''t even struggle to chase after them, it didn''t even attempt to. Raising its arms up, it swinged it around in the shape of a cross above its head as the shockwave spread out, cutting all the eight saints in half. Of course, this was just a legend which was rumored by some wandering cultivator, no one knows whether its the truth of just a lie to all. One thing for sure is that, ever since that day, the ten great saints have mysterious vanished. With their disappearance without any legacy left behind, it resulted in the first reason for the downfall of the cultivation world. After that, it would be the battle between the evil and good cultivators which destroyed the world and its spiritual essence, making this world a lowly cultivation world. When Nightin returned to his senses, the short moment felt like an eternity for them. He felt like as though as if he was the demigod who killed all the eight great Saints. He understood one thing, the law in his hands right now are the ones who have brought about the fall of this world. If the ten great Saints were still alive, the evil path wouldn''t have stand a chance against the good path. The long yet perilous battle have caused great destruction and damage to this world which even after thousands of years, the world has still yet to recover. Many people blame the demigods for bringing about this calamity, yet all they demigods truly wanted was peace. They never blamed themselves for their greed and so called high pride. Waverly had just finished reading until she saw Nightin''s aura right now. It actually gave her a sharp fear, she had a weird feeling. It''s like as though as if Nightin was Asura yet the savior and protector of this world. Waverly shuts her book close and slid it to the side of the table. Arching her body slightly forward, she turned off the table lamp. Unknowingly, an night has passed quietly for her. Standing up, she walked to the side of the counter and poured herself a cup of aromatic Jasmine tea. A simple luxury tea which even mortals enjoy, is what she loves most. Nightin looked at Waverly before calling out, this time with a serious tone which made her subconsciously pay full attention. "Have you heard of anything about the great calamity?" Waverly wrinkled her eyebrows as she placed her hand on Nightin''s forehead while saying "Little brother Nightin, you don''t seem to be having a fever. What happened to you?" Nightin rolled his eyes as he smacked Waverly''s hands away while shouting softly "You''re the one with a fever! Since when did I become your little brother! You should be caring about that idiotic younger brother of yours!" Waverly immediately jumped up as she shrieked "This is bad! Father is gonna kill me this time!" Nightin broke out in what seems like a smile "What happened?" Waverly started to push her two index fingers towards each other in front of her chest, her face was blushing red as she said "I accidentally sent my younger brother back to the upper realm, I forgot to gave him a new set of clothes beforehand..." Nightin was nodding his head and listening until Waverly said this. He could swear that he has just met the most vicious woman he can ever meet. Who the here would send a man back for everyone to see naked. That wasn''t just a humilation to him, it would be no different from taking his life. Especially for a arrogant youth who''s filled with pride and confidence, it might cause a small crack in the heart of his cultivation. The worst thing is that a woman actually did such a thing to her younger brother, who the hell would do that. Even though she seems apologetic, she doesn''t seem to care on top of that. Nightin could imagine the plight Heater is in right now. [Upper realm, Voyager family] Heater landed on the ground with a loud thud as some smoky dust rose from the group and covered him up. Heater felt cold as a gust of wind blew the smoke away. When Heater looked back, he could see that he was totally naked and had landed in the middle of the town square. People were looking at him and gossiping, adults were looking at him with their eyes burning in rage. Young women were turning away while the mature ones while talking about him. All the men were making use of this chance to comment on him while the young children were all looking at him in curiosity. Heater could swear that if there''s a hole for him to dig into right now, he would enter that pit immediately... Chapter 56 - Seclusion Nightin could swear on his life that he''s just found someone in this life who he might actually fear. That person would be the kind sister who had just left her brother out in the open all alone naked. She was giving everyone a feast for their eyes in exchange of her brother''s pride, isn''t she the best sister? Nightin knew that the best course of action right now would be to stay silent aside while Waverly herself was thinking of a countermeasure. If something really happens to her brother, she wouldn''t be able to explain to their father. Waverly''s father may be paying her more attention right now, but that doesn''t mean that he''s fine with his son''s reputation and image being tarnished. Waverly turned and look at Nightin who was sitting down on the chair opposite of her at the moment. In front of him was a cup of Jasmine tea which she had just brewed. She smirked, she had a reason to seek Nightin''s help now. Nightin could see the dangerous smile and hear it whispering into his ears. Nightin subconsciously stepped back as his back hit the counter with a soft ouch. Waverly asked Nightin "Hey, in exchange of you being able to use our family cultivation grounds, you have to pay a very small price right?" Nightin knew that it wouldn''t be wise of him to reject, leaving accept as the only answer he could gave. Left with no choice, he could only ask while shrugging his shoulders "What is it?" Waverly jumped in joy as she immediately took out a scroll and force Nightin to sign on it with his blood. "You''ve agreed to it. If my father asks about my brother, you''ll say that you''re the main and only culprit." Nightin could feel that death was slowly reaching out for him, even if he doesn''t die, a layer of skin at least will be ripped off from him. Waverly obviously knew that the only way she could tempt him to accept, would be through the provision of cultivation resources and cultivation grounds which she had promised. The next moment, Nightin could feel a veil of water surrounding him in a sphere as he got transported to the upper realm. He could tell from the sudden increase in spirit energy within the air, it was at least ten times more than in the lower realm. Waverly was beside him with a broken token as she said "Don''t get too excited yet, you only have around six months here. After that you''ll be forcibly pushed out of the upper realm, if there''s nothing else I''ll be taking my leave first." Nightin bowed down as he told Waverly "Thank you for your assistance, I''ll pay you back one day if the chance arises." Soon, Waverly disappeared as Nightin scanned his surroundings. He seemed to be in the middle of a tower, the tower was nine floors tall. To the right of the first floor was some food pills, which would last him for a month each and infinite water source to his left. The tower seemed to spiral towards the sky with cobblestone as the tower''s foundation. In the tower was a long flight of stairs which curved upwards. Nightin went to take a food pill and held it in its hand. The pill was clear red in colour with a clean yellow stripe which cuts diagonally across. Nightin was thinking to himself at this time "One day, these would be the facilities which my sect owns." For any force to have these types of cultivation facilities, even someone with low cultivation talent will have hope of attaining the Martial Lord realm in their lifetime. But of course, they''ll only be the weakest Martial Lords unless they experience a lucky encounter. On the second floor were five portals which leads to the cultivation area for the five basic elements. Cultivating here would greatly speed up a cultivator''s cultivation speed for the intents and laws. Walking past the third floor, the fourth floor, and the fifth... All the way to the ninth floor, Nightin didn''t see any cultivation areas for any of his divine intents, the best he would have is the cultivation area for Wind. Walking back to the fourth floor, he entered the portal and got transported into another spatial dimension which a Martial Saint created. [Alexander and Abby] Back on the grassy plains two hundred miles east from the Nirvana sect, Alexander and Abby were currently engaged in a war with the barbarians of the savage lands. The barbarians were well known for their infamous reputation. Things such as stealing, killing, raping and even murdering were small tasks which even the young children can accomplish of their tribe could accomplish. After Alexander caught wind of such news, he and his army immediately dashed across the lands of the plains and headed here. He had gathered his own army including those far away, hitting a total manpower of ten thousand soldiers. Out of these ten thousand soldiers, there were ten Martial Spirits, eight were at the first realm, two were at the second realm. About thirty percent of the soldiers were of the high grade Martial Master realm, forty five percent at the middle grade Martial Master realm and twenty five percent who were at the low grade Martial Master realm. A elite army which belongs to the sect as their personal force. The commander Alexander was at the Martial Lord eighth realm, one step away from the ninth realm while Abby was at the Martial Spirit sixth realm, one step away from the seventh realm. In the southern continent which the Nirvana sect lies, they were acknowledged as one of the ten strongest armies. Everywhere they go, fear would be struck into the opponent, people would be rooting for them as they made accomplishments after achievements. Even so, the barbarians they were up against this time weren''t simple opponents, their leader is a Martial Lord at the seventh realm as well, but his army has no low grade Martial Masters and a number count of around eight thousand. Alexander and his army who were on their horses faced the barbarians as he said "Barbarians, I''ll give y''all a chance to live if all of you surrender right now!" The barbarian leader laughed "Who do you think we are! We are the strongest tribe on the plains and we''ll always be!" The barbarian leader raised his sabre high up in the air as he gathered a whirl of spirit energy and sent it to the sky "Barbarians charge!" [Lancelot] Near the edge of the southern continent, there was a snowy area also known as the snow valley. There, it was winter throughout the year and is known to the world as a second grade forbidden ground. It was known that it would be absolute death for a Martial Spirit to enter. Even so, how could Lancelot who only had revenge give up now? His opponents the white ravens were hiding in this area, this is where their headquarters are located. Still, it would be a impossible feat for a Martial Spirit fourth realm cultivator like him to take their lives alone. He may have the strength to challenge a peak grade Martial Spirit, but he would be helpless when up against a middle grade Martial Lord... [Back to Nightin] After Nightin stepped into the portal, it wasn''t the world of wind which he was expecting to see, all he witness is constant destruction. Countless buildings were being destroyed into nothingness, even ruins of them weren''t left behind. The wind had destroyed them into pieces and bits again and again until they were brought away by the natural wind in the air. Nightin could understand one bit, it was telling him that wind should be rapid destruction without giving the opponent any chance to retaliate. Still, it wasn''t the path which he had been seeking. Without any hesitation, he stepped into the portal beside him. Just like this, he repeated the same process eight times. Even though none of the portals led him to the law which he wanted to cultivate, it had helped him improve in other ways. He had learnt how one simple thing can hold so many meanings and used in countless different ways. He had a feeling that one day, if he could control his sword to use any of the nine intents he own, it would be the time which the world stands beneath him. Yet, that''s still a far fetched dream, he hasn''t even taken his first step in this cultivation world. Stepping into the ninth portal, what he witnessed was a strong yet quick gale of wind was slashing through objects easily. Everytime the wind passes through anything, a clean cut could be seen in the middle. Nightin paused for a moment, the wind in front of him started to spiral around him of their own will. Nightin could feel that the wind was calling out to him, this was the path which he had been searching for ever since he stepped onto the Gale Blades of Slaughter. Nightin had a mysterious feeling which he couldn''t explain, he felt that the Gale Blades of Slaughter, would become his trump card one day. It would be the sword path which will lead him to the true apex of this world. Taking out the Phoenix sword, its scarlet red contrasted with the light yet breezy green wind surrounding him. The weak flame from the sword came into contact with the wind, forming a hurricane of fire. The fire brought the wind to life as the blazing wind lit up the whole world in a new light. Nightin could see the blazing wind breaking through the panes in front of it like nothing. Even after the wind passes through, the fire still left a scorching trail behind. It wasn''t just destructive, it was devastation. Nightin closed his eyes as he sat in the middle of all this cultivating. Every here and then, he would open his eyes to digest the new information and scene he had in front of him. In the first three days, Nightin had only managed to grasp what the fire and wind were doing. They were trying to fight against each other and were merely working with the other party temporarily until one side wears out. Seven days later from then, he could stand up and take out his sword. Still, that was his limit as he stood there witnessing the grandeur sight in front of him. The flame was being reflected in his eyes, the piercing wind swooshed past his ears as he breathed in the heavy thick air. One month after he entered the portal, he was able to swing his sword naturally without facing any difficulties, yet that was only the beginning. While his Samsara sword and Life and Death sword which had actually split into two due to some unforeseen reasons flew behind him. The Phoenix sword he held in hand was wrapped in a veil of wind. The wind surrounded the sword as the flame combusted the wind, making it burn with the brightest flames and causing a firestorm of immeasurable scale. If a firestorm of this scale actually takes place in the cultivation world, only those places protected by a Martial King would be unharmed. Nightin could feel that the firestorm was the true law which he wants, even the other five Divine laws he cultivates will only be to assist the law. The Firestorm Gale Blades which brings about the cleanest yet greatest destructions. Two months into the portal, he was able to grasp a hint of the firestorm, he felt that the firestorm in front of him was merely the beginning. Its full potential was waiting to be extracted, awaiting the time its dominance rules the world once again after a deep slumber. The fire and wind were crisscrossing around his sword, yet it was still far from enough of bringing about the firestorm which he visualises and wants to see. Discord Group link: https://discord.gg/aXb8JT7 Chapter 57 - Firestorm body Time flies past in the blink of an eye, yet Nightin felt like only a short moment had passed. It had already been three months since he entered the portal as he gained the ability to control the firestorm. As the wind and fire elements wrapped themselves around his sword, they intersected with each other and form a destructive firestorm. From now on, every single sword of his will carry the traits of a firestorm, clean destruction at its greatest. Even so, he wasn''t contended with this just yet. What Nightin visualises, is the firestorm being a part of his body instead of just his sword. He wants the firestorm to be at its own will and change his constitution. Even though Lin Ming might be able to refine and make some elixirs which can improve his cultivation talent, there''s a limit to how far a mortal body can go in the cultivation path. But if the firestorm changes his body constitution to that of it, his future would be unpredictable, it was another unprecedented path which definitely wouldn''t be expected. One has to know that the body''s constitution is usually fixed since birth, changing it would be akin to plucking the stars off the night sky. A person''s body constitution can be divided into four different tiers which are known as Mortal, Copper, Silver and Gold respectively. Ayden''s body constitution itself was enough to place him in the high silver tier, if he manages to comprehend the law of Water to a high enough stage, his constitution would definitely reach the Gold tier as he purifies himself. As for Nightin, he was confident about the firestorm which he would be guiding into his body. He would make his body the catalyst for both fire and wind which shouldn''t be together, them being together would only cause destruction within his body. Even so, Nightin was willing to take the risk as he tell himself "Nightin, this is your only chance to change your constitution. If you don''t step onto this path, your path would end at the Martial Lord realm!" Ever since that day, he had been guiding the hurricanes of flames into his body slowly as they fought against each other within him. In the first attempt, he threw out blood the moment they entered his body, forcing him to step and recover from the internal injury. Only at the twenty seventh attempt which took him two months, did he bring the first bit of firestorm into his body, almost losing his life in the dangerous process. He felt as if his body was on fire which was being amplified by the wind, his flesh was burning both on the inside and outside, the blades of wind cutting at his sensitive flesh as blood spurts out from his body. His mind became fuzzy as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Clutching his chest, he slowly crawled forward, into the middle of that firestorm. It was where the core of the firestorm laid, he had to take the risk and make it his no matter what. After entering the core of the blazing hurricane, he was enveloped in a world of flames which was slicing his skin every moment. He could feel his skin splitting apart while the wind was cutting at his flesh from outside and within,it was a burning yet piercing experience which can never be described. Soon, he gradually lost consciousness as he lied down in the world of flames, the only thing keeping him going was his mentality. After what felt like an eternity, he could feel the pain decreasing as he slowly stood up, his body had undergone a true rebirth. When he tried to rotate his cultivation technique, he realised that it was more than ten times faster than the previous speed, this had already exceeded the limits of a gold tier body. Nightin clutched his fists as he told himself internally that he had overcame the first hurdle, what''s next is just to repeat the process. Taking out the Phoenix sword, he started to cultivate while training with his sword, in the world of wind of flames. The firestorm seemingly came to life as a demon as it opened its mouth, attempting to devour Nightin. Nightin destroyed it with a simple swing of his sword as it brought about the traits of a firestorm, destroying the demon with what its body is made of. At the side, a elder of the Voyager family who had just entered the cultivation realm was staring at Nightin while his jaws dropped, his eyeballs were already protruding from his eye sockets. "What the hell is this! Even a Martial Emperor like me can only cultivate at the border!" Crushing the token and opportunity of cultivation he was given, he immediately headed towards the main hall to look for the family head. He had to tell everyone about this mysterious youth who had barged into their cultivation grounds and the impossible he was seeing. Of course, Nightin was oblivious to all this as he continued swinging his sword, the firestorm was now a part of him. Everywhere his sword went, the wind sliced through the air as though as if it weren''t there while the destructive fire strikes at the moment of contact. If he were to attack with his sword, his opponent wouldn''t know where he''s attacking from as they wouldn''t even sense it. The only way to know his presence is through detecting him with their mental energy. This however will only work for the Martial Saints, the Samsara law has made his mental energy rule above the other cultivators by a huge lead. After a month has passed, Nightin himself was the firestorm. His cultivation has also soared to the peak of the Martial Spirit realm, the benefits the firestorm constitution brings about is so immense that his cultivation increase couldn''t be stopped. Coupled with his strong foundation, he doesn''t have to worry about making a rash breakthrough. He has a feeling that he might be able to contend against the weakest Martial Kings, something which has never happened ever since the ancient era passed. A Martial King has ten times the spirit energy of a Martial Lord , which has ten times the spirit energy of a Martial Spirit. His firestorm constitution alone however has already made up for the lack of it, alongside his four laws, it isn''t impossible to defeat a Martial King. All he needed right now is the opportunity to breakthrough to the Martial Lord realm. Stepping outside the portal, he left the upper realm as he returned back to reality, inside the tower made of gold. Harvard was resting at the fourth floor and dropped his tea on accident upon seeing a firestorm. A portal had opened up in the fourth floor as it ignored the arrays laid out to prevent any intrusion. Firestorms shook the array on this floor as a figure stepped out from within it. The person was Nightin who was holding his Phoenix sword in hand with his hair which had changed in colour. His hair was now long until they reached close to his wasit as his clean fringe covered his forehead without passing the eyebrows, his hair was or a mixture of red and green. The scarlet red and bottle green contrasted with each other which gave him a whole different look. The him right now could be described as handsome even among the best looking men. As his leg stepped onto the ground, he raised his head and saw Harvard who was looking at him as though as if he has seen a ghost. Out of curiosity, he asked "Harvard, are you okay? Shouldn''t you at least say hi to me?" Harvard raised his index finger and pointed it towards Nightin while he took out a talisman in preparation to escape "Just who the hell are you!" Harvard was sure that he has never seen such a handsome man in his life, not to mention that it was just a youth who was already at the Peak Martial Spirit realm. Nightin looked into the glass mirror not far from here, only to be shocked by his own looks as well. He even started to doubt if he was seering himself. He could understand what Harvard was thinking right now as he hurriedly explain "Harvard, you don''t have to worry. I''m Nightin, the youth who left with Waverly!" Harvard exhaled as he kept the talisman while he slowly tried to calm his heart down. After some time passed, he told Nightin "Young lad, come over here for a moment." Nightin did as told and walked towards Harvard and asked "What''s the matter?" Harvard started to tell Nightin "Have you heard about what your Nirvana sect who has been on fire recently?" Nightin raised his eyebrows as he replied "What about them?" Harvard started to tell Nightin about the great achievements and feats about the Nirvana sect and what they have exactly been doing recently. The first was the Azure Dragons who were lead by Alexander and Abby. Rumors has it that the Azure Dragons were being led by a youth who was only half a step away from the Martial King realm His army was at a total strength of fifteen thousand and all of them were at the high grade Martial Master realm at least. All of them were close to the second grade or the Azure Dragon Law as well. As for his personal army of hundred, all of them were high grade Martial Spirits with the strength to challenge a low grade Martial Lord. The below armies were divided into legions of five thousand man each and were led by middle grade Martial Spirits. All of them were spear users and were all third class spear wielders. They had already conquered the southern continent and were acknowledged as the greatest force on land, it''s said that they''ve already spread their hands out to the sea. Next up was Lancelot, the mysterious great disciple of the Nirvana sect who''s currently ranked twenty three among in the green dragon list. The green dragon list was where the strongest hundred youths at the Martial Lord realm lay. Nightin interjected at this point "But Lancelot isn''t at the Martial Lord realm right?" Harvard looked at Nightin as he said "Don''t interrupt me" Continuing the story, all of this happened because Lancelot actually killed the White Ravens leader who was at the Martial Lord fifth realm. At that time which was two months ago, he was only at the Martial Spirit seventh realm but was capable of bringing about ferocious lightning dragons. He had actually awakened the forbidden law, the tribulation lighting dragons! The tribulation lightning dragons is a forbidden law which has the strength of a Divine law. Many people may ask, why is it a forbidden law. It''s because of the great destruction, wherever the wielder goes, destruction is bound to happen. This is the only reason,but it would suffice for anyone who knows about the legends. As for the remaining, It''s the disciples of the Nirvana sect dominating every minor tournament in the southern continent, taking part in every city defence against the demon beasts wave. Harvard sighed as he said "It''s a pity that no one knows about the identity of their sect master, all of the disciples had their mouths sealed shut and weren''t even willing to leak out the slightest information." Nightin asked " Do you want to meet him?" Harvard''s face froze as he immediately chased on "You can arrange a meeting?" Nightin chuckled as he started to laugh out loud, his body was arched backwards against the sofa as he tell Harvard "Should I let you in on a secret?" Harvard immediately nodded like a good little boy, he was sure that Nightin wouldn''t be joking when it comes to something like this. Nightin took out his token and said "The sect master of the Nirvana sect is right here before your eyes! Hahahaha!" Discord: https://discord.gg/aXb8JT7 Chapter 58 - Sailing the seas Harvard immediately jumped of his seat and shouted, his precious staff still held in his hand "What the hell did you just say!" Nightin laughed as he repeated himself without any signs of annoyance "I said, I''m the sect master of the Nirvana sect who you have been wanting to meet." After the time of writing a few chapters had passed, Harvard finally calmed down and asked "Young fella Nightin, do you have any idea on where to go from now? I might be able to assist you." Nightin took out a map as he pointed towards the Moss forest which is past the seas and ask "Can you help me arrange a ship to the Moss forest?" Harvard immediately took out what seemed like a scroll and said "You''re in luck today! There''s a ship to the Moss forest today and the journey will only take a month. After careful thinking, I''ve decided to lead this voyage personally." Nightin was a smart person and knew that Harvard was only doing this just to accompany him on the journey, but he was thankful for it. With Harvard himself leading the whole trip, it would be the whole voyage much smoother. When Nightin arrived at the dock, the sun was shining its brightest glare at the ground in a attempt to blind the whole world, the clouds were all off duty today as they went off to have some fun. The ship was colossal and humongous, it wasn''t just a ship for transport, it was the Voyager''s family strongest warship in the lower realm. The ship had four long barrel energy cannons on each side, each loaded with thirty six shots from a energy crystal which is worth a hundred high grade spirit stone each. Every shot of it would be fatal even for a Martial Lord, yet that was only one of its weapons. Nightin looked at the ship which was standing strong even when against the waves and asked Harvard "Is this the transportation ship you were talking about? Are you sure that it isn''t a warship?" Harvard and Nightin continued to board the ship as he explained "After knowing about your identity, how could I not know my standing. Using this ship to bring you to the Moss forest is only a small trade I have in mind." Nightin could understand what Harvard meant, it is a common sight for any great forces to be roping in talented youths. Even if they won''t serve under them, it''ll definitely be worth the effort of befriending them and gaining themselves an ally. In the upper realm, there''s a famous saying "You can choose not to befriend a peerless genius, but you shouldn''t ever offend them." After Nightin boarded the ship, Harvard let a young crewman lead Nightin to his room. As for he himself, he had other matters to attend to. Just this ship alone had thousands of people operating it, this was excluding the guests which are going to the Moss forest as well. The young sailor guiding Nightin was a young boy probably only around fourteen years old, he had the average cut with brown hair and was wearing a bandana blue in colour. The young sailor politely stepped aside and said "Esteemed guest, please follow me as I lead you to your room." The young sailor was clearly experienced in this aspect, it was clear from the way he guided Nightin without the slightest signs of fear. To top it off, he was already at the sixth realm of Martial Master. Even in the true cultivation world, he would be a genius everywhere. Nightin followed suit as he asked the young sailor out of pure curiosity "What''s your name?" The boy politely replied "My name is Drave, I don''t have a surname." After finishing what he had to say, the boy continued leading the way. Nightin was about to ask the boy how he cultivated this quickly only for a man to scold Drake afar "Hey Drave the weakling, what''s a low grade Martial Apprentice like you even here as a crewman?" Drave gritted his teeth as he kept his fists clenched to the side while leading Nightin to his room. Nightin could clearly see the anger and killing intent Drave had, yet he suppressed it easily without any difficulty. Nightin wanted to know more about him right now... Nightin knew why Drake hid his true cultivation, he didn''t want to expose himself. If he were to expose his talent or strength, he would be targeted by others and attract the eyes of others. Soon, they arrived at the cabin as Drave opened the door before passing Nightin the key, telling him "Esteemed guest, this is your cabin, just click on the red button is you require any assistance." Nightin scanned the room and saw the red button which was near the door. The cabin had a window which allows one to see the sea outside, the window can be opened if one wishes to experience the breeze of the sea. A simple table with a small pot of flower which helps to calms a cultivator mind. There was a single person bed with a blue blanket on it, that was all the room had but it was sufficient. Nightin pressed on the red button and asked "Drake, I need to ask you a few questions, can you tell me about them?" Drake politely replied "Yes, you may ask me any questions." Nightin decided that there isn''t any point in beating around the bush as he directly asked "How did you cultivate this quickly without the assistance of any cultivation resources?" Drake''s heart jumped for a moment before he coldly replied this time, he had lost his usual politeness "I was a killer before this and was already at the Martial Master realm ever since thirteen. Because of my body constitution, cultivation resources which benefits others are just pure poison to me." Nightin decided to ask the system which already came back alive, but had remained silent throughout due to some reasons as he asked "System, can you detect the constitution of Drake?" The system replied in a robotic voice once again "Body constitution has been detected. The body constitution is the holy cleansed body. Cultivators who have the holy cleansed body have already been blessed with the best cultivation talents possible, the rest would be up to their own efforts." Nightin exclaimed in his heart "He''s definitely someone meant for cultivation, should I rope him in?" Nightin took out a token and passed it to Drake while saying "That''s all I have to say. If you face danger, crush the token in your hand immediately, I''ll rush there as quickly as possible." Drake nodded before he left in a hurry to do his other duties. Nightin sat down in the room to take a rest for the night, he needed a rest. Even though he has a strong will, six months of hell without any break was taking a toll on him, he needed one peaceful night to recover his fatigued state of mind. Soon, a quiet night passed, the chattering of people and hurried footsteps could be heard from the alley of the ship as the early sun rose. Nightin opened the door as he headed towards the main hall. An auction was being held there as people fought over the items. "I''m willing to pay five hundred sea stones!" "I''m willing to pay six hundred sea stones!" "I''m willing to pay one thousand sea stones!" Nightin looked up and saw a mature woman who was the seller. She was wearing a tight fitting clothes which made the gaze of those men glued to her chest, her long slit was opened up close to her buttocks which tempted them even more. Many men here were fantasising about pushing her down, but none of them had the courage to turn their thoughts into action. They weren''t foolish enough to attempt something like this against a Martial King. The item being sold right now was a orb of water, it was similar to the orb of wind which he had previously used. Even so, he was shocked when the price of it was only a thousand sea stones. There were only two possible reasons right now. The first being that sea stones are too precious, the second being that the orb of water isn''t worth much in these water areas. Scanning around the crowd, he saw a youth with long brown hair tied in a ponytail behind him as he stood there. His demeanor clearly showed that he isn''t that simple, he''s the only one who''s managing to stay calm in the crowd. Be it the current beauty or treasure, none of them seem to catch his eye. Nightin walked up to him and politely ask "This brother over here, may I ask about the conversion rate between spirit stones and sea stones?" The young man smiled back as he said "You don''t have to be so formal with me. My name is Winston, what about yours?" Nightin didn''t like the thought of making friends with a stranger, but he still decided to entertain him, as he replied "The name''s Nightin." Winston laughed as he took out a sea stone from his spatial ring while saying "See this sea stone, it''s actually worth a hundred high grade spirit stones." Nightin was shocked when he heard this, he only had around a hundred thousand middle grade spirit stones on him right now. One has to know that one hundred high grade spirit stones is worth ten thousand middle grade spirit stones which is worth a million low grade spirit stones. That was a wealth which even most third grade or even the weaker fourth grade forces wouldn''t have. Only a King grade force would have the resources to be in control of sea stones. Yet, every cultivator here had a few hundred or even thousands of spirit stones of them, the cultivators here on sea were much richer compared to those on land. Winston could see the astonishment in Nightin''s eyes as he decided to challenge Nightin to a one against one battle in the ship''s arena. With the ship''s size, it wouldn''t be surprising for it to have an arena or anything. Stepping into the arena, there was a list which had hundred names on it. Nightin fixated its gaze on the list, a name had caught his eye. It was Ayden and he was currently ranked in the ninety third place. Still, he averted his attention quickly and asked Winston "Winston, do you have any idea on how we can hold a private battle?" Winston laughed it off and said "Stop fooling around with me? A private battle isn''t something that the likes of us can afford, having a public battle wouldn''t take our lives either." Nightin could only shrug his shoulders and allow Winston to make the call. Right at this moment, the voice of a man sounded out again, it was the person who was scolding Drake just now. "Yo, isn''t this the number one youth of the Northern continent who''s bound to show off his skills in the upper realm?" Winston''s fists tightened as he replied harshly "It doesn''t have anything to do with you! Black Bear!" Black Bear is the person who currently ranks eight in the list, Nightin saw his nickname just now when he was scanning through. As a cultivator of their level, memorising a hundred names is a simple task anyone can accomplish. At this moment, Winston actually thought of a great idea and asked Nightin "Hey bro, I can see that you don''t like the likes of him as well. Why don''t we challenge him to a two versus two battle, I don''t believe that we''ll lose against him. He''s only at the Martial Lord second realm after all." At this moment, Winston had released his aura which captured everyone''s attention, a youth at the Martial Lord first realm. Chapter 59 - The battle between duos Winston ignored the crowd''s amazements and comments as he asked Black Bear in a voice filled with killing intent "You god damn black bear, do you have the guts to challenge us in a duo battle in the arena?" Black Bear broke out in laughter as his body arched back and fro, his hand was clutching his stomach as light reflected off his bald head. "Hahahaha! What did you just say?" Winston was about to repeat what he just said, but got interrupted by Nightin who decided to interject in. "I''ll repeat it again on our behalf, the two of us will challenge you. If you''re afraid, you can bring along a helper!" Black Bear smirked as he questioned "Are you sure that I can call for someone to help me? If that''s the case, we''ll meet four hours from now at Arena 37." Black Bear turned around as he left, his strong yet tall stature filled with the aura of dominance made everyone gave way to him. He may be arrogant, but he has the qualifications and strength to back him up. This is the cruel world, true strength wins you the respect of others even if you''re in the wrong, no one would dare to offend you. If you''re weak, it doesn''t matter whether you''re right, you''ll never be recognised by others. Winston walked towards the man at the registration area and asked "Can I ask what''s the allocated battlefield for Arena 37?" The man coldly replied "Due to the newly updated rules from 47 hours ago, I won''t be able to let you in on the information. You''ll however be granted access to enter the arena in advance if you would like to." Winston politely replied "Yes, that would be helpful for us." The man passes him a oceanic blue token which was carved out of sea stones, it was a rectangular token with the number 37 carved in the middle of it. Winston turned back to look at Nightin and said "Hey brother Nightin, we should take a look at the arena first. Who knows what Black Bear has up his sleeve." Nightin nodded and signalled for Winston to lead the way. Winston walked ahead as they entered a pathway with exactly a hundred portals from number one to one hundred. Walking up onto the 37th portal, the two of them stepped in as they got transported to a new arena. Winston sighed as he told Nightin "This won''t be a easy battle for us. Black Bear has intentionally chose the battlefield of greenlands, it is a battlefield which only has open space." Nightin scanned around his surroundings and all he could see was the barrier and the grass pasture beneath him. The whole arena was huge, but it would only take cultivators of their strength ten seconds to go from one end to another. Nightin replied with a voice void of any emotions, no fear could be heard from his voice "If it''s a open battle he wants, he has one!" Back in the ship, the news had already spread like wildfire into the ears of everyone. It has been a month since Black Bear last fought, everyone was curious about his battle. This wasn''t the shocking news, it was the fact that two youths challenged Black Bear to a duo battle. One has to know that every fight in the arena is a life and death battle, defeat means death in there. A old man at the bar started to gather everyone together by shouting "If you''re interested to hear some spoilers on what might be coming up next, you can gather over here! The price would be one sea stone!" A few people in the bar who were drinking almost spurt out their drink after hearing what the old man had said. Even if it''s a big piece of news, none of them would be worth a sea stone. Not to mention that it''s a sea stone for each person to listen! A hot blooded and rash youth slammed his drink on the table bar and said "Old man, what do you think you''re saying! One piece of news for a sea stone, that''s just daylight robbery!" The old man merely chuckled and said "Young lad, you should keep silent if you aren''t sure what''s coming your way. You won''t want to die from offending people you can''t afford to." The youth wasn''t willing to listen as he drew out his sabre and sliced it through the air, forming a clean cut of energy wave towards the old man. From the aura alone, the youth definitely had the strength of a high grade Martial Spirit. Even though he isn''t the most talented geniuses, he''ll still be treated as a first class talent. Everyone was expecting the old man to back out in fear or run away with some treasure he had scammed, but all they saw was him drawing out a symbol in the air. Many people were looking at him in confusion, but someone who knew what was happening shouted out "It''s an array, that old man is an array master!" Around that old man was an array meant for defense, to defend himself from the incoming attack. The array was a energy barrier which is grey in colour, that old man was a grey tier array master. In this world, array masters are divided into the five great levels. They are respectively known as white tier, grey tier, blue tier, purple tier and gold tier. In the cultivation world, ninety percent or more array masters are stuck in the white tier, around nine percent or lesser are stuck in the grey tier. As for blue tier array masters, there are only lesser than them of them, the purple tier arrays are already a legend not to mention the gold tier. "Clang!" The sabre wave was instantly destroyed as it shattered into pieces. The old man laughed as he said "Young man, I''ll let everyone in on a secret in exchange of your spatial ring." The youth wanted to retreat right away, yet he realised that a suction force was pulling him towards the old man. He had laid out an array above the other, something which only the stronger grey tier array masters can do. "Everyone here, hand me over your spatial rings right now! I''m the second Arena master Voldemort and will be helping Black Bear with his upcoming battle!" Back in the arena, Nightin and Winston were standing opposite of Black Bear and Voldemort. Winston summoned out a water dragon and whispered to Nightin "Bro, I''m a Magist, don''t expect me to be engaging in close combat, I''ll support you from afar." Black Bear took out his axe as he shouted towards the two of them "You two tiny punks, are you ready to face death?" Nightin nodded as he flashed out his sword and pointed it towards Black Bear while saying "Your life is mine!" After losing Cordelia, Nightin wasn''t the simple boy anymore. He knew that in order to protect his friends and loved ones, being ruthless is a must. Nightin scanned both Voldemort and Black Bear with his Samsara intent, this is one of the reasons why everyone fears the Samsara intent, against the samsara intent, hiding your secrets isn''t possible. Before anyone could react, he jumped towards Voldemort and slashed towards him by circling in from the right, forming a beautiful arc in the sky as he charged his sword throughout. Nightin could see his sword inching closer to Voldemort''s neck, he could see it slicing through his skin at the next moment. Voldemort didn''t even flinch as a array grey in colour appeared in front of him, the sword was stopped in place and before Nightin could fall back, a strong force reflected his own attack towards him. "Argh!" Nightin clenched his tooth as he resisted the pain, as a swordman, he has stepped onto the path of offense and speed, defense had always been his fatal weakness. Stabbing his sword onto the ground, he stopped himself from flying away, he was however already injured internally from his own attack. "What just happened, wasn''t the array only for defense?" A youth exclaimed out when he saw this scene, what he said was exactly the thoughts of most people here spectating the battle. A heated battle between two talented youths and two experts of the older generation might be disgraceful, but this is what makes the battle interesting, everyone was expecting to see the youths win even though the chances are low. "This...Voldemort isn''t just a grey tier array master, he''s infinitely close to the realm of a blue tier array master." "That''s right, what he''s just done is the double array formation where he stacked them together, that''s something which only blue tier array masters can achieve!" Back in the battle, Winston had summoned out a water dragon behind his back, the dragon had a long tail and two small yet sharp claws, above its head was a ring oceanic blue in colour. "Heaven tier, Dragon''s breath!" The dragon opened its mouth as it sprayed out a strong blast of water, the ground splitting apart wherever the tiny beam went, the ground and air were cut open like tofu as the headed towards Black Bear. Black Bear smirked as he raised his axe and sliced it towards the beam. He was a first class axe master and had awakened the Earth Bear intent of the Advanced stage. "Heaven tier, overbearing strength!" Bringing forth the strength of the Earth Bear intent as his muscles tightened, the axe in his hand glowed with a earth colour glow as he slashed it forwards. Instead of the clean cut to the ground this time, the ground was rumbling apart just like rock pieces as they fly up while dashing towards the water beam. "Boom!" "Damn! I can''t see anything!" A cultivator of the low grade Martial Spirit realm shouted out as he dashed backwards quickly, just the shockwaves from that one attack was making him feel immense pressure. "Is this even a battle between Martial Lords and a Martial Spirit anymore?" A strong wandering cultivator of the middle grade Lord realm shouted as he formed a barrier made up of spirit energy to protect everyone. After the impact, everyone retreated to the back of the arena as they watched the battle there, just the shockwaves alone were enough to injure even the high grade Martial Spirits who had let their guard down. Right when Winston thought that the first clash was over, a strong gust of wind sent all the dirt pieces which were sharp as rock flying towards him. Winston who had reacted late immediately blasted a beam of water towards the ground making himself fly backwards, making use of the momentum and chance, he condensed out a water orb this time as he sent it towards them. "Heaven tier, Dragon''s strike!" Nightin looked at the orb of water as he dashed forwards, leaping towards the orb who was piercing through the air, he raised his sword and gathered his Gale Blade law into the sword. "Mystical technique, Firestorm hurricane!" A mystical technique doesn''t have any ranking limits it, the strength of it depends on the cultivator and their comprehension towards it A strong gust of wind pushed the water orb forward while splitting it into two parts towards Black Bear and Voldemort, dashing towards them at a sudden increase in speed, something which they had never expected. "Boom!" "Sizzle!" A huge explosion occured and caused a huge crater on the ground, Voldemort and Black Bear were nowhere to be seen. "Huh? That''s all?" A young cultivator sighed, he had expected a battle of a much greater scale, filled with much more excitement as both sides placed their life on the line without any regards. "Wait? There are some energy fluctuations in the air, Voldemort had actually did it!" Chapter 60 - A heated clash Nightin and Winston were still alert even after their well planned surprise attack, even though it might have caught them off guard, it definitely wasn''t enough to claim their lives that simply. That was merely the appetizer of this life and death battle. Nightin and Winston could hear the spectator''s each and every comment, their clamour sounding beside their ears, but it was far from enough to distract them, they had all their attention towards the ambush which might come for them any moment from now. The two seemingly in good unison faced their back towards each other, the dragon and sword prepared in a defensive manner as they waited to protect their owner from the impending attack. "Fools! Die!" Black Bear and Voldemort appeared to the far end of the battlefield, as a elemental magical array of the fire element formed above them. The magical array was spinning above them, glowing orange in colour as it gave off a scorching heat which even affected the crowd, the array above the pair glared at them as energy started to concentrate. The next moment, a pillar of fire struck down towards them as Winston and Nightin quickly blocked it off at the last moment, they weren''t given enough time to defend themselves, their opponents had given them a taste of their own medicine. "Heaven tier, Dragon''s shield!" "Mystical tier, Firestorm Hurricane!" The dragon shield made of water blocked off the first impact of the inferno pillar pressuring towards them, only to release the fire leopard within it as it continued its advance. A fire leopard could be seen running towards them as it flared it sharp teeth, its razor sharp claws heading down first as though as if it''s alive. With the shattering of the Dragon''s shield after the first layer of defense, the two intense heat collided with each other as a strong gust of wind kicked off. A ravaging hurricane had torn the leopard apart into pieces before scattering away as energy. "Boom!" "Mystical sword of Samsara!" Nightin took advantage of the thick smoke and sent out his Samsara sword, which had the attack power three sub realms above him, which is comparable to the attack of the average Martial Lord third realm. He had to strike now when the opponent had lost their vision of him. Even though Black Bear and Voldemort may only be at the Martial Lord second realm and Martial Lord first realm respectively, they both had been through countless battles with their lives on the stake, their combat strength isn''t to be underestimated. Black Bear bellowed towards them as he raised his axe "If this is all you got, your life will be mine!" Black Bear changed his axe this time around, this axe was actually at the peak Royale grade, something which even Martial Kings might not own. Black Bear bulging muscle could be seen as his ribbed his shirt apart, it was restricting him too much. Making use of his Earth Bear intent, his strength doubled immediately as he sent a heavy slash towards the incoming force. A grin could be seen on his face, one of absolute confidence and arrogance. "Heaven tier, Destruction!" Nightin and Winston''s face changed immediately when their combination attack was totally destroyed easily by Black Bear. They had everything done well, but it wasn''t even close to getting him injured, all it did was make him treat it seriously. Nightin had sweat dripping down his body constantly, his robe was sticking closely to his skin as his hair wavered behind him, the grip on his sword was tightening as well. Voldemort meanwhile laughed out loud as he spread his arms wide open to the side "Guess I got to reveal my true capabilities in the end!" A array blue in colour flashed in front of him and the attack was sucked in, vanishing into the seemingly endless black hole. "Wait what! Voldemort''s a blue tier array master!" "If he really is a blue tier array master, he has already attained the qualifications to the upper realm! He''s unmatched for in terms of array skills down here!" Down here in the lower realm, the second method to head towards the upper realm besides reaching the Martial Emperor realm, would be to have talent in one of the nine recognised professions. Nightin''s and Winston face changed immediately, from the resolution to win to that of slight fear and despair. Even though they may be strong and have heaven defying combat strength, they are no match for a blue tier array master... A blue tier array master has the strength of a peak grade Martial Lord, as for one capable of doing twin cast, they would be able to contend against the weakest Martial Kings, something which is miles away from our two heroes. Winston with his Magist skill of telepathy "Hey bro, do you have any plans right now? We stand no chance against them!" Nightin stood there and stared, his gaze fixated on the array which had just appeared. Nightin didn''t whisper back or communicate back like Winston had expected, but shouted at the top of his voice "We may not be your match, but the match has only just started!" Even though knowing that this might be a losing battle with his life gone, hr wasn''t willing to back down yet, it was his sword path that brought him here, he wouldn''t destroy it just because he decided that it''s over. Nightin''s Life sword and Death sword flew out behind him as the Samsara sword joined in, the Gale sword held in his hand as his body was burning with raging flames. He has already gone on a frenzy as he brought out all his strength at once. It was too much for his body as his skin started to rupture, his muscles were tearing and sounds of his bones cracking could be heard, his body had already exceeded its limits. Taking a leap, he dashed forwards once again and with a single slash... "Mystical tier, Penta Mystic whirl!" In the six months, not only did Nightin increase his cultivation, he has found the suitable battle form for his five mystics. First Mystic: Slash Second Mystic: Pierce Third Mystic: Slice Fourth Mystic: Trap Fifth Mystic: Whirl A fast rotating energy wave whirled towards Black Bear and Voldemort, the air splitting apart as it pursued their escaping foe. The whirl charged on with unstoppable force which not even a thousand fierce soldiers can withstand, it was clad in raging flames with a trail of wind left behind. The two of them were scared of this attack, they could feel their lives in danger as they gave it all, they had to concentrate their strength, it was now or never. The whole world seemed to have frozen at this time, the shock and amazement of the spectators, the exhausted Nightin who have fallen on the ground, the surprised Winston who was at a loss, Black Bear and Voldemort who were experiencing fear from the bottom of their souls. Black Bear was thinking to himself "Little punk, you just had to force my hand! I swear that I''ll torture you slowly, I''ll rip your skin, break your limbs and bones, I''ll make you experience what hell is before death!" A ring black in colour appeared in front of him as it sucked in the incoming attack, yhe deciding move of this battle had actually been dealt without breaking out any sweat. The crowd kept absolutely silent at this point, this battle seems to be much more intense than they thought, they should be excited to witness this, but all they wanted to was to leave. The pressuring aura from their pressure seems to be crushing them. Black Bear started to pant heavily, he had forcibly activated a Noble treasures with his cultivation, even though he managed to bring out its effects, it would take him at least a month to recover. His cultivation path might even end here, he had to kill Nightin, only then will he stand a chance of advancing further in the cultivation path. The black ring floated in front of Black Bear, to its right was another thing which was black in colour as well. Black Bear and Voldemort glanced at each other and sent out their attack. Energy started to gather into the middle of the two rings, just like a whirlpool sucking all the water in. If this attack wasn''t stopped, the destructive force it would bring about would be disastrous. Winston could sense that something was amiss, the excitement and rage on his foes faces were too obvious, they definitely had the confidence to back it up with this trump card of theirs. A staff appeared in his hand the next breath, the staff was about one metre in length and had a light blue orb made of glass as the catalyst gym, the rod was dark purple in colour as it gave off the feeling of endlessness. "Descent of the Raging Dragon!" The full form of a water dragon appeared in the middle of the battlefield as it soared through the air, attempting to destroy the black rings before they could finish gathering energy. "Roar!" Nightin who had half kneeled on the ground could only hope to himself that everything will work out, he''s already too fatigued to fight, Winston has to do this by skills or trickery. Black Bear smirked as he said "I''m sorry little fellas, but this is the end. Remember not to offend people you can''t afford to in your next life!" The black beams combined together into one and with destructive force, they destroyed the water dragon as part of the residue energy dashed towards Nightin. Nightin smiled as he thought "I''m sorry everyone, but I guess that I''m at the end of my road..." The next moment, a figure appeared in front of him. "Dragon Shield!" Nightin could feel tears rolling down his eyes, he couldn''t hear anything, he couldn''t see anything but the body which has been pierced through by the black beams, falling onto the ground powerlessly with a loud thud. He wanted to cried out, but only silent despair came out from his mouth. He could feel his consciousness slipping apart as a mysterious force started to take over his body. All he heard before falling into slumber was the voice of a woman "Life the rest to me, my chosen one." "To think that you would have awakened me this early, I can''t reveal myself to you before you reach the peak Martial King realm, but I can bring you out of this crisis." When Nightin stood up again, a grey energy cluster dived into Winston''s heart without any warning as it stablised his injuries, he would be fine and all he needed now was ample rest. Nightin''s clear purple eyes had changed into that of dull grey, his long hair had turned grey as well and a scythe with three blades filled with souls and death wrapped around it, long neon purple runes were flowing across the dark purple scythe and his body. His hair swayed behind him with the coming of wind which his aura brought, enveloping him with a feeling of death and despair. He gave them a deep stare and fixated his gaze on them, all he did was stood there and look at them, just like a ruler asking his subjects who had committed a grave crime, he asked "Do you two acknowledged your mistakes?" Black Bear and Voldemort subconsciously got on their knees and said "I do, please forgive us for making such a foolish mistake! We are willing to serve young master Nightin for life, please spare this pathetic lives of ours, it wouldn''t be worth sullying your hands on trash like us..." Their voice were shaking as the crowd was statued, all of them had lost their senses right now and could only await to be brought back out, after the event is over. "If so, you may face your punishment." With a simple swing of the scythe, a slow slash which would take seconds to slice through Black Bear and Voldemort actually rooted them to the spot, they were unable to move or fight back, but could feel death coming for them. They wanted to stand up, but wasn''t able to resist the gravity force pressuring them. Chapter 61 - The exiles At this moment, a mysterious man wearing a robe appeared. His facial features from top to bottom was totally covered up by the clear dark robe, all that could be seen are his sharp eyes. If it was any ordinary person who saw those eyes, they might even go crazy for life or in the worst case, die on the spot. With a swing of his robe, a invisible energy force appeared in the air and destroyed the incoming scythe attack into nothingness. "Haha, so you''re the one who chose this young lad? I shouldn''t have overestimated you." The mysterious man laughed out loud as behind that robe, he was clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, strong desire for revenge could be seen. Nightin didn''t even flinch and stared at him "You''re merely a low ranking member of the Exiles, what gives you the privilege or authority to comment about me?" Nightin didn''t back down as he fiercely countered back. The exiles were the race who once dominated the Ancient era, but because of the demigod crisis that took place, most of their high ranking members were slaughtered and it led to their downfall. Back then, it was rumored that the Exiles, had successfully escorted their number one talent to safety. Considering their sudden rise and appearance, it seems that they''re ready to claim back their divine throne, they won''t allow anyone or anything to stand in their path. "I may not be qualified to mention your great name, but you''re nothing but a spirit that''s barely alive for now, I have no reasons to fear you." "But don''t worry, I''ll be taking my leave as I bring along those two slaves of mine." The Exile formed a black portal behind him as he threw both his slaves into it before stepping in, turning his head to look at Nightin before he left, he said "That chosen one of yours is nothing to us." "Argh, where am I?" A ray of sunlight had shone through the cabin window into Nightin''s eyes, waking him up from his unknown rest. Placing his hand on his face, a train of thoughts started to flow past his mind. "What am I doing here? Who brought me here? What happened to the battle? What happened to Winston?" As the thought of Winston who had died to protect him went past his mind, a mind splitting pain started to devour him as he clutched his hands and tumbled on the floor. "Hey, what are you doing bro?" A familiar voice made its way like peaceful music into Nightin''s ears as he raised his head, it was the person who he was missing. The same long brown hair tied in a ponytail behind his head, a bracelet on his right wrist to supply him with mana in times of emergrncy, the same demeanor which veiled him with a sense of mysteriousness. Nightin slowly dropped his hands and asked "Is that you...Winston?" His voice was shaking from excitement and fear, he was worried that all that was just a fleeting dream of his. "Yes, it''s me bro, I''m still alive and have even made a breakthrough to the Martial Lord third realm, even the barrier to the fourth realm is breaking apart." Nightin smiled and said softly "That''s good..." Fainting once again, his body fell forward and landed on Winston''s shoulders. Winston slowly brought Nightin to his bed as he took out a piece of paper, walking up to the table, he took out a pen with black ink. When Nightin woke up again, he was in a lost, he couldn''t remember anything else besides his name. Scanning around, he saw a letter with his name on the cover and picked it up, it might have the answer which he needs right now. "Nightin, I''ll be taking my leave first. We might meet again one day in the upper realm, I believe that the day we reunite will be soon. Our time together may have been short, but you''re the first person who made me feel that warmth still exists in this cold yet harsh world. Thanks for the short memories you''ve given me..." Nightin didn''t know who this Winston guy was, but sorrow started to invade his heart as tears welled up in his eyes, rolling down his cheeks uncontrollably like a infinite number of pearls. Nightin''s aura was totally different right now, he may still be at the Martial Spirit, but he already had the strength to contend against a Martial King... Nightin picked himself off his bed and walked out of the door, what greeted him was the huge ground with their clamour. "Omg! He''s so cute!" "The young hero is finally out!" "Where''s his friend though?" It turns out that before the spirit who had posssessed Nightin left, she brainwashed everyone into thinking that Nightin''s a talented genius with defying strength. To everyone who was spectating the battle or even those who aren''t, he was a genius who ended the battle in one move, claiming the lives of two great experts easily. Nightin who was still in a daze politely asked the middle aged man beside him "Excuse me, but what are y''all doing? What am I doing here and where are we heading to?" The crowd stared at him as they shouted in unison "What!" None of them had expected this genius in front of them, to be behaving like a shy little boy who''s lost. "No way, did he lose his memories!" "How could this happen, he seemed fine even after the battle ended!" "Did he use a forbidden art which brought about this side effect?" Harvard who had somehow caught wind of the news immediately grabbed Nightin by the neck and dragged him to the private chamber. Nightin didn''t understand why he could see the surroundings so clearly, they were already travelling at a tremendous speed, he was worried but realised that his body wasn''t even feeling the slightest anxiety or fear. Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the private chamber. To the right was a passcode which Harvard swiftly keyed in with a few clicks of his fingers before stepping in. Nightin looked at Harvard shyly and asked "Uncle, why did you bring me here all of a sudden? Do you perhaps know why I''m here?" Harvard sighed as he thought to himself "I guess the worst still happen after all." Harvard wasn''t willing to accept this himself, it wouldn''t make sense for someone like Nightin to actually lose his memories and even forget what cultivation is. "Have you really forgotten about everything? About why you''re heading to the Moss forest and your true identity?" Harvard impatiently asked, if there''s even the slightest chance of helping Nightin to recover, he would be willing to pay any cost. "I''m sorry, but I''ve really forgotten. Thanks for letting me know where I''m heading to, but what''s my true identity?" Harvard was deliberating within his heart, struggling to come to a conclusion, should he reveal the truth or hide it? Would a white lie be the best choice here? "You''re the sect master of the Nirvana sect." Nightin froze for a moment, the mind splitting pain was attacking him again and he fell on the ground, his arms clutching his head "Nirvana...sect...what is it?...why does it...seems do familiar...and close to...me." Harvard knew that he didn''t stand a chance of helping Nightin to recover, but he had one thought in mind. If he brought Nightin to the King forces tournament, will he be able to recover his lost memories? Back in Nightin''s room, he was laying in bed questioning himself, yet he doesn''t have a single answer to them. A wandering spirit grey in colour gradually came into form before his eyes, it was a woman which he remembered, the only person still in his memories. She smiled and said "I''m sorry for taking your memories for awhile, I was just curious to what you''ve been true and lost track of time, I''ll be returning them to you now." The next moment, Nightin could feel his memorising returning to him as he forgotten about what just happened. Nightin knew that he had to leave the ship, even if it means giving up the easiest mode of transport. With his Samsara sword below him, he leaped out of the window and continued heading towards the moss forest. Before leaving, he made his way to Harvard''s room and told him "Uncle Harvard, I''ve recovered my memories somehow.", Harvard who was still resting on his bed jolted up at this time and shouted "Are you serious? How did it happen?" Nightin could only tell Harvard about everything he knows from the start and explained his reason for leaving. If he doesn''t leave right now, he might capture too much attention and bring both himself and Harvard unwanted trouble. In the night sky, the figure of a young man could be seen gliding through the air, below him was a sword clad in purple. Below him was a small town with bright lightings, it had caught itd attention as he decided to rest there for the night. Slowly gliding downwards, he was about to descend onto the ground when a carriage suddenly charged towards him. "Hey, get out of the way!" On the front of the carriage was the rider with a whip in hand, below him were two blazing steeds of the Demon Lord early realm. Seeing that Nightin wasn''t willing to dodge, he sent his whip forwards towards Nightin''s face, if he doesn''t block it, it would definitely injure him. Nightin was about to make a move and kill him when the voice of a young woman stopped the rider as he kept his whip. "That''s enough, what do you think you''re doing? Haven''t I told you countless times that you shouldn''t resort to violence?" A young woman probably around fourteen stepped out of the carriage, she had a well sculpted nose, a small captivating mouth, clear eyes which reflects his own image back to him, her hair flowed behind her like a waterfall and on her right wrist was a snake tattoo. The rider got on his knees and apologised "I''m sorry young lady, but I was just trying to speed up considering that you''re anxious to return home!" "Even so, that doesn''t give you a valid reason to attack that young master, I expect you to apologise to him sincerely." The woman rebutted sharply without sparing him any face, she may be young but she already has the charm and intelligence of a mature woman. If she''s given a few more years, she would definitely become a first class beauty which captures the eyes of everyone. The rider hesitated before replying "Your orders are received, young lady." He stood up and walked towards Nightin, clasped his fists and said "I''m sorry for my sudden action just now, I hope that you can forgive me for my moment of folly." The rider himself was a Martial Lord fifth realm cultivator, but he actually felt fear from Nightin who was only at the Martial Spirit peak realm. Coupled with the orders of her lady, he had no choice but to make the apology. Nightin ignored him and asked the woman behind "Excuse me miss, but can you tell me about this town? I plan to stay here for the night." The woman smiled and said "Of course I can." Chapter 62 - Lim family Along the way, Nightin received a series of information from the woman as they descended onto the ground. She was the only daughter of the Lim family, one of the five great families of the Clear Blue city who was in charge of the defense. Her name is Selena Lim and she''s the only female general of this city, a fourteen year old young lady at the Martial Spirit second realm. As they descended onto the ground, Selena asked Nightin politely "Young master, would you consider joining my army? I''m sure that you''ll be treated with high regards with your high talent and cultivation." Nightin could understand Selena''s thoughts, as a general, it wouldn''t be a surprise that she''s trying to pull in potential youths. While the strongest group in the army might be strong, their potential has been used up with little room left for improvement. Nightin replied back with respect "I''m sorry Selena, but I''m afraid that I''ll have to reject your offer." "Who do you think you are! What gives you the courage to speak to the General this way!" It was the rider who had attempted to kill Nightin just now who interjected in. Nightin ignored him and continued to explain via asking "Selena, have you heard about the Nirvana sect who has been on a rise throughout this time period?" Selena pouted her cheeks and said "Of course I would have heard of it! It would be weird if someone doesn''t know about the Nirvana sect. Lets stop talking about the formal matters alright?" Soon, Nightin arrived at the Lim family alongside Selena and her guard. At the entrance of the Lim family were two young guards at the Martial Spirit seventh realm, on their hands were to spears of the low magical grade. This further shows the strength of the Lim family and how they became one of the five great families here. A Martial Master with such a strong foundation and young age around twenty would still be a second class genius even in the stronger sects, yet they''re only low ranking guards in charge of the entrance. The guard on the right placed his spear to the side and asked Selena "Young lady, who is the sir beside you right now? The family head has issued orders that you aren''t allowed to bring anyone of the opposite sect into the family grounds." Selena blinked as she clasped her hands and jumped "Oh yea, I forgot to ask him about his identity! I''ll ask him right away." The two guards shook their head as they turned and smiled at each other, it was apparent that this isn''t the first time. Turning her head to the left, she asked "Young master, would you perhaps share your name at least and where you''re from, if not I''m afraid that I can''t invite you in." Nightin took out a token and showed it to the guard, it was his personal token as the sect master of the Nirvana sect, the guards should be able to recognise it. Every guard if well trained, should be able to recognise all the important tokens, to avoid bringing any unwanted trouble for the family. The guard took the token over and looked at it carefully, it was clear that he was well trained in this aspect as well. Soon, his body started to shake as returned the token back with trembling hands "Sect master of the Nirvana Sect, young master Gale, our family welcomes your great arrival." Selena and her rider, including the other guard stared at Nightin with wide open eyes, the man in front of them was actually the legendary figure who has been staying unknown to the world. Selena sneaked her hand over and grabbed Nightin''s robe while asking "Young master Gale, why didn''t you be honest with me just now?" Nightin didn''t know why, but he felt like he had just deceived a innocent young girl as he replied "Okok, it''s my fault alright?" Selena pouted her lips as she crossed her arms, subsconciously pushing up her undeveloped bosom, giving all the guys here a feast for their eyes. The other guard at this time said with respect "Young master Gale, please follow me a I lead you to the guest room not far from here." Nightin nodded and politely said "That''ll be appreciated." Soon, they arrived at a guest room which was clearly of a higher quality than the others. The wooden pieces were clean without a speck of dust on them, comfortable materials were used for the chairs and bed, everything else was also made of rare treasures as well. Nightin understood that the guard was only doing what he''s ought to and didn''t blame him. The guard slowly stepped out and said "You can take a rest here for tonight." Right when he was about to close the doors, two tiny bottle flew towards him and he caught it within his palm. Nightin''s voice sounded from the other side of the door as he informed the guard "Both of these bottles contain meridian cleansing pills, with that one pill, your further achievements should be further and the Martial King realm should be possible." The guard kindly thanked Nightin before taking his leave excitedly, heading back towards his friend who was still on guard duty to pass him the bottle, it may be a simple task, but it was a huge figure who entrusted him with it. Back in the Lim family, Selena was currently in her father''s room as she half kneeled there facing her blood related father, they were just like a subject greeting his loyal ruler. The current Selena had lost her sense of innocence and in place was that of a deadly lotus, covered by hidden sharp thorns. Selena was wearing a exposing black clothing which revealed her fair shoulders, a black robe covering her cleavage while revealing a fair bit of the top, down below was a short skirt barely covering her ass which gives off her long legs for the whole world to see. Selena''s father Simon Lim stood there and lowered his head, his gaze fixated on her daughter as he asked "I told you to bring back a prey and you brought back a disaster? What the hell are you thinking of!" Selena''s body shuddered as she replied with a shaking voice "I don''t know why...But I just felt that I must protect him...I wanted to get close to him...I..." Selena was unable to keep up with her explanation as she started to pant heavily. Simon Lim looked at the portrait of his wife on the wall before sighing "I''m sorry Rose, but I guess our daughter still fell in love in the end." Selena stood up as she asked her father, her both hands playing around with the two daggers as she asked "Father, can I expose our identity to him? I don''t want to be a liar towards him anymore." Simon coldly replied "Selena, he has to leave by tomorrow morning or I''ll take that heart of his personally and shatter it before your very eyes." Simon may be sounding calm right now, but he was actually struggling within his heart, is he making the right choice for her daughter''s future? Selena left the room as she said "I''ll leave the Lotus clan in this case, I''ll accompany his side just like a shadow and protect him from harm. If anything mishap ever happens to him, you won''t see me again." Selena turned around and left the room swiftly, tears were welling up in her eyes as she made the tough decision, one side was her one sided love while the other side is her father. Simon looked at the portrait and said "I''m sorry Rose, but I guess that our daughter has still decided to go on with the man she loves." Selena, just like a young bird who has gained independence, soared into the sky and transformed into a elegant beauty. The next morning, Nightin awoke and saw a young lady lying on his chest, it was Selena as she laid there in the revealing attire from last night. Nightin tried to avert his gaze, only to fail in a futile attempt. His eyes scanned her delicate fist before looking down to her neck and down to her bosom as his gaze fixated there. Little did he know that Selena who had just woken up was already blushing and looking at his handsome face. Right at this moment, the door opened as two figures dashed in, it was the two guards from yesterday as they stood there, rooted to the spot with shock on their faces as their spears dropped on the ground. Nightin looked up at them before looking down, only to see Selena looking at him as she cuddled into his embrace and laid there like a little cat. Selena smiled and said "Good morning, Nightin. How did it feel like sleeping with me in your embrace?" Nightin didn''t know why, but he could feel his heart beating faster and faster with every passing second. Even so, he quickly calmed himself down and pushed Selena away while saying "Selena, please mind your actions, we''re of opposite genders after all." Selena ignored him willfully and said "It doesn''t matter, I''ll make you mine one day. I have talked with my father about it and I''ll be joining you from today onwards." Nightin who was tidying up his clothes gave her a stare and paused, saying "I have never agreed to bring you along with me, please don''t jump to such conclusions without consulting me in advance." Selena rebutted back "I don''t care, I''ll follow you no matter where you go." Nightin pushed her onto the bed and threatened "I''ll say this again, don''t you force my hand!" Selena struggled and tried to break free while screaming "What the hell are you doing, the guards are still around, if you really want to, then at least do it when we''re alone!" Nightin coldly said "They''ve already left since long ago." Selena looked up only to realise that besides Nightin who was above her right now, there''s no one present. Nightin turned back and without hesitation, told Selena "I''ll be taking my leave, I''ll emphasise this again, do not tag along." A purple sword appeared below Nightin as he took off into the horizon, advancing towards the Moss forest still while it''s still daylight. "Whoosh!" Nightin took out without even turning back, he wanted to prove to Selena that he doesn''t care about her as he deceives her, he didn''t want her to get hurt as well. Even so, never would he have expected that Selena would actually pursue him and stalk him throughout. Selena gave herself a sly smile as she took out a pair of wings at the noble treasure rank, the wings were of a light shade of violet as they spread out to the side, her hair turned purple as she took out a mask to cover her face. "Swoosh!" Selena had actually stalked Nightin and somehow avoided his senses with the help of her mask, another noble treasure which helps to prevent detection. "Hehe, don''t you even think about throwing me off, I''ll follow you to the depths of the world!" Chapter 63 - Path of a Diviner After Nightin left the Clear Blue city, he made his way towards the city about two hundred miles away from his current location. With his cultivation, it was a journey which will take him up to half a day to cover the distance. Soon, he landed on the ground and made his way into the Vermilion city. This was a city well known for having experts of all nine professions gathered here, including some hidden professions which few people know of. Nightin walked up to a nearby shop and bought a map and opened it up. The city he was in was divided into nine districts with respect to the nine professions. The nine professions are respectively known as: Alchemist, Forgist, Array Master, Charmist, Mechanist, Magist, Beast Summoners, Soul Oracle and last but not least poison masters. Nightin has many times asked himself one question ever since he started to climb up "Should I step onto the path of dual professions?" In the past, he would hesitate and decide to pursue the sword path further on, he didn''t want to get distracted. But now, he realised his weakness compared to others, it was his innate talent. In order to compensate for it, stepping onto the path of an alchemist would be the best choice. While it''s true that the Firestorm body of his may prove to be unmatched and even top tier in the upper realm, if he were to break through the chains one day, his talent would stop him from advancing and further, he needed more than just chances. Walking into the alchemist hall, he was about to apply for permission to read the theory books when an old man called for him "Young lad, are you interested in the path of a Diviner?" Nightin ignored him and continued walking ahead, only to be asked the same question "Young lad, are you interested in the path of a Diviner?" Nightin turned back this time and questioned the old man, slight irritation could be heard in his voice "What is it that you want? Money, food or cultivation resources?" The old man broke out into laughter as he revealed his remaining two white teeth and said "Is that seriously what you think I''m asking about?" Nightin chased on, his tone much harsher this time as he threatened "Don''t force me to make a move, even if it''s in a public area, I would still have the courage to take action." Nightin may be someone who doesn''t like to pick trouble, but if someone decides to step on his tail, he wouldn''t mind fighting back regardless of the consequences. The old man walked away as he supported himself with a regular wooden cane which can be found anywhere and said "Follow me if you want to know the reason why I''m bothering you of all people." The old man''s figure started to drift out of Nightin''s view among the crowd, he seemed to have absolute confidence that Nightin will follow him as his deductions proved him right. Nightin chased after the old man and arrived beside him in a flash, Nightin expected the old man to lead him somewhere near, yet it was actually towards the nearest mountain two miles from here. Two miles may be a short distance to him, but it would take a long period of time if he were to follow the pace of the old man. Nightin wasn''t willing to waste time by following the old man and impatiently asked "Are we seriously going to walk at this pace throughout the journey? The sun would have set down by then." The old man kept his poker face and replied in a deep voice "Young lad, learn to calm your mind down. Look around you and appreciate the beauty of nature as you immerse yourself in this serene environment." Nightin wanted to rebut, but the old man placed a finger on his lips and shut him up with a low shush. Nightin knew that it was pointless to argue back and reluctantly did as told. When he opened his eyes once again, the same scenery brought him a refreshing feeling. The maple leaves on this road brought about a cooling feeling as they slide across the ground and fall. The cold wind breezed past his face which made his body shudder for a moment, but it gave him a peace of mind. Soon, he felt the firestorm within his body flaring up as they went on a calm rampage within his body. Pain? All he felt was a string of energy filled with life force within his body as his Life sword left his body. Unknown to the current him, the old man beside him was shaking in both excitement and anticipation as he subconsciously mumbled "How could his potential be this great..." When Nightin opened his eyes once again, he could feel the barrier towards the Martial Lord realm loosening up, he just needed that one final strike to split it open and step into a brand new world. Within his life sword, a spark of fire had been lit up as it brought about new life. Nightin turned to look at the old man beside him and said with respect "Thank your senior for your assistance. May I know where you chose me out of all people?" "Shhh, You''ll know the answer soon enough once we arrive at our destination." Passing through the walkway, they arrived at the foot of the mountain before sunset. Circling to the back of the mountain, the old man placed his palm on a part of the mountain and a entrance appeared in front of them. Walking down the stairs which were dimly lighted up by flare torches, they arrived at what seems like a chamber filled with nothing but bookshelves. There were around thousands of bookshelves with a few hundred theory books on each, adding up to hundreds of thousands of them, this was only the first of the nine sections on top of it. The total number of books here, could very well exceed that of a million. The old man walked up to what seems like a stone platform to Nightin, on the rectangular top of it was a magic circle. Taking out a small pocket knife from his trousers, he lazily made a small cut on his finger, allowing a drop of blood to drip onto the magic circle. "Whirr! Whirr!" The magic circle vibrated and gave off a low constant sound which reverberated within the chamber, the magic circle radiated with a holy glow, so bright that it blinded Nightin''s eyes. When Nightin opened his eyes again after a short eternity, ancient texts and runes were the first things that flashed in his vision. The old man then started to explain "I''m just a mortal with probably only seven years of my lifespan left. Ever since I was young, I had been searching for an answer, the method of cultivation as a mortal." "Ever since three years ago, I''ve already given up on that far fetched hope and decided to enjoy life, until you somehow caught my eye. For someone with your age, cultivation and aura, it doesn''t make sense for you to be this weak unless you have low innate talent." Nightin kept calm on the surface, but he understood that the mortal standing before him isn''t simple, he had wisdom which no mortal should own, if he becomes a cultivator, his future would be a grand path already laid out. "Old man, just what is it that you want?" Nightin was starting to feel himself releasing killing intent towards the old man, a mortal which should have no ties with the likes of him. He himself was shocked, he actually felt threatened by a mortal, is that even possible? "I remember telling you that I want you to step onto the path of a Diviner, to help me make a body constitution that suits me only." Nightin''s body shuddered when he heard this, changing someone''s body constitution is an extinct method ever since the Ancient era and yet he has a chance right now. What if he could change both his and his disciples talent? Even though their talent might be top notch in the lower realm and of first class in the upper realm, what would they be when they shatter through space on that fateful day? Now, the key to open up the chest of hope has been found, they just needed to find the hidden chest. Gradually, the old man began to explain to Nightin about what a Diviner should be capable of and what are the reasons for becoming one. As a Diviner, he should know all the theory for all the nine professions, only when his knowledge is qualified for the first stage of the nine professions, would he be able to advance to the first stage of a Diviner. The most difficult thing however is that, they would have to be capable of applying their theory to visual practical situations. Visual practical situations refers to the person, being able to apply his theory and get others to implement it without doing so himself. After that will be the second step where they''ll have to condense all the knowledge together themselves to find the best method for each individual, only after reaching the river will they cross naturally and step onto the next stage. When that time comes, he would be able to make for anyone a copper level body constitution, by the time he hits the third stage, even creating a gold rank body constitution for someone would be possible. This applies to mortals as well, the only problem is that it''s resource consuming which stops him from doing so just because he wants to. Nightin had one ambition at this point, to help all his disciples stand above others when it comes to innate talent, that would be the first step of development to ruling the cultivation world. If his disciples cultivate faster than others, they wouldn''t have to worry about their future lacking manpower, they would only grow stronger and stronger. Nightin got down on his knees and respectfully said "Disciple Nightin pays respect to master." After that, he kowtowed three times as a form of respect to his master, the old man before standing up. The old man smiled and laughed out loud "Hahahaha finally, I''ve waited for this day all my life. I''ll be honest in telling you that I''m only at the second stage of theory for all the nine professions, only my alchemist theory is at the third level." Nightin didn''t know what to say at this time, the old man clearly didn''t have the interest to study these theories, not to mention that he''s only a mortal with slow comprehension speed, such a feat could only be described as peerless. If the old man was a cultivator and has their comprehension and reading speed, he might already be at the grandmaster level for all the nine recognised professions, becoming a person who everyone will respect. The old man continued "My future doesn''t lay on the extinct path of a Diviner either, I only want to be someone who can immerse myself in the path of guidance." "Path of guidance?" Nightin asked the old man right after he was done speaking. "Yes, the path of guidance means that I''ll be someone who focuses on teaching and guiding others to improve." The old man could sense that Nightin was merely asking out of curiosity and thus answered without giving much thought into it. His only disciple in the meantime, was thinking to himself "He would be a great addition to my sect! How should I trick him into entering?" Soon, Nightin started on his training to become a Diviner. Climbing up the ladder in the most relaxing method ever. Chapter 64 - The clouds after the rainbow "Whirl!" "Boom!" Strands of spirit energy could be seen flowing in the air, mainly the colour of light wind and purple, the spiritual energy in the room was so immense that the walls seem to be breaking apart. Nightin who was sitting down in the middle, was finally making his final breakthrough to the Martial Lord realm, after four months of training day and night. To top it off, he also managed to learn and comprehend the first stage theory of all the nine recognised professions, all he was lacking right now is the next stage of applying it to visual practical situations. Nightin who was sitting down in the middle sucked in all the spirit essence flowing around him, his spiritual core was breaking apart into pieces. The more pieces they break into now, they more his spiritual core would evolve and bring him greater benefits. There''s a reason behind why Martial Spirits are nothing but mere ants in the eye of Martial Lords, when a Martial Spirit undergoes the dangerous change of evolving their spiritual core, their spirit essence thickness and purity including the volume would be increased. The Martial Lord realm was the first realm of divisions, the second realm of division being past the Martial Saint realm which is unheard of in this cultivation world. The spirit core can be divided into nine grades, if the spirit core doesn''t break apart, that person would be a first grade Martial Lord who would never progress any further. Two times two making it four pieces, will make someone a second grade Martial Lord. To become a saint, the qualifications would require someone to break their spirit core into seven times seven, forty nine pieces. Many people believe that forty nine is the limit, never would they know that all the Martial Saints are in a dilemma because of this, they didn''t have the chance to turn back time. Even for the younger generation, none of them were able to escape the fate of being capped at forty nine spirit core pieces, this is with the assistance of Martial Saints, countless precious resources, the best cultivation grounds, the strongest cultivation techniques and the perfect foundation to everyone. Many cultivators in this world are thinking of changing the spirit core into seven grades officially, but every Martial Saint has issued an order of rejection, none of them were willing to accept this new policy. If that really happens, their era would never rise up and they''ll eventually collapse. For Nightin right now, his spirit core was gradually breaking apart into pieces, rapidly breaking apart all the way until thirty six pieces. Just one more step and he would be able to contend against the top geniuses of this world. "Crack!" His spirit core reformed again before breaking into forty nine pieces. Nightin scanned within his body, only to realise that this painful process wasn''t over. The step towards the Martial Lord realm isn''t a small one, the main reason for death is due to weak willpower, if one can''t endure the pain, death awaits them on the other side. "Argh!" Nightin groaned in pain as he clenched his teeth, sweat was dripping down his back as his robe stuck closely to his skin, his three swords were spiralling around him as his Gale blade stayed above him without moving. Nightin felt like giving up right now as he forcibly stops the process, that might damage his foundation and roots and end this cruel process, but there was that one rope which suddenly hanged down from above. "Plop! Plop!" To Nightin''s view, there was a fountain with two circular layers, the beautiful rainbow light source shone upon them as they radiated off bright colours into his eyes. The sky was of a cheerful yellow, the fountain was of peaceful water, the ground was of sturdy protection and to his far end right was a courage gate of flames. Nightin felt like he was in heaven as he closed his eyes to immerse himself in this peaceful paradise and travel further away from the gate blazing with flames, yet he felt a strong desire tugging his heart. His legs weren''t listening to his mind as they inched closer to the gate second by second, one step at a time, every step took him years, but he still made it eventually. With his half opened eyes, he slowly pushed open the gate and stepped into it. "Creak!" In front of him were nine steps, the nine steps were made of dark red jagged rocks, below them were hot molten lava which gave off scorching heat. The first seven rocks were blazing with a orange glow and gave off the feeling of cooling heat in this dry atmosphere. Nightin wasn''t a fool and understood that the remaining two which has yet to be glowing, are the remaining two grades of his spirit core. If he takes the two steps now, it would lead him one step further. He understood the difference between him and those from space, his talent was probably only that of a mortal there. With slow steady steps, he stepped onto the first rock, onto the second, all the way until he reached the seventh rock. Closing his eyes, he exhaled heavily as he took out his sword once again, it gave him courage whenever it was within his grasp. Taking out the eighth step, the flames started to wrap around his body in an attempt to devour him, he had to disperse off the flames before he can advance onto the eighth step. Tightening the grip on his sword, he stepped forwards while mustering all his strength. "Argh! I can''t give up here, this is only the first step of mine in paving out my way to the true cultivation world!" As this thought flashed by, his leg landed on the eighth step safely as it started to glow, he had activated the legendary eighth grade spirit core, but would he be able to continue? Nightin stared at the ninth rock platform, he had a feeling that he might truly die if he stepped on it, he would be letting everyone down if that happens, his awaiting parents, his young disciples, the Voyager family... No, he can''t give up now! With a leap, he jumped towards the ninth and final rock platform, only for a dragon of fire to spiral up from the lava, it opened its mouth and fired a inferno beam towards Nightin before dispersing. If Nightin endures through this attack, rainbows would be awaiting, if he died, he would truly die here. With a single swing of his sword, he gathered everything into it. "Mystical tier, Firestorm Hurricane!" A strong gust of wind surrounded by blazing flames appeared in the air as a slash, dashing towards the beam without any signs of fear or retreat, it had heard its master resolve and determination, its spirit and morale had been lifted up to a brand new height, amplifying its destruction and force to a whole new level. "Boom!" "Rumble!" The ground and surrounding cave seemed to be breaking apart from the terrifying shockwave as the two attack dashed into the air and took form of a Dragon and Phoenix. That''s right, Nightin''s attack had actually took the form of a Phoenix out of his expectations as the two fought in the air. The phoenix cried out in a loud screeching voice as it dashed straight into the Dragon, both of them shattering into energy forms before dispersing. It''s at this moment that Nightin questioned himself, just what is my background? Am I someone who belongs to this cultivation world to begin with? Stepping onto the ninth rock platform, he returned to reality and could see the eighty nine pieces of his spirit core devouring all the spirit essence in the air. Even so, the spirit essence which has been brewing for tens of years here wasn''t enough for him and he needed much more of them. If he doesn''t get enough spirit essence, his breakthrough might fail and bring about unwanted disaster. His master who saw this sighed to himself and mumbled "I guess that I still have to help you out in the end. My other self , just wait for me... You can blame me for prioritising him before you, but if he truly survives now, you''ll rebirth stronger than ever." A lotus glowing with holy light appeared in the air, it had clean yet sharp pink petals as it flowed above Nightin before dashing into his spirit core, supplying it with the needed spirit core as it helped with the progress. "Vzzt! Whirr!" A bolt of thunder from within the lotus forcibly broke apart the spirit core when it finished merging the eighty one pieces which greatly shocked Nightin, the ninth grade was the limit, where would this lead him... To his amazement, he didn''t feel any pain as his spirit core broke apart into a hundred pieces before coming back together, no signs of strong spirit essence could be found. Has this made him a first grade Spirit Lord? Nightin opened his eyes and looked at his master, telling him in a cold voice "Master, I would like some alone time." The old man couldn''t understand why he couldn''t sense any excitement in Nightin, but he still stepped out of the room. "Ta-Ta- Ta-Ta" With the old man leaving the room, Nightin slowly tried to calm his worried mind down, he didn''t want his cultivation journey to end here. When he inspected his spirit core, he realised that it was indeed made up of just one spirit piece, a one grade spirit core for a Martial Lord. "No, I can''t give up this easily!" Nightin sat down and tried cultivating, only to realise that the surrounding energy was already being sucked in by his spirit core without his intention to do so, the spirit energy in the surrounding air wasn''t anywhere near enough either. Nightin realised one thing from this, his spirit core is abnormal and the amount of spirit energy he needs for each breakthrough will be tremendous. Just from his current cultivation speed at 24/7 hrs, it would take him a month to breakthrough again, which made him slower than the first ladder talents. This drawback however, was nothing compared to the spirit essence amount he would have after each breakthrough. Stepping outside the room, he found his master reading about a book on the formations of continents and asked "Master, what are you reading about?" The old man ignored him and continued reading, his face changing from that of shock and amazement to confusion. Nightin probed again as he poked his master "Master, what''s going on?" The old man took in a deep gulp of saliva and said "I seemed to have discovered a huge secret. The outer space we believe in doesn''t exist..." Chapter 65 - Last part of the journey Ever since that day, Nightin had already departed towards his final destination, the city past the Moss forest where the King Forces tournament will be held, the city of reverence. To be more exact, it was already past the scaling of a city. It was a kingdom which was ruled by the only Martial Emperor in the lower realm, as for whether a Martial Emperor truly resides in the lower realm, that''s a question which no one would ever have an answer to. It was currently twenty days away from the King Forces tournament and some important news have just been spread out. Out of the one thousand plus participating sects, only sixty four of them would be able to take part. Besides the King Forces, this could be the main highlight of this whole tournament. As the winner of the Top Forces tournament would be eligible to challenge any of the King Forces. Nightin walked up to the registration hall and saw a man sitting down at the counter. In front of him was a registration form used to form up the participation card, which would require the sect master to register personally using his or her personal token. Nightin took out his toke from his spatial ring and held it by the feather before carefully placing it down on the table for inspection. To prevent any wandering cultivators or anyone with weird ideas to come up with an method to deceive the check, they actually invited the one and only gold ring Array Master from the upper realm after paying a sky high price, to create and enforce a inspection array. This resulted in the group of people who wanted to sneak their way in to have no choice, but to abandon the idea of doing so. The counter took over the Nirvana token which Nightin passed to him and placed it into the inspection machine, which contained the array made by that particular Array Master. "Scanning in progress... Scanning has been completed, identity has been successfully verified as true." A well articulated robotic voice sounded out when the token entered the machine,before flashing out an identity card with blue as the background colour. Identity: Sect master of the Nirvana sect, Nightin Cultivation: Martial Lord early stage, Sword Ancestor Even though Nightin isn''t a Sword Ancestor yet, two half Ancestor sword laws and two first class sword laws definitely places him among the Sword Ancestors. The robotic voice then sounded off again "Sect master of the Nirvana sect, please head towards the King class sect resting area to await your disciples arrival. Nightin nodded his head as he made his way to the gathering area, even though he doesn''t understand why his sect is already a King force. [At the gathering area] Pawn was standing face to face with one of the disciples from the Psychic sect, one of the five King forces. "You''re one of the representatives as a early grade Martial Lord? Don''t make me laugh!" The psychic sect disciple released his powerful aura of a late stage Martial Lord. *Realms from the Martial Lord realm onwards are divided into the four stages: early stage, middle stage, late stage and completion stage.* Pawn merely smirked and asked in a playful tone "If you can even touch me without getting defeated, I''ll give you my spatial ring, how about it?" "You said it yourself!" The psychic sect disciple took out a chakram and threw it towards Pawn, imbuing it with his psychic energy as it sliced through the air horizontally, aiming for Pawn in the abdomen. Swoosh "This ain''t enough you fool." Pawn with a calm mind, drew out a blue array in the air and said "Blue ring array: Ice grasp!" A hand made of ice appeared from within the array and grasped the chakram, with a flick, it actually had its own consciousness and threw it towards the opponent closing in from the right. "The hell is this!" That disciple realised that his chakram was out of control until the attack lands, with a thought of his, he made a energy wall in front of him. Ka Ka Spiderwebs spread out on the wall quickly before shattering it into pieces as it continued its journey toward its owner. Right at this life and death moment, an elder from the psychic sect appeared from above. "Energy palm!" A palm made of condensed energy struck down and destroyed the chakram as it returned to its owner. In an attempt to stop this, the chakram was actually slightly broken. The heart of that disciple was bleeding in pain as anger consumed him, it was a gift from his grandfather who was one of the seven elders of the sect, to help him obtain this royale rank chakram, his grandfather had paid a great price for it. Yet right now, it was actually damaged by the person ahead of him. "Young man, shouldn''t you consider his background first before making a move?" The elder questioned Pawn in a harsh tone, it was clear that he was on the disciple''s side. Pawn with his character, wasn''t willing to back down as he argued back in a childish manner "Are you trying to pick on someone like me from the younger generation? I''m just a innocent young boy who accidentally broke the toy of a fellow boy, you won''t lower your status to bully me right?" When Pawn said this, tears actually started to well up on his face and grievance could be seen, this sight attracted the attention of the other four King forces as they turned their head. The elder scolded back "Don''t you act all innocent with me! You sly fox, do you think that you can stop me just because of this?" Before anyone could react, he blasted a energy palm towards Pawn. Pawn wanted to dodge, but he realised that he couldn''t dodge. In a final attempt, he quickly formed two energy arrays in the air "Dual blue ring, energy barrier and energy shield!" A transparent retangular barrier and a opaque circular shield formed in the air, but they were only able to slow down the progress palm slightly before breaking apart, hitting Pawn face on in the chest. "Argh!" Pawn groaned out in pain as blood flowed out from his chest, his body flying backwards for hundreds of miles before stopping as he laid on the ground unconscious. Before he fainted however, he remembered the elixir Lin Ming gave him before his departure and swallowed it down, this should prevent him from getting injured too seriously. All of this unfolded before Nightin''s eyes, he had reached at the exact moment the palm struck Pawn in the chest. His eyes started to turn blood red as he drew his sword and slashed towards that elder without any warning. The elder saw all this and merely did another energy palm, to an expert of the middle stage Martial King like him, someone such as Nightin was merely an ant. He had even released killing intent this attempt, he wouldn''t allow anyone weaker than him to offend him or challenge his authority. But reality turned out to be a dream of his, his palm actually shattered as the slash continued on. With a quick movement, he dodged the attack as a thought flowed past his mind "Is he a youth with extraordinary combat skills or is he a old fogey who kept his young looks?" Before he could ask anything, Nightin dashed towards him and attacked again with a stab. Left with no choice, he took out his personal chakram of the Royale tier as well and fought back. In just a few breaths, the two already exchanged tens of moves in the air, to the spectators watching at the moment, they couldn''t believe their eyes. A early stage Martial Lord was actually contending against a middle stage Martial King without showing any signs of losing, he was in fact even faster in the battle. Clang! Clang! Clang!! The elder flew back as he barely blocked Nightin''s slash, if he didn''t block that in time, he would already be slashed down from his shoulder all the way. Even so, it made his internal organs tumbled about as his face turned white, his blood was rampaging about his body as he quickly took out an healing elixir. "Young lad, can we settle this peacefully." Another elder of the psychic sect appeared at this time, the first elder of the psychic sect who''s acknowledged to be even stronger than their sect master. Someone who''s infinitely close the Martial King completion stage. Nightin stopped his tracks immediately, the person in front of him isn''t someone he can defeat even if he pulls out all the hidden aces he have up his sleeve. With a slow exhale, clarity returned to his eyes and his breathing calmed down gradually. "I won''t allow him to get away scot free without paying the price he should." The first elder smiled and said "I understand your intentions young fellow, but I have an alternative situation. Will you kindly listen about my current idea?" Before Nightin could reply, he took out a talisman and cut off all their connection to the outside world, besides the Emperor who rules this kingdom, no one would be able to invade through. As for the Emperor himself, he wouldn''t do anything such as eavesdropping on them. The elder on the outside swore to himself "I''ll make sure I take your life no matter what!" Turning his body around, he flew off into the horizon and left. After all that, it would be a miracle if he still had the face to stay around. Swoosh Chapter 66 - Mysterious island Inside the talisman protected area, Nightin was currently standing face to face against the first elder. Nightin was holding his sword unsheathed in hand and was prepared to make a move if needed, the first elder on the contrary stood there without putting up his guard, as though as if he had absolute confidence that Nightin wouldn''t hurt him. The only sound which could be heard was their soft yet steady breathing, it was the first elder who took the initiative to break the balance. "I''m sure that you''re curious as to what I''m about to propose." Nightin could sense that the first elder didn''t hold any hostility towards him and thus, sheathed his sword but still kept it to his side. "Senior, I''ll admit that I''m curious about what you''re going to say next, but I hope that you''ll cut straight to the chase." The first elder wrinkled his eyebrows and said "Are all youths so impatient like you these days. It doesn''t matter what you say next, it has been some time since I had a chat with someone." Nightin knew what the first elder meant, but he held no means of rejected and could only agree by keeping silent. The first elder smiled as he took out a book which looks ancient, the book had a thick cover and has a brand new appearance, yet it still possesses the historical feeling which the passage of time couldn''t erase. The first elder then said "Do you really think that my identity is as simple as the first elder of the Psychic sect? Aren''t you curious as to why our sect could have survived through the Ancient era and the crisis which took the whole cultivation world in a storm?" Nightin could sense that something was amiss, the first elder was going off topic and he definitely knows what he''s doing, but Nightin couldn''t understand his intentions at all. "Senior, I''m sure that you definitely wouldn''t let me in on your true identity, but how did the Psychic sect survive this long without a strong background?" The first elder threw the book over before closing his eyes to rest, he didn''t leave any instructions behind before starting to cultivate. When he cultivates, he revealed his true appearance of a man probably in his early thirties, it was evident that he was hiding his age in front of the Psychic sect and his current identity must have been spun up by the current sect master. Showing his looks without any disguise, it was clear that he didn''t mean Nightin any harm at least. When he started to cultivate, a thick gust of smoke kicked off from the ground as spirit energy in the air started to gather into his body, his cultivation speed couldn''t be described at all, it was just way too fast beyond any imagination. What took him a few breaths to absorb, would have taken even the average genius a few months, just what sort of terrifying talent does he possess? Nightin took all this into him as he reminded him again and again, that man isn''t someone he can offend and considering that he meant no harm, he relaxed his mind and dived within the book. It was a visual experience book which would allow him to see everything within the book unfold before his eyes from a third person perspective, if the book spirit exists and he gains its acknowledgement, he might be entitled the chance of a first person perspective. What he''s seeing right now is totally different from what he was expecting, he was in the sky looking at a continent from above, just that one single continent itself was bigger the the upper realm he knew of right now. Zooming in, he could see that even the small pets here had a weak cultivation base of Martial King easily, even the so called mortals of this world, were Martial Emperors with the mortal roots of that world. The spirit essence there was so thick that if a comparison had to be made, the Ancient era of the upper realm was merely a drop of water, while the currently extremely thick spirit essence was the ocean. Landing in the ground within a kingdom, he could see that he had landed on a platform and that there were probably a few thousand more who had descended at the same time as him. The voice of the senior to him ringed within his mind. "The one year you spend here will only be a month in the outside world, we''ll meet again one day when you head towards one of the high grade realms..." His voice drifted off in Nightin''s head as an announcement brought Nightin back into the real world. "Cultivator of the unranked realm has arrived in the mysterious realm!" "Cultivator of the unranked realm has arrived in the mysterious realm!" "Cultivator of the unranked realm had arrived in the mysterious realm!" The announcement went off three times and was heard by the whole continent, it had been ten years since the new challenger came and he was only from a unranked realm which was utter trash in their eyes. Every challenger they received till now was either from the high realm or the ten overlord realms, it would be sullying and tarnishing their renowned reputation for someone from anyone below the high realm to enter here. It was a good piece of news and relief for everyone when they heard the next piece of news. "The time duration would only be one hour in this world." "The time duration has been changed due to a special request from Casper Luke, the new time duration would be one year!" This sent a shock into everyone''s mind when they heard this, the number one genius who have stepped foot into their sacred land actually went to such lengths for a youth from a unranked realm? No one however doubted him, they didn''t even have the authority to mention his name, the unprecedented talent who would definitely stand at the apex of the whole universe one day. Everyone decided that it was time to look at this new youth who had arrived, if the genius within their heart chose him, it could only mean that he wasn''t ordinary and definitely have some secrets. Back inside the tower, he was given instruction by a human voice to attack the tablet in front of him with all his might. Nightin wanted to conceal his strength, but he knew that he couldn''t do so anymore, Casper had went through great lengths and means to get him here though his motive was unclear, he couldn''t let him down now. Circulating all the spirit energy within his body, he took out his Phoenix sword who was igniting in new light, it could sense its master seriousness and was brimming with its brightest scorching flame. The Phoenix sword had undergo a great change as it carried the slight sense of wind attribute, a thin curved carve green in colour formed itself on the sword which made it clear, a dual element sword. The spirit energy was fully rampaging at this point, all three of his divine swords was flying around him kicking out a thick gust of wind, his Gale blades forced itself to its fastest velocity as he dashed forward with all his might. "Mystical tier! Wrath of the Cyclone!" Swoosh Whoosh Clang Rumble Boom A huge explosion took place which was blocked off by a energy barrier, on the tablet wrote one line. [COMPLETION STAGE MARTIAL EMPEROR] Thud Nightin collapsed on the ground right at the exact moment his spirit energy got totally depleted. Most cultivators would already collapse if their spirit energy reaches five percent, anything below that would be kept by their body as reserves. With what Nightin did just now, the mysterious trail would definitely cure him and that was what he''s betting on, he was playing the game with his life as the booster. Soon, a holy light appeared from above and was starting to recover his body functions and supply him with spirit energy, in just a few breaths, he felt completely refreshed as he stood up and headed towards the next door. [Control room] A professor was currently laid back on his armrest chair, his messy white hair and long beard made him looked a total mess, he was researching on the formation of various life forms until the new challenge result shocked him. "Full attack power and character traits of new challenger have been gathered, would you like to see the stats?" The human voice of a robot sounded out as text flooded the screen. "Yes!" Current cultivation of human cultivator from the unranked realm is the Martial Lord early stage, max attack power is at the Martial Emperor completion stage. Traits: He would do anything just to Squeeze out every bit of strength he has for his loved ones or people he has made a promise to, a loyal chap which would resort to any methods to achieve his goals. "My dear system, would he resort to those types of methods which defies the logic of being human, such as excessive killing or slaughtering of the masses? Or things such as tricking others and using poison?" "Insufficient data has been gathered currently, please wait until more data has been gathered from the coming second trail. Ta Ta Creak In view to Nightin right now was a magic circle for one person, he walked into it and started to cultivate without any hesitation. It was clear that they were giving him a reward to get stronger before his second challenge arrives. Spirit energy was continuously sucked in by his spiritual core automatically, with him focusing his attention doing so, the process would be around twenty percent faster. Whirr Whirr In just around half an hour, his cultivation made a breakthrough to the Martial Lord middle stage. Boom By the time the full two hours were up, his cultivation was already one step into the Martial Lord late stage, he just needed to strengthen his foundation before making another breakthrough. He could fill his whole body brimming with life when the new spirit energy replaced the old ones in his body, even if he absorbs lower quality spirit energy from now on, they would be converted into the pure one he has now with sufficient amount. Slower cultivation speed for more strength, it was a double edged sword. Standing up and clenching his fists, he took out his sword and started to dance around with it, drawing out the majestic Phoenix in the air with his scorching flames before he made his way towards the next challenge. Ahead of him floated nine light orbs, each of them had a corresponding tier. The first one in front of him was the weakest while that particular one at the back, it gave him a feeling of dominance. Walking into the field area of the first light orb, a strong pressure crushed down on him which made his knees bend, if he didn''t hold on fast enough, his body would already have collapsed on the ground with a thud. Yet, this was only the easiest part and he was already going to face failure? Chapter 67 - Willpower Nightin wasn''t willing to admit defeat as he forced his body to stand back up through sheer willpower, he could feel his bones breaking apart and his flesh was feeling a burning sensation from within. Circulating his spirit energy around his body, he took another step out and went against his body limits. He knew that every additional step from now would be a extra burden on his body, this trail wasn''t meant for the likes of him to begin with, even so, his willpower and mind told him to continue forward. Ka-Ka The sound of his bones breaking apart could be heard clearly in the lonely darkness, the thought of despair came across his mind as he asked himself, what would it be like if he dies here? Shaking his head, he expelled the thought of his head and advanced forward again, one step at a time against his body limits. With every step he took, his bones slightly broke apart more and more, by the time he was only a few more steps away, his legs had gave up on him as quickly took out his sword and drove it to the ground to support himself. His body laid on the sword which was his only support, he couldn''t feel his legs right now, not at all. With his spirit essence, he took out an healing elixir from his spatial ring and swallowed it down, a few breaths later, he could feel his legs returning to him as he continued to move forward. It was an array carved with golden lines, an array of the gold ring standard which was specially used against Martial Emperors or even Martial Saints, what could he do against something of this standard? The golden array was surrounded by four Spartan like guards, each with a golden shield and spear with a spirit ruby engraved. They had a stern face on and weren''t showing any expressions or emotions, but their eyes were fixated on Nightin ahead of them. If he were to make a move or attempt to get any closer to them, their spears would pierce through him and end his life. Nightin wasn''t willing to give up as he told himself "This is just an illusion." Opening his samsara eyes to the max, he saw through the golden array and could see wisps of smoke surrounding it, clear signs of it being an illusion. Soon, the array started to disperse into nothingness as a holy glow of light from above shone down, recovering his injuries in an instant. Passing through the first barrier, he could feel his willpower increasing by a great extent, this trait might prove pointless most of the times, but he had a feeling that willpower was what brought him to where he''s at right now. Closing his eyes, he sat down on the ground with the timing of the trails still going on. Tic-Toc Tic-Toc The clock continued to ring as Nightin sat down there, he had enter a state of sudden enlightenment. Sudden enlightenment was a thing which most cultivators want to enter, every single time would bring about great benefits for the cultivator and their strength would increase exponentially. Even if it isn''t their strength, it could be a increase in talent or some other aspect, even a mortal could become a character who stands at the apex just through one sudden enlightenment. He could sense the spirit energy around him spiralling into him as he allowed all of them in, a sharp glint flashed past his eyes as he stood up with his eyes still closed. A smile formed on his face and he felt relaxed, as though as if the shackles chaining him down were released. Drawing out his Phoenix sword, it glowed with bright scarlet red as burning feathers started to whirl around him like a tornado, only slight traces of him could be seen as he danced within the elagance of his sword. He had totally immerse himself with the sword, he had cut off all connection with the outside world, he had finally found what he had been desiring for ever since the start Inner peace. From afar, it was a perfect image and it actually gave off the faint feeling of godliness, it was as though as it the first Phoenix of history had somehow undergo the legendary ninth rebirth as it made its appearance once again, this time to shake the whole universe and stand above it. When Nightin opened his eyes, he could feel his body burning with deep flames within, his cultivation even made a breakthrough to the Martial Lord late stage as well, it was one which exceeded perfection as well. In just terms of spirit energy right now, even a Martial King early stage wouldn''t be comparable to him, only a Martial King middle stage would have the qualifications to. His sword glowed once again as he could feel that his sword had evolved alongside him, the first savior sword in the lower realm or even the upper realm has its time arrived, for its name and achievements to be carved into the historical records. Within Nightin, the energy Phoenix had left within him was starting to spark to life, but it still lays there motionless and showed no signs of harm, but it still lay there undetected like an assassin thinking if it should execute the mission. Nightin advanced and saw nothing but the projectile of a sword expert standing opposite of him, he had snow white hair and was holding a wooden sword in hand. "Young master, you''ve finally arrived." The man clad in a white robe spoke as he dashed forward, his sword aimed towards Nightin''s vitals. Nightin quickly raised his sword to block the wooden sword, only to get knocked backed tens of miles away, by a casual step and a wooden sword. "Are you this weak? You can''t even match a wooden sword with a savior sword?" To his right and left were two simultaneous attacks from the man, it was actually the clone law, one of the Divine laws as well. Raising his sword and spinning it in a slash, he stayed at his spot but his blood was tumbling from within. Fatigue assaulted him immediately as he struggled to keep his eyes wide open. "Come on, are you this weak?" What Nightin faced after that was an endless onslaught of attacks which made his blood tumble every time. But he could feel that the man was actually helping him to recover after every second strike, or he would already be dead by now. Thanking the man silently from within his heart, he started to devote his entire mind and effort into the sword battle. Stab, pierce, charge, slash, parry... Every single sword move was being used again and again. Nightin himself didn''t realise it, but the man facing him did. "If he keeps this up, he''ll defeat me within a thousand moves, that''s provided his determination doesn''t waver halfway." Nightin was getting faster and faster, only afterimages of swords could be seen in the air, more than four afterimages could even be seen at times, this was something which even Martial Emperors might not achieve, but Nightin was already doing it. Clang Clang Clang Two swords clashed in the air, sending sparks of flame everytime they hit each other, neither side was willing to back down. Right at this moment, Nightin gathered all his strength into one swing and caused the man to stumble back, with a quick stab, he got his opponent in the abdomen. The man smiled as he said "Well done young master, you''ve done much better than what we expected of you..." As the man drifted off, he left behind a book which had the four words carved on it. When Nightin flipped the book open, it actually showed him a great amount of information. Starting from all the sword realms and all their unique points... The sword realms are known as, Sword Master which he has already surpassed, after that would be the Sword Ancestor realm. The Sword Ancestor realm wasn''t as simple as others know, it was divided into six steps, every step taken would he another power explosion increase. Sword Ancestors are capable of commanding sword energies to kill with just a thought, the sword would just be an external assistance by then. When a Sword Ancestor reaches the sixth realm, they would have a chance to challenge the seventh, eighth and even the mystical ninth steps. At the seventh step, one would awaken the sword eye where their eyes would be capable of sharp observation which defies common sense. At the eighth step, one would awaken the sword heart, they would fuse as one with the sword path. All swords would feel a close affinity with them and if they truly love their swords, the swords would be able to bring out unimaginable power. At the ninth step, one would awaken the sword aura, something which shouldn''t exist in this world and is rejected by the heavens. The sword aura would allow the cultivator to bring about strength that surpasses that even of the next sword realm which is... *Further swords realms to be revealed, probably 100+ chaps later* After finishing the digestion of the information, he felt a door appeared in front of him, all he needed right now was to find the key. When Nightin advanced forward again, the third barrier shattered for him as the next stage appeared. He could feel that he was in another world as the robotic voice appeared in his mind once again "You''ll have to assist the army defending themselves against the enemy. Rewards will be given out with high survival rate." When Nightin came back to his senses, he was in a army tent. In front of him were countless soldiers and strategists, he was apparently the Great General of this entire army, he was in charge of the overall defense and every life in this city from now on. "Strategist Zi Mo!" Nightin called out to one of the strategists, in his mind right now was information and data of every soldier under his command. "Yes, my general!" The strategist Zi Mo got down on his knees and half kneeled while reporting. "Give me a report of the invading army!" "Yes! Our enemies this time are the Savage tribe who have devoured every tribe of the outside world and now aiming for us as food. Their leader is a Martial Emperor and his tribesman are at least a major realm above us on average." Nightin nodded and kept silent, a heavy atmosphere was forming up in the tent and everyone could feel the seriousness their General had and kept their mouths shut. After a few moments, their General finally slashed apart the hand grappling their throats and asked "What do y''all think we should do right now?" All of the soldiers here could hear the general''s question and knew that he wasn''t asking for advice, but merely wanted to know their thoughts and opinions. One of the soldiers who thought he was brilliant, stood out and said "Great General, I think that we should retreat immediately, this is definitely a losing battle!" Nightin kept silent and asked, no expression could be seen on his face as he questioned again "Who here agrees with this soldier, stand out!" Soon, about seventy percent of the soldiers stood up as they stood next to the soldier, they had all gathered outside the talent with the orders of the General. Nightin looked at all of them as he shouted "Is this how y''all think cheaply of lives!?" Chapter 68 - The plan Nightin''s shout startled all the soldiers who stood opposite of him as their body shuddered in fear, they could sense that their Great General was greatly disappointed and angered by their actions. The same soldier stood out and ask "General, it isn''t our wish to abandon the civilians and escape, but what can we do when faced with a powerful foe who we stand no chance against?" Nightin stared back into the eyes of that soldier and asked "So you''re telling your general and convincing your fellow soldiers to abandon all the civilians and leave them?" The soldier followed up "Only by escaping will we stand a chance of taking revenge for the civilians, if all of us were to die, then what''s the purpose? None of us would be able to rest in peace in our afterlife!" Nightin smirked as he asked "Let me ask you a simple question, what was your resolve when you first became a soldier?" The soldier replied "To protect the civilians to the best of my capabilities!" "I mentioned was, I want you to tell everyone here right now, what was your resolve when you first joined the army!" Nightin shouted back at the soldier, he was greatly disappointed in his army. Even though he doesn''t know much about this soldier, the soldier is his man right now and he has the absolute responsibility to change his mindset, all their distorted mindsets. The soldier paused for a moment as a thunder went boom in his head. His body started to shake as he replied with a quivering voice "I swore... I made a vow to protect all the civilians with my life ever since that day!" The soldier didn''t know why, but his heart hurts when saying this, as though as if a glass piece had stabbed it. He felt like crying, but still held back it as a soldier, as both a man and soldier, he could only shed blood. Nightin said to him "Very good, you still have hope young lad, don''t let me down in the future." Nightin knew that there wasn''t a future for them, but he had a connection to these thirty thousand strong army right now, they were up against a fifty thousand strong army with higher cultivation, but he knew that this was his win, his instincts told him so at least. Nightin rallied as he shouted "What''s your mission as a soldier!" All the soldiers shouted back as they cheered "To protect all the civilians at all cost, even if it takes us our life!" "What''s the motto of our army!" "To protect our brothers and loved ones! Even if despair were to flood us, we would at least take down an enemy with us!" That''s right, this was what his army had been thought and this would be his morale booster. "All soldiers take note! If you take down one enemy, you would equalise the battle! If you take down two, it would be an advantage for us! If you take down three, it would benefit everyone!" "Hooyah! Hooyah!" The soldiers started to cheer as they threw their fists in the air, all of them left after that to make their preparations for the incoming battle. Soldiers were all undergoing seclusion cultivations and using up all their highest quality cultivation resources, signs of breakthrough could be seen everywhere throughout the camp. Every single increase in strength right now, means a higher chance of survival and victory in the upcoming war. Many soldiers could be seen putting in their best effort to improve their strength through any possible humane methods, some of them even went home to request for a large amount of cultivation resources from their family for their brothers. If all of them were to survive this war, they would definitely be able to go through thick and thin together in the near future. Nightin gathered all the strategists into his army camp as they gathered around the the round table. On the round table was a map which showed the current position of their city and the Savage tribe. A Based on their current estimation, the Savage tribe which was travelling on foot would arrive within three days and that would be the time for the final clash. That was also including that the Savage tribe doesn''t find a method to access them more quickly, that would mess up the momentum of his army and bring their morale down. The city was located south on the map and it was at least a thousand miles away from the nearest City, even if the other cities wanted to help, they wouldn''t be able to make in on time, thus rendering the thought of an alliance useless. By the time the backup from the supporting cities arrive, they would already have been wiped out by the Savage tribe. To the east about ten miles away was a fast flowing river, also known as the yellow river. Bones and corpses of living beings could constantly been seen floating with the river, it''s rumored that the river could kill any living being alive. This gave Nightin an inspiration, couldn''t he just make use of the river to make this a swift battle without any casualties on his side? He wouldn''t want to see any of his brothers dying on him. "My dear strategists, do any of you have a way to guide the yellow river towards the Savage tribe?" All the strategists froze when they heard this plan, their body then started to shake in excitement when this idea popped in their mind, they had a chance of winning. But this excitement was short lived, disappointment came for them again shortly after as they sighed, one of the strategists then told Nightin. "General, with how acidic the yellow river is, there''s nothing in this world which can possibly contain or even guide the river. Nightin sat down there as he closed his eyes, there has got to be a way. The strategists all started to rack their brains out until night time, but their efforts proved futile as all of them laid spread out on the floor. They had came up with countless hypothesis and imagination tactics, but none of them would lead to success. Right when everyone was about to fall into despair, Nightin opened his eyes and released a dominating aura which greatly shocked everyone, causing them to wake up abruptly. "Isn''t there that legend?" Nightin gave the fellow strategists an assuring smile as he spoke, making all of them understand his intentions in just a short while. "But General, that would require you as the only Martial Lord expert here to take the risk and guide it to the enemy, we can''t afford for you to take the risk." One of the strategists immediately panicked as he attempted to convince Nightin. Nightin then asked "My dear strategists, would you perhaps have a better plan than this right now?" That strategists then kept shut as he gathered the rest, all of them were having a close discussion and soon arrived at a final conclusion, to allow their general to take the risk. The leading strategist stood out and said "General, we have decided to let you go, but before you leave, remember the star puzzle we''re about to show you." Nightin nodded his head and studied the complex puzzle, completely memorising in just a few moments. Nightin stepped out of the tent and looked at the sky, the stars themselves were fighting against a tough foe as well, weren''t they? In the legends, there was a man who once stole a mirror from within the yellow river, that resulted in the yellow river following him wherever he went as he ran for his life. After ten years of running, that man finally found and made a connection with that mysterious mirror, thus becoming the owner of a mystical artifact and the yellow river. People knew him as the Yellow River Supreme ever since that day, the first man in history to conquer and even own a world class forbidden law. But of course, no one could prove if he really existed in this world. Some says that he''s dead, some says that he''s left this world, but what''s the truth and lie? The next day, two days before the arrival of the Savage tribe, Nightin gathered his army outside his tent as they lined up in a orderly manner. All of them had stern faces and determination could be seen on their faces, they were awaiting the orders of their general to win the upcoming battle, they had confidence in victory. Nightin looked at all his soldiers as his heart bloomed with joy, they had grown after yesterday''s lesson, it''s time for him to fill them in on the plan. When all the soldiers heard his plan, all of them started to convince him to drop it, it wasn''t worth him taking the risk to them. "General, we can''t afford to lose you, you''re our pillar of support!" "General, if someone else has to take the risk, leave it to us!" "General, it was you who gave us a new lease of life, we would die for your sake!" "General, please, don''t take the risk!" Nightin wanted to scold them for their foolishness, but he wasn''t able to bring the words out of his mouth, swallowing what he had intended to say, he assured them "I''ll be fine, trust your general on this. If I don''t return by tomorrow''s nightfall, assume battle preparations!" "Yes general!" Swoosh When Nightin dashed off from the camp, he felt like crying, he could feel that their concern for him was true, how long has it been since he felt something like this? Chapter 69 - The Yellow River With Nightin''s current cultivation and movement speed after stepping onto this sword, he arrived at the Yellow River tens of miles away shortly after. Just by standing a few miles away from the yellow river, he could feel that temptation that it was emitting, it was calling our for him in a very dear voice. "Young master, I''m waiting for you over here." The yellow river whispered into his ears softly, with a mysterious voice which only he can hear. Only after circulating his Samsara law, did he manage to break free from the yellow river, if it weren''t for the increase in willpower which he gained from the first orb, he would already be nothing but a floating skeleton in ghe yellow river right now, drifting along with its slow flow. Nightin scanned around and soon noticed that there was a opening on the mountain, it was however blocked off by the yellow river and the only way to access it, would be through jumping over the yellow river. The yellow river may have a calm flow, but it spanned for around hundreds of miles just in terms of width, even if it was through flying, it would take Nightin around a day or so. Getting Nightin to leap past the river just to get to the other side was impossible, he would just end up becoming another prey for the yellow river. Activating his Samsara eyes, his eyeball turned purple and was replaced by a lotus, it didn''t make him look scary, but instead added to his charm. He was just like a handsome demon with the beauty of a woman at this time, his red and green long hair swaying behind him. Scanning around, he could see a hidden bridge which was constantly changing locations, but as long as he gets onto the bridge, he would stay atop it until he crosses the river. The yellow river Supreme must have gotten onto the bridge somehow, either through capabilities or through a stroke of luck that he landed on the bridge. The bridge was still constantly changing its location without any pattern, it was moving at a speed so fast that Nightin could only catch glimpses of it. Walking up to the riverbank, he readied himself for the next bridge which will arrive at his spot sooner or later. He circulated all the spirit energy in his body towards his legs, storms of wind kicking below him in preparation to propel him forward at the exact moment. Swoosh Nightin made a dash for the incoming bridge as soon as it arrived, but he was still short of it by that one bit, with his fast reflexes, he grabbed the edge of the river and tucked his legs in. With his legs tucked in, both his body and legs were barely above the yellow river as he climbed up the bridge with his bare hands. Walking on the bridge, he could feel that the bridge isn''t as simple as it seems, it wasn''t just transport, but a distraction as well. The moment Nightin boarded the boat, he saw many alluring beauties calling out to him, some were dressed in revealing clothes, some were already half or even totally naked, some were in relaxed positions while some were in attractive yet daring positions. Nightin could feel the blood in his body rushing to the middle of his legs, they were rushing to his manhood as he struggled to keep it down, his legs were flushed red and his breathing was ragged, if not for that little willpower he had left, he would already have succumbed to the temptations of the yellow river. "Young master, what are you waiting for? Come over here, I''ll make sure to serve you well." One of the woman said this as she stuck her tongue out and licked her own cherry red lips. "Young master, I can''t take it anymore! Please help me!" Another woman cried out to him as she started to strip off her clothing. Nightin was barely handing on at this time, if another woman attempts to charm him, he was sure that his mind would go for it and disobey him. "Young master..." Right at this timing, a coquettish voice actually attempted to get him. Colour became void from his eyes as he half walked, half limped towards the edge of the bridge. One more step and he would tumble off and join those women in the river. "LSGS system 1.0 has been updated the new version 2.0!" "New interference has been updated, there are two new usages to the system as well, each tagged with question mark cube at the top right corner for instructions." Cultivation: Martial Lord Middle Stage Techniques: Nine Mystics Sword(S+), Nirvana Rebirth(S) Laws: Samsara Law(B-), Life Law(C+), Death Law(C), Gale Law(B) From what the instruction manual says, the laws and techniques he owns are graded from D to S, S being the highest and D being the lowest. After going through so much, his Samsara aw and even his Gale law were still far away from the S grade, this goes to further show just much further he was from the peak. The system''s notification might have only distracted him for a short moment, but it was more than enough for him to recover from the temptation. "There''s no way such illusions like this can get me! Disperse!" Boom A invisible energy wave destroyed all the illusions as he continued to advance on the path full of temptations. Even so, what happened previously would always be etched in his mind to remind himself of how much he overestimates his own willpower, his strongest trait was nothing when faced against the true power of nature. Wealth. Power. Authority. If he succumbed to the temptations, he would have them, or so the yellow river attempted, only to end up failing. Soon, Nightin crossed the dangerous bridge as he arrived on flat ground. In front of him was a cave without any lighting. Calling for some fire element, he used it as his light source before advancing deeper into the dark cave. Bats could be seen flying about within the cave as they gathered together to surround the uninvited guest. Each of these bats were at least a Martial Lord and together with them were four bats at the Martial King realm. Swoosh Swoosh Swoosh Swoosh Bats dived towards Nightin from four sides and attempted to corner him. Nightin took out his sword while thinking to himself "Do bats these days like to die that much? Circulating his spirit energy, he imagined a circular ring above his head as he stabbed his sword into the air, quickly expanding the blazing ring as it spread towards the surrounding bats. Kayaa Kayaa Many bats cried out in pain as they fall onto the ground, Nightin didn''t kill them and merely burnt off the inner part of their wings, removing them from their ability of flight. To prevent further trouble from the bat race, he made sure that he only left them temporary injuries that can recover easily, it wouldn''t benefit him to make enemies with one of the animal races over a small matter of food scavenging by them. Advancing further into the dark cave, Nightin was struggling to fight against the cold. His body was shaking even with his current cultivation world and the flames burning within him every moment. Whenever the cold wind passed, his body would shudder from the cold, but this brought about a question in his mind, just where is the wind coming from? Closing his eyes to sense for it, he could sense that the wind was coming from the east, which was blocked off by the walls and were coming from behind from. Retracing his steps and following the trail of energy left behind by the cold wind, he arrived at the spot where the bats were. There was a majestic bat who stood there looking at his children, he was giving off the terrifying cultivation of a Martial Emperor, a strong animal beast even for this realm. Nightin stood there and looked at the bat as it turned back, its eyes turned red as it screeched "What did you do to my children!" Flapping its wings, a huge gust of wind kicked off as the rocks tumbled on the ground, the cave was shaking as a huge wind spiral assaulted him from the front. Raising his sword to defend it, he shouted "I''m sorry for hurting your children, but shouldn''t you at least ask them what happened first?" Thud Nightin slammed against the wall as blood seeped out of his lips, mustering his strength and circulating his spirit energy to recover, he stood up and said "I don''t see myself being in the wrong for acting out of self defense. I have already showed mercy by sparing their lives after they attacked me first, just what else do you want, if I wanted to be merciless, all your children would already be dead!" This seemed to have snapped the anger bat out of its confusion as it froze there, he lowered his head and said "I''m sorry for attacking you all of a sudden human, but the mirror here has already corrupted my mind. Please save myself and my kind, by controlling the mirror!" "New system quest has been activated!" Quest 1: Take control of the mirror and become its absolute owner Rewards: Eternal loyalty of the bat race, increase in one cultivation realm. Chapter 70 - The crevice With the acceptance of the quest, a new feature of the system has been added and is labelled as quest log, all that''s needed to open up the viewer, will be a single thought from the host. "Open up he quest log." Nightin thought to himself after reading the instructions given to him by the system, only for another system message to appear. After reaching the new version 2.0, you would be required to choose a background colour which would represent the characteristics and it will greatly affect the new feature opened up in version 3.0. In addition, it would benefit your current self with the unimportant decision of yours. Nightin closed his eyes as he started to think to himself, what would be the best colour representing him. Would it be the valiant red representing bravery and courage, or would it be the swift green representing speed and endurance? He was unsure and couldn''t find the answer towards this simple question of his, the more he started to delve deeper into his thoughts, the more lost he became as a web of questions started to engulf him. The Emperor bat beside him saw this as he called out "Hey young lad, what are you doing staring into space over there?" Nightin however had already lost his senses connected to the outside world as he saw a world full of stars appear before his eyes. There were countless stars filling up the neon sky, the stars ranged from big to small and were of different colours, each having their own characteristics and traits which would lead to an final answer. Nightin didn''t need any guidance and could sense that the bigger the star, the more immense the energy contained within them and the more strength it would grant him. Scanning around, he could feel a few of the stars giving off a feeling of danger as he made sure to stay away from those, because his mind was telling him to head for the absolute danger. In the middle of all those dazzling stars, stood one left out there alone, it was the smallest star out of all these here, but the energy it held was so immense that it suppresses all the stars here. It wasn''t because it didn''t hold immense spirit energy that caused its size, but because it was the only star which managed to suppress its energy to form the ultimate foundation, it may have started off as the one being picked on, but it''s now the overlord of them. No star dared to approach or even stay near it, they were sure that if they ticked it off accidentally, they would still perish even though they didn''t have the intention to do so. Nightin didn''t know why, but he knew that the star right now, was the only thing worthy of him absorbing, the rest are just absolute trash in his eyes worth nothing, they might pose some form of danger right now, but where would they lay after he grows much stronger. Advancing further into the core of the galaxy of stars, he could feel the crushing pressure forcing him down, it was the aura of a king forcing his subjects to bow down just by standing there, absolute dominance would be the only way of description. Just like this, time passed quickly in the blink of an eye as he''s only left with seven days to get the mirror, win the war and clear all the other trails. Opening his eyes again, his eyeballs had fully turned into an enchanting purple this time as his emerald red hair swayed behind him, his Phoenix sword at his side as it burned with its brightest flames, showing its determination as a savior sword which grows, to accompany its master in conquering the heavens. The Emperor bat didn''t know why, but as a high grade Martial Emperor, he was actually feeling fear from a middle grade Martial Lord. In the time Nightin had spent in his own space, the Emperor bat didn''t lack behind as he already destroyed the seventh gate, two more gates and he would step into the strongest Martial Saint possible, something which is a legend in the upper realm he resides in. Nightin broke out in a smile as he said "Let''s go." Striking his sword down on the ground, he expanded the crevice into a bigger size which barely fitted him before jumping in, the Emperor bat followed suit as well as it turned into its human form. He had long black hair and two sharp fangs, on his forehead was a red symbol which held resemblance to a trident, to his side was a light rapier which glowed with a sharp glint. After they both landed into the pitch black cave, Nightin circulated his spirit energy to form a ring of fire around him, enabling them to see within the pitch black cave. On the ground were corpses spread out, skeletons to be exact with some human limbs scattered across the ground, rotting flesh gave off a stench which made both of them closed off their sense of smell. Both of them were people who had seen the cruelty of this world and this sight wasn''t enough for them to feel disturbed, but they didn''t like the current atmosphere, the whole place was surrounded by an eerie feeling. Nightin looked at the Emperor bat and asked "Speaking of it senior, how do I address you?" The Emperor bat drew out his rapier and placed it right beside Nightin''s neck before he could react while saying "Don''t call me senior anymore, I''m just seventeen this year and one year older than you. You can address me as Dark Fang if you wish to, or just Darky will do." Nightin sucked in a cold breath of air before saying in a cold voice "You must have encountered something to have progressed this rapidly." Dark Fang tried to hide the anxiety which surfaced on his face, but he wasn''t able to hide it from Nightin, but he still said "It isn''t difficult with the high concentration of spirit energy in this cave." Nightin smirked before telling him "What if I tell you right now that the spirit energy concentration here is so low that even the top talents wouldn''t be able to cultivate until they reach the Martial King realm, yet take a look at yourself." Dark Fang pushed his rapier slightly in more, one more move and Nightin would be dead as he said "It doesn''t have anything to do with you, don''t force my hand right now, I don''t wish to harm you." "Hahahaha, Dark Fang, did you really think that I was going to slay you and steal whatever you possess right now?" Nightin broke out in a laughter as he questioned in a casual yet friendly manner which made Dark Fang pause foe a moment, only to realise that he had already been fooled around by his future unexpected master. Dark Fang drew his rapier back before advancing forward, his back facing Nightin as he said "I may have gained wisdom and cultivated to this height, but this is still far from enough. I''m the last surviving member of the Night Fang bat race, if I truly want to take revenge, I would need to surpass the Martial Saint realm and enter the legendary demigod realm, only then will I have the qualifications to take revenge." Nightin kept silent and didn''t interrupt him, he truly knew how Dark Fang felt right now, he was just like him who had thirsted for revenge at the side, only after taking revenge would Dark Fang be able to serve him willingly without any regrets or disobedience. Furthermore, Nightin knew that the first step to get Dark Fang to serve him, would be to help him get revenge when the day comes, no matter how strong his enemies are, he would be there for with everyone just to assist him. Nightin drew his sword out and unsheathed it, he had to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances that might arrive, who knows what awaits them deeper into the dark pitch blackness. Still, what could be the source of this eerie feeling? The two of them advanced forward while making sure to be wary of any situation that might happen all of a sudden. At this moment, a line of words suddenly formed in front of them. "Dear challenger, you will forsaken the nine trails and enter the ultimate trails if you enter, are you willing to proceed?" Below it was a small note *Your life is in your own hands.* Dark Fang saw this as he flapped his wings and asked "What''s with the line of words there? Just what trail are you undertaking?" Nightin patiently replied Dark Fang and summed up the situation for him briefly while saying "I''ve made up my mind to enter this so called ultimate trail, would you follow me?" When Nightin was observing the stars, his army was already eliminated by the enemy and the whole city perished, buy since he entered the ultimate trail, his previous results would be forsaken and thus, they were kept alive. The soldiers lost all their memory about who Nightin was, they only knew that they had a true General capable of leading them, one day, he would lead to the the highest heights and glory. There were ten people gathered together, each of them were sitting on a throne facing their whole army of demons. Behind each of them was a symbol which represented their professions. All of them were at the apex of each profession, the Apex realm. After the grandmaster realm, professions are known as three further levels, respectively known as the Soul Wandering realm where everything has been engraved within them and with just a single thought, a clone of themselves would be formed beside them to do the task with ninety nine percent proficiency. After that would be the True Blessed realm where their success rate would increase by ten folds or even more from the Soul Wandering realm, making them even more terrifying than the legendary Demigod realm. The last realm would be the False Apex realm which they know of, every one of them held the ability to impart their techniques and skills into ten people of their life, granting them with the qualifications to enter the True Blessed realm at least and start off from the Grandmaster realm. As for why they call it the false apex realm, it''s because they believe that there''s still a wall between them and the true pinnacle, that one barrier was blocking them off from that one stage. Chapter 71 - Shocked the False Apex Forgist All of them stood up and looked at the demons who have been tamed by them and summoned them back into their Void Ring which they have formed within them. As a False Apex profession, the rarity of the materials and treasures needed would be to much in amount and their energy would be too much for even the highest grade spatial rings to hold. But with the addition of the void ring within their body, all of these resources could be contained without even leaking off the slightest amount of energy. The void ring is a mysterious object, which a False Apex profession master would have to form, before being able to be considered as a False Apex master. The Forgist Overlord took out a card from his sleeve while saying "If I remember correctly, I still own the golden card which y''all gave to me a thousand years ago." All the faces of the Overlords changed while the Soul Oracle Overlord slammed down on his throne, stood up and shouted towards the Forgist Overlord "You still have the cheek to mention that? You cheated by stealing it from me while I was showering!" The Overlords all looked at each other before they turned to look at the Forgist Overlord who didn''t panic, but held his ground and said "Why didn''t you stop me then? Also, please back up what you just said with evidence of it''ll just be you framing me for you own carelessness." "You son of a bitch!" The Soul Oracle Overlord lost control of herself and was about to summon out spirits to attack the Forgist Overlord, only to freeze her current actions after what the Beast Summoner Overlord said "His mother is your mother." That''s right, all nine of them were blood related siblings and were all descendants of the only True Apex master in this entire cultivation universe, out of the ten overlord realms, nine were under their control while the strongest one was under their parents. The Heaven Shattering Overlord and the Peacock Fairy Overlord, though their titles may all be known as Overlords, they were weak in their parents eyes. Their parents were already at a peak so high that, with just one more strike, they would step into the God realm and become the rulers and controller of this entire universe. After a long discussion and some time pacifying their little sister, the Overlords finally agreed and decided to let the Forgist Overlord be the first examiner for Nightin. The Forgist Overlord left and headed towards the first examination area while thinking to himself, what would be the best difficulty level for the challenger. At the age of six, he was interested in blacksmithing, at the age of nine where he awakened his spirit energy, he was captivated by the enchanting beauty or a Forgist product and couldn''t pull himself back out. At the age of twelve, he had already stepped into the realms of a Grandmaster and at the day he turned three thousand years old, he was at the False Apex realm which others could never hope to step into. He was a talent which would leave his name carved in history and no one would ever be able to shake his current position as the Forgist Overlord, many people may not know about him, but those who know of him all shudder in fear when faced against him, all of them were top Overlord experts and he was well known for his combat strength. Back in the eerie walkway, Nightin was walking ahead without any fear as Dark Fang followed behind closely his back, both of them made sure to kept silent as they held their auras back in, preventing even the slightest amount of spirit energy from leaking out. The Forgist Overlord sat down on his throne within the first chamber as he laughed "That isn''t enough to stop me from observing you two though." As a Overlord, wouldn''t it be disgraceful if two mere cultivators below the Demigod realm are able to hide from his detection? With just his spiritual sense, he created a visual image and could see exactly what the two of them were doing. Nightin continued to advanced forward for a few hundred more metres carefully before coming to a halt. There were traps just directly ahead, beneath the ground. The were small holes ok the ground which he only managed to see with his Samsara eyes, even Dark Fang wasn''t able to see it with his night vision. Dark Fang stopped behind Nightin and asked "Young fella, what''s the matter right now? Why did you stop all of a sudden?" Nightin didn''t reply, bur continued to scan the trap in front of him. It was one of the most basic creations a Forgist can do, even a first tier Forgist would be able to set it up, it was a trap meant for the weaker Martial apprentices, yet the danger level it gives off right now rivals that of a seventh grade trap meant for killing even Martial Saints. The weakness about this spike trap is that there''s a certain time delay to them, but it was actually made an advantage this time round, if he tries to avoid the appearance timing, he would be cornered and stabbed to death. Nightin turned around and asked Dark Fang "Dark Fang, do you have any trap baits with you right now?" Dark Fang nodded and took out a small rat from his spatial ring before throwing it forward into the darkness. Splat Hundreds of thin spikes rose from the ground as tens of them penetrated the rat before blazing with fire, burning the rat into nothing, even its ashes or carcass didn''t remain behind. "New side quest has been updated: Make it out of the trap alive, rewards would be given out according to rate of accomplishment, reward would be related to wisdom." [Quest Log] [Quest 1: Obtain the mirror] [Quest 2(side) : Make it out of the trap alive] Dark Fang took a step back subsconciously as he asked Nightin "Young fella, do you know about such traps?" "I do, but this trap is much above the original version, if we were to make a mistake, death would be awaiting us." Nightin replied as he sat down on the ground and entered the state of thinking, he trusted Dark Fang that he wouldn''t harm him. Based on his previous estimation, the spikes are currently divided into four areas, each rising whenever he passes a certain checkpoint, some of the spikes has even been designed to curve towards the target. If he really wants to walk through this trap, there was only one viable method, to bait the traps onto activating before finding the core of that section. This type of trap has one major weakness, the core area of the traps can''t activate any traps of it would fail. Standing up, Nightin explained to Dark Fang his plan as they discussed about the proper timing and small details. Soon after, they arrived at a final plan as they got into position. Swoosh Nightin and Dark Fang dashed forward as quickly as possible, they needed to bring out their fastest speed and stick side to side with each other. Zling Zling Zling Zling Many sharp spikes rose up from the ground and some even started to curve in on them, right at this moment, Dark Fang used his clone law and transported both of them back to the start, swapping places with the initial clone as they got pierced and vanished as energy. After the spikes went down, the two of them made a dash forward again, this time advancing to the core area without facing any danger, the spikes weren''t able to spike up continuously, that was its second fatal weakness. Back in the first chamber, the Forgist Overlord slapped his thighs as he broke out in a laughter and asked his son beside him "Issac, what do you think about that?" His son Issac bowed down and replied politely "Father, I don''t think that it''s that great of an acheivement, if he was smart enough, he could have just wasted a few hundred trap baits from his partner beside him or some other resources to advance forward, that would be foolproof and faster." "Issac, what would you do if you didn''t have any trap baits at that point of time?" The Forgist Overlord asked another question which left Issac speechless, he wasn''t able to answer the simple open ended question. The Forgist continued "It may have seem like a foolish and risky method, but all it took him was one trap bait. Even if I upgraded these spike traps to ignore trap baits, he would still be able to make it through alive. Furthermore, he has to do with the pressure building up every second there with the hands of death on his neck, do you think that''s simple." Issac closed his eyes for a few moments before saying "He has proven himself to have higher talent than me, that willpower and mentality to stay calm in such a situation, it isn''t something I can do." At this point, a sharp glint flashed past Issac''s eyes... Chapter 72 - Is this the wrong test scroll? With the method that Nightin had came up with and Dark Fang''s clone ability, they were able to make it past the spike traps without much difficulty. The beginning might have been rough, but the whole process and motion was smooth throughout after their second attempt. It might have been time consuming, but it was worth the effort considering that they didn''t waste any resources and didn''t suffer any injuries, not even a scratch could be seen on their bodies. Dark Fang might have lost quite a huge amount of spirit energy after getting his clone wiped out four times in a row within a short time period, but he definitely stood to gain as he comprehended his Clone law to a new stage. "Side quest 1 has been completed, completion rate: S grade" [Fifth grade Forgist identity has been registered] The next moment, Nightin could feel a stream of information flooding his minds, many tunnels and walls were taken down by the flood, enabling him to see the scenery beyond them and the mountains waiting for him to ascend. Right now, he has all the information as a Forgist stored inside his mind, even though he still lacks practical experience, he was sure that all he needed was practice, to get the hang of it. Unlike a fifth grade Forgist as well, there''s a zero probability that he''ll forget any information of his current grade and the ones before, all of them were deeply carved into his brain just like a birthmark which would always stay there. Passing the spike traps, a table and chair was arranged neatly for him with a stack of papers on it. Nightin walked towards it and Dark Fang followed suit closely behind him. "Ouch! What the hell hit me!" Black Fang cried out in pain as he rubbed his temple and stumbled pain, but he didn''t advance as he stayed at where he was right now, it wasn''t a simple object if it can cause pain to someone of his cultivation. Furthermore as a demon beast, they were well known for their physical capabilities which were much above humans, yet just a light bang was enough to make him wail out in pain. Both Nightin and Dark Fang were smart enough to realise this fact as they agreed to the same idea, they''ll be serperated for now. Transmitting his voice to Nightin, he told him "Young fella, I''m been blocked out by a mysterious energy barrier, this segment of the challenge would be up to you." Black Fang sat down on the ground and started to comprehend on his various martial techniques while waiting for Nightin, he had to secure every second and moment to cultivate. His main priority however was the clone law, if be can learn to increase his cloning speed or even number of clones, it would definitely come in handy in times of need. After Nightin sat down on the chair, he realised that there were exactly hundred papers with Forgist questions of unknown grade. By unknown grade, it means that the question can be solved by a Forgist of any grade, so long as he can think out of the box and apply the basic concepts. "Side quest has been triggered: Answer the set of theory papers given!" *Rewards will be given out according to success rate* Nightin took over the first paper as he read the question on it while taking over the brush with one hand. This simple action of his actually made him gave off the feeling of a scholar subconsciously as he sat down there, a top scholar who can make people admire and worship him through great wisdom. The first question went: The commonly used energy ball holder which we know, can only hold spirit energy up to the peak Martial Apprentice grade which makes it inferior to even an low grade spirit stone, what would be a way to counter this? The question may seem simple, but there were actually a few tricks within its profoundness. One has to take note that the commonly used energy ball holder mentioned in this question, is actually just a ball of glass. The energy ball holder isn''t commonly used in the cultivation world, but it''s used in many aspects and thus, the correct word would be most commonly used and even the lowest grade energy ball holder, would have spirit energy more than any low grade spirit stone. With just a few strokes of the brush, he answered simply with one line: The easiest and method with highest efficiency, would be to start infusing energy from the exterior while leaving a small empty sphere in the middle. The second question took another totally different approached as they linked it to another profession: One knows that the treasures and weapons we know right now are divided into the five different grades, but what if one is infused with an array within them? Nightin didn''t hesitate and answered quickly once again without any signs of being puzzled or trouble. If one is infused with an magic array, it would carry traits of the array carved within it, if the array is of an elemental active type, one would be able to activate the hidden profound within it to aid them in battle. Looking at the third question, Nightin truly started to question if he was being given the correct set of theory papers, he wasn''t feeling any increase in difficulty and the questions weren''t that tricky, he just had to avoid careless thought processes. Every time he finished it a question, he placed it into the array beside him to submit his scripts without event taking the slightest time to check his answers, no hesitation with perfect precision and neat handwriting drawn with elegance. When the Forgist Overlord noticed that the first script was submitted just within a minute, he started to question if that boy was really qualified to take this ultimate challenge, the questions he set weren''t meant for just a Forgist to answer, it was on general knowledge which any cultivator in this world should know of. Knowing the world was merely the basics of survival, a simple task which most cultivators just skip past, bringing undesirable results. This may seem like a small difference, but in the harsh cultivation world where the strong feeds on the weak, every single knowledge they know might survive their lives, or even the stronger of the strong might lose their life and perish. Without getting up from his throne, he made the mechanic table bring the table over to him as he took it over with one hand. At first, he was thinking that Nightin was merely trying to bluff through the whole test by scribbling on the paper, he had written out a whole essay just for the one sentence answer which was expected. But this quickly changed when he realised that it wasn''t bullshit Nightin wrote, he provided down all his thought processes and how it can be done better and a few alternative methods, he even provided a few branch questions and answered them with complete yet precise solutions, his answer wasn''t just correct, neither was it perfect, it was beyond perfection. Recovering from his amazement, he realised that Nightin had already submitted two more test answers and the answers were equally well done. The Forgist Overlord mumbled to himself "How is this possible?" Even a Forgist Overlord like him only found the answers after a few minutes each and if he were to comprehend it to this level, it would take him a quarter of an hour. Back in the test area, Nightin was thinking to himself while writing down his thoughts "Have I been given the wrong test scroll?" After about an hour of submitting his answers, the barrier ahead and behind finally opened up as Dark Fang joined back in, but in his bat form this time. Even though a Demon Emperor can take on the human form, they wouldn''t be able to keep the form permanently until they reach the Demon Saint realm. The tiles to his right moved as they formed another line of words telling him to stay here. The next moment, the tables and chair vanished while a whole room of forging equipments were given to him with a timer within his view. He had exactly a thousand days to stay here and practice his forging skills, but he knows that it isn''t the time for him to stay here, looking at the altar beside him with a large stacks of paper and brush, he wrote on it and requested for permission to skip this segment of the test. He couldn''t afford to waste any time here, he still had to rush back for be King Forces tournament, he only had seven days left to spend in this world! Chapter 73 - Assurance Sending his message over to the examiner, he awaited a reply impatiently as he started to walk back and fro while worrying. Dark Fang who was with him called out after seeing this sign "Young fella, snap out from it!" Nightin was startled by the voice as he came back to his senses, cold sweat was dripping down his forehead as he started to pant, but gradually managed to calm down. He had always fell to his heart demon, if that truly happened, the consequences would have been undesirable. Raising his head up towards Dark Fang, he thanked him before sitting down on the ground to meditate, he needed to change his current mindset and cut off his worries before it gets him too deeply. The Overlord Forgist sat down on his throne and was about to close his eyes and rest, but stood up immediately after reading the letter sent by Nightin. He couldn''t afford to let him leave just in the first trail, they still have eight others sub trails and one ultimate challenge for him. But keeping him here would mean that he would have to explain to Nightin about the flow of time here, which is actually a thousand times slower than the actual world. Left without a choice, he could only sent a message to inform Nightin that he doesn''t need to worry while he contacted the others, he was sure that Nightin wouldn''t be satisfied with just his assurance, his temper and mentality would just make him wreck havoc in his hidden chamber. When Nightin received the message, he knew that he was just being pacified and there are only two possible reasons for this. It''s either that they have no way to stop the trail but had a way to slow down the passage of time, by making use of the Divine space law at its highest level, the level of time control. The other possible case, could be because they had a way to help him out in the outside world, making it possible for him to rest assured and focus on the upcoming trail. The worst case scenario of course wouldn''t happen as the time flow here had already been slowed down greatly, leaving him without any room for worry, but he doesn''t know about it yet... Back in the meeting room chamber, the Forgist Overlord managed to gather everyone here as they sat around the round table, which was decorated in a royale yet majestic way while being levelled to their throne. The Soul Oracle Overlord who was already brimming with hate towards the Forgist Overlord, stared at him as she played around with her staff. The Forgist Overlord sensed it with his sharp senses and thus turned towards the Soul Oracle as well. Sparks flied in their air as the other Overlords tried to change the topic and managed to avert their attention after lots of persuasion. The Beast Summoner Overlord asked as he played around with the jade snake coiled around his right hand "Hey Forgist, just what do you have to tell us? We don''t have all day just to watch the two of you argue, we have many important tasks to settle." After some time passed, the Beast Summoner Overlord decided that it was time for them to enter the main topic, cutting straight to the chase, he posed the Forgist Overlord an question. The Forgist Overlord didn''t like the feeling of being interrupted, but still calmed down as he knew that he''s at fault right now, the more he tries to explain, the more hate he''ll generate. "I''ll explain it briefly here. The challenger this time has some knots in the outside world and he needs to leave to settle them, he only has seven days in the outside world, which is equivalent to about seven thousand says here." The other Overlords including the Soul Oracle herself kept silent, they all knew the seriousness of this matter, it''s part of the forbidden rules they were taught, they should never share to others about the secret of time flow here. That itself was a forbidden law which no one is this world holds, except their father who managed to grasp the concept of time flow and bring out its fullest limit, only to say this to them that day "When there''s a wall, there''s a mountain beyond..." At this moment, the automatic mechanic table which was created by the Forgist Overlord himself, rolled towards them with its oval shaped wheels, on it was another scroll written by Nightin again. Pressing on one of the buttons on the table, the words written on the scroll were flashed for all to witness. "Dear examiner, please give me an answer asap, I have to make it out of here no matter what it takes, I don''t want to take the extreme means, it wouldn''t benefit both sides." The Magist Overlord who has been keeping silent at this time, finally came up with a suggestion as the person with the highest intelligence among them. "We may be unable to let him know about the time flow here, but we can make him the promise that he''ll return back to his world in time." The Charmist Overlord interjected as she spoke out in a seducing voice, the attention of all the guys fixated on her snow white skin exposed outside of her revealing clothing, the two melons in front of her chest seemingly trying to tear apart from the clothing yet managed to defy gravity. "And how do you suggest we do that?" The Magist Overlord continued to stare at the Charmist''s chest, oblivious to the fact that everyone was already laughing at him, the Soul Oracle Overlord and the Array Master Overlord who were woman as well were wanting to kill him. If one''s gaze could kill an equal, the Magist Overlord would have already been killed a thousand times. Back in the practical examination area, Nightin who was still sitting down there, finally managed to calm his mind down as he could feel his laws merging into one. From now on, while the other laws might follow him through his life, his whole mind and effort would be on the path of Samsara, even the gale blades of death wouldn''t be enough, as for the demigods who killed the ten Great Saints in the legends, they were most likely beings who were at the Demigod realm, that''s all there is to their strength. Only the Samsara law which he cultivates right now, has no limits to it for as far as he knows as he finally merged it into his sword, officially stepping into the true realm of a Sword Ancestor. In this world, the gale blades which everyone fears are merely false divine laws, only concepts such as time and space, life and death has the qualifications to be known as divine laws. In the Sword Ancestor realm, it''s categorised in another method which is universal to all the Ancestor realms. They are divided into the sword intent stage, sword heart stage and sword aura stage. The realm he lays in right now, would be the sword intent stage where he infuses all his sword intent into every attack, multiplying his combat strength by folds. Right at this moment, another scroll was transported to him through the mysterious yet foreign object, picking it off from the altar like table, he read the scroll. After reading it, he heaved heavily as the stone weighing down on his chest was finally lifted off, the test examiners had agreed to his appeal and would help him to ensure that things are alright in the outside world while he remains here. As for the test objective, it would be for him to become a ninth grade Forgist before he can leave, but how would he manage that when his theory level isn''t even there? Nightin knew that the test examiner, who is the Forgist Overlord he doesn''t know of, had overestimated him way too much due to the answers he gave previously, but all he could do right now was take things one step at a time. "Side quest has been completed!" [Profession upgrade to seventh grade Forgist] Even though Nightin managed to complete his quest with another S grade this time, his Forgist rank only managed to increase by two major ranks. Chapter 74 - Grinding time Nightin knew that there wasn''t a path of retreat for him right now, walking up to the table filled with blueprints, he took over the easiest blueprint there and attempted it. A simple silver longsword of the mortal rarity, which can be crafted easily with just the basic smithing techniques and flame control, while the end product will depend on the overall process. Fetching over some iron from the side, he started to heat the iron up while paying close attention to the heat, changing it a few times in the process before drawing it out to cool at the side. Once it cooled after just a short while, he used a fire resistant tong to lift it to the forging table, even though the heat wasn''t enough to harm him in the slightest, his body heat might affect the iron which in turn, decreases the overall quality of the final product. With the hammer in hand, he started to hammer the iron into the shape of a sword of around twenty seven inches long. Clang Clang Clang He was using one of the thirty six forging techniques given to him by the system, the whirlwind cyclone thirty six hits. This method would allow him to purify all the ores and elements within the unfinished sword while bringing it into shape, each hammer stronger than the previous which would also increases the weapon''s final durability. Bringing out sword out again with the fire resistant tong, he left it to cool at the side. This is to ensure that the end product blade would be even throughout. Last but not least, he made use of some whetstone and polished the blades of the sword before infusing it with some flame energy of his. When the sword was finished, he held it in hand and surprisingly realised that the sword had already stepped into the Magical rarity. This was due to him executing every step of the forging process to its best, but even this would only have made it a peak grade mortal sword. What really caused the increase in rarity was the forging technique which he used, the whirlwind cyclone thirty six hits wasn''t just as simple as purifying the impure particles, but it changes them into positive ones which in turn strengthens the originally mortal sword, even changing some of them too magical particles, resulting in the Magical Sword we see right now. Right at this moment, a system message got him. "Congratulations to host for crafting a low grade magical sword, 0.01% of current proficiency has been awarded!" This notification brought Nightin back from the depths of hell, as long as he has the system''s aid, it''ll only take him up to three months to progress to the eighth stage Forgist. It may only be a rough estimation and even though it seems slow to him right now, he knows that what he''s doing right now is already an impossible feat, it was the system who made this possible, not him. Just like this, he started the boring and never-ending path of grinding. To be more exact, cultivation itself was a dry process that requires continuos grinding, many cultivators didn''t want to step onto this path, but it was the only way to seek immortality or at the very least, extend their short lifespan. Again and again, he crafted a total of hundred of those silver longsword and gained 1% proficiency after two days. Looking at the pile of blueprints waiting for him to choose, he sighed to himself "I guess I still have a long way to go." Everytime Nightin crafts the silver longsword, it would always end up being of the low grade Magical and on his hundred attempt, he managed to forge a middle grade Magical sword after doing all the steps with perfection without the slightest mistake. Ever since he achieved that, he realised that forging these swords doesn''t even pose the slightest difficulty for him, he won''t gain any proficiency from crafting these swords ever again, they were just of a skill level too low for him. Skipping past the third grades blueprints which was the same difficulty as the sword he finally crafted to perfection, he went to the fifth grade blueprints straight. "Hawk Eye bow, Dragon Rage Sword, Starborn shield... " Nightin flipped the blueprints again and again until he finally found a defensive weapon with offensive properties, the Starborn shield. The Starborn shield may only have the defense properties of a middle grade Magical shield, but it carries a special trait which makes its worth even better than most sixth grade blueprints. It has the one time use ability, a defensive barrier that can block off even the full force attack of an Martial Emperor, if he can make thousands of these here, wouldn''t that mean that all his disciples would be safe from most harm. To top it off, its next stage would be the reborn shield which while increasing its defense capabilities to block that of a Half Saint, it actually grants the ability to transport the user back to the spot where the travel mark is at. This means that as long as his disciples aren''t attacked or stopped by any Martial Saints, they would always be safe. The problem now is that the blueprint, is one of the ninth grade which means that the faster he finishes the mission given, the more of them he can craft and keep as his personal belongings. The resources used may be way too much for most ninth grade Forgists and even some Forgists at the Soul Wandering stage, but to someone like the Forgist Overlord, the materials that he''s taking are merely scrap or just trash itself. Going over to the materials bench, he started to take all the materials needed in the crafting of the shield, before placing them onto the workbench beside the heating area. In total, there are forty nine materials needed in the making of the starborn shield, starting with the purifying of all the materials serparately, as for the forging method, the whirlwind cyclone would be enough with forty nine hits this time. For each material alone, it took him more than a minute to purify and refine them, by the team he was done with the first step, two hours had already passed by. Having merged the materials together, he started to hammer them into the desired shape. "First, hammer it at the edges to bring out the curved exterior, next up would be to close in to the centre in a circular motion, bringing out the perfect circular shield" Nightin was thinking to himself as he did all the steps, he had to make sure that no mistakes were made, especially when one shield will take him just way too long. (Won''t be describing the forging process, unless you viewers want it) And thus, the boring process of grinding begins for real... Chapter 75 - Chris Ho Back in the Blue Wind Inn, there was a young woman probably around fifteen years in age, she was taking a window sit on the second floor with a cup of tea in front of her, it was the famous local tea here known as the Pea flower tea. She may still be young, but her body was already well develop and with her facial looks which can only be found in a painting of great beauty, she captured the attention of all the guests here. Even so, no man in this inn right now had the guts to approach her, for she was giving off a terrifying aura stronger than any they have seen. There was a Martial King early stage realm here who tried to detect her cultivation, only to realise that her cultivation was too much above his, he had no way to check her strength. Left with no choice, everyone in the inn decided to ignore her as the day continued as per usual, while they enjoy the enchanting music. The guests in this inn started to chatter as they discuss about the possible identity of this young woman. Everyone was thinking that she may be one of those martial talents from the King forces, but no one held any information about her. "Mr Ho, do you know who that woman is?" A random passerby asked one of the man who was playing the zither, he was one of the famous musicians in this city and was said to hold great wisdom. It''s said that he may be a gentleman, but if the need for battle rises, he''s even crazier than those battle maniacs they know of, he''s one who will place his life on the line. Chris kept silent as he stopped the plucking of his fingers, this made everyone kept so silent that they were holding back their breaths, afraid from interrupting the great Chris Ho. Everyone knew that Chris Ho was someone who managed to enter the dual mind realm where even if he''s just playing his music, the him when in full combat state would still be there. Seventeen years old and already at the Martial King early stage realm, someone who has once skipped past three sub realms to defeat a Martial King at the completion stage realm. He even has the abilities to fight against a Half Emperor cultivator. Talking wouldn''t even affect him in the slightest, thus showing just how serious it is for him to have stopped playing his beloved music. Chris Ho didn''t pressure them with any aura, him being in front of them was already enough pressure, even if it''s with the identity of a musician, everyone was still being intimidated by him one way or another. "I have no idea who that woman is." Chris Ho only spoke out this one line before returning to play his music, no one here understood just exactly what he meant, but it was crystal clear that he doesn''t want to elaborate. "What''s with this awfully awkward silence?" A young man in his teens as well stepped onto the silent second floor as he questioned everyone present. The faces of most people here changed when they saw the lackey and Jin Long who was behind him, one of the top ten experts among this time''s younger generation. One of his lackeys who was scanning around, was shocked when he saw the beauty sitting by the window and whispered into the ears of that young man. "Senior Jin, there''s a young beauty sitting down over there." The lackey didn''t have the slightest intention to hide her from this Jin Long as he immediately pointed her out to him. After all, he would get to enjoy her perfect body as well after Jin Long, it would definitely be great pleasure to **** a woman just after another man did her. Licking his lips, he shouted at the top of his voice, his voice clear for everyone present to hear. "Listen up everyone, this here is the great disciple of the Guards!" Everyone knew that the lackey wasn''t saying this for them to hear, it was for that pretty lady sitting on the window seat alone. Few looked at Jin Long and his lackey in shock, some ignored him and treated him as air, some even attempted to run up and smack them. Seriously, did someone on the younger generation just try to flex on Chris Ho? Jin Long could feel the tense atmosphere in the air, everyone was somehow against him even though he hasn''t said anything. If he doesn''t regain back his stand, how would he even capture her attention? Clearing his throat, he told everyone "I''m sorry for the rudeness of my junior, please forgive him for his rash actions as he''s still quite young." The crowd present were all veterans in the lower realm, this was the Emperor City which was renowned as the gathering place of all the strongest cultivators. Even the weakest cultivators here would be at the Martial Lord realm, all of them were cultivators who have experienced the cruelty of the world to come this far, this was the reason why they didn''t disagree with Jin Long. As for Chris Ho who was sitting there playing his enchanting music, he was merely wearing a smile throughout this whole incident, as though as if Jin Long was nothing but a lowly being to him. Another lackey behind Jin Long who was at the Martial Lord early realm, flared up when he saw Chris who was merely a musician in his eyes. "Hey, that musician over there, who gave you the permission to continue playing your music?" Chris ignored him as some of the cultivators from the older generation stepped in and persuaded Jin Long lackey to stop. "Young lad, you should back out right now if you still cherish your life." "Young fella, it isn''t a bad thing to be arrogant, but there are some people which you should never offend." The lackey seemingly who seemed to have ignored them, took out a sabre from his spatial ring as he slashed it towards Chris. Before anyone could react, the lackey had already exploded into a puddle of blood, his corpse nowhere to be found. This sent a cold shiver down Jin Long''s spine as he stuttered "Chris... You''re Chris Ho the demonic musician!" Chris stopped the plucking of his fingers as he asked "Oh, do you know my true identity?" Jin Long wanted to say yes, but he still kept silent after remembering what his master and elders told him. "Remember, if you meet someone by the name of Chris Ho one day, don''t ever expose his true identity." Jin Long shook his head as he said "I don''t know what your true identity is, I only know that you''re a talented musician and a genius on top of that." Chris Ho plucked one of the Zither''s strings which sent a mental wave into Jin Long''s wave. Zingggg "Argh!" Jin Long cried out in pain as he collapsed on the ground, his hands hugging his head as he wailed in pain, but no one stepped forward to help him. Jin Long who was rolling on the ground started to beg Chris after the soul tearing pain continued to get worse. "I''m sorry! Please spare this pathetic life of mine! Please, I can do anything, just stop!!" Chris plucked another of his string which immediately stopped the painful reverberation in Jin Long''s head, but he had already fallen into a coma at this point of time. Everyone knew that Jin Long was done for on the cultivation path, even if he''s still alive after this, his mental spirit would be too damaged to cultivate any further, he''s nothing but a cripple with some cultivation strength at best. Chris stood up and kept his zither inside his spatial ring, walking up towards the lady sitting by the window, he asked politely while bowing down "Young lady, it''s time for us to leave this inn." One of the guests her asked Chris in a stuterring voice "Sire, didn''t you say that you don''t know who this lady is?" Chris gave him a deep stare which made that guest shudder in fear, a puddle of stinky water forming in the middle of his pants as he tried to cover it. Chris retracted his gaze, saying in a low voice which was just loud enough for everyone to hear "She''s my sister." Chapter 76 - Lancelots heart Bang Clang The sound of objects dropping in the floor could be clearly heard, everyone was shocked when they heard what Chris Ho said, did he just say that this pretty lady is his sister? From what everyone knows, Chris has been alone ever since he became famous, news of him having a family member was unheard of. Chris turned around and said softly "My dear sister, it''s time for us to leave this place, are you still waiting for him?" The sister replied in a soft voice only Chris could hear "Yes, I believe that he''ll show off his skills in the King Forces tournament this time, I just need some more time." Chris patted her head while assuring her "Don''t worry, I won''t let him come to any harm." Although Chris was pacifying his sister right now, he knew deep down that he wasn''t going to give that person a chance to advance on his sister. Many people didn''t know about Chris Ho and his sister''s true identity, but it doesn''t matter for this cultivation realm they''re in, are already unwilling to tolerate their existence. Their true strength and talent is just way too much for it to hold, for every second and moment they stay, the more the spirit essence in this cultivation realm is damaged. The cultivation realm did once attempt to drive them out, but immediately gave up on that notion after a senior from their family suppressed it totally. [Grassy plains near the Emperor city] A young man could be seen holding a spear in hand, on his black was a silver clear cape drenched in scarlet, on his spear was nothing but lighting, his hair was in a complete mess and his breathing was uneven. The person was Lancelot as he stood face to face against three terrifying demon Lords, each of his opponents were at the completion stage realm even though they didn''t have any strong combat abilities, their cultivation were more than enough to suppress him. Lancelot himself had been trying his best to grow stronger even after he took revenge, just last month, he successfully stepped into the early stage Martial Lord realm. "Coiling Dragon Strike!" Lightning marks started to coil themselves around Lancelot''s spear, just like a wave of snakes who were coiling up the same target, but this time to charge it with strength as they willingly get devoured. Vzzt Vzzt The lion Demon Lord was the first one to realise the danger of this attack as it pounced onto Lancelot, wanting to interrupt his skill cast before its too late. This however, caused it to lose its life in the next moment, unwillingness and retreat could be seen in its eyes before collapsing onto the ground with a thud. A spear had pierced through from its abdomen while the lightning rampaged about within its body, crushing and devouring all the internal organs and blood. The other two lion Demon Lords immediately had the notion of retreat, the human in front of them was a killing machine to them. Swoosh Without even any communication, the lion Demon Lords took off and tried to escape, but with their low level of intelligence, they weren''t quite that smart enough to escape in opposite directions. In just a few dashes, Lancelot caught up to them as he charged up his spear once again, this time sending it in a sweep as it sent both the lion Demon Lords flying. Growl One of the lions survived while the other one died, the surviving lion who was on its last line pounced towards Lancelot, hoping to take down the human with it. Thud The next moment, all Lancelot could see was darkness before he lost consciousness. Chris Ho and his sister were here when Lancelot fell as the sister rushed up to Lancelot, she took out a bottle of healing elixirs from her spatial ring, before pouring out a sixth grade pill used by Martial Kings just for Lancelot to recover. Chris who was beside his sister at the time, asked her "Sister, was there a need to feed him a sixth grade pill?" His sister Martha immediately rebutted back to her blood related brother for the very first time "It doesn''t matter as long as he can recover more quickly, just tell me if your heart hurts from it!" Chris wanted to scold his sister, but looking at her cute appearance, he shook his head while putting the thought of. Opening his mouth after a short while, he told her "We should bring here somewhere else to recuperate, this isn''t the ideal place." Whoosh A gust of wind swept them away as they returned back to their rooms in the inn, on the fourth floor where they''re only two rooms, which were currently occupied by him and his sister. Chris brought Lancelot into his room while shutting the door close, leaving Martha all alone by herself in a bid to cut off any connections between Lancelot and Martha. To Chris, Lancelot''s cultivation base was still way too weak, his combat strength, mentality and even sharpness and ruthlessness was there, but it still wasn''t enough to match up with the elf princess. If Lancelot and her truly wants to get together, he would have to step into the Martial Saints realm by the young age of twenty five, which was a impossible record in this broken cultivation realm. When Lancelot opened his eyes once again, the first view that came into his sight was a young man clad in white robes, he was sitting down there playing the zither peacefully, but stopped upon knowing that Lancelot was awake. Without even turning around to face Lancelot, he warned him "You don''t have to thank me, it was Martha who saved you. Also, get away from her!" Lancelot could feel a strong tug within his heart when Chris Ho said this, it was Martha. The girl who had been with him since young until the age of twelve where some cultivation experts came to bring her away from him. He could still vividly remember that day where Martha left him with tears streaking down her cheeks, mucus was flowing out from her nose as well when she shouted "Brother Lancelot!!!" The memory was so vivid that it felt like he was watching a video tape which was recorded specifically for him, it was also that day which he swore to get stronger. Lancelot didn''t move as it would deepen his wounds, but he still asked Chris "What do you mean by get away from her?" Chris smirked, his smirk gradually turned into that of crazy laughter as he fully released his music aura and cultivation. A Martial Emperor and zither heart Ancestor realm. Lancelot could feel a strong pressure crushing down on him as his face turned ashen white, only after the pressure was gone did he finally manage to gasp for air. Chris asked again, sharpness in his eyes with a sharp and solemn tone "Are you willing to leave Martha? You aren''t qualified to be with her unless you can prove yourself worthy before she gets engaged in ten years time!" Lancelot froze for a moment, only after quite some time have passed did he open his mouth to ask Chris in a quivering voice "What... Did you just say?" Chris hesitated for a moment and realised that he actually leaked out classified information. "I won''t repeat myself twice, but I''ll let you in on this as a brother. If you truly wish to get together with Martha, you have ten years to step into the Martial Saint realm and find a backing stronger than that." Lancelot stood up as he left the room with heavy footsteps, not forgetting to tell Chris "I will do so... In ten years." Would it be better to drag the novel to fill in more details and make it a longer story, or would a shorter story which ends at the lower realm be better, won''t have a complete ending though... Chapter 77 - Cruelty of war Back in the Forgist trail, it has almost been a whole day in the outside world and Nightin has finally managed to accomplish his goal. In total, he crafted ten thousand of the starborn shields and a hundred of the reborn shield, while stepping into the ninth grade Forgist realm as well. When Nightin tried to progress further however, he realised that the shields didn''t pose any difficult at all and that his proficiency bar was locked and of a dull grey. "System, why isn''t my proficiency improving anymore?" Nightin asked the system within his mind after he finished all his products, he was expecting at least a slight increase. "Collecting data... Analysing data... Report has been done!" The system began to generate data and compile them together for Nightin. "The reason for the host being unable to improve any further in the Forgist path, is because you''ve stepped onto the path of a Diviner." "In order to progress further on the Forgist path, you would have to ensure that all other professions are of the ninth grade as well." Nightin sucked in a cold breath of air when he heard this, all nine professions are to be balanced? Even with the system''s, it still took him close to three years time to progress two stages. Even though he doesn''t know about what''s going on outside, he could roughly sense and estimate the flow of time. It was at that moment which he realised just how much pain and effort those profession masters had went through, in order to attain the status and capabilities they have today. Nightin continued the test as the other eight Overlords sat around the round table in shock, he was going to challenge to become a Diviner. With just this guts and courage alone, he had already earned their recognition. The path of a Diviner wasn''t a simple one and it was one which even they fear, all of them were people who had once stepped onto one of the nine paths, they themselves know just how difficult it is for one to grasp a concept. Furthermore, a Diviner had to merge all the concepts together while having the flexibility to change between them at any time. All the Overlords at this time had silently agreed to one thing, the birth of a Diviner who''s bound to surpass them and step into the legendary realm, where god might be at... At this point of time, Alexander and Abby were in their last war before heading towards the gathering place, they were up against a whole city protected by a early stage Martial King. This was the closest city closet to the Emperor city as well, giving them ample time to travel there after this war. Alexander at this time was however giving off the aura of a ruler, he was already at the middle stage Martial King realm while Abby who has been in countless wars also progressed rapidly and advanced into the middle stage Martial Lord realm. Throughout the year which they''ve spent leading the Azure Dragon army, they progressed rapidly in terms of their cultivation, but what changed most about them was something else. They had maturity beyond their age, they were able to lead their army into danger without anyone feeling fear, they were alert and smart enough after seeing the cruelty of this world. Alexander summoned his scroll as it opened up and flapped along with the winds, going back and forth like a wave as it glowed with blood red light, its glow bright enough to get everyone''s attention fixated to it. When every soldier saw the scroll appear in the battlefield, the feeling of fear struck the deepest of their soul, their body was shaking uncontrollably and all they wanted, was to return back to their loved ones. If it was bound to be a losing battle, they would rather live in poverty and live a normal life with their family, there wasn''t any point in throwing their lives away. "City lord of the Hans, are you willing to surrender and spill out the beans about the crimes you''ve committed!" Alexander shouted as he asked the city lord who was standing atop his city walls. Alexander wasn''t one to wage wars easily, the reason he even initiated this war was because of the misdeeds this city has done, he was a puppet to the evil path and he was ruthless enough to place a slave mark on each of his soldiers. The soldiers was innocent, but the city lord wasn''t, he deserves death for the thousands of lives he has taken for his own selfishness, he was sacrificing the lives of others in exchange of faster cultivation speed, he was a living prisoner who should already be condemned to death since the start. The City lord however didn''t show any signs of fear and instead broke out in laughter, the coldness within his quivering voice sent chills down all his civilians and soldiers spine "That''s right, the evil path is bound to take the world by storm this time!" Right after he said this, purple energy started to rush out of his body before coiling themselves around him, forming the image of a venomous snake with two razor sharp fangs, it may only be a energy projection, but it felt way too surreal to them. "Evil snake path, venom spit!" The snake opened up its mouth as it started to charge energy with a call from the city lord, all the surrounding spirit energy were starting to flow into it and the soldiers and civilians could feel a small fraction of their life force flowing into it. The nearby trees and plants which were brimming with life, were now nothing but withered plants without any signs of life. The whole area was void of signs of life as the civilians all started to cry out. They were scared of this untold and unexpected phenomenon, they didn''t want to have their lifespan shorten when it was already a mere hundred years only. "Mum, there''s a monster there! I''m... Scared..." A young girl cried out as she hugged her only mother, filth and dirt was on her face as tears and snot started to flow down. If it was under normal circumstances, there would always be that one or two kind souls who would be caring about her, but no one was willing to even pay attention to the pitiful young girl in times of war. "What the hell is that monster! Run for your life guys!" One young man who was still able to keep a small part of his mind sane cried out as he started to escape towards the back gates. The back gates were their only means of escape right now, the back gates were usually blocked off by those soldiers, but the soldiers right now were different. From the moment the city lord summoned out the snake behind him, he had already lost control of the power totally, he was now the catalyst of the snake within his body, the only thing about him that still exists is his plump body which had turned slender. He had long yellow hair which were of a light shade, he had the looks of a man which can even outshine the top beauties, he had the aura of one who you would turn to in times of need, this was excluding those who had once been under his rule due to what happened. He may seem gentle, but everyone here know that he''s a ruthless killing maniac whose body and soul is soaked with innocent blood, his extremely faint red skin and crimson red pupils added to his seduction as he smiled as the whole scene right now. This loud cry of his was soft amidst the chaos, but some who heard it immediately followed suit and this triggered a chain reaction as they started to escape. Soon, a huge crowd of people could be seen running towards the back gates, all of them only had the same thought in mind and that was to escape from this chaos. Everyone was in disorder and all that could be heard was muffled screaming, the elderly were being pushed to the ground and there was nobody to help them, children were seperated from their parents and even the strong men were fighting among themselves. The strong tramples on the weak, this saying was being proven right before their eyes, Alexander and Abby including their soldiers all wanted to help, but realised that they were powerless against the situation. They had a powerful foe to face off against right now and the only way they could prevent this chaos, would be to defeat the one standing before them, clad in a purple aura with a slithery snake behind him. Just him standing there alone was giving off enough pressure, every civilian and soldier found it hard to breathe, it was as though as if their hearts were already in others hands, one crush and all signs of life would be gone from them. This wasn''t all, they could feel their life force being sapped away by a mysterious force, if this were to keep up, the elderly would soon start dying. Alexander changed his scroll into a heavy sword as he circulated all the spirit energy within his body, all of them were being charged into his arm and infused into his sword, his scroll who had transformed into a sword could feel its master burning rage as it strived to absorb all the given energy. Chapter 78 - The evil path shall rule Alexander raised his head up to look at the city lord of Hans, questioning once again in a cold voice "City lord of Hans, are you ready to suffer the consequences for your misdeeds?" The city lord broke out in laughter as his body shook back and forth, his hand covering his handsome face which had yellow fringe near his eyebrows. "You''re no match for me! Remember this as well, I''m Orochi, one of the eight evil Overlords!" The eight evil Overlords were the leaders of the evil forces and are said to be serving a Evil king that goes by the name Atroax, a Necromancer with physical capabilities above most valiant warriors. As Orochi said this, the purple snake behind him vanished as his hair and snake turned a crimson red, the extravagant clothes he was wearing, was replaced by a long piece robe which reached down to his knees. If one doesn''t know about him, one might even think that he''s a gentleman who''s bound to become the white knight of every woman. Flames gathered around him, but instead of doing any harm to him, they only surrounded him very gently, just like how a mother would take care her child. Alexander didn''t know why, but he could feel his head hurting when he heard this, the blood flowing within him was pumping rapidly. Looking up at Orochi again, he saw the nightmare which he fears most, the betrayer of the Damian family who took his father''s life and became the family head of the Damian family. It''s unknown what he''s doing in the lower realm and why his cultivation is even lower than him, but he knew that even with everything he have right now, he''s nothing but an ant in front of Orochi who has already killed countless elephants and even a few gigantic dragons. In front of dragons, snakes are nothing more but their weakest descendents, but Orochi was a different case as he was one who surpassed his generation and formed a new one of his own. Orochi himself was only half human, the other half of him was the White Crimson Serpent which venom wasn''t just poisonous, but also carries a scorching heat which ranks as the seventh flame in the whole world, its toxicity unmatched except for one foe. Orochi smiled looking at Alexander before turning his head slowly over towards Abby, Alexander and Abby both felt that Orochi was going to plan something. But before either of them could react, they could feel that their legs were being restrained to the ground and they were rooted to the spot. Two snakes had actually spiralled up from the ground and was coiling on their legs, the more they tried to struggle, the tighter the constraint which resulted in them giving up on this thought of theirs. When they looked up again, all they saw were two gigantic hands glowing with white crimson flames as they stood there motionless, they wanted to avoid it but realised that their body wasn''t listening to them as the hands caught them. Clasp The members of the Array Dragons all rushed forwards with their weapons and tried to break the hand, but before any of them could get near, the heat got them before blasting them off. Back in Alexander''s and Abby''s mind at this time, was Orochi''s voice which sounded extremely serious as he told them to keep silent and listen. "General!" One of the soldiers who had been with Alexander cried out with tears streaking down his face, his fists were clenched tight and kept to his side as he kneeled on the ground. "You goddamn demon, what the hell do you think you''re doing!" One of the younger and newer members cried out as he took out a small rock from the ground and threw it towards Orochi. Orochi merely smiled as he brushed past this small side scene and dodged to the side, staring at that solider for a few moments he said "Young lad, what did you just call me?" The soldier took a deep gulp of saliva, but knew that the only choice left for him right now would to be to argue back, he had to stall time for everyone to think of a way. In a panic, the rookie soldier could only repeat what he said like an idiot towards Orochi "I said that you''re a goddamn demon who deserves death, someone like you shouldn''t even exist in this world!" The other experienced soldiers all looked at the rookie in shame, he had the talent and guts to become a great solider, but he''s bound to go down today after what he has just said. Not only did he scold Orochi again, but he even made it worse when he repeated himself. Orochi''s eyebrow rose for a moment, but he merely released Alexander and Abby from those mysterious hands before vanishing into the air. "The Azure Dragons, I''ll remember you guys! The next time we meet will be the time of war! Hahahaha!" Orochi left as he left behind the message of war towards them, his figure nowhere to be seen and all signs of him once being here were erased. The soldiers and civilians had all vanished into thin air but none of the soldiers from the Azure Dragon army was injured or hurt, Alexander and Abby were fine either as they stood in front of their army. Alexander got onto his stallion again, his scroll once again flashing behind his back as he rallied "Soldiers of the Azure Dragon take note! Our next destination will be the King forces tournament!" Alexander may be acting calm on the surface, but questions were tumbling about within his mind even until now, just what had Orochi meant by that and why was Orochi wanting him to take special care of that rookie. That rookie may have talents and guts, but most or even all of his soldiers has that trait, it wasn''t the reason why he was chosen, but Alexander knew that Orochi arranged this mission for him due to a specific purpose and that he held no harm. If Orochi had truly wanted to harm them, he would have taken his and Abby lives at that very moment where they were caught, the civilians and soldiers of his may be missing as well, but no signs of their death could be found. As for his army, they were filled with countless questions in their mind, but they knew that it wasn''t their privilege to know and that they weren''t entitled to those answers, if their general had the intention to tell them, he would already have done so back then when rallying them. Abby sped up her stallion to head neck to neck towards Alexander as she asked "Alexander, do you trust what he just said to us just now?" Alexander shook his head as he rallied back towards his army "Azure Dragons, increase your speed! We''ll strive to make it there by nightfall!" Besides Alexander and Abby who were riding on energy made horses at that time, all members of the Azure Dragon were actually travelling on dragons made of their own spirit energy. If one were to look from afar, they might not believe their eyes as what they would see is an Azure Dragon dashing through the air as a tremendously fast speed, something which can only be accomplished by the army of thirty thousand strong where everyone trusted each other. Whoop Whirr Poof As the energy stallions below Alexander and Abby vanished, energy started to gather below them as an Azure Dragon spanning for about five metres appeared below them, it was at least triple the size of his army, but it doesn''t matter to any of them, it was a symbol of his strength and leadership. None of the soldiers felt jealousy, it wasn''t their general''s fault that their dragons are shorter than his. Alexander stood on the dragon as Abby hugged him from behind, her face closely attached to his broad and strong back as she asked very softly "Dear, will everything be fine?" Alexander placed one of his palms on Abby''s hand which was hugging him to the front waist as he assured her "I can''t promise that everything will be fine, but I''ll protect you with all my life." Alexander didn''t make any large movements, neither did he tried to do anything flashy or memorable for Abby, all he had to say to her was one line. Sometimes, love doesn''t have to be filled with intense passion and heat, love can be ordinary and peaceful, but what matters is the true heart which lays. Swoosh Chapter 79 - Meeting of the legacy disciples At this point of time, exactly six days and seven nights away from the start of the King forces tournament, most of the legacy disciples had already arrived in the city with the exception of Ayden who they have not heard any news from. Back in the sect, Ayden was still trying to breakthrough once again to the late stage Martial King realm, his unique body constitution was proving to bring him more benefits with the increase in his cultivation base and flesh training. His body was already at the stage which could rival that of a half step Martial Emperor, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that her the strongest of all the disciples right now, he might even be above Nightin and Alexander in terms of raw combat strength. His hair which had grown long was tied behind his back in a ponytail, his fringe was already long enough to cover his eye as they sliced diagonally, covering his right eye and the scar above it from training. His muscles were bludging and determination flashed past his eyes as he braced himself for the final breakthrough... At the heart of the Emperor city, there''s a tall yet majestic tower which pierces through the sky, no one knows how many floors there are to this tower, the furthest they could step into was the seventh floor which corresponds to the Martial Saint realm, but that was still a far cry from the peak which they could see. That tower was known as the Valor tower which only the brave with strong willpower can step into, those with weak minds would be transported out or even blocked from entering the tower. At the bottom of the tower was a gigantic basement formed by countless portals, Lancelot being the first one to have arrived and as the first great disciple, decided to take the initiative to register for a lobby. Walking up to the self registration station, he selected the 749th lobby and was given the key to it, using the key to unlock the door, he allowed access to all members of the Nirvana sect as he left a heading there to inform them. Lancelot wasn''t sure if they''ll arrive here, but he knew that they would most likely figure it out, it was clear that the Valor tower was the best gathering location for no one would be able to peek on them. Finding a clean spot on the ground, he sat down to meditate as he forgot about the outside world, everyone here was blocked from seeing through the mysterious energy barriers in each lobby, making this place a safe haven for all cultivators. There were cultivators who have committed vicious crimes and have sins which they can never redeem for in their life, this made those cultivators turn towards the Valor tower for no one could track them down here. With a infinite number of rooms to them, there''s no way that they could be caught by other cultivators, even if the fact they''re here is exposed, they can just camp here together in one lobby, or alone by themselves to embrace the loneliness. Two days after Lancelot booked the room, another twoof the legacy disciples arrived in the lobby, clad in armor with a whole gigantic army behind them. "Hey Alex, how''s things going lately?" Lancelot took the initiative to call out towards Alexander as he stood up and went for a bro hug. Alexander didn''t reject Lancelot''s hug as he moved forward to embrace him as well, Abby who was at the side laughed at this scene and teased Alexander while saying "So you choose your brother over me now huh?" Swoosh Alexander pulled Abby over into his embrace as he let go of Lancelot, looking down towards Abby''s tomato red face, he asked again beside her ear "What did you just say, my dear?" Abby''s heart began to palpitate at a rapid rate and she could feel Alexander''s hot breathing close to her face, leading to her subconsciously cuddling deeper into his embrace just like a fragile lady. The soldiers behind all looked in shock at this scene, is this the true face of their female general who always gives off a cold aura that keeps them away. Even so, none of the soldiers had the guts to point out this fact in fear of their manhood, they wouldn''t forget that one time where their female general burst the most important part to a man. Some of them could feel their balls shrinking as cold sweat started to form on their body, none of them here wanted to be a shemale. "Oh my god! Just what stage have you guys advanced to!?" Another voice exclaimed from afar as he saw the scene in front of him. A man was embracing a blushing woman and all this was captured by Little Black who has matured a little compared to the last time. His appearance didn''t change much, but he definitely looked much bulkier and he has sharp hair that spikes up this time. Abby immediately pushed Alexander away before standing beside him, her face getting a even brighter red which starts to make you question, just how much will she be blushing at this rate? Even so, Little Black apparently still has much to learn, his next question only made things worse for Abby. "Sister Abby, why is your face so red? Did brother Alexander bully you or are you sick?" Little Black asked in a manner so innocent that Abby didn''t know to react as she began to stutter. "I... He... I..." Abby was at a lost for words as she began to shook her head around, she could swear that the stars were there for her. It was at this time that someone they have never seen appeared before their eyes, a young man of their age with a cultivation base of a Martial Lord. This wasn''t that eye catching, bur the glowing blue ring floating behind his back was. Someone of their age not only had a cultivation base similar to them, he had high achievements and the aura he was giving off, it was definitely on the same level as them. Lancelot took out his spear and threw it towards the mysterious youth who had just appeared, this wasn''t a place for others besides the Nirvana sect members to step into. Clang The spear struck the magical barrier, but the barrier merely shook before stabilising once again, not even the tiniest of cracms crack could be seen on it. The mysterious youth opened his mouth as he posed a question "Senior Lancelot, is this how you treat a junior just because I''m still a outer disciple?" Lancelot kept back his aura when he heard the word junior, but still kept up his alert upon hearing that he''s a outer disciple. The others kept their hostility back, but were still being cautious of Pawn who had suddenly barged into their camping area with his self acclaimed identity. But only Lancelot knew that Pawn was truly on their side, he had changed the settings to only allow members of the Nirvana sect to enter. Soon, the remaining members of the Nirvana sect gathered together and the day of the tournament was closing in... Chapter 80 - Nightins return Back in the ultimate Diviner trail, Nightin finally managed to clear all nine trails and finally broke free from it, his body and soul was transported back to the lower realm by a mysterious light which enveloped him. Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was the currently crowded King Forces assembly area, he had been transported back to where he was previously. The same fresh air which he had been breathing since young, the chattering of people which he hasn''t heard for close to twenty years, everything just felt too good to be true. In the time that had passed, his cultivation soared and rised to the early stage Martial King realm, all of his nine professions were at the ninth grade and he even compiled theur information together, all alone by himself without any assistance. How were things staying the same after twenty years had passed? That was a question which Nightin wouldn''t ever be able to solve until he steps into the true legendary realm. Nightin''s appearance might not have changed much, neither did his personality. But his mindset were now poles apart from the previous him, he was confident that if someone were to lie to him, his soul detection would definitely catch traces of that. The soul detection was a method unique to soul oracles and with his current soul power combined with his unwavering will and immense mental energy, even demigods wouldn''t know that they have been seen through. The Soul Oracle may be a rarely trained profession, but it was acclaimed to be the strongest of the nine professions. In terms of support, what could compare to the soul detection unique to oracles and their unique soul weapon which would affect the opponent''s mind, making it impossible for them to fight at their best. In terms of attack power, which cultivator of the same cultivation base or even lesser than one major realm above the opponent can block a soul wave attack, they held no means to prevent the attack without ever having cultivated soul energy. A middle aged man who had been meditating on the ground, abruptly opened his eyes when he sensed the arrival of another person, that person had just appeared all of a sudden. The detection array which he had used to surround the whole assembly area was actually unable to detect someone, that person was only at the early stage Martial King realm. He had made sure to surround the exterior area of the assembly area with a detection array of the gold ring tier, it should be much more than enough yet it wasn''t able to even pick up the slightest traces of him entering the area. He definitely wouldn''t let news such as this spread, he still had his pride to maintain. He was thinking that he has already overestimated himself by only using a gold ring array, maybe he should have used one of the transcended ring tier. "Excuse me sir, but we are clearing this area and we would require you to leave." One of the guards who was tasked with the major duty of ensuring that the whole process was smooth said in a polite voice. "Alright, I got it already." Standing up, he vanished all of a sudden before the guard''s eyes, the man which he had thought was a mortal who somehow snuck in, was actually a expert. It wasn''t the guard who was weak, his cultivation base was already at the early stage Martial King realm, he was already an expert in the eyes of others, there shouldn''t be someone in this world who could deceive him. Shaking his head, he opted to just give up on finding the identity of the man, if the man had the ability to kill him before he realises it, then there''s no way someone like him would figure out his true status. The mysterious man who had just vanished, was currently standing on a tree and was looking down to find Nightin. How is he this young? The mysterious person was shocked when he saw Nightin''s young appearance, someone from the younger generation had just ''fooled'' around with him. Making use of his spirit energy to scan within Nightin''s body, he was shocked when he saw the flame laying dormant within Nightin''s body, it was the flame of his long lost brother. Nightin witnessed this whole scene and he himself was greatly surprise as well, that man actually vanished from his view all of a sudden, even his soul detection wasn''t enough to catch any signs of his presence. That wasn''t all, the man gave him a sense of familiarity, he had a feeling that the man has a few identities and he had a great ambition to fulfill. Taking the initiative to leave the place, Nightin decided to head towards the Valor tower, his disciples ought to have been intelligent enough to have gathered there. Even so, he suppressed the urge to meet them as he took a stroll in the bustling city area, he wanted to see how the night city would be like one day away from the King Forces tournament. The tournament may be on the next day, but he doesn''t know about any information about it yet. While it''s true that his sect does have the strength to stand above all the King forces, he had a feeling that the rules this time might affect them. Going up to one of the stall vendors, he took out a spirit stone from his spatial ring and asked politely "Excuse me sir, I would like to buy a map for the Emperor city." The stall vendor was a middle aged man and he was clad in a black robe from head to toe, his facial features were covered by a black cloth and he doesn''t give off the slightest cultivation aura, he was just a mortal working to earn a living. The stall vendor bent down and took out a scroll and handed it over to Nightin while taking the spirit stone. Nightin thanked him and turned back, but the man called for him again all of a sudden, making him pause for a moment before walking away once again. "You''ll regret it for life if you live right now." The man spoke out again, it was a voice which he has never heard before, but why did it feel so close to him and why was his heart hurting so much? The man dashed to Nightin''s front and took off the object covering his face as the view of someone with sharp brows and short hair that''s combed backwards appeared within his view... That wasn''t the eye catching part, it was... Chapter 81 - The golden crow Nightin froze when he saw that flame, it felt way too similar to him. It may be different from the Nirvana flame he owns, but it was definitely a divine flame which isn''t any weaker. The man spoke as he said "You''re pretty shocked right? Phoenix was my brother and it came to me as a surprise as well. Care to explain?" Nightin opened his mouth, but realised that he himself was at a lost for words, he didn''t even know where to begin speaking. Slowly taking deep breaths to hide down the excitement and fear, he carefully took out the Phoenix sword laying within his spatial ring. Slowly dragging his hand on the blade of the sword, appreciation could be seen in his eyes and it was clear that he missed Phoenix as well. The old man had entrusted him with the task of taking care of the Soaring Sword sect before his death and to take good care of himself, but he has done neither of them till now. To make matters worse, he doesn''t even know about the whereabouts of the Soaring Sword sect till now, but he was sure that the old man Phoenix had told him that the Soaring Sword sect, was definitely still in the lower realms. With his sect''s current intelligence and for him to have not received any updates, it was clear that his first goal after the King Forces tournament, would be to seek out the Soaring Sword sect. It was going to be him finding a needle in the deep seas, but if the mysterious person held information about the Soaring Sword sect, it would help to make his task easier and fulfill old man''s Phoenix wish. "I''m sorry, but why did you call for me when I was about to leave?" Nightin asked back out of respect even though he knows why he called. The man cleared his throat by coughing before taking out a amulet from his spatial ring, the amulet was of a triangular shape and the internal area was carved into three enforced glass pieces. On the top right triangular corner was the image of a roc, one of the three divine birds known to mankind. To the top left was the image of a golden crow who was standing face to face against the sun, determination to challenge its scorching heat could be seen. To the bottom, was a Phoenix which was undergoing its eighth rebirth, one more rebirth and it would have stepped into the legendary realm which might exist. The man then said "I don''t know what sorcery you used to trick Phoenix, but I''ve given you my identity I presume, you can die in peace now!" As he said this, a wisp of flame suddenly expanded from his palm and became a mess as they expanded towards him. The flame gradually took on the shape of a sharp arrow as they pierced through the air, its golden glow illuminating the whole night market, but no one seems to realise the situation here as everyone''s life progressed as per usual. Nightin who saw this immediately drew out his sword and started to gather his Samsara intent, his mind returning back to the moment where he first met Phoenix, where he first stained his hands and lost their innocent virginity, where he first formed the sect and met his disciples. All of these were his strength and resolve to not give up now, even though he knows that the advancing flame would soon close in and engulf him, he couldn''t afford to just surrender now. He will triumph over it no matter what, it wasn''t foolishness or stupidity, but courage and willpower, the mentality which even most peak experts of this world have forgotten by now. The surrounding spirit energy seemed to be avoiding Nightin at this point, they were actually retreating in fear of the flames, it was clear that the laws in this world weren''t able to restrain the dazzling flames of the Golden Crow. Even so, Nightin''s sword wasn''t any weaker as he finally stepped into the Sword Ancestor seventh stage and comprehend the sword intent essence of it. Samsara energy of a light shade of violet gathered around his sword in a whirl as they surrounded the Phoenix sword in its own form of energy, a purple line was carved onto the sword''s blade as it sliced forward. "Ahhhh!" Nightin charged up all his strength as he went for a pierce of all sword attacks, it might lead him head on to the dazzling flames which were blinding his eyes, but it was the sword move which held the strongest point attack. Clang Boom A huge explosion took place when the flames and sword clashed, a huge crater could be seen on the ground as the mysterious man who''s the golden crow stood there without any emotion on his face. The Phoenix sword was stabbed into the ground and a bloody figure whose body is mutilated, could be seen gripping the sword with his bloodied hands, even at the last breath and moments of his life, he wasn''t able to forget about Phoenix who gave him such big assistance. Phoenix may not have given him much, but he knows for sure that Phoenix has left him much more, it''s just that he was way too much of a pathetic loser, he wasn''t even able to seek out what Phoenix had left in his body. Phoenix have him everything, but he wasn''t able and won''t ever be able to help Phoenix anymore, he could feel his consciousness slipping apart and he missed his disciples. The last few moments of his life were about to end, but he suddenly felt a surge of energy radiating from within his body as they started to repair his broken internal organs which were shattered into pieces, his skin and muscles were regaining back their life force and were recovering as well. Toxins and impurities were being cleansed our from his body, his bones was also a benefiting party from this as they actually managed to strengthen themselves once again, all of his bones were glowing with a golden glow, yet they weren''t willing to fully envelop them. This was a simple process, but the pain was beyond belief as Nightin clenched his teeth and held on to the last strand of consciousness, if he falls asleep right now, he would perish for eternity and never enter the cycle of reincarnation. Rip Rip Ka Ka His muscles started to tear while growing back, this process was accompanied by his bones as they shattered and gathered back together again, this was a endless process which seemingly held no end, but if he manages to persevere through this, the King forces tournament would definitely be a breeze. At this very thought, he gathered all the spirit energy within his body to where his spiritual core is, he was going for the ultimate limit, if he makes a breakthrough at this moment as well, it would be a extremely risky move. If he manages to succeed, his spiritual core would undergo a mysterious change as well, giving him the chance and qualifications to employ his diviner skills to work for him as they rebuild him once and for all by then. But right now, he just had to get his teeth and get through this bullshit no matter what, it may hurt, but he just has to get through this living hell threatening to kill him at every moment. Chapter 82 - Things gone wrong The Golden Crow who had taken on a human form, was shocked and worried when he saw Nightin took this do or die approach, it was impossible for him to stop the process when all he wanted to was test Nightin''s willpower. It was clear that he had underestimated the young boy that Phoenix his best pal had chosen, but if he just allows him to die this way, Phoenix and Roc would definitely whack him up if they''re still alive somewhere. What should I do? The Golden Crow was at a complete lost and was completely helpless against the dire situation he was facing now, he actually played around with Phoenix''s disciple and things have gone totally wrong. While the Golden Crow was thinking of a countermeasure, Nightin was still suffering in agony from the pain which was destroying his body and reconstructing them. If it weren''t for the last few thoughts in his mind pulling him back, he might have already sunken deep into the ocean, a place which is void of life as he lay there all alone and vanish. Where am I? Who am I? What am I doing here? Without any hesitation, he totally crushed his spiritual core which had already went its through first rebirth with his remaining conciousness, a ninth grade spiritual core wasn''t enough for him, if he allows himself to be restrained to the ''peak'' in others eyes, how would he ascend to the legendary realm which they speak of? With his spiritual core shattered, a body wrenching pain made his whole mind go blank, blood started to spurt out of his body as the spiritual energy rampaged about within his body having lost their habitat. The spirit energy was so immense and his body was suffering from the slicing wind blades which were ruining the supposed recovery. He had actually neglected the fact that while his spiritual core had managed to contained the wind blades and burning flames, they were still kept alive as individuals and were awaiting the chance to escape. Seeing the window of opportunity right now, how could those two raging beasts tolerate the human who trapped them, they gained wisdom through the spiritual energy of his, but were now attacking him when he need their cooperation the most. Hehe, it''s time for us to destroy this human once and for all! What gave you the courage to trap us! Damm it, just what else do they want? Nightin was at a lost himself now, was he going to die in the hands of his own spiritual energy because he wasn''t capable of controlling and suppressing them. He had been too reckless in making such an important decision, it was too late for regrets but too early for death. The Golden Crow was scanning his void ring created from the searing flames of his, his flames despite their scorching heat, were also stopped as one of the top ten divine flames. Universal spirit stones above peak grade spirit stones, definitely useless at this point. Thousands of cultivation herbs and resources, more spiritual energy would kill Nightin. Skipping past items after item, he finally found something which might prove useful. What he found was the body of one of his species most talented descendents who unfortunately died in the contest for the spot of leader of the pack. In the three divine bird races, only the true leader would be able to name themselves by their species, while it''s possible for others to have the same title as them, they would always be respected even after they retire. The three of them were now just Ancestors of their respective species, but still held great power and authority, will just a call from them, all members of their race would flock to the gathering location without any hesitation. This was the respect and power a true leader held, his name and reputation including the achievements he had done would never be forgotten and would be carved in history for all descendents to hear. Right now, he was actually sacrificing one of the strongest Golden Crow of his race to assist Nightin, it was a taboo to do so, but it was all he could resort to right now. Even with his authority, some would still be unhappy with his decision, but he had to make the decision right now and this was it. Compared to Phoenix who had went through life and death with him, the sweet and bitter moments they had spent together as brothers definitely exceeded that of his reputation. Taking out the carcass of that Golden Crow who was chosen to be the sacrifice, he personally refined him with his dazzling yet scorching flames as they burned his body into ashes, before gathering them back up as the purest form of energy into an orb. It was merely a small orb about the size of a newborn''s palm, but the immense amount of energy would be enough to destroy the upper realm if released by accident, its energy was way too immense for the upper realm to handle. With a strong push, he drove the orb into Nightin''s body at where his spiritual core was previously, it replaced it as it laid there peacefully. But things weren''t the end yet, the flame which Phoenix had left within Nightin decided to spark alive at this moment, igniting the spiritual core as it burned with the brightest flames within Nightin''s body, aggravating the pain from within. Nightin had already fallen unconscious at this point, but the one strand of will within his subconsciousness mind was still keeping his mind functioning and alive, it was the one reason he was able to stay awake. Beep! Beep! "Detected that host''s life is in danger!" "Recovery measures will be taken immediately!" The system immediately did a set of functions as it prepared a revitalising healing glow which started to suppress the flames and recover the torn beyond belief body. Nightin gradually opened his eyes again as the soothing heal brought him back, closing his eyes to examine within his body, he smirked. Looks like it''s my win. With his Samsara energy struck within his body all of a sudden, he enveloped all the energy and used it to wrap up the two divine flames as they laid in a orb which consists of three different colours. The crimson flames from the Phoenix, the dazzling flames of the Golden Crow and the light violet of the Samsara... Nightin stood up once again as he slowly regained his balance, taking a few deep breaths, he gradually circulated the unfamiliar spirit energy within his body. It was tens of times stronger than the previous spirit energy he owned and his spirit energy thickness right now, wouldn''t be any lesser than that of most Martial Emperors, it might even be on par with a Half Saint. Chapter 83 - The Phoenix and Golden Crow Nightin walked up to the Golden Crow with slow steady steps and stopped exactly three steps before him. Bowing down to a ninety degrees angle, he thanked Golden Crow and told him "Thank you senior for assisting me when I was in dire straits, I was rash in making use of your hidden kindness." The Golden Crow broke out in laughter as he asked "Is this how you thank someone who saved your life and helped you to undergo a rebirth? Shouldn''t you at least kneel down on your knees and kowtow to me?" Nightin understood that the Golden Crow was merely joking around with him, but he still told him seriously "I''ll only kneel to my parents in this world, it was them who brought me to life. The heavens and gods and even the laws of this world, they can claim my life, but they wouldn''t ever be able to make me kneel down to them. Never!" In the past before Nightin received the system, many people mistreated him and in the many novels he has read, he knows that the moment you show your weakness to someone, you''ve messed up your whole future. The Golden Crow felt goosebumps all over his body as he started to tell Nightin about his previous reaction and why he would help him by paying such a big price. Back in the ancient era in one of the Overlord realms in this world, they were merely two youths who had the ambitions of cultivating to become stronger and seek eternity, they wanted to spend time together as they hang out with the roc. They were two guys and one woman, the standard composition of a group who hangs out and as you can imagine, this lead to the classic love triangle which all love yet fears. They felt blessed to be in love, but this led to rivalry between the two brothers as they fought over the Roc''s love. This resulted in the first time they quarreled in the hundreds of years spent together facing enemies, they even ignored each other for thousands of years as the Roc got married to another of the same species, it was the first era in which the Roc respected the idea of dual leaders. Both the Phoenix and Golden Crow had already forgotten about this trivial matter, but none of them were willing to lower their pride and apologise to the other, how could them, the leader of each species lower their head to the another bird. There were times where they met each other as the representative of their species, both of them wanted to patch things out between one another, but they couldn''t find the opportunity to do so. If they were to meet up in secret, there would always be little inconsequential duties which they have to take charge personally in the way, if they were to attempt so in public, they might be treated as a traitor and they would start the holy war and lead to the extinction of their species. The thousands of years spent by like this made them suffer in anguish, what else could hurt more than this? Was their brotherhood this weak? Definitely not, it was the polar opposite of it. They could understand each other''s thoughts, but the act of folly of theirs were clearly seen by others. The two species had already treated each other as life long enemies, they would make use of any opportunity to crush down on the other race, they would even resort to underhanded means even if it means death by execution. If it weren''t for the Phoenix and Golden Crow who always found some valid reason to prevent them for doing so, a war would have already broken out as the first battle between divine species ever begins. Unlike other races where they engage in wars constantly and try to devour other races, the divine species avoided this approach as much as possible, battles which they begin would definitely harm the life force of a certain realm. All these realms excluded the strongest Overlord realms, but starting a war was forbidden in the Overlord realm as it would definitely harm its roots and affect the lives of many innocent living beings. One has to know that even a bush or weed in the Overlord realms would have the cultivation base of a Martial Spirit. It was until that one fateful day where their messenger sent the same message to their respective leaders which caused the two races to reconcile with each other. "Leader of the Phoenix, something happened to the Roc race!" "Leader of the Golden Crow, something disastrous occured in the Roc race!" Both Messengers brought unwanted news to both races as they made sure to deliver the news with the fastest efficiency. The two leaders stood up abruptly from their throne as they remained in their human forms as they asked abruptly "What happened!" The Phoenix had crimson red hair which was of a low end spiral curl as they flowed down back and forth like the peaceful wave, his eye pupils were of a crimson colour and they were just too attracting when he opens them, his sharp brows and perfect facial features definitely stands at the apex of the world. The Golden Crow however was different from the gentleman like Phoenix, he had bulging muscles and had sharp eyes, his hair was short and spiky as they formed a nest like hair shape, but no one dared to say anything for he was always a maniac. The Messengers said that their intelligence have reported the entry of one of the Eight Evils, Casper the assassin which everyone fears and the only human race of the Eight Evils. At the Roc race currently, the male Roc was currently standing face to face against Casper as he asked "Just what do you want for your abrupt visit, I doubt that you''re that free to pay a visit out of the blue." Casper broke out in laughter as his face changed from a smile, to one filled with killing intent "Hand over the Firmament core and I will take my leave immediately." The male Roc was about to replied, but the female Roc interrupted in as she said coldly "If that''s your objective for coming here, you can take you leave already." Casper didn''t move, a dagger appeared in his hand as it changed into a scythe, the scythe was of the darkest shade of purple one can imagine, it had three sharp fangs which stood out and its handle was two metres long, each fang stood out with thirty centimetres in length with a scary arc which extends its attack range to the limit. The calamity scythe, one of the seventeen divine weapons in the world which shouldn''t ever exist anymore, it was unknown how Casper got hold of it, but with the weapon in hand, it was clear that he came well prepared. The Rocs might have divine treasures of their own as well, but they pale in comparison compared to the calamity which they were up against, one casual swing from it would suffice against them, there was a reason why it was the only forbidden of the seventeen true divine weapons. The faces of the Rocs changed as they immediately start to shudder in fear from the feeling of death it brings, they were sure that it would be a easy task for Casper to take their lives, they could feel the hands of death on their neck right now, if it were to exert strength, hehe. Before either of the two leaders could react, the Golden Crow and Phoenix arrived as they questioned in a voice, cold "Casper, what are you doing here?" Casper closed his eyes as a aura of darkness started to surround his body, it enveloped him as his eyes turned a scary ref as he finally used the scythe. Swinging it towards the Phoenix, Golden Crow and two Rocs, four sharp gales of blades pierced through the space and void, flashing towards them in an instant. The Phoenix and Golden Crow both used their respective flames to summon a divine flame wall as they ignited all the feathers on their body. The two rocs formed a earthen shield as it rose up from the ground. Boom Boom Boom Boom Rumble Rumble The attacks caused all four of the divine birds to retreat backwards as the ground rumbled, it was actually collapsing before their eyes from the great destructive force brought about by the earthquakes and impact of the attacks. No one knows what happened that day, but it''s rumored that while the two rocs survived, the Phoenix and Golden Crow vanished totally from the world. Chapter 84 - Unfair treatment After hearing about the story, Nightin knew that something must have happened to them, it wouldn''t make sense for Casper and them to vanish at the same time. He was able to make a few deductions, but everything just seems to unrealistic to have happened. The Golden Crow then explained "None of us vanished during that battle, both Casper and us had all suffer from different degrees of injuries and retreated. As for where Casper went, none of us has any idea." Nightin understood everything after the Golden Crow explained this, it was clear that the Eight Evil were the leaders of the evil force which was residing in the lower realm. Nightin''s face deepened as he asked the Golden Crow "Senior, judging from what you have just said, the evil force should belong in those realms, what are they doing down here in such a low ranking realm?" The Golden Crow didn''t answer, only after the time of a few minutes have passed, did he sigh and told Nightin "Haish, looks like the fate of this cultivation era would be on your shoulder." Nightin wanted to continue asking, but the Golden Crow clearly didn''t want to reply and had questions of his own to clarify as he vanished From Nightin''s view. Nightin immediately used his soul detection and tried to scan around, but realised that it was actually already daybreak. The wind was blowing on his skin as his hair started to fly from behind him, his eyes were closed as he tried to make sense of whatever he had just heard, especially what the Golden Crow had last told him? The fate of his era lies on his shoulder? Just what was he trying to say? Countless questions were waiting for an answer, but they won''t come seeking for him, it was up to him to find them. Raising his head up, the morning sun greeted him with a sharp glare of light, he closed his eyes as he decided to embrace the world. Since challenges would always come towards him, retreat wasn''t an option anymore, he would fight it head on without any fear. On the street, many cultivators could be seen rushing towards the heart of the city, excitement and anticipation was plastered on their face as they dashed as fast as their body could handle. "Hey guys, speed up if you don''t want to miss it!" "Of course we''ll be doing that, all the stall vendors have closed shop today just to spectate it!" "What are you waiting for man, let''s go already!" It seems like some big event is taking place today, I wonder how they are faring right now? Nightin thought to himself as he continued walking towards the heart of the city at a steady pace. He wanted to make use of this time to relax himself as he continuously circulated his spirit energy within his body, he was still cultivating even though he was walking, his current achievements weren''t just from the system, he had struggled just for it. His spirit essence may not be increasing right now, but it was of paramount importance for him to adapt to his newfound strength, it would greatly affect his combat strength if he can''t even control his spirit essence well. Back at the King Forces tournament, Lancelot was pissed off by the whole arrangement of this tournament, their sect was actually treated as a joke by everyone including the fourth grade sects led by a mere Martial Lord. You aren''t wrong about the word mere, their opponents aren''t worthy to be of the Martial Lord caliber, they were confident that they can sweep down anyone in the Martial Lord realm, only a Martial King can bring them a true challenge and force out their true strength. Many people were gathered below the stage as they scanned around and saw that there were actually six King Forces participating. A sixth King Force had finally been born as they emerge and stood out from the rest, but it''s apparent that the fame that they''ve built up wasn''t sufficient and their sect leader was missing as well. This wasn''t what surprised the whole lower realm, what surprised all of them was the Nirvana sect rising to fame in just slightly more than a year. The organiser on duty today stood on the stage as he questioned Lancelot who stood at the front of everyone "Where is your sect master? If he doesn''t arrive within five minutes, I''m afraid that you guys will have to say goodbye early. It was clear that the organiser was suppressing them on purpose. Lancelot wasn''t willing to accept this fate, so were the others as they immediately attempted to questioned back. Lancelot wanted to rebut the organiser as well, but knows that doing so would result in them falling into the trap, making use of his spiritual sense, he told everyone "Back down, don''t fall into the trap." Everyone immediately regained their calmness and tranquility could be seen in their eyes, as everyone calmed down, Lancelot told the organiser "It isn''t part of your scope to question the whereabouts of our sect master, but you won''t have to worry as he''ll definitely arrive here soon." Lancelot''s voice sounded calm, yet it actually held a sense of hidden hostility towards the organiser, only the respective King forces leader and a few old fogeys witnessed this, but none of them stood out to expose Lancelot as they watched the scene unfold before their eyes. The crowd felt curious, why was the organiser kneeling on the ground? Some people who were more observant trailed back their thoughts and found the reason, but all of them kept silent. Even so, the organiser still had to fulfill his duty as he asked once again, but this time in a voice filled with respect and slight fear "Great disciple of the Nirvana sect, may I inquire about the whereabouts of your sect master? I''m worried that we can progress without him for the next segment." Lancelot knew that the organiser wasn''t pulling tricks this time and couldn''t find a method to stall more time, but he still had to somehow as he took out his precious spear refined by the lightning from the heavens. It was the last birthday gift from his parents before they departed from this world, the Heavenly Tribulation Spear which was of a silver colour, its rod was made of a unique kind of wood also known as firebolt wood which holds two elemental characteristics and takes hundred years to develop. Its tip and the whole spear itself was of a exquisite design and it was clear that its rarity was something beyond what the lower realm holds, a Savior rank treasure which has unlocked its growth potential through the lighting refinement. Circulating his spirit essence into the spear, he sent a bolt of lightning into the sky which was of a brought about a blue flame as well, a lightning blue in colour rumbled the skies as a huge thunder shocked everyone. Chapter 85 - Psychic sect leader The lightning bolt was blue in colour as it rose up to the sky and caused a rumble, this sudden deafening made everyone cover their ears as they look up, it was giving them a ominous feeling. Nightin wasn''t surprised when he heard the lightning bolt, but his calmness immediately converted to shock when he raised his head up out of curiosity. The lightning bolt might seem like a natural phenomenon to others beside him, but he could perceive it as panic started to get him. The lightning bolt carried a slight trace of the fire element which was dimmed, but his Samsara eyes could see through all illusions, not to mention a casted lightning bolt. Circulating his spirit energy and summoning his Samsara sword below him, he leaped onto his sword and charged towards the heart of the Emperor city. Lancelot wouldn''t have released his lightning bolt without any particular reason, Nightin had warned him that it should only be used in the case of an emergency. The face of the organiser changed when he saw Lancelot''s disrespect, but he couldn''t bring out the courage to pick on him. It was at this time that the sect leader of the Psychic sect decided to question Lancelot "May I know the identity of the elder who went off to discuss about matters with your sect master?" He may have sounded polite, but everyone could sense that this was a trap awaiting Lancelot. If Lancelot attempts to answer, the psychic sect could just try to hide the fact. Even if Lancelot chose to keep silent, it would prove that they were slandering the Psychic sect and this would harm their hardly built up reputation. Pawn knew that he was the cause of all this, he could hear Lancelot''s breathing getting heavier from beside him, the Psychic sect leader was staring straight into his eyes. Pawn''s felt afraid and wanted to hide the truth for a moment, but soon steeled his mind as he patted Lancelot on the shoulder and told him "Senior Lancelot, please leave this matter to me." Lancelot hesitated for a moment when Pawn stepped out, he wasn''t clear about the personality or behavior of this junior of his, they wouldn''t be able to bear the consequences if he makes matters worse. Pawn was still young and was only thirteen years old, immaturity could be seen on his face which had went through countless difficulties. He had the face of someone who have been through the challenges in life, yet he was unstoppable as he jumped over those hurdles. "It was the first elder of the Psychic sect who last engaged in a conversation with my sect master." Pawn calmly said as he surrounded himself with two defensive blue arrays. Pawn expected no one here in the lower realm to know about concealed arrays, it was something which he found in a desolated ancient rune. He had went through life and death just to learnt about their existence. The two arrays were well concealed and there wasn''t anyone present who understood about hidden arrays. The array masters around weren''t even able to realise the hidden array, except for one arrogant youth who had once read this in an ancient rune. The youth goes by the name of Maya and she was a beauty with infamous reputation. She had short blue hair which cuts down her face diagonally, this covers one of her eyebrows which gives off a sense of attractiveness. Maya was fifteen this year and was still young, she was at the age where one can''t tolerate others being more talented than her. "Hey, is this how the disciple from the Nirvana sect does things? Maya stood up from her seat as she shouted towards Pawn before turning her gaze, the Psychic sect leader nodded his head as he broke out in laughter. Pawn''s face immediately turned into fluster from his initial calm when Maya called him out, he could sense that she was a blue ring Array Master who knows about his hidden arrays. The Psychic sect leader who wasn''t in a good mood, turned and stared at Maya while asking her in a harsh voice "Who gave you the qualifications to interrupt me?" Maya''s body shuddered for a brief moment, but she still brought up the courage to inform him "I''m sorry for interrupting when you were speaking to someone else, but there''s something here which I have to say." The Psychic Sect leader was someone who had lived for around eight hundred years by now, he had seen many types of faces in life. Asking in a cold voice void of any emotions, he asked "What is it that you have to say? Would it be so important that you had to interrupt me?" Maya explained "That disciple from the Nirvana sect, he formed two defensive arrays when he stood out, doesn''t that means that he, someone of the younger generation, actually doubted you?" "Haha Haha!" To think that the disciples from the Nirvana sect doesn''t trust us at all, what''s the point in forming hidden arrays if you had trusted us!" The Psychic sect leader broke out in laughter as anger could be seen all over his face. A light violet ball of energy started to gather ahead of him, energy could be seen surging into it as it spiralled and contained those energies, it was travelling at a pace so slow that even a Mortal would be able to avoid it. Everyone present besides the few respective leaders, were clueless to the events taking place right now. Why are all the disciples from the Nirvana sect not attempting to dodge the attack? Two blue arrays are definitely not enough against a Completion stage Martial King. The Psychic sect leader merely laughed as he summoned out a few wisps of psychic flames, controlling them to fly towards the group without sparing them any mercy. Shatter Shatter The two defensive arrays were destroyed by the energy ball simultaneously without slowing it down in the slightest, they were still too fragile against the incoming sphere. Pawn''s face changed immediately as he tried to draw back, but the ball was just advancing towards him too quickly and he wasn''t able to avoid it in time. Lancelot and the rest wanted to get to him, but the charging wisps of psychic flames were stopping them in their tracks. Abby took out her bow and arrow as Alexander stood in front of her, he was prepared to take on the incoming attack meant for three including Lancelot, the remaining disciples were too weak to capture the Psychic''s sect leader attention after all. Alexander''s face turned solemn as his scroll once again opened behind him, the energy of the the Azure Dragon surrounded his body. He had fully awaked a Divine law that belongs to him, Aegis of the Cerulean dragon! A law meant for protecting his loved ones, his attack power on the contrary would he left to his scroll which grows alongside him. A magical barrier of the azure colour protected them and blocked all the wisps of fire as Abby pulled her arrow from behind. "Seven shooting stars!" Seven arrows flied throw the air as they pierced through and made a dash towards the incoming energy ball in an attempt to stop its progress. A lightning bird could be seen flying through the air as its master threw it forward to charge towards the incoming danger, its only mission was to destroy the ball. Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang The first six arrows were all sent flying, but they still managed to slow it down slightly. As for the last arrow which was specially infused with the Azure''s dragon energy and Ice element, it vanished into energy while reducing most of the energy''s ball strength. The lightning bird exploded as it got into contact with the energy ball, but the energy ball somehow still had some remaining energy within as it charged towards Pawn who was left immobilised from the targeted pressure. "Who here has the guts to touch my disciple!" Chapter 86 - Nightin showing dominance Two swords could be seen piercing through the air as they formed a cross in the path of the energy ball. The two swords were of a black and white colour respectively as they sliced through the energy ball cleanly, causing it to disperse into energy and vanish. The two swords were Nightin''s Life and Death sword which was currently being summoned out from his Samsara sword. The pair of swords them may not have improved much ever since he entered the Diviner trails, but they have gained nourishment from his Samsara law. The cycles of reincarnation each holds its respective definition of life and death, each of them always meant another improvement for both his Life sword and Death sword. As Nightin approached the stage on his Samsara sword, he fully released his aura which pressured down on everyone, everyone here includes the respective leaders of each King force who were being pressured. Nightin''s cultivation base may only be at the early stage Martial King realm, but the amount of spirit energy it holds is equivalent to that of a early stage Martial Emperor realm ever since his spirit core exceeded that of its limits twice. The Psychic sect leader could feel the immense pressure crushing down on him as well, but he still kept his poker face and asked "Nirvana sect master, shouldn''t you explain about all these? Why should I tolerate your disciple being disrespectful to his elders?" Nightin however wasn''t tilted in the slightest by his hidden motive, he merely brushed it off with a smile as he stared back, the purple flower in his eyes revealing enchanting beauty. The Psychic sect leader subconscious took a step back, but he was still unwilling to back down, he could hear the chattering of the crowd as they talked about him. "Is he truly the sect master of the Psychic sect?" "Of course he is, he''s also a completion stage Martial King!" "Then why is he so afraid of the Nirvana sect master?" "It''s because you''re too weak to understand, the Psychic sect leader has faced a crushing defeat in terms of aura!" The Psychic sect leader clenched his fist as his spirit energy started to gather before him, he took out his weapon which was a sword as well and sniggered at Nightin "You may have more spirit essence than me, but how can you compare to someone at the sixth stage of the Sword Ancestor realm?" Nightin''s gaze remained tranquil, his breathing was even, his eyes blinked as he gradually released his sword aura as well, his sword intent enveloped itself around his dual swords. A white aura giving off the feeling of holiness was surrounding the Life sword while the black aura was giving off the feeling of calamity as the surrounded the Death sword. His comprehension for death had finally broken through as he deepen his level of understanding, death wasn''t as simple as dying. Boom What the hell is this? Everyone was flabbergasted by the sight that they were seeing, the Psychic sect leader who was one of the top experts in the lower realm, was currently panting. His face had already turned pale white and his purple robe was sticking closely to his skin, shock and fear could be seen in his half dead eyes. He couldn''t hear or see anything anymore, neither could he feel the air or ground below him, his tongue felt dry and all his energy seemed to have vanished. All he could see was the blinding two lights, he was seeing a brand new path ahead of him and he knew that if he didn''t grasp the chance, he would be meeting his demise soon in a few hundred years time. Thud The Psychic sect leader had blown the mind of everyone present when he knelt down and kowtowed towards Nightin as he said "Please allow the Psychic sect to enter the Nirvana sect as a branch hall!" His voice was clear and loud for all to hear, the disciples and elders behind were shocked and the great disciple of the sect known as Zero even stepped out and ask "Sect master, what are you talking about?" The Psychic sect leader also known as Cloud, told Zero and the others while still facing Nightin "Our Nirvana sect has remained as a King Force for too long, but if we were to join the Nirvana sect, we would officially step into the stage of a Emperor hall or even Saint hall." The first elder quickly interjected "But that means that the Psychic sect would cease to exist!" Cloud rebutted without the slightest intention "As long as we have the Psychic sect deep within our hearts, it''ll never vanish! We may be known as the Psychic hall in the future, but that won''t change our hearts!" Zero and the others felt their heart jump for a moment, the remaining elders gave in at this thought, but resolution could be seen on Zero''s face as he turned his back and left. "Sect master of the Nirvana sect, wait till the day I come for your head." Zero was well known in the Psychic sect for being the greatest genius they had in years, fifteen years old and he''s already at the middle stage Martial King realm, he was the hope to leading their sects to higher heights, but all that was just a fleeting dream right now. Zero however wasn''t willing to give up this easily, he was still holding onto that one strand of hope that his sect master Cloud and the elders would understand what he truly wanted. "Sect master, are you sure about this decision which you''ve made? I have absolute confidence that I can lead the Psychic sect into the upper realm and charge straight into the rankings of a saint force!" Determination was clear in his tone, confidence was plastered on his face, but Cloud knew that a Saint force would just be him limiting the growth of the Psychic sect as he explained "Zero, you don''t understand, it''s time for the Psychic sect to transcend, only by joining the Nirvana sect will we have a chance of exceeding the tiers of a Saint hall." "But above a Saint hall is still just a branch of the main sect its representing!" Zero immediately rebutted, he was so agitated that his breathing was ragged, his face was starting to blush red from anger. Cloud understand why and pain could be seen on his face as he tried to convince Zero "But do you think that a Saint force can contend against one of those halls?" Zero turned around and left, he didn''t even turn his head back or slow his footsteps down, his resolution to leave was clear. It was at this moment, that Nightin received a new system quest. Quest 1: Recruit Zero into your sect, rewards:Saint grade spiritual root, of the five elements and ascended laws Ta Ta Ta Ta Cloud could feel a string tugging at his heart with every slow yet steady step that Zero took, he wanted to keep Zero with him, but joining the Nirvana sect was a mission given to him by that person. That person had mentioned that if he could make the Nirvana sect become their enemy, then there would be no need for them to serve the Nirvana sect, as a mere hall which wouldn''t be known to the hall. Things were now different though, Nightin''s potential and strength were unlimited, he wasn''t sure how far Nightin would go on the cultivation path, but he definitely has the qualifications to coach him. When Zero left, he placed on his black cloth to cover his whole face, leaving only his eyes out of the cover. Only after did Zero enter somewhere desolate and where he was sure that he could be alone, did he fall onto the ground and started weeping. Why? Why did you have to leave me? Wasn''t I supposed to be the one leading all of you to glory? Chapter 87 - First segment officially begins Nightin could tell that Cloud didn''t want Zero to leave and that it wasn''t just because Zero was his most talented disciple, that''s what his hunch told him at least. Cloud stood up from the ground as he took the initiative to walk to where the Nirvana sect belongs, standing together with the Nirvana sect, he could sense the overpowering aura each of the disciples were releasing. All of these youths have extraordinary combat skills and their combat experience alongside with the maturity they possess, all of these traits were far beyond what their ages should have. He was sure that all the disciples here, have experienced the true definition of the cultivation world. Lancelot glanced over to peek at Cloud before looking away from him, his gaze was currently fixated on the rules which were being projected in the sky, someone insignificant like Cloud wasn''t worth his attention at the moment. The other disciples especially Pawn was puzzled when he felt that Cloud didn''t hold any hostility towards him and asked "Hall master Cloud, why did you choose to attack me just now?" Cloud sighed, just how long has it been since a youth has the qualifications to question me? He raised his head up and could see the slight tinge of innocent and said "Sometimes in life, things are beyond our own control, there are times where you have to make a decision." Abby herself understood just how much it hurts to know that someone you love, would be out there wandering aimlessly after having lost his goal in life. She could only try to console Cloud, "Hall master Cloud, I''m sure that Zero will be safe." Cloud shook his head as he said "I don''t worry about him, he''s definitely capable of surviving on his own, even the upper realm would only be his stepping stone." The younger generation may not know about this yet, but Nightin had learnt about this from his master. The upper realm they know of right now, is merely one of the ten thousand low grade realms out there. His generation however would be the one to change this fate, they were the golden generation who are destined to bring up their ranks, right into the rankings of the hundred high grade realms. While most people would enter a middle grade realm after they manage to step past the Martial Saint realm, they have to start from the tough point immediately, they would face suppression there and realise how pathetically weak they are. But before all that can take place, how would they get past the impending doom and chaos, its ropes were loosen and the horse is ready to go on a rampage once again. One of the seventy two evil guards who serve the eighteen evil leaders, their ranking may be treated as low to the leaders and even the Overlords, but each of their cultivation were still past the saint realm at the very least. On one of the desolated islands in the upper realm, the lasso restraining the legion horse was actually cut off by someone and the horse went on a rampage again, but it was smart enough as it took on human form before staying on that island to recover. The announcer then started "Due to the unforeseen circumstances where the Psychic sect had withdraw all of a sudden, we have decided to make a sudden change to the rules where only one King Force, would be eliminated every round." "As everyone knows, for a sect to have strength to stand out among the others, just the strongest among their respective forces wouldn''t suffice, the middle tier and even the low tier disciples or members, all play an important part as well." The announcer continued. "In order for this to take place, the first round will be held today right now, while the second and third round will be held three days and seven days from now respectively." The announcer concluded the introduction speech as a scroll containing the rules flew to all the respective leaders. Nightin reached his hand out as he grabbed the scroll, the scroll was locked with a seal which could only be opened if the person holding it, has the cultivation base of a completion stage Martial King realm. Precautions had to be taken in case some thief appears from the shadows and nab it before scooting off. Nightin read the instructions which told him to send his disciples over and that the transportation array would be provided, he just had to choose the name list for the upcoming number needed from his two thousand plus strong sect. In the high tier disciples section, he was confident that no one would be their match, but it required seven people to attack the number generator tablet. The number generator tablet can generate up to four digits and in order to clear this stage, seven people would have to strike it and add up their combined score, this resulted in the problem they are facing right now. All they have are Lancelot, Ray, Little Black, Alexander and Abby, even if Ayden were to make it here in time, they would still be short of one member. "Hey guys, what''s going on right now? I''m sorry for being late!" Ayden who they had been waiting for finally arrived as he approached them with a jump, what they didn''t expect was that, a spiderweb actually formed below Ayden when he landed. Ayden looked at Nightin, then his fellow seniors and juniors before looking at the crowd, realising that he has broken some expensive tiles, he merely laughed it off before acting like nothing had happened. The crowd in the meantime, was astounded by what they just took into them, did someone break the tiles with enough durability to withstand a completion stage Martial Lord attack by landing? Lancelot briefly explained the rules to everyone including Ayden as he said "We only have six people compared to the other sects, but if we don''t somehow find someone else, we won''t even be able to participate." Nightin smiled as he scanned around with his soul detection and assured them "At least Ayden is finally here, as for the last person... You can show yourself now." "Hehe, do you need my help?" Chapter 88 - Everyones finally gathered here It was the voice of a young woman, her voice was crystal clear and her words were well articulated, she certainly must have went through high levels of education to achieve this. Lancelot and the others were surprised to hear the voice of a young woman from nowhere, she had appeared out of thin air without them detecting her. Out of curiosity, the group turned around and saw a dazzling beauty with wings behind her back. She was wearing a exposing black shirt which exposed her fair shoulders, coupled with long pants that covered her legs and pretty violet wings behind her, the guys couldn''t help but take a few more looks. Abby didn''t care about the rest, but what was with Alexander staring at her chest as well. "Hey, are they bountiful enough for you?" Lancelot in the meantime was the first one to recover from his state of trance, the woman gave off a sense of danger and charm which would be enough to bait her enemies to death. Alexander who had his gaze fixated on her... This is bad, I''m done for. That was his last thought as he suddenly felt tugging on his right ear as he winced in pain. "Ouch!" Alexander cried out as he pleaded with his woman "Abby, release your hands alright? You won''t want your future husband to end up being handicapped." Abby knew that she was the only one in Alexander''s eyes, but she still didn''t like the feeling of Alexander staring at another woman. Alexander was the only person that made her felt warmth for the first time, she was an orphan who only had her brother as support, yet her brother had gone missing as well. Nightin was her father, her juniors and seniors were and will always be her sisters and brothers, but none of them can replace Alexander who had left a imprint too deep to be erased from her heart. Cuddling into his warm embrace, she whispered into his ears softly like a lost girl "Alexander, stop looking at her alright?" Hugging the soft body tighter into his embrace, he assured her "Don''t worry Abby, I''ll make sure that you only shed tears of joy from now in." Alexander could feel the panic and worry from Abby, it wasn''t because she''s jealous of that woman, but due to the worry that she''ll lose him. Ray was chuckling at this scene as he shouted "Senior Abby, Senior Alexander, when are the two of you getting married?" Nightin interjected in as he said "Enough, it''s about time that we decide the arrangement for those who are going to participate." Ray sighed at the side when Nightin interjected, but no one paid attention the to playful boy who only fools around every time. The woman who had just arrived pouted her lips as she asked "Sect master, Selena here requests to be the first one to gauge her attack power in representation of the sect, please grant this sudden request of mine." Ray was pissed off when she heard Selena''s request as he chided her "Selena, are you saying that we seniors are weaker than you?" Selena was a young girl around the age of fifteen, though she may have strong combat capabilities, her experience in both combat at the true world are lacking. She placed her arms behind her back, her right palm over the left as they intersected, her head was raised high as she stated "Senior Ray, I didn''t know that you have such a hobby. It''s the first time I met someone who acclaims that he''s weak of his own accord." Ray took out his heavy spear as he pointed it towards Selena while saying "If you''re truly that strong, then why don''t you show your cultivation base?" Selena released her cultivation base as a violet shade of glow started to surround her body and wings, beneath her smile right now was cunningness. Her cultivation base wasn''t any weaker than Ray, the two of them were at the early stage Martial Lord realm, their foundation was stable as well which would benefit them down the road. Ray wasn''t willing to back down at this point as he released his spear aura, he was at the peak of the spear master realm, but it was nothing compared to Selena who has step into the Ancestor realm of calamity. In terms of the spear path of the Calamity law, both of them weren''t any weaker than each other, but the difference between one master and Ancestor was hust way too big to be breached. "That''s enough! Do you guys still have any respect for me?" Nightin scolded them out in public as he immobolized them to the spot. Selena stepped back as she apologised "I''m sorry for the disrespect, please forgive me." Ray did the same as he cupped his fists and apologised in a solemn tone "I''m sorry for disrespecting you sect master, please forgive me for my foolish actions." Nightin wasn''t surprised by the way they apologised, Selena was a headstrong girl while Ray was someone who knows when to be serious, if a disaster were to break out, Ray would be the one sheltering Selena from harm. It was at this time that Ayden finally arrived, he looked around before landing on the ground with a soft touch, he had stepped onto one of the few mystical branch paths and had absolute control over his strength. Absolute control isn''t just as simple as being able to use lesser strength for any task, it meant that he can control each and every cell, muscle and even his bones to move at the timing he wants, this slight disparancy would prove fatal in a true battle. When Ayden saw Selena, he couldn''t help but call out towards her. "What are you doing here after sealing my memories with you?" Selena''s body shuddered for a moment as she said "I''ll explain that to you after the King Force tournament alright?" Ayden looked at Selena straight in the eye as he combed her violet hair "I''ll wait until you give me an answer sister, just why did you and father including everyone else leave me to fend for myself." Nightin told everyone "It doesn''t matter to me whether you have any ties with long lost family members, or love between seniors and juniors, just remember that ever since the first day you entered the sect, you''ll always be my disciple for life. Now then, let''s get ready for the upcoming segment by deciding the order." Even though Nightin may have sounded calm, he was actually worried that discord might be sowed between Selena and Ray, as for her ties with Ayden, that wasn''t something which he can help with. The others wanted to know what happened, but knowingly kept silent since it was rude for them to probe any further, if they have the intentions to share it, they would do so without them asking. Nightin then told them "But before that, I would need all of you to report to me about your current status. This includes your current cultivation base, your weapon or law progress and last but not least just how strong your current combat strength is." All the present disciples agreed without any hesitation, but Lancelot actually paused for a moment before agreeing. After everyone has report their current status to him for him to make the necessary adjustments, he called Lancelot as they walked into the nearby forest. The forest was of a lush green and the surroundings right now reminded Nightin of the days when he was a mortal, how he would train his sword all alone as he immerse himself in the serene environment... After a long awaited discussion, they finally came to a conclusion on the order which would benefit them best. Since Selena had opted to be the first one, everyone decided to go by her will as she assured everyone that she wouldn''t fail them. This was followed by Ayden who might be strongest in terms of attack power among them, but as for how much his body strength can do, it would be up to him. The respective members are Lancelot, Pawn, Alexander, Ray and followed by Abby. With this, the order has been decided as everyone prepared themselves for the upcoming segment, it was their quickest path to fame. Chapter 89 - Shocks the crowd "Without further ado, let us welcome the first representative from the Star Force!" The announcer announced as a youth leaped onto the stage with a elegant spin and soft touch on the ground. "Oh my god, Sam is just way too handsome!" "I know right, if only we have the qualifications to stand aside him." Sam stood atop the stage as he smiled towards his fans, this was what he loved the most about being a genius, his dream was to make a harem of his own with only first class beauties. Sam himself was a handsome youth with short black hair which had nice curl, the black robe he was wearing may be simple, but it still gave off elegance. He was the seventh disciple of the Star Force and he''s fifteen this year, his talent for cultivation may be impressive, but that''s all there is to him. "I wonder if he''s interested in older woman." Of course I love older woman, their technique and... What the hell! Sam took in a deep gulp of saliva when he saw the older woman, she was an auntie probably around seventy or eighty and her looks were... Shaking his head, he distracted himself of these thoughts as he started to prepare himself for the upcoming segment, it was his time to shine. Taking out a sword from his spatial ring, streams of water could be seen gathering around him as they coiled around his sword like a snake, preparing his stance and energy for the perfect moment, he sliced forward with a uppercut as the water burst, adding on to the explosive damage. A sword wave could be seen slicing on the damage tabulation altar as a burst of water clouded everyone''s vision. After the water drops fell on the ground, the crowd could finally witness the result of Sam. 1072 That''s right, his number barely made it into the four digits range, but he was currently looking at the crowd with pride plastered on his face, oblivious to the fact that he has done badly. The crowd below shook their head as they started to feel pity for that talented youth, just how strong did he think he was? Even some Martial Kings present weren''t sure that they can score full points. When the youth turned around, he felt that he was just utter trash, the disappointment on his elders and masters faces could be seen. The youth lowered his head as he walked down the steps, his previous arrogance and confidence were all gone, the bright glow surrounding him had lost its luster. His elders and master wanted to console him, but they didn''t know what to advise him on either. If they were to say something that they shouldn''t, it might result in the loss of a genius for their sect. Everyone kept silent about Sam''s failure, this included his fellows juniors and seniors, it was clear that he was being despised for being a burden to them. Sam didn''t stay with the sect, but instead walked away into the market which was currently desolated. No one asked why, no one paid attention to him, he was all alone by himself in this world. "Next up would be Layla from the Lotus sect!" The announcer continued on with the same voice, it was apparent that he too didn''t care about Sam who proved useless. Layla was a young girl with yellow hair tied up in a ponytail behind her, she had brown eyes and she was holding what seems like a energy weapon, it was a pistol which she had formed with her own spirit energy. Layla didn''t choose to show off her skills by making a fanciful jump, neither did she walk up the stairs, she had instantly appeared on the stage without causing the slightest disturbance. Everyone else was shocked except for a few of the high ranking elders and the Lotus sect, sect leader. Layla scanned around the crowd as she thought to herself, does no one know what happened? Nightin however didn''t pay much attention to this, he initially thought that Layla had comprehended the law of Space as well, but she comprehended was the law of void which was slightly weaker. Layla had made use of the gap in the void to teleport there, but this move would only work in the lower realm where the space isn''t that stable yet. Closing her eyes, she concentrated all the energy into the empty space behind her as a lotus started to form and duplicate rapidly. "Lotus Rage!" All the lotus started to dissipate as they gather towards her pistol as energy, with her pulling on her trigger, as the energy lost its catalyst, it caused a concentrated explosive beam. A pink coloured laser could be seen dashing through the sky as it landed on the damage tabulation altar before getting absorbed by it. 3142 "See that, that''s what it means to be in the Lotus sect!" "I know right, she''s only second in the Lotus sect younger generation!" "I wonder just how strong the first seat in the Lotus sect will be." The crowd was amazed by this result, both of the disciples were of the early stage Martial Lord realm, but Layla has strength that totally exceeds Sam, she was no weaker than a late stage Martial Lord. As Layla walked down the stage, many youths of the opposite gender could be seen admiring her beauty and strength, but none of them had the guts to mess with her. "Yo Layla, your strength has only grown by this much after a few months?" A voice sounded off as a sudden increase in heat caught everyone''s attention, the source of the heat was from Henya from the Ravages. Henya was currently chewing on the bone of an animal as spike flames shot out from his back, he was sneering at Layla as he leaped onto the stage and said at the of his voice. "Don''t be so arrogant of yourself, from the day you lost to me in just the first exchange, you''re bound to be nothing but my stepping stone for life! Exceed me? Don''t you overestimate yourself!" Henya released his cultivation base which was at the middle stage Martial Lord realm as he held his bone, the flame spikes behind his back raged as his bone turned red from the heat, it was definitely a peak grade Royale weapon. "Sun''s Arrow!" The bone took on the shape of an arrow as it pierced through the air, a trail of smoke was left behind its trail as it struck the damage tabulation altar at full force. 6217 That was the strength of Henya, the strongest disciple and warrior of the Ravages with strength equivalent to a completion stage Martial Lord, if he was given one more year, even a Martial King might not suffice as his opponent. Leaping off the stage, he didn''t forget to repeat himself before walking back to the Ravages, it was a complete defeat for the Lotus sect as they lost their pride, a morale boost for the Ravages on the other hand. "Next up, we have Rook from the guards!" "Hey, do you know who that guy is? "I haven''t seen him before, is he someone from the guards?" "Who knows, maybe he''s just someone to fill up the spot for the weakest?" Rook was holding a Javelin in hand and he was totally clad in armor, his facial features may have been blocked off, but his aura was still passable for his age. No one knows what he was thinking, but only the controller of the Guards know who Rook truly is, he''s one of the top ten disciples in the Paladins who has been sent down to assist them. Rook slowly walked up the steps, his Javelin was held in his right hand and at the moment his feet touched the stage, his arm threw the javelin forward without any warning. Swoosh Before anyone could even react, the Javelin had pierced through the damage tabulation altar as four digits glowed. 8421 That''s right, his strength was definitely comparable to the weaker Martial Kings, but his cultivation base is only at the early stage Martial Lord realm. "What the hell, did you see that?" "See what, I only saw the numbers." "That was just way too quick, even Martial Kings would have to be wary of that attack." "Last but not least, we have Selena from the Nirvana sect!" Chapter 90 - Selenas secret Selena didn''t jump onto the stage impatiently despite the eagerness within her heart, what she did was turn around and face Nightin as she said "Sect master, it''s my turn for the upcoming segment, Selena requests for permission to get on stage." Nightin nodded as he responded "I got it, be careful when walking up the steps." "I got it, sect master." Selena walked up the steps slowly as the violet wings behind her started to flap at a slow pace, she was calming herself down as she changed her current mentality. Come on Selena, you got this. Selena thought to herself as she walked upfront and stood before the damage tabulation altar. No one else besides Selena knows just how much she had went through to make it here alive, in the days she spent stalking Nightin, she had always thought that it was due to true love, but fate was apparently pulling a cruel joke on her. Selena had apparently inherited her mother''s body constitution, the Absolute Zero constitution where her body would always be suffering from a sudden burst of coldness. This coldness wasn''t just formed on her skin, but internally as well on her muscles, her veins, her internal skeleton structure, it was a cold which causes her to suffer in great pain every week. It started from taking place once everyone month, but the frequency of it happening increased to once a week gradually. If this were to keep up, Selena''s body would freeze up as she falls into eternal slumber by the age of eighteen. Selena had kept this as a secret away from Nightin and the rest, that''s because from the information that she has gathered, none of them has the Absolute Heat body constitution which can help her. She only has a short time left to see the world, she wants it to shine with the brightest glow she can emit, she doesn''t want to just give in to herself this easily, she believes that she can find the man with the Absolute Heat body constitution to save her. It''s time, to light up the kindest evil within my heart. Selena told herself this as her wings started to flap at a increasing frequency, a violet gust of wind could be seen surrounding her as it covered her up. No one knew what Selena was up to inside, even all the Martial Kings present weren''t able to see through her protection. Within her cocoon, Selena was currently inside with her eyes closed, her hands were clasped together as the spirit energy within her body started to gather towards the dagger in her hand. The dagger was of a light blue in colour, however its surface was currently reflecting off a violet light as it gave off the feeling of absolute coldness, it was the only item her mother had left behind before her departure. Now then, it''s time. Selena opened her eyes as the dagger suddenly flashed forward and stabbed the damage tabulation altar before anyone present could react, their attention was still fixated on the cocoon which had suddenly burst apart as purple coloured silk fell like feathers. The silk like feather in their eyes had transformed into sharp blades, all of them curved in a supposedly impossible angle as they pierced through the damage tabulation altar, though it recovered quickly. Most of the people around may not know what this means when no number floats, but the respective leaders of the King forces knows what''s happening, her attack power had already reached the stage of a middle stage Martial King at the very least, but her cultivation was just way too low in comparison. Selena''s face remained void of expression as she released herself from the cocoon, flapping her violet wings which had grown sharper after the transformation, she flew down the stage and landed before Nightin. Nightin didn''t know why, but he could sense that Selena was deliberating hiding something from him, but understanding that Selena wasn''t telling him just so he wouldn''t worry, he could only turn his hope to the system and ask "System, I''ve already fulfilled all the given task you''ve given me, isn''t it time that you updated yourself to the next version?" "Don''t worry host, the current update progress is at 98% and it''ll be done shortly." When Rook from the guards saw this, he could swear that he felt danger from this girl, it wasn''t just one because the foe is strong, but one where he would be crushed if he even attempts to make a move on her. The crowd in the meantime was at a lost as to what happen as they asked "Organiser, just what in the world happened to the damage tabulation altar, why are the digits not showing themselves?" The organiser explained in an impatient voice as he said "The damage altar is only capable of measuring the attack power of attacks below the middle stage Martial King realm, the reason should be pretty clear now." "Are you saying that a young girl at fifteen is already at the middle stage Martial King realm?" "Are you an idiot? She''s a early stage Martial Lord who comprehended the calamity intent to a extremely high stage who unimaginable combat prowess!" "Will she be the one who leads us to glory? She might be the one from the lower realm who tramples on all those geniuses in the upper realm!" "Don''t forget about her fellow seniors and juniors, especially their sect master who''s only sixteen this year!" Many discussions about the Nirvana sect started to arise after Selena made her perfect appearance, her strength and mysteriousness had captured everyone''s attention. Ding "System has been updated to version 3.0!" New function unlocked: Detailed information on sect Nirvana sect: Emperor grade force (measured according to the strength ranking in all dimensions) Number of disciples: 2471 Army manpower: Above 10k (increasing at a rapid rate, valid number will be given after it stabilises) Average disciples cultivation: Martial Spirit second realm Number of martial techniques in sect: 12 Heaven grades 1 Saint grade (The remaining have been excluded as they aren''t worth mentioning for a Emperor rank force) "System, can I get detailed information on Selena?" "Yes host, please give me a second to generate the desired results." Ding! "Results have been generated!" Selena details: Cultivation:Early stage Martial Lord realm Law: Sealed Calamity, Ancestor realm seventh stage, Sealed Calamity law might force unknown changes and become a Divine law of her alone. Attention: She''s suffering from the Absolute Zero body constitution, the only way for her to live past eighteen, would be to undergo sexual intercourse with a man, that man must have the Absolute Heat body constitution. Upon getting the answers he had been seeking, Nightin knew that he had to probe Selena. "Hey Selena, I''ll allow you to leave the sect on your own as you travel in search of what you''re looking for, I hope that I''ll see you again four years from now after this event is over." Selena paused when she caught what Nightin had instructed her to. He knows, he knows everything yet he''s still trying to help me. Selena could feel tears gathering in her eyes, the more she tried to resist the temptation to let them fall, the more they started to flow down her cheeks. "Sect master, I..." Selena choked on her words as she fell onto the ground on her knees and kowtowed to Nightin "I''ll remember the lesson you''ve given me which helped me to grow and don''t worry, we will meet again after four years, I''m sure." Chapter 91 - Aydens time Rook who had been standing there calmly after he left the stage wasn''t able to maintain his serene mind when he saw Selena''s attack, he actually felt a sense of helplessness for the first time against someone of his age. Rook didn''t have to challenge Selena to know that he isn''t her match, he had lost in all aspects including speed which he values the most, Selena''s feather blades were just way too quick and unpredictable. Rook stepped out from the Guards as he asked Selena "I''m sorry to disturb you miss, but may I know how you managed to cultivate the calamity law to such a profound stage which branches from the mainstream?" Nightin who was beside Selena retreated backwards as he allowed the two youths to have their own conversation, even though his relationship with Max might not be on good terms, it wouldn''t hurt for the Selena didn''t expect herself to answer him before her mind could react as she said while combing her violet hair backwards "I don''t really know either, I guess it just has to do with the experiences I''ve been through since young." Rook nodded as he took off his mask, golden hair flowed out from his helmet as he placed his clenched right first on his heart and bowed while introducing himself "I''m Rook from the guards, may I have the privilege of knowing your name?" Selena was about to reply Rook, but a gust of wind suddenly swept her away as she landed back with the Nirvana sect, it was Max from the Guards who had done it. Selena wanted to question Max for the sudden action, but Nightin stopped her by interjecting "Max, what''s the meaning of you doing that? Is there a problem with the disciples under us wanting to make friends with each other?" Max took out a insignia and showed it to Rook as he asked "Rook, I''m pretty sure that you recognise this crest?" Rook got down on his knees to everyone''s surprise as he said in a solemn voice "Half Paladin Rook pays respect to the Holy Paladin! May I have the honour of fulfilling the order given?" "What did he just say? The Holy Paladin who controls the Paladins?" "Just who is Rook affiliated with, the Guards are only a branch of the Paladins and yet they already possess the qualifications to claim the throne in the lower realm, just how strong would the Holy Paladin be?" "I''m afraid that things aren''t as simple as they seem right now." Max didn''t let anyone besides Rook know about the given message, but everyone could tell that it wasn''t a pleasant message from the look on Rook''s face who had retreated back. Selena pouted her cheeks as she asked Nightin politely, but in the tone and behavior of a childish girl "Sect master, why didn''t you stop him from blowing me away?" Nightin could only roll his eyeball as he turned his gaze towards one of his disciples, expecting help but to no avail. Ayden couldn''t stand this anymore as he asked "Sect master, just who is she? Did you abduct her from somewhere or is she your daughter?" Shit, I''ve messed up. The moment the words left Ayden''s mouth, he could feel a slight killing intent surrounding him from all four sides as he subconsciously used his Oceanic Fall law to envelop himself in a thin blue armor formed of water. "System, I would like the detailed information on Ayden." Cultivation base: middle stage Martial Lord realm (foundation isn''t stable yet from the recent breakthrough) Law: True Mystic water, water at this level has already exceeded the boundaries of the five elements and is comparable to a Half Divine law. Body Constitution: Inheritor of the Moonlight Wolf, the only survivor of his race with his memories sealed up due to unknown reasons. Nightin was shocked when he learnt about Ayden''s true identity, he started to think if he should let Ayden know about it, but continued by telling Ayden in a steady voice "Mind your words, she''s your junior and one my disciples, that''s all these is." Ayden''s body shuddered for a moment as he said "I''m sorry." *On the stage* When Ayden stepped onto the stage, he started to surround his body with the True Mystic water law. When everyone looked at him, they felt like they were looking at a ferocious wolf waiting to pounce on its prey, one wrong move and they would also be his meal as well. "What the hell do you think you''re doing for realising killing intent towards us!" "So what if you''re one of the Nirvana sect''s disciples, you''re just tarnishing your sect''s reputation!" Ayden smirked as he ignored the criticism, he only closed his eyes as he brought his killing intent out to the fullest, he didn''t just spend the whole year training under the waterfall, every time he stepped deeper in, it would always be a tough battle waiting for him. His body had already been stained with blood, its innocent virgin was long gone and what replaced it was newfound maturity, the killing intent gathered felt akin to a part of his body. The spiritual form of a wolf started to form behind him, its eyes flashed with the intent to slaughter everyone present as it gathered its strength and concentrated them and it bent down. Swoosh The attack wasn''t amazingly fast, but they could only see phantoms of the wolf when it''s actually changing the direction and angle with every step taken, the movement was too unorthodox to be predicted. The same thought flashed past everyone''s mind as another eye catching score appeared on the damage tabulation altar. 9999 Ayden didn''t just go for full combat strength, he had controlled his strength precisely to land the exact mark for full points, the scores of the other contestants were a far cry from his, their combat strength and aura couldn''t even be compared. As Ayden leaped off the stage, he seek Nightin''s permission before heading off, Nightin didn''t pursue him on this matter, neither did he throw any questions towards him, he respected each and every single one of his disciples. Chapter 92 - The Lotus Sect decision All the other contestants from the other four King forces started to walk up onto the stage, them having lost their arrogance and confidence, resulted in them walking up the stairs one at a time. Before the Nirvana sect disciples made their dazzling appearance, they were the brightest stars in everyone''s eyes, they might not be the strongest among their generation, but they''re definitely a first class genius. Yet reality had played a cruel joke on them, their cultivation speed was actually similar to those youths around fifteen years old, they were already around seventeen. This was made worse by the Nirvana sect leader who was around their age, maybe even younger in fact. They were inferior in terms of cultivation speed, combat strength, maturity and aura, he even has the time and effort to form a sect of his own which already exceeds the King force they''re in. Genius, stop being sarcastic will you? That was the thought of another disciple from the guards as he stabbed forward with his sword, causing a concentrated explosion upon contact. 4120 In the past years, this score of his would have kicked up a storm, it wasn''t enough to make him the best, but he''ll be at the top of the ladder among those first tier geniuses, but just where does he rank right now in the eyes of them. A third tier genius? He might not even qualify as a genius in their eyes, he''s at best someone with higher cultivation talent than the average. Those million thoughts of his would definitely become his heart demon, unless he can get out of it, this would already be the end of his cultivation journey. Everyone was looking forward to Lancelot who would be making an appearance next, they wanted to see just how strong he is to qualify as the leader of those demons. They weren''t worthy of the term genius anymore, it''s more of genius being unworthy of them in fact, they demons whose talent are unmatched in this era, their peerless skills makes them a legend in their generation. *Back to the Evil Stallion* A man could be seen riding on a horse, yet both him and his horse were actually black flames themselves, their flame may not be that impressive, but the feeling of death it brings about would be enough to scare a person to death. Wherever the horse goes with its master, the ground would be scorched into nothingness, the lush greenery and nature has already been burnt to nothing but nothingness. If they were to retrace back, the sparkling rivers and magnificent forests would be gone, the cute animals such as wild squirrels and rabbits would be gone, the apex predators such as lions and tigers would be gone. All people will find are hard molten rocks which has already cooled off, visible cracks on the ground forming a chain of spiderwebs as they spread far and continue, this phenomenon was currently happening in a middle grade realm which was the upper realm they know of. "Next up, let''s invite Lancelot from the Nirvana sect!" The announcer announced as he gestured politely, him being biased towards the Nirvana sect was obvious, but what can they do about it? Max, the leader of the Guards couldn''t stand it anymore as stood up and asked Nightin in a malicious voice "Nirvana sect leader, just what is it that you''re trying to achieve?" Nightin replied him in a solemn tone, seriousness could be seen all over his face as he said at the same timing with the system "To form the greatest sect above the universe!" That''s the impossible notion which both Nightin and the system had in mind, if they are going to create a sect, then they would form one which stands above the universe, they wouldn''t allow anything to stand in their way. Everyone present froze for a moment, that''s right, everyone was astonished by the impossible goal, they felt their hearts waver as the older generation present recalled their youth. Weren''t they once hot blooded youths who aspired to go to the upper realm and strive to be the peak expert there? Just what in the world happened for the passage of time to have changed their mindset? Max opened his mouth, but realised that he couldn''t come up with a comeback and just closed it back, that''s because he himself agreed with Nightin personally. Xinyi from the Lotus sect who hasn''t said anything since the start of today, actually opened her mouth just to ask Nightin one question "How confident are you in that goal of yours? I''m sure that you have already gained access to the knowledge of the realms out there in this world." Nightin gave off the demeanor of a ruler right now, he might be nothing but a drop of water in the ocean out there, but he''s unmatched for in such a low grade realm Nightin didn''t reply her, but instead teased her by saying "You have a pretty clear voice, why don''t you speak up more?" Xinyi tried to remain calm, but she wasn''t able to stop her face from blushing as she tried to change the topic "What if I have another bold request to make as well? I hereby represent the Lotus sect as its founder, to request for permission to enter as a branch hall of the Nirvana sect." Nightin smiled as he teleported in front of her and asked "Are you sure about that?" His voice sounded so calm that Xinyi started to suspect if the Lotus sect held standing in Nightin''s eyes. Xinyi hesitated for a moment as she turned around, the elders and disciples were nodding their heads as they said. "Sect master, we may have grown this much in just twenty years time, but there''s a limit to how far we can go." "Layla''s right, we''re already reaching our growth limit, just make the final decision." "Sect master, we understand that your intentions are for the best interest of the Lotus sect and that''s enough." While Xinyi was trying to come to a conclusion, the various members of her sect tried to convince her, they didn''t like the feeling of only being a branch hall, but they wanted to seek the further path of cultivation and see the world beyond the clouds looming above them. In the meantime, Nightin was currently pondering on that decision as he decided to seek the system for more information. "System, I would like to have more details on the Nirvana''s sect current branches." Chapter 93 - The four branch halls and two subsidiary sects, part 1 (Chapter 93 and 94 will be descriptive so... Have fun reading, this is on the Nirvana sect growth progress while Nightin was away) Ding System results have been generated and will be shown below. In the Nirvana sect currently, the disciples are differentiated by their ranks, the ranks are Ordinary disciple, Elite disciple and Talented disciple from lowest to highest respectively. In order to enter the sect, one would have to participate in the sect''s entry qualification test and pass it before they get the chance to even attempt for the ordinary disciple rank. While the entry test requires one to be at the Martial Master seventh realm and above below the age of seventeen, they only have half a year worth of time to step into the Martial Spirit realm and possess the combat strength to skip one sub realm. In the other various sects, these ordinary rank disciples would already be their first class geniuses and would be pampered with the best cultivation resources, guides and even mentors. The reason why people would even be flocking to the Nirvana sect, is mainly thank to Alexander and Abby who have been on a conquest for peace around the Southern continent. All the kingdoms and cities in the southern continent are ruled by the Nirvana sect currently, with just the cultivation assistance they can provide, all the kingdoms and even the cities alongside those small villages, all undergo a strict rotation just to take the participation test. For those who come from a village, they would have to enter a city and even advance from there into a kingdom, only then will they have the chance to become a ordinary rank disciples. As for those mortals and cultivators who are saved by Alexander and Abby, some joined their army while some entered the Nirvana sect and decided to take up various minor roles such as construction works. As for the mortals who were saved, the Nirvana Rebirth technique made it possible for them to cultivate and most of them had at least managed to step into the Martial Master realm, increasing their lifespan to about one hundred and fifty years. There was even one of them who even turned out to be a genius on the path of becoming an Alchemist, he even made use of the theory books in the newly built Library to step into the ranks of a grade two Alchemist, which means that he can create elixirs meant for Martial Masters with just being self taught for three months. Knowing that their cultivation wasn''t worth anything, they treated cultivation as a way to strengthen their body while planting and farming everyday, this hands over the duty of food resources to them. To become a Elite rank disciple, one would have to step into the Martial Spirit realm by the age of seventeen and have the strength to challenge those two sub realms, these talent would already make them not any weaker than those like Layla. As for the Talented rank disciple, it''s one where most disciples wouldn''t even fathom about. One had to step into the Martial Lord realm by the age of eighteen or the Martial Spirit realm by fifteen, as for what''s above, it was currently classified since they wouldn''t even be able to get there anyway. Now, onto the first branch hall that is. The first branch hall would be the one of Information gathering. The information branch hall may only have about thirty in terms of manpower, but they''re growing quickly and their influence isn''t small in the Southern continent, they have made terms and conditions with those high status people all over the Southern continent and are already preparing their approach to the other continents. When any treasure or spirit mine news were to get leaked to them, the Nirvana sect would definitely arrange a group to occupy it and station there according to the grade of the spirit mine and the enemies there. Even their sect only had twelve Martial Lords right now at the moment, one was their elder Isabella, four are unable to leave as they have to take care of their respective halls, the other seven are experts invited to form the pyramid system and would always be the vanguard in taking care of tasks. The four high grade spirit stone mines they own right now, are currently being guarded by four different Martial Lords with a thousand high grade spirit stones as the price. Isabella had apparently came up with a development system that would benefit the Nirvana sect the most while Nightin was away. The pyramid system consisted of seven layers, each level corresponds to their cultivation realm with the first layer being the Martial Lord realm. They would be treated as Pyramid guests and would receive a fixed salary each month and bonuses if they finish a task. The second branch hall would be known as the Demon Beast Hall where various demon beasts are kept and tamed there. The Nirvana sect currently has access to three different species of Demon beasts which they are mass breeding, each of them for land, sea and air respectively. For land, they had the Crescent Wolves which had a talent grade of seven stars, which means that their future realm would definitely hit the Saint beast realm, if they want to progress further, they would have to encounter some breakthroughs in their own race. The wolves stay in a pack and they develop as one, if one wolf found a new path towards the realm above Saint beasts, the whole pack would benefit from it. For Sea, they had the Volt Sharks which were the apex predators in the sea with a growth potential of eight stars. The Volt Sharks were a unique species which possesses the ability to conduct electricity in water, thus making it the greatest fear of all sea beings. For air, they had the Hurricane Condor which has a growth potential of 6.8 stars, if they manage to raise them well, then it might reach the seven stars rank. This Demon Beasts would be used for wars in the future, they can also be use for transportation of goods and as a travelling mount for disciples, but due to their rarity, only Elite disciples will gain access to them after requesting for permission in advance. In order to get hold of a pair of each species, they had engaged in quite a few battles and the only reason they won those few times, is because of the Pyramid guests which were recruited. Chapter 94 - The four branch halls and two subsidiary sects While the Demon Beast hall may seem to be of minor importance, it''s because the Demon Beasts are they are growing would require up to tens or even hundreds of years to grow. In order to speed up their growing progress, Isabella has paid a heavy price to hire the most talented Beast Raiser in the lower realm, she may only be at the early stage Martial Lord realm at the age of twenty seven, but she''s already a four star Beast Raiser. She may only be at four stars, but that would be sufficient to speed up the growth of those Demon Beasts by about three times, greatly shortening the time needed for them to grow. With the experience she gains from cultivating and rearing of those Demon Beasts, it wouldn''t be difficult for her to improve tremendously. The third branch hall would be the most important out of the four, the Professions Hall. In the Professions Hall, knowledge on all nine recognised professions can be found, with just those theory books alone, one would be able to step into the fourth grade of that respective profession at the very least. With Isabella''s high standard for choosing someone, this resulted in them only having a second grade Alchemist Master right now, but that isn''t worry them fretting since he managed to reach that stage in three months time. Isabella apparently was afraid that the profession hall wouldn''t manage and thus set a rule which kept most disciples out, only those who can reach the sixth grade alone by themselves within three years, would have the qualifications to become the profession hall master of the sect. Next up, the last and final branch hall would be the hall of weapons. The hall of weapons consisted of six weapon Ancestors and the six different weapons are the Spear, Sword, Bow, Hammer, Axe and Staff. The six weapon Ancestors are all the peak talents in the whole lower realm, all of them are only around twenty five years old, but they''re already at the Martial King realm and have combat strength comparable to a completion stage Martial King, it''s no exaggeration to say that they''re currently the strongest few in the lower realm. Now, this is where the important question comes from, just why are they unknown with their strength and where have they been this whole time without being found by anyone? That would have to link back to Isabella who had been venturing deeper into the Nascent mountain in search of the legendary species there, it''s rumored that there''s a Sky eyas there with a unlimited growth potential, a divine species which shouldn''t even exist in a low grade realm. She had apparently stumbled into a late stage Hornet Queen, it was the six weapon Ancestors who appeared out of nowhere and saved her. From what they had told her, the six of them had been alone by themselves for as long as they remember, they supported each other and always had each other back. The only thing they know is that, each of them had a weapon in hand since the day they grew up with a cultivation technique imprinted in each of their minds. The cultivation technique they received was actually a whole different cultivation path, from the moment they step into the Ancestor realm of weapons, the Ancestor stage they''re in would affect their cultivation base directly. When Isabella first me them, all of them were at the third stage of the Ancestor realm of weapons and were all late stage Martial Kings, yet their progress was so quick that they progressed to the fifth stage of Ancestor realm and promoted to the Martial King realm. If this were to keep up, the moment they make it past the Ancestor realm, their future would definitely place them among those demons even in the high grade realms, those below Overlord realms are merely their stepping stones. Since it''s the first time the six brothers had met someone else, they decided that it would be a good idea to follow her back, all they truly wanted was to experience the outside world. On the way, Isabella had asked them "Who taught you guys how to speak?" The eldest among them could only reply while laughing "Haha, about that, we have no clue either, whenever we try to recall something before the age of twelve, there would always by a mysterious fog blocking our path and we would faint." Isabella could only give up on the thought of having them help her, but the brothers had actually took the initiative to carve a mountain for three thousand just by themselves within a month without neglecting their daily training. Since the mountain appeared all of a sudden, a few disciples decided to take a look and were amazed by the strength those weapons could bring. That was when the six brothers became famous for their weapons and ended up as mentors, all of them weren''t disturbed by the fact that there are youths wanting to learn from them, they even loved it and taught all of them patiently every day. This was the main reason why most disciples made it to the Elite rank, as for the Talented rank as the name suggests, effort alone isn''t enough unless something occurs to change that fact. Note: The six brothers had carved out three more mountains capable of housing ten thousand within three months with Isabella''s orders, efficiency increased great since they have experience and grew stronger after some time passed. "System, thanks for the extremely long list of information which took me a whole lifetime to read." Host thought has been received, the Lotus sect and Psychic sect would now be known as subsidiary sects instead of branch halls, they''ll be entitled to the two different ten thousand mountains and will have full access to the sect''s facilities and martial techniques. In exchange, they''ll have to share theirs as well, but everyone will be treated equally and subsidiary sects will be differentiated into different ranks, host, please make the decision now. Nightin pondered for half a moment before saying, differentiate them by their speciality instead, the Psychic sect will be in full development of mental spirit cultivation from now on, the Lotus sect would be in charge of energy condensation to shape forming. What he wants is for them to exceed the current limit they know with the whole subsidiary sect working on the given project. Chapter 95 - The end? Its just the beginning Nightin called up to Xinyi and Cloud as he got the both of them to follow after him, he walked into somewhere desolated and scanned around with his soul detection to ensure that no one was eavesdropping. After checking twice to made sure that there wasn''t anyone nearby, he told both Xinyi and Cloud about his plan for their development. After hearing about the plan, Cloud asked "So we''ll be situated in the Nirvana sect and have a mountain for ourselves?" Nightin rolled his eyes and asked once again "Just which part didn''t I explain clearly enough? Fire off and ask me any questions you have now." Xinyi from the Lotus sect was fidgeting about with her fingers as she asked "Is it a must for my sect to share the Lotus Bloom cultivation technique?" Nightin nodded as he asked back "Is there a reason why you''re hesitating so much over this?" Xinyi took out a ragged book from her spatial ring and said "This is the Lotus Bloom cultivation technique." Nightin took it over as Xinyi slipped it to him and opened the first page, what the first page showed was the human structure of a female and the meridians path of the cultivation technique. On the bottom was a note which mentioned, *If a human male cultivates this technique, he''ll lose what it means to be a man for life and this process wouldn''t be reversible* Nightin finally understood Xinyi''s worries as he assured her "Don''t worry, I''ll make sure that only female disciples gain access to this cultivation technique." Xinyi panicked and hurriedly explain "That''s not the reason why I''m unwilling to share the cultivation technique to the sect, please flip to the second last page of this book." Nightin flipped the book over as told and what appeared before his eyes was a naked female covering her body with a transcleucent bedsheet, her skin was fair as snow and her blonde hair was tied up in a bun. Xinyi snatched the book over and closed it before explaining "I had to do that in order to show the current final stage of the Lotus Bloom cultivation technique, it requires a woman to fully understand her body and... I won''t explain it but just know that I won''t be sharing this cultivation technique." Nightin understood her intentions and don''t push her further for this, all he requested for the Lotus sect to do, was for them to hold lessons on energy condensation and shape forming. Layla''s attack may not have been that impressive, but all that was achieved by herself without any external help, from the forming of this pistol to the shot released, everything was well controlled. Cloud apparently still had some questions in mind as he asked "Nirvana sect master, so you''re expecting us to improve on our current mental cultivation technique?" Nightin nodded and said "That''s right, while the Psychic refinement technique is a peak Heaven grade mental cultivation technique, it''s worth nothing once we ascend to the realms above." Cloud shook his head as he wrinkled his eyebrows and explain "It isn''t that simple to improve on the mental cultivation technique, you should know that the cultivation of mental spirit is divided into four levels and are known as Condense, Form, Illusion and Surreal." Nightin understood what he was trying to explain, but he still questioned "What''s your current mental cultivation stage?" Cloud explained, I''m at the early stage of the Illusion realm, if it weren''t for the lack of a better mental cultivation technique, I would definitely progress much further." Nightin followed up and said "That''s why you should focus on improving that mental cultivation technique to the Saint rank, nothing is impossible in this world as long as you put your heart and mind into it." Cloud could feel the door opening up towards him, all he needed right now was to give the gigantic iron door one final push to see the world beyond it. While Cloud entered the sudden stage of enlightenment, Nightin decided to ask Xinyi about her age. "Xinyi, what''s your current age?" Xinyi''s face darkened for a moment, but she kept it back quickly and asked "What do you think?" Swoosh What the hell! Xinyi thought to herself as she surrounded her body with a energy shield to block the impending black spear burning with flames. Nightin was quick to react as he slashed forward with his Samsara sword, causing a ripple in the air as the sword wave clashed against the spear. Cloud wasn''t slow to react as he threw his Javelin out either, the Javelin was lit up with flames as it pierced through the air. Xinyi knew that the best thing she can do right now, would be to convert defense into offense as she changed her shield into a gigantic lotus that flew forward. Boom Boom Boom The attacks collided against the spear and slowed it down, giving Xinyi the breath she need to get away from the attack. As Xinyi stepped back and stood behind them, what appeared before them was a man riding on a stallion, both of them were burning with black flames and the man himself was just a skeleton in fact. The Stallion rider broke out in a laughter which sent creeps down their spine. "Haha Haha, if it weren''t for the orders given to me, I would have spent my time recuperating in order to return to the Great Saint realm." His face and tone turned solemn as he said "Since you three have wasted my precious time, It afraid that death will be the best and only punishment for y''all, haha haha!" As the Stallion rider mentioned this, a spear could be seen forming behind him as black flames coiled around it like a snake, it had the sharpness to pierce through their defense, the destructive power to break through their attacks, he was just way too strong for the current them to handle. Nightin knew that Xinyi and Cloud wouldn''t be able to do anything here, they would only be a burden in fact as he got them to leave while he took out his sword, his Life and Death sword were floating behind him while his Gale sword infused itself into the Samsara sword in hand. Chapter 96 - One sided battle Xinyi and Cloud both refused Nightin thought as they hurriedly explained "You definitely aren''t his match alone!" Nightin asked coldly, his tone sharp as his blade as Xinyi subconsciously stepped back "Do you think that you''ll be of any help staying here?" Cloud interjected in as he took out his weapon and said "But..." "Shut up and listen to what I have to say right now, I want the two of you to take the transportation array closest to here and call for help from..." Nightin instructed them to do something as he sent them away with a gale of wind while reminding "Make it fast, I won''t be able to hold out for long." Circulating his spirit energy to the limit, he slashed forward with his sword, his Samsara law enveloped the Phoenix sword as a scarlet slash surrounded by violet let pierced through the sky, its intention to kill its enemy was obvious. "Haha haha, you''re still a thousand years too early to challenge someone of my caliber!" The Stallion rider mocked as he stabbed forwards with his spear casually, easily shattering Nightin''s attack. Swoosh "Don''t ever underestimate your opponent fool!" Nightin sneaked out from behind the Stallion rider as he slashed forwards once again, his Life Sword was attacking from above while his Death Sword attacked from below it. Force Field Vzzt Black lightning bolts surrounded them all of a sudden as all three swords were blocked, the Stallion the rider was mounting on wasn''t simple as well, it was also a Saint beast which has yet to recover. Death Mark A spear condensed from energy struck down towards Nightin from above, black flames summoned from the air started to gather around it as it fell from the heavens. Nightin laughed as he prepared his sword, if his twenty years was spent only one the nine recognised professions, then wouldn''t it have been a total waste? Divine: Rage of the Phoenix Flames started to gather around his body as he fully stretched his arm out, yet the flames didn''t even burn off the slightest bit of his robe, they were actually being careful to not damage it as they spiralled towards the sword in a tremendously fast momentum. "This move, was inspired by Phoenix... I''ll make use of this move... To rise to the top and prove that the Phoenix... Is bound to be the strongest race among the Divines!" Nightin leaped out as he slashed towards the spear, fear wasn''t a word in his dictionary anymore as the sword destroyed the gigantic spear crushing down on him. Even so, his face turned pale as he hurriedly gathered spirit energy, that move alone had consumed up to eighty percent of his spirit energy. "Haha fool, that was just a casual strike of mine and you are already this exhausted?" The Stallion rider didn''t let go of any chance to mock Nightin, it was his hobby to destroy the pride and arrogance of every genius he meets. Nightin once again circulated his spirit energy in a frenzy, he was squeezing out every single bit of spirit energy he still had within him, his Life and Death sword could sense their master''s need for energy as they dispersed themselves into energy before residing back into his body to rest. Nightin could sense the pair of swords intention as he thanked them before making use of all the spirit energy given, it seems like it''s time for me to use that forbidden art. Nightin whispered in his heart as a black vortex started to gather around him and his sword. The energy gathered destroyed all the surrounding trees, the ground was crumbled down and the surrounding air was actually being blocked off from them at this moment. "True Divine Forbidden Art: Nine Deaths Mark!" The next moment, nine sword waves scarlet red in colour filled the world a bloody red as Nightin who casted them fell onto the ground with a huge thud, the last bit of consciousness in his head was the only thing keeping him awake. The Stallion rider truly felt fear for the first time, his Stallion could sense its masters thought as it opened its force field to the limit, the rider itself charged his spear as it pierced forward. Boom A gigantic crater could be seen laying on the ground, a stallion barely standing on its four legs, was currently carrying its master who''s lying down on its body, they had survived through that attack Nightin took out a scroll from his spatial ring as he held it in hand, it was one of the three nine grade scrolls he had created all by himself before leaving, he had meant to keep it as a triumph card against future foes, but it seems like time and luck isn''t on his side this time. What else could he do? His body was too weak to even move right now and if he were to just lie down there, death would probably be the only thing awaiting him. The Stallion rider could sense the danger the scroll was bringing, it had to destroy this scroll before it''s activated or he would be the one dead today. "Lad, why don''t we talk this out peacefully?" The Stallion rider took the initiative to lower his pride, it wouldn''t be worth it for someone of his caliber to sacrifice himself to deal with such a weakling. Just you wait, I''ll take your life the moment you keep away that scroll of yours! The Stallion rider cursed deep down in his heart as the flames surrounding him and the stallion dispersed. Nightin smirked as he held the scroll and prepared to open it, the scroll was one of great destruction and is known as the Meteor Shower scroll, the impact it brings about would even render someone above the Saint realm as trash. Nightin asked as he walked towards the Stallion rider, fearless as he advances towards the danger ahead. His bravery alone was enough to make the Stallion rider retreat in fear, how could someone actually advance towards someone like him who was once at the Peak Saint realm? "Just what do you want? How about this, I''ll give you and your sect the chance to enter the evil force and join us on our conquering journey!" The Stallion rider hurriedly threw out attractive terms in an attempt to persuade Nightin, it would benefit him greatly if he can get someone of such strength and talent to serve him. Ba Thump Ba Thump Nightin could feel his heart pulsating rapidly at he clutched his heart with his right palm, cold sweat started to form on his skin as he asked himself, what''s going on? Why am I feeling this excited when I hear news about the evil force wanting to recruit me? Nightin was afraid of himself, what if he gives in to the temptation to join them, he was sure that there wasn''t any sorcery used by the Stallion rider to bait him, the uncontrollabe excitement was probably just from himself. Nightin tightened his grip on the scroll and coldly replied "Don''t even think about me giving in to the temptation of strength! You can get rid of the mental bait on me as well!" Mental bait? The Stallion rider paused for a moment before he understood what was going on, Nightin was actually one of the few who met the perfect conditions to join the evil force. A evil grin formed on his face as he continued to persuade "Just what are you trying to escape from? This is where you truly belong, now put down your scroll and I might consider letting myself serve under you as your humble subject." His voice was filled with a mysteriously seductive persuasion as Nightin once again felt his heartbeat increase, he felt like closing his eyes and accepting the new world waiting for him, but what would happen if that truly happens? Chapter 97 - The corrupted mind (Do expect volume 3 to be much better as this would be a long arc filled with many ups and downs and...) Nightin could feel his mind giving in to the temptation, he had heard about the benefits of joining the Evil force ever since that day back in the alchemist hall where he was tricked by one of them, he would never forget about the day where he truly experienced a battle against another human cultivator. Nightin asked the Stallion rider in a hoarse voice "Why are you trying to serve under me all of a sudden... Shouldn''t you be taking my life immediately? What if I betray the Evil force all of a sudden?" The Stallion rider Slowly got off his stallion, his right arm was clutching on his abdomen which suffered a heavy attack from the previous slash, black flames were burning on the other minor wounds as they started to recover at a speed visible to the naked eye. The power of immortality granted by the Evil Force, as long as one doesn''t lose their life force totally, one would be able to recover from it no matter how serious their wound is. The Stallion rider chuckled "Do you think that you would still be alive if I have the slightest intentions to even take your life? I dropped that thought the moment you felt enchanted by the beauty of the Evil path." Nightin was puzzled and asked "Just what was that moment of trance I felt?" The Stallion rider broke out in laughter and introduced himself "I''m one of the seventy two Demon Knights, they know me as the Infernal Stallion rider, you can just call me as Infernal if you wish to." Nightin hesitated and said "I''m sorry, but I won''t be turning my back on those disciples of mine. As long as the Nirvana sect I''ve created exist, I''ll stay with it throughout its growth, don''t ever expect me to give in." He said this as his ragged breathing made it difficult for him to even speak, his body gradually picking itself up as he sat down on the ground. Infernal didn''t persuade him any further, but said "You''ll regret it if you don''t join the Evil Force, you already meet the perfect conditions to contend for the position of the next Evil Lord from the moment you enter that moment of trance and appreciated its enchanting beauty, even I''m unable to fully understand it and can only see a world of darkness." I... I meet the perfect qualifications to be part of the Evil Force and even contend for the supreme position? No, I can''t give in to the temptation! There were two sides arguing in Nightin''s head right now, he didn''t know just what the correct path for him was. "System, just what should I do right now?" Nightin could only turn to the system, it had always given him hope whenever he''s met with a path with no road. "Host, do take note that I won''t interfere with the decisions you decided to make. I''ll however still assist you no matter what your decision may be, through the kind path of heaven or through the evil path of hell, it doesn''t matter for my only task is to assist you." The system replied in a voice filled with emotions, but it was totally calm throughout. "What would happen to the Nirvana sect if I leave them alone or bring them along?" Nightin needed the answers to this question desperately, the flames burning in his heart was telling him that it''s a must to be concerned about them. "You''ll always be the sect master of the Nirvana sect." The system replied in a calm once again. Nightin turned towards Infernal and asked him "If I were to leave with you, just what would the Evil force do to the Nirvana sect if I don''t bring them along with me?" Infernal face changed as he replied in a voice filled with slight emotions of helplessness "I afraid that I can''t answer that question of yours, you should know that the ambition of the Evil force is to conquer the whole world and make every living being our slaves. That''s all I can let you know, anything else beyond that is outside of my authority." Nightin followed up and questioned, his tone sharp enough for Infernal to feel afraid "What''s the purpose of doing that? To destroy the whole cultivation universe and even those mortals, what about those pure beings?" Nightin wasn''t willing to back down at this point, the answers he had been seeking for were just within his reach. "Haha Haha, I shall answer that question of yours." The enchanting voice of a human male sounded off from behind Nightin. When Nightin turned around, all he saw was a man with peerless beauty that rivals even those of those legendary beauties who only exists in those legends, he was wearing a crimson red robe and his scarlet hair was tied behind in a neat ponytail, on his right palm was a beautiful snake of a jade colour as it laid dormant there, seemingly asleep and harmless. Nightin immediately used his soul detection and tried to see through Orochi, but it was all a futile effort as all he could see was searing flames blocking his vision as laughter flooded into his ears. "Haha Haha... For the first time in so many years have someone tried to see through me." Orochi laughed as his body swayed back and fro as he added on "I''m afraid that you aren''t qualified to know of my name yet." Infernal who was beside Nightin looked up in shock as he opened his mouth and said "Evil Lord Oro..." "Shhhh, such a secret shouldn''t be divulged to the likes of mortals like him. Do you get me?" Orochi said in a carefree voice without causing any pressure on Infernal, but he was already breaking out in cold sweat. Why? Because Orochi was well known for being able to kill without batting an eye, his hands have already been stained with the blood of too many to count, most of them not even knowing the reason for their death. "Young lad, what''s your name?" Orochi questioned as he took out a exquisitely made fan to cover a part of his face, if any woman nearby were to see him right now, they might just flock into his embrace without the slightest fear. Nightin could sense that Orochi was just too powerful, he was sure that Orochi holds the strength to destroy this realm, but he''s holding back due to any possible reason. Nightin could only lower his head and answer politely "My name is Nightin, Evil Lord Orochi, may I know the reason now?" Orochi responded as he nodded his head and said "Not bad, you know how to respect your senior at least, Haha Haha." "But, are you sure that you want to hear the true reason?" When Orochi mentioned this, a sharp glint flashed past his eyes, his voice turned solemn as flames started to surround his whole body, the fan he was holding expanded as he held it in hand standing among the flames. "Yes." Nightin could only bring out the courage to answer with one word before closing his mouth back up, just the unintentional flames from Orochi were already enough to make him feel death. Chapter 98 - True motive of the Evil force (Do take note that the whole chapter would be from the view of Orochi reading to Nightin) This would have to date back to a thousand years ago, this happened on one of the Overlord realms where the weak are meant to be slaves since birth. Any mortal or anyone born without the qualifications to cultivate would immediately be killed, all those who fail to achieve the Martial Emperor by the age of eighteen would be killed and those who don''t achieve the Martial Saint realm by the age of twenty five would face the same fate. That was however a hidden truth to those from other ranking realms, even those from the high grade realms didn''t know about the cruelty going on behind the scenes. It was truly a world where people experience the true meaning of despair, their cries and plea turns into nothing but hopelessness. It was a common sight to see cultivators walking about with slaves serving their every needs, the slaves were treated inhumanely and were only given life resources when they truly needed it just to survive, they were always starving and dehydrated. They were trapped in the bottom of the ocean where light was blocked off from them, no matter how much they try to rise up, the suction force would always pull them deeper in. This resulted in many youths already being matured at the young age of six. In the Overlord realm, maturing at six means that you''re only average and that the only way to breakthrough to the Martial Saint realm before the age of twenty five, would be to put in much more effort than others. Those geniuses would already be mature at the age of three, some already knew how to cultivate at the age of one, they didn''t know what it means to rest which is why they despise cultivators from lower ranking realms. That''s why you''ll never see anyone waking about in those Overlord realms without a cultivation of at least the Martial Saint realm, that''s because those below are already living in hell. The Evil Overlord was one of those slaves himself, he was enslaved at the young age of eight because someone crippled his cultivation, he was the shining star in everyone''s eyes when he made it to the Martial Emperor realm at the age of seven, many were still struggling at the Martial Spirit or even Martial Master realm at that time. Yet his beloved parents actually betrayed him as they poisoned him, his father even forcibly extracted his spiritual root from his body and shattered it into energy for his own personal gains before throwing him onto the streets. It was a old auntie who found him, the auntie who found him was just a mortal as well who has been living in the slums ever since birth, they had formed a small village of mortals secretly of about a few thousand in these years. When the old auntie brought her back, many people scolded her with the same comment "What do you think you''re doing by bringing back a stinky brat? What if he turns out to be a traitor!" The old auntie ignored those scoldings and cared for him truly from the bottom of her heart, she would always give him the best food and best clothing she can, she placed herself before him and gave him the chance to experience what love felt like. Yet this blissful love was short lived, news of their village had somehow managed to spread to the outside world as they slaughtered each and every single one of the old and young. Those females with prettier looks were kept alive to be used by them, those males who were fit enough were enslaved by them, youths who weren''t willing to give in were treated as child slaves and were used for menial tasks. The Evil Overlord at that time was one of those child slaves, he hid in the dark and managed to find another way of cultivation without any spiritual root, he made use of the spirits of those people who died innocently as they willingly use their last strand of life to help him build up a catalyst to hold spirit energy. This was however unknown to the slave traders as they made him do every task which a child shouldn''t be doing, from mopping to sweeping to washing the toilets and even carrying heavy loads and many more, all these were already too much for even the fittest males, not to mention a young child like him. This continued on until he reached the age of twelve, he smiled to himself and prepared to embrace the world with his newfound strength, a early stage Martial Emperor realm with the ability to kill anyone at the Saint realm, including those at the completion stage. Many people treated him as a genius and many forces tried to rope him in, but he rejected all of them and even built up his own force which he names the Evil force. Many objected to this name and said that it brought about a ominous feeling, but he would always rebut by saying "There''s nothing wrong with a name alright? Has my sect done anything wrong?" When he first created the Evil force, no one was willing to join him for ten years straight, but he wasn''t willing to give up to fate as he finally stepped past the Martial Saint realm and entered the Great Saint realm. At the age of twenty, he was walking down the streets every single night and found eight child slaves within that year which were suffering from the same fate as him ten years ago, his eyes watered as he felt pitiful for them. Curse his world, I''ll destroy all these corrupted humans one day! He took all of them in and even helped them to build a spiritual root with the same method, the child slaves learnt from him and soon, their fame resounded across the whole Overlord realm as well. They were known as the Eight Evil Lords by everyone and that''s when everyone truly respected him as the Evil Overlord, the genius who stepped into the middle stage Great Saint realm at the age of twenty one. His eight disciples were also rendered as the number one genius below him, all of them made it to the completion stage Martial Emperor realm at the mere age of eleven, they were already a few years ahead of the most talented demons of their era. Those eight disciples of him wanted to repay his favour and thus decided to do the same thing as him and brought in nine more child slaves each, they might not have the ability to make them exceed the Great Saint realm, but the completion stage of the Great Saint realm would suffice until they find an alternative method. They saved all those who were supposed to he banished as slaves, it was only until tens of years later when those slave traders finally realised that somehting was amiss, their number of goods and manpower were decreasing over the years. After a few years of tracing, they finally realised that the Evil Overlord was the culprit for all this as they pointed their spearhead towards him and called towards the whole realm. The Evil Overlord wasn''t afraid as he brought all his disciples and stood in front of the Evil Force gate and mocked "Stop acting like y''all that kind and pure with the intention to save them? Who doesn''t know that if you were to bring them away today, they would end up as slaves for all of you!" One of the ten controllers of the Overlord realm had to step out and rebut "How do you expect us to gather spirit stones and other related resources! It would just be a total waste of our precious cultivation time!" "So you''re saying that their life isn''t worth anything?" The Evil Overlord replied in a sharp tone as a black vortex started to form behind him, his body was wrapped in a mysterious black energy as he took out a sword. The sword was heavy and looked like a simple object, yet the sharpness and durability it held definitely exceeded what this Overlord realm should even possess. All the controllers immediately retreated backwards when they saw that sword and one of them even shouted out "What the hell do you think you''re doing by unsealing that forbidden sword?" "Forbidden sword? You''re only saying it because it once held the same ambition as me!" The Evil Overlord smiled as he screamed back, energy gathered around him and the sword as their minds linked and resonated with each other. He was one with the sword right now and the sword was him, they were one entity who had linked their minds to each other with the same ambition in mine, to hell with this broken world! Swoosh A black beam of energy pierced through the air, the void and even the space! Its attack had broken through all the layers of the Overlord realm and it was going to destroy it at this rate. "Argh!!" One of the controllers feel onto the ground as his head left his body, the moment his soul tried to escape, a black whirl of energy trapped him and destroyed his soul totally. It even destroyed his soul force which makes it impossible for him to enter the cycles of reincarnation for life. The other controllers all took in a deep gasp of air as they dashed off into the horizon, leaving all those other cultivators who had came to aid them to die. "Haha Haha, have y''all seen the true nature of those old fogeys? They''re only acting as controllers of this realm because they''re afraid of those of you who have stepped into the fourth step Overlord realm because they''re only at the third step Overlord realm!" The Evil Overlord broke out the truth which every of those controllers had been hiding at this very moment. The Evil Overlord then said "My army behind me will all be sent to different parts of the world and they''ll help this world undergo its rebirth, as for all of you Overlord realms including the other nine which are much stronger than this weakest Overlord realm. Just you wait, for I''ll be back to end this whole cultivation universe with my army!" His laughter drifted off into the sky as him and his whole army including those Demon Lords and Demon Knights stepped through that black portal. "Hey, do y''all hate me from seperating all of you from me?" The Evil Overlord asked his eight childs and grandsons, they already treated each other as family and thus it wouldn''t be weird for them to feel this close to each other. "We don''t father, we''ll wait for you until the day you return." It was Orochi who replied. "Don''t worry father, we''ll assist you in ending the cruel ambitions of this broken world!" It was the young Casper who replied, the one who attacked the Roc race a hundred years from now. "Father, it''s only a thousand years of time that we''ll be sealed for, it''ll be over in the blink of an eye." It was a woman with clear blue eyes who replied, her hair was curly as they spiralled down to both sides of her shoulder. "That''s it, I won''t elaborate on what happened after that battle." Orochi closed the chapter as he asked Nightin once again "Are you willing to join the Evil force now?" Chapter 99 - Ambitions alike Nightin looked at Orochi and asked "What makes you so sure that there aren''t any humans in this world who are truly kind?" Orochi coldly replied as he fiddled around with his ponytail while saying "Isn''t it obvious? There aren''t any living beings in this world who are truly kind, that applies to cultivators more than others as well." Infernal who was behind Nightin added on "From the moment we step onto the path of cultivation, our hands would definitely be soiled with blood, so much blood that water won''t be able to erase them." Nightin nodded and asked Orochi with wrinkled brows "Is it possible for me to met the Evil Overlord that you''ve just mentioned?" This piqued Orochi''s interest as he replied "Oh, why fo you want to meet him all of a sudden young lad?" Nightin said coldly "It''s because, I share the same ambition as him!" *Cloud and Xinyi* "Cloud stop for a moment!" Xinyi called out to Cloud from behind right at the moment they''re about to enter the teleportation array. Cloud turned his head abruptly and asked harshly "What do you think you''re doing by getting me to stop now? The sect leader is in danger!" Xinyi shouted back "What are you being so fierce for!" Gaining back her composure, she added on "He just sent me a message saying that he''s fine right now and that he''ll be away for some time." Cloud stopped in his tracks, curiosity in his eyes as he asked "What did you just say? He isn''t someone to stay away from his sect without a valid reason at all, there''s gotta be something to all this!" Xinyi fiercely rebutted "Oh yea! Then why don''t you find some way to contact him again and ask him the reason?" At this time, Lancelot and the other disciples were curious as to what''s going on, just what were they discussing about for such a long time to have already went by. "Oh my god! Take a look at this!" A cultivator at the Martial Lord realm rushed into the crowd as he started to scream in panic, fear covered his face as he pointed towards the forest. Selena who saw this immediately reminded "Hey... Isn''t that the forest where our sect master went into with Hall master Cloud and Hall master Xinyi?" "Let''s go!" Lancelot told everyone as he dashed towards the forest, a lightning bird formed below him as he propelled himself. "Hang on tight!" Lancelot released a few ropes to Ayden and the rest as they hanged on to it and dashed into the forest, all they could see were the trees which were flashing by every second, yet they still felt that they were too slow. On the way, Abby asked "What in the world happened?" For the first time in everyone''s eyes, did they see Abby lose her composure when she questioned them. Ray smiled as he revealed his milky white teeth and said "No worries, I''m sure that the sect master and them will be safe." Selena added on "That''s right, no one should be their match in the lower realm." "Hey match, stop being an extra will ya?" Ray shouted at Selena to blame her for stealing what he had to say. Selena pouted her cheeks and asked back "I''m an extra? I believe that everyone here is free to voice their own thoughts!" Ray took out his spear again and asked "You want to try fighting me?" His voice was filled with battle intent as he fully released his aura, resulting in every single nearby cultivator avoiding them. "That''s enough! The sect master current whereabouts are unknown and the two of you are fighting with each other?" Alexander reprimanded them just like how a elder brother would, his voice was harsh but filled with love. The two of them turned away from each other, but still kept up with the others as they hanged on to the rope tightly. "Over here!" One voice caught their attention from the far east as they made an abrupt turn towards the direction of the voice. When they reached, all they saw was a gigantic crater, trees which were laying om the ground and all the surrounding plants and bushes were gone, they whole area was a wasteland itself. Everyone immediately rushed towards there as Ayden grabbed the person who first arrived by the collar and questioned "Just what did you see when you arrive?" "I... All I saw was a... Letter." The person replied as he took out a letter and passed it over to Ayden who threw him onto the ground. "Argh!" Alexander held the letter in hand and opened it carefully, there wouldn''t be a spare copy if he somehow damages the content within it. *This is to all my disciples of the Nirvana sect* "With effect from the day this letter is read by all of you, Isabella will be the sect master of the Nirvana sect while the seven of you who represented the sect in the King forces tournament, will be crowned as the seven stars of the sect." "Do not worry about my whereabouts for we''ll meet again one day when we''re in the high grade realms or even those Overlord realms, but do take note that till the day everyone in the sect reaches the Martial Saint realm, none of you are to transcend alone" *From your beloved sect master, Nightin* A paper could be seen gliding down the air, Abby who saw this immediately dashed over in a streak of green light and grabbed the letter in hand. Lancelot''s voice sounded from behind her "Abby, read the letter aloud for all of us to hear." Lancelot turned his head towards the random cultivator who was at the side and asked him "You''re only around the age of sixteen and yet you''re only at the Martial Master realm. If that''s all you have to your name, then you can die right now." His killing intent enveloped the youth who was slightly younger than him at best, yet the youth didn''t even shudder and only said "I may only be a fourth grade Magist, but that doesn''t give you the qualifications to take my life without sparing a thought for others!" Lancelot then mentioned "Don''t you get it yet? I was only trying to see just what gave you the ability to sense what happened here. Now that you''ve told me, I''ll let you live if you join the Nirvana sect." Chapter 100 - The preparations Nightin followed Orochi as they entered teleportation arrays which overlapped each other, all of them were in different locations as they slowly made their way up to the hidden base of the Evil Force in one of the Overlord realms created by the Evil Overlord single handedly. It was evident that many precautions were taken in just the forming of the Overlord realms alone, just to get to the Overlord realms required them to traverse through tens of realms and hundreds of teleportation array. It was a tedious process, but Orochi was able to teleport to the next teleportation array every time, resulting in the time they take to arrive getting shorten greatly. Along the way, Nightin finally plucked up the courage to ask Orochi "Evil Lord Orochi, just what is it that you expect of me?" Orochi merely brushed off his question with a smile as he asked the one behind Nightin "What do you think?" Infernal who was fiddling about with his spear was surprised by this abrupt question, but he still placed his spear aside and processed the question in his mind. Nightin in the meantime turned towards Infernal, expecting the desired answer from him who had once challenged him, his knowledge of the Evil Force should be enough for him to come up with an answer. After a few moments had passed, Infernal finally came up with his conclusion and replied "This is only my own deductions, but aside from the surprising fact that both you and the Evil Overlord share the same ambition for the entire cultivation universe, it''s because you were also once a victim of the cruelty he faced." "Two different experiences and while his was much worse, but you being able to comprehend the Samsara law which revolves around cycles of reincarnation, coupling the law of Life and Death which represents the two sided humanity, I think that''s what caught the Evil Lord attention." The sound of clapping could be heard as Orochi once again smiled and said "Not bad, it isn''t simple to come up with such deductions. As expected from someone who has followed Casper since young." Hearing the name Casper, Nightin''s body froze as his name leaked out from his mouth mixed in with the killing intent which he has suppressed within him over the twenty years. "You know of Casper''s great name?" Orochi asked amusingly as they entered the last teleportation array and arrived at their destination. The whole realm itself was of a purplish black colour mainly and yet the beauty of nature the bustling streets around here makes people wonder if they''re in hell or heaven. That was the view of the world which Orochi had shown Nightin while they were in the teleportation tunnel as he filled in a few more details about their world. In the Evil realm, killing is strictly prohibited and one''s fate for murdering someone, would be to have their souls extracted as nourishment for the victim''s family, if that person was always alone for as far back as they can trace, the soul would be kept in an container for future usage in desperate times. It may seem way too cruel of an punishment, but it was a must to uphold the strict disciple and law to prevent anyone from falling prey to unwanted losses, it would cause grieve for many and would result in anger which leads to more trouble and a countinuous chain. When they descended upon the Evil realm, what awaited them was the entrance of a castle as two guards clad in red armor stood there, their facial features were being blocked off by a helmet with only their eyes visible. They had a sword sheathed at the side and they were standing in a strict posture, their hands were kept to the side as they stood upright and faced the front. They weren''t releasing any pressure towards Nightin, but he understood that it''s only because of Orochi who was beside him. "The Blooded guards pays respect to Evil Lord Orochi!" The two guards half kneeled towards him as they cupped their hands, respect was reflected in their eyes which identifies them as humans. "Rise." Orochi had kept the elegant side of himself, the current him was giving off a intimidating aura and he was... Cold. His face didn''t show any expressions and the aura he was giving off right now, it made him feel so distant to Nightin, maybe this was the disguise he used to protect himself from those below him, if he were to act as a gentleman who likes to fool around, how would he be in command of those under him. The two guards got up on their feet and one of them asked politely "Evil Lord Orochi, may I know the reason for your sudden uninvited visit?" "It''s nothing much, just pass a message to the Evil Overlord and inform him that I have brought along someone who he might be interested in." The guard paused for a moment as he looked at Nightin and asked "Why will the Evil Overlord be interested in such a young man? His looks may be good but they definitely aren''t the best out there and since..." "As a subject." Orochi replied coldly as the harshness in his tone made the guard keep shut and do as instructed. While one of the guards was away to deliver the message, laughter sounded off from behind them as a woman with wavy blue hair appeared from behind them. Her eye was of the oceanic blue as she commented "Wow wow wow, who would have expected Orochi who likes to fool around to bring back such a young lad this time." Ignoring Orochi who was signalling her to not fool around in front of a guard, she asked Nightin in an amusing manner "Hey brat, why don''t you follow me instead?" Nightin looked at her and said coldly "I''m not interested in that offer of yours." His Life and Death sword appeared from behind him ad they flew around his back. "Did some stinky brat just scold me? Even father wouldn''t do that to me! Orochi, I expect an apology from him!" "That''s enough Gwen, you shouldn''t be craving for such a young boy, you''re way beyond his ears." Orochi teases as he took out a dice and rolled it onto the ground. The dice rolled on the ground as a force field spread open, cutting off the guard from them as the jade snake coiling around Orochi hand opened its eyes for the first time. Chapter 101 - Battle with Gwen When the snake opened its eyes, its eyes which were of a marble texture and they zoomed in on Nightin who was a unfamiliar soul to it. "Hiss!" Nightin took in a deep gasp of air as he asked rudely "What''s the bloodline percentage of this snake compared to that of true dragons?" "What''s the matter, it''s the first time I met a cultivator who''s afraid of a snake, though it might be due to the fact that you''re just a low grade talent." Gwen mocked Nightin in an amusing manner, a sapphire coloured pistol was being spun around in her hand as she spoke. She gave off the feeling of a elegant woman who knows how to attract the attention of a man, but he''ll always be kept at an arm''s distance no matter how much he tries. Nightin drew out his sword and provoked "Why don''t you try suppressing your cultivation base to the early stage Martial King realm as well and receive a sword of mine?" Orochi stepped aside as he folded his arms and took on the role of a spectator, he didn''t want to waste his energy on something this meaningless. It isn''t bad for me to gauge his strength without making any effort to, guess I''ll have to thank Gwen silently. "You asked for it, don''t blame me if you lose anything precious to you, aite?" Gwen provoked back as the pistol which she was holding in hand took on the form of a water orb, worm like substances could be seen surrounding the orb as a veil of water enveloped her. "First form of the seven Astrals, Oceanic plane!" Nightin dashed forwards as his sword slashed towards her from the right flank, his Life and Death sword awaiting the chance to ambush her once she gets caught off guard. Is this a trick of his or something? Why is this attack so weak and what''s with tis poorly executed slash? Gwen thought to herself as a card formed by water blocked off the attack, imprinted on the card were two spades. From the back and front now? That''s at best a decent attack for someone of his cultivation and age, but that''s still far from enough to catch Orochi attention. The battle progressed as Gwen spent most of her time trying to test just how far Nightin limit was, but his endurance greatly surprised her as he stood strong against her relentless wave of cards. Clang Nightin drew back for tens of miles even after he stabbed his sword into the ground to slow down the momentum, or it''s more of just his sword scratching the ground. A Savior sword might be sharp enough to cut through the substance below him, but his current strength was lacking which resulted in this awrkard scenario. "Hey Orochi, did you just allow such a weakling to insult me?" Gwen screamed at Orochi as she fired a card towards her, yet the card this time was just outside of Nightin level. He didn''t even see how Gwen had attacked and yet the card was already in Orochi hand as he burnt it while answering "It isn''t my fault that he berated you alright? You can take it out on him if you wish to, but please settle the official matter first." Gwen replied coldly "You asked for it Orochi." Gwen withdrew her aura for a split moment, but it came back much stronger when she released it once again, her face was that of a ice queen and nothing except for killing intent could be sensed in her soothing aura. Water which was meant to be the life force which keeps him alive, was being extracted from his body which caused him to feel dehydrated all of a sudden. Damn, I''m starting to feel dizzy from the dehydration, my mind feels clouded and my body feels heavy. Nightin could sense that his body was getting weaker with every passing second as he quickly circulated the firestorm within his spirit core. The flames came alive as they attempted to destroy the mysterious energy extracting water from it, but that was a futile attempt as the fire dispersed all at once, resulting in a sudden burst of pain for Nightin within his body. "Argh!" Blood leaked out from Nightin''s body as he stabbed his sword onto the ground, but his pride made him stand on both his legs even though they were already unwilling to listen to his brain, he definitely wouldn''t bow down to the bitch in front of him. "Hey bitch, is this all you''ve got?" Nightin provoked as a smile formed on his face which was already distorted from the pain and dehydration, his teeth were covered in blood and his body was of a light tone of red as steam started to evaporate from his body. "You think you''ve got me... Then please take back that foolish thought of yours bitch!" Nightin shouted as his Life and Death sword returned into his body. The Life sword released the life energy within it as Nightin body started to recover while the destructive energy within the Death sword rampaged about and destroyed every single bit of that mysterious force. "Divine: Rage of the Phoenix!" The scorching flames of the Phoenix once again surrounded his body, but this time they were in full control as he perfectly spiralled the heat around his sword while concentrating the destructive force on the tip of the sword. The scorching flames surrounded Nightin''s body, but they protected him instead of burning his robes off. This minor detail was however caught by Orochi who applauased for Nightin as he spoke to the jade snake on his arm. "Little Jade, do assist that little fella when the time arises." "Why should I?" That''s what the jade snake was saying to its master through its marble like eyes. "Be obedient alright? I''ll make sure to give you lots of jade candies." Orochi pacified the little jade snake coiled around his arm as he caressed its skin softly. Gwen smirked "Not bad little fella, it''s pretty impressive of you to have made me slightly serious." "Second form of the seven Astrals, Projection plane!" Chapter 102 - Astral law The energy cannon and cards surrounding Gwen vanished as they entered the veil of water surrounding her with a plop, what replaced those were four mechanical rifles, two of them on each of her side with their muzzle pointed at Nightin. "Young fella, you should be glad that you''re able to make me use my second stage of my seven Astrals, but it''s a pity that you won''t go any further than this." Gwen mocked as energy started to gather as magazine for her rifles which were ready to fire their enemy down. "Why don''t you try me?" Nightin arrogance didn''t allow him to give in just because his opponent was stronger, it''ll become the fuel to pump him up as he converts the fear into courage. Nightin dashed forwards without any fear, his sword was what gave him strength even when he was just a lowly mortal, he would still be more than willing to place his life on the line, just to trust it. Trust them. I''m no longer the brat who was once pampered by my family, neither am I the sect master of the Nirvana sect anymore, I''ll only live for myself until the day, to bring Charlotte together with me. Nightin made a vow deep within his heart, oblivious to the unknown truth that he has already lost himself amidst the chaos of this world. "Are you courting death?" Gwen questioned as a slight tinge of worry formed on her face, but it was soon replaced with resolution as she thought to herself, maybe this is the best way to nurture new blood. Two of the upper energy rifles fully charged up its ammo as two laser beams shot towards Nightin, Gwen had actually turned serious against Nightin. "Gwen, are you out of your mind?" Orochi yelled at her as a wisp of flame gathered on his palm. "I''m totally sober, if this young fella truly has what it takes as you mentioned, then this should be the very least he must handle." Gwen answered coldly, a cold burst of water shooting out from her lower rifle as they cooled off the flame. Gwen wasn''t sure if Nightin truly had the ability to block off an attack from her second Astral plane, but if any mishap were to happen to Nightin because of her rash decisions, she would have no choice but to beg him while paying a hefty price to save him. Come on brat, you can do this. Gwen was rooting for Nightin from the bottom of her heart as the laser beams made their way towards Nightin. Nightin dashed forwards as he raised his sword and blocked off the first collision from the laser beam, the flames spiralling around his sword left it as they took on the form of a Phoenix and destroyed the laser beam, in exchange of its short lifetime. Looking at the second laser beam dashing towards me, I felt a strong sense of uselessness and was at a lost for what to do. Even after I managed to control the flames of the Phoenix at a much higher level, my spirit energy was still about sixty percent depleted. All I can blame was myself for being weak, me being nothing but a mortal to begin with would stay the harsh reality no matter how much I change it, no matter how much I try to change and even with the system''s assistance, reality still hurts. Yet why was that one strand of will within me unwilling to just let go of the ties of this world? Circulating all the remaining spirit energy within my body, I made a final effort to slash forward while infusing the law of Samsara into that attack. If just being able to understand the cycles of reincarnation isn''t enough, then I''ll control the cycles of reincarnation and choose my next identity in my future life, but that still wouldn''t suffice as I will lose everything I possess now. Merging the soul of someone who is bound to step into the Overlord realm into this attack of mine, its attack power increased tremendously as it tore through the laser beam without any signs of stopping. This sudden change caught Gwen off guard as she formed the projection of a shield in front of her while leaping backwards and firing again, but with all four rifles this time. Boom Explosions took place after one another, yet a portion of the attack still remained as Gwen asked herself, just how far can he go? "Third form of the seven Astrals, Star plane!" The projected rifles vanished as they took on the form of twenty eight stars surrounding Gwen. "Star force, star merge, star storm!" With a quick series of combinations, Gwen connected the stars together ad they formed a storm of stars that resembled a tornado as it blocked off the attack, but that resulted in her losing two of the stars as well. "Alright, the battle is over!" Orochi announced hurriedly right when the battle ended as he stepped into the middle of their battle. Gwen kept her stars and asked Orochi while still keeping her gaze on Nightin who had collapsed on the ground "Do you think that we should get that man to become his mentor? His sword moves aren''t flexible enough and he''s too weak to even make use of them right now." Orochi sighed as he took out a manual from the jade snake body and answered "It shouldn''t be too difficult for him to cultivate a god rank movement technique with his wisdom." Gwen eyes opened to the max as she asked in surprise, the excitement in her eyes couldn''t be hidden as she asked "You plan on teaching him a martial technique just below the Immortal tier?" Orochi broke out in a chuckle, the jade snake coiled around his hand actually opened its eyes in fear for the first time, the turned its head towards its master as it stuck out its little tongue and hissed at him in protest. But when Gwen scanned inside Nightin''s body, she looked at Orochi in shock and commented "His injuries are just far too serious." Chapter 103 - Exalted Overlord After that strenuous battle with Gwen back then, Nightin had fainted them due to the internal injuries which his body had suffered during the battle. Since then, three days had passed even though Gwen and even though Orochi had tried their utmost best to help Nightin recover, his injuries weren''t as simple as they seem and they were left helpless against it. His meridians were severely damaged and they were only able to mend and reconnect them back together after two days and nights of effort, his internal organs were all shifted out of position with serious damages to his spirit core. If they don''t manage to salvage it soon, he might lose his current cultivation base and the potential to go any further. *Orochi and the mysterious man* "Exalted Overlord, I''m here today to request for your assistance in saving a youth, he has already been unconscious for a month even after Gwen and I tried our utmost best to help him recover, we suspect that there are more to this than what what we can identify." Orochi lowered his head as he cupped his fingers and said to the mysterious man clad in a red robe sitting opposite of him. The facial features of that man weren''t viewable even though the hood wasn''t in the way, it was being blocked off by a mysterious form of energy which took on a chaotic shape. "Oh, on what conditions should I even check on that youth you mentioned? If that''s all you have to ask me of, I''m afraid that you have asked the wrong person, Evil Lord Orochi." The red robe man replied coldly as he got up from the red wooden chair and walked towards the exit, without his footsteps even slowing for the slightest bit. "His willpower to challenge Gwen and force out her third Astral form was what resulted in this, from a seventeen year old youth who transcended from the lower realms." Orochi threw out the attractive part of the deal immediately as he stood up abruptly with his hand slammed on the table. "Damn you, Evil Lord Orochi, you just had to force my hand." The red robed man said in the still cold voice, but slight killing intent was enveloped into his voice this time as he stopped his footsteps, his back still facing Orochi. Others may not know that well, but him including the seven other Evil Overlords all knows that while his army may be one of the strongest across the universe, he is still on the search for someone to inherit his legacy. The red robed man hesitated for a moment, but still added on "Lead the way, you better hope that it wouldn''t be a waste of my time or you''ll get it from me, even your father would choose to stay out of this matter." Orochi walked ahead as he gestured with his hand "Follow me, the young fella I mentioned to you just now is currently resting in one of the top grade recovery rooms." On the way there, they walked past many guards and servants who were fulfilling their daily duties, but most of them didn''t even have the guts to even pay respect to Orochi when they saw the man who was wearing a red robe walking alongside him, the only person who has the qualifications to rebut the revered Evil Overlord. This may not have applied to everyone, but a gaze from the red robed man sent everyone walking away whenever they tried to pay respects. None of them know the true identity of the red robed man, but that doesn''t matter for he had the qualifications to walk alongside Orochi, or even get the Evil Lord Orochi they respect to lead the way for him. Orochi chuckled along the way as he asked helplessly "Exalted Overlord, my reputation in the Evil realm will be tarnished if you were to keep up with this actions of yours." What replied him was the intense stare from two eyes, killing intent was infused into them as he felt a shudder go down his spine. Along the way, absolute silence was what accompanied them on their journey as Orochi lead the way while crying to himself, why did he even invite such a character? Orochi was under immense pressure every moment, who knows if the Exalted Overlord behind him might suddenly snap due to whatever reasons and attack him for no particular reason. When they arrived at the high grade recovery room which Nightin was residing in currently, shock was the first reaction which took Gwen over by surprise as she transmitted her voice to Orochi, asking "Stupid snake, why did you even have to invite that demon of all people." Orochi transmitted back as sweat dripped down his forehead, he could feel his robes sticking close to his skin, replying "He can hear us fool." Gwen broke out in panic as she hurriedly explained while pouring a cup of tea "I''m sorry Exalted Overlord, that was not what I had meant to say. It was only a slip of the... Ahh!" Gwen pulled her hand back while placing the teapot back onto the table, her hands were currently of a deep shade of red and anger was mixed in with agony on her face, healing herself with her Oceanic plane Astral, she asked "Just what the hell was in that teapot?" What replied her was a cold hoarse voice "It''s just the average tea mixed in with some fire elements of the sharp style, that should teach you to think before you speak next time." Ahh! Gwen cursed Orochi deep down in her heart for a thousand times and the anger she accumulated would definitely become a trouble for Orochi to handle. "Where is the young fella you mentioned?" The red robed man asked once again in irritation, he came here expecting to get the matter settled quickly, yet there was some stupid girl in his way. "He''s just up ahead, resting beyond the thin sheets of curtains." Orochi said softly as he pulled the curtains aside, only to see a youth with eyes void of any life. Chapter 104 - Ray of hope Nightin was currently sitting on the bed, his eyes were void of colour and his arms were on his abdomen, where his spirit core once laid. He could sense that although the spirit energy in his body was still contained within, they were actually on a rampage and were damaging him again and again, his spirit core was shattered into pieces as they dissolved into his bloodline. If he forcibly tries to circulate his spirit energy, he might end up damaging himself instead and make recovery even further possible. "Just why..." Nightin leaked out a soft wail of despair as he fell into depression, the efforts and pain he had struggled through just to get his spirit core above the ninth grade, the advantage which he had once cultivated was long gone. "Orochi, even though I must admit that he was might have been quite a talent before this occured, he''s nothing but a piece of trash which will soon fall to his own demons." The red robed man transmitted his voice over to Orochi, but his gaze was still fixated on Nightin. He had been waiting for someone worthy to be his inheritor since the birth of the Evil realm, if that young fella can somehow make it through this stage alone, he might consider giving him a chance. Plop *From Nightin''s POV* Falling into the deep oceans, I scurried upwards for oxygen upon realising that I was actually suffocating. It seems like I''m just nothing more but a stronger mortal now... Haha... Life... Why must you fool around with me once again? I gathered up all the strength in my body and tried to swim upwards, but there were these slithering green thorny vines which were entangled around my ankles. The more I struggled, the tighter their grip as their thorns sank deep into my skin. Ahhhh! I can''t allow myself to give in this easily, I''m only at the beginning of my journey right now, how can I afford to fall to suffocation from lack of oxygen of all things? I still have to return to the Nirvana sect and bring them to me, I still have the ambition of conquering the entire cultivation universe, I still need to bring Charlotte back to me! *Plop* Nightin''s head popped out from above the water''s surface, what greeted him were terrifying shadows which resembled demons with their mouths open wide as they flared their fangs towards him. "Samsara law!" Nightin used his Samsara eyes to see through the fear which he had brought upon himself, they were merely the shadows which were being reflected off the intentionally carved shapes, maybe they just made for some amusement? The next sight which awaited him was flat ground which leads into a gloomy forest, the trees were of a creepy dark blue and their wasn''t any source of light from above. There were little plants and enchanting flowers which released off a captivating charm, they were the only source of faint light and Nightin could only see what''s within ten steps within him. Ta Ta Ta Ta Footsteps could be heard as they were the only voice which accompanied Nightin on this seemingly endless voyage, will I ever walk until the end? Nightin thought to himself as sweat dripped down his forehead, his robes were sticking close to his skin and his leg muscles were already nearing their limit from the eight hours walk. It wasn''t exactly eight hours of walking, taking into consideration that he broke off into a sprint after two hours, but could only curse after an hour. "Damn this shit, my current body is just way too weak right now!" For the remaining five hours, his body was pushing itself beyond the limits just from walking, something which shouldn''t even have caused him to break off a single sweat. Over the duration, he had countless thoughts as he asked himself, once again in doubt. Just who am I working for? What am I working for? Why should I move on? He was back to square one and was walking into an endless forest which seemed to be endless, all alone with the darkness as his only accompainment. What''s with the feeling of fear growing stronger all of a sudden? Nightin started to panic when this feeling arose from the depths of his heart, he couldn''t allow the darkness to swallow him up. Right when he was at a lost, he suddenly felt a strong sense of vibration as the Phoenix sword appeared in his hand. What, how? That was Nightin''s only thought as the Phoenix sword in his hand released off its scorching flames and illuminated the area ahead, it had actually forgotten about its usual pride. "Thanks." Nightin murmured as his gaze scanned the two paths ahead, each of them had a sign before each path and traces of an altar could be seen at the end. Yet, he just can''t see the object which were on both the altars, but he was confident that those two objects were swords and that they were waiting for him. In between them was a third road, if it weren''t for the luck that Nightin has the Samsara eyes which can see through all illusions, even he might not have been able to notice it. What''s with this glow of light? On the far end of the middle path, was an altar black and white in colour, on it was a orb pure black in colour. "Hahaha! What''s there to be afraid of with my current status, I might as well put my life on the line and retrieve that mysterious orb!" Nightin broke out in laughter as his figure dashed forwards, nothing was going to stop him now. A figure could be seen rushing towards a gigantic tree in the shadows all alone... Chapter 105 - Starting anew "Orochi, I''m afraid that he wasn''t able to make it out from the sealed trail which I''ve just given him. Yet you still have the guts to tell me that his willpower exceeds that of my limited imagination?" The Exalted Orochi said softly, his voice cold like the sharp tip of a sword. Orochi gave Nightin a second look and prayed within his mind, come on boy, you can make it out of this. Gwen didn''t like how the Exalted Overlord was behaving, but what could she do against his overwhelming arrogance and position? "You said that you were the one who sent me there?" A half blocked voice sounded off from behind the curtains, it was weak but clear. "Young lad, do you perhaps have a problem with that? Not everyone has the chance to even take the sealed trails unknown even to me." The Exalted Overlord said calmly, no trace of regret could be seen as a pyramid appeared on his palm. No one knows about it, but everytime he activates the pyramid to help someone out, it would result in him being in a weak state for about three years. This is the main reason why he wasn''t willing to help Orochi initially, three years was just more than enough to fulfill many ambitions he had. "Hahahaha, you really think that it was you who gave me the chance to awaken? I''m sorry to disappoint you, but it was the pyramid which I''ll thank instead." Nightin mocked as colour returned into his eyes, his purple pupils staring straight at the Exalted Overlord. That man isn''t simple, I can''t see his appearance even with the Samsara law. Nightin thought to himself while he slowly stood up from the bed and stood face to face against him. "Young lad, you should be thanking for giving you the chance to start once again, your unwavering determination and sharp senses has already touched the hidden spirit of this pyramid." The Exalted Overlord stated casually, his tone demanding an answer from Nightin. "What gave me the chance to start anew wasn''t your sealed trail, it was something which someone had left behind for me, someone which even you will fear and never hope to offend." Nightin said with resolution, his dominant arm was gripping onto his sword as he stared straight into his eyes which should be there. "Orochi, this is the youth you have been mentioning to me throughout since just now? He doesn''t even appreciate the effort I''ve went through just to give him that chance." The Exalted Overlord turned his spear towards Orochi who was thinking of a countermeasure to stop them from arguing. "Hey, I don''t give a damn about who the hell you are. But just in case you didn''t understand me, I''ll repeat myself once again for your pathetic sake. It wasn''t you who helped me!" Nightin once again explained, but the sharp intent within his voice couldn''t be hidden as his Life and Death Swords appeared behind his back. The Life sword looked the same as it did previously, but the sharpness and the feeling of obscurity it possesses right now, was totally different from before. The same applied to the Death sword, the thing which caught their attention was that both swords were actually standing alongside each other. "Not bad young brat, you''ve actually managed to combined both the Life and Death swords of yours together, the difficulty would already be akin to that of my third Astral being formed." Gwen chuckled from the side as stars once again formed behind her. The stars took on the form of a bracelet before Gwen put it on, while she did so, she explained "Don''t look down on such a bracelet, it actually helps to increase my cultivation speed by two times and recovery speed by ten times during battle." "How is that even possible?" Nightin blurted out as he thought about his Life and Death swords, what if he could make them assist them as accessories as well. Nightin lowered his pride and asked Gwen politely "Evil Lord Gwen, would you mind teaching me on how to achieve what you just did?" "That''ll depend on your performance." Gwen said as she vanished all of a sudden. The Exalted Overlord wasn''t bothered by Gwen and her small actions and instead asked Nightin "You said that it wasn''t my pyramid which helped you? Then get ready as the recovery process should begin now." When Nightin dived into his body to see what''s going on within, he saw his meridians linking back together and his muscles were relaxing before tensing up throughout the recovery process, the spirit energy within his body calmed down as they started to gather back, where his spirit core had once laid. Nightin broke out in a awkward smile as he managed to squeeze out a few words from his mouth "Ok... I was at fault alright? Your pyramid may be helping me to recover right now, but it wasn''t the pyramid which brought me back to my senses." The Exalted Overlord hesitated for a moment on what to say, his current thought was, just what exactly brought him back to his senses? "Young lad, aren''t you curious as to just why I was willing to help you?" The Exalted Overlord stated casually. "Senior, is it perhaps because you see that I''m a great talent and wish to take me in as your disciple? I''m sorry, but I would have to refuse if that''s the case." Nightin replied politely, but his calm posture even when facing someone of a revered position caught his attention even more. The Exalted Overlord then told Orochi "I would like him to start from the lowest rank of first grade student." Orochi lowered his head and answered "Very well, I''ll do as instructed on this, I''ll explain the rules to him as well." Orochi took out a manual from somewhere and threw it towards Nightin while saying "Follow me as I introduce you to where I''m going to bring you next." Chapter 106 - The chase The Exalted Overlords left the room one step at a time, each of them were silent as he kept his arms to the side. He''s quite the talent I guess, it seems like I will have to resort to some trickery to pull him in. The Exalted Overlord gave Nightin a 11/10 rating in his mind while he began formulating the plan to rope him in, but he would have to meet a few of them first to get this done. Back in the room, Nightin was holding the manual in hand as he read the main introduction page first. There was only one absolute rule to follow as a student of the only Evil academy in this realm, that was to never harm others without a valid reason. You can suppress them and even target them, but it would be a offence to even cripple them, not to mention taking their lives. Orochi could see Nightin looking at this rule with furrowed eyebrows as he said "You must be thinking of asking where we gain our combat experience from, am I right about that?" Nightin nodded and replied "Yes, it is two different concepts for a battle against other races other than humans, every race has their own advantages and weaknesses." That''s right, there may be the demon race which are always aggressive with destructive attack power. There are also races like those oceanic species which excel in water or those species which are renowned for their tremendous speed. Yet, none of them can compare to the cunningness of the human race. Orochi explained "I know where your worry is coming from, but you wouldn''t have to worry about that. That is because the Evil realm, is constantly at war with the other ten Overlord realms." Nightin asked "If that is the case, then why haven''t they invaded the Evil realm yet? Why would they allow the presence of it and allow it to grow until it overpowers them?" Orochi chuckled and took out a map, on the map was a line and it was divided into hundred blocks, around twenty percent of them are purple while the rest are of other colours. "You see, our Evil realm alone already rules over twenty percent of the cultivation universe, the other ten Overlord realms can only fight for the remaining, but none of them would even get close to us." Orochi explained to Nightin even though it was something which he shouldn''t have knowledge of. Seeing the chance for more questions to be answered, Nightin continued on "But still, why wouldn''t they just collaborate and attack us?" Orochi smiled, but didn''t explain on as he walked away while gesturing for Nightin to follow. Nightin followed in as he asked a few questions along the way, but Orochi didn''t answer him this time and only walked on. Haha, seriously though, this young fella is just way too amusing. I have to keep some distance with him on the way to the academy though, would have been fine without his orders. Those were Orochi thoughts whenever Nightin asks him a question every few steps they walk. What the hell is wrong with him all of a sudden, weren''t we still joking about with each other just a moment ago? Exiting the castle, Orochi turned back to tell Nightin "Follow closely behind me, don''t blame me if you lag behind even when I''m just walking quickly." Swoosh Orochi dashed off before Nightin could react, but he was truly just walking and yet he was able to throw Nightin way behind. He was making use of the lines in the space, he would always step on the two connecting points which would bring him forward. Damn it, there''s no way I can do something like that. Nightin cursed under his breath, but his Samsara sword still formed below him as he took off and chased. "Hey, I am going to lose sight of you soon! You need to slow down!" Nightin shouted in desperation after just about three breaths worth of time, the distance between them was just increasing at a rapid pace. All he can see right now is a man walking away from him, his crimson hair was the only thing visible alongside his eye catching robe. I''m sorry young fella, but it''s my job to train you and I''ll be doing exactly that. Closing his eyes, his crimson long hair swayed along with his momentum as his fringe fell and cover his brows, a smile was plastered on his face as the snake coiled around his arm opened its eyes. Scanning ahead, he noticed that there were two lines which connected further for another few hundred metres with just one step. Damn, just where the hell is he? Nightin lost track of Orochi, he had suddenly vanished from his sight with just that one step. He was initially only at an arm distance from him, but it gradually increased that to him being barely visible to disappearing in just five breaths time. Nightin summoned his Life and Death swords as they took on the shape of wings behind his back, one of them was white while the other was black, just like an angel and devil which formed behind him. Flapping his wings, his hair actually changed into the colour mixture of white and black, but his pupils still remained of an enchanting purple. His skin looked fairer and if one didn''t know about his gender, they might even think he''s a female. His facial features were close to perfect and one wouldn''t believe one could have such well sculpted features until they see it with their very own eyes, everything about him right should only exist in a picture, how could such a handsome man even exist in this world. Universe? Flapping his wings, his Samsara sword merged into the Phoenix sword as energy, his sword slashing the air aside to reduce air resistance while he flied forwards, the ability of flight which should be exclusive to only Martial Saints. Chapter 107 - Dark Fang "Hahaha, this feels so great man! I''m gonna fall in love with the amazement of flight!" Nightin shouted in joy as he flapped his wings once again, travelling at a speed which he had never once expected to attain. He was sure that even if a Martial Emperor cultivator decides to chase after him, it would just be a game of cat and mice which would never end. Nightin continued to advance forward, but soon stopped after an hour, he had arrived a mountain which towered over him and pierce through the skies. Scanning around, he realised that there weren''t any signs of flame energy nearby, neither was there any traces of someone just passing by, Orochi had clearly made a trap for him somewhere. What now? Nightin explored around as he flew around the mountain, seeing that there wasn''t any point in exploring the exterior area, he took flight and flew even higher, to an altitude which he had never fathomed until today. The rocky cliffs had some landing grounds which would sometimes be in his way and force him to progress higher through another direction. The temperature was decreasing every time he passes one of those checkpoints, which soon coated his hair and robe with ice, which takes on the form on snow. His robe had gradually changed into a black and white colour as well. The colours were of alluring ratio with ninety percent being white and ten percent of black being a long diagonal stripe. Raising his head, the eye blinding sunlight made him shrink his eyes. He could see that the rocky area just above him was caved into flat ground, beyond that was just another stretch of unknown height. Without any hesitation, he once again made an attempt for the sun as gusts of wind kicked off behind him. Ta His feet landed on solid ground as his wings retracted themselves back into his body and remained dormant, maybe that was another form of usage besides converting his swords into an accessory. "Now then, where should I go?" When Nightin muttered under his breath, mist forming in the air when he spoke. Scanning around, he noticed imprints of footsteps on the snowy ground just up ahead, those footsteps lead deeper into the mountain, into a pitch black cave. Standing outside the cave, he once again tried having his Life sword take on another form, the object visualised this time, was a glowing orb which emits light with defensive properties. With a swoosh, the Life sword flew above his head as it gradually took on the desired form, surrounding his body was a energy shield as it stepped deeper into the darkness. On the side of the cave, there were scratch markings which left a deep scar on the uneven walls. What is this? Nightin probed in further as he advanced to it slowly, his breathing was steady and the grip on his sword was relaxed. The scratch mark was carved onto the walls by five sharp lines, faint bloodstains still lurk on them even though the person has left, there was no need for any questions. The person who had arrived here, had most likely made it here half alive, the scratch mark was most likely a marking he made to seek help. The most important point right now would be that, the bloodstains were still visible, which meant that the person had most likely made it into the deeper parts. Nightin wanted to ignore the plight of this stranger, but seeing that he was currently free and available to help him, he made the decision to advance deeper into the cave. Timed quest has been activated: Find the stranger and bring him/her out from the cave, alive. Rewards will be dependent on the completion rate of the mission. The environment he was situated at now, it reminded him of someone. The uncanny bat with razor fangs which took on the human form. I wonder how he''s doing now. Nightin thought to himself, it would have been easier if Dark Fang was around to assist him, the caves were his territory after all. *In the darkness* This seems like a pretty good location, the cultivation resources here should be able to last me for a few months. He thought to himself as he stared at the man whose face was ashen white, not even one part of his skin was spared from slash marks. "So, are you finally willing to speak up?" Dark Fang asked the man who was lying on the ground. The man opened his mouth, all but that came out was fresh blood, his hand was placed on his abdomen as he muttered "Young bat, what''s your name?" What? Shock was Dark Fang''s first reaction when the man exposed his identity, he didn''t even make use of spirit energy or any method he knew of. Taking a moment to regain his composure, he said politely "Senior, my name is Dark Fang." So, you''re his grandson after all. "Young bat, don''t panic when I enter your body, all I''ll bring you are benefits." His voice drifted off into Dark Fang''s head as he dashed straight for his consciousness as a glowing light. Before Dark Fang could even react, memories started to surge into his mind and he could feel his spirit energy growing expotentially, in just the moment of a few breaths, he made use of the received spirit energy to breakthrough the second gate. Dark Fang scanned around his body and realised that there was a tear shaped object floating above his demon core, but he didn''t panic as he could feel the nourishment it was giving off. Soon, streak of tears flowed down Dark Fang face, his fist was tightened into a punch as he punched towards the nearby wall. Muttering "Why? Uncle... What was that even for... I could have attempted to save you..." Regret. That was the only emotion Dark Fang could feel at the moment, his heart was aching from the loss of a loved one, needles were pricking his heart with every thought that comes into mind. Plop Chapter 108 - Misleaded When the last drop of tear fell, Dark Fang heart which has turned grey felt some red being pumped into his heart, the heart was trying to convey an message to its master. "Don''t give up yet, there''s still someone for you to protect in this lifetime." That''s right, there is still that someone who is waiting for me to serve under him as his right hand man. Wait for me, give me eight years of time to breakthrough past the Demon Saint realm and I will be there. Dark Fang vowed to himself as blood seeped out from his mouth. Nightin continued to travel deeper into the pitch blackness, the sound of water which fell from the top and silence devoured by the shadows were his companions. What exactly happened to that man? Why am I unable to sense his aura anymore? Nightin questioned within his mind as he quickened his footsteps, his fingers wrapped tightly around the hilt of his sword. "Avoid the path which leads into the darkness, the blossom light here awaits your arrival." A tempting voice faded into Nightin''s head all of a sudden. Shaking his head, he ventured deeper into the cave, but a glow of light caught his attention with its dazzling brightness, the glow was of a Sakura colour and it gave off a heavenly scent. Nightin was rash and stepped forward, but he stopped himself after taking one step out, for a portal glowing with darkness suddenly appeared beside the one from before. "Master... Is that you...?" A pitiful voice called out from the black portal. "The Blossom light will lead you to glory as we strive for longevity that matches the heavens!" A voice filled with dominance mentioned. That voice, could it be? How could Nightin forget that person, he was one of the few who was part of his Samsara cycle after all. Nightin was about to step into the Blossom portal after trying to resist the cry of an acquaintance, but a man suddenly appeared and stopped him, the man who exceeds the Sword Ancestor realm. Being stopped, Nightin mocked himself, did I just attempt to ditch my friend just for strength? Then for what point do I cultivate if I had done that? "Senior, is that you?" Nightin asked politely, but still kept his spirit barrier activated and his sword unsheathed. "You recognise me? I believe that I look much younger in my current state, how did you manage to identify me?" The man questioned back as a terrifying aura was released from his body. For someone of his caliber and strength, it isn''t an honourable thing to change his appearance, the only explanation for this would be a total breakthrough. Having stepped into the seventh stage of Sword Ancestor realm himself, Nightin could detect the true strength of the man ahead of him. What is the Sword Ancestor realm? It''s nothing but the being able to touch the tallest buildings, the sky? The sun and moon? The stars? I''m sorry, but you aren''t even close to approaching them. The man said no more, his aura was more than enough to explain everything, but this changed when a middle aged woman stepped out from the portal. She was wearing a tight fitting robe which showed off her curves, but the dangerous aura she was giving off would make men shun from her. It may be a delicacy to enjoy such a woman, but what would be the point if they lose their manhood? The Sword Sage standing there said in a tranquil voice "Blossom, to think that you would actually prey on him of all people." The sexy woman, who goes by the name Blossom chuckled as she stated "I don''t think that there''s a problem to that." The Sword Sage still kept his eyes veiled off from the outside world up until now, but he decided to himself, if things really take a turn for the worse, I''m afraid that I''ll have to turn serious for once. "Blossom, I''m unable to let you know of his true identity, but if you respect me and decide not to probe any further, I''ll let this matter slide regardless of the consequences." The Sword Sage threatened as his sword aura rampaged around him, blades of spirit energy were formed as they pointed their tips at Blossom. Blossom didn''t back down as black roses started to form behind her. "Don''t tell me that he''s actually him." She asked, the question and answer which should have been lost in the passage of time. "Blossom, why must you be this foolish? That isn''t a name that you should mention. On account of our friendship for the past thousand years, I''ll let this matter slide as long as you leave right now." The Sword Sage stated, but a thin strand of worry was audible from his voice. "If that''s truly the case, I''ll be taking my leave first." Blossom said casually as she stretched her back and formed a perfect arc before walking back towards the portal. Before she left and was about to say something, the Sword Sage said again "I just need eight years more, just wait for me till then." Blossom stepped into the portal, her face and demure was calm, but the tears streaking down her face soon broke her apart as she cried in joy. He''ll finally be back, finally, after all these years. The Sword Sage then turned and looked at Nightin, "you may step into that black portal if you wish to, an acquaintance of yours awaits your uninvited arrival there." Before Nightin could ask any questions about his true identity this time, the Sword Sage had already vanished. "I''m sorry, but I will have to yield to the cry from the black portal this time around." Nightin murmured with his eyes closed, bowed down and even retracted his spirit barrier. He wasn''t sure if the woman named Blossom could hear him, but it doesn''t matter as he is sincere about the apology. "Young fella, are you sure about this? You will regret it the day you figure out our true identity..." The voice trailed off and vanished as the portal closed with a vzzt, if it weren''t for his robe sticking closely to his skin, he would have suspected that it was just an illusion. But still, is the Blossom light an entity or a entire organization? Her appearance might not be everything to that. Haish, it''s still outside of my current access to such info. Nightin thought to himself as he stepped forward, into the black portal which leads to an unknown location. Chapter 109 - Here we go again Stepping into the black portal, he could feel the weird sensation of passing through space, one that differs from a teleportation array where he had to be wary of any debris that might go off course. Nightin scanned around the area, for the first time in his life, did he truly admire the power space could hold, carcasses and corpses were piled up everywhere and even rare treasures weren''t spared from this endless travel. He could see the lines in the space with his Samsara law, but still held back from probing any further about the space law, it wouldn''t benefit him if he gets overconfident and cultivates another Divine law. Even so, it was a journey which didn''t take much time, after approximately five minutes had passed, footsteps finally could be heard again, with a ta on the ground. That was fast. Nightin thought to himself as he observed the area, cold hard ground and rocky walls with some random junk, were all spread out across the floor. There were no signs or any guides to give him the information on where to head to, after some slight pondering, he decided to remain here and wait for him. Dark Fang who had just ended his cultivation of the day after sending his master aura, detected that someone else besides his own species had made it here with his ultrasound. Nightin may have sharp senses which was much above that of his own race and others, but how could he compare to Dark Fang who was actually a leading figure of his race as well. The high frequency of the cry wasn''t audible to him. Flapping his wings, Dark Fang started to fly towards Nightin direction, it may have only been a few days of seperation, but they have already spent up to twenty plus years together. He missed him as a friend and as someone who should always be by his side constantly, his spearhead if there''s an enemy to attack, his shield if there''s a destructive force impending. Rumble When waiting, Nightin realised that there were tiny cracks on the wall, veiled up by the darkness and mysterious bugs that clouded his vision. Something was being hidden in this cave without the current owner knowing about it, the feeling of danger it was emitting made his body shudder in fear. Just what is it? Placing his hand on the wall, wisps of flame devoured the bugs as they enjoyed a feast before going to bed. Thank you master for the supper, that''s what they told Nightin as the flames dissipated. After the bugs were gone, he paid closer attention and realised that there was a seal, or a puzzle surrounding the crack. There was a circular tablet which surrounded the cave and blocked off his vision on the tablet was the numbers 1 to 9 and each of them were of a different colour, in the middle of all those was a button which protruded out. "Young man, if you are able to solve this puzzle of mine, I will await your arrival in the Blue Star force residing in the Divine realm." A voice sounded off in Nightin''s head. "Hey! What divine realm are you talking about?" Nightin shouted, but the only replied he received was his own echo. Damn it, Nightin cursed as he started to ponder about what the Divine realm could be. Is the Divine realm at another dimension with cultivation realms which exceeds that of the Overlord realms we know of? Or is it a location whereby it''s in another universe? But what would that mean? What would it lead to? What it being wrapped up? Nightin was lost in his own trail of thoughts, but the same voice brought him back to his senses once again "Stop thinking about the Divine realm, you''ll know the answers one day!" Nightin shook his head as he shook of the thought and mumbled "That was close, I almost lost sense of myself back then." Looking at the puzzle in front of him again, he started to observe the colour of each number. One was of a Crimson red, Two was of a Oceanic blue, Three was of a emerald green, Four was of a dazzling yellow, Five was of a dull grey, Six was of a pitch blackness, seven was of a dazzling glow, eight was of the sun and moon, nine was of the stars and planets. Planets? What are those? Why do I know about their existence? Nightin didn''t know why, but the more he understands about this more, the more he realised that he''s just an ant trapped in a cage, he would always breakthrough the seals, only to realise that he''s trapped within the same cage of a larger size. Uselessness. Helplessness. Fruitlessness. Everything done was pointless, nothing would help him to unravel the wrapped gift. To be more exact, is it a gift within the gift? Or another door to the gift even larger? What''s true and what''s false? What''s reality and what''s a lie? Pushing the button with his finger, a wheel appeared as it spins around the nine boxes, passing by each of them once as it gradually slowed down. Two, the Oceanic blue. Before Nightin could react, he was already transported into an island and was stranded out all here alone, in front of him was a clone of him which was formed by water. "Hey, can you talk?" Nightin probed the water clone standing right before him. The breeze went past his ears as he mocked himself, what am I thinking of, can water even speak or even have its own consciousness? "What did you just say?" A clear voice which was a perfect replica of his asked from the front, it was the water clone. "So you can speak huh? It seems like you aren''t restricted to just the boundary of water anymore." "It doesn''t matter, you can be rude to me. You are my first and only companion ever since my birth and I''ll make you stay here with me until the day where time stops for us." Chapter 110 - System spirit "I am sorry, but I might not be the one meant for you." Nightin replied calmly, he had seen enough of the world. The kindness of the world, is nothing but a drop of water in the ocean compared to the cruelness of this world. "Why? Just why is it that I have to suffer from loneliness?" The water clone asked as it dashed forwards, its hand clenched into a fist which brought about a breeze. Wham "I understand your pain, you want to see the outside world, you want to experience what it means to be truly alive instead of just being a piece of a puzzle." Nightin stated calmly, his sword intent had formed a energy shield of its own accord. That was the sign of him being near the Sword Heart realm, whereby his sword intent will have its own consciousness to protect its master, making a true Sword Ancestor problematic to be ambushed against. "If so, then why won''t you just accompany me?" The water clone cried out in its own voice which sounded childish, strings of water which resembled tentacles replacing the hair. The tentacle like hairs whipped forward as the shield started to shake and break apart, but fear wasn''t seen on Nightin''s face as he took out his sword and parried the flurry of attacks. "Dont you get it? I am obliged to clear the puzzle and leaving this place is a must, your defeat is essential to me." Nightin said in anger but slight traces of sympathy was flashing past his eyes. "Are you saying that, as long as I am defeated by you, you would be able to advance?" The water clone asked excitedly as it gradually took on the form of a bracelet. Before Nightin could even react, the water bracelet imbued itself onto Nightin''s arm and latched onto him tightly. "Can you hear me?" A childish voice sounded within Nightin''s mind. "Yes, so we can communicate through telepathy now?" Nightin asked in amusement. "Human... Why must it be you who I sought after?" The water bracelet asked again, but its tone was of disappointment this time instead of the short lived excitement. "Huh? What do you mean?" "Don''t pry into knowledge beyond your access level yet, just know that the moment the system awakened within you instead of all those true demons, your life won''t be smooth sailing anymore." The water bracelet said seriously, but the childish voice it spoke with just... Why are you the chosen one... The system wouldn''t make such a careless mistake in choosing someone with such poor talent... Back in the Nirvana sect, while Lancelot announced that he would be the second sect master of the Nirvana sect, it was Isabella and the rest who were doing the admin matters. Lancelot may be the current sect master, but he still views the sect from the perspective of Nightin''s great disciple. Master, just when are you coming back? Lancelot questioned in his heart as he looked up, towards the morning sun saying hello through its light rays. "Hey! What''s your reason for intending to join the Nirvana sect?" "Of course it''s for their sect master Nightin who once suppressed the leading characters of all five King forces." "That isn''t totally true, don''t forget that the Psychic sect and the Lotus sect are now his subsidiary sects." "But doesn''t that just further shows his prowess?" Discussions were going about down below as Alexander looked down from above, cutting off the ongoing chatters with one shout. "Listen!" The crowd all kept their mouths shout, whatever they had to say were swallowed back. "Congratulations on being the first lucky batch of newcomers to take on the entry test of increased difficulty!" "What? Are you trying to disqualify all of us?" One of the youths couldn''t hold his question back as he shouted back and asked. "What did you just say to me? What gave you the guts to!" Alexander bellowed as he pointed towards that youth and said "You''re disqualified." The face of the youth changed as he tried to explain himself, but he realised that the words were stuck in his throat and that he wasn''t able to speak up. Alexander stared at him intensely and repeated "You''re lucky you aren''t my enemy, or your head would already be rolling on the ground. Now, leave!" The youth didn''t say anything as he left quickly, hoping that his speed was fast enough to be called back through appreciation, but that was just a fleeting cloud of his. "Now then, the first challenge will begin. All of you will be given the chance to comprehend a random martial technique of the heaven grade." "In an hour, those of you who fail to even step into the entry realm, will be disqualified from the entry test." Alexander explained briefly, but a smile could be seen if one observed closely. The entry test may be of a higher difficulty, but they had to set it at this level or the newcomers wouldn''t even be able to survive in the sect. What? How is that even possible? That''s the only thought which went past the mind of almost everyone present, only a few of them here were still carefree and treated this as a warm up instead. Back in the ocean, the water bracelet took on the form of a living droplet, it had eyes and a mouth with facial features no different from a human child. "You see, I''m one of the nine elements created to serve under the master of this system, who is you of all people." When the water bracelet mentioned this, a sense of helplessness flooded it as it dashed into Nightin''s spirit core. "Hey, what are you doing?" Nightin asked anxiously when the spirit actually infused inself into his spirit core and said in calm despair "Since I''ll have to be lonely even if I stay alive, I might as well await the day you step into the Overlord realm and revive me." "Wait, I won''t accept that! Get the hell out of my spirit core right now!" Nightin told it in panic as he tried to circulate his spirit core and forced the water droplet out, but it was already diffused within his body. "Don''t worry as you enjoy your new profound strength, the ability to cultivate at three times of your previous speed and immense recovery speed in battle. Also, congratulations on unlocking one of the nine elemental swords." When the water droplet finished speaking, its voice drifted off and no voice was heard from it again. Tears, I don''t know what that is. Just wait for me, just eight more puzzles to go and I''ll leave here, I''ll find a way to revive you in the near future no matter what. Chapter 112 - The fire trails When Nightin opened his eyes once again, he was back to the darkness and silence, the only thing about the surrounding which have changed, was the puzzle before his eyes. The number ''1'' which represents water had turned dull and in place of it was the arrow pointing towards the number ''2'' which represents fire. The button which had sunk in previously, had also came back up once again, just one push and he would be in the second part of the puzzle. The second trails would be on fire, the blazing flames which represents bravery and courage, passionate love and even war. A complicated colour filled with the sweetness and bitterness of lives, all emotions of every human, were being pulled by the ear. I have to do it no matter what, this isn''t just for myself, but for the sake of the water spirit who had perished for me. Nightin thought to himself as his finger pushed down on the button, a loud sound of mechanics clicking was last heard before the flames swallowed him whole. In the meantime, Dark Fang was currently nearby and in just a few more twists and turns, he would soon arrive in the area where Nightin once stood at. Realising that just the Samsara eyes alone weren''t enough, he activated his Samsara law to the fullest extent and was finally able to see whatever was going on. The cold hard ground beneath his feet, was being replaced by hot molten rocks filled with cracks, the same applied to the walls as well. Soon, he realised that lava was starting to form on the ground and collecting themselves, the temperature of the surroundings increased rapidly as Nightin tried to move from his immobilised state. His feet were being rooted to the ground by a mysterious force and all he could do, was wallow in despair as the lava started to rise. I won''t give in that easily to you! That was the only thought in Nightin''s mind right now as he circulated his firestorm spirit energy, releasing it out of his body to form a blast of energy wave, weakening the restraining force tying him down for that slight moment. Making use of this short timing, he immediately leaped towards the nearest rock which was taller. Huff Huff Huff Nightin took in deep gasps of air, his chest was heaving up and down as he half bent down and placed his hands on his knees, just one step slower and he would already be consumed. But still, would it be possible for my Firestorm flames to feast on these flames? "Hoho, not bad young lad, you''re the first in a thousand years to have made it out of the first stage alive." The laughter of an old man resounded in the enclosed area of lava, his sinister laughter echoing into the ears of Nightin. Another trail spirit? "Since you''ve already arrived at the second stage, I shall begin the explanation of the game rules. Firstly, if you were to face death here, the same thing would happen to your body in the outside world and you''ll be erased from the cycles of reincarnation." What? "I can''t afford to die here no matter what!" Nightin told the old man hurriedly as he raised his voice, hoping that it would catch the attention of the old man. "If you truly want to live, then make it out of this ordeal alive, don''t pin your hopes on others to spare you." The old man explained impatiently as he continued. "Alright, now onto the explanation. If you were to look around right now, you would realise that there are seven pillars, each taller than the other. Your task would be to climb up to the tallest pillar and retrieve the dazzling gleam orb." "Now then, the test shall begin." When the voice of the old man faded alongside the final echo, the lava beneath him started to bubble and rise in height, its height was increasing due to the increasing volume surfacing up from the cracks. "Damn you old man, let me out right now!" Nightin shouted as he took out his Samsara sword and sliced it towards one of the walls in rage, only to realise that his sword was reflected off easily and almost slipped off his grip. As for the wall, not even the lightest of scratches could be seen on it, it looked brand new and one wouldn''t even believe that it was one attack. "Young fella, don''t try me if you don''t want to die early without even attempting the trail." When the old man was scolding Nightin, the lava has already arrived at the sole of his feet. Quickly releasing his wings of Chaos and Order from the back of his body, he flapped them as he made his way upwards, trying to generate maximum distance between him and the rising lava beneath his feet. In just the time span of a few seconds, he realised that a group of fire bugs were hot on his tail, even though he wanted to speed past them and just make his way up to the next checkpoint, he was unable to do so. It''s as though as they were communicating through telepathy and were one entity, the formation was perfectly filled up without any gaps, their movements were flawless and precisely timed, the distribution of bugpower and strength was even more incredible. The more Nightin tried to generate distance, the more they kept up the chase and forced him to go around in circles, everytime he tried to travel upwards, they would be in the way. This is difficult, if I were to even decrease my altitude right now, they would definitely make use of the chance and force me into the lava. Scanning around with his soul detection as a Soul Oracle, he realised that there was an aura which was much stronger than all the other bugs, it was unique on top of it and even gave off the feeling of chilling flames. How could it be, could it be... Chapter 113 - Crystallite Dragon "System, data analysis!" "Order received. Collecting data. Results have been generated." Ding! "Congratulations to host for locating one of the extinct species, Crystallite Dragons!" "System, show me all the details about the Crystallite Dragon you just mentioned above." Species: Crystallite Dragon, growth potential is unlimited and is one of the strongest few dragon species among its entire race. Characteristics: Ice elemental, potential young who stands out from their race will have the chance to comprehend a Divine law. Characteristics of current Crystallite Dragon: Ice elemental, profound in the path of shape shifting, but the true speciality lays in its unique comprehension of ice. "System, if the Crystallite dragons have already went extinct, then how would you explain the current one I''m seeing? Or are you implying that you''re not that knowledgeble?" "System''s mood has taken a turn for the worse, I''ll be taking a nap first then." "Remember, this Crystallite Dragon will be beneficial towards your growth, even in the unforeseen future." Lines formed on Nightin''s forehead as he cursed, just what the hell does the system think it''s doing? A system needs to rest? Taking a deep breath in and out repeatedly, he knows that the only way for him to escape from this ordeal right now, would be enslaving the Crystallite Dragon to serve under him. If he manages to enslave that Crystallite Dragon, it would definitely possess the means to deal with the wave of fire bugs and even assist him in the future. He may not trust his own judgement, but he believes that the system would only provide him with best assistance needed to grow and develop. How though? Nightin pondered as he continued with the soul detection, his target fixated on the Crystallite Dragon. The fire bugs preyed on him as their eyes squinted in from the brightness of his wings, but soon focused after adapting to it as they flared their fangs and advanced in an sorderly manner. Making a few more twists and turns in the air, he realised that the Crystallite Dragon was actually showing signs of fatigue. Its disguise was fading away as the shell of it starts to burn off, if this were to keep up and it still remains with the group of fire bugs, then it would soon perish from the scorching flames. Without any of the fire bugs even detecting, it slowly branched out and took on its true form at the side, a concealed spot which was hidden from all the beings here. But the important question kicks in, just where did this Crystallite Dragon even come from? What''s it even doing here in a place like this, inside a puzzle? Deep blue eyes which showed wisdom, polished scales of an glacier ice colour, razor sharp claws and a tail which was curled up ready for combat, it gave off the extreme feeling of danger. Its body was tiny, maybe only about Nightin''s size at most, but Nightin knew better than to mess around with it. A dragon rejects taking on its true form as none of them likes travelling around while catching the limelight everywhere they go, but anger the dragon and it shall reveal its hidden prowess. That line had been spread across the entire cultivation universe and was known to all. The dragon race may be residing in an unknown location at the moment and even though it has been hundreds of years since an official spotting of an dragon has been made, no one dares to question their existence. Even if all the races and species were to go extinct, the dragon race would definitely be the final one on the list, for their strength was just too much for even this cultivation universe to contain. Even if that had actually taken place, even the Overlords wouldn''t dare to have that thought in mind, for the dragon race had three Overlord dragons who are in the throne, those beneath the throne are countless... I don''t have much time, I need to tame the Crystallite Dragon fast, or at least get its assistance on this. Nightin pondered shortly and came up with a conclusion shortly after, looking below him, he could see the lava increasing in height towards him rapidly. Without any hesitation, he started to execute his plans. Time wouldn''t wait for anyone, tick tock. Walking towards the dragon with steady footsteps, he reached his hand out and patted it on the head softly. This brought about the dragon''s disgruntle as it turned around and slashed towards Nightin without any warning. Clang Nightin blocked the attack with his Samsara sword and said "I''m sure that with the wisdom of the dragon race, you would have definitely picked up the language of the humans." Good thing I was wary of it and prepared to defend myself, or I would already be a corpse right now, if it somehow doesn''t get burnt into ashes that is. Nightin joked around with himself as he leaped backwards. "So what if I do, foolish human?" The young dragon asked, its voice filled with the passage of time. At this time, Nightin had landed before it, at a distance which should provide him enough time to dodge, if it turns aggressive again. "Human, don''t even think about enslaving me, your talent is just too pathetic! I''m only fourteen years old and if I''m compared to a human, I won''t even be a year old yet. But my cultivation? I''m already at the half step Dragon Saint realm and have the qualifications to call myself undefeatable below the Great Saint realm!" The Crystallite Dragon said proudly, its head held high. "I don''t have the time to explain to you right now!" Nightin said in a hurry as he glanced towards the rising lava. The Crystallite Dragon floated around lazily as its claws pointed to the scorching heat below and asked "Is it because you''re afraid of that lava? Don''t worry, I''ll keep it frozen until you finish telling your story." When the puny dragon spoke, a portal appeared above its head as a beam of ice froze the lava up in an instant. The scorching heat was replaced by absolute coldness of a freezing temperature, making the whole place feel like winter. Chapter 114 - Chain attack Sometimes, what really makes human afraid aren''t monsters, neither is it war or the darkness and silence. But it is humans themselves who commits the greatest sins, their greatest fears are also, their proudest creation. Nightin didn''t know why either, but this idea had just wham itself straight into his mind like a heavy truck without any warning. When he exhaled, visible cold mist formed before his eyes, if it weren''t for his robes which were still clinging tightly onto his skin, he would truly start to doubt that everything that happened previously was just an illusion. "So human, care to share about that little tragic story of yours now?" The Crystallite Dragon asked as it got into a sitting position and even took out chocolate bars made of ice from somewhere. When his sight met the sweetness, the dragon immediately pulled it back and said like a child "Don''t even think about it, you wouldn''t like it." Nightin smiled as he assured "Don''t worry, I''m not that bored. But still, are you that wary of me?" The Crystallite Dragon shuddered for a moment and rebutted "Why do I need to? You''re nothing but a weakling I can... Achoo!" What? A dragon which is of the ice element is actually sneezing from the cold? Nightin was shocked by this fact as creases started to appear on his forehead. "Human, don''t think that just.. Just because I''m... having a cold... You... Achoo!" The dragon tried to explain, but it merely ended up forming a cute sight of a rolling dragon. As for the fire bugs, the absolutely cold temperature has already made their movements slow, their movements were in disorder and while they were in a formation, it was full of gaps which left them exposed. If not for the Crystallite Dragon, their movements wouldn''t have been able to catch up to him just now. Their movements were synchronised and their formation was seamless. "Little dragon, I''ll talk to you later. Let me settle this annoying bugs first." Nightin turned around as killing intent exploded from his body, his wings of Order and Chaos kicked off a strong gust of wind and his Samsara sword, it was held in hand. Circulating his spirit energy, he realised that it was much smoother compared to before. If an example was needed, the water spirit had given him the oil to function the machine at full efficiency. Thank you, water spirit. His sword, it was facing the ground. His gaze, it was on his opponents. His wings, they kicked off a storm. Swoosh, Nightin dashed forwards as he slashed towards them, if his weakness was the lack of a chain attack, he''ll comprehend one for himself right here. But still, what would be the best approach of a self created chain attack? Would I one it to possess speed or destructive power, or even encompass both? Even after a few minutes had passed, he wasn''t able to come up with even the foundation, the concept of the move. The fire bugs dashed for him once again as he quickly placed his wings before his body, shielding off the ferocious charge at the last moment before the collision. The screeching sound of metallic objects sliding past each other made Nightin felt irritated, the sound was mentally disturbing even though it wasn''t intended. Should I take the easy route out and attempt to form a chain attack which consists of either the fire or ice element? Nightin thought to himself, recalling that he had once came across in a book that extreme heat or coldness might affect metals. But on second thought, he shook off the thought. What he desires is an attack that won''t be stopped by just elemental counters alone, but one that grants him the sharpness to slice through the enemies defence. The Crystallite Dragon was floating about lazily as it watched this funny sight. That human, his movements are precisely timed, his attack power and even his... His foundation is near perfect, but why isn''t he able to find the concept. The Crystallite Dragon thought to itself, its claws rubbing its nose. "Argh!" Nightin slashed diagonally with his sword, his body making a strength filled turn midair, forming a crescent in the air as it teared through the defense of those fire bugs. The crescent gave off a dazzling gleam just like the light from the moon, the air was avoiding it as its speedy momentum tore the fire bugs apart. A clean slice, no explosion, no after effect, one slice alone had eliminated up to one percent of them, something which should have been impossible for him to accomplish. What? Even Nightin himself was astonished by himself, he didn''t even infuse his Samsara law into that attack, but he actually sliced through the fire bugs easily like tofu. That, what was I thinking of at that time? That''s right, my mind was blank and I shook off all those distracting thoughts, all I wanted was to destroy the wave of bugs... Nightin thought to himself as the image of a crescent formed on him. "Hey, young lad, try to remember what you were thinking of previously and do it again!" The Crystallite Dragon instructed as it sneezed once again. What Nightin didn''t know was that the Crystallite Dragon was mumbling to itself in shock "How could this be possible? His wings are of the Divine laws of Life and Death, his sword was about the Samsara and this move of his, the moon itself was being dragged in? The moon, a crescent moon was merged into that previous attack of mine. That''s not all, the whole process felt so smooth, it''s like I was playing a music and the sudden increase in tempo brought about that effect of reverberation in the air. Having made this sudden realisation, Nightin raised his sword up high as he repeated the same slash once again, he was taking a great risk, if he fails to unleash a move with enough power, he would be giving up his life here. Chapter 115 - Blood Crescent Every cell in his body was trying their best to circulate and bring about the spirit energy, but they couldn''t find the catalyst which should have been containing them. Left without a choice, the cells soon decided to just flow with the blood and resume their given duties. Nightin sensed this and realised that if he doesn''t figure out a way to hold the spirit energy again, he would soon perish in the matter of lesser than a second worth of time. Circulating his spirit energy once again, he directed the spirit energy out of his body towards the imaginary moon image in his eyes. If circulating the spirit energy within my body wouldn''t succeed, then I''ll have to make use of the external force and transfer them back to me. Nightin was determined to accomplished this task, his life was already on the life and it was too late for any regrets. This process may seem simple, but it actually possessed immeasurable danger, if he were to lose control of his spirit energy when devouring them back into his body to exert, he would become a cripple if he survives or even explode from the contained pressure. "Hey, young fella! Are you out of your dragon mind right now?" The Crystallite Dragon hurriedly asked in an anxious tone, but it wasn''t able to make its way to Nightin due to the coldness, its body was already starting to freeze. If the Crystallite Dragon wanted to, it could just release the absolute cold temperature which it has set, but it shook the idea of at the notion of that thought, he wanted to see, just how far a human can go. That''s not all, his body would be too weak to deal with the fire bugs. Compared to facing death through being eaten alive and suffering from the freezing cold, it chose the latter. Seeing that Nightin wasn''t heeding its advice, the Crystallite Dragon shouted again in worry "Hey human, stop right now if you still want to live!" Nightin heard the dragon''s cry, but he ignored its advise as the energy began the dangerous process, even though the attack power may multiply by multiple folds for this idea to work, he was confident that if he does it quickly enough within the sonata time frame, he would succeed. Furthermore, wouldn''t stopping now signal seeking death? "Argh!" With a shout, the energy contained within his body was absorbed by the crescent moon of its own accord as the moon took on a scarlet red. A gloomy feeling replaced the absolute coldness in the atmosphere, if one has to face death through the soul crushing blood, they would rather freeze to death. Now then, it''s do or die once again. Slashing forward once, his body followed as it sliced through and created a gap in the wave of fire bugs and created an opening. A red streak of light could be seen dashing straight and through the wave of fire bugs, stopping some distance away from the wave as it turned back and prepared for the second charge. When he moved for the first moment after releasing the immense contained energy, many fire bugs fell on the ground with their body facing upwards, none of them were intact and were divided into two parts. Making use of the driven momentum, he sliced through arc after arc, forming a beautiful image of a man facing against a bunch of little critters swarming him, the background was of a velvet red which gradually got darker as they flowed. Bodies of dead bugs fell on the floor, one group scattered after another as they soon littered the ground and formed a disgusting sight. "This is the end!" With a final twist to the back to perform a overhead slash, the last wave of fire bugs fell on the ground as well, marking the end of this exhausitng battle. Taking in a deep breath, he quickly regained his spirit energy as he faced the spectacular sight around him. Never even his wildest dreams would he have expected to kill all the fire bugs this easily, only about one tenth of his spirit energy was depleted, even though the pain after didn''t feel that great. "Crystallite Dragon, I may be unqualified to become your master, but do you wanna try breaking out of here together?" Nightin reached out his hand as he asked. The Crystallite Dragon placed out its claw as it gave Nightin a fist to claw bump and said "Why not?" When Nightin tried to move, he realised that his whole body was in pain and he couldn''t move. "Boy, stop moving and heal your injuries first." The Crystallite Dragon advised. Nightin took head of his suggestion this time and got into a meditating position, after much effort. Upon delving deeper into his body to observe his injuries, he realised that the only minor problem was his meridians tearing apart. This was due to the Blood crescent being too much for his body to handle, but it should gradually get better once his internal strength improves. Even still, he made sure to be extremely cautious in this recovery process, any damage here might damage his foundation and affect his future cultivation. After about half an hour had past, he had fully digested the essence of the blood crescent and managed to recover his meridians while strengthening them slightly in the process. The last thing is that, he could feel the gate towards the Martial Emperor realm already even though he was only at the Martial King realm. "Now then, shall we proceed and face what''s in stall for us? Nightin asked the Crystallite Dragon as he unsheathed his sword and released his wings, in preparation for flight. "Human, are you serious about continuing? Why not wait until you''re stronger?" The Crystallite Dragon questioned, a trace of worry was hidden in his voice, but Nightin could feel it. "I''m serious, because this is the only way I can get stronger in the shortest amount of time!" Chapter 116 - The Cross Guardian The Crystallite Dragon removed the layer of ice on the lava, but still kept the area at a low temperature for its own convenience. Nightin realised this but didn''t mention anything about it, compared to the Crystallite Dragon which had already saved his life once and gave him priceless teachings, his selfish behavior right now wasn''t worth mentioning. "Human, aren''t you angry at me for lowering the temperature without consulting your opinion?" The Crystallite Dragon asked as the layers of ice which formed on its crystal wings started to melt, his former restrained dominating aura was back. "Why should I be mad at you? This action of yours is nothing compared to the assistance you''ve given me." Nightin replied calmly, his wings prepared for flight as he soon took off. The Crystallite Dragon followed after as it thought, to think that there''s still a human in this world who knows about basic respect and returning favors, maybe not all geniuses are that arrogant. Unknown to Nightin, the Crystallite Dragon had already began to pay him some attention, it wasn''t a common sight to come across a genius who can put down his arrogance and keep the courtesy of the mundane world, not to mention someone who knows how to repay one''s gratitude in the cultivation universe. Suddenly, an arrow condensed from extreme heat flew towards them from their back. Sensing the extreme heat coming from behind, Nightin dodged to the right while the Crystallite Dragon opened its wings to absorb the attack. The arrow deflected off the wings as it dissappated as energy into the surroundings. The other arrow which missed Nightin zoomed in for the wall and left a dent there. When Nightin landed on the ground, he was glad that he made the choice to evade that sizzling arrow, it would have taken his life after piercing through his defense easily. "Not bad young lad, but do you have what it takes to face me on when I''m serious?" A knight with a tall stature and a red cape hanging behind his back with a bow in hand pressured down on them from above. Every inch of his body was covered, but ferocity was lucid in his eyes and as for the aura he was eluding, it gave them an unfathomable sense of danger. The Crystallite Dragon couldn''t stand the arrogance of the white knight and stepped out, its tiny stature resulted in the knight towering over it. "Dragon, your father has sanctioned for you to leave this place with immediate effect." The white knight said coldly, the bow in his hand vanishing from his hand. Nightin observed with his Samsara eyes and noticed that there were bits of fire particles which gathered together to form the bow and arrow. Activating his Samsara eyes to the fullest, he was shocked by the newfound discovery he made, the man had made use of just three fire particles to launch such an terrifying attack, but for a cultivator of his level, even forming an object with a few thousand particles instantly should be simple. That only says one thing, Nightin was being underestimated and he didn''t intend to harm the Crystallite Dragon. The Crystallite Dragon smirked, glacier ice formed on its wings as it questioned "Is that because of the appearance of this puny human who earned my respect and gained my assistance?" Soon, icy blue flames started to surround its body as it gave off the feeling of extreme coldness which will result in serious frostbites. The Crystallite Dragon was ready for a battle, even if the opponent is someone which he has some relations to and even a loyal subordinate of his father. Nightin took all this into his view as he watched from the back. The Crystallite Dragon may have guarded against him, but it wasn''t obliged to let him in on any information to begin with. Deep inside his heart, he appreciates what the Crystallite Dragon had done for him even though he didn''t mention anything. One day, I''ll assist you when the time comes even if it costs my life, you gave me a new lease of life after all. "Human, I will give you two choices. The first being for you to defeat me when my cultivation is suppressed to the completion stage Martial King realm. The second would be for you to admit that the young dragon lord, isn''t even worthy of being an friend to you." The white knight stated, its solemn voice penetrating deep into Nightin''s souls as he asked "Now then filthy human, what''s your choice?" Nightin didn''t answer, but asked a question in return "What makes you think that you''re qualified to question us humans?" The white knight didn''t move in the slightest, but it was actually surprised by the bravery and will of this young man. Nightin pursued the matter and took a step forward, followed by another at a time, his hand was gripping at the handle of his sword and ready for combat. "I''ll ask again, I demand an answer!" Nightin pressured on as he unsheathed his sword and pointed its tip towards the white knight. Phoenix sword, it''s time for you to unleash your wrath again my friend. When the sword made its dazzling entry, the scorching lava from below started to spiral up and a orb of flame actually appeared above Nightin''s head. When the flames which have spiralled up suddenly fell, they were pulled back by an mystical force and were being absorbed by the orb which glowed with a bright crimson. The white knight saw this and took out a sword, it was a longsword of about two metres in length and was about twenty centimetres longer than the Phoenix sword. The lengthened length of the sword and added weight didn''t affect the white knight, but only gave him an advantage which benefits his large stature. Compared to him, Nightin was much more than just a head shorter, his shoulders were much broader as well and even though his body was covered up, the muscles bulging from underneath could be imagined. On his left hand was a rectangular oval shield with a red cross in the middle, the design on the shield was simple, but its durability is definitely of the highest tier possible for a knight. "Now then, let the battle begin, human!" Chapter 117 - Shield Nightin brandished his sword as the Aqua pulses surround him, they were like little children who were rejoicing from the newfound freedom which they have never experienced. The rectangular shield with oval curves stood directly against it and despite its simple design, it would suffice with its unbreakable defence. Feeling the warmth from the flames contained within his spirit core which now overwhelmed his wind energy, he could sense the imbalance in elemental harmony which affects his spirit energy circulation. Tch! Left without any other option, he circulated the imbalanced spirit energy within his body and infused the flame energy into the Phoenix sword in hand. Foe the excess wind energy, he spread them equally around all his body parts which matters to his movement speed. After all the preperations were in place, Nightin provoked with his sword in position, "come at me with all you''ve got, guardian of the puzzle piece." "Very well, you asked for a beating yourself. Young dragon lord, as you have seen for yourself, it was this human friend of yours who requested for me to be serious." The white knight stated in a calm voice and a slight mocking was in his tone. "Mind your words if you still treasure your position knight, I believe that my father has granted me with the authority to strip all his subordinates off their rank if they were to disobey my commands." The Crystallite Dragon threatened without fear. "Your wish is my command young dragon lord, but I''ll still adhere to the Dragon Lord orders and suppress my cultivation to the complete stage Martial King realm." Finishing their quick conversation, the white knight placed his shield before him and made a reckless charge forward towards Nightin. Father! Just what is it that you expect of me! The Crystallite Dragon questioned within his heart in anger when he saw that even a lowly subordinate had the guts to ignore his orders. He''s fast. That was the only reaction Nightin had in mind as his wings quickly protected him in the middle and the Aqua pulses slowed the white knight momentum. When the shield crashed onto his wings, he felt a stabbing pain coming from his back and sucked in a cold breath of air, but withstood the pain and made a counter with his sword. Making a twist to the side, he began the festival of blood. "Blood Crescent!" When Nightin made use of the distance his wings had generated, a scarlet crescent formed before him as it sucked spirit energy from his body. "Human, don''t think you think you''re too slow to prepare a killing blow?" The white knight voice came from the right as he charged forward with his shield. "You underestimate me." Nightin stated calmly as feathers black and whiten in colour stormed out from his back, it was the unique ability which his wings had brought him. "Reaper Talons!" The Order feathers eluded an angelic aura, but their sharpness was definitely there. The Chaos feathers eluded an chaotic aura, but its destructive power was definitely there. When the wave of feather like arrows flew forward, the air rippled wherever they passed though and the knight actually turned tightened his grip and took on a perfect stance. When the angelic feathers struck the shield, they slid off and pierced through the wall at the side while the destructive arrows would just explode on the shield itself. The white knight thought to himself at this point. That young lad isn''t simple, lets hope that I won''t have to use the sword though. "Protection of the holy guardian!" A energy barrier surrounded the white knight as they blocked off the remaining incoming arrows from the seriously damaged shield. "Must I really use my sword against a youth when my cultivation realm is higher?" The white knight questioned as the shield started to repair itself. At this moment, the battle had reached its climax as they exchanged tens of blows in just the matter of a few seconds, they were currently equal in terms of strength and the shield was getting weaker with every blow. Even though Nightin was always being knocked back by a few more steps compared to the white knight, he was able to make up for it with the balance and speed his wings provided him with. Crack One fine line formed on the shield as it developed into a spiderweb after a few more waves of chain attack from Nightin''s Blood Crescent as it finally broke and shatter into pieces. Swoosh "Shit!" The white knight bellowed as he placed his bare hand out and formed a whirlpool which absorbed the impact of the incoming sword. "Wrath of the Phoenix!" Nightin suddenly made an appearance from behind the white knight who had his bare back exposed as he pierced forward, spiralling flames coiled around his sword as they took on the shape of a Phoenix in the air and devoured the white knight. "Human, why did you have to make me go full out on you?" The white knight asked in a gloomy tone, the longsword which he had kept since the beginning of the battle was held in his hand. "Today, I''ll show you the strength of a energy condensed weapon which is at the Half Fabled rank!" "King of the ocean! Ruler of the seas! I hereby request your assistance my dear friend, it appears that we have stayed silent for too long." The sword took on a blueish colour as the armor of the white knight, was replaced by blue scales which seemed much more sustainable compared to the shield which was now gone. "Now then, face the wrath of flames when it comes together with water!" Chapter 118 - Respect The white knight, or the blue knight now to be exact, was eluding an aura at least double or even triple of his previous state. If the previous fast paced battle was one between two ferocious wolves, then now, it would be between a ferocious wolf and a vicious tiger with its claws sharpened. The knight held his sword with two hands and got into the standard position, his sword at a diagonal angle facing his opponent, his body directly aligned to his foe to prevent any sudden attacks. "Hey, Leader of the Pyre knights, I hereby order for you to keep your sword and retreat back!" The Crystallite Dragon commanded from above as it flapped its wings, cooling flames surrounding its entire body with anger apparent on its face. "Young dragon lord, you may be the only son of the Dragon Lord. But firstly, you''re still too incompetent for your title to be recognised. Secondly, what would you think would happen if you dear father hears of me ignoring his orders because of you." The Pyre knight stated, his voice devoid of any emotions. The Crystallite Dragon wanted to rebut, but realised that the Pyre knight was in the right, even he''s helpless when left to face the anger of his father. While the Pyre knight might face some punishments, they wouldn''t be severe enough to affect him even in the slightest, he was one of the important leaders of the entire dragon race after all. Taking in what seemed like a deep breath, the Crystallite Dragon said with much difficulty "If anything were to happen... I... I''ll take full responsibility." "I''m sorry young dragon lord, the best I can promise is to spare his life, but I''m afraid that he''ll still have to end up a cripple as stated by the laws." The Pyre knight replied as he bowed towards the Crystallite Dragon. If the Crystallite Dragon had backed off just because his father was brought up, he would only think lower of him and would vote for him to lose the title six years from now. Even though he stuttered when trying to make the determination, at least he had plucked up the courage to take the first step, all he needed now was time and with his talent, overtaking his father wouldn''t be impossible. But his behaviour had wholly amazed the Pyre knight. The Pyre knight only had expectations for the young dragon lord in his eyes to support the friend to a certain degree, but he actually made the resolution to disobey his father. Just like how a bird gains independence the moment it learns how to fly, the key for the Crystallite Dragon, was to comprehend the definition of independence and it was through knowing what it meant to treat someone as a friend. Nightin wasn''t even his friend, but he was the first person to make him feel warmth. Everyday back in the Dragon Palace in these fourteen years had treated him coldly. He was expected to become one who doesn''t get affected by his feelings, each and every of his actions were under surveillance. When speaking, he had to ensure that his tone was commanding enough to influence others, when he see those poor or weak suffering, he was expected to help them to the best of his abilities with whatever he possessed, even if it meant his personal properties. The dragon race might seem like a race which had insatiable hunger for blood and death, but that was only what others think about them. They were a race filled with compassion for others, no one will ever dig out the truth and realise that it was for them that the dragon race went on a sudden decline. When cultivating, he would have the best guidance from his seniors and those apex cultivators and coupled with his unprecedented talent, his cultivation soared rapidly and his natural instincts for combat had caught the attention of many. The generals of all the army would have already roped him in even if it leads to internal war, but all of them dropped the notion upon learning about his true identity. He was then burdened with the task of helping the dragon clan to rise, to face the cultivation universe once again as the dominant race where everyone would fear yet respect them. He wasn''t allowed to make any friends as it is believed that they might lead him astray, his parents were cold to him and he had never experienced parental love. Whenever he asks "Father, mother, why are the two of you treating me this coldly, please let Glacier know if I''ve made any mistake." Glacier only wanted to experience parental love for once, but that resulted in them totally cutting off all meeting sessions with him except for those solemn ceremonies which requires all members to attend. Ever since then, he had set a goal which no cultivator from any species or race have ever dared to imagine, breaking past the Overlord realm and step onto the true path of longevity. "Pyre knight Dake, I demand you to stop without causing any permanent damage to him that would affect his future cultivation!" Nightin took all this into view as he thought to himself, just what have I done to deserve so much assistance from everyone? Just what is my true identity and what''s the reason for me even being the "chosen one?" The Pyre knight Dake half kneeled and cupped his fists as he sheathed his sword first and answered "Pyre knight Dyke will do as instructed." "Very well, you may rise." Dake stood up after receiving the orders as he turned to face Nightin once again. If he was previously only fighting because of the received orders, it was this young man who had piqued his interest now, just what charm does he possess to help the young dragon lord grow this much? This young dragon lord, he''s the type of leader that I would follow and even give up my life for. "Come at me with everything you''ve got young lad." (For every 50 weekly powerstones, it''ll be one extra chap*) Chapter 119 - Half Sword Sage "Hopefully you''ll prove to be a challenge." Nightin said as his wings kicked off a hurricane this time, he veiled himself within the wind as he thought to himself, his combat strength is still much stronger compared to the first time he fought Gwen but... "Try me and you''ll understand." Dave dashed forwards with his sword as Nightin did the same, but he brought about the hurricane into his attack as the two swords collided against each other in the air. When the two swords struck each other, Nightin felt a strong force pushing against him and he was sent flying backwards while Dave kept his steady stance and followed through the whole move. Making full use of his tall stature to bring out the most of her strength. This is bad, the strength difference between them is just way too much. It isn''t possible for him to defeat a dragon cultivator around ten thousand years of age. Glacier thought to himself as the words his father said once popped into his mind "The sword is merely a weapon he''s weaker with, it will only mean annihilation when he reveals his claws..." Dave held the supreme title of the leader of the Pyre knights, one of the ten strongest dragon armies among their whole clan. No one may remember him, but he was the number one genius back then, a Great Dragon Saint at the young age of sixteen, the one who crushed one of the current existing Overlords when he was younger. Time may have caused his lifespan to go on a decline and his claws to go rusty, but his natural instincts for combat would never be polished off by time alone. Dave didn''t let the chance slide past him as he made an overhead slash without any forewarning. "Sky Piercer!" A stab formed by scalding water flew towards Nightin at a rapid speed as it sent splashes of water towards him. Forming some feathers with his Order and Chaos wings to attack the impending scalding water, while he evaded to the right and dodged the energy slash while circling to Dave''s back. When the feathers and scalding water made contact with each other, they were evenly matched and neither side gained an advantage. "It''s no use, you won''t understand just what it means to he a Half Sword Sage." Dave stated calmly as fire energy condensed tens of swords in an instant to block his attack. Thousands of blade energies gathered in the air and combined into one gigantic broadsword. The broadsword looked simple and its only unique trait was it gigantic size, but the feeling of danger it was giving off, Nightin had only felt it once... When he first fought against the Infernal Stallion... The sword caused the surrounding particles in the air to vibrate and gave way, that resulted in the particles being too packed. The walls couldn''t withstand the impact and even started to rubble and break apart, lines started to spread without any forewarning and the lava which had calmed down, came to alive again as a lion made of flames entered the battle. The lion walked out as it took slow steps, but its prideful mane showed that it wasn''t just a male, it was the a lion with strength that stands above others. Its flames actually overwhelmed the heat of the lava here, evaporating the scorching heat as what''s left below them was pure molten rock which actually cooled down instantly. Nightin kept his wings and landed on the ground, the swords of Life and Death which goes by the name Order and Chaos respectively, had joined him by the side as they circled around him. Dave meanwhile, had already landed and surrounded him from both sides alongside his blazing lion which was behind his back. "Fiery Water Roar!" A beam wave of energy shot out from Dave''s sword as they dashed towards Nightin who had to face a charging lion pouncing on him. Leaping up at the exact moment the beam was going to hit him, he leaped and dodge the attack but the blazing lion was already waiting in place for him. It was a combination attack in which the lion would delay its last attack by just that split breath, waiting for the prey to make a move and make itself vulnerable. Damn it, Nightin slashed his sword forwards as it reflected the lion''s heavy body away from him, but the impact knocked him backwards towards the second energy wave from the sword. Making use of his Order and Chaos swords, he formed a cross with them and blocked off the attack, but his sword had lost their energy as they retreated back into his body. Just like that, waves of beams were being constantly emitted from the gigantic sword and they would always cause him to end up with an injury. Scorching flames may not affect him much, but the heat and burn was starting to get to him and was influencing his performance. Landing on the ground again, he started to pant heavily. His robes were tattered and his hair laid in a mess behind his head, his sword was stabbed onto the molten rock ground and minor cuts covered his whole body. "Human, at least you made it out of the first combination attack of my sword''s true form coupled with the ability of a Half Sword Sage with his battle beast joining the fray." Dave said as a beam of energy started to charge up again. "I''m sorry, but I have my obligations to fulfill." Chapter 120 - The Nirvana sect When Nightin said this, the aura he was eluding suddenly grew much stronger in an instant as the sword which was held in his hand, started to burn with nether flames of a purplish colour. The flames wasn''t emitting any heat, or coldness, it didn''t give one an feeling of holiness, or despair. It just seemed calm, peaceful, just like the flames of a matchstick from the mundane world lit up by children for fun, yet its perseverance showed its uniqueness. Even so, the flame was currently still unstable as his eyes started to close, his body was breathing so slowly that one might even suspect that he is already dead. But both Dave and Glacier knew what was going on, he had entered the sudden state of enlightenment. Glacier immediately ordered "Dave, I forbid you from making a move on him until the moment he is ready." Dave turned around, half kneeled and replied in a respectful tone "Don''t worry young dragon lord, even if you did not remind me to wait, I would still do it out of my personal pride." As someone who has lived for tens of thousand of years, what he fears most is that he would one day end up like those maniacs, those who fear that the younger generation would overtake them and usurp their current location of ruler. Now, would be the best chance for him to stabilize himself before he loses sense of who he once was. If not for his seniors who had been protecting and showering him with care since young, he would already be dead, not to mention being a leader figure in the dragon clan. In Nightin''s consciousness, he could sense that there was something calling out to him as he walked in the pitch blackness, his vision was totally blocked off and he couldn''t hear anything else except for that soft resonating sound. Vzzt Vzzt Vzzt Vzzt Focusing his mind to listen more closely, he gradually walked towards the sound which was gradually growing louder with every step he took. Vzzt Vzzt Was it fear or anticipation on what lays ahead, just how long would this endless path be and just where would it lead to? * * * * * * Back in the Nirvana sect, everything had been going well in the one month which had passed ever since Nightin left. The Nirvana sect has officially been recognised as a Emperor force and even rose to the upper realm, their reputation was well known by everyone and even the Saint forces avoided picking a fight with them. The Nirvana sect had been performing good deeds ever since the first day they ascended, they may have taken over an entire plot of land ten times their previous size in the lower realm, allowing them to accomadate up to a hundred thousand members. The Nirvana sect may only have around eighty thousand man in terms of numbers, but their numbers were well allocated to help everyone nearby their land. They cleared the various demon beasts and took in the rare species under them, but no one had any complains as they deserve to possess them. They took out all the surrounding bandits and vilians and even gave the mortals their own plot of land for gardening. The Nirvana sect would then do trading with them for a fair price and if their descendents end up having cultivation talent, they can enter the "foundation" tier of the Nirvana sect. They even managed to find a ninth grade spirit root to be placed in the core area of their sect, making their cultivation speed at least ten times the speed of others even in the upper realm. Alexander and his army made up thirty thousand of the manpower alone and were the ones in charge of all these. A thousand of them were responsible for intelligence gathering and the other nine thousand took on respective duties in the sect. They had their own alchemist branch opened up with the newly expanded land which was about a 20% gain in just an month, elixirs were being sold and they were selling their personally crafted weapons as well. This caused many wandering cultivators to flock towards them and attempt to find a job and they even managed to recruit two brothers. The elder brother was Kevin and he was a seventh grade Forgist at the age of seventy two with a second gate Martial Emperor realm. The younger brother was Calvin and he was a seventh grade Alchemist at the age of sixty eight with a first gate Martial Emperor realm. As for sixth grade Forgists, they had three of them and four sixth grade Alchemists. Those below the fourth tier would undergo lessons until they become a fourth grade alchemist, only then would they be assigned a minor branch of their own. Even though they would have to pass up 20% of their annual earnings to the Nirvana sect, the remaining was more than enough for their branch development. In terms of resource income, they were earning about ten thousand high grade spirit stones yearly at the moment, that was already much above most Emperor forces which only earn a few thousand annually. As for their disciples, each of them were at the Martial Spirit realm while at least thirty percent of them were at the Martial Lord realm. Last but not least, everyone was shocked when they heard of one thing, Lancelot had actually cultivated a divine law as well, the divine law of Chaos which brings about great destruction and disorder. Right now, the Nirvana sect had set their sights on an ancient runes in the middle of the universe, where a new realm of unknown grade would appear. That would be five years from now and they had already began their preparations. Chapter 121 - Endeavor of the heart "System, do you have any idea just where I am right now?" Nightin asked within his mind, expecting to hear the usual voice, but reality ends up being a disappointment. Left without a choice, Nightin could only continue his slow paced steps towards the resonating sound which was calling out to him. "Dave, do you have the confidence to defeat him once he awakens his sword heart?" Glacier asked in a worried tone. "Even if he manages to awaken the sword heart unique to himself, he still stands no change against Wave." Dave replied politely as he caressed his friend who had been with him since young. "Furthermore, the sword heart isn''t that easy to locate. If one doesn''t have a clear goal of what he wants, the person would end up being lost in his own consciousness." Dave added on. Glacier''s body shook for a moment, his tiny stature flew around the air in random circles as he asked quickly "Can you help him out?" "I''m unable to, that is the reason why our dragon clan have so few Sages as well, it''s just way too difficult and some have even perished in this process." "Young dragon lord, do you know just how much I''ve suffered just to step into the sage realm. Haven''t you ever questioned why I suddenly vanished for a thousand years at my peak and returned with the same cultivation base?" Dave said as the blood within his body started to circulate passionately, what he just said had reminded him of his youth. "Don''t tell me that..." Glacier answered knowing the answer, expecting to hear more from Dave. "That''s right, I spent a thousand years trying to enter the Sage realm of claws and that was only the first of the four great stages." "Even right now, I''m only at the peak of the second stage and I can''t find the path to the third stage at all, I''m totally lost in the thick forests." Dave explained as he tried to calm himself back down, he felt utterly useless for being unable to step into the third great stage of the Sage realm. * * * * * * "Can you hear me?" A voice broke the eerie silence which was lost along the flow od tune. "Just who are you?" The voice of a man which sounded exactly the same as questioned back while answering indirectly. If one didn''t understand the situation, they might just treat this as a lunatic talking to himself as two different persons. But that wasn''t the case, it was the silence asking Nightin the question in a language he hasn''t learnt, he just knew it for some reason. Nightin felt cold sweat dripping down his forehead and his breathing was ragged, he felt fearful. He actually lost not only the sense of time, but also himself, what would have happened if this dragged on for just a second more, just the thought of it makes him afraid. "Who am I you ask? I''m you and you''re me." The mysterious voice answered as the resonating sound travelled into his ears again. Vzzt Vzzt It sounded like the sound of thunder striking metal, yet it also sounded like the sound of metals screeching past or even a sword being unsheathed. Just what is the voice trying to tell me? Nightin was puzzled, he didn''t know what to expect and didn''t even know whether to reply. He was afraid that he would make the wrong move and get trapped in this dimension for eternity. "My other self, why have you gone quiet all of a sudden?" The mysterious voice spoke again, the exactly same tone and even pitch of the voice was just causing him to feel... He didn''t know either, his feelings were jumbled up and any means of reacting just felt... Weird... "Are you perhaps afraid that my presence will replace you?" The voice asked again, but the hostility in the voice threatening Nightin couldn''t be hidden. Feeling some disturbance in the surrounding air, he realised that light was shining into his eyes as thousands of swords flashed before his eyes, at the front of each sword laid a panel which gives a brief description about them. To his surprise, all of the swords were at least of the Savior grade, thirty seven were of the Half Fabled grade and even three of them were at the low Fabled grade. Just how could this be possible? Nightin asked himself as he tried to touch one of the swords, surprised by the fact that he could touch them, they felt surreal and he was starting to doubt if this was just a test or a gift to him. "Interested by my collection of swords? Join me as you abandon that low grade Savior sword of yours and claim one sword from here for yourself." The voice sounded tempting, it even pushed the three low grade Fabled swords towards Nightin arm length. Just what''s going on? Nightin read the description of the first sword as he started to think of an escape to this. [Low grade Fabled Sword: Enchanted Firelight Sword] [Low grade Fabled Sword: Enchanted Duskglow sword] *Doesn''t possess offensive properties, corrosion is the key* [Low grade Fabled sword: Bloodlust] "Now then myself, make your choice." Chapter 122 - Dad? "Now then, I have shown you my colossal arsenal of Fabled and Savior swords, shouldn''t you show some appreciation and unsheathe your Phoenix sword in return?" The voice asked, its tone devoid of expressions, but Nightin knew that the voice was lusting after his sword. Standing upright and averting his gaze from the majestic array of swords, he said to the voice "I may not know if you are me or am I you, we might even be two different entities. But don''t ever expect me to give in to your requests." "Are you really seeking death or do you not understand my intentions?" The voice threatened, but it finally regained its original voice which sounded cancerous to the ears. "You want the Phoenix sword." Nightin replied casually, but the grip on his sword tightened. "If you know what I want, everything will be done once you perform the exchange. It is a pretty good deal to exchange a low grade Savior sword for a low grade Fabled sword after all, such chances don''t come by easily." The voice tried to tempt Nightin, but decided to turn aggressive since he would not agree. "You forced me to steal it from your hands! You could have at least earned something through it, the key isn''t something you should possess." The voice said as an invisible Psy beam shot towards Nightin. The key? That was the only thought Nightin could process before evading to the right subconsciously. His battle instincts had saved his life once again. "You managed to survive? But what will you do against a shower of Psy beams? This time, Nightin could sense countless ripples forming in the air, maybe around eight of them as the air started to reverberate and split apart. "Human, I''m sure that your senses are sharp enough to have detected whatever is coming for you if you refuse. Hand over the sword now and I might consider letting you leave here alive." The voice mentioned again as the Psy energy in the air gathered together to form a gigantic Psy beam. "Like I have said, pry it away from me if you truly want it, but will your master allow you to injure me to that extent?" Nightin asked back, his hair swaying along with the windstorm that he is eluding as he held the Phoenix sword with two hands. "Tch! You asked for it! As long as I obtain the sword and that man does not find me, my master will definitely help me to take on the human form. Suddenly, the sound of clapping came from the darkness, Nightin turned around 180¡ã and could sense the presence of someone walking towards him. Even so, his vision was still blinded and the current dire situation he is in leaves him without any escape path, he was trapped in the middle of two predators. He was just a prey they were chasing after, the voice doing it out of greed while the entity who had just arrived, all his aura conveyed was killing intent. "Who are you? There is no way that you can even access this area to begin with!" The voice screeched in fear as it trailed off further. That man was eluding an aura which he instinctly feared, it was not because it is petrified, he was just feeling the sense of doom from the person who had just appeared which arose from his bones. That man did not prettify him because of his aura, but due to the fear that he has imbued upon their race, especially after they sacrificed countless royal knights who only serves the Supreme Pontifex. Just what is going on out there? Nightin questioned as he stayed rooted to the spot, one wrong move right now and he would capture their unwanted attention. "Who am I and what am I doing here? Why don''t you take a look for yourself?" The man removed his hood and stared straight into the eyes of the spirit. The body of the spirit was black in colour, it had no limbs and only had two eyes which were brown in colour. As for its mouth, it was just an circular hole which was constantly opened. "No... No... No! How can you still be alive? We have made sure that all the precautions were taken and that your cultivation was crippled!" The hideous looking spirit shrieked in fear as it tried to escape, but a prison cage suddenly landed on it from above. The prison cage was made of lightning and it was actually giving off a vzzt vzzt sound and the light blue bars of it, only made the hideous spirit more afraid "No please... Let me out! I don''t want to die yet!" The spirit begged as tears actually started to leak from its eyes. "I... I am meant to become a Royal guard of the Supreme Pontifex once I capture that young lad, so why must you be in my way?" Upon realising that being a coward was futile and just a waste of strength, the hideous spirit crashed against the wall at full strength. "Ahh! Damn it! How did you figure out the weakness of my species!" The hideous spirit screamed in pain when the lightning penetrated deep into his body. That was the weakness of his race, their bodies were made of slimy liquid and they could ghost through all physical and even mental objects and walls, but lightning was their natural nemesis, probably existing just to counter them and prevent them from ruling the cultivation universe. "You have been rash." The middle aged man said calmly, yet the killing intent on Nightin was actually taken back and driven towards the hideous spirit. "Just let me go! It was the orders of the supreme pontifex, I was merely fulfilling my orders by halting the progress of your..." The middle aged man suddenly shrunk the size of the cage as the lightning bars paralysed the spirit, causing its body to spasm from the shock and cutting off its sentence. "Just who are you?" Nightin blurted out before he could even process his thoughts, the middle aged man who was helping him right now gave him a sense of familiarity, yet it felt so distant at the same time. "I''m unable to reunite with you yet, at least not until the day you reach the Great Saint realm." That was all the man said as he turned his attention towards the hideous spirit and told Nightin "He will be great nutrition for your sword." Before he left, the cage suddenly burst alongside with the hideous spirit, marking the end of its career as a black pearl landed on the ground. "Give the black pearl to your sword, it should help it to progress the middle grade Savior sword instead of five years of waiting. Chapter 123 - Evolution After the man had eliminated the hideous spirit with the lightning cage without much difficulty, the cage started to break off into many parts upon receiving his command. An array of Iridescent colours were being emitted by the various metallic bars of different shapes and sizes. They started to deform as they took on various forms. Some of them were curving inwards, some remained the same as previously while some expanded in length as they started to piece back together, one at a time.. Soon, a cube golden in colour appeared as it returned to the hands of the mysterious man. The cube floated in the air as it rotated slowly at a 45¡ã angle, a golden beam of light shining down on it from above which added on to its royal trait. There was an image on each side of the cube And Nightin was only able to catch a glimpse of the first image before the man kept it away. "I am sorry, but just who are you?" Nightin asked hesitantly, but his desire for an answer was just too obvious. "I have told you, you will learn about my identity the day you become a Great Saint." The man explained then continued "You are too weak right now, knowing too much will only bring you disaster." "Wait! Just tell me why you helped me out at the very least!" Nightin hurriedly said as he chased after the man who had left him hanging. It is him, father, I will wait for you. Nightin knew it, but he still acted like a fool and did not expose his father''s lies. "It was me who led them to you, I am only trying to cover up for my mistakes by helping you out, don''t misunderstand my intentions." The man said as he left without leaving anything behind. "Father, I will wait for you to reunite with me." Looking at the black pearl ahead.. When the man left, pain actually covered his face as he held back his tears and sniffed, he can''t afford to waste time just because he found his son, not until he finally eliminates all of them. * * * * * * In the cave, Dark Fang arrived at the area where Nightin''s aura was last detected, but no signs of him ever being here could be found. "Young master! Where are you?!" Dark Fang shouted, receiving an answer from his own echo into of Nightin''s voice. "Young master! Where are you?!" Dark Fang attempted to call out for Nightin, but it was an futile effort as the replying party was still his echos. After a few more times of not receiving the wanted answer, Dark Fang looked around the cave. He started to pace around back and forth, making a few turns to explore around the cave for any traces of Nightin, he even went to explore areas which he has never ventured into as well, but the sudden sound of flowing water captured his attention. Turning towards the rushing flow of water by following its sound, he soon realised that there was an area in this cave unknown to him. The usual rocky ground he is familiar with, the sound of dripping water which was common as well, the rocks were evenly smooth for some reason as per usual... Could young master be in there? Dark Fang asked himself when he saw the dent on one of the cave walls and used strength to push it open. Seeing that just brute strength wouldn''t work, he observed the surroundings and realised that there was a hidden stone button which blended in with the walls and pushed against it with his finger. This time with a clicking sound, the walls started to push outwards sideways, causing the cave to vibrate about tremendously as Dark Fang struggled just to keep himself stable. After what seemed like an eternity, Dark Fang finally regained his balance after the earthquake stop and raised his head. Only to be fascinated by the intricate design of the whole puzzle and how it remained its shape and luster, even time wasn''t able to wear it off and it is definitely a top tier relic of the past. Yet now, why was it being concealed here and why were one of the numbers dull? The button was fully pushed down as well which could only signify one thing, Dark Fang told himself the answer as he settled down outside. He did not even worry as he believe that Nightin can make it out alive, his young master was someone who make miracles and he would wait for him to return safely. * * * * * * Nightin pushed towards the black pearl with heavy footsteps, each step he took would cause his body to wail out in pain. The black pearl may be an abandoned object, but the immense pressure it was releasing was just way too much for Nightin to handle with his limited strength. Every footstep he took, would result in his face wincing from the pain and his muscles would always be tearing apart, it was his strong recovery ability that even make him sustain this arduously brief journey. Even so, he did not even groan once in pain, even if he felt like the pain was going to rip him apart and feed it to the demons, he held no fear. I won''t give up here yet, I have made my resolutions and I will follow through them no matter how much pain it inflicts on me! Nightin screamed silently as he took another step forward towards the increasing pressure. Just three more steps and the black pearl would be his, yet his legs were shaking from the pressure and he could not even control them anymore. Come on! Come on! Come on! I said, come on! Nightin punched his legs continuously at a rapid pace, trying to regain control of his legs and allowing the blood to circulate to the lower half of his body. The final punch made the trapped blood in his body flow to his legs as he made use of the short duration to take another step, but it was not a wise choice. "Argh!" Nightin groaned in pain as his legs turned jelly and his body fell forwards. Making quick use of his reactions, he made use of his hands to support himself and prevented his knees from touching the ground. "Just a pearl and you expect me to kneel and bow down to you? The only people who I will kneel down to in this lifetime are my parents, even the gods and the heavens won''t be able to force me!" Nightin shouted as he pushed his body against the gravity. Every movement he makes would cause a cracking sound from his legs, but he still persevered on and took another step forward, the step which leads toward true death as the black pearl''s pressure would be the strongest. Tightening his lips and taking in a sudden gulp of saliva which caused his chest to feel uncomfortable, his legs gave in and his whole body went limp, but he still used his wings to slap the black pearl towards the Phoenix sword laying beside him. (Keep those power stones going!) Discord link: https://discord.gg/aXb8JT7 Chapter 124 - Phoenix Yet that was a fatal mistake, the black pearl was knock backed further away with a speedy backspin as it landed about five steps away. Yet the problem now was that Nightin could not even move and the pressure was still built up. He attempted to move, but his body was pressured too much, he was already struggling just to keep his eyes open. If he attempts to push against the current and resist the gravity pressure, he would have to face the pressure multiplied to an immense degree which would crush him into smithereens immediately. The ground he was laying down on right now, it felt cold to the touch and sent shivers down his spine, he could hear the cries of the countless weaker geniuses who have ventured here and lost their lives. Maybe. Just maybe. Just maybe so. He was meant to be with them. He was just a genius who had gotten lucky to get onto the smooth sailing boat. He was nothing but an ant when the true adversary arrives. Damn it! If only I was able to span out my wings longer or push myself slightly forward more before acting! Nightin cursed as he raised his head and glanced at the black pearl and blamed himself for being weak. The black pearl was mocking him, its bright gleam of darkness was being reflected into his eyes by the dim lighting, fear was all he could feel right now. The same feeling of despair devours him again, but he was at the brink of death this time and there was no one nearby to help him, his connection with the system was still cut off as well. If he insisted on nabbing the black pearl from the crushing gravity, he would have to face the current pressure multiplied by multiple folds. He had the heart and mind to break free from the pressure and get the orb, but he was not even able to get up on his feet. In the end, you are just trash. He could hear the black pearl whispering into his ears, just like a fly which flies around dung, that was his current priceless identity now, pretty honourable isn''t it? Sometimes, life may be full of ups and downs, but what would you do if you were in Nightin''s feet and only having the worst nightmares, sweet dreams are nothing more but a fairytale that exists in the legends. "Buddy, please tell me what course of action I should take right now." Nightin said softly to the Phoenix sword, his ragged breathing gradually became slow deep breaths as his blood circulation began to ease off. His vitals were fading and his eyelids felt heavy, blood started to leak from his mouth as his arms went limp, the Phoenix sword slipped away from his grip as it laid beside its master. Whirr The Phoenix sword started to vibrate intensely, trying to convey its intention with whatever little wisdom it had awakened. It was the sword who raised Nightin and showed him the way. It was the sword who had given him the opportunity at an unprecedented path. It was the sword which forced him to death as well. Regret. That thought has never came across Nightin''s mind. He was confident that even if he chose to ditch the black pearl and leave, the Phoenix sword would accept his decision obediently without an argument. In this world, it is near impossible to find a divine sword which has the underlaying potential to evolve and be compatible with the sword wielder, not to mention a sword which awakens wisdom early on and trusts its master. Such swords would usually have their own pride and would only choose those talented geniuses that stand out among those demons, those that stand above those at the first tier pyramid. The other case would be their master being weak and only progressing quickly due to their assistance, yet the masters were just treated as tools usually for them to obtain evolution treasures. Suddenly, the Phoenix sword began to glow with burning light as it started to take on shape. The Phoenix sword burst into a mixture of flame energies as they concentrate and gather together to form an entity, something unbelievable flashing before Nightin''s eyes. Phoenix, just what are you up to this time? Nightin asked in his mind. Body. Limbs. Face. The glow of scorching light gradually took on the shape of a human female with long crimson hair that flowed and overlapped each other perfectly behind her back. Her skin was porcelain and her light crimson eyes reflected off an enchanting beauty, she was a beauty in all aspects and no man alive would possibly even have the courage to approach her. As for her clothing, there were only some smooth crimson feathers which were barely covering her important parts, yet Nightin only glanced for a moment before averting his gaze away. She was just like the proudest drawing of an artist whose skills are unmatched in this world, creating the first artwork in his life that came alive in human form. "Phoenix?" Nightin muttered out, his voice so soft that she had to learn close to listen. "Yes, it is me." Phoenix said, her voice crystal clear with an alluring beauty to it. If it was under usual circumstances, Nightin would already be blushing right now. But given the current circumstances, his body systems were already failing him, even breaking out a smile right now would deem as an impossible feat. It was as this time that Phoenix said "I am sorry, if only I was not around, you would not have risked your life to obtain the black pearl." "No, it is my fault, your lackluster flames were caused by me, I lacked the ability to help you grow in the past and even now that I''m stronger, I''m just a seed which has grown into a sprout." Nightin said on his last breath as memories flooded into his mind just like a violent tidal wave. Chapter 125 - My youth (mc pov) Memories of my mortal life whammed into my mind all of a sudden, the brakes were not functioning and resulted in me entering the wrong path. The road of mortal memories which I fear most. Looking back at when I was a newborn, everyone was anxious and excited when they heard about my descend from the heavens, they were expecting the son of their family head to show unparalleled talent. Their family head was the strongest genius in the history of the Gale family with an legacy which has been passed down for thousands of years. Stepping into the Great Saint realm at the age of 47 and the Demigod realm at the age of 83, no one dared to question his strength especially after a thousand years had passed since that day. As for his wife Crystal, she was also a unparalleled genius no weaker than Wisteria Gale, she may have stepped into the Demigod realm at the age of 87 which was four years later, but she was an alchemist which was why the family rose this quickly. As the son of two peerless genius cultivators, just what would his cultivation talent be like? Would he exceed his parents and become someone unmatched in his own generation? Maybe his grand stage only exists when he challenges those one generation before him. (One generation=100 years) At the young age of just three months old, he taught himself how to walk, four months old and he learnt the way of speech, five months old and he fell in love with reading, seven months old and he had mature thoughts. One year old and he learnt how calligraphy, one and a half year old, he learnt the profoundness of simple arts, two years old and he grasped the concepts of painting. His calligraphy skills enough to put most apprentices to shame. Three years old and he learnt how to ride a horse, four years old and he started to train his body fitness, five years old and he mastered the path of arts, his drawing were full of life and his words were eluding an undescribable aura. Yet, fate fooled around with them and he was diagnosed with mortal roots at the age of six. With mortal roots, it signifies that he lacks even the basic requirements of cultivation. They felt that he was a disgrace to the Gale family and appealed to their family head, Wisteria Gale. He is a mortal from top to bottom, maybe he can become a top scholar or fighter in those mortal kingdoms, but that is just a bleak future of his and he would turn into dust in a hundred years time. In the end, their appeal was revoked and even though Nightin was still the young master of the Gale family, he held no standing or reputation in the eyes of others. Why should I even pay respect to someone like him? That was the mentality of every child around his age at that point of tine. Some tried to get closer to the family head via him, they promised his beauties and countless riches or anything that he desires, but he would always shut them down coldly. "Give me the ability to cultivate, otherwise you should just take back your small tricks." He may be mortal, but it provided him the environment to mature much more quickly than others of his age. Even so, I am just mortal, am I not? Nightin thought to himself as he watched this pathetic life of his play back. * * * (TPP)* * * The next moment, he was at the scene where he received the system sword, which was soon replaced by the Phoenix sword who had accompanied him ever since. The sword gave him a clear concept and view on the future lost in the chaos, distortion and rubble were in his way and he could not see through, but he always held his sword in hand and sliced through everything. He built up his sect and the deepest memory etched in his mind started to resurface from the water depths, memories filled with joy and sorrows, tears of joy and blood of pain, neverending despair and the ongoing light. Lancelot was his first disciple, the one who gave him hope for once and truly felt joy ever since losing his family. The sorrow was from when he first lost Charlotte, he has never shown it to anyone, but who could see the razor sharp glass piece stabbing at his heart ever since that day? Tears of joy everytime he makes an major improvement, yet this would always be followed by a stream of blood which was the effort he paid off. The wisdom he had may be natural, but his weakness of cultivation talent was gradually improved through his own efforts and the help of the Phoenix sword. On the way to the Moss forest, he encountered the Moss family who was renowned for the domination they own on water, seven Martial Emperors stronger than a Martial Saint when they come together. As for their warships, all of the seven Martial Emperors possessed one warship for themselves solely. Each was armed with the latest technology they develop and the strongest crew they can assembled. They were a force to be reckoned with and on water, even the entire upper realm might not win them in a battle. After that, he disappeared for a period of time and mastered the basics of all nine foundations completely and left that mysterious place which he was tricked into by his master. By the time he regained freedom, it was already the start of the King Forces tournament which he rushed towards after Lancelot''s desperate call. At the King forces tournament, he made two of the five forces join his sect, the other three were forced to admit defeat as the Nirvana sect claimed victory. He had made arrangements to seek the Soaring Sword sect after it, but his life was turned upside down. And that... Lead him to where he was now. All of a sudden, he felt heat and warmth returning to his body... Chapter 126 - Flickering flame Flame, a flame was set ablaze in his leaking spirit core as it trapped and absorbed back all the lost spirit energy. The spirit energy that resisted was consumed by the flames which soon made them drop the notion. The flame which had been laying dormant inside Nightin''s body ever since his encounter with Phoenix finally revealed itself, it was using its life force to save Nightin, it was the only thing it was taught to do. Burning its vigorous life force without any hesitation, its soon started to flicker before vanishing from this world. Warmth gradually returned to his body soon as his eyes twitched, followed by his fingers subconsciously. His life force was returning and if one were to observe within his body, they would see luminous light recovering his body. This tiny movement had however escaped Phoenix''e eyes which were occupied with bawling her eyes out beside Nightin who laid on the ground without any movement. Even though Nightin eyes were still closed, he could hear Phoenix who was crying for him, he wanted to raise his hand to pat her head and pull her into his embrace for a warming hug, but his body was drained of too much energy. Within his spirit core, the wind spirit made use of this chance to manifest itself as it prepared to improve itself, the fire energy may be useless to it, but the neutral energy would still benefit it. Its long time pal the fire spirit, was a generous chap to its buddy and gave up the spirit energy voluntarily to its friend. The fire spirit made sure to only absorb a certain amount of fire energy and gave up the rest to the wind spirit, it had to prevent history from repeating itself and form the perfect balance and harmony between them. While this secondary process was taking place, Nightin could feel each and every part of his body, he had regained full control of his body. He could sense his body from head to toe, from his muscles down to the bone and cells. Making use of the slight stamina which he recovered, he told Phoenix weakly "Stop crying, I am still alive." "You, you lied to me!" Phoenix cried out as more tears flowed out her cheeks like the delicate beads from a pearl necklace, rolling down her cheeks as they break apart. Before Nightin could react, she had already thrown herself into his warm embrace, her cheeks were on his chest. Only after feeling the pulsating heartbeat and the slight warm that Nightin''s body was radiating, did her hug slightly loosen up. Looking at her ruffled hair and puffy eyes, he could imagine a dazzling beauty just crying her heart out just a moment ago. Placing his hand behind her back, Nightin pulled her tighter into his embrace and said "I am sorry, I shouldn''t have been that reckless." He wanted to reprimanded or even tease her for hugging him this tightly and blaming him for making a lame joke, but he could feel a glass piece on his heart threatening him. Tease her and you will die! Sniffing, she ask "Promise me that you won''t be that rash again in the future, alrite?" Nightin nodded as they just laid there for awhile, the arkward silence between them was soon broken by a question Phoenix posed "Just what will our relationship be like in the future? I mean, you still have Charlotte..." Nightin was at a lost for words at this moment as he said "I don''t know either. I don''t even understand myself, is it gratitude or love that I have for you? I won''t be able to figure that out." "Still, do you like my current body?" Phoenix asked as she stood up, her feathers were still barely covering her body and Nightin blushed upon seeing this taboo scene. "If you don''t turn around, it means that you aren''t in love with me." Phoenix laughed as she made use of this opportunity to tease Nightin back. Nightin gradually recovered his stamina and after about what seems like a few hours, he stood up and realised that the pressure the black pearl emits, is much weaker compared to before. This is not because the black pearl got weaker, but because Nightin finally understood his sword heart and made his breakthrough to the middle stage Martial King realm. If he were to cross swords with Dave who would end up waiting there for years right now, the only way Dave can remain undefeated is to reveal his claws and demonstrate the true strength of a Sage. With his body brimming with energy, he reached out for the black pearl... When Nightin and Phoenix appeared outside at the cave entrance together, Dark Fang was shocked by her appearance ane couldn''t help but still a few more glances, but soon controlled himself upon realising that she belongs to Nightin solely. Walking up to Nightin, he half kneeled and said "I am sorry for being late young master, please forgive me for having taken such a long time." "You may rise, it isn''t your fault that I placed my life in danger due to my own selfishness." Nightin said as Dark Fang stood up from the ground. "Young master, do not attempt the third trail until you are at the Martial Emperor realm, the trail guardian is a completion stage Martial Emperor and every trail, will correspond to another increase." Dark Fang shared his findings without any hesitation. "How did you figure out the info?" Phoenix stepped in front of Nightin and ask in an enchanting voice. Dark Fang felt his mind go blank for a moment before he regained his composure and explained "While I was waiting, I studied the puzzle and realised through my ultrasound frequency that these hidden rules, were being concealed behind the puzzle and it was intentional." "Alright Dark Fang, thanks for the info. Do you have any idea on how to get to the Evil Force academy from here?" Nightin asked casually. "We can find the way after we leave this place, there is a place known as the Voyager harbour Headquarters nearby of here, maybe they can navigate us there." Dark Fang said as he gestured for Nightin and Phoenix to follow. Along the way, Dark Fang couldn''t control his curiosity anymore as he asked "Young master, may I know about her identity?" Nightin nodded and said "This is Phoenix, she is the human form of my sword which you have seen previously." "Isn''t your sword just at the low..." Before Dark Fang could finish his sentence, Nightin cut him off and said "That was in the past, she is a high grade Savior sword now." Dark Fang nodded and was about to pose another question when the morning rays blinded his light, they were at the exit and it was early morning at the moment. They could hear the rustling of little animals in the bushes and the welcoming cries of the birds for them. World, here the trio comes. Discord link: https://discord.gg/aXb8JT7 Chapter 127 - System improvement As the trio quicken their footsteps, they could sense the radiating warmth from the sun rays, the cooling breeze brush past their faces as they finally returned to the outside world. What appeared before their eyes was a meadow, tall grass blades spiked to their waist level. Birds were perched on trees and maple leaves were spread unevenly across the ground. Orange was the perfect colour than blended in with the environment. "It''s the season of Autumn." Nightin said as he held Phoenix''s hand. Pulling her hand away, Phoenix asked "What are you going to about Charlotte then? She''s still waiting for you to fulfill your end of the promise." Nightin stumbled and said "I love her but... I love you too..." The three magical words may seem simple, but it was conveyed through the deepest feelings he had. Phoenix smiled and asked Nightin "Night, do you have a hairband?" Scanning around his system inventory hoping to find one, he saw a black hairpin with an intricate design. It was an arrow piercing through an heart while twirling around it at the same time. Taking it out from the system inventory, he turned around only to see Phoenix blushing as she raised her head. Looking straight into her iridescent eyes, he just felt the resolve to protect he grow stronger as sparks flew in the air. Lowering her head, Phoenix asked shyly "So... Did you find a hairband?" "I didn''t find a hairband, but I have a hairpin if wouldn''t mind." Nightin replied as he pulled Phoenix into his embrace before she could react and ask "Nix, can I help you to put on the hairpin." "Mhm, yea." Phoenix replied as she buried her face into the warm embrace so that she can hide from the embarrassment. After Nightin was done, she said "Thanks Night." Suddenly, the sound of rustling grass could be heard as Phoenix looked towards the direction and saw two rabbits playing around with each other. "Hey look, there are two cute rabbits mating over there!" Phoenix exclaimed, tugging on Nightin''s sleeve as she jumped in joy and ask "Say... Can you get me those rabbits to keep as pets?" Nightin observed those two rabbits and attempted to communicate with the system once again. He may have restricted himself from receiving the system''s assistance back in the lower realm, but things were of another level now. He had no background to contend against those geniuses, no strength to defend himself from even the weak, no authority to request or command for help in desperate times. If you all think that having the best cultivation environment will benefit you greatly and help you stay ahead of your generation, then try surpassing me after the system is fully activated. We shall see, who has the last laugh! The current Nightin had undergone a one hundred eighty degrees change in mindset, since being benevolent and merciful to his enemies would be placing himself in danger, then he shall crush down on those that attempt to harm him. If his enemies ever opt for his loved ones and friends instead of targeting him directly, he would seek and pin them down to the ground and torture them in the most inhumane ways imaginable. "System reactivating for version 3.0 to adapt to the current situation of not being a sect master!" "New function: Complete data analysis!" "New function: Merit shop!" "System, what is the merit shop?" Nightin asked within his mind as he pretended to be observing the pair of rabbits. "The merit shop is basically a mental shop in your mind where anything can be bought, the currency would be merit points which you can earn through various missions." "As of right now, only the C grade merit shop will be opened. Higher grade merit shops will be accessible once host ranks up or the system goes through another period of updating." "Alright then, open up the merit shop!" Holographic screens with a mesmerising scarlet as the background and a sword made of roses, made it look like an perfect artwork which one can stare at for ages. At the top right corner of the holographic screen, it shows... Merit coins: 0 List of items: (more to be updated) Health Vial: Instantly recovers the amount of blood and spirit energy for any cultivator below the Martial Saint realm. Price: 20 merit coins King Smash pill: Instantly increases cultivation realm by one sub realm in the Martial King realm, but one would end up a cripple after consuming it unless they have a Saint rank body constitution. Price: 1000 merit coins Nine Mystic Swords (Combined version): The attack of each sword move can be combined together, bringing forth the speed of light and the power of destruction. 512 times of a cultivator attack power can be brought out when cultivated to the completion stage. Price : 1 star coin "System, what''s a star coin?" "A star coin is worth a million merit coins. There are only two methods to obtain star coins." "Oh, what are the two ways?" "The first would be to complete the missions given perfectly or even beyond perfection to get a star coin, do however take note that every mission for a star coin poses certain risks and losing of a life is a common sight." "That... It definitely isn''t easy from the way you''re phrasing it." "I have never mentioned that it''s easy." "You are so human-like now, I wouldn''t even believe it if you weren''t my system." "But still, what''s the second method?" "The second method would be to complete near impossible achievements which the system has arranged based on difficulty for its host, such as getting you to kill a Martial Saint before reaching the Martial Emperor realm and many more." "Alright thanks, how do I view the missions though?" Nightin asked as another holographic screen appeared before his eyes. Its background was the colour of void and the silver line curving down from the middle, it makes the background much more appealing and the simple design, seemingly brought out its entire aura. "Jade Crystal Rabbits have been detected!" [Male Jade Crystal Rabbit: early stage Demon Lord realm] [Female Jade Crystal Rabbit: half step Demon lord realm] [Both Jade Crystal rabbits have a growth potential of the A rank] "System, how is the ranking for the demon beasts categorised?" [Demon beasts and items will be differentiated based on their growth potential and rarity respectively.] "Hey Phoenix, how are you going to control those two jade Chapter 128 - Jade Crystal Rabbits "Nix, are you sure about signing an equal contract with them? They might seem like docile creatures, but they are still demon beasts in the end." Nightin told Phoenix, hoping to change her mind. "But Night, please... Don''t you find them extremely cute? It would be difficult to find such a pair again in the future." Phoenix didn''t back down as expected, but instead tried to play cute and change Nightin''s mindset. Nightin was about to decline her, but couldn''t bear to in the end and asked "Do you perhaps have any idea on how to coax them into an equal contract?" [Timed quest has been activated (due to your choice to help Nix in the end), help Phoenix to sign an contract with the Jade Crystal Rabbits, rewards might be increased depending on the type of contract signed.] It''s not that Nightin didn''t what to help Phoenix, but because he knows just how difficult it is to sign an equal contract. There are five types of contract in this world. The first being the force enslavement contract where the demon beast only holds hostility towards its master, loyalty is nothing but a joke in this contract. The second would be the benefit contract where the demon beasts don''t hold any loyalty or hostility towards its master, the only reason it serves is for the promised benefits after the deed is done. The third contract would be the equal contract which Phoenix is trying to achieve. The demon beasts and its master would coexist together as equals, friendship would exist and the level of friendship, will be . The fourth contract would be the loyalty contract where the demon beast will swear its loyalty upon its master. The demon beast would be restricted to little freedom and would fulfill all given duties unless its life is threatened in the process. The fifth and final contract only exists in the legends. The contract of souls. In this contract, things are believed to be full of mysteriousness, every case recorded in the legends are unique and only lesser than 10 such contracts have taken place since the birth of the cultivation era. Scanning through his given options, he knows that his best shot at it would be helping Phoenix to sign an equal contract of loyalty contract. Turning around to face Phoenix, he asked "How do you plan on approaching those Jade Crystal Rabbits though?" Phoenix hesitated for a moment and was about to say "I don''t know." But memories of beast taming suddenly flooded into her mind as she instinctively said "I have the full concept of beast taming in my mind for some reason." Nightin pondered for a moment upon hearing about this before telling her "That''s possible, you were the Divine sword who followed the Phoenix Ancestor after all, you having seen him tame a few demon beasts should be the reason for this unexpected gift." "But you were the one who awakened me." Phoenix catched on. "If not for you, I would at best be some material who has defying strength. It was you who gave me a new lease of life and the ability to view the whole world from my own perspective." "I didn''t expect you to have awakened because of the fact that I was going to die, I guess I owe Phoenix three now. One for helping me out when I was just a weakling, one for giving the chance to adventure and journey with you, the last for saving his life at his death bed." He owes the Phoenix Ancestor way too much and the best he could do, was to repay him by fulfilling his last wishes. Phoenix ran off as she went to gather some weeds and flowers or anything that the rabbits could possibly eat. When she returned and attempted to give the Jade Crystal Rabbits some food, they shunned her and even showed hostility. Approaching the rabbits again, she bowed down and placed the food on the ground in front of them before stepping back, beast taming isn''t a simple profession as it''s just way too time consuming. Right now, Phoenix was planning to take her time to let the rabbits drop their guard against her first, only then can she progress to the next step to make the more affectionate with her "Nix, just fall back if things doesn''t seem right!" Nightin cautioned for her to be careful when he saw the rabbits showing hostility and flaring their teeth at her. "Stand back, it''s fine!" Phoenix placed one hand out and gestured for Nightin to keep away. Nightin furrowed his brows in disapproval, but still kept some distance away from Phoenix. Telling her to stay safe once again before backing off. Time passes quickly and in just the time of some cultivation cycles, the stars and moon had already swapped shifts with the sun. The luminous light lit up the darkness and for some reasons, the sky was actually slightly blue but none of them paid attention to this weird phenomenon. Phoenix considered that this process would take up to months and for someone like Nightin, he definitely doesn''t have the time to accompany her. "Night, why don''t you leave first, I''ll find you once I''ve tamed the pair of rabbits." Nightin was about to reject her, but she continued "It''s fine, I won''t go missing on you. With my current strength, I should he safe as long as I don''t meet any existences or individual above the Great Saint realm." "Young master, I''ve returned with the map you requested. Based on the information I''ve gathered, we''re currently stranded on the southern area and the Voyager Kingdom in the central area, should be our next location." Dark Fang Interjected in at this moment, interrupting Nightin from changing Phoenix''s mind. "Young master, I''m sorry for eavesdropping on the last part of the conversation, but I believe that if you truly love someone, you should give her the degree she wants to complete her checklist of tasks." Dark Fang explained like an expert who knows much about love, even making exaggerated actions to express his thoughts. "Little bat, have you perhaps been in love before? Why do you know so much about what love means?" Phoenix teased as she walked towards them, the two rabbits already asleep in the burrow she helped to decorate. "You overthink of me young lady, I merely read about these information on a book during my spare time." Dark Fang explained patiently, acting like it''s the best thing one should do during his or her spare time. "Dark Fang, is there a reason why you returned so early before the designated time we agreed on?" Chapter 129 - Voyager Kingdom After spending some alone time together with Phoenix, Nightin finally decided to leave on his own first with Dark Fang accompanying him. He might have the intentions to stay by Phoenix side, but both of them has their respective duties in mind and it would have to wait until they finish what they have to. "Hey Nix, keep this for me until the day we meet again will ya?" Nightin whispered into Phoenix''s ears as he stuffed an amulet into her hands. It was dropped by his father and he only happened to pick it up before leaving that trail area. Of course, he wouldn''t let Phoenix in on the origin of this amulet of she would refuse to take it even more. Phoenix took it over and fiddled the amulet and saw the words ''Gale'' carved onto the upper side of the emerald. "Hey, Night, is this perhaps from your father?" Phoenix asked as she stuffed it back into Nightin''s hands, but he pushed it back and explained "This is the most precious item I have on me, so if you don''t wish to feel guilty for taking away my only heart and precious item, you should return to me as soon as possible." Even though to Nightin, Phoenix was the one who gave him a future, but it was also him who gave her a future and a new lease of time. Since they owed each other, they shall repay each other with everything they have. The human heart may be pretty conflicting and ways of the heart may always be distorted, but it''s also this mess that gives them the ray of hope in life. As the two of them sat down on the floor, they cuddled with each other against the wall, it was the last moments they were going to spent together. "Hey Night, I really don''t want to leave you when we''ve just gotten together for such a short period of time." Phoenix whispered in the silence, her body inching closer to Nightin. Nightin didn''t answer, but just hugged her and said "Are you willing to wait for me if I have to leave you one day?" "I will wait." Phoenix replied as tear droplets formed on her eyes as she broke out in tears in Nightin''s embrace. "Wait for me! Promise me that you''ll wait for me!" Nightin patted Phoenix on the head as he usually would and whispered "Don''t worry, I''ll wait for until the day the stars fall and the universe crumbles." "What if I never return even until that day comes?" Phoenix asked in concern as she climbed his body and place her lips before Nightin. "My heart for you will still remain the same as it has been, I swear on the life of my love ones including myself." Nightin said solemnly as his face gradually inched closer to Phoenix. * * * (Dawn) * * * After Nightin left with Dark Fang, they headed North and passed by a few mountains and valleys along the way. Even the strongest demon beasts were only at the peak of the Demon Emperor realm, leaving them nothing but prey in the face of a true predator at the Half Saint Demon realm. "Young master, how did the experience feel like?" Dark Fang asked abruptly along the way as they leaped over a hill. "What experience are you talking about? Are you referring to that kiss?" Nightin replied as his face blushed lightly. If he had treated Dark Fang as a subordinate, he would have already raged and lash off at him. Dark Fang may think so of their relationship, but he''ll make Dark Fang treat him as a friend and understand that he thinks so from the bottom of his heart. "Kiss! Young master, you mean that was as far as you went?" Dark Fang blurted out rudely as surprise covered his face. "What else were you expecting?" Nightin asked in a blur manner, curiosity covered his face and his perplexed expression showed Dark Fang that he truly didn''t understand the underlaying meaning. "And here I''ve been thinking that my young master is finally a grown man worthy of my respect." Dark Fang exclaimed as they continued travelling on the last flat plains approaching the Voyager kingdom. They could already see the sparkling ocean water which was brimming with marine life, diverse breeds of fishes could be seen swimming near the surface of the water. "But still young master, do you need me to spell everything out for you?" Dark Fang asked, hoping for a no as an answer for the first time in his life. "Yea, that would help." Nightin replied as he waited for Dark Fang to explain everything to him. After hearing about Dark Fang''s detailed description of what sexual intercourse is and why he thought that way, Nightin blushed as he mocked himself, even a twelve year old kid knows about such indecent knowledge. Shaking his head to brush off the topic, they finally arrived at the entrance of the Voyager Kingdom gates. Unlike most kingdoms which have guards stationed at the entrance, they made use of their advance technology to develop a water sensor. The identity of the person will be scanned and known if they have committed any crimes and will be blocked out from entering the Voyager harbour. The prestigious cultivators or visitors would receive special treatment and privileges. From the information which Dark Fang had gathered, the status of the person entering the Voyager Kingdom, is actually dependent on the colour which lights up upon entering the kingdom. The average people who doesn''t stand out or hasn''t committed any serious crime, will light up the white ring when they enter. The pristigeous cultivators would light up a green glow while those who have done evil, would light up a red glow. Of course, there''s another colour in this kingdom which rarely lights up. The colour of the sea in which the ring rarely activates, for the moment the ring lights up, it means that someone from the Evil Academy is here to be transported to the examination area. It might seem like nothing much, but only those with high hopes pinned on them, would have their status and information prepared by someone beforehand so that the Voyager Kingdom can receive them. Chapter 130 - Conflict When Dark Fang told Nightin these information, he also asked "Young master, has your information been recorded by the Voyager Kingdom?" Nightin shrugged his shoulders and replied "I''m not sure either, we''ll take things one step at a time." "Young master, I''ll wait for you on the other side." Dark Fang lowered his head and said politely before walking towards the scanning area. After standing at the scanning area for about three seconds, the white ring lit up. A systematic voice message soon followed after "Common civilian, you may enter the Voyager kingdom by yourself." The kingdom gates then opened up for him as he stepped into the Voyager kingdom. The view on the internal side was blocked off from Nightin and all he could see on the other side was nothingness. That''s pretty reasonable though, it''s just another layer of those troublesome and trivial security measures. "Evil Lord Orochi, couldn''t you have at least given me more info on what I should do?" Nightin muttered to himself as he stepped into the Voyager Kingdom scanner. After about thirty seconds, the entrance for him was still blocked off and none of the rings lit up. Looking around him, all he could see were the four rings which weren''t lit up. Thinking that the sensor might have somehow let him enter undetected, maybe due to a system malfunction or error. He was about to step out when the holgraphic exit gates closed on him. [Side quest has been triggered: Find out the mastermind who locked you up here and the reason for it] [Rewards: Nine Mystic layers, first manual] Nine mystic layers is the evolved form on his nine mystic swords which has already grown too weak to amplify his attacks in the slightest. If one tells Nightin that the system is only an artificial intelligence without any mindset, he would rebuke them. But speaking of which, the Nine Mystic layers might be the strongest attack technique in the entire cultivation universe if cultivated to its peak, with its ability to amplify the attack power of a cultivator by a thousand times when cultivated past the completion realm, the realm of transcending. "Hey! Is anyone out there!" Nightin shouted, letting the quest notification go undetected by him, in which he''ll seek the answers to anyways. He was trapped in the scanning area of the entrance and even if he were to shout until he loses his voice, there would be no one around to hear him. He was just like a experimental rat who got forgotten by the scientist and left there to wait for its death, no matter how big of a commotion the rat causes in the container, it still wouldn''t affect the scientist who left it to its own demises. "Whoever is out there, I know you can hear me! If so, then why don''t you show yourself instead of being a cowardly turtle lurking in the dark!" Nightin shouted again as he circulated his spirit energy into his Samsara sword, slashing towards the entrance gates. The slash caused the trapped air within the scanning area to split apart, but it soon dissappated as though it has never appeared to begin with. What? That was Nightin''s only reaction when he realised that he wasn''t just under surveillance, that person playing around with him like a puppeta and had strength that surpasses him to an unimaginable extent. There''s also the more likely scenario in which the person was only making use of the defense pre laid out in the scanning area. He had merely arrived at the foot of the mountain after much effort, but the person at the summit was already rolling boulders to kill him for some reason. "Damn it! Just what is it that you want!" Nightin shouted again as his fist smashed into the wall, causing a tiny spiderweb crack and a small dent, which soon returned to its initial form as though as it has never taken place. "You should have anticipated the arrival of this day the moment you decided to touch the woman our young master set his eyes on." The voice of a youth probably around his early twenties sounded off as an energy projection formed at the entrance. In just the time of lesser than a second, his energy body had finished forming as he stood before Nightin. The youth had sharp eyebrows, short brown hair which had natural curls to them and a muscular body structure. "Now that I''m here, it''s about time I take your life in his stead." The youth said coldly as his killing intent pressured down on Nightin, but the vision of Nightin kneeling down to him didn''t take place as expected. "Don''t you think that you''re being too arrogant? Someone in his early twenties is picking on someone like me who''s barely seventeen years of age and you don''t find it disgraceful?" Nightin provoked in a mocking manner, a curve forming on his face. "It doesn''t matter. No one will know about this matter so long as I silence you today. You''re just a middle stage Martial King after all. Since that''s the case, I shall face you with my actual body." "In addition, I''m sure that the young master would be pleased by my decisions and even reward me, it''s been one year since my cultivation made any progress and without his assistance, there''s no way I can shatter the fourth gate without three years more worth of time." "Also, you should know the harsh requirements required to survive in the Overlord realm, let me replenish another information for you. Experts who are suppressing their cultivation at the ninth gate and some hybrid eight gates are spared from the law." The energy projection said so as the kingdom gates opened, the man showed his true self which looked the same as the energy projection, but he looked much more muscular in comparison with his tall stature. Walking into the scanning area with the kingdom gates closing silently behind him, he said "Now then, say goodbye to this short and pathetic lifetime of yours!" The brown haired youth said as he dashed forwards and threw his fist forward. On his fist were spiked knuckles which was being worn. Judging from their sharpness and material, it should be a high grade heaven weapon with arrays carved on it. "It doesn''t matter, just don''t end up dying by my hands today." Nightin said so calmly that it actually sent shivers down the brown haired youth''s spine, but it was too late for him to back down as he punched forward with all his might. "Is that all you got? You should just be someone of a low status then. A first to third gate Martial Emperor at the age of twenty, even my disciples in the middle grade realms can achieve that." Nightin said, his voice devoid of any tone as he raised his palm up. Circulating his firestorm spirit energy, wind manifested on his palm as they easily resolved the sharpness and impact of that attack, allowing the fire to cause an explosion. Boom Hearing the sentence "even my disciples in the middle grade realm can achieve that" smashed his will and arrogance which had finally been built up after his dark past. Am I still a cripple in the end? That was his last thought before a loud explosion occured at the point of contact, causing the brown haired youth to fly backwards as his body crashed onto the wall heavily, his arm had been seriously burnt and if Nightin didn''t pull back at the last moment, he would already be crippled for life. "So, just who is your young master and the woman you were talking about?" Nightin questioned as he looked down on the brown haired youth from above, his foot stamped on the chest of the brown haired youth. Chapter 131 - If only Even though Nightin''s feet was stamped on the brown haired youth''s chest, the youth merely laughed at all this as blood leaked from his mouth "Haha, even if you were to kill me right now, I would still keep silent about this whole matter!" Nightin closed his eyes and stamped down harder before questioning again "So, are you willing to speak now? You should know that if treatment is delayed any further, your arm will end up being crippled." The brown haired youth merely sighed as he said weakly "I Javier at the age of twelve stepped into the Martial Spirit realm and was crowned as the number one genius in my family. Yet fate pulled a cruel roulette on me as my family head, who is my uncle sent me to the slave traders without sparing a thought for my feelings." "He did so just to ensure that the entire family would support his son with all the cultivation resources while lying to them, me being sent to a Demi-Rank sect was merely his conspiracy and yet my foolish family members fell for it, this included my dearest parents and brother." "For six years I was a test subject, I had to endure thousands of poisons testings and beatings, I was given the minimal amount of water and food needed to sustain my body needs, I was nothing more but a tool for them to hold life and death slaughter arenas for the psychopathic rich!" "There would always be more dead bodies piles up together whenever I open my eyes, many of them had lost hope in life and plunged into the darkness or the grim reaper, yet I actually held on to that last ray of light and chain, awaiting for someone to pull me back up." "I was suffocating in the water and couldn''t find a way out, that was until the day my young master broke into the slaughter arena and murdered all those slave traders, since it was an illegal gathering to begin with, everyone there was killed mercilessly with toxic acid beyond the average endurance of a human." "From that day onwards, I made a vow to protect my young master with my life and even cultivated till I faint daily, yet my meridians were already damaged and even though the young master helped me to recover mostly, I was merely a star specked with unremovable dust and left in the corner!" Hearing Javier releasing all his pent up rage at once made Nightin soften as he asked "If that so, then why do you still want to serve that young master of yours that much?" "Because he treats me as his only brother and friend, others were shunning from him because of the way he handle cases, his character was direct and he would always pinpoint out even the slightest mistakes, this included the placing of utensils even during mealtimes. It may be irritating, but I view him the same way as he does towards me." Javier explained as he began to smile at a point of time. "Then have you ever thought of it this way, what if your young master treats you as a friend instead of a mere servant? Shouldn''t you actually take the initiative to make him realise that he isn''t alone? That someone is still concerned about his wellbeing?" Nightin questioned and even pressured on "You really think that the reason for your stagnant cultivation is because your young master isn''t giving you any cultivation resources? It''s because he knows that it wouldn''t suffice and he probably has other plans for you in mind. The thing restricting you isn''t your talent or damaged meridians, but your heart for cultivation." "Open your heart up and embrace the dark past, grow strong enough to fight alongside the young master who you treat as your brother and rid the world of evil!" Hearing Nightin''s rally cry, Javier felt the gate which had been sealed shut loosening up and he quickly delved into his consciousness and began to make a breakthrough. Ahead of him were three doors, the first was red which reminded him of the bloodshed and lives which he has taken to survive up till now, but he merely closed his eyes as his fist smashed through the gate without any hesitation. With the first gate being broken, he gradually walked up to the second gate as Nightin protected him from outside, it would prove fatal if he was interrupted at this crucial point of time. The second gate, it was purple in colour and reminded him of all the memories that he''s too terrified of, the poisons which he had experienced till now may have given him the immunity to most poisons, but the pain he had to endure wasn''t worth it at all. Even so, I won''t allow something like this to stop my path anymore! Javier cried out to himself as he dashed and smashed through the gate without any hesitation and landed before the third gate. This... Javier felt fear when he stared at the pink coloured gate. It reminded him of the family which has deserted him foolishly and that treacherous uncle of his which feared him and even killed his parents, just because he''s worried that they''ll discover the truth and divulge it to the rest. Sensing that Javier''s cultivation aura was chaotic, Nightin quickly sent his voice into Javier''s consciousness "Don''t get distracted or clouded by the past, look ahead for whatever life has in stall for you from now on." Nightin''s words may be simple, but it actually gave Javier the inspiration and whatever he needed as the wall was broken through as well in one move. Javier stopped there and waited for his consciousness to leave the mind world of gates, yet his body remained there without showing any signs of leaving which told him one thing, it meant that he hasn''t finish this journey yet. Dashing ahead to seek that last gate, what he found was a iridescent gate with an array of luminous colours, it gave off the feelings of courage, love and hate. Peace and impulse. Effort and endurance. It was a mixed palate of emotions and traits, yet Javier could sense the hidden meaning within it as the gate vanished of its own accord. Boom Boom Boom Boom "Javier, you finally..." Boom Boom Before Nightin could even finish asking, Javier''s aura rose quickly to the ninth gate of the Martial Emperor realm as he got up on his feet, cupped his hands and bowed towards Nightin "Thank you for helping me to awaken the nine elemental gates. It seems like another Overlord will be born in just a hundred years, my brother and I will join you on your conquest during that moment as we seek the path to immortality." Before Nightin could even ask about the identity of the young master or who that woman was, Javier had already left as the blue ring lit up and was followed by a systematic message soon after. Well, it seems like I wouldn''t have the chance to know the answer anytime soon. Let''s just hope that I don''t end up making any unnecessary enemies. "Congratulations to seeded candidate number one Nightin, please wait patiently as our guide Robin will arrive shortly." After waiting for about five minutes, a man stepped into the scanning area and leaped off from his hawk. The man was wearing what seemed like golden glasses and even though his build was slim, once could vaguely sense the hidden muscular strength. He had golden hair which was combed back which revealed his shiny forehead and most importantly, he looked young with a quill pen in hand. "Excuse me, are you guide Robin? May I know how to address you?" Nightin stepped up and asked politely with his right fist over his chest, a sign of respect and greeting in the Voyager Kingdom which Dark Fang had mentioned to him about during their conversations. That Dark Fang actually told me this more detailedly that other information, did he already know what was going to happen? "Oh, you can just call me Sir Robin." Robin replied patiently as he spins the simply made quill pen in his hand. Chapter 132 - Just a test "Sir Robin, are you my guide at the Voyager Kingdom?" Nightin asked politely with his right fist thumped on his chest. "You can just call me sir Robin if you like, there''s no need for the respect sign." Robin said impatiently as he drew a circle in the air with his quill pen, dividing the air away from that area as a transportation portal was formed in the time of a brief, unfinished conversation. "Sir Robin, sorry if I''m offending you, but why are you using just a simple quill pen from the mundane world?" Nightin asked politely while taking into consideration Robin''s words without questioning. He once was a mortal himself and understood that even those items from the mortal world might have practical usage, they don''t provide the cultivator with any extra effects. "Oh, are you perhaps looking down on these items which are way too simple for you?" Robin questioned as his pitch rose slightly, stepping into the portal before Nightin could reply with an satisfying answer. Nightin followed after and the next sight amazed him, they were currently in the middle of a vibrant marketplace where many road stalls could be seen. To their west was the vast ocean where many small islands could be seen floating on the sparkling water surface. Some of the islands with a smaller land area were deserted while those with more space, had buildings such as private villas on some; some public inns for those with higher popularity to gather extra income for the Voyager kingdom. The Voyager Kingdom besides being renowned as the ruler of the seas, they were also well known for these prestigeous islands where many couples come here to spend some alone time on those private villas. Seagulls could be seen flying around and some were perched on those rocks, marine life such as turtles and crabs could be seen near the shore. The Voyager Kingdom despite being a powerhouse in the cultivation universe, it was actually eluding peace. "So, have you came to an conclusion?" Robin refreshed Nightin''s memory as he stretched his arms out and arched backwards, breathing in the fresh air. Recovering from his daze, Nightin replied while his gaze stayed on those seagulls, it had been some time since he last saw their species. "Why would I despise those items when they hold practical usage? You may not know about this, but I was once a mortal born in a cultivation family." Nightin then briefly explained his past while Robin made a few more ticks on his checklist. Polite. Respectful. Good attitude. "Oh, do you resent those family members of yours?" Robin sounded surprise as he made an exaggerated ''O'' shape with his mouth, forming a smile on Nightin''s face. "Resent? It has been some time since that thought ever came across my mind." Nightin paused before continuing to explain "But ever since I stepped onto the cultivation path, I realised that their actions were childish in comparison to the cultivation world." Maybe in the past, Nightin would have hated them even though most of them treated him well, because they merely view him as a quick tool and access to pull in ties with his father. But only after growing up and stepping into the cultivation world did he understand, they were only following the corruption within the human heart. Robin nodded his head in approval, making a few more ticks on his checklist before a sinister smile formed on his face as he slashed towards Nightin with his quill pen all of a sudden. Subconsciously dodging the attack, Nightin formed the Samsara sword in hand as faced Robin who was drawing some magic circles in the air. "Sir Robin, what are you doing?" Nightin asked as a sudden beam of energy sudden blasted towards him, in which he divided apart with his sword. Wait a moment, I would already be dead since the first attack if he held the slightest intention of killing me. Nightin warned himself to stay passive and explain his discoveries, this was most likely a test. "Sir Robin, I believe that I deserve an A grade for the test. You made it too simple for me, or at least just an attack power and speed comparable to the early stage Martial Emperor was you underestimating me." "Not bad, you''re the first to have discovered the intention behind my sudden attack. Do you have any clue as to why I decided to sneak attack you right in the middle of our conversation and even pressured on?" Robin posed another trick question while he made another tick on the checklist. After pondering for a short while, Nightin answered as he shared his inner thoughts, "I''m not very sure of the answer, but I managed to come up with two answers. The first reason is because you wanted to test my reaction speed while the second reason, it might prove useful if I can identify an deception attack." Robin shook his head as he resigned to fate, someone actually managed to pass his character test for the first time in his twenty years of duty. Robin had fought and strived hard for this role ever since he caught news of them hiring a guide for the Evil force and prestigious nobles. The Voyager Kingdom may have heard of how he does thing by now, but they gave him the silent approval by allowing him to do things as he deem suit. Nobody besides the highest rank among those in control of the Voyager kingdom knows about the reason why he desired this role, but those who know admired his courage and motivation. He was one the number one genius in the Voyager kingdom and he was supposed to receive an Saint Blessing elixir from the Voyager. An elixir which would help someone to grow the saint force by ten percent regardless of the current saint energy amount. Yet the plot didn''t go as demanded by the viewers, his best friend who he had treated as a brother all his life actually backstabbed him at the most crucial moment. Ever since that day, he had set his eyes on that role and achieved his goal in just three years, even managing to take the painful revenge of killing that betrayer even though he wasn''t guilty of any crime. Three years and he rose from the Martial Emperor realm to the Martial Saint realm at the tender age of eighteen, shattering through nine coloured gates which were related to the divinity space law. About twenty years have passed since then and his improvement speed has already amazed the Voyager Kingdom and squeezed into the first tier combat strength of the kingdom. A second transformation Demigod who only needed ten years at most to see through the third transformation even with the duties tied down on him, that was the talent the Voyager Kingdom sees and betted on The law enforces merely turned a blind eye to this trivial case, the life of an elite soldier wasn''t comparable to the only guide in the Voyager kingdom in any ways. "Congratulations on passing the first test then." Robin laughed out loud as he asked "Or would you like to spend some time around here to enjoy the scenery and learn more about our kingdom?" "Of course I would want to explore the Voyager kingdom, it isn''t a chance that comes by easily to have a personal guide in the Voyager kingdom." Nightin replied with a slight smile on his face. Time to have fun, Nightin thought to himself for the first time. Chapter 133 - Martial Emperor list of experts Robin smiled and said "Sure, I''ll lead the way." Nightin shook his head and replied "It''s fine, I would prefer to have the freedom of travelling alone. How about this, I''ll meet you back here before nightfall." "Hmm, sure. Just make sure not to be late, I''m someone who detests waiting." Robin laughed as he stepped into the portal he drew with his quill pen and vanished from Nightin''s sight. Alright now, where should I go? Nightin asked himself, only to receive a system message unexpectedly. [Optional quest: Purchase the sword technique from one of the stall vendors] [Rewards: The saint grade sword technique bought and one year worth of comprehension for it] Seeing the rewards, Nightin knows that the chance for a proper sword move has came, it''s up to him to seize the opportunity and seek it out through his own eyes. Walking down the street, he noticed that even though the items sold were similar to back in the Fisher Harbour owned by the Voyager branch family, the rarity and grades of both couldn''t be compared. Back in the lower realm, the fishes sold were usually around the third grade which would only benefit those at the Martial Spirit realm and below. However at the Voyager Kingdom marketplace here, even the most common fishes sold would be around the sixth grade, benefitting those at the Martial Emperor realm and below. There would even be rare fishes up to the ninth grade at times, which would sometimes attract those Demigods or even scarier existences, it doesn''t matter if it''s for their own personal gains or their descendents, the Voyager Kingdom would have gained another ally. Walking up to one of the fish stalls, he scanned around and looked at the sign for a moment before asking "Sir, can I get a steamed salmon of the fifth grade please." The fish stall vendor, probably around his late forties or so based on his appearance, opened his drowsy eyes and cooked the fish in an instant moment before packaging it up while saying "It has been quite some time since I last met such a talented young genius. This meal will be my treat." "No, it''s fine. Do take the four spirit stone you''ve listed for the price." Nightin rejected the vendor kind intention as he dipped the spirit stones over while taking over the fish with another hand and relishing into its juicy flesh. "It''s nice!" Nightin exclaimed as he looked at the vendor and was about to order another species of fish only to be interrupted. "Hey, sell me all the fishes you have!" It was a man in his early twenties with a elegant lady who was young, but already showing traits of maturity. Judging from the situation, the youth was most likely trying to impress the woman by showing off his affluent wealth. This small commotion over here was noticed by a few people as more eyes soon turned towards the direction in curiosity. "Young lad, I''ll only attend to you after you queue up and wait for this young man to finish his order." The fish vendor said with gusto, a well concealed smile forming on his face. The youth didn''t rage, but instead turned towards Nightin and smiled while saying "This young master over here, it isn''t easy for someone of your young age to attain this level of cultivation. How about this, I''ll give you the chance to serve as a royal guard under the Voyager Kingdom seventh general who is my father." "What? So he''s the son of the seventh general who has the top three achievements in the Voyager Kingdom?" "But considering that none of us know him, he might just be one of those sons of his with lower talent." "But even if that''s the case, there''s no way that his father will turn an blind eye to his if things go out of hand." "That young man better he rational if he still wishes to keep his head intact." Countless conversations going on at the same time caused the crowded Voyager marketplace to get even rowdier, many people were pushing and shoving to have a better view of the situation, but some weaker cultivators tried to get further on the other hand. Nightin smirked as he asked "Is being the royal guard of the seventh general that honourable?" Robin who had been around the area was surprised when he sensed Nightin''s aura as he rushed towards the area, cursing to himself internally, you gotta be kidding me! Just one moment and he has already gotten into trouble! The young man then emphasised again "I''m the youngest son of the seventh general and my name is Shun, the one who has recently entered the Martial Emperor list of experts." The crowd burst into an uproar as a Martial Saint shouted "Who here has the Martial Emperor list of experts? Open it up so that everyone can look at the rankings!" This Martial Saint had heard from some of his friends that there has been some changes to the Martial Emperor list of experts. He had initially thought that it was became those few on the top of the list had made an breakthrough, but it seems like the case isn''t as simple. Robin landed from the air at this point as his released aura caused the whole crowd to calm down and keep silent. His pressure was too overbearing on everyone around here, it was like a sheep running into a the king of the forest, an existence much scarier than its usual predators. "There''s no need to check, Shun is the number twenty first expert on the Martial Emperor list of experts!" Robin announced as he stood there and turned his gaze to Nightin, communicating to him through telepathy "Young lad, please don''t cause me any more trouble." Nightin merely shook his head and ask Shun "Is your ranking that impressive? You aren''t even in the single digits and you dare to be this arrogant?" "Hahaha, do you know what it means to enter the Martial Emperor list of experts at just the seventh gate? Even the weakest of the hundred in the list has the potential to open up the ninth gate. The top fifty has the potential to smash through the special trait gates and those on the top twenty, they have the talent to nurture their saint force to a higher initial grade!" "And you''re blocked off from the top twenty experts of the list." Nightin stated amusingly, leaving the crowd flabbergasted by his guts. Everyone hear knows that all the top twenty experts in the list are at least of the eighth gate Martial Emperor realm, the top twelve have stepped into the ninth gate Martial Emperor realm, him being twenty first on the list meant that his future was at least the first five spots of the list. "Young lad, you asked for it!" Shun dashed forwards as energy gathered around his palm, a clean swift punch which showed that he tempered his body as well. Chapter 134 - Rising star Facing the incoming punch, the majority of the crowd thought that Nightin was done for. Most of the cultivators here were only around the Martial King and Martial Emperor realm, with just their average talent and strength, they weren''t able to see through the reason for Shun''s swift attack. Only a few present among the crowd including Robin could see the confidence in Nightin''s eyes, yet none of them believed that it was due to arrogance as they folded their arms. They wanted to see a collision between someone on the list and a genius roaming cultivator only at the Martial King realm. "Is that all you''ve got?" Nightin said calmly as feathers of black and angelic white formed in front of him. It isn''t a wise choice for him to expose his true strength yet. The others may not feel it, but Shun who was attacking could sense the threat the feathers were giving off as he pulled back at the very last moment, punching towards the ground for a momentum backward boost. "Just who are you!" Shun questioned at the top of his quivering voice, beads of water droplets were dripping down his forehead as his chaotic breathing got noticed by the crowd. "What the hell just happened!" "Why did he suddenly back off at the last moment? It was only some feathers in his way!" "The feathers must be a one time usage treasure of an extremely high rarity to pose danger to him!" Heated debates took place among the crowd, multiplying quickly in numbers just like the quick division of cells. As for the few who knows about the truth, they kept silent when they saw Robin playing around with his impractical quill pen. It''s a common fact that the guide of the Voyager Kingdom has some weird habits, him spinning the pen when prepared to watch an amusing show was one of them. His action may he obvious, but how could the norm stay calm upon this unexpected surprise and pay attention to the small details? "You asking about my identity? I''m just a mortal in your eyes, but with comprehension and wisdom which stands above all geniuses." Nightin said confidently as a bow formed on his hand. He may not have practiced archery before, but his mind was telling him that the feathers were linked to archery, the deeper his comprehension of the life and death; order and chaos divinity laws go, the more unpredictable the future benefits they would bring. Charging up his bow formed from his Samsara energy, the feathers of order and chaos came together, the tip was the colour of destruction and the rest was of holy properties. Pulling the string back, an arrow pierced through the air as the crowd felt dazed when the arrow left its catalyst. It was so sudden that they felt their mind black out for a moment from the unanticipated shock. Shun knew that it would be foolish if he held back any further as what seemed like an gauntlet was equipped onto both his arms as lighting coiled around his arms and even his entire body. "You underestimate one of the strongest experts on the list!" Shun shouted as ripped lightning pierced through the air and formed sharp waves which spiralled and curved towards Nightin from various angles. Nightin smirked as the arrow pierced through the lightning wave and split it into half while piercing through the air to seek its target. What? Shun reacted quickly despite the shock as streaks of thunder formed below his feet as he evaded to the right. Swoosh The arrow having missed its mark, burst into seven blades of glass like feathers as they dashed towards Shun in a straight line. "What the hell is this!" Shun shouted as a wall made of thunder rose from the ground and trapped two of the seven feathers, a snake made of lightning soon followed after as it devoured three feathers before disappating, the last two of the seven feathers were then destroyed by his punch. Shun had the notion to surrender, but Nightin''s provoke made him lose his rationality as he speeded forward. "Shun? As in all you can do is dodge? That''s a pretty impressive name your parents gave you." Seeing the approaching enemy, Nightin knows that the only way to deal with someone like him, would be to defeat him cleanly in one move and leave him no chances of making a comeback. "Don''t ever insult my parents!" Hearing the rage contained in Shun''s voice when he heard this, made Nightin changed his mind as he took out his Samsara sword and slashed forwards. This wasn''t humiliation, but respect for his opponent who actually risked his life just because someone insulted his parents, he was an opponent worthy of Nightin''s respect. With a single slash, Shun staggered backwards as the sword stayed close to his neck. Closing his eyes, he gradually said "Thank you for revealing your true strength, though I know that it''s far from where it lays. Also, don''t ever insult my parents again or I''ll find a way to kill you even if it means death or losing myself to the chaos." "Haha, I was just joking about and you treated it that seriously? Anyways, just know that unless my opponent is a Martial Saint, no one has the strength to defeat me!" "Young lad, heed my advice and take back what you just said." "That''s right, the old man is right about this!" "Hey, who are you calling old! I''m only forty years of age!" "You may be talented, but there''s never a lack of geniuses in this world!" "You think your background can compare to all those peak geniuses!?" Comments after insults followed, it was only a small minority which supported him while the rest were cursing him an early death. "Since you''re so confident of your strength, then why don''t you challenge me to a battle. I''ll ensure to reveal my true strength in public ever since three years ago." It was a woman wearing a blue training robe who said this as she descended from the air, she had blonde hair tied up in a ponytail that reaches to her shoulders. She may not be a woman that''ll make man go on their knees for her, but she has her own unique charm as well and qualifies as a first class beauty. "A blue training robe with her hair always tied up in a ponytail... Isn''t that..." "Holy shit! It''s really her, the strongest genius ranked fourth on the Martial Emperor list of experts!" "What is it that you want?" Nightin asked peacefully, his breathing was stable which shows that the battle from just now wasn''t even slightly taxing for him. "Since you looked down on those experts from the list, then it has no difference from you belittling me as well. I don''t care about the honour of the list of experts, I only care about my own reputation and I''ll maintain it through defeating you." Cornelia said through her icy face, devoid of any expressions or colour. If it weren''t for everyone knowing her, they might even think that she''s just a top class slave sent out to run an errand for her master, but she was instead well-known as the queen of ice. Shards of icicle formed behind her back, each posing extreme danger as their tips pointed towards Nightin and said "Hehe, easy win." "Hey miss, I really don''t want to pick a fight for no..." Nightin tried to calm her down and change her mind, but a sharp icicle flew past his face and left a light blood mark while she said "Fight me. Don''t even think about leaving without a fight." Chapter 135 - Ill never be at my full strength Nightin didn''t say anything and only stared at Cornelia''s pale face coldly, his sharp gaze seemingly staring straight into her soul as her body shuddered. Feeling this weird reaction which she has long forgotten ever since she stepped onto the elemental law of ice, it gave her a fresh experience as she asked herself, how long has it been since I experienced this feeling? Even so, she didn''t feel fear and instead carved this feeling for some reason. If only the crowd could study her thoughts, they''ll definitely be left speechless by this action which began the process of defrosting her heart. The ice element may only be absolute coldness in the eyes of others, but only those who has stepped into the Ancestor realm of weapons or laws will understand her pain. Just like how the blazing fire would require the cooling water to calm it down, she also needs that scorching flame to melt the ice freezing her heart. The ice element wasn''t that simple, being cold in front of others was only because she hasn''t find that someone who can make her open up her heart again ever since the day she accepted ice. "Miss, don''t blame me if you end up having your ass whacked." Nightin teased amusingly as the Samsara sword appeared in his dominant arm, his sword pointing towards the ground as a smile formed on his face. A smile of confidence and excitement. The crowd was left speechless and even Robin had the same thought as them for once, can you at least be more polite towards a beauty? Many people in the crowd almost fainted when they heard such words of vulgar from a genius. Some even had the intention to kill him as they screamed within their hearts, how dare this goddamn bastard insult my goddess! But none of them dared to voice their thoughts out, they were sure that the Voyager Kingdom would close one eye to the case if they die. It''s a simple decision as long as the youth isn''t an enemy of the Voyager Kingdom, which was apparent from Robin not taking any action. Even if no one knows about his background, just Robin having him back was more than enough to suppress all cultivators residing here. "We shall talk about that after you make your crude imagination a reality." Cornelia countered back as spikes of ice flew through the air towards Nightin, since the man didn''t spare her any mercy, then she shall do the same. "I''m always confident of my ability and I''ve never been wrong in taking a risk." Nightin replied calmly as majestic wings appeared from his back. "Now then, can you make me use my sword?" Nightin provoked as his spiralling feather arrows formed in the air dashed towards the icicles, an feather for one icicle. "No way! How is a middle stage Martial King contending against one of the strongest ninth gate Martial Emperor cultivators!?" "Holy shit! This battle will definitely be mentioned in the records of our Voyager Kingdom!" "What if he''s an enemy of our Voyager Kingdom!" "Are you an idiot? Can''t you see that Sir Robin seems pretty calm about all this?" Robin rolled his eyes when the discussion somehow led to him, but the calmness that he was displaying right now was just an facade to deceive others. Internally, he was praying that this battle would end up a draw though the victor was clear Damn it, since when did Cornelia end up being such a rash woman? Robin cursed as the quill pen in his hand readied itself when it was set to automatic mode. In the battle, the battle between the feathers and ice finally stopped as both parties dashed towards each other. Cornelia was holding a fan in hand while Nightin slashed towards her with the Samsara sword. Fast! That was the only word the crowd had time to process about as the fan and sword crossed moves with each other, neither backing down. "You do have some skills." Cornelia squeezed from between her teeth as Nightin laughed "Haha, I''m just playing around. Until now at least..." Leaping back with one final clash, Nightin charged up his sword as a blood crescent formed in the air and pierced towards Cornelia. "Is this all you got?" Cornelia raised her voice as the tiny fan in her hand suddenly enlarged to ten times its previous size, only now can everyone clearly see the design printed on the fan. It was just a few snowflakes yet they enlarged as all of them towered towards Nightin who''s left defenseless. "Hahaha! You really think that I would let my guard down against an genius?" Making use of the blood crescent which still contain his spirit energy, he sensed for the deepest part of it and teleported to the blood crescent. "What!" The word leaked out from Cornelia''s mouth as Nightin slashed forward with the blood crescent, tearing through her icy layers of protection. Boom "Hey! What happened there! Did he somehow manage to cultivate the divine space law?" "That isn''t it! He made use of his spirit essence and controlled them to a perfect degree! When someone has perfect control over his or her spirit energy, moving between them through the lines isn''t difficult!" The crowd didn''t believe this answer, but Robin merely ignored them although he knew that whatever the random cultivator said, he was actually right about it. When Cornelia realised that she was safe, she sighed when she sensed the coldness sticking to her neck. Nightin had spared her life at the last moment. Nightin looked up and saw Cordelia staring at him, her sapphire eyes were full of life and her face was of a light pink. Looking straight into her eyes and pulling the sword away, he asked softly while shaking her shoulder "Miss Cornelia, are you alright?" "He''s pretty handsome..." The words leaked out of Cornelia''s mouth before she realised it as she lowered her head in shame and felt her legs go jelly. "Ah!" Cornelia fell into Nightin''s embrace as the crowd all turned their gaze towards this blinding sight, most of them screaming, just what the hell did he do to our goddess. "Hey! Let go of her! She belongs to everyone!" "That''s right! Young lad, I believe that you''re a wise person. I shall represent everyone and..." "Ignore that talkative faggot, just release her and we can talk this all out!" Nightin shook his head and turned towards Cornelia who actually had a extra tinge of beauty to her at the moment. "Miss..." "Just call me Cornelia." Cornelia interjected in as she actually stretched her arms out and hugged Nightin tightly while saying "Stay with me alright?" Looking at the beauty laying in his embrace who was batting her eyelids and speaking while quivering, he couldn''t muster the strength to push her off, but it wouldn''t he appropriate if he allowed her to do as wanted either. Left with no choice, he could only abide by her wishes first and say "Cornelia, it would be better if you stand upright first." "No." Cornelia pouted her cheeks and with a quick rejection, she even allowed her whole body to lie down without restrain and said "This is what happens when you melt the heart of a ice beauty." "Young master, just what in the world are you doing behind young miss back after just half a day of separation!" Dark Fang''s screeching voice caught everyone''s attention as they turned towards him. "Umm... Yes?" Dark Fang blurted out as the crowd dashed towards him... Chapter 136 - Misunderstanding "Dark Fang?" Nightin scanned around and saw Dark Fang staring at him, his face full of shock and his mouth was left wide open. "Cornelia, just how long are you going to lay in my embrace?" Nightin raised his voice as he asked again in a voice devoid of any emotions. Hearing what Nightin just said, a man who was just passing by couldn''t help but stand out and question "Just who fo you think you are to call the ice beauty by her name!?" Before Nightin could even process what was going on, a ball of ice had already slammed into the man''s face and send him flying. Cornelia then slid out of Nightin''s embrace, the coldness enveloping her body again as she snapped at the crowd "All of you are merely strangers in my eyes, don''t even think that you can catch my attention just by showing me some pathetic concern." Turning around to face Nightin who was looking at her, she walked over in small steps, pulled his hand and swayed it around while saying in a coquettish voice "I''m sorry for flaring up at the crowd." Vzzt A thunderstruck zapped everyone in the mind as some of them even fainted on the ground upon seeing this gesture, weren''t they being too intimate in public for a couple who just met each other? "Cornelia, you''re taking this too far." Nightin said as he smacked her hand away, even taking one step back away from her. "Why are you doing this?" Cornelia asked through her watery eyes, her hands were pinching onto her robe and her head was lowered. The spectators were left speechless at this time and someone even shouted "What the hell is this! I didn''t pay for an ticket just to watch a romance drama!" One of the innocent looking youths then turned around and asked "What ticket are you talking about? You''re free to watch of you own will." Finishing what he had to say, he turned back towards the current drama going on. The man who realised he had been scammed screamed at the top of his voice "Who the hell scammed me saying that I can get to watch a epic battle for just a thousand origin stones!" Of course, no one answered him while Nightin merely stared into Cornelia''s eyes for a few seconds before pulling away, his Samsara sword disippating into energy as he turned away with his back facing her. Unclenching his fists and taking in a few deep breaths, Nightin said coldly "You should already know that I''m in love with someone from my servant''s reaction right now. It''s impossible between us." "Don''t give me that! I won''t let you leave today until you give me the answer I want!" Cornelia burst out in tears, her head feeling dizzy and all she could see was blackness. She tried to cry out for help, but all that came out was silence. Her body leaned forward effortlessly as he eyelids closed, her face was already pale at this time and wringing in pain. Seeing this, Nightin immediately dashed forward and supported her before she crashes onto the floor. "Young master, just what exactly is going on here?" Dark Fang asked as he walked towards Nightin. Even though Dark Fang could have asked others about what happened, there wouldn''t be a way for him to distinguish the truth from the spices added. "Young master please, I need an answer right here, right now." Dark Fang added on as he took another step forward, his awe looking wings spreading backwards as a black storm stunned the crowd. The stronger cultivators which were few in numbers gathered their strength together to protect the weaker ones while Robin''s quill pen protected its owner instinctively. Robin eyes closed in as he tried to zoom in on what''s going on beyond the dark storm, but was shocked by his blocked vision. He wasn''t able to see what''s going on there and he himself in an expert at the Demigod realm, just one realm below the Overlord realm and yet he is unable to see through this... "Dark Fang, don''t get the wrong idea here. I don''t even know how she fell in love with me just because I defeated her in an battle." Nightin hurriedly explained as he allowed Cornelia to rest on his feathers. "If that''s the case, then why do you still care so much about..." Before Dark Fang could finish his sentence, Nightin cut him off in a loud voice as he dashed forward and grabbed Dark Fang by the neck while saying menacingly "You should know my character by now. Even if it means death, I won''t go against my own rules and lie through my own teeth." "Young master, have you ever spared a thought for young lady Phoenix and young lady Charlotte whom you mentioned the other time!?" Dark Fang questioned at the top of his voice, he sees it as his duty to bring Nightin back onto the right track. "That''s the reason why I was pushing and even rejecting Cornelia when she got too close, you think that I''m the type of person that flirts around with others behind my women back?" Nightin fiercely countered as the seriousness in his face made Dark Fang realise that he had jumped too an conclusion too early on. "Young master I... I''m sorry for jumping to conclusions and even doubting your character. Please punish me if that would appease your anger and make you feel better!" Dark Fang leaned forward and his legs bent, but right before his knees touched the ground, a mysterious force pushed him back upright. "Dark Fang, remember what I''m going to say next. You may have treated yourself as my servant, but I''ve seen you as a friend this whole time. I don''t expect you to doubt me considering just how much trust I''m willing to put in you. Let the dark past be gone and start anew, it''s about time you show the world who you truly are in place of the bats!" Nightin''s rally brought about vivid life in Dark Fang''s eyes as he stood up abruptly. "Young master...Forgive me for being unable to change my form of address as I''m already accustomed to it." Dark Fang pleaded immediately right after he realised that his mouth slipped. Nightin''s state soon vanished as he broke out into laughter "Don''t worry Dark Fang, I was only joking around with you. Just make sure to call me Night next time." Just like this, the relationship between the master and servant improved to that of two brothers who can trust their back to each other... But now, a greater storm was brewing as back in the Ice family of the Voyager Kingdom, one of the top ten experts Simon was currently facing his team of advisors in rage. "Someone tell me, just who is that young lad who actually brought Cornelia away when she fainted!" Simon shouted as everyone as he called out soon after, "guards! Bring me the alchemist in charge of Cornelia medication right now!" "Yes!" All of the guards hurriedly replied as one of them ran off quickly, they were scared that they''ll lose their heads if they were to take their precious time like how they would usually. "Simon Ice, have you perhaps forgotten the promise we''ve made for you to call for me at this crucial point of time?" Chapter 137 - Threat Back in the majestic palace made of ice, even the flooring were of smooth ice and the initially lush trees and bushes were now coated with snow and traces of frost. The servants with lower cultivation may have been suffering and if they couldn''t cope with the coldness, they would be offered two choices. The formal would be for them to change their occupation and leave everything behind to work for another family, the latter would be for them to do tough labour at another area under the Ice family control, such as planting and the rearing of livestock that can''t handle the cold temperature. Despite the harsh conditions, many servants insisted on staying behind for the lucrative pay, those who were physically weaker would opt to be transferred somewhere else despite the harsh sixty percent decrease in salary. Even so, the pay would still be ten times more compared to the average. Back in the castle, the alchemist was currently standing face to face against Simon and was even addressing him by his name directly, making all the advisors in the room curious of his true identity. One has to know that in the Voyager Kingdom, even the top alchemist at the first divine realm could only stand on equal terms with Simon. "Alchemist Xian, I believe that all the requirements which you have extorted from me has already been fulfilled. If that''s the case, shouldn''t you fulfill your end of the promise?" Simon questioned fiercely as he slammed his fist onto the throne, his fury sending spikes of ice into everyone''s heart. "Hahahaha... Hahahaha... Simon, do you really think that I''m incompetent of suppressing your daughter''s illness and even freeing her from the cold?" Alchemist Xian countered back as he took out what seems like a scroll and threw it towards Simon. "Take it, read the effects of the elixir pill and the materials needed to form the product before you question me any further. If you still doubt my skills and knowledge after this, then I''ll gladly take my leave and find another master to serve." Alchemist Xian stated and explained patiently, not forgetting to threaten Simon before closing his eyes to wait for the verdict. Opening the time worn scroll, the ink which was showing signs of fading gradually came back to life when the ice gradually traced the characters out. [Divine Defrost Pill] When reading the scroll contents, his face changed from that of solemnity to shock and even surprise as the scroll dropped onto the floor. The chair of advisors who were sitting on their chairs, were having the impulse to just stand up and question Simon just what in the world is going on right now. One moment they were having a discussion about his daughter and now they have to deal with a cocky Alchemist? The only thought going around their mind right now was that Simon was fooling with them, Simon may be at the fourth Demigod transformation of the seven while they might only be at the first or second transformation, but if he keeps up this arrogance and treats them as air, then they''ll work together to show him just how foolish he was. "So, head of the Ice palace Simon, do you regret making me think twice about serving you now? You should know about your daughter''s body constitution much better than me and yet you actually pushed the blame onto me?" Fury was in his voice as he stomped out of the meeting room before anyone could react. "Alchemist Xian wait! Just what is it that you want of me right now!" Simon called out anxiously as he jumped out of his throne, ice particles gathering at the exit as a wall made of ice blocked the Alchemist. Foolish dog! The Alchemist mocked within his heart as he turned around, a curve forming on his lips as he asked "Simon Ice, the deal between us is over. But if you can give me one of those magical frost shards, I might consider letting you in on your daughter''s current situation." His voice sounded calm yet threatening, passing through the ice wall as though as it wasn''t there before returning, the top realm of the laws of space. "Are you out of you hand? Even our Ice palace has only managed to gather four magical frost shards these years and are currently lacking six of them!" "If you really want the magical frost shards that much, then you should at least get our permit for it!" "That''s right, all of us risked our lives for those magical frost shards and you expect to have it just because you asked? Who do you think you..." Before the last advisor could finish, a icicle had already pierced through his arm, causing him to cry out in pain as his body collapsed on the ground. "Argh! My arm! Just what have you done, why can''t I feel my arm at all!" The advisor shrieked once again in fear as tears started flooding down his wrinkled face like a leaking tap. "Beg me." Alchemist Xian mentioned coldly, his hood covering his grim face. Yet the solemn atmosphere was already too heavy to be lifted off. "I..." The advisor hesitated for a moment, but the words were still contained within his throat in the end, at least before he heard the next sentence. "Your arm will be crippled for life within five minutes without the cure." "What? Please, Alchemist Xian! I''m only a thousand years old and still have a long lifespan to live. I don''t wish to die before enjoying the last moments of my glory!" The advisor got up on his knees and kowtowed, even though he felt the burn on his cheeks from the intense stare of everyone in the room, his life was still of paramount importance compared to his pride. "Hahahaha! Very well. Simon Ice, so this is the mindset your elite batch of advisors have? They''re just a bunch of weak, pathetic fools who can''t even maintain the pride of your all majestic Ice palace!" Alchemist Xian retorted fiercely as he threw a glacier coloured pill into that advisors mouth. "You''ll keep your arm, but the reputation you have built up over the past thousand years will go off in a poof of smoke. You''ll lose your standing in the Ice palace from now on. And you bunch of advisors, lets see how you deal with this situation after I leak the recording stone. "Alchemist Xian! I''ll agree to give you two of those magical frost fragments so as long as you promise to let me know about my daughter''s condition and keep this matter a secret from the public!" Simon shouted at the top of his voice as he started to breathe heavily, how long has it been since someone challenged his authority and he''s left powerless? "Simon Ice, how can I trust you again after what you''ve just done?" Alchemist Xian pushed on further, turning a blind eye to Simon who currently had his right fist smashed onto the throne. "Then tell me, just what is it that you want besides the two magical frost fragments!" Simon fully released his aura as the advisors all around smashed onto the bone freezing walls as it permeated through their skin. "Argh! Palace head, please come down!" "Someone tell me just who he is!" Those were the last calls by those Demigod realms advisors before they collapsed on the ground, losing their consciousness to the chaos going on before their eyelids. "Simple, I want the enchanted magical crystal heart to activate the Ancient Ruins of Ice lost in the history of time. Chapter 138 - Incoming danger "What do you think you''re asking for!?" Simon burst out in rage as axes made of ice slashed towards Alchemist Xian without any forewarning. The killing intent caused a tense atmosphere in the room and the axes seemed unstoppable in the eyes of those advisors, only then did they realise that their palace head was infinitely close to the firth transformation. "Why must you be this foolish? You should the the hidden nickname of mine which has already been passed down for thousands of years." Stating calmly, Alchemist Xian released his aura which destroyed the axes and even pushed Simon back. Alchemist Xian may only be an alchemist who''s at the second divine realm in the eyes of others, but only those who know about his background will understand why even Simon fears him. He''s the first person who formed the soul elixir which can provide him with boosts in battles and even assist him. At this peak and last battle which was about two hundred years ago, his soul elixir had quadripled his combat strength in all aspects, his attack, defense, recovery speed and even spirit energy benefitted from it and the soul elixir possessed 110% of his strength. That epic battle also made him the first Demigod at the fifth transformation to defeat someone who just stepped into the Overlord realm, he was crowned the dual king title as well ever since then and time had yet to erase his existence. "Your cultivation! You''re already at the Overlord realm?" Simon exclaimed in fear and stumbled backwards, but that didn''t help as he stepped into the space portal and teleported to the front of Alchemist Xian. "But the enchanted magical frost heart is just way too precious and even if you have it, there''s no way that you can open that sealed ruin without thirty six of those fragments!" Simon stated as he tried to keep his last stand. "And I already have the remaining thirty two fragments, seven of those legacy kingdoms may have been destroyed by my hands in the process, but that doesn''t matter as long as the chosen one is found." "You should know that we only have lesser than a hundred year worth of time until the great calamity comes. Are you expecting all of us here to wait for death with just the pathetic amount of weak Overlords we have? Even the strongest among them is only at the 74th star among the 108 stars and even with his heaven defying combat strength, just the average 77th star can defeat him." Alchemist Xian started to explain about the current classified situation known to few and said "It might have been a cruel process, but who among us have made it to our current stage without facing any bloodshed. Face the truth Simon and assist me in opening the ancient ruins of the past, only the few chosen ones and the supporting characters can stop this calamity." "But, you should know that if we open up the ancient ruins now, it would mean that my Ice palace would lose its greatest chance to cast the five magical fragments array." Simon explained with hesitation, but his voice was already starting to waver as he backed out. The five magical fragments array was a forbidden array which increases the density of the ice element in the area by ten times and cultivation speed of ice cultivators by fifty percent in exchange of the destruction of nature. "And then the cultivation universe will be destroyed by those outsiders and all of us would cease to exist once again. Do you want the cultivation civilization we have built up over these million year to perish because of your selfishness?" Alchemist Xian persuaded on and even took out a pill the colour of ice and said "This is the Divinity frost pill and it''s the only one I have made after thousands of failed attempts." Staring at the Divinity frost pill, Simon knows that this is the best offer he can fight for and it was exactly what he needed the most as well. If he has the pill, he was sure that he would only need the short time left to make it to the Demigod seventh transformation. With a smile on his face, he took out what should be the four magical frost fragments and said "The offer is a deal." In the meantime, Nightin had found the inn in the kingdom and arranged he room with the highest security measures just so that Cornelia would be save from those perverts. It wouldn''t be gentlemanly of him to leave a damsel in distress even though he didn''t hold any responsibility, it was more of him not going against his personal character and morals. Even though he didn''t like Cornelia for her pestering attitude and how she made him the target for those archers, he couldn''t fully pin the blame on her either. Honestly speaking though, how did I melt the barrier in her heart through a battle? Nightin question within his heart before stepping out of the room and said to Robin who was waiting "Sir Robin, will you be arranging for me to enter the Evil Academy now?" "No, your potential has made us sign another agreement with the Evil Academy." Robin replis calmly as Nightin chases on "What is it?" "From today onwards, you will be a ninth grade Noble in the Voyager Kingdom and would be permitted to build up your personal army, but its manpower must be below ten thousand. You''ll also receive ten thousand origin stones monthly and certain minor privileges." "After a solemn discussion with the Evil Realm itself, we have agreed to let you serve both sides and once you enter reach the ranks of a Supreme Noble which no one has ever achieved in the Voyager Kingdom, you''ll then be let in on the current dire straits of the world." "But remember, you only have eighty years worth of time at most and we won''t be providing you any assistance, you are to do everything by yourself." After hearing to Robin''s long speech, Nightin asked "Where can I recruit the manpower needed?" "That would be up to you. You can also choose to recruit a thousand average soldiers from the Voyager Kingdom with your authority if you like to, but take note that they''ll only he middle aged Martial Lords at best." Robin explained patiently, his quill pen vibrating at the side to rush its master as it drew a portal of its own accord. "Alright, thank you Sir Robin for letting me in on all these information." Nightin bowed down to ninety degrees with his right fist thumped on his chest, that was the highest degree of respect in the Voyager Kingdom and even the subjects would rarely use it. "Foolish child, go on and embark on your journey. I await the day your name resounds across the cultivation universe. You will become a legend which not only the younger generation looks up to, but a legendary figure whose name will be recorded with the highest prestige in the records." Robin muttered to himself after Nightin left the room. After pondering for awhile, Nightin knows that it would be foolish of him if he didn''t exploit the system''s assistance now. Heading towards the young recruitment camp where all the new blood and soldiers with lesser than three years of experience are, he then told the General "I believe that I am privileged to choose a thousand soldiers." The General then turn around and saluted "That''s right, Noble Nightin, you are of your free will to choose the thousand soldiers, but whether they are willing to serve you and their loyalty towards you would be dependent on yourself." The general didn''t hold any menacing intent towards Nightin though, he would rather deal with straightforward brats than those youths who beat around the bush and try to gain his favour. Finishing what he had to say, the General turned around and left without even turning back, his solemn face calm as usual and his silent footsteps made him feel dangerous. Walking up the the soldiers who had just entered the army, he said at a voice in which the soldiers can barely hear "I am a newly appointed ninth grade noble and I am here to recruit a thousand soldiers into my army." Even though there were close to ten thousand soldiers at the moment, none of them responded to him except for a few in which a sharp glint flashed past their eyes for a moment. Looking at those few, Nightin didn''t jump to a decision and instead added on "Those who are interested can stand out, but do take note that I won''t be providing you with any additional cultivation resources except the built-in facilities at my residence. Nightin didn''t boast off his facilities yet, he wasn''t able to ensure their loyalty level yet at this point of time. Who knows how they would react after realising the ten times faster cultivation speed and the combat strength and laws assistance they can receive which exceeds that of life and death situations. Chapter 139 - New blood Nightin looks at the bunch of soldiers who were currently looking at him in contempt. All of them kept their weapons sheathed and rested at the side excluding a particular few who are still keeping high alert. All of them are supposedly the elite army of the Voyager Kingdom in the near future? Nightin belittled them within his heart as he transmitted a voice message to the General. Ignoring the pathetic looks on the faces of those soldiers, Nightin sits down to cultivate, absorbing all the spirit energy in the surrounding area resulting in complains from all areas. One of the soldiers with with a scar down his right eye to his left cheek and a few lackeys following behind walked towards Nightin and ask the soldiers "Was it this guy who caused the commotion just now?" No one answered. "Oh, you think you newbies have the authority to ignore us veteran soldiers who have been on the line for ten years?" The leader asked expecting at least one person to cower in fear and answer, but their definitive answer remained absolute. Nightin may be immersed in cultivation right now but he could still view everything going around him with the Samsara eyes. Yet he didn''t distract himself from his current tremendously fast cultivation speed, if his talent after going through those rebirths stays with him, it would only take him a up to half a year to become a Martial Emperor. As expected, the way all of them let their guard down was indeed intentional, but I wasn''t able to see through that one guy at all. Nightin''s attention was currently fixated on one of the soldiers with blue hair which was a common trait in the Voyager Kingdom, he was clad in light armor and his weapon was a rapier. [Kris, Martial Emperor sixth transcendent gates] In the Martial Emperor realm, the gates are also divided into three sub grades. The usual gate, the vibrant gate and the transcendent gate which all contributes to the development of one''s saint force. Now then talented soldiers, show me what you''ve got for me to rope you in. Nightin thought to himself as he continued to scan the outside world. "Do you think that that all ten thousand of us were recruited into the army and categorised under the elite and special ranks for show?" One of the soldiers stepped out as he released his cultivation "Newbie knight Matthias, age of nineteen, cultivation realm is at the dual vibrant gates." The elite soldier added on. Yet the veteran soldiers didn''t show any fear as they turned their attention towards their leader who was playing around with a knife. Cracking his neck, the leader stepped forward and stood before Matthias as he snapped his fingers, signalling to those who he treats as lackeys to release their cultivation aura. Boom Even the weakest cultivation fluctuation was at the eighth gate Martial Emperor realm around his late twenties, most of them were already at the ninth gate Martial Emperor realm and as for the leader, he sneered at Matthias and said "I''ve killed countless geniuses like you in the dark." In the Voyager Kingdom, it was a forbidden taboo for veteran soldiers or even soldiers of equal ranking and status to kill each other, it was the reason why the Voyager Kingdom has the highest manpower among all the first grade kingdoms. Sensing danger, Matthias tried to back out before the leader could get him, but the sudden release of cultivation aura from the leader had sent him flying backwards, crashing against the wall before anyone could react. His face was ashen white and blood was leaking from his mouth, he could feel his internal organs having shifted even though it would recover quickly with some medical aid and his quick recovery speed. "Just who do you think you are doing?" "If you really think that you''re that amazing, then explain why you are only an average soldier up till now!" "You bunch of weaklings are merely those who are barely above the survival line, even you as the leader are below average for your age and you are this cocky?" The soldiers all stepped out to help Matthias as a few went to support and pick him up from the ground, making use of their spirit essence to help him recover while feeding him an healing elixir. They may be incompetent compared to those professional healers, but they knew the necessary basics at the very least, it was the minimum requirement for one to even become an ordinary soldier. "But all of you will die here today, I may already be twenty nine years of age, but I''m someone who awakened the silver tier saint force at the very least!" The leader boasted with confidence as whips of spirit essence sent the soldiers flying. Only the soldier holding a rapier in hand had been keeping silent all this while, but none of the initial whips managed to hit him as he soon concealed himself before his foes can realise. "Saint force have different grades? Maybe I should consult the General on this matter later on if the chance arises." Nightin muttered to himself in his consciousness as he opened his eyes and concealed his aura. Sensing the faint traces of space lines which he has once seen when taking travel portals, he could vaguely understand what the youth was planning, he was waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The youth lurking in the shadows goes by the name Zave, he had black hair with natural curls and even though he had a slim build, one could vaguely sense the strength contained within his body. "So, you said that your name was Matthias?" The leader sneered as he took out a machete from his spatial ring, boasting with an arrogant smile on his face "You should be glad that you can live your life as a slave from today onwards, thanks to my high heaven grade machete." Matthias laid on the ground powerlessly, his breathing was chaotic and even though his face was ashen white, he still smiled and embraced whatever was coming "If I remember correctly, everyone knows you as Reg the disgrace." "What did you just say?" Reg shouted as he slashed his machete down towards Matthias who was already accepting death. "Who gave you the courage to touch my younger brother?" The voice of a young man sounded off from in front of Matthias as he threatened Reg, confidence was the only emotion on his face as a dragon made of dark energy swirled around him. Reg stopped in his tracks, fear enveloped him as he broke out in cold sweat and got down on his knees, he looked around and realised that all his lackeys were already laying on the ground, dead. "You... You are the ranked one expert on the Martial Saint list of experts! Hysan!" Reg fainted on the ground once he cried so, he didn''t want to know how he would die next. "Brother, what are you doing here?" Matthias smiled as he asked when Hysan lifted him off the ground. "Why? I''m here to share with you the news that happened just three days ago. I stepped into the Martial Saint realm at the age of twenty two with nine transcendent gates and awakened the iridescent dark saint force in the legends." Chapter 140 - Open and closed recruitment Even though Matthias brother Hysan mentioned his achievements calmly, it still sent a tidal wave into every young soldier heart, someone had already awakened the saint force which only exists in the legend and he was only slightly older than them. Saint forces are divided into five grades and are known as bronze, silver, gold, diamond and the iridescent rank which only exists in the legends supposedly. It was at this moment that Nightin open his eyes and take a good look at Hysan who was eluding a dangerous aura, confidence was the only way to describe him and yet he has the qualifications to behave this way. Standing up and staring at Hysan, his gaze was returned as sparks flew in the air and Hysan said "So you''re the young genius who Javier talked about?" "You''re the young master that he''s serving?" Nightin asked back as he questioned, shouldn''t the young master have no one close to him, or is this excluding his brother? "That explains it then, cause even Javier doesn''t know that I have a brother who I have not met for five years. The only reason that I''m truly here is because I heard of that trash making a visit here and considering my brother''s temperament, it would be a wonder if he didn''t get into further trouble than that." Hysan explained while Matthias looks at him with worry and ask "But doesn''t that mean that you''ve offended all the veteran soldiers?" "And they won''t be my match except for their leader who''s at the Martial Saint fourth of the nine realms." Hysan said confidently as the dragon who had been wrecking havoc just awhile ago vanished as energy. Nightin then ask politely with his Samsara sword held in hand "May I request a battle with you?" His sword was facing the ground and a burst of energy enveloped his body in the middle. "Since you asked for it, wouldn''t it be impolite of me to reject a battle from someone years younger than me?" Hysan accepted the duel without hesitation as the black dragon make its second appearance on the same day. "Brother Hysan, aren''t you going too far?" Matthias asked in concern as he stood in front of Hysan, further explaining "Even though noble Nightin may have acted as though as nothing happened, I''m sure that he would have stood out when the need arises." "And he just remained passive throughout and spectated us getting pressured on the whole time?" One of Matthias comrades stood out and questioned. "So are you admitting that I''m stronger than all of you here?" Nightin retorted back which left that soldier speechless. "That''s enough elite knight Rase, you don''t have the qualifications to question my decisions as a special knight." Matthias added on which left the elite knight Rase helpless to fight back, but he still plucked up the courage to release an arrow with a broken tip. "So you''re making use of your higher status to pressure me to accept your decisions right now?" Rase said as another soldier by the name Vero assisted "Special knight Matthias, you may be one of the two special knights in our batch, but..." "Wait, where is the second special knight and what''s his name again?" One of the elite knights here blurted out. In a batch full of elite knights which usually only takes up 10% of every batch, every soldier here has some authority but it was actually just that of the average member here with two special knights around. Special knights usually only appear once every ten years even in the Voyager Kingdom where the term genius is common, only those demons who can gain the respect of those genius and even that of other demons can gain the recognition of everyone to become a special knight. Yet right now, from the news which all the elite knight caught wind of just a few days ago, there was a special knight here who probably had the highest talent among all those special knights and gained the supreme title, the supreme knight which wasn''t any lower than the first grade noble. If he somehow racks up enough achievements to help the Voyager Kingdom and rise up from the first grade kingdom to contend against the seven Supreme Kingdoms. Even breaking free from the status of the one hundred and eight first grade kingdoms, then his authority being equivalent to a Supreme Noble which never appeared is possible. "There''s no point in searching around for me anymore." A voice sounded off from above as the special knight they were searching for descended from the air. "I''m Kris, the soldier all of you were looking for." Kris said softly, but his voice was akin to a loud speaker being blasted at full volume amidst the silence. "So, do you think that this young noble deserves to challenge me?" Hysan ignored everyone and cut straight to the chase, but no one had any qualms against him, he had the position to do so. He was the perfect white knight to most people, he had charming looks, a well built muscular structure with a weapon that suits him best to the right of his waist. "Whether he does or not, it doesn''t matter to me. You don''t have what it takes to look down on me from above either." "I''m not just a special knight at the moment, I''m also someone who have opened up eight transcendent gates at the age of nineteen, you might not even be my match in terms of talent." Hysan sneered "But what makes you think that you can compare to a Magist who''s in the first of the three legendary realms?" "With my ability as a half sage rapier expert, I believe that you have already lost too much in terms of talent. I had a lower starting point than everyone here, but none of you can compare to me." "Why don''t the two of you work together and challenge me?" Hysan brought out another challenge arrogantly as the black dragon actually grew out another head. "So, what''s your opinion on this, young noble?" "You should prepare to change your form of address soon after I defeat you, Supreme twin." "Supreme twin? What are you implying?" "You can fool others but you can''t fool me, you''re trying to aim for the title of supreme just like me." "Since that''s the case, let''s see how things work out. We might even get to cooperate with each other in the near future." The two youths communicated through telepathy as they stepped out, one was holding a sword while the other wields a rapier. The elite soldiers around may not have noticed, but both sides were already in a battle against each other, waves of spirit energy were like wisps as they entangled and battle in the air. "Just what''s going on, why are they just staring at each other?" "Are they afraid of each other which is why they''re trying to wait for the perfect moment?" "But isn''t that pointless in a battle like this?" Matthias couldn''t stand the foolish questions his comrades or even soldiers were saying as he said out "They''re already competing against each other with their spirit energy, it''s just that all of you lack the mental energy to view the hidden." Chapter 141 - Inheritor of the Chaos Dragon As the spirit energy lashed at each other in the air, sweat cold be seen dripping down both Nightin''s and Kris forehead while Hysan was smiling at them with steady footing. Matthias who could see the battle in the air knew that things weren''t looking good for the duo, everytime they deflect an attack, they would stagger backwards from the stronger force. The two of them might have unparalleled talent, but they still lack the qualifications to challenge someone whose talent isn''t much weaker than them with the age gap. "How about this? I''ll be a gracious senior and give the two of you the chance to surrender. In exchange, you''ll swear loyalty to me for the rest of your life." Hysan had totally changed into a different person at this time, if the him from before was a cold yet confident genius, he was now arrogant and dominant. This is how the laws revolve in the world of geniuses, they would never allow another to overtake them and would stop them in their tracks with any possible method. "How about this, you surrender and we''ll give you the opportunity to serve under future Demigods, we might even become one of those Overlords, pretty attractive offer isn''t it?" Kris who rarely spoke actually threatened Hysan without fear, a smile was plastered on his trembling body which was suffering from the overbearing wave of attacks. "Have you ever wallowed in despair only to know that it was the saving rope thrown to you by the chaos?" Hysan asked as the dual headed dragon behind his back materialized, seemingly coming alive as its slithering tongue hissed towards them. "Do you think that you''re the only person who have experienced despair? You''ll never know what the two of us have been through and how they were the light source which led us out from the darkness." Nightin drew out his sword as he replied coldly. The rapier which was held in Kris hand manifested itself as dark energy enveloped it as the rapier gradually grew broader and sharper, taking on the form of a heavy sword which juxtaposes its previous form. "I see, you''re also one of the chosen inheritors by those from the dark age." Hysan stated as sharp blades formed by the chaos element enveloped them, cutting off their connection from the outside world. "Hey, what''s going on? What''s this energy barrier that appeared all of a sudden?" One of the elite soldiers asked loudly as he slammed his hammer towards the barrier. Whirr The barrier vibrated and before that elite soldier who struck could react, a reflective force sent him flying backwards as he laid there unconscious. Seeing this, Matthias and a few other soldiers rushed towards him to inspect his injuries. Blood was leaking from the injured soldier mouth, his arm laid powerlessly on the ground and his internal organs were shifted from their original position, his breathing was weak, but luckily still there. "Give me some space, someone contact the general while I help him to heal his injuries, special knight Matthias, this includes you as well. I may only be average among the elite knights, but my healing skills definitely ranks first among us." Healing energy wrapped itself around the soldier who pronounced himself a healer. He had undoubtly awakened the nature law of recovery which makes him unrivalled when it comes to healing, the only ones who can match him down would be those with seperior cultivation or someone who awakened the same law. "Alright, I''ll be entrusting him to you, elite medic soldier Cole." Matthias said as he stepped back and takes out what seems like a cross symbol. "Your wish is my command, special soldier Matthias do rest assured that Illusion nurture him back to full health." Nodding his head before walking off, Matthias brought the cross symbol messenger near his lip as he whispered into it, leaving an emergency message to the general to rush here. Looking at the energy barrier and those attempting soldiers, he shook his head and shouted "All elite soldiers are to fall back right now! This is a forced order and disobeying of instructions given will be faced with severe punishment!" When the elite soldiers heard this, some of them weren''t willing to heed advice, but still backed down after the reminder their friends gave them, Matthias is Hysan''s younger brother and that gives him more than enough authority to command them. Back inside the enveloped barrier, Nightin and Kris dashed towards Hysan from both sides in an attempt to flank him, the heavy sword formed a ''C'' shape in the air as it brought all the momentum towards its attack. Nightin took another approach and made his way towards Hysan nimbly, slashing his swords forward with the attack enhancement of around thirty percent his Samsara law brought him. "This is all that the two of you have? You underestimate someone who awakened the saint force of the iridescent grade. Even the average bronze grade saint force can trample the average nine gates Martial Emperor, not to mention someone with my capabilities." Hysan said impatient as a smirk formed on his face. Sticking both his palms out, the two dragons coiled around his arms and opened their mouth as a black portal stopped their attacks. What? That was the only reaction Nightin and Kris had before they were blown away. The two of them skidded on the ground but still kept them balance, but before they could even get ready for the second attack, two distorted beams were already heading towards their way like two missiles. "Damn it!" Nightin cursed under his breath as his wings spanned out and flapped towards the ground, making use of the momentum boost to leap into the air as he stayed airborne. Kris meanwhile made use of his space laws to teleport behind Hysan and slashed towards him with the heavy sword. "Pretty fast I would say." Hysan smirked as another dragon black in colour appeared from behind his back and flared its fangs at Kris before dashing towards him. "Careful!" Nightin cried out as his feather arrows formed a shield in front of Hysan to slow down the dragon momentum while Hysan slammed down on the dragon head. The dragon head then wailed it pain before it retreated back into Hysan''s body, his body twitching and face winching from the unexpected shocking pain. "You... How dare you challenge the successor of the chaos dragon?" Hysan spoke out, but his eyes were devoid of expression and his voice sounded grim. "You aren''t Hysan anymore, you''re the chaos dragon who''s residing in his body!" Nightin was alarmed as he immediately retreated backwards, Kris doing the same and retreating to the furthest end of the enclosed area. "Chaos dragon, must you really force other successors like us to our wits end?" Kris asked with wrinkled brows, his veins pulsating and visible with the naked eye, his sword was raised and ready for combat as spirit energy gathered in his sword. "You should know that there''s a deal between us dark age existences and unless you promise to serve Hysan as his eternal slave, I''m afraid that death is the only release I can bestow upon you kindly." Chapter 142 - The Chaos Dragon strength "You must be curious, why would Hysan allow me to be in full control of his body even though he has the strength to resist me already, am I right about that?" The possessed Hysan ask as his dark purple hair started to grow longer and curl at the end, resembling a scorpion tail, his eyes were of an amber glow and razor sharp claws replaced his hands. "Tch! Just what games are you trying to play with us right now?" Nightin beseeched as feather arrows started to form behind him, forming together as they took on the form of a Phoenix spreading its wings apart. The Phoenix had half its body black and the other half white, one eye was of a spiritual blue while the other was of a calamity black. Kaw Screeching, the Phoenix arrow pierced through the air and spread its wings wide apart, its sharp beak manifesting into black searing flames. "You may have been one of those peak experts back then in the past if it was your era, your combat strength could be described as peerless even back in the dark age, but you''re nothing but an ant in front of me right now." The possessed Hysan says coldly, chaotic elements surrounding him stretched palm as it dissolved the attack. "Also you, you''re merely an ant who had more time to grow which makes you slightly stronger, your talent may exceed even mine as well, but that''s all for nought if I''m going to claim your life now." Hysan says as a beam of chaos energy aims towards his right, brushing Kris by the cheek and leaving a faint blood line. "You see, I''m just slightly serious and the two of you aren''t even able to see through my attack, discerning eyes are nothing but a joke if I have to say." Hysan says again, flames of chaos energy on both his palms which turns to face the two of them. "Must you really go this far just because of the war waged by all those from the dark age? You should also know that even if the few of you made it out of the dark age alive as a spiritual form, you should never lay a hand on my us successors." Nightin says with his eyes closed, his fists clenched in anger as the Samsara sword dispersed. Since the waves were already against them and they couldn''t surf past it, the only thing they can do right now would be to detour around it. "But who would know that it was me who killed the two of you?" Hysan smirked, the flames dispersing as a glass of red wine appeared in his hand, swirling the glass of red wine around while turning towards Kris, he asks "So, Kris was it, what do you have to say or add on to what your friend said to me?" Kris knew Nightin''s intention all along and since putting up a strong front would be pointless, he retracted the heavy sword form of his weapon and soon a thin rapier with a sharp tip was back. "Even if you are afraid of Hysan losing to us due to any mishaps which shouldn''t be possible, you should at least give us a fair chance to duel with him." "How about this? I''ll let one of you live while the other dies in the hand of the other. Pretty simple yet straightforward, isn''t it? Now then, whoever is willing to make the first move can step out. Nightin and Kris didn''t make a move and only smiled, the two youths knew that death was inevitable unless they can please this demon standing before them who was sipping his red wine in relish. "If neither if you makes a move, then I might have to retract my offer and stain my hands with two more blood drops. Do me a favour and kill each will ya?" The possessed Hysan says, but his temptation was still too weak and brought about no reaction from them. "I''ll allow the other person to become my other inheritor and even teach him things that the current Hysan is oblivious to, that''s the best offer I can make and you guys should really ponder it over." The possessed Hysan, the Chaos Dragon says, his voice tempting but still too weak. "I''m only saying this because you''re a senior, but there are times where you shouldn''t force demons like us who aren''t close to slaughter each other, we can''t even be sure that what you''re telling us is the truth right now." Kris says, his voice determined. "I may not be your match even with his help, but you should know that we successors never lack hidden cards hidden up our sleeves. Hysan laughed as the glass of red wine in his hand suddenly burst apart, his knuckles were cracking and fury could be seen on his face, the velvety liquid was now a blood sword held in Hysan''s hand. "Kill Nightin who''s just standing opposite to you right now, I''ll give you this middle grade blood sword made on a whim on top of being my inheritor, the blood sword may only last for around a year, but your cultivation speed will increase by at least a few percent permanently." Hysan says without temptation this time and even dipped the sword towards Kris. Nightin didn''t make a voice this whole time, his eyes are fixated on Hysan and Kris, a smile was plastered on his face when he saw Hysan''s futile attempt one after another. You think that we''re this weak willed? Think again! Nightin thought to himself, his body walking forward instinctively and said "Chaos Dragon, is that what I''m suppose to address you as? It doesn''t matter anymore for I have a question to ask you, just what is it that you expect of us?" What! Does this youth probably have some clue about the incoming calamity or he just knows that it''s coming soon? The Chaos Dragon thinks to himself in shock and look at Nightin again, but he wasn''t just doing it out of amusement this time, but to figure out just what this youth standing before him knows. Shaking his head and unwillingly taking a step forward, he took a roundabout approach and ask "Did one of your senior or mentor give you some time limit lesser than a hundred years?" Seems like he does know about the reason. "Yes, it was my guide Robin from the Voyager Kingdom whom told me that I only have around eighty years to grow, to the point of becoming the youngest Overlord and even the strongest among all as their Supreme Noble." Nightin added on his own ambitions, since whatever was coming for him or even the cultivation universe was too much for them to handle, he understands that the Voyager Kingdom and the world were already pinning their hopes on him. What this world needs aren''t the current experts anymore, but these hot blooded youths who have unlimited potential to exceed their forefathers and seniors, if only they were given a more thousand years, then this calamity wouldn''t have been such a hassle. "Robin... He''s definitely not someone from a hundred years ago then, seems like he''s one of the first demons to appear in this world." The Chaos Dragon says, amusement on his face as he added on "How about this, I''ll allow the two of you to leave here today and even receive my assistance here for a month." "But then those on the outside will worry and question what''s going on, just how did we come out unscathed and why did you vanish all of a sudden, how do you expect us to explain the sudden increase in strength?" Kris asks before Nightin could speak, yet the excitement and blood flushing to his face had already betrayed him. "Don''t worry, one month here is only a minute or so out there, the General wouldn''t even make it in time to catch me." The Chaos Dragon says without fear, a whip the colour of lavender with sharp teeth to it was being swing around in his hand. "Don''t worry, the first step of my training will be your endurance." The Chaos Dragon laughed as he swings the whip towards Nightin and Kris. "Hey, wait up! I''ll die if it hits me even once!" Nightin jumped over it and shouted while trying to maintain his distance. Kris rolled away and despite keeping silent, the fury on his face was crystal clear and being illuminated by the dim lighting here. "It doesn''t matter, if you don''t want to train your endurance, then I''ll make sure your speed increases to another level from your current stage!" The Chaos Dragon says arrogantly and with laughter before lashing the whip forward. Chapter 143 - Final stretch Nightin and Kris were just dodging around like two little children trying to avoid the beating of their drunk father, the Chaos Dragon was just swinging the whip without pulling back much strength, one lash and they will be paralysed on the ground. "Chaos Dragon, just what is it that you want? Are you trying to kill us?" Kris asked as the whip scraped away some of his cheek flesh, causing him to flinch for a moment. "I''ve already said, just cherish this moment. Don''t worry, we''ll meet again soon in the near future as well." The Chaos Dragon replied calmly, the whip in his hand suddenly becoming a cage as his pressure forced Nightin and Kris to bend their knees. The force wasn''t strong or overbearing, it was just calm and chaotic, yet their minds were actually succumbing to it despite their unwillingness. "Don''t ever try to resist, the cage is at its weakest when its peaceful." Seeing another whip with sharp thorns protruding out and then being trapped within a cage, they realise that this wasn''t just simple training anymore, but one where they might lose their life if careless. They might have experienced many life and death encounters before this, but then none of them were actually just pure training from a demon, it''s one where they had to deal stress, danger and inhumane pain at the same time. After about another five minutes, even Nightin and Kris weren''t able to cope with the spirit energy usage, their breathing was hectic and beads of water could be seen dripping down their faces. They were usually able to go at max speed for at least days without any difficulty, but only when in an enclosed area do they realise how useless their advantage was. They didn''t have the control to prevent themselves from crashing into the wall, rendering their speed useless and the whip was draining their spirit energy constantly. Seeing that they were already on his last breath, the Chaos Dragon kept his whip as another glass of wine appeared in his hand. Swirling it around, he says "A mixture of white and purple, a pretty unique glass of wine I would say." "So now you''re resorting to absorbing our spirit energy as a delicacy?" Kris asks in anger, his fists were clenched tightly at the side and his teeth were grating around each other. Nightin stays silent, but the solemn expression on his face betrayed his current train of thoughts. "Don''t resist, sit down and get to your meditating position now!" The Chaos Dragon didn''t explain, but gave out the second set of instructions as two discs flew towards them. The Chaos Dragon wanted to explain that the drinking of their mundane blood was a disgrace to someone of his caliber, but he didn''t try to explain for himself when creating the discs. Swoosh Both discs rotated in the air and stopped above them, looking up, all they could see are ancient symbols forming around them as an energy barrier soon formed. "Don''t worry, those ancient symbols are beneficial towards your cultivation." The Chaos Dragon explained to Nightin upon seeing his reaction while Hysan already started cultivating. The Chaos Dragon took all of these minor details into consideration, Nightin held the mindset of: I have to ensure that every step taken leads me to the next path; Kris has another mindset of: Since I might be dead the next moment, every increase in strength right now would give me a higher chance of survival. Sometimes, life isn''t always smooth sailing. Tidal waves would always be in the way, mountains and glacier caps would cause a detour, but if one has the determination to get through, then all these tiny obstacles can only be treated as tests. When Nightin closed his eyes again, he realises that his cultivation speed here was at least a hundred times further, his mind was also blank at the moment which means that he can cultivate. Even so, he wasn''t able to improve on his sword heart to the sword aura stage, it wasn''t just a matter of time investment and effort, it requires one to truly experience the world and know what they desire above they heart. The sword aura, it isn''t as simple as the sword heart stage, one has to have the courage to fully express their sword heart to others. Only when the day one can be confident of their own weapon, can one truly reveal his sword aura. This may seem simple in the eyes of many, but would you be willing to reveal your true strength to others without holding it back and reserve hidden strength? Some might also have awakened their sword heart to be one where they wished for glory and fame, would one be willing to share this shameful ambition? "Since that the case, maybe I can take that daring approach." Nightin says to himself, his wings spanning wide apart as arrows made of feathers forms behind him. He had a new concept ever since the last battle with Shun, Cornelia and even Hysan which led to the Chaos Dragon. His opponents were growing stronger and the gap between them was only dividing further, he had to make greater use of his range advantage. If his arrows can be linked to at least the first stage of the space law, then teleportation should be possible. An visible arrow might be easily detectable and evadable, but what about arrows which can pierce through from any direction and are difficult to detect. He didn''t need to be an expert in the space law, he just needed to link the Space law to his Samsara law and then also gather the concealment law. His arrows were going to evolve alongside him. Speed. Power. Ambush. It held more traits compared to just the previous power. Feeling his cultivation base shake, he knows that it isn''t possible for him to strengthen his foundation any further, he has to make the breakthrough now and the conditions were fulfilled. Sufficient spirit energy, perfectly stable foundation and even his comprehension of realms was more than enough, it was glory pushed back by time. The Chaos Dragon didn''t say anything about Nightin when he saw the feathers, looks of discontent was on his face until he witnessed for his eyes why Nightin felt unique. While making a breakthrough, he was trying to link to the minor gates of space and concealment. The minor gates are a existence which doesn''t really belong to the true laws, it may be weaker but it''s easier to cultivate, but it''s still an impossible task for people to communicate with it this easily. Many people underestimate the true strength of minor gates, ignorant to the fact that the specialty of minor gates lay in their subsidiary factor. They''re meant to be linked to the main law which a person cultivates and act as an amplifier. Turning his gaze to Kris, Kris was currently swinging his rapier around, or piercing it around in the air with a phantom enemy in his mind. The Chaos Dragon understood Kris intentions as the array runes activated and a phantom of Kris appeared. To make things challenging, the phantom had a higher cultivation base than Kris himself while retaining the original abilities and laws cultivated. The Chaos Dragon may not be an master in forming phantoms which can correspond to others, but for someone of Kris strength, it wasn''t a tough action. Sensing energy fluctuations in the air, Kris leaped backwards as he waited patiently for the image to form itself. Thanks, even though you''re a bastard. Kris thought to himself as the rapier in hand took on the form of a heavy sword once again. Lifting his heavy sword up and charging it towards the phantom, Kris was sent flying backwards despite hitting the sweet spot where his weak spot was. "Don''t even try, the phantom is a version of you without any weak points." The Chaos Dragon says from outside the array. "Alright then, a though battle it shall be." Kris says to himself as the space around him distorted as he slashed towards the right, the attack charging in from the side of the phantom, catching it unguarded even though it wasn''t prepared. "The training of a year worth a minute starts now!" Chapter 144 - Final stretch part 2 Nightin''s eyes may have been closed this entire time, but that made it easier for him to sense the spirit energy fluctuations in the air, it wasn''t just once or twice, but at least a few times every minute. Nightin didn''t speak or show concern for the Chaos Dragon, there may be slight appreciation due to his actions, but it was just a fair trade off between them in the end. The Chaos Dragon turned his gaze to Nightin without alerting him. He already knows? The Chaos Dragon thought to himself as the spirit energy booster array ruins shifted locations with each other, increasing the concentration of fire and wind energy by twice. The Samsara law, law of Life and law of Death may be too difficult to replicate, but the five basic elements were still within his range. As for the space element which Kris comprehends, it was one of the few laws he cultivated alongside the calamity law as an amplifier law, he may only be at the half sage realm even at his peak for the space law, but he was definitely the pinnacle existence among half sages. While Nightin sits down to comprehend the firestorm element which suddenly increased in concentration, his brows wrinkled in discontent, pursing his lips, he says "Chaos Dragon, what''s the meaning of this? I believe that you should be able to see through my intentions." "Don''t panic young fella, this may be a selfish decision I''ve made, but the laws of space and concealment are truly unsuitable for you. You''ve underestimated the natural laws of fire and wind, you''re also one of the few to have combined natural laws together and create a new law path." "Believe in the natural laws of fire and wind you''ve merged together, the immense strength that you can bring forth from within them is unlimited and the limiter is you. You''re the only person who''s cultivating the firestorm you call as spirit energy unlike others, your body constitution has already been customised for the five laws you possess now and they''re the greatest weapons in your arsenal." The voice of the Chaos Dragon sounded off from one of the sound ruins this time, giving Nightin an idea that Kris himself was in a state where interruption or distraction can mean death. After gathering his thoughts and taking a few deep breaths to change his mindset, Nightin centered himself accordingly while his body was cloaked in flames, streaks of wind forming the thin barrier to protect his body from the searing heat. It''s only at this point of time almost one year from back then that he questions himself, why did I forget about the firestorm law which is actually my own body? It might seem foolish, but the firestorm law gradually began to lost it strength as his foes grow stronger, only now did he realise it wasn''t as simple as just a law in the eyes of others, he was the true firestorm himself. His appearance is supposed to be that of a blazing meteorite that pierces through the air and use it as momentum, shattering through all space and concealments. The Chaos Dragon knows that Nightin had already entered the sudden enlightenment realm once again as he sighs to himself "Is the sudden enlightenment realm that common for him? Even I only managed to awaken four of them in my lifetime." Seeing that Kris was gaining the upper hand, the Chaos Dragon knows that he has to inflict some serious emotional damage, he has to make it through or he''ll fall just like him in the past. Life and Death battles may be fatal and even lead to a cultivator perishing, the great calamity might seem unstoppable as it leaves them helpless and left behind in the dust, but the heart was actually one''s great internal conflict and greatest foe. Clang With a final clash, Kris and the phantom of himself both retreated three steps back, Kris was growing stronger throughout the battle and victory was in plain sight. He had already seen the next few moves to victory, but suddenly, the phantom starts to take on the face of a middle aged man. The man had long brown hair that was straight, sharp brows and eyes which can never be seen through. Behind him was a woman with black hair with natural curls, but what was most eye catching about her was the birthmark of a star on her right palm. It was exactly the same as the one on Kris''s hand. "Father? Is that you? Mother? Is that you?" Kris asks weakly, he was fighting back to hold back his tears and his whole was quivering. His parents had left him just when he was only around seven years old, the suffering and coldness he had to endure as a young child was unimaginable by others. "What is this? The array runes were broken through the moment I invited the heart demon in." The Chaos Dragon knows that the worst has possibly happened, the person who should be the heart demon had located Kris through that split moment of fluctuation. That doesn''t symbolises that the array ruins which he had spent hundreds of years creating were broken or weak, but the person must be a Overlord who exceeds him at his peak by at least thirty stars, an expert of the 87th star and above at least. "You still recognise me even after eleven years?" His supposedly father speaks softly, but his words were like booming thunder in Kris ears. "How could this be? There''s no way you can be here!" Kris screams in agony as the vines around his heart suddenly constrain as its sharp thorns dig into his heart. The coldness in his father''s words were just like sharp blades of icicles piercing into his heart. His heavy sword falls onto the ground with a resounding clang, his body was quivering and tears were mixing in with the blood leaking from his eyes. "Why... Why did you... Abandon me?" Kris asks with chaotic breath, his face was flushed red and coloured scarlet by his own life force. The man turns to look towards the middle aged looking woman behind his back, contemplation was on his face with a mix of pain and straightforwardness. The Chaos Dragon knows that things would soon go out of his control if he doesn''t make a move soon. Taking on the form of shrouded darkness that resembles cloud, he makes his way through the wind and lines to pass through the arrays carved by himself with hundred of years worth of effort. It would be disastrous if Kris learns about the great calamity right now, the man may not that he isn''t permitted to let Kris in on this information of the barrier will loosen, but it seems like the man and wife had already made up the decision or death. "Get out of my array ruins right now!" The Chaos Dragon warns at the top of his voice, two swirls of black vortex pierced through the air and combined together, forming a two headed dragon that was attempting to enjoy the feast before its eyes. "Insolent!" The man says as he swings his arm, dissolving the attack of the Chaos Dragon without much difficulty. Knowing that battle was probably a foolish choice, the Chaos Dragon takes a step back and asks "Just who are you and what are you trying to divulge to him?" The man sneered "You''re just someone of the younger generation who passed away before me, you aren''t qualified to question someone like me who lived through the Origin Ancient era till now." The Origin Ancient era was where those even higher talented demons before the dark age appear, but it''s rumored that the dark age still crushed them and the person who awakened the 103th star. It''s only then that they realise, the cultivation universe had nine universe and that they were the weakest, each other universe would always have a 105th star at least, the strongest being among all nine was already at the 107th star. Many people questioned the 108th star to be immortality or attaining through god, but that will remain the mystery of the cultivation universes. But now, just who''s this man standing before him, wasn''t it rumored and explained with factual history that all cultivators of the Origin Ancient era had perished? Wasn''t it believed that the cultivation era had already fallen twice and was built up from the cultivation civilization since the start. "Just who the hell are you!?" Chapter 145 - Hoax "You fools really believe that all living beings from the Ancient Origin era had already perished?" The man says coldly as a storm of wind kicked off around him, causing the Chaos Dragon to back out of the array runes as he chased after, leaving Kris alone by himself to climb out from the swamp. The man didn''t even need to attack, just his aura alone had defeated Jave and if he truly intends to, the Chaos Dragon would already be dead before be knows it. Even though the Chaos Dragon had a need to pay attention to Nightin''s current condition or situation, he knows that it''s probably impossible for him at the moment. Come on young lad, you better hold out against those blades of flames until I return to assist you. Kris was currently treated as air, even the woman merely paid him a glance before averting her gaze away. Kris felt left out, but all he could release from his mouth was silent plea. "What do you mean? All living beings were born again and new species undiscovered in the Ancient Origin era started to arise one after another, the entire cultivation civilization was built up from scratch with left scrolls and records left behind, have you ever thought about how much effort we from the dark age put in to return our universe to its glory?" The Chaos Dragon says in grievance, but the man merely splashed water him with words "And you think that it wasn''t intentional that we vanished intentionally and even ensured that enough records were left behind?" "Are you saying that everything about the dark age was a script written by you scriptwriters to begin with?" The Chaos Dragon asks again his fists was clenched in human form and anger was apparent on his face. "That''s right, all of you from the dark age are merely sacrifices for this golden era. The current strongest cultivator might only be at the 87th star and even with more time, the furthest she can progress is up to the 89th star. But with my son and that other youth around, it isn''t possible to reverse the fate of our cultivation universe." "Father... Just what is going on?" Kris asks weakly from the side, his eyes were void of colour and his face lacks expression or feelings, he had already wallowed in despair while they were busy with the conversation. "Kris! No!" The woman cries out as she runs forward and hugs Kris widely, but the sharp coldness pierced her heart. "Get your hands off me bitch!" "Kit! Fall back!" The man calls out as spirit energy burst from his body, 106 stars were floating around behind him as the Chaos Dragon stared at this in shock. Kit complains when the man pulled her back and even question fiercely "Sin! What the hell are you doing? That''s our son!" "I know... But..." Sin didn''t know what to say when his eyes looked straight into that of his son, the amber eyes they had were just like duplicated replicas. Before any of them could react, a thin beam of light hits Kris in the forehead as his body falls backwards, landing on the ground with a soft thud supported by floating runes. "He''ll be fine." The Chaos Dragon says from behind as he introduced himself "The name''s Jave, I''m one of the seven guardians in the Dark Age who was once at the 60th star after that final breakthrough before my death." "How can you be so sure that he''ll still be alive if we leave him in the lurch right now when his mindset is already distorted?" Kit asks sharply as she dashes forward with her dagger slashing towards the Chaos Dragon, but it was futile with her cultivation. "Kit, step back, you''re only at the 54th star." "You''re Jave the white dragon guardian?" Sin asks as a sharp glint flashes in his eyes. Even though Sin was anxious about his son as well, he has to remain calm to deal with the upcoming situation. In the Dark Age, there were seven guardians also known as the protectors of the world who gave up their lives to seal up the battlefield from them, their last words were "We''ll still exist as spiritual forms and will awaken when the calamity is coming for our universe. Until then, do find a way to get the the 108th star of the Overlord realm or we might once again perish." Few knows about the process and while others were gullible enough to believe that they''re still under protection for tens of thousands of years, but such secret couldn''t be hidden anymore as more times passes and records were found. Even so, this wasn''t enough to impact anyone or cause a panic as the cultivation civilization was already nearing its peak, yet the pinnacle existence in the eyes of others were all fretting with worry as their talent was just way too weak. Each breakthrough in the Overlord realm would take them up to thousands of years and they lack the time, even if try to help their younger generation reach the Overlord realm, just the first 36 stars wouldn''t even suffice as cannon powder in the upcoming war. "Yes, I am the white dragon Jave appointed in the Dark Age after they went through the records left behind by the Ancient Origin era." Jave says, his voice cold. "I don''t understand, just why all of you from the Ancient Origin era cause so much trouble for us when all of you had sufficient time to locate the 107th star, I''m sure that you aren''t the peak existence even though you''re at the top of the ladder." Jave says, he had to press on as it was his duty to protect this cultivation universe while people continued to seek eternal life. "You may think that the 107th star is enough, but do you know that there last three stars are also known as the three major realms and as long as we don''t have anyone who steps onto the 108th star, the cultivation universe we live in will soon perish if they work together." "But as long as we have a 108th star, then the effects of the great calamity can be mitigated and even reversed, we''ll become the dominant universe and by then, all of us will continue to pursue the eternal life which all desire." "And you know that it isn''t possible for the 108th star to exist, that''s just a pipe dream all cultivators and living beings use to deceive themselves! The 107th star is the peak and all of us know that! If so, then why are all of you risking so many lives for it!?" "You don''t understand, all of it was just a hoax set by the supreme ruler who rules over all nine universe from what we''ve discovered and that he''ll eliminate anyone close to awakening the 108th star. It might be death or just stagnant progress, but we''re bound to be on a downfall until he builds up his personal tenth universe, wage war and destroy us until we cease to exist." "What?" Chapter 146 - What happened? Nightin however is oblivious to everything that is going on, his eyes are blindfolded with white bandages and blood is leaking from his mouth. His body is painted a light shade of red and light cuts of blood covered his body from head to toe, his eyes were sliced in the process as well and he had to protect them with a bandage infused with spirit energy. Just what is the Chaos Dragon doing right now? Nightin asks internally as he opens his senses to its limit, feeling the wind and fire elements near him. He could feel the firestorm element within his body beaming with joy as they frantically absorbed all the spirit energy, just a few hundred more days in the outside world worth of time and he would open the first gate, bound to be a transcendent gate. In the past, he could have assume that the first gate might be the firestorm law while the other eight are gates that contain traces of Samsara, but what awaits him in the present is mist waiting to be explored. Will the effects of just one Samsara gate be enough or will it be too weak and break the balance? Will this affect his future strength and growth potential negatively or will it become one of his most valuable assets? Unable to come up with an answer, Nightin retracts the spirit energy protecting his body, it''s about time that he lets time decides the answer for itself and maybe even accept fate for once. "Young fella, your decision isn''t wrong, but don''t ever allow the wheel of fate to play its game or you''ll end up losing. Do heed my words." The voice of Phoenix sounded from Nightin''s mind. "Master Phoenix, are you still alive?" Even though the Ancestor Phoenix may not have taken Nightin in as his disciple officially, but he''s sure that Phoenix must have been thinking about the same idea in mind. It might have been fate that brought them together because the Ancestor Phoenix couldn''t locate or call for any of his disciples out there, but both of them had taking a liking to each other character when they were still weak. Drip Drop The sound of dripping water was heard before the scenery before him changed, from the previous ancient runes of thick fire and wind elements, all he could see right now are the raging flames and the devastating water clashing at each other. The water is being evaporated by the flames at every contact, water vapour and every single bit of the process going on was crystal clear to Nightin, the flames were dominating and prevailing against the ocean, the ruler of the seas lost to the Marquis of flames. "Young fella, you should understand that a Phoenix can undergo nine rebirths and even though it''s a legend, I as someone who was once at the eighth rebirth can tell you that I''ll be back within a hundred years. My strength will exceed my peak and I''ll be a Overlord Phoenix at the pinnacle of this cultivation world, but even so, the fate of this cultivation universe lays on your weighed shoulder." It was Phoenix''s voice again, except that it''ll the first time that Nightin heard his master Phoenix voice brimming with energy and full of confidence. "Casper is it?" Don''t worry and just wait because I''ll be seeking you for the truth soon. If you ever held any malicious intent towards the three divine birds species, then don''t blame me for being cruel towards you." Nightin mutters under his breath, his fist clenched. The next moment however, the water rose in height and towered over the raging flames of searing heat until a giant was standing before a dwarf. The fate of the battle was sealed as the flames entered eternal slumber before returning for the second battle and while the strength of the water only grew slightly, the flames had doubled in height and was now able to stand on equal terms of power against the water before fading away to nurture again. The water had no need to try improving its strength anymore because it''ll still perish when the flames come back and tower over it much more than it once did. In a frantic attempt, the once dominant tidal wave abandoned its territory built up over the past hundred years with the mindset of returning for revenge a thousand years later. Yet a thousand years later was when it realised that it was being foolish, the raging which were once defeated under its surging water had not only taken over its territory, but also ruled over all the lands. That was the true story of Phoenix who was just a abandoned child from the divine Phoenix race at first, only returning to his true home and enjoy eternal glory after his sixth Nirvana Rebirth. On that day, Phoenix was occupied with trying to conquer a new plot of land when he suddenly sensed scorching flames from far. The flames... Why do they feel so similar? Confident in his own strength, Phoenix investigated further as he took an emergency leave and instructed his advisors to come up with a plan before he returns. Gliding through the sky and heading towards that unfamiliar feeling of belonging, he soon arrived at a place where boiling water were the ground for razor flames spiking to the sky. The place felt comfortable for him and as he ventured even deeper, he realised that it was a group of people weaker than him, but of the same species. He may not know, but even the current leader of the Divine Phoenix race is only at the sixth nirvana rebirth as well. He was old on his years and when the group sensed the Phoenix Ancestor arrival, they first questioned his background. "What are you doing here instead of staying in the Phoenix race?" One of the phoenix screeches and ask, taking on the form of a elegant middle age man, same going for those behind him. "So we''re going to communicate in human form first instead of an answer?" The Phoenix Ancestor said coldly at that time as crimson hair straight to his waist made a perfect division at the centre of his back, his facial features only exist in the pinnacle artworks known to man and his demeanor was just too dominating. His eyes were commanding, his voice was persuasive, his tone was that of a natural leader. When his crimson eyes seemingly made of glass like eyes stared straight at them, the other Phoenixes could feel their soul crying out in fear and silent pleas leaking from their mouth. Only one of the elder Phoenix of the fifth Nirvana Rebirth leading the group stepped out and said "I do not know what you''re doing here later, do you perhaps have any marking or item which we can recognise?" His voice was weak from old age, but steady. "Very well, have you seen this amulet before?" The young Phoenix asks as he took out an amulet, the other area was of glossy ice of absolute freezing temperature and in the middle was a gem radiating the brightest flames he has ever seen. "This... That''s the legendary artifact our Phoenix race lost!" The old man lost control of himself as another man from behind questions sharply "Just who are you and what gave you the courage to steal from us!?" The young Phoenix Ancestor smirks and says "Don''t you think you''re going overboard right now? I don''t even know about this thing until I discovered it unintentionally and now that I''m asking, you''re already half deeming me dead!?" "Panix, step down! I''ll contact the Phoenix Head straightaway. Young Phoenix please give me a moment." The Phoenix old on his years said before stepping back to communicate with the Phoenix head. And I haven''t even gestured. The young Phoenix Ancestor thought to himself as he watched the other few phoenixes playing around like little children, he should have been like them though he feared it. It meant that he wouldn''t have the strength and rack of achievements acquired after thousands of years and blood shed effort. Every single land and every single drop of water in this area has been contaminated by his blood, it was his immensely fast recovery speed that made others fear him, he was immortal. From there onwards, the current Phoenix Ancestor before him had actually encouraged him to return, the lands that he had fought for over these years will still be his and everyone in the Divine Phoenix race will be under his rule. Agreeing to the conditions blindly, he only discovered that it was a scheme that the already dead Phoenix Ancestor had planned, he had intended to silence him and make use of his Nirvana flame sprite to seek the seventh rebirth, oblivious to the fact that he was nothing but a strong foe unworthy of the second strike. Before Nightin could even react from these bits and pieces of memories, he was forcibly pulled out from the memory tunnel as his blindfold unfolded itself before his eyes. Chapter 147 - Just what is this... When Nightin finally regains his sight, the first thing he did was to scan around. He was still trapped in the same runes, but the Chaos Dragon had vanish alongside Kris, he attempted to communicate to Kris through telepathy, but a wraith spirit cuts him off. A wraith spirit is something that only exists in the mental world they know, it travels and flows around in what is known as the speech dimension, living in the pathways which we use when communicating via telepathy. Did something happen to Kris in that short moment master Phoenix was telling me something? Nightin thought to himself cluelessly, his skin was still suffering from the searing heat and the sharp wind blades were slicing his internal flesh. Even so, it was still much better compared to the initial level of pain, it was barely within his tolerance level but he could feel the instant benefit his firestorm spirit essence was reaping, his body was also being tempered as well. His spirit essence was rotating and cultivating at an immense speed which he has never dared to imagine. His spirit energy was already near his max capacity limit, but he was still trying to endure which would only result in increasing pain every passing second. Gritting his teeth while keeping his fists clenched, he tells himself repeatedly, I can''t give up until the gate breaks apart by itself. From what he has read about back when he was young, only those who are forced to make a breakthrough to the Martial Emperor realm when their spirit essence overflow, can progress further if they somehow step into the Overlord realm. In the cultivation realm, every stage from the Martial Apprentice realm to the Overlord realm matters, one rash move or mistake that causes a weak foundation will eliminate one from much further progress in future. Knowing that he was already near his limit, he calls out "Chaos Dragon! I need your help! Now!" Yet his own echos were the only replies as the runes reflects them back. Outside the ruins, the soldiers were all staring at the ruins in surprise, the purple cage had already retracted itself and the Chaos Dragon including Sin and Kit had already left. The General had already arrived within a few seconds after Matthias call, but remained at the side concealed to see how things unfold, would his soldiers be foolish enough to make rash decisions or will they await his arrival while formulating a plan. Walking towards them with a slight curve forming on his lip, he asks Matthias "Special soldier Matthias! Was it you who requested for me presence with immediate effect?" His demeanor was commanding and questioning. "Yes!" Matthias replied politely as he half kneels on the ground and says "Special knight Matthias requests on behalf of everyone here to save potential Supreme knight Kris!" Hearing the three words potential Supreme knight, the General knows that this matter isn''t as simple as he thinks anymore, a potential Supreme knight is highly valued by the Voyager Kingdom and might even be slightly above him in nobility "Where is he right now then? All I see is one youth cultivation with the assistance of those ruins when the barrier broke apart. The general says, oblivious to the truth that Kris and his parents had already left with Jave. As the general of the Voyager kingdom, one of the minimum requirement to become assistant general would be to be at the Overlord realm, only those who''re at the middle stage Overlord realm above 36 stars can be promoted once again to a true general. The general standing before them right now goes by the name of Lionel and has golden hair just like a lion''s mane, his sharp eyes will make you fear him and his cultivation is the reason why his position remains for thousands of years. Great General Lionel above the 72th star at the 94th star, progressing twenty two stars rapidly in just a hundred years time with combat strength unmatched below the hundredth star, one of the top ten experts of the cultivation world below the three legendary Overlord realms. At the Cloud Domes located at the extreme Southern area of the strongest Overlord realm led by the Extreme Musician Overlord, the first person to reach the 97th star a hundred years ago. Boom Spirit energy surges and gathers in one area, some cultivators who were cultivating vomited out blood and some plants withered immediate under the absence of spirit essence. In the Northern area where the Blooming Castle lays, the Flower Overlord could sense the absence of spirit essence in the air as she frantically released her spirit essence and provided them with temporary resource. "So it seems like the great calamity is coming again this quickly before we can even get onto our feet." Flower whispers to herself, her face devoid of emotion except for a smirk "Bring it on!" In the Eastern and Western area of the Overlord realm, the same was going on for the Space Overlord of the East and the Time Overlord of the west, even though the spirit energy was fluctuating weakly, they knew that this was a sign that the musician finally changed his mind. He was a compassionate person who stepped onto the cultivation path at the age of forty after escaping from the slave traders by luck, three years and he stepped into the early stage Martial Emperor realm, breaking through to the Martial Saint realm perfectly with just eight years of cultivation. Yet his character leaves everyone speechless, the only reason he''ll fight is when innocent lives are in danger, he only cultivated so that he can comprehend deeper into the musical path of his Zither and have a longer lifespan for it. Even so, no one dares to underestimate him, for he held the title of the strongest under this heaven. His combat strength right now at the 100th star was definitely akin to the 105th star and if he finally goes all out for about hundred years, they should be safe unless the 108th star finally makes a move on all nine universes. (Note: Spirit essence is the same term as spirit energy, but used for plants) Yet none of the humans had any fear or worry on their faces, because all of them had caught wind of the piece of news ten years ago, their Overlord Musician was attempting to conquer the 100th star and if he succeeds, all of them will benefit and those who were injured during the process will be treated by him personally. Only the higher ups however know the true reason, their Overlord was trying to improve the strength of the Overlord realm by as much as possible within the short time frame he had left. In one of the villages which is desolated and separated from the others, a youth probably around his early teens at thirteen was sitting on a rock, to his side was a young beauty with pale blue hair bandaging his arm carefully. Concern could be seen on her face as she asks "Brother Xin, just how long are you going to keep up this pointless effort? It''s impossible for you to step beyond the Martial Saint realm by thirty. Even after this much effort, you''re only at the early stage Martial Lord realm and despite your seperior cultivation strength, it''s still a pointless effort." "Pandora, don''t worry, I''ll make sure to accomplish that goal so that I''ll be authorised to keep you by my side and even help you find a way to cultivate, I promise you that and swear with my life on the line." The boy named Xin assures her as his hand reaches out and pats her on the head. "But..." "Shh, no buts here, you have known me for long enough." Xin interrupts her politely, his hand retracting back as he faces the gigantic tree once again. "You do not know, but you''re the only reason I''m still alive and have matured this early. When everyone gave up on me cause they failed to detect my hidden talent, it was you who accompanied me step by step as the family regretted their decisions and tried to make it up to me. But there''s no way I''m turning back, if they can hurt and betray my parents once that time, they might do so to me in the future." Xin explains, his fist charging forward towards the tree. When young, Xin was just like Nightin, but at least he had the qualifications to cultivate, but if they were to meet up, will it be as allies or enemies? Chapter 148 - Unstoppable momentum I''m already near my limit? Nightin asked himself when the spirit energy started to overflow, his body was already brimming with energy and yet he feels that he can go further. His spirit energy had already manifested within his body, the flames and wind had became part of his body, mind and even soul. The firestorm spirit energy covered each and every inch of his body, yet the feeling of emptiness still remains. Just why is this happening? Nightin wasn''t afraid of making a breakthrough anymore at this stage, it''s more of him being unable to sense the Martial Emperor realm that made him worry. Is it my innate talent or is it some other reason that''s causing this bottleneck? Taking in a few deep breaths to ease off the tension accumulated in his muscles in the panic. He opens his Samsara eyes to detect the spirit energy in the air and realised that all the excess spirit energy was leaking out from his body. With no one to give him an answer, he closes his eyes as he takes a trip down memory lane, maybe he can recall some important knowledge and derive an answer from there. First linking back to when he heard about breaking through the Martial Emperor realm, he remembers the few criterias stated clearly on the book even up to this day. Firstly, it''s only possible to seek out the first gate when one''s spirit energy is about seventy percent of the body''s capacity limit. Ninety percent will bring about a Vibrant gate with special characteristics while the transcendent gate will require one to exceed the person''s limit. I''m definitely far beyond this stage, or do I have to push myself further for some reasons? Secondly, one must ensure that their innate talent is strong enough, the longer one takes to find the first gate, the lower their chances to smash through it. At the age of hundred, it''ll be impossible to find the gate ever again which is why while Martial Kings roam the streets, Martial Emperors appear few in numbers. The Firestorm constitution coupled with my improved innate talent also exceeds the criteria as well, just what''s it that''s stopping me? The law they cultivate must also at least be of the Half Ancestor realm at this point or the gate will not even budge. The conditions were strict and harsh, but none of them had ever mentioned in detail about the mystical gate, it''s rumored that only those who see that gate can see the future of immortality. Damn it! Just what is it that I''m lacking at the moment!? Nightin felt at a loss, he couldn''t sense the transcendent gate, he felt it slipping past him as he travels forward, all he can do right now is advance forward and seek the mystical gate, which even he doubts exist. Suddenly at this moment, the fire and wind spirit energy in his body manifested into burst of slicing flames as about twenty percent more of spirit energy can be filled. Nightin didn''t know why, but this only happened because the firestorm spirit energy within his body had evolved and was ready for a dual process, they had made up their own mind by taking this risk as well, for failure means death. This might be it. Nightin hurriedly absorbed the surrounding spirit energy without giving a regard to the weird sensation he was feeling, the feeling of someone preying on him as food or treasure. With a explosion, the surrounding spirit energy were all being sucked into the vortex of the whirlpool, the soldiers fell back in shock while the True General Lionel was captivated by Nightin''s Awe Inspiring cultivation method. This must be it! He must be the chosen one! Lionel confirmed to himself deep within himself without any second doubts, a grin unexpectedly forming itself before his soldiers as he bellowed "All soldiers present take heed, I hereby order for the top thousand among your batch to follow the ninth grade noble onto the battlefield!" "But, General Lionel, he''s just a youth around our age with lower cultivation base." One of the Elite soldiers says, reluctance on his face even though respect was present. "Elite solider, I believe that you aren''t given the authority level to retort me. Very well, I''ll take back this decision of mine and you can regret this decision of yours in the future." The soldier replied with a disgruntled look "Yes General." Stepping back into the crowd, he pats his chest and prayed "Thank god I''m not blind in following orders." Unknown to him, he had just missed out on the turning point of his life. From now on, he''s bound to be an average Elite soldier for life unless he encounters another of this chances. In the meantime, Nightin saw the gate after a large amount of effort, his body felt bloated and his eyes were wide open. Guess this is what it means to exceed the limit twice in a row, haha. Allowing the spirit energy to consume him freely while he closes his energy and enjoys their shower of concern, his strength was fully gathered in the Samsara sword as he walks up to the gate. The gate was a mixture of three colours in a perfect 1:1:1 ratio, it was fire to wind to Samsara, that''s what the colours represented and that''s going to be his first gate of the nine. But still, how will his fate and future cultivation path turn out when the enemy senses the danger in advance and attempts to kill him before he even develops any further. As the saying goes "This world never lacks geniuses, what this world lack are those demons who stands above all the demons with a clear distinct gap between them." Without any hesitation, no concern about the future or reminiscent of his past. All he sees right now is his sword, Phoenix and Charlotte and the future him. As the gate shatters apart, particles of energy surged into his body as the two spirit energy of flames and wind within his body took on the form of two gates linked together, the Samsara gate was on its own with a sword symbol at the front beneath them. "How dare you attempt to pry open the mystical gate which even I failed to open even after ten times of cultivating from scratch! Just you wait as I''ll make sure to end your life before the great calamity or you''ll pose a threat to my position!" It was the voice of a man, mysterious yet creepy but full of confidence and gloomy energy. Just like how a subject would react upon meeting its ruler, the Samsara gate was currently kneeling down to the gates of firestorm. The runes broke apart as the Lionel looks at him in shock and asks the Elite soldier nearest to him "Hey, are you absolutely sure that he was just at the early stage Martial King realm a few hours ago?" His tone was demanding and fierce, but the anxiousness and worry within his heart was growing stronger with every gulp of saliva swallowed. The soldier stammered for a moment before answering "Yes, Elite soldier Max swears on my life that whatever the army has just reported to you is true!" "Step back." Lionel walks up to Nightin as he asks "So, young noble, do you mind sharing your experience with this old general?" His tone sounded more amusing than commanding which baffled the soldiers here, but none of that matters because all he wants is the answer from Nightin himself. Chapter 149 - Past events "Are you perhaps the General in charge of this area?" Nightin asks politely with his right fist thumped on his chest as a salute. This might seem like a gesture of close to zero importance in the cultivation world, but this gesture of his has earned the respect of some soldiers. Even they might just speak respectfully without the salute, it has already been forgotten and is merely recorded in the manual during Kingdoms exchange travels. Lionel looks at Nightin once again before raising his head towards the plain ceiling, a crescent formed on his stern face and the hopeful sunlight radiating with energy replaced the despair and stress snowballed till now. This young boy, he reminds me of the younger self of that person, maybe he might exceed him in time to come, but that is if time can wait for him to develop. "Young boy, what''s your name and why are you appointed as a ninth-grade noble all of a sudden? I don''t recall ever seeing you." Lionel asks, his politeness surprising all of his man even though no one stands out to question, they know their general better than anyone. Their general was someone who turns serious when it comes to political and military affairs, he''s however known for his keen eye when it comes to the scouting of talent. "Reporting to General, my name is Nightin and I''m someone who made it here in one leap from the lower grade realms. Here, I have no background and am only affiliated with the Voyager kingdom because of a unique contract they agreed on with the Evil Academy." Everything was spoken out, but details about the contract and Evil Academy and sent through telepathy to the General. "You kidding me? He skipped past the middle grade realms and high grade realms and ascended to our Overlord realm this easily?" A Elite soldier exclaimed in surprised. "Maybe his true identity isn''t as simple as it seems, maybe he''s a spy from enemy forces of the descendent of some legendary characters." One of the Elite soldiers replied while nodding his head in approval of his own idea. "Elite Soldier! Have you forgotten about the teachings of our army?" Lionel interrupted in with his usual tone, causing the soldier to stand upright and face him. Lionel didn''t even give him a second glance before turning away, only asking "What are the three absolute rules I reminded all of you to follow?" "We train to protect our loved ones and protect them from harm, we are the shield of our loved ones and the spear of our lands and seas!" "Resilience should never slip out of our mind, we can die with pride and glory, but never scamper away from the battlefield with our tails between our legs!" "We should never jump to conclusions and should only state something when there is sufficient proof and evidence to prove our theory!" "Repeat the last rule again." Lionel says coldly, shutting down the soldier mindset of disobeying him in the slightest. "We should never jump to conclusions..." Before the Elite solider could even finish what he had to say, Lionel had already sent him crashing into the wall while signalling for the healers to recover his injuries. Making use of this chance to bring his dominance to the other level, he says at the top of his voice "I understand that you have your qualms and doubts about what he just said, but I can assure you that everything he mentioned was true." The soldiers kept silent and half knelt on the ground as an army "Your words will always be engraved deeply in our hearts, General Lionel!" So his name is Lionel. Lionel turns around and before he could get questioned, he tells Nightin "Pay attention to what I''m about to tell you next." Once every ten years ever since that day, the hundred and eight first grade kingdoms will gather together at the heart of the kingdoms, in a mysterious floating island which only grants them access ever since the combined discovery. The few Supreme kingdoms in the open and dark gathered up and pressured them, forcing them to surrender the harvest they have reaped and almost started a war. It was a blessing that they realised that they themselves were actually being blocked out by a mysterious barrier, those who attacked it suffer internal injuries of different degrees according to their attack power, those who attempted to charge through blindly while incinerated into ashes, those who were foolish enough to try sneaking in from underground or arrays had their bones absorbed by the ground and souls extracted. During that unforeseen crisis and event, the Supreme kingdoms incurred heavy losses and a massive amount of casualties, many weapons were lost including the legacies of some families which caused a steep decline in the overall strength of those Supreme kingdoms. Many arrays were wasted for nought in that futile expedition, some key holders of the Supreme Kingdoms had fallen there because of the passageway before the entrance. The passageway appears to be created by a divine being which possessed divine abilities of necromancy before death, the undead warriors and soldiers didn''t just have cultivation comparable to that of Great Saints at least, hundreds of them were in the Demigod realm as well which wasn''t a force to be reckoned with even with their combined force. The worst is that they had to face off against twenty seven Overlord realms undead that possess intelligence, one of them was even at the 88th star at that time, wiping out their core armies due to the lack of preparation. The Supreme kingdoms were caught off guard and by the time reinforcements arrived, the only thing they could do was wait until the Great General of a Supreme Kingdom arrived. In the Supreme Kingdoms, it''s a must to appoint a Supreme General at least of the 85th Overlord star, exactly thirteen stars above the first grade kingdom rules. This difference was more than enough to create a unbreachable gap in strength. The first to arrive at that time however wasn''t any of the Great Generals, but Lionel who was only at the Demigod realm seventh transformation at that time, his strength was average in the entire army but enough to be in the core army, if not for the injury which he suffered from a previous battle which sent him into the backup army. When he scanned around after arriving before everyone else, he had apparently spotted a well concealed button among the flowers and bushes before formulating a plan to sneak into the chambers and steal what he needs. "Ahh! My arm! One of the cultivators cried out in a blood curdling scream before getting devoured by some puppet spiders wandering in groups of four. Seeing the same scenes unfolding before his eyes again and again just like a video on repeat, a nauseous feeling made its way up his gut, only after much effort then did he manage to suppress that terrifying fear and steel his mind. To save them, I have to do it. It may not be beneficial towards the Voyager Kingdom, but hundreds and even thousands of lives were at stake here. The angel in his heart had won the battle and destroyed the spear of the devil with its glowing halo, making its way to assist them as a finger pushed down on the button before landing on the ground. "Damn you human!" A voice cried out from behind him as a spear pierced through his chest, which he soon pulls out after when all the undead finally turns into stone. For someone at the demigod realm, just strong physical attacks wouldn''t mean anything anymore and even the strongest of physical attacks would at most make them suffer slight injuries. "So, what happened after you became the saviour of everyone. How did the Supreme Kingdom react, did they pay you handsomely?" Nightin asks when he noticed that Lionel was done narrating about his past. Chapter 150 - Combat strength limit "Thank me for saving the lives of their subordinates? It''s already a wonder that they spared my life after discovering the potential I had." Lionel says as he shakes his head. "Because they find that you''re a threat?" Nightin asks, unacceptance on his face. The soldiers looked around in confusion, their General and that ninth grade noble of a young age had been in a standstill for moments now. Their face was devoid of any expressions, making it impossible for the soldiers to decipher their thoughts as well. Only Matthias who knows more knowledge thanks to the minor guidance of his brother Hysan. They were communicating through telepathy which they possess as well, but theirs was too weak to hide the fluctuations in the air. "You''re a smart chap, but time doesn''t wait for anyone and while I was given the chance and time to develop, but I''m still far from my peak potential even so." "You may not know about it yet, but I can roughly guess that the contract states that you only have lesser than a hundred years to develop." "How do you know?" Nightin asks back, not in surprise but curiosity of a cat. "I''m unable to divulge the details to you yet, but just know that before the time limit stated in the contract is up, your strength must at least be equivalent to the current me." "By the time your contract ends, I should be at the 100th star myself and stand beneath the strongest experts who have been cultivating before me." "General Lionel, just what is it that all of you are trying to hide from me? I''m being expected to work hard for a cause I don''t even know and none of you are willing to tell me why!" Nightin says in grievance. "I''m sorry, but this is the orders I''ve received from the higher ups and as a solider, I''m obliged to fulfill and carry out my duties as given." Lionel replies coldly, before asking "How about this, do you want a try at challenging a Martial Saint? I''ll suppress my cultivation that compare with the weakest Martial Saints." Hearing Lionel''s suggestion, the first movement between the two was a nod from Nightin before the dashed towards each other, a sword against a spear clashing in the air, the shockwave from their impact causing a explosion which sent many soldiers flying back. Many of the soldiers were shouting out in disarray, why did a fight break out suddenly? Within a split second, they have already exchanged tens of moves, neither of them were backing down and the clash would always end with them keeping them footing. "Quite some speed and endurance you have there, but can you compete with me in terms of laws when I don''t hold back?" Lionel asks with a smile on his face, the figure of a lion behind his back. "What I cultivate is the Jungle law of pride, the ruler of the jungle serves me and gives me his boundless strength, but don''t worry as I''ve only activated the first form of the three." Lionel says as his spear stabs forward again with nearly double the strength. He''s fast! Nightin reacted by parrying with his sword, but the surprise attack had caught him unguarded as his body propelled backwards, his legs kicking off the wall at the last moment before landing on the ground with a elegant spin. Arrows of order and chaos surrounds him like a tornado, the arrows of order infused with wind while the arrows of chaos while infused with flames. As his arrows spiralled forwards from trajectories that targets Lionel vitals, Nightin stood back as a crescent of blood formed before him as he followed up soon after. "Your arrows may seem impressive, but that''s all there is to them." Lionel states calmly, his spear spinning around his body to deflect the arrows. Nightin remains silent as he slashes forward as they exchange moves once again, but he holds the upper hand this time as Lionel retreats backward with every clash. This was the blood crescent true essence, the faster his speed, the stronger his strikes and it''ll only accumulate until it reaches a stage where his opponent falls unless he''s forcibly stopped. "Lion''s roar!" Lionel slashes an arc before him with immense strength which caused both of them to stagger backwards. His spear was already pointed at Nightin''s face by the time Nightin regained balance after losing the momentum. It''s now! Nightin thought to himself as a pillar of flame descended from the air and give him the time needed to retreat, leaving Lionel helpless to chase on as his spear dashes through the air. He was taking a risk to finish Nightin off right now. "I''m sorry General Lionel, but I really have to win this." Nightin says as flames spiralled around the Samsara sword in his hand, streaks of wind gazing past his face and causing most soldiers to lose balance. "This is, me at my strongest! Wrath of the Phoenix!" Nightin slashes forward, only consuming about twenty percent of his spirit essence this time, but the explosion this time was so immense that even Lionel was shocked by the intensiveness of this combat. Lionel himself knows that while his cultivation is still suppressed, he has already brought out the strength of the first sage realm alongside with his natural battle instincts, but Nightin was still able to contend with him even so. "Young lad, can you defeat a middle stage Martial Saint?" Lionel says as his cultivation grows stronger expontientially, his spear stabbing forward as wisps of nature energy gathers around it. "Jungle law! The strength of cohesion!" All of the soldiers could only stare as they keep themselves close to the wall, all of them activating their spirit energy together in a defensive manner only to be barely protecting themselves. Within their hearts, they were screaming, someone tell me just what the hell is going on! But of course, Nightin and Lionel both didn''t have the time to care about those soldiers as they collided once against midair. This time however, the one sent flying was Nightin as blood leaks from his robes, blood seeps out of his mouth and his body was so damaged that even his bones can be seen. "This is merely the beginning!" Nightin dashes forward again without any forewarning, shocking Lionel who was currently catching his breath. What the hell! Lionel cursed as his spear parried the attack, only to realise that Nightin''s current strength was just way too much for him to handle. While others would have got much weaker with this degree of injury, it wasn''t worth mentioning compared to the inhumane pain and torture which Nightin had went through. What would be a disaster for others, ends up being the blessing in disguise for him as it liven up his blazing desire for combat. Coupled with his blood crescent which grows stronger slightly with the amount of blood he loses, it''s only now that he''s at this peak strength. Just like this, Nightin began to send Lionel flying backwards and in just a few slashes, Lionel''s back slams into the wall heavily as he groaned in pain. How is this happening! "Just where does your limit lay?" Lionel asks as his cultivation base grows again, this time to the late stage Martial Saint realm. "This is... My limit." Nightin says as his body falls from the air. "Careful!" Lionel shouted as he regains his full cultivation base and catches Nightin before he lands on the ground. "You''re one headstrong youth." Chapter 151 - Meeting chamber "Thanks." Nightin says weakly as he allowed Lionel to hook him over the shoulder. At this point of time, Nightin has already gained the respect of Lionel. This youth, he''s much crazier than I thought. Is he the person in the prophecy, or is he someone who even the prophecy didn''t foresee. If so, then just who is the other genius unheard of up till now? Lionel thinks to himself as he calls out towards Matthias standing before him. "Special knight Matthias, please make arrangements to arrange a room with the proper recovery facilities for this young noble, help me to push back my other arranged meetings as well." Lionel instructs as he passes a token with the shape of a lion through the air. "Take this, they''ll understand my intentions upon seeing this." Lionel adds on. "Yes General!" Matthias replies with a salute before walking up to support Nightin and say "I should really look up to you, but where''s brother Hysan?" "Your brother, he has already left the place." Nightin replied coldly as his body slumps onto Matthias, adding on weakly after "I''ll require your assistance for now." Back in the meeting chamber, Lionel had called for an emergency meeting of top priority and all events or other scheduled meetings in the Voyager Kingdom were cancelled without any advance notice. Sitting at the front of the meeting chamber, Lionel looks at the four advisers, twenty four generals and the Emperor of the Voyager Kingdom sitting before him on the highest throne. Everyone present at the meeting chamber at this point of time are all at the Overlord realm and even the weakest among them, were the four advisers at the middle stage Overlord realm that spend most of their time formulating strategies to improve their kingdom''s strength before the great calamity. This is the second time in history that the emergency meeting has been held, that first time was because of the Supreme kingdoms wanting Lionel dead and the second time is now, due to Lionel again. The atmosphere in the air was tense, the silence was awkward, but none of them here had any clue as to how to break this silence. "Let''s cut straight to the chase, True General Lionel just why did you call for this emergency meeting and call for everyone before informing me beforehand." "Your Highness, I believe that whatever information that I''m going to disclose next is of paramount importance not only to us, but the entire cultivation universe." "True General Lionel, so you''re doubting the ability of us advisers now?" Questions a old man with sharp brows and hair the colour of old age. "Advisor Utara, please don''t put any unnecessary words into my mouth." Lionel replies coldly without sparing him any face. Back when the Supreme kingdoms wanted him dead, this advisor Utara was the first one to want him dead. "Isn''t that what you''re implying right now? You called for an emergency meeting just because you withhold some information which you think we don''t know of!" Advisor Utara retorted, his chest heaving up and down in anger. The other advisors merely turned a blind eye to this, but were prepared to stop Utara if he makes any rash movements. The generals present weren''t even willing to pay attention to this small quarrel. What they want to know is the main topic, getting hot blooded cultivators from the battlefield, getting them to listen to words is just a form of inhumane torture. "Whether I''m implying it right now or not, it doesn''t matter to me at all, unless you can assure me that you know of every potential talent in this world." Lionel says coldly, his eyes shifting over to the Voyager Emperor. Before Utara could speak again, a majestic voice pressured on him from above "Advisor Utara, please stop this nonsense of yours before I take any action!" Despite wanting to push on, he knows that it wouldn''t benefit him to argue back with the Voyager Emperor. Swallowing his dignity and pride, he sat down on his seat as his face twisted with hate. "True General Lionel, can you share with us about your discovery now?" The Voyager Emperor says in the form of a question. "I''ll start with a question, can everyone present name me the strongest genius you''ve ever met?" One of the female general with wavy hair violet in colour says "If you really need me to name someone, then it would be someone from a opposing kingdom. Drizzle from the Beast kingdom deserves that title." "At the young age of twenty two, she has not only stepped into the ninth gate realm, all of her gates are of the transcendent vibrant stage as well. As for her combat strength, even the weaker Martial Saints aren''t her match unless they awaken the iridescent saint force." "That''s all?" It was the male general sitting opposite who spoke out. He had clear silver eyes and the demeanor he was giving off right now resembled that of a ferocious wolf who rules his race, one who can make his enemies bow down from just his voice alone. The second strongest general under Lionel known as Silver, he also has a nickname and is known as the one who causes havoc around the battlefield. The moonlight wolf. "You really think that she can be the best? The youth I met was a person who doesn''t use any weapons or his body to fight, he makes use of his imagination and created a Divine law of his own, the law of imagination!" "What!?" The Voyager Emperor stood up from his throne and asks "Are you sure that a youth actually created a Divine law of his own?" "Yes, his name is Ash and he''s also the disciple I just took in three months ago after conquering him with the demeanor of a wolf. At the young age of just nineteen right now, he has already awakened the Iridescent rank saint force just a few days ago and his combat strength already contends against the completion stage Martial Saints. In just a year time, even the weakest Great Saints might be nothing but easy prey in his eyes." When Silver mentioned the word prey, his tongue subconsciously sticks out and lips his own dry lips. Even so, no one commented on this inappropriate behavior of his, that''s just the natural instinct of someone who grew up with a pack of wolves. The Divine law may be impressive even in the Overlord realm, but many geniuses can awaken them if they want to, but what most people want is compatibility. As for creating a new law which can rank in the Divine rankings, even most Overlords aren''t able to fully make use of this once in a lifetime chance, a Divine law once created by that one person, must be used and all other laws will be rejected. "Silver, you still haven''t change that bad habit of yours after all these years. Still, can you help me to arrange a meeting with Ash as soon as possible?" Even though the Voyager Emperor tried to hide the excitement in his voice, it was still too obvious for him to hide it. "Your Highness, I believe that there''s another youth who I should recommend to you as well." Lionel sat up from his said, his robes swaying along with the gentle breeze. Seeing the Voyager Emperor nod, Lionel then says "The youth goes by the name of Nightin and he''s seventeen years old this year and he ascended from the lower realms. His cultivation base is at the Martial Emperor realm and if I''m not wrong, he might have awakened the mystical gates which even the legends and historical records refuse to elaborate." "At just the first stage of the Martial Emperor realm, he actually managed to force me to raise my cultivation base to the late stage Martial Saint realm, I even activated the first stage of my sage law and was even totally focused at that time. If we''re going by just the average strength of cultivators, I believe that he has the strength to at least stand on even grounds with the weakest Great Saints." "What nonsense are you spouting right now!?" One of the Generals with long black hair tied up in a ponytail interjected. Even though the others remained silent, unpleasantness was still clear on their face. "True General Lionel, are you sure that every word that you''ve just mentioned holds true to their facts?" "Yes?" "Are you willing to swear with your life?" "I, True General Lionel swear on the life of myself and all those under me that everything I''ve just said was true. If any false information was given, all of us would be banned from stepping into the battlefield ever again." Lionel may not have sworn on his life, but it was this that caught the attention of others as the heavy atmosphere in the air lifts itself off. As a soldier, one does not fear death, what they fear most is having to be separated from the battlefield which is what they view as home. "Alright then, bring him to see me as well. If their standards are satisfactory, I don''t mind splitting apart a huge portion of the cultivation resources for these two youths. As for the others, I give you five years to find a inheritor and they''ll receive the same treatment to the best of our abilities. Now then, the rest of you can be dismissed." Chapter 152 - The future knight of rays Back in the recovery room, Matthias was currently helping Nightin to bandage his wounds. His swift actions reflecting the years of experience he had with injuries. As a soldier, getting injured is a common thing and being able to heal themselves from minor injuries is of top priority. With one last pull and simple knot, Matthias releases his hands and asks "It''s done, are you feeling alright?" "Yea thanks, just a few more hours of proper rest and my body should recover. Help me pass on a message to General Lionel as well before you leave." Replying with a smile, Matthias asks Nightin "Young noble, will your message be in the form of a speech or a letter?" Pondering for awhile, Nightin says "Get me some paper and a brush, I''ll write a letter to him." Thinking that Lionel might not recognise the characters he writes, he asks "Is your General able to read the universal language of cultivators?" "Yes, all Generals in the Voyager Kingdom as sailors of the sea and children of the ocean, knowing as many languages as possible is the minimum criteria. You may not have seen or know it yet, but General Lionel is only at his true strength near the oceans." "The water brings him strength, life force, recovery speed, nourishment, defense, attack power. Everything a cultivator needs is encompassed within him once he''s near the water and his combat strength is rumored to increase by up to seventy percent. In the natural areas such as the jungles, his combat strength is also rumored to at least be around 130% of his peak. The him who you defeated yesterday, was only him in his weakest stage where he doesn''t receive any extra benefits." "Don''t let anyone know that I told you this, but General Lionel was once someone who feared the seas and jungles, it was a woman who changed his character and the same woman who caused him to live in agony for the rest of his life." "That woman is known as Cassandra and she''s the queen of the Supreme Kingdom which rules above the Voyager Kingdom. She''s also the reason why Lionel is actually still single and why he remains cold towards us, you were the first ever since that day to have made him smile for once. Not on the battlefield, but on home grounds where he always remains cold even when facing the Emperor. You are the first one to have made him smile in these years. "Why are you telling me this and how did you get hold of such confidential information?" Nightin asks as his brows wrinkle, out of slight worry and maybe just a tinge of curiosity. If Matthias had heard about this through unintentional means, he might still be kept alive, he just hopes that Matthias did not dig out this information intentionally. "You mean what I just told you? I''m not sure if what I just mentioned was true, but I don''t see a reason for my brother to lie to me about such affairs and matters. Even if it''s confidential, I believe that my brother must have obtained such information through legal means and methods." Matthias answers back and even though he tried to contain his unpleasantness, it could still be heard from his voice. As for his protectiveness for his brother, it is a relationship that goes both ways. "I do not know if I should be telling you this, but your brother is already dead. Don''t you find it suspicious for someone with at best high talent suddenly made a gigantic leap one after another?" Nightin adds on. I''m sorry if you didn''t really want this Hysan, but I feel that I''m obliged to help you inform your brother about this. Colour drained from Matthias''s face when he heard this, Hysan had been his older brother since young and had always been shielding him from harm. Whenever someone tries to harm him, his brother would always be the first one to step out and protect him. There were many instances where his brother returned home with bruises and cuts when the injuries were lighter, there were even times where his brother returned home, back to the orphanage with a broken arm or internal injuries. Even so, Hysan has never cried out in pain, whenever his soothing eyes meets Matthias, he would always say "Don''t worry, your brother is here for you." "This can''t be happening! You''re just lying to me! Wasn''t my brother still speaking to me just before your battle with the General and even before the mysterious energy barrier which veiled you and Kris up with brother Hysan?" Matthias cries out as tears started to well up in his eyes, his body fell limp as he knelt on the ground, blades of sorrow cutting deep into the deepest parts of his sole heart. "I''m sorry, but it was the wish of your brother to allow someone to possess his body, with a condition in return." Seeing Matthias finally raising his head, he continues "Your brother condition didn''t have to be mentioned, it was for that great being to protect you at all costs." "That person had no reason to appear and protect you, your brother is already dead and even if he goes back on his words, there still wouldn''t be any one to question his moral character. He will still be the genius in the eyes of others and enjoy fame and glory. Why did he go through the hassle to protect you and even keep track of such unimportant information then? It shows that your brother''s behavior has touched him, someone who can just give up on you and become the next generation of Overlord." "But... The only reason and pillar of support keeping me going ever since young was my brother, we started off as mere orphans left in the orphanage, it was him who gave me warmth, he was the one who saved the drowning boy from the deepest parts of the ocean, he was the one who brought hope into my life. Without him at this point of time, I seriously don''t know how to go on with life, can you give me an answer?" "Are you playing dumb with me or are you just plain stupid? Of course you should live on and live your life to the fullest, find yourself a woman you truly love and protect her with your life and have children to continue on your bloodline. Your brother light may have been reflected off and lost in the darkness, but that''s more of a reason for you to live a even better life. Don''t just live for yourself, you''re living for your brother at the same time!" When Matthias heard Nightin''s last sentence, tears finally streaked down his face as he says in his whimpering voice, "I was foolish, thanks for enlightening me. Young noble, please allow me to serve you from this day onward." "Are you sure about this? You''ll lose everything which you''ve managed to build up over the years if you follow me. You''ll be gradually forgotten until I step into the battlefield which will most likely take place next month, you''ll fall from a special knight comparable to a fifth grade noble to a nobody, just to serve a ninth grade noble. Have you gave it careful thought? I''ll give you three days to mull over it." "There''s no need to, I''ve made up my mind to serve you as your subordinate and I''ll make sure to do what I''ve said. If not for you, then the current me would already be dead." Matthias replies in such a determined manner that even Nightin almost gave up on the notion of testing his will to serve him, but still steeled his heart and said "Even if I were to ask you to die for me one day as a selfish noble?" "I''m sure that you..." "What if that day comes?" Nightin interjects in, he wanted to disrupt Matthias heart and if his wavers for even a second, then he might not even give Matthias the chance to serve under him, he had no reason to take in someone who might end up turning his blade towards him one day. "Then I''ll do as told, I only hope that I have a wife by then and if I have children with her, I hope that you can give them the best education and guidance." Hearing Matthias answer, Nightin knows that it''s time to wrap things up as he says "From today onward, I hereby appoint you as the knight of rays." Chapter 153 - Called for "Thanks for the title!" Matthias half kneels on the ground, colour returning to his face as something that resembles an amulet in the form of a cross appears in his hand. "You''ve managed to awaken your soul weapon ?" Nightin asks when he saw that cross who merged into Matthias body. "Yes, I call it the ray of hope. I don''t know of this is hidden in my innate talent or thanks to your words of wisdom, but I''ve awakened the rays law. A law unclassified, but rumored to be stronger than most divine laws as its peak." Ta Ta Hearing approaching footsteps, Nightin says "Come in." "General Lionel, what''s the reason for your sudden visit? I believe that you had some emergency to attend to." Hearing the question, Lionel didn''t answer. Combing his hair back, he says "The Voyager Emperor has requested an audience with you, with immediate effect." "What is it about?" Nightin asks patiently, his maturity being reflected off his behavior. While most youths his age would at least show some form of agitation or excitement, it wasn''t even worth paying some attention to in his eyes. "Can''t you just behave more like someone your age for once?" Lionel says helplessly as his gaze turns towards Matthias "Matthias, I understand that you have wishes to follow him." "General Lionel, I..." "It''s fine, you''ve made the right decision by following him. Staying in the army will only cause your talent to be buried up by the dust, just don''t forget that you''re still part of the Voyager Kingdom." "Thank you General Lionel!" Matthias kneels down to him for the last time, adding on "Don''t worry, I won''t forget about the Voyager Kingdom or your kindness. I wouldn''t be who I am today if you had not bring me and my ... My brother into the army that day." "Bring you and Hysan in? I don''t recall such a thing ever happening." "We were the ones who entered through the living hell trails and made it out, you were the one who suggested it and we are the two who passed." Matthias reminded as realization struck Lionel. "I see, so you''re that talented boy who was roped in to undergo private training. How has life been from there on?" Lionel asks back, a scroll appearing in his hand alongside with a card. Before Matthias could answer, he tells him "Pass this to the young noble, tell him that this card will be the entrance proof." Vanishing from their view, he left Matthias standing there with a card and scroll in hand. "Bring it over." Matthias did as told and walked up to pass the scroll and card over without hesitation, not forgetting to inform Nightin what the purpose of the card was. Taking over the scroll in hand, he could tell that the scroll had just been written not long ago, the material used was enchanted dragon hide which is one of the rarest materials even in the Overlord realms. For the scroll to have been written on dragon hide was more than extravagant, yet the process of enchanting it actually requires more than ten Great Saints to spend at least tens of years together, making the scroll a protective treasure strong enough to deflect any attacks below the Overlord realm attack power. Just who wrote this and what does he have for me? Nightin thinks to himself, not forgetting to instruct Matthias to leave the room and stand guard outside first. Sensing that Matthias began to cultivate once stepping out, he didn''t stop him and instead allowed him to do as he wants. What he wants is a soldier that serves him with the true intentions to do so. Opening the scroll, the contents takes on life as they floated around him with an enchanting feeling, the characters were of a dazzling golden and were spinning around him, quick and graceful, but slow enough to be read. "Young noble, I''m the Emperor of the Voyager Kingdom and I''m sure that you are curious about the reason why I called for you. It was the True General of my Voyager Kingdom who recommended you to me. The reason, he actually recommended you as a genius to me and knowing him too well just like the back of my palm, I tentatively appoint you as the trainer of all ten thousand soldiers. If you have any further details to discuss with me, just press on the red button. If everything is fine and you have no further qualms or objections, the press on the blue button." As the voice fades, Nightin pushes the red button and left behind a voice message "I''ll be heading over the the meeting chamber shown in the map carved on the token, see you there in ten minutes." Beep! "He replied instantly without any hesitation, Lionel, what else do you have to say?" The second General Silver question fiercely in the face of everyone present, confidence on his face. Even though Nightin may have been described to be someone with maturity beyond his age and respectable moral character, his current actions doesn''t seem to be in tune with what Lionel had told them. "Are you jumping to conclusions as well? Just wait and you''ll see what I mean. Emperor, did you mention something in the messaging scroll for him to request an audience with you?" Lionel retorted back to keep his strong stand while asking the Emperor another question peacefully. This is what makes him a true man worthy of respect in the eyes of others, he never backs down and will always stand above his rivals and those trying to put him down. "You know me too well Silver, there isn''t even a time where my actions can deceive you and your eyes." The Voyager Emperor says with appreciation in his eyes, breaking out into laughter which no one dares to interrupt. "That''s right, I appointed him the trainer of ten thousand soldiers and he''ll be leading them to the battlefield, but these ten thousand soldiers excluding Matthias who has made up his mind to serve him, are just ordinary soldiers around the middle stage Martial King realm. His opponent this time will be from the Savage tribe which has mysteriously suffered defeat and losing strength in these twenty years, before they merged with the barbarians and hunters at least. Now they call themselves the trinity predators and go around attacking any city they could find, plundering any village they could locate, that is the true essence of being cultivators of the wild and every time people hear their name, they fear them. An army led by three Great Saints at the early stage were the dominant force excluding the first grade kingdoms and that was the reason to back up their arrogance and cockiness, The first grade kingdoms had been wanting to take them out since a long time ago, but they were always lurking in the shadows, unable to be located, now that there was information on their location from their intelligence and that they were near the Voyager Kingdom at the moment, the Emperor had been intending to send some youths to conquer them. Now that there were two perfect candidates for the spot, he had to ensure that they were given the experience and chance to be on the battlefield and experience the true definition of war. Outside the main gate, two youths could be seen staring at each other in curiosity. They were Ash and Nightin, each wearing a cloak of black and red respectively. Being someone who doesn''t like to initiate conversations, Nightin waited for Ash to speak up. "Hey, what''s your name? Did you request for an audience with the Emperor as well to discuss about the upcoming war?" "Upcoming war? I''ve only heard about me being assigned a trainer to lead ten thousand soldiers into the battlefield, name is Nightin by the way." After a short introduction, Ash explained "The name''s Ash. You may not know about this, but I was also assigned around eight thousand soldiers and if the information I''ve managed to gather were sufficient and accurate, then we''re being sent on a mission to deal with some nearby tribes that gathered together, forming a force known as the Trinity Predators." Chapter 156 - War preparations "That newly appointed army of mine? They are just a bunch of weaklings who gave up on themselves because they lost the heart to after suffering a defeat in war. It also turns out that your army was transferred over to me as well, which means that I have to be in command of eighteen thousand soldiers all by myself. Should I thank you for giving me a indirect promotion or should I blame you for the increased workload?" Ash asks, walking towards his army with a cold face helplessly. "I don''t see a need to worry anyways. You are the creator of the imagination law that arose from the ashes. This small setback should be your chance to improve if I have to say. Let me be honest with you though, my army should be full of completion stage Martial Kings and half step Martial Emperors in one month''s time. If those soldiers of yours don''t make a breakthrough and remain in the first and second gates of the Martial Emperor realm, then even the weakest among my soldiers can gain an advantage over your stronger ones." Nightin says from behind, following behind Ash to meet his army. If his army merely lost their will for war because they lost their general which was the anchor to their boat, then all he needed to do was bring their morale back up, or so the mission for Ash is at least. With the divine law of imagination which ranks above the divine law of creation, he has the ability to ignite the flickering flames within the soldiers heart by bringing out their worst fears and hopes, giving them the chance to decide between the future they fear most and the future they desire. It is a simple choice, yet it was the one which will cause the biggest trajectory change to their life. "General Ash! I may not have the authority to question your decisions, but that doesn''t mean that you are allowed to invite outsiders into our training camp without any particular reason." One of the soldiers who was on patrol stands out and say without fear, saying coldly as he keeps his sword sheathed and arms kept to the side. "Soldier, is this how you report to your general?" Being the type of person Ash is, there''s no possible way that he''ll tolerate his subordinates being disrespectful to him. Even if he''s fine with it, he must at least be strict with them until they fully accept him. Before the soldier can even react, a palm of condensed imagination energy sends him flying backwards as Ash voice followed "Never question your superior!" "And all you can do is force me to obey through brute force? What kind of leader do you think you''re? You''re nothing compared to our previous general who died to save your lives!" The soldier question back fearlessly as blood leaks from his mouth. "And all of you are wasting your precious cultivation time which he fought hard obtain for all of you, is this how you guys decided to repay him?" Ash shuts him down by bringing his painful past up, he needs them to recall the past and embrace it to take a wider step into the future path, onto the path of rainbows with white clouds and sunset as the scenery. A wonderland in their imagination. It might be a tree house, it might be a garden, it might be the ocean, it might be the flames, it might be their sleep, it might be the sky, it might be the heaven, it might be the darkness, it might be their roots. It doesn''t matter, as long as they feel safe and at home, then it''s the place where they truly belong, where the anchor or rope belongs to lock them in place, the tides unable to wash them away. "Lead the way, I''ll show you what it means to be a natural leader." Before the soldier can even put up any form of resistance or retort back, his body actually started to lead the way against his will as Ash says from behind "Don''t try to resist, you asked for leadership and now I''m showing you what it means to be more than a leader. If you have any questions, I''ll address the entire army together as one later." Leading the way, the soldier kept silent and willed himself to never turn back, or history might repeat and he might end up following another order unwillingly. Nightin shook his head and chuckled, asking Ash through telepathy "What did you do to him?" "I didn''t do much, he only followed my orders because my mental energy overpowers his by at least ten times. I''ll let you in on this because I treat you as a friend that can be trusted. The true essence behind the divine law of imagination is the mental energy based on what many think, but that''s only the superficial level of understanding, just the basic of the basic to be exact." "Oh, care to share more about it?" Nightin asks as Ash nods his head while telling the soldier to gather everyone and get them to report to the main hall. "To put it simply, imagination doesn''t require anything besides thinking, even the next word about to be spoken or the next action about to be performed, all these are thoughts in conclusion. But if you were to overthink of things that aren''t possible, then it''ll be deceiving, hallucinating, confusing. But all these are just sub branches that leads to the main root, one''s imagination." "General, please follow me. I''ve gathered everyone in your stead." The soldier reports unwillingly and even though he was still standing, his back was slightly arched and his tone was more formal. "See, the first step of the conquest has already been achieved. All I need to do right now is get all of them to slay down that heart demon and make the breakthroughs. After that, I just need to get them to build up their foundation and work together as one, making them eighteen thousand men as one with invincible strength." "Nick! What are you doing over there with that useless general who only made it to his current position through skipping ranks? He only made it up through relations because his master is the moonlight wolf General Silver who dominates the battlefield!" "Cole, if you really trust me as a friend, then believe in my decisions this time. It may seem like I''m being foolish, but it''s about that time we welcome the change. I don''t want to spend the rest of my life wallowing in despair like some useless bitch abandoned by her man!" "Soldiers, I''ll issue the first order to all of you right now. I want all of you to forget about your previous general and only remember what he has done for you, I believe that his last wishes was for all of you to live on and continue with life. If so, then why aren''t any of you doing it?" Ash interjects in at this time, signalling with his eye for Nick to fall back. "System scan!" [Cultivation realm: Martial Emperor sixth gate (Transcendent realm), evolved from the vibrant gates and after the heart demon was slayed, he smashed through five gates at once and even awakened his soul weapon. A whip.] [Potential: Demigod realm is only the starting realm for him] "Who do you think you are?" "You don''t even know what the old general did for us! You don''t even know how we caused his death!" "You should just scram right now or even if it means our death, we''ll make sure to uphold the pride of the old general!" "And what were his last words?" Ash shuts all of them down as silence enveloped the room in an instant, allowing the demon to open its mouth widely to swallow the chaos and noise. The soldiers looked down in guilt, afraid to raise their head up. Ash smirks and says on their behalf "He wanted all of you to live well. But what are all of you doing?" Saying softly, his next sentence boomed like thunder "Then open your fucking heart up and accept the death and live on with life just as he wished! Will it kill you to abide by his last wishes or are you already disobeying his orders if you truly blame yourselves! Then make your goddamn mind up and grow stronger so that you can avenge him with your own two hands!" When Ash finished speaking, tears flooded the meeting hall as cultivation spirals exploded one after another as everyone started to make breakthroughs after breakthroughs... Chapter 157 - Before the war begins In just an instant, tens of vortexes formed in the meeting hall, this is soon followed by hundreds and thousands of vortexes. In just a few breaths time, everyone felt the gate opening up to them as the light frightens the demons away. But all these vortexes excluded one youth with blonde hair and blue eyes, his face betrays his young age, yet the maturity of a veteran soldier surrounds him. Be it the past or the present, this is a spectacular sight which no general can create, even their general in the past wouldn''t be able to accomplish such as feat. As for the reason, a good general may be able to help his man conquer his fears, but he won''t ever be able to do so for everyone. As for inviting the demons in before making them retreat in fear, that''s something which even the geniuses at the demon rank might not accomplish. Failure means death, but Ash made use of his imaginative sorcery to bewitch them, he had to make them accept the death of their previous general and move on with life, onto the next battle on the battlefield. From behind, Nightin was curious as he tried to extract data on this youth as well. The youth was shrouded in mysteriousness and without the system''s assistance, he foresee no means of seeing through him. His demeanor, his character, his heart, his soul, all of them seem to be lacking, having been extracted by the surgeon who made a mistake. [Status: He''s the only son of the general who passed away and as for his name, he changed his name from Braxter into Lester ever since that day. He''s the only one who didn''t wallow in despair, because all he desires for is revenge and getting stronger was the only way.] [Cultivation realm: Half step Martial Saint realm, potential iridescent grade Saint force yet to be awakened.] [Note: If no one pulls him out from the notion of taking revenge, he might end up posing a threat to humanity one day. If he manages to regain his sanity and find another reason for living, he might prove useful in...] "System, what will he prove useful in?" "Host, that information is currently sealed up due to some reasons. You''ll know about it once you step into the Demigod realm." The Demigod realm again? Just what is everyone trying to hide from me? "Ash, take note of that youth with blonde hair." Nightin warned as he transmitted his voice through telepathy. Since he isn''t able to figure it out yet, then he can only wait until he''s at the Demigod realm all of them are mentioning. Ash scans around and soon enough, he sees that youth and wrinkles his brows in contemplation. But after a brief moment, he shakes his head and replies "Take him with you, he isn''t someone destined to be under me." "No second thoughts despite his immense potential?" "I can''t raise someone who''s already dead on the inside, but you might be able to do it." "And on what basis did you get that theory from?" "Just a hunch, but you should be able to do it, at least better than me." Nightin nods his head as he walks up to Lester, calling out "Braxter, come with me." "Who are you talking about? My name''s Lester, not Braxter." Lester replied coldly before closing his eyes. This will be difficult, he has already forgotten himself. Nightin thinks to himself, his mind thinking of what to say next when Lester says coldly "Even if you know of my previous identity, just remember that Braxter is dead." "You want revenge that badly and you want to get revenge through your own hands?" Nightin asks back, his figure seemingly towering over Lester with each passing second. Even though Lester feels pressured, he doesn''t back off or retreat days confidently "Yes, ever since the day the Supreme Crimson kingdom murdered my father, I have sworn on my life to avenge my father through blood stained hands." Before Nightin can even say anything else, Lester adds on "Don''t try to brainwash me like that General called Ash, I''m not someone to fall for those sorcery or trickery." Nightin breaks out into a helpless smile and says "I know that you mind has already been clouded by revenge and the only reason you stayed alive is to avenge your father and kill the Supreme General of the Supreme Crimson kingdom, am I right about it?" "Just how much do you know about me and where did you get all these information from?" Lester asks back anxiously when Nightin mentioned all these. If even a outsider like Nightin can gain access to such confidential information, then his enemies might have already gathered all these information as well. He may not be afraid of death, but he doesn''t want to die until he avenges his father. "I don''t think that I''m obliged to tell you anything further than this, but just know that I don''t mean you any harm. On the contrary, I''m more than willing to help you seek revenge. If your worry is that your enemies might know about this information, then you can rest assured about it. There is no possible way that they can get hold of this information, unless they manage to take my life and kill me." "But you''re just a weakling, the weakest general I''ve ever met in fact." Lester mocks as he folds his arm, his fingers clutching tightly onto his skin, maybe out of fear. "You think that the Voyager Emperor would have chosen me to lead the army without the confidence that victory is possible?" Lester pauses for a moment before agreeing to what Nightin had just said and asks "How can you help me and why are you doing so?" Even though Lester knows that Nightin''s intentions to help him seek revenge was true, he still wants to make sure that nothing goes wrong. If he dies now, then all his effort up to now will be for naught and revenge won''t be possible anymore. Even if his father soldiers might be strong enough as one to take revenge in the future, he still wants to be the one to see to his father revenge. "I hope that you can join the Nirvana sect one day, you should hear about them in ten years time." When Nightin said this, he felt a blade stabbing into the deepest parts of his heart, ripping apart the barrier separating his mind from the terrifying memories, but it''s about time he confront them and plan. How is he going to reunite with his disciples, with Lancelot and the rest of them. Memories of the past surged into his mind, memories of the tattered and pathetic past of his with the Nirvana sect. Only now does he realise just how foolish he is to have think about establishing a sect before he was ready for it. The sect duties were all done by Isabella and his disciples, the sect''s fame and tournaments, the enrollment duties and martial techniques, almost everything were contributed by his disciples and besides protecting them through sect, what has he done for them? As for the second generation and disciples after his first batch of disciples, he don''t even know about them. He has not meet with his grandfather from the Gale family, neither has he meet his parents. All these duties, I''ll fulfill them once I save you. Charlotte, wait for me. Now I see why I felt so attached to you, we met when we were three, didn''t we? When Nightin opened his closed eyes, he just looked like a mortal to Lester all of a sudden, but Lester found himself unable to resist this charming magic as he agreed to what Nightin said. The two of them standing facing each other as Lester gradually fell onto his knees, respectfully saying "Please enlighten me sect master." Chapter 158 - One month later "You may arise." Nightin says, his voice sounding so calm that Ash was worried as he asks "Nightin, is everything fine?" "Yea, it''s just that I realised how much more I can change. I spent too much time on unnecessary emotions and feelings, too much time wasted on miscellaneous tasks. It''s about time I make up my mind and have a clear goal of the future I seek." Ash wrinkled his brows, but gives in as he says "If that''s what you think suits you best, I''ll be supportive of you. We are still friends right?" "Haha yea." Nightin appears briefly as he tells Ash "I''ll be returning to my army first." Ash nods in approval as he focuses his senses towards all the vortexes going on at the moment, he would have to prevent any accidents from happening even though it rarely happens. Out of a hundred thousand cultivators, not even one might fail during a breakthrough due to heart demons and considering that his army consists of past elites, heart demons shouldn''t prove to be a dangerous foe. But after years of rest, their armors and swords are rusty, their body have forgotten what it means to fight, leading to a losing battle. Sure enough, after about twenty seven percent of them finished their breakthrough, one of the vortex spirals out of control. The spirit essence was chaotic and it if isn''t stop soon, all his friends around him will suffer and the after effects of failing a breakthrough will get them. Rushing forward to help, Ash surrounds the area around the soldier with a imaginative barrier, locking all the spirit essence within this constrained space as he guides the spirit essence of the soldier towards the gate. I can only retain about eighty seven percent of the initial amount of spirit energy. This might be cruel, but he might have to stop at the fourth gate of the Martial Emperor realm while his friends start anew from the fifth gate. "General, do not help me. If it means losing this amount of spirit energy to save my life, then I would rather die. At least I''ll die with honour and pride without going against my will." The soldier opens his mouth and speaks weakly, shocking Ash as he reprimands "Who gives a damn right now, focus on your breakthrough1" "General, back off or I''ll kill myself." "Tch!" Left with no choice, Ash leaves the imaginative barrier and gave in the the wish of that soldier. If his man wanted to take a gamble, then he''ll be supportive of them whatever the consequences they must shoulder. Even if Ash wanted to push on, the soldier might just die because of him, because he distracted the soldier during the crucial moment of a chaotic breakthrough. Back in the training area, Matthias was already waiting for Nightin as he stands at the entrance of their army grounds. "Knight of Ray Matthias pays respect to General Night" Before Nightin can even react, Matthias hurriedly gets on one knee to greet Nightin. "You may arise." Matthias stands back up as Nightin instructed him to drop the formalities next time. "But, that''s still the basic form of greeting." Matthias says, doubtful as to why Nightin wants to avoid being greeted by him. "You can keep the greeting, but don''t ever drop to your knees ever again. That''s the first order issued and I expect you to follow it without questions, do I make myself clear?" "Yes General!" Matthias replies back after a moment of hesitation, the feeling of not having to half kneel feels awkward to him. "Follow me, I have some announcements to be made to the army. Are they at the training grounds right now?" Nightin asks Matthias, but his body was already moving towards the training grounds. "Yes, they are currently training at the training grounds." Nightin picks up speed after hearing Matthias reply. Along the way, tents set out on a whim and mattresses in disorder could be seen scattered across the ground, making it clear that the soldiers were limiting their rest time just to train, just to take another step forward before stepping onto the battlefield. At this point of time, one of the strategists walked in, the great strategist of the army who he hasn''t fully see through. "General Night, I''m sure that you have questions for me." The great strategists speaks first, his voice full of respect. This isn''t because of Nightin being his superior, it''s due to him having seen Nightin make strategic plans which has never came across his mind. Especially that strategy to make use of the yellow river, none of them thought to make use of the geographical advantage even though they understood it better than their general. "I do. Just how did you get this strong all of a sudden when you were with the army the whole time?" Nightin cuts straight to the chase and asks, beating around the bush would just be a waste of time. "This, I''m unable to share it at this point of time. But it only happened because you attempted to obtain the yellow river, resulting in the corrosion of the grounds which led to me finding this newfound strength. The ability of the origin and elements." "Look, I may have the intention to make you stand out and have the other forty-seven strategists under your lead, but you''ll have to prove to me your loyalty and that you have the abilities to do so. You may stand out from the rest, but don''t ever expect me to jump to conclusions until you prove to me that you have the abilities to, before the war breaks out." "I understand your concerns general, if I were to be unqualified to lead them when an actual war breaks out, then taking a back seat would be better. At least I won''t have to be a burden and watch all of them die while the opponent strategist counters me back, playing around with me with just his fingertips." "General, please follow me to study the training sessions and possible formations suitable for the upcoming war, I''ve also figured out the geographical locations such as the mountains or water bodies nearby that might come in handy, inclusive of the amount of resources we have and where more of them can be gathered if needed at the lowest costs." Looking at the lists and map, Nightin nods his head in approval and asks "What about the nearby cities and towns, have you thought about what to do with them?" "Yes, I''ve searched around on horseback for a month when I first arrived here. Based on the map I''ve made up myself, there are 108 villages and 9 towns and there are twenty seven common routes for at least three villages to travel together, the towns will each travel on the same direction as 12 villages." "If everything goes well and we send manpower to inform all of them to evacuate right now, we should have ample time for them to make preparations to leave before the upcoming war breaks out." "Pretty well done. I''ll give you seven days to settle everything and compile them for me while sending out manpower to get people to evacuate, can you do that?" "Yes general!" Chapter 159 - Onto the battlefield In the blink of an eye, the amount of blood spilled onto the floor were already enough to dye the ocean blood red. The colour of the battlefield in its middle to late stages in which most soldiers regardless of their experience feel fear. The amount of sweat shed were enough to form a lake and the number of injuries were enough be compared to a hundred thousand soldiers undergoing rigorous training. Out of consideration for the soldier''s healthcare, the Voyager Emperor agreed to appoint a second divine realm healer to their army, the pinnacle healer of their Kingdom which stands above all healers in the kingdoms, even the healers that hail from the Supreme Kingdoms pale in comparison compared to him. Standing beside the divine healer standing beside him, Nightin asks "What do you think of the army''s current status, you think that the Trinity Predators still hold the absolute win?" Just about twenty five days ago, the divine healer had told him that no matter how much blood and sweat the soldiers shed, it''s already too late for them even though they''re at the pinnacle cultivation point of their life. One month would never make them comparable to an army with immense combat experience and higher average cultivation base. "Your training schedule has never been attempted in the records of history and even though it proved useful, it''s only because you had me around. If it were any other healer below the divine realm, then all your soldiers would already be dead from the training." The divine healer replies in a soft voice, his eyelids closing and his arms hanging weakly. "Thank you for staying awake for the past month without rest to ensure that all the soldiers are able to train at their best condition without any permanent damage to their future. As the general leading them, I hereby thank you with the sincere gratitude of the soldiers and myself." Nightin bows down slightly as he faces the divine healer, sincere appreciation for his effort even though he could have rejected the order with his position. "But please, follow me onto the battlefield. I need you. My army needs you to win the upcoming war. To protect the civilians and make sure that unnecessary blood isn''t shedded" "Hoho, are you trying to coax me into joining you on the battlefield now? I''m just a bag of old bones who can''t do much and even if I join in, there''s no reason for me to help out in the battle. It''s meant to be an experience for you and the other young general who goes by the name Ash." The divine healer says as he walks towards the exit and waves his hand to say bye before leaving. For someone of his status, even him leaving abruptly in the middle of a meeting of paramount importance would garner no attention, because in terms of just status alone, the healer himself already stands above the Emperor they respect. As for the training equivalent to hell, it wasn''t an exaggeration. His soldiers didn''t just cultivate, they were distributed into different groups to follow their commander as they accomplished mission after mission daily. The number of demon beasts that they have slain would be enough to pile up a mountain, the number of elite demon beasts at the high grade would be enough as food resources for a year. The next problem would be water which was solved as well. Besides the slaying of demon beasts for food resources, While other soldiers were given formations to follow and a strict training regiment, Nightin gave his army nothing but quests to fulfill daily and every single battle they''re in signals death. Some were forests with thousands of goblins against hundreds of soldiers, some were the ocean with hundreds of soldiers against just one mutated beast above elite demon beasts. Those mutated demon beasts were peak existences in the Emperor beast realm and even with their combined strength and respective army beast, they were still nothing buts ants gathering together to face off against the surging water and even though they tried their best, the results were as expected. But things took a turn on the last three days when the armies returned with the carcasses or those mutated demon beasts that they have slain over the course of a few days. When they returned, all of them suffered injuries of different degrees, but the eight platoons have each awakened their unified soul beast as well. The eight animals are ranked from lowest to highest and are known as the Speedy rat, the Sneaky cat, The Pyre wolves, the Stripped tiger, the Foresight owls, the Albino elephants, the Crystal drakes and the Three tailed fox respectively. While the Speedy rat might seem like the weakest among the eight, they were the ones with the quickest speed among the eight platoons and if they were to escape, even a Half stage Great saint might not catch up to them. As for the remaining armies, all of them held their own strengths, but the problem still remains. The Trinity Predators have about twenty six half stage Great Saints based on the intelligence they''ve gathered and if they don''t improve by another huge leap before the full scale war breaks out in the late stages of the war, they''re not just going to lose their lives, they''re going to lose their lives. Not just their lives, but including those innocent people who only cultivate hoping to have a slightly longer lifespan. A long enough life to watch their children grow and look after their descendents as the family prospers, they don''t need strength or authority or any riches, they just want a peaceful life. "General, the army has gotten ready on the mounts. But what''s the purpose of us finding those mutated demon beasts when our horses are much faster?" The soldier who has an affinity with demon beasts asks. Back when Nightin realized that all of them had surprisingly awakened their soul beast, it gave him another idea to employ someone in the army as a beast tamer. Luckily for not just him but the entire army, there was this one person who had the talent to communicate with demon beasts without any guidance, it was his innate talent which gave him this ability, it was bestowed upon him by the controller. As for why it''s him, maybe only the controller knows. "The eight soul animals have been awakened, they''ll be the key to winning this battle and if each respective platoon is riding on their respective soul beasts, then the corresponding effects they can stack together will definitely lead to some unexpected surprises." Nightin explains patiently as he told the soldier "Follow me, it''s about time we depart onto the battlefield." Before the beast tamer can even explain, Nightin asks him "What is the animal you have the most affinity with? The soldier who''s the beast tamer that goes by the Max replies shyly as his cheeks started to blush "I... the animal I''ll go for is the crow." "Just the usual crow?" "No, a crow which I see in my dreams. It might just be a figment of my imagination, but it might also be a true existence which no cultivator has ever seen or heard. It isn''t just a crow, but one that represents the dazzling sun and its searing golden flames are enough to melt the substances with the highest heat resistance." "The golden crow is what you''re talking about and if you didn''t know, the golden crow saved my life once. He truly exists and since you can see him, it signifies that he''ll be descending upon the battlefield soon." "Alright soldiers, get ready and prepare to dye your weapon and armors the colour of blood!" Nightin rallied when he arrived at the area where his army was allocated to, their stoic face and majestic body sits there as they hold their weapon in hand, they were on their respective soul mounts and it only added on to their demeanor. "Yes general!" Chapter 154 - Bunch of pathetic souls! "I know that the two of you have arrived, just scan the card given to the two of you at the scanning tool at the front of the entrance." "See you on the other side." "Yea." Taking out his card and scanning it on the entrance tool, red lights flicker for a moment and before he can make sense of what''s happening, he''s already standing beside Ash and facing the Emperor sitting on his throne. Nightin took all this into view, but didn''t pay much heed to this. This pressure is nothing compared to what he has to face when saving Charlotte, because the upper realm which Charlotte was referring to was different from the one he expected, she was referring to the actual ranked high grade realms led by the weakest Demigods and Great Saints. Damn it! I only have eight years left before I''m twenty five years of age and I''m still far from even contending against Great Saints. Ash merely smiles throughout, no fear or excitement on his face, no anticipation or boringness in his eyes. Just like a puppet, he stands there and stare straight into the Emperor eyes. But he''s a puppet uncontrollable by anyone, not even his master general Silver can force him to do something against his will. Impressive! The Emperor stared straight back into their eyes, they were actually not losing to him in terms of demeanor or guts and wasn''t able to gain the upper hand. Maybe they didn''t even need until right before the great calamity to exceed him, just lesser than fifty years might suffice. "Now then, young noble, what is it that you want to know about the appointed role?" The Voyager Emperor asks, being the first to break the silence. His advisors and generals watching from their seats, wanting to see just how these two youths will stand out. "Voyager Emperor, I don''t think that I''ve made any contributions to be given ten thousand soldiers to serve under me. Their potential may be limited, but this manpower should only belong to nobles of the seventh grade at the very least." Nightin explains the initial reason, before adding on, "I''ll also know want to know why you were hiding the details from me, about why you''re giving me the ten thousand soldiers." "Voyager Emperor, I share the same sentiments as my friend Nightin. If you''re unable to give us a satisfactory reply, then don''t blame us for refusing this once in a lifetime chance to step onto the battlefield. As a General on our first conquest." Ash Interjected in, taking a stand to support Nightin. His ash coloured fringe combed to his left, revealing only his right eye. Yet that one eyes shows his pent up anger ever so slightly that only the Voyager Emperor and few generals realised it. "Are the two of you questioning me now?" The Voyager Emperor questions in anger, but this was just a trickery of his to expose them. If the two youths still manage to remain unfazed, then he might really have to admit defeat. "Voyager Emperor, I beseech an answer on our behalf!" Ash replies back sharply without holding back. Nightin remains silent, but just him standing beside Ash added on to their demeanor as one duo. "Good! Good! Good!" The Voyager Emperor stood up from his throne and says "You two have really done better than expected. Since the two of you know about it already, I''ll allow general Leo to fill you two in on the details." As his final words lands, a general wearing armor with a sword sheathed to his side stood up from his seat, his action and attire showing his strict behavior and expectations of himself. His armor and sword were well polished, his hair were short but still combed neatly to the side, his eyes well clear and ordinary, his attire too, but this only added on to his mysteriousness. There''s no possible way for a mortal to step onto the battlefield, or so his aura reveals. When Nightin and Ash see him, they stop in their tracks. The man was looking at them, just one look from him and they are rooted to the ground. Immobolized and unable to move. "So you two are the two chosen youths to lead the war this time? Follow me then." Leo says as he turns around and walks towards the exit, leaving the place with Ash and Nightin following behind him. The Voyager Emperor and the rest Leaving the room, they follow closely behind Leo along the hallways painted the colour of the ocean, painted with the best quality paint with seagulls and the natural sun as the background. The entire walkway was giving off a sense of tranquillity. Soon, they arrived at a door which labelled From the outside, they can hear the clashing of swords, the tens of thousands of hot blooded soldiers who are ready to wage war on their opponents in the battlefield. "Now then, I''ll give the two of you a month to prepare your soldiers for battle, they have already been allocated under their respective general." Before Nightin or Ash could ask any questions, Leo had already left before they can even realise. "Is it just me or there is something wrong with this army?" Nightin asks, his brows furrowed. "Guess we''re in deep trouble, I sense the same omen as you." Ash answers excitedly as he dashes straight into the area, Nightin following closely behind. "Who are you?" The soldiers on guard duty questioned upon seeing Nightin. "I''m your newly appointed General." Nightin replies before walking forward, telling the soldier "Lead the way." "Yes." The soldier then walks ahead and lead the way. Along the way, he also introduced a few details about the army and why they were treated as the weakest army even after eight years. Apparently, they were once the strongest army among the batches ten years among them, but that one battle which they lost haunted them for life and even caused many of their cultivation to be stagnant. This is because their general who had been leading them for two years died in their stead, he was someone who gained their respect and he was also the one leading their army to greater heights. But the Trinity Predators which kill their general were just way too strong for a bunch of middle grade Martial Kings. Ever since then, they''ll always request for the Voyager Kingdom to send them to hunt down those predators, but their attempt was to no avail as they face rejection after rejection. "Soldiers! Gather around!" Nightin rallied the soldiers together as they got into fall in position, forming rows of three as they faced the front, their eyes unclear of the future. "General... Is that you...?" A weak voice which was familiar sounded off. When Nightin paid close attention to the three thousand soldiers at the front, he realised that all of them were familiar faces which shouldn''t even exist in this world... Chapter 155 - Mission details "Aren''t you guys just soldiers made up from figments of imagination? How are all of you standing before me right now just like any other human soldier?" Nightin asks as he approaches one of the soldiers which left a deeper imprint in his mind, he was the one who started to understand him first and took a stand to support him before the others. "General, we are indeed just soldiers made up from figments of imagination, but then the controller who created us said that you owe him three thousand years as the price for creating us without ending our lives within a year. He told me that the only reason you have the privilege to keep us alive, is because he sees potential in you which exceeds even him. The controller who created actual lives actually admitted that someone has higher potential than him after that before sending us off." But who was he? He is the person who created a trail full of actual living beings all by himself, his capabilities might be unmatched even when compared to those in the Overlord realm and yet he actually praised someone for not just having high talent with boundless potential, but as someone with talent who exceeds him. "Why did he decide on that still? How did he determine my potential when I left midway before the trails could even be finished? Or was he in view of the whole process of me learning the nine professions?" Nightin asks again, realizing that the place he left for was most likely under control as well. "I''m not sure how he did so or where you left to, but I just know that his abilities shouldn''t even exist or belong to this world, he didn''t feel human to me, yet I could sense his sincere concern for us. The controller had the intention to help you, or even help us to..." "Argh!" That soldier groaned in pain before he could finish speaking, his body twitching from the sudden lightning bolt which caught him off guard. "Where did the lightning bolt come from?" Nightin asks around only to realize that none of them were surprised to see their comrade getting struck by lightning. Pointing towards one of the soldiers who was looking in concern and about to request for permission to provide assistance, he says him "Tell me what''s going on." "All of us here have sworn an oath to not divulge any details to you. Please pardon us, but we truly are unable to let you in on any of the information you''re seeking. As for what we know as the punishment, you''ve seen it for yourself. Though it won''t cause any permanent damage, just the few minutes of living hell it brings is more than enough to prevent us from leaking any information." "General Night, if there''s nothing else, please allow me to make my way to help him before he loses himself in the nightmares they bring about." The soldier says respectfully as he made his way towards his friend laying on the ground, the body of his friend twitching from the voltage. "What are you trying to do?" "The controller gave each of us an elixir which will only work if it wasn''t intentional to divulge the hidden truth." The soldier answers truthfully as he popped the elixir into his friend mouth. In just a split moment, colour returned to the face of that soldier as he picked himself back up weakly before falling back in. Looking at all of them, Nightin got the commanders to stand in front of their platoon and team of strategists to branch out and form a circle behind him. "System scanner!" [47 strategists, 1 great strategist] [Average cultivation realm: Martial King middle stage] [Highest cultivation realm: Martial Emperor fourth gate (transcendent thus far)] "System, I would like to have more information on the great strategist, as much as possible" [Unique trait: Able to devise strategies which are at least ten times more useful than all the other strategists] [Someone whose strength lies in combatting through his strategies making use of his laws of the natural universe and the natural elements such as fire, wind, water, earth, thunder, light, darkness and his unique origin] [Unable to extract more data] Marking the great strategist as someone he should pay attention to, he turns his attention towards the soldiers. [2952 soldiers, 8 commanders, one sub general] [Soldiers average cultivation realm: Martial King late stage (comparable to the Martial Emperors with their formation)] [Commanders average cultivation realm: Martial Emperor second gate (transcendent) (comparable to someone who has awaken the third transcendent gate)] [Sub general cultivation realm: Martial Emperor seventh gate (transcendent+) (unmatched below the Martial Saint realm)] "Commanders, please stand in front of the respective armies you are leading, the sub general is to stay at the front to lead all of you! The great strategist will also be joining you guys in the upcoming battle, alongside the sub general!" When Nightin issued his order, the soldiers did so without any hesitation. [Sudden quest: Defeat the Trinity Predators (C) Conquer the Trinity Predators without any casualties. (B) Force the Trinity Predators to surrender without a war (A) Trinity Predators joins your army (S)] [Letters are arranges from C