The moment a disheveled old man appeared, Felix knew that it was no coincidence. The old man had come looking for him on purpose. However, the real question was why he dared to do that."I believe this is our first meeting, right, Kevin?"Kevin grinned. "Yes."Felix rolled his neck. After all, he anticipated this fight a lot. During his fight against Cordelia, he felt the need to hold back. However, he didn't have to do that this time. After all, Kevin was one of the best fighters. There was no doubt about that."Did you come to avenge your mentee Aiden?" Felix asked.To his surprise, Kevin shook his head. "No. On the contrary, I should be thanking you for killing Aiden. I believe in fate, and I never try to manipulate it. "When the three Celestial Royals joined forces against you at the foot of Trirock Mountain, I was certain you would die. However, fate took a turn."Felix frowned, struggling to make sense of why he would want to thank him."So many things I thought were des
What Kevin said next left Felix utterly shocked."Forget Eloise. If the miracle doctor were to release the seals on all nine of your fellow apprentices, I wouldn't stand a chance against a single one of them."Seals on all nine of his fellow apprentices? What did that mean?No matter how much Felix tried to goad Kevin for more information, he wouldn't say another word. He had no choice but to dismiss it as nonsense.After another ten minutes, Kevin suddenly unleashed a devastating strike, which sent Felix flying backward. However, by doing so, Kevin left himself exposed. For the first time, Felix landed a clean hit on him."Felix, now you'll witness the moment I've been waiting for all these years. Without this full-power battle between us, I never would've reached this point!"With that, Kevin pulled out an object. As his upper garments shredded apart, he pressed it against his chest.Felix grew anxious as he had seen that object before. It was the same bone that had flown away
Felix had no other choice. Whether he would succumb to darkness or not was a problem for later. Since his Ethereal Constitution was still incomplete, he could only unleash Lumen in an attempt to kill Kevin.His strength was beyond anything Felix had anticipated.Just when he thought it was about to be over, Kevin suddenly stood still. A crimson glow flickered around him, then condensed into a shield the size of a plate. It perfectly intercepted Lumen just inches from his forehead."What?" Felix was utterly shocked. This was the first time anyone had ever blocked Lumen. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have thought it was a dream.Kevin sneered. "Aren't you the miracle doctor's mentee? Do you really think that once a martial artist reaches a certain level, they wouldn't have some understanding of the soul? If I wasn't fully prepared, do you think I would have revealed myself to kill you?"Kevin had a soul-defense weapon similar to the Infinite Shield. Felix found i
Felix chuckled. He had to admit that Kevin was an incredibly difficult opponent. He was sure the man had only sensed something unusual, without fully understanding what had changed. Despite that uncertainty, he chose to flee without hesitation."Do you really think you can escape?" Felix asked.Lumen reappeared in an instant, materializing right in front of Kevin as if teleporting. This was true speed at its peak."Humph! I thought you would do something else. This thing failed to break through my defenses previously. Did I misjudge?" Kevin thought.Once again, the red glow flared up, forming a barrier to block Lumen. But this time, things were different.With a crack, something shattered. Lumen had pierced straight through Kevin's body. At first glance, there seemed to be no visible damage. Felix, who had just caught up with Lumen, knew the truth. Kevin was already dead. His soul had been obliterated in an instant.There wasn't even a flicker of emotion in his eyes. Everything
Felix's mind went completely blank at that moment. He was so shocked that he didn't even notice the emerald slip turning into a streak of light and flying away.His new discovery was simply too incredible. The emerald slip contained none other than the next part of the Lone Paragon. Back when he first learned it, he had wondered why the Lone Paragon technique was limited to a threefold power boost. Finally, his suspicions had been confirmed.When he finally snapped out of his daze, he couldn't help but sigh. "Danger and opportunity truly go hand in hand."With his current strength, he mastered this new part of Lone Paragon in an instant, increasing the power boost from threefold to fourfold."Could there be even more beyond this? If I master the entire technique, just how terrifying will my combat power become?"As he took a moment to center himself, an even greater wave of excitement washed over him.Not only did this new section of Lone Paragon increase his power further, but
After confirming the results, with three days left until the full moon, Felix decided to absorb the last piece of the Dragonspine. Having successfully forged his Ethereal Constitution, there was no one in Martial City who could rival him at his current level. Nonetheless, he didn't want to risk any unexpected surprises.By noon on the third day, the sun was blazing down mercilessly, scorching the earth.A middle-aged man and woman quietly approached a particular house."I… I still feel uneasy about this. That's the Demoness' house, after all," the woman said hesitantly.The man scolded her, "What are you afraid of? The Demoness has been gone for nearly two years. She's long since left. Who knows? We might find some valuable treasures or secret techniques inside. Just because she didn't care for them doesn't mean they're useless to us."The thought of potential riches emboldened them. Although the woman hesitated, she eventually steeled herself and continued forward.Just as the
Who would have thought that Felix would just stand in midair like that, looking down at everyone around him? Wasn't that the sign of a Grandmaster Realm martial artist?It was universally accepted that martial artists of Grandmaster Realm couldn't fly, but they could stand in midair. So far, no technique or secret method has been discovered that could achieve such a feat. While the strongest martial artists could momentarily leverage the air to support themselves, only a martial artist of Grandmaster Realm could stand in midair like that.At that moment, Felix basked in the awe and respect of the people of Ghosttown. His heart swelled with satisfaction.Just as he'd predicted, reaching the peak of Transcendent Realm and absorbing the last piece of the Dragonspine had pushed him straight to the pinnacle of martial prowess—Grandmaster Realm level.No wonder he could absorb the Dragonspine so quickly this time. It only took a couple of days, and even though he was struck by lightnin
Seekstorm's large eyes were bright blue, filled with a hint of timidity and curiosity.Felix didn't dare make any sudden moves. He was afraid of scaring the little beast but also curious about what it was planning to do.After a few minutes of tense silence, Seekstorm slowly began to approach Felix, coming right up to him. It wasn't that friendly with him last time. Seeing its eyes sparkle with a hint of affection, Felix was almost in disbelief. He grabbed the steak and held it out.The little creature almost drooled, but after staring for a few seconds, it forced itself to look back at him instead."Hm? Why are you staring at me instead of eating your favorite steak?"Felix knew it wasn't because of his increased charisma upon reaching the Grandmaster Realm level. It was more likely that something he carried was attracting Seekstorm.After turning down several things with little interest, Seekstorm's eyes lit up when it saw the red bone that appeared during Aiden's demise. It
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
When Eira and Luigi saw that Felix was determined to go through with it, they moved instantly. Appearing right in front of him, they dropped to their knees."Please, Felix! For the sake of all those innocent lives, stop.""If you're really set on taking this flame, then kill us first."Seeing the two of them so resolute, Felix hesitated. The lives of hundreds of thousands—maybe even millions—now hung in the balance, all dependent on one decision from him."I haven't known you for long," Eira continued. "But from the way you avenged the 200 people of Innswood Village, I know you're not someone who kills without reason. You'd never turn a blind eye to the lives of ordinary people. "Please show them mercy. They've already suffered enough."Tears streamed down her face. The purpose of The Recovery Association was clear—overthrow the Flame Monarch, destroy the Nine Flames, and return Aquamarinus to what it once was. However, when it came to principles and morals, they were unwaveri
Felix thought that Gerald's advice really was spot-on. If he hadn't achieved Extreme Mastery, he could still beat the Flame Monarch. However, his subsequent journey would have been difficult. Winning first place in the Rank-Ascending Competition to protect Earth would've been almost impossible.With a casual wave of Felix's hand, the Flame Monarch collapsed to the ground. Thankfully, no one was around to see it. Otherwise, they'd have been scared out of their minds.The most powerful being on Aquamarinus, the Flame Monarch, just got instantly wiped out by Felix. To Felix, it was like crushing an ant and required no effort at all."It's time to complete the mission," Felix said.Just like that, he vanished. His speed was insane because Nine Flames were all scattered far apart. Since travel was banned at night, he couldn't afford to waste even a second.Honestly, he was curious what it would be like to go out at night. However, after thinking it over, he decided it just wasn't worth
Under the sunlight, Innswood Village looked even lonelier. If it weren't for Felix standing in the open field, the place would've looked like a dead town. Soon, a sound broke through the silent air. A person stood 30 feet in front of Felix. It was the Flame Monarch, whom Felix had met once."I really thought you were a member of The Recovery Association and that you'd laid a trap here. But it turns out, you're really alone."Felix replied, "I am a member of The Recovery Association, but why do I need a trap to kill you?"Oh? A member of The Recovery Association? The Flame Monarch smiled. "You're really brave, you know. You're the first person in Aquamarinus who dares to face me like this. Even the leader of The Recovery Association had been in seclusion, trying to reach Heavenly Realm before facing me."I don't know where you get your confidence from."Initially, Felix wanted to attack immediately. But he still had questions to ask. "There are only the two of us here. Sinc