In truth, Zayn was lying. The wooden craving indeed blocked sound, but if someone held its paired counterpart, they could eavesdrop on the conversation. And that counterpart was in the hands of Josiah, the elderly man accompanying him."The fact that His Majesty values my talents is a great honor," Felix said with a polite smile. "However, I've always lived freely, and it was Harmony Clinic that nurtured me. I'm afraid I cannot accept the offer."Zayn was inwardly pleased—this wasn't even something he had to lead Felix into saying."You don't have to worry about Harmony Clinic," Zayn continued smoothly. "We can persuade Mr. Whitwell. As long as you're willing, it's not an obstacle."Felix, let me be honest with you—no matter how much you've seen or heard about the power of the royal family, it's just the tip of the iceberg. If you join us, you'll receive the highest level of treatment—even above us princes."And surely, you've heard of the Empress? The strongest force in Martial C
A day passed, and as Felix stepped out of the courtyard, he was immediately taken aback.The base of Trirock Mountain now had a sea of people, stretching as far as the eye could see. Even more late-stage Transcendent Realm experts had arrived."Nala, here are seven Ascension Pills. Keep them safe," he said.Nala accepted the box and, without hesitation, opened it in front of everyone. The seven pills inside gleamed in the light—genuine, without a doubt.For a moment, the gathered crowd was ablaze with excitement. This was unexpected—there should have only been six pills. This confirmed beyond a doubt that Felix's pill success rate was incredibly high.Dickson had already arranged everything with Laura, ensuring that the distribution process was orderly. There was no chance of chaos or disputes breaking out.Among the crowd, Barry was given a shove. "Go on, Barry! Just one Ascension Pill, and our Lufter family will rise again!"Barry's expression was dark with frustration. His fa
Having the highest fighting prowess would make a lady in the royal family an Empress and the man an Emperor. Neither of them was allowed to get married and have children. After all, their descendants would never have that kind of talent in cultivation anymore. Now, however, Cordelia had a child. "I've said what needs to be said. Farewell." Aiden turned around and was about to leave. The Emperor suddenly snarled icily, "Stand right there! Do you think I will let you live after you reveal such a secret?"To everyone's surprise, Aiden was unfazed. "Firstly, I wouldn't have shown up here if I didn't have the confidence to walk out of here safely. Secondly, I told you about the secret because I have bad blood with Felix. "Lastly, let's assume that I do spread this information out there. You have to ask yourself this—who would dare to listen to me, and who will actually believe me?"Can I leave now?"The Emperor waved with a cold expression. The three points Aiden raised were flaw
Celestial Hall? This was the first time Felix heard about it. "What's the deal with Celestial Hall? No one has talked about them at all," he said.A mix of emotions flashed in Cordelia's eyes. "Only the royals are privy to its existence. Moreover, only direct descendants of the royal bloodline know about it, such as the Emperor and Princes. The other royal members are oblivious to it."Cordelia chuckled bitterly. "You are my son, and I am the most powerful fighter alive. By all means, you would've been able to have your way in the world. However, Celestial Hall is the source of my bondage."The royals would have a descendant with the highest fighting prowess every few generations. The ladies would become Empresses, and the men would become Emperors. "Neither of them could stay after their descendant was born. They would be forced into retirement, and Celestial Hall would become their new home."What? Felix was absolutely dumbfounded. "Are you saying that Celestial Hall housed
With the Destiny Crystal in his hands, Felix should've been the fastest person to master Ethereal Constitution. However, not even he knew exactly how long it would take. Naturally, that meant he couldn't keep staying in Corpse Town. After all, Deborah was waiting for him out there. He couldn't just think of himself. After he paid with the pills he had just created, Felix intended to tell everyone about his plan. At the next moment, however, Cordelia suddenly appeared behind him. A loud thud could be heard. She actually reached out and struck someone in the palm. She had suddenly shown up to protect Felix."This is bad. This man exuded the aura of someone who had mastered Transcendent Realm, but he suddenly became as strong as I am for some reason."Felix turned around, and his expression immediately changed. "Grand Elder!"That was right. His assailant was the Grand Elder, who had gone off the radar for a long time. However, something troubled Felix. The Grand Elder might've
Four martial artists with mastery over Transcendent Realm rushed out of the crowd and charged right at Felix. At the same time, a voice boomed, and everyone heard what it said. "Felix tried and failed to kill a member of the royals. His Majesty has decreed that he is found guilty and sentenced him to death. Anyone who dares to help Felix will be held accountable for."One of the royals?At the next moment, Felix initiated Lone Paragon and stood before the four assailants. The others backed off hastily. They were afraid that they would become hapless victims of a battle of this scale. "Mr. Whitwell!" Deborah felt her heart clench up. She looked at Ezra anxiously, but he merely sighed and shook his head. "No one would dare to help Felix now, Madam Goddard."As expected, Andre and Shepherd remained where they stood. The other martial artists who mastered the Transcendent Realm and promised to protect Felix also didn't dare to move at all. "You've all let me down!" Deborah was e
"Gosh!"Everyone was absolutely shocked. They knew Felix was a great alchemist, but none of them took him for a fearsome martial artist. In less than a minute, he managed to heavily injure four assailants who mastered Transcendent Realms. Felix didn't dare to waste more time. He was about to leave Corpse Town, but a figure stood in his way. "It's a good thing I made it in time." The person's shoes faded away into ashes as he spoke. Then, he stood on the ground with his bare feet. "I decided to wear out one of my pseudo-magical artifacts to stop you, Felix. Looks like I made the right call. I almost let you slip through my fingers again." Felix frowned slightly and retorted coldly, "What makes you think you have what it takes to stop me, Aiden?"He hadn't expected to see Aiden right now. More shockingly, the latter exuded the overwhelming aura of someone who had mastered Transcendent Realm. How could that have been possible, though? Felix was able to make the breakthrough
Just as Aiden was about to be struck down by the Empress with a single punch, a voice suddenly boomed in everyone's ears."Enough!"Reluctantly, the Empress withdrew her hand and swiftly moved Felix ten yards away.The next moment, a burst of flames erupted from where she had just stood. It was so intense that it seemed to melt the very ground beneath it, a testament to the extreme heat.Had Cordelia continued her attack on Aiden, she too would have been injured, a risk not worth taking as the real battle was yet to come.Aiden, who had narrowly escaped death, was drenched in sweat. For the second time, after the close brush with death during the Dragonia Martial Arts Competition involving Felix, he felt death brush past him once again.As he regained his composure, three figures appeared before him. It was two men and a woman, all with gray hair yet standing tall and straight. Even their silhouettes exuded an overwhelming sense of grandeur."You've finally come," murmured Corde
The guide said, "This is where the selected contestants rest. The yard is huge and has everything you need. As long as you don't leave this yard, you're free to move around. I'll bring you to your room now."The yard looked huge, with fixtures of bridges and flowing rivers. Felix even passed by a fake mountain. It was large enough for hundreds of people to climb, standing thousands of feet tall and looked quite majestically.No one on Earth or Aquamarinus could have built such a luxurious residence. Felix could even see a bar and massage parlor, showing how indispensable technology was in the universe. His room was luxurious, around 2000 square feet, and was decorated with traditional but modern touches. "This is your room. I'll take my leave now, goodbye." The young man left with a bow. Felix turned around and stood on the patio. Outside his room was a large lake, with even fish swimming inside."A new neighbor? Did you just arrive today?" The sudden voice came from the patio
Felix arrived at the location of one of Nine Flames, where the guards instantly collapsed, their eyes rolling back as they fainted.By now, darkness had arrived. He walked forward without any hesitation, his right hand touching the flame.There was no need for any special tools. The flame simply vanished, and only Felix knew that it was absorbed in an instant by his Starmark.With the disappearance of the flames, people in many places immediately dropped to their knees.The light that should have lasted throughout the night vanished, and the darkness of Desolated Lands descended almost instantly. Every light went out in an instant.Screams echoed everywhere, and panic spread like wildfire. Even though their loved ones were close by, they couldn't see them with their eyes and could only communicate through voice.Scenes like this were unfolding in many places, even in Cloud City."It's really started," Eira said. She was in Cloud City. Although Luigi was standing on her left, h
Despite Thiago's murderous glare and overwhelming killing intent, Felix wasn't scared. In fact, it made him smile.Due to the unique trait of the Dragon Rebirth, his opponent had to harbor a true desire to kill him in order for Felix to grow stronger. Otherwise, it would all be meaningless. At least so far, everything was unfolding just as he expected.Meanwhile, Holt was silently praying like crazy as he lay on the ground. The battle had already begun, and his companion had understood his message. This was their only shot, however slim, at killing Felix.As time passed and the afternoon crept past 3:00 pm, his companion started to falter. His attacks were growing sluggish. He hadn't been injured, but he was clearly on the defensive now.Seeing this, Felix completely lost interest. Once his opponent lost the will to kill him, the Dragon Rebirth would no longer grow.Still, the battle wasn't for nothing. He'd made solid progress and was a little closer to becoming a Celestial Realm
Felix had clearly found Holt's weak spot. These guys were so desperate to extend their lives that they turned the entire Aquamarinus into a breeding ground. Obviously, they were terrified of death. As long as there was even the slightest chance of survival, they'd take it.And sure enough, Holt immediately agreed. He pulled out some kind of device and flew off, clearly contacting his comrades."But even if I agreed," Holt said, "the three of us split up and searched in different directions. Even if they rush over, they won't make it until tomorrow."The fear in his eyes was obvious, so much so that Felix couldn't help but laugh."How interesting," Felix said. "You made a deal with the Ant Queen, right? Couldn't she at least give you something to help you move freely through Desolated Lands at night?"Holt shot him a bitter smile. "The Ant Queen's children—the soldier ants—are born hunters. That instinct can't be erased. And honestly, we've never needed to go out at night anyway."
Lumen flew out and quickly returned. Felix's expression eased completely, and with a step, he vanished from where he stood."Chasing me was fun last time, huh? Did you think it'd go the same this time?" he asked.When he reappeared, someone was already lying on the ground about ten yards ahead. It was a figure fully shrouded in a gray robe, a man named Holt Bovington.That was Felix holding back. Otherwise, Lumen's previous strike could've shattered Holt's soul on the spot."Felix Zeller? It really is you!" Holt's voice was full of shock. Whatever he'd planned to do was already too late. His soul had taken a devastating blow, and he no longer had the strength to fight."Yeah, it's me. Just like I suspected, you people really aren't all that strong when it comes to soul power."Felix had spared his life because he wanted answers."If you answer a few questions honestly, I'll let you live. Even with your soul badly damaged, I assume someone who knows about Nine Flames and Desolate
Three months later, deep within a mountain on Aquamarinus, a meeting was taking place. Who would've imagined palace-like structures hidden within the mountain itself?In one of the chambers, a sky-blue dome adorned the ceiling. Beneath it, three figures in gray robes sat cross-legged, their bodies cloaked in shadow. Their faces were completely obscured."I went to see the Ant Queen yesterday. There's definitely something wrong.""Enough with the vague talk. Be specific.""In just three months, the Ant Queen has lost millions of her children. Do you even understand what that means?"The atmosphere shifted as all three took a sharp breath. A long silence followed before one finally spoke, "Perhaps our earlier theory is right. Is someone hunting soldier ants in Desolated Lands at night?""It has to be. How else do you explain millions of casualties? At this rate, we're down to just a million soldier ants across the entire planet. If this keeps up, they'll be wiped out in a month. An
"I didn't expect you to be a doctor, too. Thanks," Myles said, but then suddenly froze. His mind started racing.Wait a minute! He took down a tiger of True Blood Realm. On top of that, he was extremely skilled in medicine. That could only mean…"You figured out who I am?" Felix asked with a smile, trying to put Myles at ease. Despite that, Myles couldn't hide his fear. "You're Felix Zeller?""That's right. Judging by your reaction, I take it I've become a traitor to The Recovery Association? Or maybe some kind of unforgivable villain?"The air grew a bit awkward, and Myles shot him a strained smile."Not exactly… It's just that you took down the Flame Monarch. That's kind of hard to wrap my head around."His expression shifted again."Actually, everyone's still pretty confused. When we woke up this morning, every city, town, and even the smallest villages received a message. Five days from now, the Flame Monarch is holding a Flame Ceremony."Felix paused, frowning. "What's t
With Lumen and Indigo attacking and the Infinite Shield defending, Felix held his ground. Occasionally, he cast minor spells that barely consumed any soul power. Even as the monsters surged toward him like a tidal wave, not one of them could so much as scratch him.Feeling the steady stream of energy flooding into him, Felix grinned. If things kept going like this, there was a high chance he'd break through to the next major soul realm—Soul Overlord Realm.If he could level up again during the elimination rounds, his odds of winning the whole thing would increase significantly. Especially since Soul Overlord Realm required soul enhancement, it was a whole different league compared to Aetherium Realm.Once he hit Soul Overlord Realm, he was confident he'd be able to go toe-to-toe in a soul battle with the powerful figure who had chased him during dusk.That guy didn't dare appear in Desolated Lands at night, which likely meant his soul wasn't strong. In that case, Felix might actual
The sun had already begun to set. After fleeing in a panic, Felix had no idea if there was even a single place ahead that could shield him from the coming darkness.A few minutes later, the presence chasing him within his domain disappeared. Logically, the pursuer should've caught up in less than ten minutes, but they gave up. Still, Felix didn't relax for a second. The darkness was about to fall, and that could only mean two things. Either the pursuer wasn't confident they could survive the desolate night themselves, or they assumed there was no flame nearby and Felix was as good as dead.Either way, this was the most dangerous moment yet.After sprinting several more miles, Felix finally stopped. All around him stretched a barren wasteland with no end in sight. Even though he had memorized maps to identify different areas, they were useless now. As darkness swallowed the land, all reference points vanished."Damn it! I guess I'll have to see for myself what the hell comes out i