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 there—underneath 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 lately—she 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 thresholds—lots 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 twin sisters exchanged confused glances at Kenneth's words. One of them said, "Nobody's there. You really love making jokes, don't you?" Kenneth's worried expression quickly relaxed into a grin. "I might be old, but am I not allowed to still mess with the young ones once in a while?" They kept waiting, and about ten minutes later, Ashton showed up. He was actually Felix in disguise. Felix asked, "Is everyone here already?" Since Ashton was one of the Ancient Sage's Eight Guardians and they all knew his identity, Felix made sure to act the part. "Yes, Mr. Willis. Just call me Kenneth. These two are the Tiller twins, Leah and Jean." Both women gave slight bows, their eyes full of curiosity. They were standing before one of the Ancient Sage's Eight Guardians, after all. "Let's get moving, then." As they turned to leave, they all suddenly looked toward the same spot. From the bushes, a woman in her 20s stumbled out, limping while carrying a hiking backpack. She was obvi
As soon as Kenneth finished speaking, Felix jumped down without hesitation. When it was just the three of them, Kenneth told Leah and Jean through telepathy, "He's one of the Ancient Sage's Eight Guardians with peak Grandmaster Realm power. Drop your little schemes and focus on completing this mission." After his warning, Kenneth jumped down as well. The twin sisters looked at each other helplessly before following. Their earlier display had been intended to show Felix they weren't a bluff—they had real power. They hadn't expected Kenneth to rebuke them for it. In the cave below, Felix looked around the roughly 30-foot-deep space with a thoughtful expression. Kenneth was likely the tomb expert. Without him, entering the cave would be challenging. This wasn't something someone could just force their way through with raw power. Even if the traps couldn't hurt them, failing to follow the proper procedures might trigger the tomb's self-destruct mechanisms, leaving them with nothi
Felix and the others found themselves in a straight corridor with stone walls on both sides and total darkness. With their power, they could see in the dark as clearly as in daylight, so they did not have to bring any flashlights. Felix kept his pace moderate. It was so that everyone could keep up and partly because he still wasn't sure how deadly the tomb's traps might be. "Mr. Willis, turn right after five steps. Trust me on this. The corridor's filled with Quadrant Mist that messes with your vision and senses." The stone wall was clearly visible five steps ahead. But after hearing Kenneth's advice, Felix turned and walked straight toward it. When his body touched the wall, he passed right through it like it wasn't even there.A strange whooshing sound cut through the air. Felix's hand shot up, catching an arrow that had flown at him from nowhere. "This arrow would kill anyone below Transcendent Realm!" His assessment was dead-on, judging by the arrow's power and speed. The
Felix was concerned. The traps were already so extreme at the entrance, so he wondered what waited deeper inside. "Run over there! Hurry!" Kenneth and the twins were professionals. When they heard Felix's words, they immediately sprinted forward at full speed. Once all three had reached safety and stopped moving, Felix took a deep breath. He withdrew his hands and shot through the closing gap. A massive sound erupted behind him. Though they hadn't experienced it before, the shockwave alone gave them a taste of the trap's power. "That force was equivalent to an attack from a martial artist who's reached the mastery of Transcendent Realm," Felix said. Hearing this, the sisters turned pale. They'd worked with Kenneth many times but never encountered anything this dangerous. Even royal tombs weren't this terrifying. Most alarming was that this belonged to merely one of Francis' descendants. What would Francis' own tomb be like? No wonder Kenneth had said he wouldn't dare enter
In that brief glance, the door slammed shut with a resounding bang. It left Leah and Jean standing there, stunned. Despite the urgency of the moment, they could have easily made it through before the door closed with their abilities. Yet, Kenneth had stopped them from going inside. "Mr. Zandro, why did you stop us?" Kenneth's eyes showed a hint of resignation. "I never expected to encounter the Stellar Hexagram! Remember when you asked why there were seven doors?" The sisters nodded simultaneously. Kenneth sighed. "The extra door is for sacrifice! Very few people can solve the Stellar Hexagram, and I'm one of them. "But whoever solves it must first open the sacrificial door and send someone through. Otherwise, the puzzle remains unsolvable." After a brief silence, Leah said, "But Mr. Zandro, we needed Mr. Willis' strength. Are you sure we should just abandon him?" Jean added, "Exactly. And with his power, what if he goes berserk and starts destroying everything? The whole
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