Abby humphed. "Stop pretending when you don't know anything." She rolled her eyes. "We'll know who's better soon enough!" "Even if Dustin doesn't win against Tatum, he's still a rare genius, so we should still respect him," the man from earlier said. "You're right. Just getting Tatum to challenge him to a duel is a feat of its own. Otherwise, Boulderthorn wouldn't have wasted so much energy on this." "I heard that he's only around twenty. It's extremely rare to see someone that age reach divinity. He's practically a genius!" "Even if he doesn't win against Tatum, it will be an honorable defeat." Everyone began to chip in their opinions. Although they were sure Dustin would lose to Tatum, they still acknowledged the former's talents and skills. "I heard that Dustin doesn't have a guild and is self-taught. He's bound to shine if he enters Ironshade!" one said. Another chuckled. "Ironshade only has around a hundred disciples. A talent like him would be wasted there." Someo
"Brody!" The crowd jumped in shock and anger when Brody was sent flying by Maximus' punch. Never had they imagined Maximus to wield such power after his core was destroyed. "H-how dare you hit me?" Brody said spitefully, pressing against his chest, which was throbbing with excruciating pain. The audacity of someone excommunicated, a good-for-nothing to lay a finger on him! "So what? You should thank the heavens that I didn't take your life." Maximus went up and took the hand of the lady in white. He soothed her affectionately, "Caitlyn, don't you worry. I won't let anyone bully you when I'm around. I'll protect you even if I have to risk my life!" "M-Max, what are you doing?" Her expression fell as she slowly stumbled away from him. "Caitlyn, I know you've been through a lot. I'll be good to you. Let's run away, shall we? We can leave Balerno for a place where no one knows us. How does that sound?" He looked at her with anticipation. Although he was no match for Luther, he coul
The sword clanked as it moved. Right when it was about to cut Maximus' neck, a hand reached out and caught it. "Hm?" Brody lifted his gaze, and his eyes immediately shook in fear. "I-it's you!" He had been too focused on Maximus to notice the legend standing behind the man. "Is it worth grieving over a woman who doesn't deserve it?" Dustin ignored Brody and stared straight at Maximus. "If what you want is death, I can grant your wish. I shall forget ever having saved a useless thing as you. But, if you have any bit of ego left in you, as a man, you should stand up straight. You don't look a bit like a swordsman right now, even though you once said you wanted to be the best swordsman in the world! Wake up!" Then, he gave Maximus a hard slap, sending the latter trembling from the impact. He seemed to have slapped some sense into Maximus, whose eyes had a new sparkle in them. He noticed Brody's mean and murderous look, and he took in the look of disgust in Caitlyn's eyes. Finally, h
"Beat me?" Luther was first taken aback by the outrageous idea, followed by a series of explosive laughter. The other Boulderthorn disciples joined in and laughed at Dustin and Maximus as though the two were fools. Maximus might have been a formidable mentor for many of the disciples, but he was nowhere close to Luther's level. "Oh, you little jerk. Do you even know what you're talking about?" Scowling, Luther challenged them, "I was the one who taught everything to that traitor. Even at his peak, he was no match for me! Are you asking him to fight me with a destroyed core after he's lost all his prowess? And does he have the guts to do so?" "Right! A trash like him doesn't deserve the honor of fighting Dad!" Oliver, Brody, and the other disciples scorned at the same time. Unfazed, Dustin challenged back, "We'll know after the battle. The most important question is—are you brave enough to take on the challenge?" "I have nothing to be scared of." Luther sneered. "If that little
"Bear witness for me—after I kicked this traitor out, he felt vindicated and returned to challenge me. Since the official battle hasn't kicked off, I shall do some warmups to entertain you all." Luther's booming voice instantly attracted everyone's attention. He was keen to set up a precedent to deter any future traitors and rebuild his reputation! "Hey! Why is your friend up there in the ring?" Ralph, Abby, and the others came up to Dustin with curious and odd expressions. "He's getting some personal grudge out of the way," Dustin offered a curt answer. "Personal grudge?" Abby was a little doubtful. "Do you know who that other guy on the platform is? He's Mr. Williams from Boulderthorn! Well, of course, he's not as great as Tatum, but he's decent! He's at the same level as Grandpa!" "And?" Dustin was unimpressed. "How can your friend fight off Mr. Williams with his subpar skills? He'll be crushed and humiliated!" Abby shook her head. Ralph nodded. "That's right. I'd advise
"Luther Williams, you have gotten slower in sword fighting," Maximus casually commented. "No! That's impossible! How did you manage to strike me? It must have been dumb luck!" Feeling indignant, Luther turned around and launched his attacks again, even though he was injured. This time, he did not hold back and put in his 100%, evident from his frenzied and merciless attacks that were hard to dodge. During the ninth move, he switched it up and aimed his blade at Maximus' throat with the intent to kill. However, Maximus didn't shun the attack and instead slashed Luther in the abdomen with greater speed and accuracy. Luther stumbled backward, aghast. He would have been gutted had Maximus' sword slashed upward. "What's going on? Where did that punk learn the trick from?" He pressed against his bleeding abdomen in shock. He could not wrap his mind around how Maximus had recovered from the grave injury with significant improvements to his skills all within a few days. "Luther William
"Don't ever show up in front of me!" Maximus kicked Luther aside and proceeded to leave."Got it …" Luther put on a fake smile. When Maximus turned his back against Luther, the man had a gleam in his eyes as he picked up the sword on the floor and plunged it into Maximus' body. "Look out!" Dustin yelled, and Maximus jumped aside at the final moment. Although Maximus wasn't critically wounded from the stabbing, the sword left a long, gaping wound that oozed blood on his waist. Luther was taken aback when he realized that his ambush failed. Then, he threw the sword away and frantically pleaded, "Max! I'm wrong! I'm definitely in the wrong! I was blinded for a moment just now. Please don't take it to heart!" "You stubborn old donkey!" Fuming, Maximus took out his sword and attempted to slash Luther, this time showing no mercy at all. "Stop!" a thunderous roar sounded out of the blue. Next, a majestic figure descended from the air and shielded Luther. The man, in his thirties, g
"Gosh, who is that kid? He's quite something to challenge Tatum in public! Is he asking for death?" "He is gutsy but not the sharpest tool in the shed." Dustin's presence became the talk of the town. No one had expected any martial artist to have a showdown with Tatum at the last minute. "Hey! Why did you go up there? Are you mad? Get down here now!" After a slight pause, Abby loudly called out to Dustin. In her eyes, he was nothing more than a clueless young man who did not know his place. "What is that dude doing? Doesn't he know that he's up against one of The Heavenly Immortals, Tatum Thunders? He'll die in Tatum's hands!" Ralph shook his head forlornly and looked on as though he could predict Dustin's demise. After all, Ralph wasn't strong enough to take on Tatum, and he did not expect a no-name as young as Dustin to succeed too. "Hmph! That reckless thing! How dare he insult Tatum? He'll meet his end!" Brody and the others started cackling with glee. Not only would Tatu
Thousands of golden whips lashed out with the force of a storm, and it was impossible to dodge.The group led by Bailey launched their attacks to block and continually struck the golden whips. With each collision, energy erupted, followed by loud booming sounds.Arion stood firm like a mountain. His body was enveloped in golden light as he swung his whips. Even though he was outnumbered, he still held the advantage.Bailey and the others couldn't break through at all. A few slightly weaker gods from the Hall of Gods were forced to retreat with each lash and struggled to withstand the onslaught.At that moment, everyone finally realized the terrifying power of Dragonmarsh's strongest martial artist. Even the attacks evolved from the Glow Incantation were enough to throw them off balance."I don't believe these things can stop me!"Bailey roared as his body began to change. His already large frame grew even bulkier, like a small mountain. His shirt tore as his muscles expanded, and
The sudden turn of events took everyone by surprise. No one had expected Arion to strike so suddenly; he was so fast that they couldn't even see his movement.Even Willem, renowned for his speed, couldn't react in time. One slap had sent him flying—simple, brutal, and unstoppable.At that moment, they finally realized that the seemingly harmless Arion was much more formidable than they had imagined.Willem staggered to his feet and reached up to straighten his twisted neck. His collapsed cheek began to heal at a visible rate. Fortunately for him, vampires possessed extraordinary regenerative abilities. Without it, the slap would have crippled him."You're strong for an old geezer, but it'll take more than that to finish me off," Willem hissed through clenched teeth. The bloodthirst in his eyes was unmistakable as he glared at Arion. If he could drain Arion's blood, his strength would surge to unimaginable heights."Oh? This is interesting." Arion raised an eyebrow with a faint smi
The battle between the Hall of Gods and Sacred Wrym Summit raged with unrelenting intensity. The Hall of Gods had made meticulous preparations for this invasion. Besides recruiting powerful martial artists from around the world, they also distributed valuable enhanced serums to everyone. To counter Sacred Wrym Summit's Stormcraft technique, they developed a special combat suit capable of resisting such attacks. Generally, a divine martial artist struck by Stormcraft would instantly lose their combat ability, but this special suit reduced the effectiveness of the attack by half. Even if struck, they could recover after a brief moment to continue fighting. The defensive capabilities of this gear were nearly flawless.In addition, their greatest strength was the sheer weight of their numbers. They had at least ten thousand people, including hired outlaws, under their command. During the siege, they were densely packed like a swarm of bees.In contrast, Sacred Wrym Summit had only
Willard's ultimate move cleared the battlefield in an instant. The martial artists who had rushed forward were either dead or critically wounded, with no ability to defend themselves."This… How is this possible?" Hank's eyes widened in terror as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.Under the restriction of the sealing formation, even ultimate grandmasters couldn't unleash their full strength. But Willard, with nothing more than a flask of liquor, had managed to tap into a supreme divine power far beyond his cultivation level.Though he was only at the grandmaster level, his move, Infinite Spirit Manifestation, carried the might of an ultimate grandmaster. If he were to use it again, the outcome would be grim for everyone, including himself."Retract!" Willard took a deep breath and the thousands of illusory images that had surged forth earlier instantly retracted into his body. His face turned red and pale as his breath grew heavy and ragged.The toll of using Infinite Spirit Manif
"Take a guess." Willard didn't answer. Instead, he took another sip from his flask.His cultivation had been sealed, but his strength came from the wine in his hand. The wine was refined with valuable herbs and contained dense spiritual energy, which he could absorb and convert into combat power.In short, every sip made him stronger. Even with his cultivation sealed, he could still execute powerful techniques."It's the wine, isn't it?" Garrett's gaze landed on the flask, and a quick realization set in. Willard drank before and after every attack, which hinted at something suspicious."Bingo. But no prize for you." Willard smirked and launched forward with a palm strike aimed at Garrett. Though his strength wasn't at its peak, the attack remained a deadly threat to the already injured Garrett."Mr. Styles, save me." Garrett knew he had no chance of blocking it and cried for help."Go to hell, traitor!" Hank saw the internal commotion unfold and threw a powerful punch at Willard
With a longsword in hand, Dustin plunged into the crowd like a tiger among sheep and cut down his enemies with brutal efficiency.Though he couldn't tap into his mystical energy, his physical strength far outstripped that of an average martial artist. His speed, power, reflexes, and combat skills crushed anyone in his path.Every swing of his blade was precise and targeted the enemy's vital spots with deadly accuracy, which left no room for defense.Under his relentless assault, the assassins were helpless. The air rang with their screams as bodies fell one after another.Unlike the tournament match, Dustin now unleashed his full power in this life-or-death fight. His attacks were becoming more brutal and relentless than ever."This kid's tougher than I thought." Hank frowned as he watched his men struggle.He hadn't expected Dustin to have such formidable combat prowess, even with his sealed cultivation. If an unmatched genius like Dustin couldn't be made an ally, he had to be e
"Step forward, and you're dead!" Facing the onslaught of desperate assassins, Dustin showed no mercy. With a swing of his long sword, a dazzling sword aura swept through the darkness like a crescent moon and briefly illuminated the night sky. The assassins only saw a flash of white light and instinctively stopped in their tracks. When the brilliance faded, those at the front stood frozen as if struck by a paralysis spell.A moment later, heads tumbled to the ground, like ripe fruit falling from a tree. The headless bodies stood upright for two seconds before collapsing, blood splattering everywhere.The gruesome sight shocked everyone. They exchanged uneasy glances and were hesitant to move forward. No one had anticipated Dustin's sword to be so fast that the fallen couldn't even defend themselves.The assassins who had just been killed were among the elites. Yet, none of them could block even a single strike. The difference in strength was clear."What are you standing aroun
The people who emerged from the fog wore masks that hid their faces, but each had the Hall of Gods emblem on their bodies. Among them was a small group led by Dustin.After sensing a battle nearby, Dustin had deliberately left his team behind to investigate alone. He hadn't expected another group to lead them out of the fog formation."What's going on? Why are there so many bodies scattered around?" "Looks like they ran into a strong enemy. Stay sharp, everyone!" The sight of scattered corpses put everyone on edge. Their eyes darted between Dustin and Aven."Dustin, what are you doing here alone?" The leader of the group recognized him immediately.The Hall of Gods had recruited several teams, each marked by different colored masks, with team leaders wearing a distinctive emblem."Hank?" Dustin narrowed his eyes as he recognized the voice. "What happened here?" Hank asked tentatively."I don't know. I just stepped out of the fog formation." Dustin shook his head."Really?"
Though Marcell was momentarily stunned, he still explained patiently, "This man is the guardian of the Forbidden Ground. If we kill him, we'll be able to take the treasure." He was gravely wounded and had to rely on Dustin to deal with Aven, so he needed to be persuasive."We can talk about the treasure later. Right now, it's time to settle some old scores." Dustin stretched out his hand, and the long sword on the ground shot up into his grasp."Settle old scores? What are you talking about?" Marcell blinked in confusion, especially when he saw the sword in Dustin's hand. A feeling of unease spread through him."You and that big guy planned to use me as bait. Then, you sent me into the fog to clear the way for you," Dustin said flatly. "Did you really think I didn't hear that? Since you want to harm me, don't blame me for being ruthless.""What… What are you going to do?" Marcell panicked. "We're both working for the Hall of Gods. There's no need for this kind of betrayal. If thi