The exclusive inner hall was just a short walk from the bustling auction floor. Leaving the auction room via its back entrance and navigating a corridor, they found themselves there after a few steps. It was an expansive underground chamber, its security even tighter than the auction area. "Please wait outside. Mr. Hoffman, follow me," the guide said with a bow as they reached the entrance. Stellar frowned. "I'm not sure about this." It was clear as day that Elder Everwood bore no goodwill toward Fred, especially as he entered the hall ahead of them. "No worries. You two stay here," Fred said, dismissing any concern. After Fred's assurance, Stellar nodded. Eileen echoed her agreement. Inside, an array of influential faces awaited. There was Ziad Wood, known as the Ziad the Second, the poker-faced man, the burly man, and of course, Elder Everwood. Upon Fred's entrance, Ziad said, "Reve..." but stopped short, weighing his words. "Mr. Hoffman, so glad you could join us."
Thud!No response. Not even a glance at Elder Everwood.Fred sat down in such a majestic manner, right at the main seat where Ziad the Second was sitting a moment ago.The emotionless man and the muscular man’s eyes turned cold from his nonchalant demeanor.After being ignored by Fred, Elder Everwood laughed angrily and said, "Boy, you really are something! Shall I assume you are so stupid that you don't know your limits? Or should I praise you for your courage?"Haha, forget it! None of this is important. This old man is giving you a choice. Within ten seconds, hand over the Vorandelis and kneel before me, then you can choose a way to die!"Of course, you don't have to choose either. This old man will guarantee that you will regret being born!"How strange!Ziad the Second’s face was puzzled.Initially, he was surprised when Elder Everwood dared to pick a fight with Fred. However, what did Elder Everwood just say?Choose a way to die within ten seconds?Why did these words
He...knelt down?The moment Elder Everwood’s knees touched the ground, the poker-faced man and the muscular man had their jaws dropped to the ground. Earlier, they kept saying that Fred was a fool and they were certain that he would die.That was Elder Everwood he was facing!Among warlords of the secular world, the old man’s strength was comparable to a sect leader!Elder Everwood was so powerful that he had almost become a taboo-like existence among secular warlords.Alas… What was going on right now?Elder Everwood, an untouchable taboo among many secular warlords… knelt before Fred, a guy barely older than thirty years old, without any warning.How could the two of them not be shocked?As for Elder Everwood himself, he was horrified right now. He could not fathom why a single look from Fred brought him to his knees.Most importantly, when he looked into Fred's eyes, he felt a kind of momentum that he had never experienced before. A sky-falling and earth-shattering presence
The stoic-faced man’s expression was no longer haughty and collected.The muscular man’s unbridled laughter was no longer heard.When Fred's eyes slowly fell on them, no words were needed at all. Their legs weakened and they knelt on the ground, terrified.At the auction, the two men sat side by side with Elder Everwood in the first row. It meant that their strengths were comparable to Elder Everwood's.All three of them had similar levels of power!However, a swish of Fred's palm turned Elder Everwood into a pile of dust.If Fred wanted to kill them both, it would just be as easy!How could they not be afraid now? How could they be calm?For a moment, there was silence in the entire room.One glance and one move of Fred’s palm was enough to shock everyone into silence...What happened after that was much simpler.The display of treasures in the hall that was supposed to be for Elder Everwood and the other two men turned into a VIP service for Fred.All the products that th
"Lord, do you need me to contact a few more black market auction houses?"The skies seemed brighter as they walked out of Woods Auction House.Stellar stepped forward to ask the question when he realized that Fred did not find the Meridian Grass."No need!" Fred waved his hand and said, "These two medicinal materials, Dragon Blood Fruit and Meridian Grass, have become extinct in the martial arts world in the past. They are even rarer in the secular world. If I get one of them, the trip is already worth it! Furthermore, the Wood family will also help keep an eye on it. They are auctioneers, so they would be more efficient than us blindly looking for it!"With that, Fred immediately turned his gaze to Eileen Fraley.After all, the trip had been worthwhile mainly because he obtained the Dragon Blood Fruit from Eileen.Moreover, Fred had promised before to check on Eileen’s grandfather, so he asked, "Where is your grandfather now?""He’s… in South Central Hospital not far from here,
"Grandpa!!!"Almost instantly, Eileen collapsed to the ground, looking like her soul had been torn from her body.After the Woods Auction House incident, after being bullied by the porters, or facing Elder Everwood’s threats just to bid for the Vorandelis, Eileen did all that in the hopes of keeping her grandfather alive.She finally obtained the Vorandelis, but Mr. Fraley was already gone. How could Eileen accept this?“How could this happen? How could this happen?"Eileen looked at Dr. Ludvington and choked back her sobs.The only answer she received was two short sentences."Miss Fraley, I'm sorry, we tried our best!""Miss Fraley, our condolences!"These two sentences shattered Eileen's fragile mind. Afterward, Dr. Ludvington and his team repeated the words like a machine, which crushed Eileen’s heart to pieces.After some time, Eileen finally held back her tears. She walked to Mr. Fraley and sat down, then said weakly, "I want... I want to talk to my grandpa... Please gi
Dazed, everyone turned to look at where the voice was coming from. There was no way old Mr. Fraley was still alive.Standing there, donned in black, was none other than Fred. “M-Mr. Hoffman?”Eileen did not expect Fred to be the one to speak up. She would never have believed it if anyone else told her that her grandfather was still alive. If anything, she would have fought them for making such a cruel joke, but Fred was different. The man was the living legend, the Great One. Eileen watched, with her own two eyes, as the powerful Ziad Wood trembled with fear before Fred. Not to mention how Fred had bought a thousand-year Vorandelis for 200 million Somer Dollars at an auction without hesitation.Eileen knew that someone of Fred’s caliber and status would never joke about something so sensitive.Eileen immediately asked, “Really, Mr. Hoffman? My grandfather’s alive?”“He is,” Fred said calmly. “It won’t be easy, but I’ll be able to wake him up.”“Y-You mean it?!”Eileen smi
Fred and Eileen had not started on the right foot. They were merely acquaintances, at most. He would not have gone so far as to offer his expertise if not for the Dragon Blood Fruit. If Eileen did not believe him, well, Fred was not morally bound to insist. After some thought, Eileen clenched her jaw and said, “Mr. Hoffman, p-please save my grandfather! As long as my grandfather’s alright, I… I’ll do anything!” Eileen’s knees wobbled as she fell to the ground, only for Fred to catch her through the air.“No need to kneel. If that's what you wish, I shall try my best.” Then, Fred walked over to old Mr. Fraley’s side and placed his fingers on the man's pulse point. Dr. Ludvington snorted internally. Fred was just a young man in his 20s. Even if Fred had graduated from medical school, a man of his age should be no more than a resident at some hospital or a newly appointed doctor. Dr. Ludvington tried hard not to cackle out loud when he watched Fred attempt to bring Mr.
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