Felix's face turned ashen. Despite the fact that both Jack and Madeline were secretly protected by martial artists of the Transcendent Realm, his worst fears had come true. "Are the protectors dead?" he asked.To his surprise, Xena shook her head. "No. For whatever reasonâmaybe caution on their partâthe attackers just knocked out the protection team." What frustrated Felix most was not knowing which faction was responsible. The only group he could rule out was the Ancient Sage's Eight Guardians. Regardless of everything else, the Ancient Sage had a reputation to maintain and understood the principle of not harming families. If they hadn't played by the rules, the Eight Guardians would have already attacked Felix as a group, not one by one. That left the Hall of Souls and Specter as the most likely culprits. One had no moral boundaries and had already betrayed both country and humanity, so what other ethics would they possibly observe? As for Specter, being an S-tier Malevole
So, it was Specter! The call had ended, but Felix now understood what was actually going on. The one working with Ashton had to be Specter. Of course, Specter himself probably wouldn't show up. After all, Donna had already informed Felix that Specter wouldn't trouble him anymore, or she would take action against Specter regardless of the consequences. Specter must have sent others to do his dirty work. Besides, Specter had his own concernsâZara was now his absolute nemesis. He certainly wouldn't appear in person until he had regained enough strength to fight. Felix sighed helplessly and slowly took out his phone. With two lives at stake, he really couldn't handle this situation alone. Elsewhere, Donna was with Specter. "I promised I wouldn't bother Felix anymore, and I'll keep my word. I've already tested your limits, so why are you still watching me like a hawk?" Specter sipped his tea in small gulps, seemingly in a good mood. "Watching you?" Donna scoffed. "Go ahead the
At sunrise, Ashton sat cross-legged on a large boulder at the foot of a mountain in Dragonia. With his eyes closed, he was waiting for Felix's arrival. But his mind wasn't nearly as calm as he appeared. Bonnie had died at Felix's hands, which only showed they had underestimated Felix's soul abilities. But with the Ancient Sage's Mirror Shard, that wasn't too concerning. However, Terrence's death had truly shocked him. Both he and Terrence were among the Four Inferior Protectors of the Eight Guardians, and they were evenly matched. They had competed more than once, but it always ended in a draw. Though they never fought to the death, this gave a pretty good indication of their relative abilities. Yet, despite this, Felix had killed Terrence. This was why Ashton had accepted the stranger's proposal to work together against Felix. Otherwise, with Terrence's fate as a warning, going alone would be nothing short of suicide. Not far from Ashton stood four people. There were three e
Felix said, "We've all worked our way up, so stop saying such nonsense. Where are my two friends now? "You're all martial artists who have reached the peak of Grandmaster Realmâyou're practically legends who have been living under the radar. Do you really need to resort to something as low as kidnapping?" Ashton opened his eyes and let out a cold laugh. "How else would I get you here when you know it's a lion's den?" Ashton jumped down from the boulder, taking a deep breath. "You should know very well your friends won't appear now. I can only guarantee you that they're still alive." Just as he was about to continue, Felix's phone rang. A glimmer of joy flashed in his eyes when he saw it was Karina calling. "Felix, your friends have been rescued. They were being guarded by a martial artist who's reached the peak of Grandmaster Realm, but I chased them away." Felix felt way more at ease now. Karina had never let him down; she had indeed rescued them. The only surprising par
Felix found it hard to breathe. It was not from shock but because the air had been completely sucked out of this place. The peak Grandmaster Realm masters who had looked down on him earlier were now all sliced into pieces, scattered everywhere. Even the middle-aged man who had fled first ended up the same way a few hundred yards away.Only Ashton remained on the ground, coughing up blood nonstop. Over a thousand sword marks covered his body. If it was not for the blood seeping through, they wouldn't even be visible through his clothes. These weren't just ordinary people or average martial artists, but five incredibly powerful peak Grandmaster Realm masters. Yet Dahlia had defeated them all with a single move. It was absolutely terrifying.As the air rushed back in, Dahlia spoke, "I kept him alive. You probably have questions for him." Felix smiled bitterly, finally understanding the gap between himself and Dahlia. He could only imagine how much stronger Eleanor had to be. "Tha
Trembling, Ashton raised his hand to reveal a small silver square token in his palm. Made of some unknown metal, it had the character "Blue" inscribed on it. "Take this token and disguise yourself as me. Go to the forest about half a mile from Mount Dalinton. Then, find a treehouse thereâunderneath is our meeting spot." Felix drew the token toward himself but didn't notice anything special about it as he continued listening."A middleman contacted me with an invitation to explore an ancient tomb. It belongs to one of Francis' descendants. He was certain there were soul cultivation treasures inside and promised those would be mine, though I can't touch anything else." When Felix heard that it could be a tomb of Francis' descendant, he was thrilled inside but kept his expression neutral. Instead, he asked, "Why should I believe you?" Ashton had anticipated this question, so he hurriedly replied, "It's absolutely true! Francis Thane was the top alchemist of the Bronze Age. How co
Pulling open the car door, Felix regained his composure. He remembered all of Donna's assurances, and he trusted that they weren't empty promises. After all, their work partnership had gotten pretty tight latelyâshe wouldn't play such life-threatening jokes. "Do you need something?" Just as he thought, Specter stood there without moving. He spoke with resignation, "I've put in all this effort and planned everything down to the last detail. Yet, I couldn't even scratch you. I'm honestly shocked."Felix pursed his lips. "You haven't seen anything yet." With a growing smile, Specter replied, "You've won! I'll back off from Hollow Soul. I can't face it alone anyway, and those losers I recruited were useless against you. I'm out of options." Felix felt a wave of relief wash over him as he nodded. He'd finally dealt with a major threat. Zara would be safe with Gerald, but Felix worried that he couldn't handle Specter. If his attacks continued, someone he cared about might get hurt o
So far, the only benefit Felix had enjoyed from the Destiny Crystal was the right to learn the Phaeron Codex. And it was a superior technique that even Billy had been denied access to. He said to Donna, "I still don't really get it." He kept asking because he hadn't felt any other effects from the Destiny Crystal. Helena had told him he was the chosen one, which was why he qualified for the crystal. But now, it seemed like there might have been a bait and switch. After a brief silence, Donna seemed to be figuring out how to explain more clearly. "Let's look at it this way. Soul cultivation has thresholdsâlots of them. When you reach one, you need to elevate your soul to continue. "Soul elevation is extremely difficult, and if you fail, you can never practice soul cultivation again! A phantom core increases your chances of successful elevation, but a Destiny Crystal is different. Once you have it, you're guaranteed continuous soul elevation with a head start. "Do you know what
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 childrenâthe soldier antsâare 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 meanâĶ"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 exactlyâĶ 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 realmâSoul 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