"No way! No way! We can't let them get their way!"Late at night.Varioso was running through the streets of Waterway Town. He was not moving very fast, his body covered in blood and his face painted with despair.Bartolomew and Bovies were trailing behind him at a leisurely pace, smirking coldly."Mr. Varioso, escaped from the dungeon, huh? You've caught me off guard!" Bovies taunted, keeping pace with the beleaguered Varioso.Bartolomew's eyes were layered with ice as he watched Varioso, looking at him like he was already a dead man.In Bartolomew's view, Varioso was as good as gone the moment he was caught listening in on his secret chat with Bovies. The only reason Varioso was still breathing was that Bartolomew was toying with him, like a cat with a cornered mouse."Bovies, you b*stard! The mistress and the Stefords have always treated you well, and now you're plotting to take over the whole Steford clan during the Quintennium Challenge? You... you...""What about me?"Bo
"Oh? What's this? Not running away anymore?" Bovies taunted with a sneer.When Varioso froze in his tracks, Bovies could not help but laugh. "So, you've accepted your fate? You know too much, Varioso. You overheard my private talk with my clan's elder. There's no way you're getting out of this alive.""This..."Varioso's face went ghostly white. His rage at Bovies' words had made him reckless, and he had stopped without thinking.He momentarily forgot just how dangerous Bovies was, and worse, he had forgotten about Bartolomew, Bovies' right-hand man, who was unbeatable."If only... If only Mr. Hoffman hadn't left the Stefords..." Varioso's thoughts drifted to Fred, but his whispered words did not escape Bovies' ears."Mr. Hoffman? Do you mean Fred? Hahahaha!"Bovies roared with laughter. "Do you want to know why I brought my clan's elder to the Stefords' place?""Why?" Varioso managed to ask, his voice barely above a whisper."It's all because of that jerk Fred!" Bovies was se
‘Since I’m a guest, why not come in and have a chat?’ Varioso repeated to himself inside.When Varioso heard that voice, he turned around, looking excited. Just a moment ago, he almost gave up.They were in West Street…Logically speaking, the Niles would be some distance away. Was Fred actually here?Bovies, who had prepared to kill Varioso, suddenly tensed up like a mouse in the presence of a cat. He was so frightened that he quickly stepped back and looked around to see where the sound came from.Crunch!While the two of them were looking around, the door of a mansion on the street slowly opened.A man walked out slowly."Howard, Head of the Niles!"Varioso and Bovies recognized the man instantly. Howard stood aside with a respectful expression after walking out of the door, as if waiting for someone else to come out.That someone was obviously Fred."Mr. Varioso, I haven't seen you for a few days. How are you?" Fred slowly stepped out and smiled lightly."Mr. Hoffman! D
"Oh? What do you mean?"When Bartolomew heard this, he frowned slightly and asked.Bovies smiled and said, "Uncle, this Hoffman boy has become famous throughout Waterway Town because he defeated me and more than fifty guards of the Stefords. Tomorrow is the Quintennium Challenge, so why not just keep him alive for one more day? We shall dismember him into five pieces in full view of the public tomorrow. That would intimidate everyone and show everyone your power. It will also make Miss Steford and her family understand what they should do.""This way, when I am accepted into the Stefords, things will be smoother, right?" Bartolomew said. He thought for a moment and finally restrained his murderous intents. He nodded and said, "That's a good idea! In that case, let's keep this pest alive for one more night!"With that said, Bartolomew walked away.As for Bovies, he looked at Fred and Varioso with a sneer and said, "Haha, enjoy your last moments on earth! Tomorrow, you will die!"
"Is it starting soon? There are always so many people before it begins!""Of course, the Quintennium Challenge is a day that determines the future leader of Waterway Town every five years. Who wouldn’t be excited?""Hey! Who do you think will win this time? The Stefords or the Ciels?""Hard to say! At first, I was optimistic about the Ciels and the Tohils. But there was a big surprise with that man named Fred joining the Niles midway. He managed to instantly defeat Bovies, the captain of the Stefords' guards, and more than fifty fighters on his own!""So the Niles will no longer be benchwarmers this year?""It's too early to say. Didn't the Stefords hire fighters from the Buckners? I think the Stefords will win in the end!"At ten o'clock in the morning the next day, the north riverside of Waterway Town was bustling with people.Nearly all the prominent figures in Waterway Town were gathered here, for no other reason than to witness the Quintennium Challenge that would be held a
One could travel thousands of miles without leaving a trace, and the other could kill without leaving any signs. Traceless Yarrow and Jarrod Lear were destined to be confrontational when they met.Fortunately, both of them knew that now was not the time to fight. They just took one glance at each other and immediately stopped paying attention to the other. However, the sharp and aggressive presence they exuded was enough to intimidate and avert the eyes of those around them."It seems that today's battle will be gnarly with bloodshed!"Some of the onlookers watched Traceless Yarrow and Jarrod Lear, the fighters representing the Tohils and the Ciels’ respectively, as they exchanged competitive glances at each other. Someone suddenly exclaimed, "These two families must be the favorites to win the championship this time..."Boom!Before he finished speaking, a chaotic noise was heard. Leopold, the head of the Ciels, and Zimran, the head of the Tohils, frowned.At this moment, an ext
It was incredibly domineering!As the large carriage supported by eighteen men waltzed past with the ferocious-looking Bovies, the people who were curious at first lowered their heads involuntarily. Nobody dared to look Bartolomew right in the eye.Nobody dared to mention the rule-breaking actions against Traceless Yarrow and Jarrod before the Quintennium Challenge even started.At this moment, Bartolomew's obvious murderous presence alone made them tremble with fear."Master Ciel, Master Tohil! Ah, pardon me!"Runiya, the Lady of the Stefords, unlike other family leaders, let Bartolomew ride on the carriage while she walked on foot. Nevertheless, her face was gleeful at this moment.She bowed to Leopold and Zimran and said with a smile, "I believe you have seen the man sitting in the carriage. That is Mr. Bartolomew, a fighter of the Buckners. There were too many people just now, and Mr. Bartolomew thought that some bugs were buzzing around when your men showed up abruptly. He j
Seeing the arrival of the troops, someone immediately spoke up.However, the person beside him pursed his lips and scoffed. “So what? Don’t you see how powerful the Stefords' Bartolomew is? Traceless and Jarrod are renowned powerhouses on the South Island, and they still lost in a heartbeat! You think the Niles' Fred Hoffman can win?”The other person fell silent.Everyone else seemed to agree with the second person's opinion. The Buckners were a superfamily on the South Island. Members of the Buckners were all powerhouses. It was in their superior genes.After seeing how powerful Bovies was before, they naturally placed their confidence in Bartolomew.Moreover, rumors of Fred's previous stay in the Stefords’ residence had already begun to spread. The man was a weak fool who stole the Stefords’ martial secrets. His current power was fully attributed to luck.No one doubted that Bartolomew, a powerhouse from a super-martial family, would defeat Fred, a man who relied on pure luc
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