A diving artifact? Nash''s gaze fixed heatedly on Tatiana. Divine artifacts, as the name suggested, were tools crafted by immortals, existing on a level beyond spiritual artifacts. The thought of a hundred thousand array patterns made his scalp tingle. Tatiana tensed and whispered, "Don''t look at me like that. Only those of the Cricton family bloodline can control the disc."


    Nash awkwardly withdrew his gaze. "I meant no harm. I was just shocked!" Considering all the precious items Tatiana had already shared with him, he would not covet the disc.


    Setting aside these thoughts, Tatiana was already his woman. No matter how powerful the disc was, he would not do anything to harm her.


    Tatiana gently smiled and asked, "So, shall we descend the mountain now?"


    Nash nodded. "Yes, let''s go down the mountain." He took out his Nine Dragons Sword, tossed it into the air, and then wrapped his arm around Tatiana''s waist. They both flew onto the de.


    Nearly four to five days had passed outside. Nash guessed Hera and the others were probably worried sick.


    ...


    At the foot of the mountain, over a thousand people had gathered. Among them, 200 were from the Celestial Dragon Squadron, 500 from the Northern Territory, and 300 from the Cricton family led by the head of the family. There was also the current deputymander of the Divine Strategy Squadron, Das Cricton.


    Edmund Cricton stood with his arms behind his back, his face exuding authority. However, his eyes betrayed his worries. Dressed in a ck trench coat and wearing a round hat, he radiated a fierce aura. "Old man, if anything happens to my daughter, I won''t let you get away with it!"


    Das scoffed. "Now you care about Tatiana? You joined the army at 19. Have you even seen your daughter ten times?"


    Edmund''s eyes reddened as he shouted, "That''s no excuse for you to betroth her to the Thorans!"


    At this, Das'' face filled with guilt. This had indeed been the reason Tatiana ran to Malignant Mountain in search of the Thousand Illusion Array Disc. It was because she did not want to fulfill this marriage arrangement.


    "Silence." At that moment, an elderly man with white hair and no teeth tapped his cane. Both Das and Edmund immediately reigned in their hostility.


    This old man was none other than


    the elder of the Cricton family, Rosarch Cricton. He had once


    helped Johnathan set up the devastating Heaven and Earth


    model


    Extinction Formation which had cost him his cultivation and left him


    grievously injured, earning him a


    national honor.


    Despite his advanced age and frailty, his eyes were still sharp. "I instructed Das to arrange this marriage. Would you like to shoot me instead?" he challenged coldly.


    Edmund''s expression darkened as he replied softly, "Grandfather, times have changed. Wars are fought with guns now. Arrays and all that stuff are obsolete!"


    The old man simply retorted, "Ignorant..."


    "You call yourself the colonel of the Northern Territory, yet you look down on the ancient art of war arrays which possess the power to shake the heavens and the earth?" The old man scoffed while shooting Edmund a cold nce.


    Das chimed in, "Edmund, as you


    saw earlier, our men couldn''t even


    advance 200 meters. That''s the power of arrays. You''ve been in the Northern Territory for years and have been out of touch with gur family''s deeper traditions. Kdon''t me you..."


    "Enough." Edmund snorted coldly but did not argue further. He had read military texts and understood the utility of arrays, but what his father and grandfather spoke of seemed too mystical.


    Yet, when he led his men up the mountain earlier, they were indeed immobilized by some overwhelming force.


    Then, there was the man bound in heavy metal chains. To Edmund''s astonishment, there were even people with superpowers in this world called Espers. Even more outrageous was the fact that his father managed most of these Espers within the country. If he could bring these people to the Northern Territory...


    Reflecting on this, Edmund''s


    expression softened slightly as he


    said gravely. "Dad, Grandfather, let''s figure out how to get up the mountain to find Tatiana. If all else fails, ask the Northern Territory to send a few missiles to blow up this affay." N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Das scoffed again. "Is that how national resources should be used?"