There was a crisp sound of a weapon making contact. For a moment, Gabriel's face twitched. The others were also slightly stunned.Despite Gabriel landing a powerful strike on the man's chest, there was not even the slightest trace of an injury on him—let alone any further progress in the attack."Just as I thought. A monster," Gabriel muttered, expression ugly. Although he had mentally prepared himself when he saw how useless Carver’s attack had been, actually experiencing it firsthand left Gabriel somewhat incredulous.Disbelief aside, Gabriel did not stop at just that attack. Crystal and the others had caught up to him. As the one holding the front, their formation would immediately crumble if Gabriel were to slack just a little. If that happened, the others would be left waiting to be picked off one by one by the man. However...Despite all of them unleashing their skills and attacking the man continuously, the man never once faltered nor took any damage. Instead, he repeate
”What is this…”Under normal circumstances, anyone experiencing such a breathtaking and powerful presence would be struck with fear. However, both Rita and the almost-dead Crystal felt joyful at this moment as excitement surged through them. That was because they knew that that person had arrived!There was a flash of light and a thunderous crash. Suddenly, a figure obscured the moonlight, causing everyone to tilt their heads back and look up.It was a man!In fact, it was a man all the students and teachers present were familiar with.He was once jokingly called the weakest teacher at the Warlord Academy by the student body when he was actually the true master of the Warlord Academy. He was the most powerful person in Somerland as well as the world!He was Fred Hoffman, the living legend and revered Great One!Despite always referring to Fred by his first name, Rita was currently crying tears of joy as she shouted toward the sky with all her might."Master Hoffman!”As if r
”How did this happen? How? You… You’re just a warlord. How are you so strong?” The man roared in fear as he clutched his shoulder where his arm had been torn off. Fred ignored him. He was instead looking at the arm in his hand with furrowed brows.Gold? It was the same color as the aura he emitted when he released his inner energy. Only Fred had the ability to create golden light by channeling his inner energy outward. No one else could do it. It was his upperhand and the secret to his strength.Fred then hummed faintly before tossing the severed arm aside, paying it no more attention.Despite them sharing the same gold color, it was evident that they were still different. Fred’s golden light was dignified, noble, and represented supreme authority! The man was nothing more than a crude imitation!"How do you wish to die?" Fred asked again. The man was able to muster a disdainful smile and even mock him the first time. Now, fear filled him, his body trembling uncontrollably wh
Dead…?The once arrogant man had rendered everyone from the Warlord Academy, from powerful figures like Halbert and Aeon to the teachers and students, helpless. However, he now turned to dust before scattering into the wind in front of them.The only person left before their eyes was Fred as he stood there proudly. Suddenly, silence befell them. Everyone's face bore an expression of disbelief.Did that man just die? Did he die so easily?Then, a tremendous cheer erupted, deafening the surroundings."Hail to the Great One!""Master Hoffman is the best!""The Warlord Academy is invincible!"These were the students of the Warlord Academy who had just experienced being on the precipice of life and death for the first time. It was precisely because of this that they were so excited to see their enemy disappear at this moment. Crystal also finally recovered from her near-death situation and was watching Fred stand proudly in front of everyone. She let out a sigh of relief, then nud
Fred looked at Rita, hoping she could provide some answers. It seemed that Rita had prepared herself for this moment. When she saw Fred's gaze on her, she immediately said, "I don't know much about that person either. I only know two things.”"What do you know?" Fred asked."Firstly, that person is indeed from South Carlos," Rita started and then continued, "Secondly, he's a mysticwielder.”Mysticwielder?Everyone present frowned, confused at that revelation. They were all either leaders of various factions or people from warlord families like Stellar and Gustav. They were supposed to have extensive knowledge of the world’s martial arts and practitioners. However, the term 'mysticwielders' that Rita mentioned was foreign to them.They all immediately turned their attention to Fred."Mysticwielders? Is it related to mystic poison?"When Fred heard this, he frowned and asked, “Is this mystic poison?” He flipped his palm over to reveal a small, gold-shimmering caterpillar-like crea
Rita was actually the medicinal ingredient the Goldensilk Cocoon required?There was a shift in everyone's expression when they heard that. Since they were all warlords, they were no strangers to acts of violence and had even taken lives. However, using a living person as a medicinal ingredient was an exceptionally cruel concept. It was one they had never encountered before.Fred’s brows furrowed slightly when he heard what Rita said. "When they tried to take the Ancient Medicine teachings I inherited, was it also for this Goldensilk Cocoon?""Yes." Rita nodded. "Ancient Medicine is known as a legendary medical path. It's said that those who possess it in South Carlos have the world in their hands. This is because of the profound medical principles that are contained within Ancient Medicine which allows the Goldensilk Cocoon to mature fully in a smooth manner.”Rita continued, "Master, do you remember why I insisted on having you accompany me back to South Carlos initially? It was
Although South Carlos was a part of Somerland, it had always been regarded with fear by outsiders due to the legends of mystic poison. Because of this reputation, South Carlos developed its own unique character at some point despite not being completely isolated from the rest of the country. A result of that was that many places in South Carlos were organized as villages and communities.At present, Fred found himself in a peaceful and serene village deep within South Carlos. When Fred arrived, he immediately felt as if he was returning to a simpler way of life."Our village is quite nice, isn't it?" Rita asked with a smug and almost boastful tone as she looked at Fred's admiring expression."It's indeed quite nice." Fred nodded with a smile. "Honestly, even though I had dealings with the South Carlos King of mystic poison in the past, this is my first time coming to South Carlos itself. It’s very evidently quite different from what I had imagined.""What did you imagine?”Rita
Any later and she would not have been able to see her father?When Rita heard what Nasuo said, her joy upon returning home instantly shattered. She grabbed Nasuo anxiously and asked, "My father... What happened to my father?""Rita, don't get too upset! Mr. Stonemoss has been sick for a long time now. You know his situation. But his illness got so bad so suddenly this time. The symptoms are severe, so..."So what? Clearly, Nasuo was finding it difficult to explain the situation to her. He sighed lightly and said, "Ah... In any case, you'll know when you see him, so come back with me. Quick!"How could Rita still drag her feet after that? She went sprinting off with Nasuo through the village before she even explained the situation to Fred.Sensing Rita’s urgency, Fred knew she was extremely anxious right now. He quickly caught up with her.The village was quite large, at least several times larger than Peach Blossom Village! To Rita at the moment, however, this distance spanned ju
Marciella walking away did not bode well with the giant snake. Marciella was its food! How could it accept that its food had escaped?Marciella had not moved far yet. She reluctantly looked back at Fred.She did not know how Fred would handle the River God. She could only hope Fred would be okay!When Fred saw that she had left, he geared up, rubbing his palms in glee. He had an eager look on his face, which confused the giant snake.It was the snake’s first time meeting a man like Fred!How strange indeed!At this time!Suddenly, Fred said with hostility etched on his face, "Hey, Big Snake, what are you going to do now?"The snake's attention was entirely focused on him, which seemed off to Fred."What I’m going to do?"The giant snake fixated its eyes on Fred. It felt that it could handle a human like Fred easily.“I’m going to kill you with one bite! How dare you look down on me like this!"The giant snake rushed toward Fred fiercely at a speed so fast that no one could
Fred was annoyed by the giant snake's arrogant tone. Fred squinted his eyes at the snake and asked in confusion, "Why are you making that face?"“Huh?"The giant snake was shocked. He thought that Fred would submit to him, but to his surprise, Fred was not shaken at all.The snake was about to lose his temper.“Dirty snake, haven't I made myself clear enough? I think you are probably sleep-talking if you want me to hand over my people to you..." Fred said impatiently.At this moment…Feeling that it was being ridiculed, the snake said suddenly, "You punk, this is the first time anyone spoke to me this way. What is your name?"“Me?"Fred was stunned subconsciously, not knowing what the snake wanted. Suddenly, he understood.“Did you want to know my name so you can remember me, bow down before me, and become my follower? Sure, I’ll give you that chance!"He was adding fuel to the fire. The giant snake almost spat out blood in anger!"What? You want me to follow an immature bei
Huh!?Putting aside Marciella, even Fred could not hide his shock as a giant snake appeared from under the water!A giant snake!How could it be!?Fred's eyes widened at the sheer size of the snake. "A Giant Snake… Is this the so-called River God?"Moreover, the size was humongous. The snake must be at least ten stories high!What a huge snake!Fred finally understood why he felt a powerful force under the water!There was a sharp glint in the giant snake’s eyes! That was the blinking light from time to time!"Who comes here? Are you from the village? Who do you plan to sacrifice to me this time?" As soon as the giant snake spoke, Fred realized that this was not the first time it had done this.The snake seemed familiar with the ritual process. Obviously, the villagers had witnessed this giant snake before. This was the meeting between the two sides! Fred felt uncomfortable at this. As for the giant snake, it felt bemused when it saw Fred. The snake had never seen Fred befo
Fred was going to risk it all to open this girl's eyes!The force from the punch was extraordinary! As soon as the tree was hit by the seismic fist, it fell immediately and the whole tree split neatly in two!Marciella was dumbfounded!Although she knew how powerful Fred was, to witness his power was a different thing entirely!"Master Fred, your power is insane!"Marciella could not help but applaud.Fred seemed indifferent, as though he had no feeling at all about this."Is it? Why do you think so?"He looked so indifferent.For Ancient Martial Arts, things did not get any simpler than this!"You’re so strong. Anyway, I don’t doubt you anymore..." Marciella sighed, suddenly feeling very sad. "This is the reward of being educated. If we were more knowledgeable, we wouldn’t be so clueless.”"Haha, if you can't solve your issues, your descendants can work harder," Fred said with a wink.Marciella said, "Mr. Fred, I needed to ask you something! What if our luck was changed ju
What Fred said aroused her curiosity."What does it look like when you offer a sacrifice?"Fred knew he could not speak of this matter. Sure enough, Marciella felt a little downcast after Fred said the words. She did not know why Fred would say such a thing. Suddenly, Fred felt bad about it.He coughed and said, "Don't think too much about it... I just want to find a clue. Maybe we could find a solution. Why does it never rain in your village?""Huh?"Marciella's eyes, which were still a little dejected, suddenly realized what was important and asked hurriedly, "Mr. Fred, are you saying that the reason why it never rains in our village is because someone is behind it?"Although Fred was unwilling to admit it, he could not help but nod. "Yes, this is exactly what you thought!""For real?!"Marciella felt hopeful again when she heard this. She said hastily, "The thing you asked about is pretty simple. You can just check out that place!""That place?"Fred turned around to see w
Marciella found herself nodding in agreement with Fred's harsh assessment. "You're spot on," she said. "That woman is nothing but vile!"Seeing Marciella's reaction, a rare smile crossed Fred's face as he nodded back. "Glad you see it my way," he said.What caught Fred off guard was the villagers' reaction. One by one, their faces turned ashen with despair.It seemed to them that nothing could be worse than the predicament they were facing. The absence of the witch spelled doom for the village—it was like their last shred of hope had vanished. They had all put their faith in her to charm the River God into blessing them with rain, which would have brought some peace to their troubled lives. However, now their chances seemed to have dried up just like their fields. Fred stood there, his face a mask of serenity amidst the chaos.In the moments that followed, the village chief was a picture of despair, his only option was to send everyone home while he racked his brain for a backup pl
"What?"Fred did not even have time to blink before the witch suddenly made a move.It was like a bomb went off.Kaboom!Then, she was dead!Fred dusted off his hands, even surprising himself with his lack of tolerance for the witch.Now, though, he had a real headache. He had planned to clear the air with the witch and lay out the past so everyone would know the full picture.He thought that might just turn things around.The situation changed when she vanished, and Fred's plans were completely derailed. Then again, changing the villagers' minds was not going to be a walk in the park anyway. They were pretty set in their ways, thanks to all the stuff they had been fed.As such, just talking it out might not cut it. Heck, it could even mess with history!With the witch out of the equation, Fred figured he might as well try a different tactic. Maybe if he took out the guy in the cloak and worked his own magic to bring some rain, it could save a lot of hassle. The more he thoug
"No way!"The witch bristled with defiance. She could not accept that she was no match for Fred.As she noticed Fred's focus was locked on her, a sly idea popped up in her mind.Before she could act on it, though, she found herself pinned against the wall by Fred in a flash...Her face contorted in disbelief. She was pinned so tightly that she could not even move!The witch was completely overpowered, her heart racing with panic.How could he be so much stronger than her?Fred, on the other hand, seemed unfazed."What's going through your head? You don't seriously think you can take me on, do you?" Fred asked, his voice laced with skepticism.The witch felt utterly trapped, as if at any second, Fred might just finish her off."Look, I messed up, okay? Can we not do this? I'm old, just a pile of brittle bones—I can't take this kind of rough treatment!" the witch pleaded with Fred, trying a new tactic to get through to him.Fred was not falling for it. He looked at her with a
"Heh, I caught on to you a while back, you know. You've been tailing me, and I'm pretty sure you're here for me. Plus, you don't have the look of someone from our village. That means you are an outsider, and I'm your target, right? Listen, man, we don't have any beef with each other, so why are you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?"The witch had sensed the raw power rolling off Fred, and it was enough to send shivers down her spine!At that moment, she knew that challenging Fred was not going to be a walk in the park! If she had spotted him earlier in the forest, it would not have been good news for her. For starters, she had no clue how many tricks Fred had up his sleeve, and if he took her down, she and her buddy would be toast.However, the witch was not about to let Fred take her out without a fight! She racked her brain and finally settled on one strategy!She would try to sweet-talk him, hoping Fred would fall for her words just like everyone else, and fall into he