They probably all thought since he was standing here, he was probably the host of the banquet rather than just a lackey. Edward heard them whispering among themselves about this. Still, he didn’t bother explaining because he felt it was an excellent way to protect Darius by having the guests misunderstand his true identity. He couldn’t tell Darius about this, though, because he knew Darius wouldn’t agree to it. He revealed his true identity after keeping the guests guessing for long enough. After all, he wouldn’t be able to keep it under wraps for long. Once Darius was to make his entrance, the cat would be out of the bag, and there was a chance the guests would feel that Darius had arranged for Edward to fool them into thinking he was the host. Edward didn’t want them to use this as a way to tarnish Darius’ reputation further, so he had to let everyone know who he was, even if he didn’t think it was for the best.His calm gaze swept over everyone present, and he took in the looks
“As I mentioned, the things she said were unreasonable and nonsensical. You sound very much like her, though.” Edward’s eyes slowly turned icy. He leaned back a little and tapped lightly on the party favors. “And you sound very sure of yourself… it’s as if you already know what’s going to happen.” He kept scrutinizing the old woman.“There’s no need to wonder, Edward. They’re one and the same.” Darius’ voice suddenly rang out from the entrance, and Edward quickly turned to look at him. “Mr. Reid!” Suddenly, everyone turned to look at Darius, standing there with both his hands behind his back. He nodded, his face devoid of emotion as he said, “Good evening, everyone. Welcome to my banquet. Rest assured that you’re safe here, and I guarantee that anything you guys take away from here—with my permission, of course—will not harm you in the slightest.”Everyone calmed down at his words, but the old woman scowled. She didn’t expect these people to be so stupid. She’d been badmouthing Dariu
Darius said, “You may be right about some things, but I don’t think things will turn out the way you expect them to.” He sounded so unruffled that it made the old woman feel a little anxious. So, she stretched out her arms, and miniature tornadoes formed on her palms, which she sent in his direction.Darius’ eyes widened, and he quickly channeled his energy toward her. It was too weak compared to hers and wasn’t even visible. He could only vaguely sense it in his palms, but the old woman narrowed her eyes at him. She looked wary, and there was a hint of murderous intent as she said, “You know, you’ve caught me by surprise. It’s too bad that we’re on opposing sides. Otherwise, I’d love to have you as my fellow apprentice. When we first heard about you, you were just a regular martial artist who had yet to awaken. Yet, you became enlightened when we appeared before you, and you even learned how to control your energy! There’s no way we can allow you to continue like this.”As she spok
“Otherwise, I’d take you on as an apprentice and teach you everything I know. I’d even give you my energy.” The old woman shook her head. However, her murderous intent grew beneath her pity.“You’ve advanced so quickly that it’s scary. It hasn’t even been two months since you became enlightened, yet you already found the shortcut to meditating. In fact, that’s a strange method you’ve discovered. Normally, such methods come with evil connotations, but I don’t sense anything evil in you. I have to admit that you’re a powerful character.” She smiled, but it wasn’t a kind one. “I honestly feel it’s a pity that you’re going to die—you would’ve become an extremely powerful existence. I doubt any of the people I know would’ve been your match; your current level is one that many people strive and fail to achieve in their lifetime.”She sounded conflicted as she spoke, but Darius was sure that her murderous intent had never disappeared. Since she hadn’t changed her mind about killing him, he
Darius didn’t voice his opinions. Instead, he focused on the man. “You did a great job concealing your presence—I almost didn’t recognize you. Also, I’m shocked by the fact that you can adjust your appearance at will!” He smiled. “Now, I can understand why your leader feels it’s a pity for us to be on opposing sides. I, too, feel it’s a pity that we’re opponents and not allies.”Darius’ arms were still outstretched, and he was still making circling motions. He did not stop channeling his energy while constantly absorbing more from the people around him. Because of this, he didn’t mind chatting with these people, even if there was no point in this conversation.Unexpectedly, someone else seemed to be more worried about the situation than him—it was the man who looked burly but actually had a small stature. “Cut the crap and just ask whatever questions you have. If you keep this up, I won’t hold myself back anymore.” Darius was surprised by two things. Firstly, the man’s words weren’t
The man’s face darkened, and he stopped attacking.Darius raised an eyebrow, feeling that he was up to something. He took the opportunity to lunge at the man, but in the next second, he was enveloped in complete darkness. He immediately skidded to a stop because he couldn’t even see his opponent. He was sure of one thing—if he were to continue with his attack, he could injure anyone, whether they were enlightened martial artists or normal, innocent bystanders. He couldn’t act rashly when he wasn’t sure what he was up against, and his actions would accomplish nothing aside from depleting his energy.He bit his lip and tried to find a way out of this. He felt pissed off by the fact that he hadn’t landed a single blow on his opponent since the start of this duel, and this was a first for him. He couldn’t accept this outcome, but his opponent obviously didn’t care. The man’s voice was as rough as sandpaper, and it seemed to be coming from all around Darius as he said, “Darius, you’ve al
By the time his brain processed what had happened, it was too late. Darius’ attack came at him faster than he could react, and all he could feel was a blast of cold air. It seemed to stab him, and the darkness slowly started to lift. The man had built a globe of darkness around Darius with his energy, and when he saw that Darius was starting to break out of it, he had no choice but to give it up. If he didn’t, Darius could follow the trail of his energy to its source.This was a highly dangerous thing. All enlightened martial artists stored their energy in the same spot, and under normal circumstances, one wouldn’t be able to access the other party’s energy. He couldn’t allow Darius to do anything of the sort, so he waved an arm and forcibly broke off the connection between his energy and the globe of darkness. Then, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and the globe of darkness wrapped around him, forming a dark cloud.He slowly raised his head to look at Darius, who returned the look
A deadly mix of dread and frustration filled Darius’ mind. Chest sinking, he mused, “I shouldn’t believe what these people in black robes have to say. After all, they’re unable to exercise free will. Besides, they have no contact with the world, so their worldview is dictated by the mysterious figure behind Dream Investment Group. It’s crystal clear these people in black aren’t the good guys.”He sighed deeply, placing both hands behind his back. Then, he inhaled the rich air around him through slightly parted lips. Many skills and abilities were oozing from the men that Darius could easily absorb into his body, so it did not take long for his strength to recover. That set off a wave of panic in the two clad fully in black robes. They were both running toward Darius. Their figures darted ahead so fast that their shadows multiplied behind them. The figure that stood furthest away from Darius was now nearing him. Meanwhile, Darius held his ground with both hands behind his back, gazin