LOGINGlaring at Lapon, Grendel asked icily, "And what if I refuse?""Refuse, you say?" Lapon laughed in disdain. "Know your place—I'm affording your noble house a chance to survive here."Zoran looked at Grendel sympathetically then, clicking his tongue. "Tut, tut… Look at how your once mighty house has fallen ever since your ascendance! Oh, what a shame that all Zoronda has left is a bunch of witless failures! If it ever comes to war, the Danifo Alliance will leave a trail of bodies as we march right here in just three days!"Hcek, forget my father's position as an elder in the Taran Sword Sect—even my Uncle Tobik is an elder in the Azure Mystic Sect! So what can Zoronda do against us?!"What, are you going to send your incompetent mentors from Zoro Academy? Or are you, a failure of a fief lord on the verge of death, going to stand against us?"The more conceitfully Zoran gloated, the more gleeful he was.After all, his new reign was at hand!On the other hand, Luna's face paled whe
Though clearly bewildered, the guards tamely left the keep.Caleb looked on, sneering in disdain.The aging lord wasn't snapping despite his keep being invaded.Such cowardice! It wasn't surprising that he would give Caleb his daughter instead of avenging his own son's death! Who did he think he was kidding?-The eastern lands were divided into four fiefs—Danmarch, Nistral, Foehn, and Zoronda.However, Zoronda's sovereignty had waned since Grendel's coronation, and over the last thirty years, their representatives had always come last in the Four Nations Derby.As the rankings decided the number of spots they would get to cultivate in the heritage sites, Zoronda's losing streak meant their youths only lagged further behind the other three fiefdoms.And with that, the other three fiefdoms grew in contempt of them.Naturally, it only got worse after the attempt on Grendel's life and their failure to find the culprit.Now, even the child of another fief lord dared to storm Gr
Grendel stared fixedly at Caleb, blurting in surprise, "I guess I should have expected nothing less from you, with you having inherited your Fifth Elder's knowledge directly. With just one look, you've determined the cause of my injury!"Luna was delighted, tugging on Caleb's arm as she asked, "Well, Caleb? Can you save my father?"Caleb shook his head. "I'm afraid my cultivation isn't strong enough. Your father's injury extends into his heart and meridians, and the lingering Scion-rank energy is devouring his lifeforce from the inside. That's why he's tormented every waking moment—we need a Scion-ranked individual to draw that energy out of his body.""What?! A Scion-ranked individual?!" Murin and Luna both exclaimed in shock.Grendel was gaping at Caleb in shock like he was some freak of nature. "You can tell that much? That's amazing… That being said, would Witz succeed if I asked for his help?"Hearing that, Murin and Luna turned to Caleb hopefully too, only to watch him shake
Murin nodded repeatedly. "Oh, okay! This way please, sir!"While Murin ushered him toward the luxurious carriage towed by cryptids with a kindly smile, Caleb glanced at Luna, who still looked very distracted, and climbed on the carriage."Come, Lady Luna," Murin then whispered to Luna."Oh… Okay," Luna replied, her mind still thousands of miles away."Ugh, what a mess…" Murin sighed under his breath as he followed the young ones on the carriage.They soon arrived at Court Lazuli, the residence of Grendel Lazuli, the Lord of Zoronda.The interior of Lord Lazuli's residence gleamed with a golden sheen that symbolized the regality of the residents, and Caleb was soon face-to-face with Grendel himself."Welcome, Caleb," Grendel greeted Caleb from his seat.Though draped in golden embroidery and wearing a crown, Grendel's face was distinctly pale.Even so, his eyes remained sharp and projected authority, along with a sense of loftiness!He smiled mildly at Caleb, fully clad in whi
Xarik squeezed the pendant, quietly resolving himself. "For sure. He's family, and I won't let him down!"The feminine voice giggled in amusement from the pendant just then. "Tut, tut—you're such a brat! They beat you half to death, but you still refused to let me bind myself to you… yet you're suddenly willing just to help your cousin?""Uh-huh," Xarik said with a look of determination. "He has made enemies of a clan in the Sanctuary, and now the ruling clan of Zoronda. All I can do for him now is to make sure he doesn't have to keep looking over his back!"With that, he disappeared into the night…-After Caleb returned to his room, he started training, refining spirit stones with the Coffin of the Gods and absorbing the energy within.It was truly an entity that would leave one a green-eyed monster—most cultivators needed cultivation methods to direct the energy into their own bodies.It was a painfully slow process, burning a lot of time and costing great effort!That, howe
Caleb shrugged. "I don't feel guilty at all, chief.""Oh, that's good, but…"Xar trailed off, looking Caleb in the eye as he asked pointedly, "Lord Lazuli intends to betrothe Luna to you. Will you accept that?""Betrothe?" Surprised, Caleb actually stopped eating this time. "Is there something wrong with that geezer? He wants me to marry his daughter… after I killed his son?"Even Xarik turned toward them in surprise. "I mean, Luna's always been good to you, and—""Eat your food, kid." Caleb chuckled, shoving a drumstick into his mouth. "The adults are talking."While Xarik tried to chew despite his puffed cheeks, Eldin was flapping his swan feather fan and chuckling. "It seems that Lord Lazuli is convinced we are too volatile and intends to use his daughter to pacify us, along with your grudge against his clan!""That's right," Xar chimed in. "He was blindsided a year ago—even now, dark energies are pervading his heart and veins. It can't be dispelled, and it has been torment
With that warmth still lingering in his chest, Caleb couldn’t help but joke, a hint of playfulness on his face.“Chief Xar… I’m not secretly the heir of some mysterious clan, am I?”He let out a small, sheepish laugh. “Powerful parents still alive somewhere, and I was just left to grow up on the o
"Oh…"Susie came to her senses just then, though her mind was slow to catch up.She did soon enough, recognizing her cue and nodding. "Yes, Lady Gosling! I will personally testify!""Good." Celine nodded in approval, her tone authoritative as she continued, "And with your mother's help, you can m
Eldin smiled. "That's right. It most likely was Celine, their matriarch. I'm almost certain they're trying to get everyone in the city to ostracize us.""Interesting." Caleb laughed coolly, his glare sinister. "I didn't massacre their clan because they showed no intent to kill me, but if they test
Swish! World Burial Sword—Throttle!In a split second, the Overlord tore through Gauma's neck!The edge of the greatsword then vibrated for a moment, pulverizing Gauma's neck!Bang!World Burial Sword—Skybreaker!At the very next second, Caleb was already on top of Oakley, his greatsword bear