《Immortal Kingdoms》


 Chapter 1 Slave

    ?Everyone envied them; The Chosen.


    I mean imagine how it''d feel to be handpicked by a group of envoys iming to represent Immortals from a higher realm. Right?


    I also happened to envy them, that is until I was made aware of that one fact; my mother has about a decade left to live.


    I am young, smart, hard-working, rich, and most of all; filial.


    I wanted to use my resources to secure my mother a few more years of life till I found her a cure, but the envoys came knocking the day after, congratting me for my luck and fortune.


    After like five minutes of petrification under the eyes of those near-perfect human beings, I finally realized how much I regretted enlisting as a chosen candidate. s, it was already toote, and they didn''t care how I felt.


    At least, they allowed me to finish up this letter.


    Mother, it was never my intention to abandon you.


    Mother, I promise I''ll make it back within 10 years.


    I know you''ve heard simr words from a man you once loved but never came back, a family you once cherished but never came knocking, and now a son you''ve sacrificed the world for but might¡­


    Let''s not be pessimistic, look at the bright side.


    Your son is now one of The Chosen. Your son might grow into an Immortal, and then make an Immortal out of you. By the time you wake up and our android reads this letter for you, I''d have long ascended to the Realms of Immortals.


    Wait for my news, Mother.


    Yours truly; Leonardo.


    ¡­


    The Interster Supreme Court governs the ascension of mortals into the Kingdoms of Immortals on a daily basis. Countless candidates of all races file into the establishment from all across the universe in the lower dimensions for a chance at empowering themselves, and their families, or leaving behind a legacy that extends for many generations toe.


    A massive hall vast enough to host an audience of thousands of people bustled with discussion over the uing and new candidates from the lower dimensions. These representatives thate from organizations, major families, royalties, and even individually rich and resourceful immortals are in the trend to buy mortal ves.


    Among the crowd in the VIP chamber on the second floor, an old man and a young heroicdy stood in a dignified posture. Although the upants of the VIP chamber kept their distance from the pair, it didn''t contribute to their distinct, overwhelming aura. No, it is more or less derived from their identities and backgrounds.


    As exalted as their identities are, it remained a puzzle as to why their clothing was so in and casual; haggard even. Forget the old man, the young maiden who appeared to be in her mid-twenties wore a long ck dress with a pair of cut-short sleeves, bare feet, and a rustic scabbard loosely bound to her waist. However, a dense bloodlust radiated from her petite figure, as though a primal beast in a temporary slumber as she stood their eyes closed.


    ? By her side, the old man was snoring quietly while his old and bedraggled body swayed with the rhythm. Oddly enough, everyone''s heartbeat fell in sync with his swaying, and their inhales and exhales fell in sync with his snores. It was a bizarre, frightening experience to say the least.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Batch after batch of ve candidates recycled the stage, and the bidding wars broke loose all gates of pretentiousness in mere moments. The candidates who experienced a rude awakening from their delusions about immortality and power stood on the broad stage, as rigid as they were scared, but were helpless to it all.


    Some were shaking, some were babbling nonsense, and quite a few maintained a semnce of calm rationality. It was at this specific moment that the woman slowly opened her eyes, revealing a phoenix-like, bloody red eye. Everyone''s hearts in the VIP chambers skipped a beat, and silence thereafter reigned supreme.


    However, the thousands of participants in the lower floors basked in sheer ignorance as the bids riled up more and more. Silver coins quickly transitioned into gold coins, and before they knew it, essence crystals were tossed into the bidding war. From single-digit offers, and eventually to double-digit offers which eliminated 99% of the bidding contenders.


    Everyone could tell that this specific candidate was an eye candy, young, and judging from his clothing; he must have enjoyed quite the status back on his home. A lot of young prodigies enjoyed trampling on the dignity of people with simr upbringing and temperament, it brought them unimaginable satisfaction.


    Imagine having someone who lived their life as a king, emperor, or tyrant grovel at your feet overnight. This feeling, as twisted and fucked up as it sounds, felt absolutely amazing.


    And this young man who stood there casually with a vacant expression in his pitch-ck eyes as though the world meant nothing to him. This young man who didn''t seem bothered or responsive whatsoever to the shouts, taunts, andmotion from the audience as though he was facing a group of rats. This young man had inadvertently struck their pride collectively.


    It almost felt like he was the one inspecting damaged goods and not the other way around. It was at this moment that the young man steered his lifeless eyes in the direction of the VIP chambers. Although all he saw was a stretcher of solid, white ss, his eyes mysteriously crossed the line of sight with the mysterious woman across the divider.


    Without a moment to spare, her voice echoed from the VIP chambers, albeit encrypted, to the auction venue outside as she said, "100 quintessential crystals."


    The deration lulled everyone into silence regardless of age and status. What was the concept of 100 quintessential crystals?


    To put things into perspective, the popce in the Kingdoms of Immortals are ssified into four tiers; Mortal, Saint, Divine, and Immortal. Correspondingly, to each different ssification their individual currency.


    Mortals deal with gold and silver, the fundamental source of their wealth and power.


    Saints deal with Essence Crystals, the fundamental source of their wealth and power.


    The Divine deals with Quintessential Crystals, the fundamental source of their wealth and power.


    Immortals deal with Ether Crystals, the fundamental source of their wealth and power.


    Everyone was shocked because the esteemed guest is basically exchanging the currency of the divine for a mere mortal youth. Albeit exceedingly handsome, he was still a mortal; nothing will change that. The young man was obviously in oblivion to these numbers, but his vast experience in handling the business empire brought up by his mother allowed him to read the mood.


    Humans, for all their ws and weaknesses, were still a shrewd race.


    Even the beautiful auctioneer was shocked for a good few seconds before snapping back to her senses. After all, she was a professional auctioneer, and thus she conducted the bidding in a calm manner regardless of her immense shock.


    As expected, the young man was sold for 100 quintessential crystals uncontested.


    Leonardo was then escorted backstage to meet his new owner in an isted room to conduct the transaction, contract signing, and the necessary bonding between master and ve.

 Chapter 2 Between Humiliation And Pride

    ?Leonardo entered an isted room that wasn''t spacious nor cramped in any sense of the word. In fact, Leonardo was yet to encounter anything remotely close to what he''d personally define as phenomenal, unimaginable, or iprehensible.


    Inside the nk room stood three people. A middle-aged man, a young woman, and an old man. The middle-aged man was d in the ISC uniform, unlike the casually dressed guests. Leonardo was able to collect basic information from the staff, albeit in bits and pieces.


    The universe is vast, and the Milky Way Gxy was discovered by chance under the inspection of a lost fleet belonging to the Interster Supreme Court. As per regtions throughout the Kingdoms of Immortals, every gxy under the jurisdiction of the ISC in the lower dimensions is protected from hostile invasions.


    The Milky Way Gxy proved to be somewhat special because the ISC realized that the entire gxy was built in a peculiar order to support life on a single; Earth.


    Literally, life was an exclusive luxury to one. As much as everyone and their mothers wanted to investigate the, it just happened to fall under the jurisdiction of the ISC, thus the second best option was to buy these mortal ves and check with them instead.


    This sums up the entire Chosen One''s story, which was indeed a disappointment. Leonardo registered as a Chosen to reach immortality and maybe help his dying mother, but where did that get him?


    Hence, the lifeless look in his eyes.


    The others in the room didn''t care about Leonardo''s feelings. The middle-aged man held up a clipboard and began to read the relevant information, "Leonardo, 17 years old, CEO of an international enterprise, and very talented when ites to sports, especially ser."


    "This ve is very promising, I''m not sure why House Hestia would expend so many resources over a mortal, but the contract is ready." The middle-aged man then handed a yellow scroll over to the woman, who then passed it over to the old man. The old man bit his bottom lip softly before he spat a drop of blood onto the parchment, and the yellow glow slowly bled away into crimson red.


    The middle-aged man nodded in satisfaction before taking his leave from the room. ording to the rules, the ISC washed their hands clean from Leonardo, and everything from this point forward is under the supervision and responsibilities of House Hestia.


    Leonardo didn''t get the chance to think twice before his vision went dark, and his body copsed into the soft, round breasts of the woman. She didn''t seem to care at all, grabbing him by the cor of his windbreaker jacket before signalling to the old man.


    When the two of them left, the middle-aged man pulled out a pearl-like object from his pocket before injecting his thoughts into it.


    "The young miss from House Hestia was in the branch today, she spent an exorbitant price to buy off a young human mortal. Although he has the potential to reach the limits of power for a mere mortal, I couldn''t tell why she secured him."


    A momentter, a response was sent back into his mind, "Got it, you did well, take the day off."


    The middle-aged man bowed respectfully in a specific direction before leaving the room.


    Following the direction of the man''s bow, perhaps a few hundred light years away and beyond the borders of the ISC, many private dimensions hid in the sleeves of space. Passing directly through one of these dimensions, a meeting between twelve young men in their mid-twenties took ce around a round table.


    However, each individual of the twelve was carefully concealed in thick robes of ck; they looked like identical replicas of one another.


    Currently, one of the young men was holding onto a pearl-like object in his hand as he recounted the recent information delivered to him before going silent.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Do you think Nier got her orders from Lady Hestia directly? Otherwise, what can possibly exin this inexplicable behaviour?" One of the twelve suggested.


    "I don''t think so. House Hestia has been in decline over the past few millennia, and I have trustworthy information that Lady Hestia is finally calling back on a few favours passed down in the generations of her family. People who owed favours to the ancestors of House Hestia, if they''re still alive even today, aren''t your average Immortals¡­"


    "On the bright side, if they exhaust all of their family''s connections, this means that once we make our move, we won''t need to worry about repercussions andplications."


    "That also means they might be staging aeback, you know? Although Lord Hestia and his son have been missing, if their daughter marries off to a sufficiently strong family, or gives birth to a sufficiently talented son¡­"


    "What? Are you saying some cliche bullcrap about how you''ll sacrifice yourself and ept Nier as your woman to draw House Hestia into our alliance? you are one hell of a self-righteous piece of shit¡­ Just admit you''ve been chasing her skirt since god knows when!"


    The meeting devolved into senseless quarrels within seconds, and a few of the clothed individuals started to grow headaches about it. However, the woman in question wasn''t bothered the least about her high-profile actions as she apanied the unconscious Leonardo through one wormhole after the other, crossing the starry skies into a deste region of the world.


    This was a grey region where everyone''s prowess was restricted to the weakest of mortals. The moment the party of threended on this piece of the maind, Leonardo opened his eyes. Of course, since he was a mortal through and through, he couldn''t figure out the mystical properties of the world around him.


    Still, this was his first opportunity to get a clear look at the petite young woman in front of him. However, for all its worth, his body was somehow, mind somewhere else, and heart even further away.


    Leonardo didn''t care for how ster her beauty was, and she could tell that much from looking into his eyes. Regardless, she closed her eyes and began to scour through her memories for a spokennguage Leonardo could understand.


    "English¡­ Right? You understand what I''m saying?" The woman''s voice was stiff, and her sybles were all over the ce. It was honestly cute, but understandable nheless. Some focus returned to Leonardo''s eyes as he nodded lightly in response.


    "Good enough," The woman continued, "My name is¡­ Well, it doesn''t matter. I''ll exin your situation as it is. You were fooled into believing that just about anyone can be an Immortal, just like millions of naive mortals in the lower dimensions of the realm. Well, nothing is absolute and exceptions exist, and this is why I bought you, made you my ve, and brought you here."


    As Nier spoke, she turned her back to Leonardo and started walking ahead, expecting him to follow her obediently with the bait sheid before him.


    Leonardo hesitated, a strange expression flickering within his lifeless eyes. Should he believe this woman as well? Didn''t he have enough of being led by the nose like a dog?


    But so what? Should his pride stop him from taking yet another gamble? Is it worth it?


    Leonardo''s legs trembled as though weighed down by obsidian shackles. Nier''s steps weren''t fast or slow, they were quite ordinary; too ordinary. However, the distance between them kept stretching and stretching.


    Sweat poured down Leonardo''s face as his lips went pale. His silver locks coiled over his cranium, stered on his skin with so much sweat to spare. If he was to take that step, he would acknowledge himself as a ve.

 Chapter 3 Remolding His Constitution

    ?Even though he was bound with no contract whatsoever. Still, as a proud man with integrity in the world of his mother''s business empire, meaningless gestures such as contracts proved beyond redundant.


    Leonardo''s breathing grewboured and rough, feeling dizzy and out of ce as the world spun all around in his vision. In that split second, he watched as Nier''s silhouette faded into the grey sky and earth, followed by the figure of his sickly mother closing her eyes to never open them again.


    That was all it took to douse his rekindled pride, and the expression in his eyes faded into obscurity once again.


    Just like that, Leonardo took the first, second, and third steps. The more he advanced, the lighter his feet felt. Pride shed with humiliation, and his blood eventually ran cold.


    The sharp contrast between Nier''s petite body and her long, midnight ck hair as it swayed left and right across her firm buttocks worked like a hypnotic charm.


    As though she could see Leonardo following stiffly behind her, Nier shed a faint smile as sheplimented him, "Good boy, Leo."


    The old man silently watched from the sidelines without saying a word. However, a trace of worry shed through his eyes as they traced over Leonardo''s figure. This is a dangerous game she''s ying, he thought to himself with a sigh before following the two.


    The party of three walked for a few kilometres silently before they spotted what seemed like an abandoned vige in the distance. Many middle-aged and old men and women seemed to go through the vige, and it seemed to Leonardo that this is their current destination.


    Before long, the party made their way in front of an old hut in a fairly isted corner of the vige. Then, Nier approached the door, knocked twice, and retreated into a half-kneeling posture with her right hand resting against her heart.


    About an hourter, the door cracked open and a t voice sounded, "What do you need, the little girl from House Hestia?"


    Nier bowed her head low and spoke, "I am here on behalf of my first generation''s ancestors. I would like to offer a young talent from our house as your disciple."


    After a moment of silence, the voice spoke again, "First of all, he doesn''t carry your bloodline. Second, he''s a mere mortal. Third, are you absolutely sure?"


    Nier thought for a moment and nodded her head.


    "Very well," The voice responded, "This means I''ll need to remodel his constitution as well. Even though your old ancestor didn''t mention anything about this, I''m not going to haggle with you; he saved my life after all. Even if the second alternative was to exile me into this forsakennd."


    "However, this wipes our te clean. If your House Hestia is on the brink of destruction one day, don''t expect my descendants toe helping."


    Nier understood this point clearly, but she didn''t mind.


    Leonardo couldn''t understand theirnguage, but he could tell that both parties hade to an agreement after the brief discussion.


    Nier then stood up and looked at Leonardo, smiling faintly as she spoke in English again, "This maind is an isted dimension cut off from the flow of space, time, and energy in the outside world. In this ce, everything is in a static state, including time. Even if you spend a hundred years here, it''ll feel like a moment outside."


    "I''m telling you this so you don''t stress over the course of your training toe. Of course, heaven is fair, and you can''t stay here forever. A mortal''s life expectancy is about a hundred years, so if you leave this ce after a hundred years, you''ll die instantly before you even know it."


    Leonardo was first pleasantly surprised, then his brows furrowed, and a sense of unease assaulted him. He wanted to say he could be an Immortal here before leaving, but he then remembered that energy doesn''t exist in this dimension. In a sense, no one can progress in their cultivation, regardless of their talent. Then, what''s the point ofing all the way here?


    Nier seemed to read his thoughts as she exined, "You are here to get yourself a master and disciple rtionship with one of the convicts here. This Senior will restructure your constitution, teach you the divine tongue, and hone yourbat skills and techniques."


    "Heaven is fair just like you said, so I assume this constitution thinges with a price?" Leonardo responded with creased brows.


    Nier chuckled as she responded, "Indeed. The constitution reconstruction will drain your life force, you''ll be lucky if you had 20 years left to live afterwards. But that''s fine, all you have to do is enter the Saint Tier, and you''ll attain the corresponding life expectancy; a few hundred years."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo took a deep breath before clenching his pale fists. Then, he nodded heavily and calmly, his gaze as lifeless as ever, as though he was but a mechanical puppet.


    Nier nodded her head and turned around to walk off into the distance. She wasn''t willing to waste even a minute of her precious time and life force in the Exiled Paradise, as time lost here is not worth it for a powerhouse on her level.


    Nier and the old man quickly faded into the embrace of the grey sky and earth, like a pair of deste Immortals. After trekking through a few kilometres, Nier and the old man phased through the chaotic membrane and back into the novel starry sky.


    They floated silently in the void for a few moments, and the membrane began to ripple with a silent disturbance before a young man''s silhouette was flung out from the Exiled Paradise.


    Before the forces of the void could copse on his figure, the old man waved his hand to wrapped Leonardo in a faint film of energy before catching him by the cor.


    Nier spared the unconscious Leonardo a nce before asking faintly, "How much does he have left?"


    The old man''s muddled eyes shed faintly before responding, "Mhm, he has about five years of vitality. As for his constitution, it''ll do."


    Nier said, "Conceal it under the guise of a Divine Constitution for now, since we can''t keep his existence a secret, we can at least confuse those idiots eyeing my family like a pie."


    ¡­


    When Leonardo opened his eyes again, he felt dizzy and exhausted. The moment he left the protection zone of the Exiled Paradise, he felt as though millions of swords skewed his body, the pain was so intense he instantly fell unconscious.


    After a brief episode of struggling, Leonardo sat up on the spacious and fluffy bed. Looking up, he was momentarily dazed.


    Nier stood in nothing but a thin nightgown in front of a tall, vertical mirror. Underneath the in clothes was a body riddled with old scars. She was busy inspecting her wounds new and old, seemingly unbothered by Leonardo''s presence.


    "Disappointed?" She turned her petite figure in full disy to Leonardo. Unlike when she spoke in stiff English, her voice was as melodious as the flowing waters.


    "Overwhelmed¡­" He responded absentmindedly. Those intertwined scars mapping her body had an inexplicable wild charm to them. When it came down to it, Leonardo was still 17 years old, regardless of how mature his mind seemed.


    He may have spent an untold number of years training in the Exiled Paradise, but his mind was absolutely nk as he watched Nier sashaying her way towards him.


    The scars danced like elegant snakes, her firm breasts swayed ever so slightly due to theirpact shape, and the spring scenery between her thick, muscr thighs mesmerised him so. Before he knew it, her small little foot pressed against his chest, forcing him toy back down on the bed.


    A mysterious force swirled across Nier''s tip toes beforeshing out at Leonardo''s body, rendering him as incapable of resisting whatsoever. Both of them could listen in to his frantically beating heart, as this was the mindset of an inferior subject meeting their owner.


    Leonardo had long surrendered his pride to Nier.


    This was a psychological warfare he had long lost.


    He felt immobilised and out of control, not to mention unjustifiably aroused.


    This was perhaps the first time Leonardo felt anything remotely close to pleasure after who knew how many years of torture. He was so absorbed in the pleasure, he didn''t notice the subtle frown on Nier''s face, nor did he notice the stiff pause in her otherwise fluid motions¡­

 Chapter 4 Dispatchment Plans

    ?It was a protracted war that night.


    Actually, call it a one-sided invasion with Leonardo on the losing end. Before he knew it, the golden rays of the morning sun invaded the bedroom through the balcony, forcing him to begrudgingly wake up.


    This intense session was a much-desired stress reliever for Leonardo who was pressured and upied ever since he left his home. Hey there, on the bed, dazed yet invigorated. It took some time, but he came to terms with his new status and position in House Hestia.


    Leonardo quickly got off the bed and looked around the empty room. The servants seem to have changed the sheets, and he could tell that there was yet another servant waiting outside due to the repetitive knocking that awakened him from his sleep.


    "Come in!" Leonardo shouted at the door, and a pretty maid walked in with a change of clothing in hand. She bowed respectfully before announcing, "The bathing chambers are ready as per the youngdy''s instructions. She arranged for your immediate transfer before she left earlier this morning."


    "I see," Leonardo responded in a low voice, somewhat disappointed that she just wound up and left without saying a word. Hell, he doesn''t even know her name for all it''s worth. Then again, he shouldn''t hope for any fantasy love stories with that woman; she clearly treated him as her property in every sense of the word, so having a taste once in a while is but natural.


    He couldn''t be her only ve in that context, right? This question suddenly popped up, and he tried his best to suppress it. Taking a deep breath, Leonardo moved the sheets away and climbed down from his bed, startling the maid with his naked body.


    An Immortal constitution enjoyed the peak of aesthetic perfection, albeit a well-endowed body never stood as the primary criterion to seek immortality. Leonardo was a tall young man who enjoyed keeping up shape for his sports hobbies, and years of brutal practice in the Exiled Paradise helped draw out the raw potential of his physique.


    Hard sculpted muscles lined up neatly across his abdomen, chest, back, arms, and legs. Not a blemish could be found on his nigh-perfect build, messy silver hair, and dull ck eyes. The expression of mncholy in those eyes begged for solitude and salvation, drawing the curious gaze of these innocent, naive, young girls.


    The maid felt her heart flutter afloat before she lowered her head immediately. She felt stiff, hot, and bothered for some reason.


    Indescribable urges tugged at her heart but she reminded herself that this eye candy of a man is off-limits. Leonardo wasn''t aware of the civil war between the maid''s heart and mind, he walked directly past her and headed into the indoor bathing chambers that connected directly to the room.


    "When will shee back?" Leonardo asked carelessly the moment he entered the bathing chambers where a small pond of hot water weed him. He yawned, stretched, and descended directly into the pond as though it was a hot spring.


    The young maid hurried over to deliver the necessary hygiene materials while replying, "Do you mean the youngdy? We servants don''t know. She has been awfully busytely, and this small house is just one of her numerous private properties connected to one of her privates¡­"


    "The she arranged for my transfer to? What''s the deal with that?" Leonardo leaned forward, allowing the maid to scrub his back above the water while he listened to her exnations.


    It wasn''t only the Interster Supreme Court who explored the lower realms, also known as the lower dimensions, fors and the like. However, they mainly focus on the lower realms, whilst the noble families such as House Hestia are mainly focused on the middle realms where Tier 2s and hidden dimensions are located.


    The Leonardo is meant to visit is one of the Tier 2s, a ce where Saints stand at the top of the food chain. ording to the Tier System, Earth is so behind it couldn''t even be listed.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Humans on that are stuck below level 10, which is a joke. A mortal must cultivate at least to level 11 to qualify as a ve, as those are the basic standards to learn the use of basic spells such as fire sparks, enough to at least start a fire.


    After a night with Nier, Leonardo''s cultivation level shot from the standard 10 to 25, a pleasant yet weird surprise. Leonardo wasn''t aware that he obtained the remnant energy lingering in Nier''s body ever since she finished going through the mortal cycle of her cultivation, which was almost nonexistent at this point.


    Ascending stiptes a conversion in one''s internal energy. A mortal''s energycks attributes, a saint''s energy contains world essence, a divine''s energy contains the quintessence, and an immortal''s energy is the embodiment of ether.


    For Leonardo to sessfully ascend from a mortal to a saint, he mustprehend a martial intent, cultivate to level 40, and eventuallyplement the aggregated energy with the martial intent to provide it with essence. From there on, ascending to be a saint is nothing short of guaranteed.


    "The youngdy hopes for you toprehend a sword-rted martial intent as per your training, but it doesn''t have to be limited to the sword. We weren''t paying much attention to that so we''re not sure about the levels of its saints." The maid continued to clean up Leonardo while struggling to maintain a sane mind, keeping her hands where they belong.


    Regardless, she was doing an absolutely horrible job hiding her intentions. Her hot intermittent breathing kept striking at Leonardo''s nape, but he was way too invested in his thoughts to notice.


    Knock! Knock!


    "The portal arrangements are ready! Convene in the assembly hall as soon as possible!" A rough, dry voice interrupted the pair''s independent thoughts. The maid clicked her tongue in secret disappointment, and Leonardo snapped out of his deep thoughts and voiced a reply.


    Half an hourter, Leonardo joined the crowd¡ª at least he thought of them so, in the assembly hall. He wore in white clothes; a shirt and pants. However, a resilient leather vest could be outlined through the shirt, and faint traces of magical symbols were stitched into the long pants. These were basic defensive measures.


    Three people were in the assembly hall.


    An old butler who seems to be responsible for this house and two youths. One of them, was a stout young man with a bulky build, fierce countenance, and sharp facial features unjustly marred with a long scar from the corner of his left eye to the base of his chin. Next to him stood a petite youngdy clothed in ck leather armour, a mask, and a long cape bulging with the outline of what looked like a bow. Leonardo could discern two long daggers strapped to her thighs as well.


    The old butler spoke, "I assume you have been updated on the youngdy''s arrangements for you. These two are Mordred and Pandora, they will act as both advisors and guardians as they apany you in your training experience."


    Mordred shed a wide grin unbing of his fierce aura, taking a step forward to pat Leonardo''s shoulders.


    "Don''t worry! All of us want to be Saints on this expedition! This must be your first time attemptingary invasion, huh? Hm, good physique!" Mordred scanned Leonardo from top to bottom, pleasantly surprised.

 Chapter 5 Planet Arcadia

    ?A clearke reflected a night sky dotted with stars and three luminous moons. Music like rhymes of trickling water, chirping birds, and floating fireflies weaving about in an isted dark forest.


    The main theme on Arcadia was the beauty of nature.


    In this breathtaking scene of the wild, a three-metre tall, elliptical portal opened, from which stepped out a party of three; two young men and a woman.


    Mordred took a deep breath from the clean air and began to enthusiastically survey his immediate surroundings. "Damn beautiful!" He blurted out the moment his eyesnded on the clearke and the tall waterfall cascading from a mountain peak in the distance.


    Pandora was as silent as ever, and Leonardo''s eyes sparkled with curiosity as he inspected the area. The flora and vegetation in this forest were both familiar and unfamiliar to life on his home, but he had to admit that the quality of the atmosphere was miles ahead.


    "We need to get moving," Leonardo and Mordred snapped their necks to look at Pandora who parted her lips to speak, feeling somewhat weird. Both of them subconsciously attributed Pandora to be the silent type, who knew she would talk out of the blue?


    Still, Leonardo knew she was right and hence he nodded, "This ce is too well preserved, it wouldn''t be a far-fetched possibility that we stumbled into someone''s backyard, private property, or a forbidden area."


    Mordred got his act together and joined in on the discussion with a serious face. He asked, "Where should we go from here? If this is truly someone''s private property, then we''re almost certain to bump into someone as we make our way out¡­"


    Ssh!


    Mordred was yet to finish his sentence before theke''s surface parted, and a blonde mature woman flung her wet hair in an arc, sshing the crystalline waters all around.


    Both Pandora and Leonardo red hard at Mordred, but he merely shrugged with a helpless smile. Luckily, both men had their backs to theke, and only Pandora was in a direction where she saw the spring scenery at full disy.


    The mature woman froze stiff for a moment before plunging deep into theke''s water once more. Only her head poked through the restless surface, her long blonde hair afloat behind her head.


    She didn''t look like the type to panic, and she levelled a calm gaze toward the party of three. She also noticed their awkward situation, but she was also clear-headed enough to realise that her body wasn''t profaned by the males, only the female got a glimpse of her generous assets.


    "Elf?" Pandora asked in a t tone, not shying away from eye contact with the woman.


    The woman kept silent for a moment before asking with a faint smile, "Won''t you give me some privacy to dress up? Or do we keep this conversation like this?"


    Pandora looked at Leonardo, and thetter nodded before walking deep into the thickets nearby, followed by a nervous Mordred.


    Pandora stayed behind for obvious reasons, but the mature woman didn''t mind. She simply began to levitate until her wet, sultry mature body floated above the water.


    As though it had a spirit of its own, theke spat tongues of viscous water that coiled around the woman''s figure, donning an elegant long blue dress over her hourss figure. One step at a time, the woman approached the banks of theke, her green eyes glittering in the light of three moons.


    She boarded the soft ground with a chuckle as she called out, "Alright, you two cane back now. I''m fully clothed."


    Mordred and Leonardo soon walked out from the forest into the clearing, the former having a weird expression, but thetter was rather calm.


    The woman scanned the party of three, then her gaze seemed to linger on Leonardo for a moment before she covered her little mouth with a gasp, "No way! You only have five years of lifespan left! Why would they send someone like you here?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    The woman''s words shocked both Mordred and Pandora, who turned to look at Leonardo in disbelief. A momentter, as though realising something, the woman tapped her forehead and said, "I see! You want to enter sainthood in Arcadia, is that it? Can you do it in five years though?"


    Leonardo frowned, not knowing how she could read his situation like an open book. He shook his head and calmly asked, "So what?"


    The woman shook her head as well, giggling to herself as she responded, "Don''t question my strength. Really, I''m not that powerful. I''m an Elf, I am innately sensitive to nature and life force, and yours is incredibly weak; much like a candle in the wind on the brink of fading away. I don''t know if you''re fortunate or unfortunate to end up in this secluded garden of mine."


    "This forest¡­ Is it your garden?" Mordred asked, not knowing how best to describe his bad luck. They didn''t just run into any ordinary person, but thendlord herself.


    Was he really such a jinx?


    "Right!" The woman nodded, "But you haven''t seen my naked body, so I guess your crimes aren''t warranting a death sentence yet."


    "Yet?" Leonardo asked, his brows raised lightly as he responded, "You''re too smart for your own good. You''ve probably already guessed our identities and why we came here, do you still dare kill us?"


    Leonardo could tell at a nce that this Elf wasn''t so ignorant of the existence of higher realms. In fact, he began brewing some thoughts about her deliberately showing herself when she could have simply acted as though they didn''t exist.


    "Maybe not," She narrowed her eyes and spokezily while inspecting her nails, "But what if I detained you for four years? Four and a half? or maybe one month shy of five years before letting you go¡­? Who can say I killed you?"


    Although the woman seemedid back and rxed, her body began to ooze out a dangerous aura. The aura clearly belonged to a mortal tier cultivator, but something about it felt different. Quickly, this aura of nature enveloped the party of three, almost incapacitating their movements altogether.


    Apparently, the woman was on the cusp of entering level 41, her aura was short of a unique martial intent to catalyze her sainthood. For someone of her young age, considering that this is a in the middle realms, her talents speak for themselves.


    "Is this a threat?" Leonardo chuckled coldly, seemingly asposed as a moment ago, unlike Pandora and Mordred who were barely able to breathe under the pressure with their level 30 auras respectively.


    "Ever since I got involved in this immortality-seeking bullshit¡­" Leonardo didn''t even allow the woman to answer as he casually walked over toward the immobile Pandora, unsheathing her daggers from her thighs. Of course, the posture was somewhat ambiguous as Leonardo stood right behind the female ranger.


    Leonardo''s voice was as low as a whisper at this point, but it seemed to ripple through the air, mounting into the woman''s aura field as a medium, "Everyone I came across is an arrogant prick who thinks they''re all this and that¡­"


    Memories of his experience in the ve market and the Exiled Paradise began to reel in from the depths of his mind. Nier was right, he was supposed to have about twenty years of life force after the reconstruction of his constitution, but he actuallyted thirty years.


    He was supposed to leave the Exiled Paradise after the mending of his new constitution as it signalled the end of his special training. However, he knew a constitution wasn''t enough to stand against people who sought to humiliate him in the future.


    At least, he hoped to not be humiliated within the same cultivation tier. Thus, for 25 years, training was all Leonardo did. Eventually, heprehended a unique martial intent that represented the dullness in his life, inspired by the atmosphere of the Exiled Paradise.


    "Do you have a death wish? Kneel for this princess!" Feeling that something was amiss, the woman increased her pressure twofold by stomping the ground, forcing the muted guardians into a half-kneeling position as their bones quacked and bodies trembled. For some reason, though, her nature-attributed aura seemed to wither away like the fleeting seasons when it approached anywhere near Leonardo''s immediate vicinity.


    Her shimmering yet restless emerald eyes settled on Leonardo, who merely reciprocated to her with a t smile, his lifeless eyes trained on that body that screamed at his instincts to wholly devour.

 Chapter 6 Desolate Martial Intent

    ?Not only was the princess confused speechless, even the supposed guardians were dumbfounded by the turn of events.


    Why was her aura ineffective against Leonardo?


    Little did they know that Nier specifically chose this for Leonardo''s growth since the old man saw through the nature of Leonardo''s martial intent. Though it wasn''t perfected yet, it still granted him an overwhelming edge when confronted with abilities derived from life attributes.


    Leonardo wasn''t stupid either and so he realised how much thought Nier put into his growth. Perhaps, she was as desperate as he was for an immortal under her banner, if not more.


    "Ode of the Elements!" The woman stopped messing around. A torrent of violent water rose into a thick pir from behind her in line with the obscure chanting, which quickly morphed into the head of a giant dragon the size of a standard house.


    The dragon parted its maw, revealing a set of jagged saw like fangs as it burst out with a deafening roar, ttening a few hundred metres of trees, not to mentionunching both Pandora and Mordred flying back in a helpless state.


    Leonardo nted both feet into the ground as he crossed both daggers in front of his chest, weathering the sonic storm as it came. From the distance, a loud boom resounded as Mordred crashed heavily into the ground, but he quickly sprung to his feet with a twisted expression flickering within his wild eyes.


    His muscles bulged, insanity rearing its ws on his face as an aura red as blood oozed from his pores. Crackling noises sounded, and his body began to transform then and there as though an awakened beast.


    Mordred cracked his neck and howled to the sky. Red fur jutted from his skin, and he began to take shape like a humanoid, wolven beast. If Leonardo didn''t know any better, he''d think that he was apanied by a werewolf this entire time. Mordred grew three metres tall, with a pair of long ears, red eyes, and a heavy tail as dangerous as his clean ws crowning each of his fingers.


    Pandora flipped twice or perhaps thrice in the air, neatly slipping off an ink-ck bow from her back, even though she didn''t carry anything of semnce to a quiver of arrows. Nheless, she ran her index along the translucent bowstring, cutting her soft flesh apart as blood began to ooze out almost naturally.


    A mysterious aura pulsed through the enchantments on the bow, and to everyone''s surprise, Pandora began to disappear there and then. Not even a trace of her life force, let alone aura could be spotted.


    The woman was truly enraged as the situation spiralled out of control. She wanted to scare them into working for her, as they were her ticket to the higher realms. However, she, a princess, was used to being haughty and providing one of two extremes.


    Either bow and prosper or defy and die.


    As for Leonardo, this was his first time engaging inbat with supernatural powers involved. In the Exiled Paradise, even though everyone there was either a peak divine or an immortal, everyone had to rely on their rawbat techniques and skills.


    No matter how rich Leonardo''s experience was, this is a whole new world for him, be it the Leonardo who walked out of his home or that mysterious prison. Now that he thought about it, he never got the chance to study anything remotely close to supernatural!


    Leonardo''s eyes widened in disbelief the moment this realization dawned upon him. Mordred could morph into a fucking werewolf, Pandora can disappear from sight and sense, while this princess with some twisted superiorityplex can summon water dragons.


    But what can he do?


    "Die!" The princess spoke tly before pointing her finger down at Leonardo the moment she captured the hint of distraction in his lifeless eyes.


    Shit! Leonardo snapped out of his split second daze, gritting his teeth against the overwhelming pressure as the water dragon plunged into him. He should have been prepared to dodge, but he was caught in a moment of weakness due to the fleeting thoughts.


    BOOM!<novelnext></novelnext>


    ? Like a relentless waterfall, the dragon head smashed into Leonardo''s arms and chest, but the in clothing around his body began to glow with mysterious inscriptions to tank the excessive force, leaving him with a few internal injuries as his body flung back like a cannonball.


    A trail of blood stained the water as Leonardo spat a mouthful.


    The woman smirked victoriously, but the corners of her eyes twitched, a sign of imminent danger. True to her senses, the veil of water parted as a massive, masculine, feral fur giant crashed through the remnants of the water dragon with a massive w cleaving down onto her.


    With constricted pupils, the woman hurriedly dodged to the side, only to spot three arrows in a spear formation arms length away from plunging into her chest. She quickly gathered a screen of water in front of her, ensnaring the blood arrows into a mire of magical elements. However, the next second, a heavy colossal tail smacked heavily into her spine, sending her flying in Leonardo''s direction with a blurry vision.


    BOOM!


    Leonardo smashed into the trunk of a thick tree. However, before he could grasp his breath, the woman mmed into his abdomen, causing him to gasp for air as he spat another mouthful of blood. However, he understood Pandora''s and Mordred''s intentions, quickly wrapping his arms around the woman''s waist.


    "You filthy piece of shit, let go this instant!" The woman raged, amassing an incriminating amount of elemental energy from nature all around. s, Leonardo spiked his unique martial intent, surrounding both himself and the woman in his embrace within its range.


    The woman''s face lost colour almost immediately as she could feel her connection to the vitality of nts and the elements being cut off. Worse, the energy she umted was being efficiently eradicated, recing it was a sense of dreadful destion.


    Cough! Cough!


    Leonardo coughed a bloody fit before falling to the ground, the woman caged between his arms and the ruined ground. He shed her a weak grin, but that was thest thing she saw before she felt a heavy blow to the back of her head before falling unconscious.


    Leonardo looked to the side where Pandora''s right leg retreated, followed by the reveal of her full figure under her ck cloak. With the reveal of her full face, Leonardo realised that she looked like a young child with that innocent round face.


    Thud!


    Mordrednded next to the party with his massive frame. Then, steam began to discharge from his joints as his body reverted back to its normal size, albeit his face looked a little pale with a sicklyplexion. Apparently, the transformation drained too much of his strength.


    "You looked badass and all, next thing we know, you get your ass handed to you! Hahaha!" Mordredughed weakly before dropping on his buttocks, clearly exhausted.


    "He merelycks experience." Pandora spoke while curiously inspecting Leonardo and the lingering sensation of his martial intent.


    "Was that your martial intent?" She asked him, not bothering to hide her curiosity, even though this question is somewhat awkward.


    Mordred coughed, but he kept quiet and silently snuck a nce at Leonardo who retreated to sit up against the tree. Thetter nodded, "It is, I call it Deste Martial Intent."


    "As you can see, it works wonders against an Elf, perhaps this is why she arranged for me toe here." Leonardo continued with a helpless shrug.

 Chapter 7 Chat With Pandora

    ?As curious as they were about the martial intent, there were other pressing matters at hand. For example, their injuries. Another example? The unconscious self-proimed elf princess.


    The trio agreed to relocate into a cave at the belly of the mountain nearby. Oddly enough, the mountain range seemed to stretch infinitely to either side and into the clouds. The only hint of a possible peak is the heavy waterfall descending through the clouds.


    The sound of the rushing water as it mmed into the rockery below before it trickled into the seemingly bottomlesske. Mordred observed nature''s disy of phenomenal dominance and took in a sharp, deep breath.


    "Kid, what was it like to have a dragon-like a waterfall m into you?" In the heat of the moment, Mordred didn''t put much thought into the attack of an infuriated moody princess but seeing this now forced him to take a double take. He took a nce at the woman resting on his back, then he surreptitiously looked at Leonardo who happened to be smiling at him.


    The smile seemed to be saying something like, it wasn''t that bad. However, Leonardo knew that if it weren''t for his garments, he might have been squashed to death there and then, and the princess wouldn''t be caught off guard by the underwhelming performance of her spell.


    It was already at the brink of dawn when the three finally made it around theke''s circumference and into a naturally carved cave. Once inside, Pandora administered some exotic medicine to the sleeping princess, iming that this will rob her of the ability to channel or control energy for a week at most, meaning they would need to periodically check her condition.


    She seemed to have noticed something off with her body, grunting and waking up the next moment, albeit with apparent difficulty. Since Pandora had something in mind to ask Leonardo, she immediately knocked the woman unconscious once again, then curiously inspected her dress that was conjured through a water spell.


    Who would have expected that the disarray in the woman''s internal energy would cause the fabric-like clothing to gradually melt back into liquid before seeping into the ground?


    Mordred and Leonardo stood there, dumbfounded. They stared at Pandora''s back, their thoughts unknown.


    Pandora felt their questioning eyes trained on her back as she posed there with a hand-stretched over against the woman''s bare chest, feeling wronged for all the possible reasons. Leonardo wisely turned his back and left the dimly lit cave.


    As for Mordred? He swallowed nervously while mumbling, "I call dibs on going first¡­ Her blood essence is very beneficial to me. Don''t worry, I won''t stoop so low as to take advantage of her sexually..."


    Pandora red hard at the brute with a pair of red eyes before she rushed outside. Only now did Mordred realize that Leonardo was no longer standing by his side, but he simply assumed that they agreed to his request as the alpha male.


    With a silly grin, he picked up the unconscious princess and advanced into the darker corners of the cave.


    ¡­


    "It''s not what it looked like!" Pandora hurriedly blurted out the moment she stepped outside the cave, but the scene that greeted her doused all the fires of tension in her heart. Leonardo was like a fleeting feather as he practiced de dancing near the banks of theke.


    Golden specks of sunlight reflected from the mirror-likeke and onto the young silhouette. His expression was calm, focused; lifeless even. From the looks of it, he didn''t even care what they did or what thoughts they harbored.


    Disturbed by the sudden cry, Leonardo''s steps faltered slightly beforeing to a rhythmic stop. He then let out a long breath of negative energy that was running amok throughout his internal organs.


    "I know," Leonardo shook his head helplessly, "I thought to give you some privacy to cover her up. I never expected you''d leave Mordred to his own devices in there with a defenseless woman. Well, not that I can do anything about it."


    Leonardo is well aware that he''s behind both Mordred and Pandora when ites to both strength and experience, the only thing keeping him as a leader figure was his current status in House Hestia.


    Am I going to take pride in being a ve now? Seriously? Leonardo flinched.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You wanted to learn about my martial intent, right?" Leonardo threw the odd thoughts to the back of his head before approaching Pandora with a t smile, handing back the two daggers.


    Pandora visibly rxed and epted her two daggers, although Leonardo didn''t get a chance to use them. He said, "I''ll tell you about my experience if you want, but I hope to hear about your experience in formerary invasions as well."


    Pandora nodded, "I''m okay with that, anything about martial intent would help." She then proceeded to sit down, folding her legs into afortable position. Leonardo stood to the side, not bothering to sit down.


    "My master said that a martial intent is a reflection of someone''s sentiments. You need to find a bnce between relying on both energy and sentiment."


    "Sentiment?" Pandora muttered as she sank into thought as she pondered the meaning behind these words. Of course, she assumed that by the master, Leonardo meant Nier, unaware of his visit to the Exiled Paradise.


    "I heard rumors that House Hestia''s main line of descendants cultivate their Bloodthirsty Martial Intent by killing 1,000 people for every birthday from their 10th birthday, and they will uphold the tradition until they finally attain sainthood, where the 1,000 bes 10,000¡­" There was a trace of fear in Pandora''s eyes as she spoke.


    Leonardo didn''t doubt the validity of such rumors because where there is smoke, there is fire.


    Leonardo came to the realization that he doesn''t know much about House Hestia at all, not even their names. This feeling of hollowness was quite odd. At least, these negative feelings are an indication that he began to disy a semnce of care towards House Hestia; perhaps towards that woman herself.


    These must be my post-sex thoughts, I''m definitely not suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, that would be absolutely ridiculous. Leonardo began to inwardly panic.


    (Author Note: Stockholm syndrome is a coping mechanism for a captive or abusive situation. People develop positive feelings toward their captors or abusers over time.)


    Leonardo noticed that Pandora was staring intensely at him, she must be waiting for him to either validate or invalidate these rumors.


    "What do you think?" He threw the question back at her, mostly curious about her subconscious image of House Hestia as Nier didn''t strike Leonardo as the bloodthirsty type. Then again, his strength isn''t at a level to understand an individual''s intent at all, let alone grab a feel to it.


    Pandora pondered over the question before responding, "I don''t know, but my big brother once said that he caught a glimpse of their floating castle near the Central Star System, and the phenomenon distinguishing their castle from the rest was a flowing curtain of blood sinking into the void¡­"


    Although Pandora didn''t say it explicitly, her answer was pretty clear.


    Again with the hearsay and rumors, but these must hold a figment of sentimental value to her. Leonardo was about to respond when an ominous feeling washed over his sense of danger, and Pandora seemed to realize it as well.


    Both of them flipped over and looked into the dimly lit cave, and the next thing they knew, a loud screech not unlike that of metal grinding against stone echoed out.


    "RUN AWAY! DON''T LOOK BACK!"


    The screeching was so loud it almost muted the voices of Mordred and the elf princess!


    Mordred''s panicked shout rang out, apanied by a stomach-churning cry that ought to havee from the princess as her blood-stained body wasunched out like a cannonball, smashing into the dazed Pandora and Leonardo who attempted to rush inside with wild abandon. The impact was so great the three stumbled into theke with a ssh.

 Chapter 8 Losing Control

    ?BOOM!


    Rumble!


    Leonardo and Pandora hurriedly swam to the surface of the water, and what greeted them was the ghastly scene of a long wolven arm reaching out for them, but the entire structure of the cave copsed onto itself, burying Mordred and what looked like a six meters tall dog with three heads and six crimson eyes.


    The beast mped down on Mordred''s thick waist with two of its heads, thest one parting its mouth wide enough to fit a normal human adult before plunging down to chew off Mordred''s head, shoulders, and upper torso in one bite.


    Everything happened too damn fast, and the two could only watch helplessly in abject horror as rocks piled up to seal the exit. Rivulets of steaming hot blood ran along the rocky surface of the ground and outside the gave. When the dust settles, all they could see was a screen of mountain rocks, a puddle of blood, and a cloud of dust yet to disperse.


    Only now did Leonardo notice the naked elf clinging to his waist while trembling unreasonably. Her once lustrous skin was pale, and bite marks dotted her neck and shoulders. From the looks of it, Mordred was sucking her blood to satiate his bestial desires, but the scent of her blood most likely drew the attention of yet a more badass predator.


    Pandora''s childish face lost all color as well, and she instinctively drew near to Leonardo who was even weaker than herself. This type of behavior was beyond her control, just like how Leonardo''s mind was filled with the images of a petite woman dressed in in ck dress for clothes, the only thing remarkable about her might as well be the cascading midnight ck hair that swayed hypnotically.


    Leonardo snapped out of his daze, gave Pandora a p to her face that shocked her world silly before the pain and humiliation reestablished order to her thought process. When she came to, Leonardo was already making a detour toward another edge of theke.


    "Move already! We have as much time as it takes for that thing to finish eating up that bastard. If we''re lucky enough, it might decide that one werewolf is enough for breakfast." Leonardo had no emotional attachments to Mordred whatsoever, much less one or two reasons to daze about waiting for death.


    On the other hand, Pandora was well acquainted with Mordred as they climbed their way from invasions in the lower realms all the way here. Watching him get chewed apart like that wrenched her heart. She knew his warning was for her; not Leonardo.


    Leonardo just happened to be nearby, be it out of fortune or otherwise. However, one hard fact remains that he owes his life to Mordred, yet he abandoned him in a heartbeat.


    Must he be so cruel? Pandora gritted her teeth and rushed after Leonardo with a shy handprint on her right cheek. That handprint still hurt, but she didn''t bother about it.


    About fifteen minutes of rushing through the trees in a single breath, Leonardo tossed the traumatized elf princess on a bed of grass before dropping to his knees and propping himself on his two hands while heaving deep gulps of air. The poor elf princess simplyy paralyzed in fear, her naked body shivering with goosebumps. Unlike Leonardo who had to carry a mentally scarred woman, Pandora had it much easier.


    Well, physically easier to say the least.


    God knows how many times her knuckles itched to simply draw her bow, knock a blood arrow, and sail it through Leonardo''s head as she caught up from the rear. Rationality and reason told her he did nothing wrong, but her grieving heart pleaded for bloodshed.


    Leonardo took one deep breath at a time before slowly adjusting his breathing pattern. Then, he clenched his fists hard before unleashing a fit of mad, meaningless jabs at the ground while gritting his teeth.


    "Careless!"


    Bang!


    "Careless!"


    Bang!


    "Careless!"


    Bang!


    "Careless!"


    Bang!


    ¡­


    About a hundred low cursester, two deep depressions of mud and blood rested before Leonardo. His knuckles were mashed out of shape, and he retreated to rest lifelessly against the nearest tree trunk. Both his arms rested on each of his knees, and the two women simply stood to either sides in silence.


    Honestly, they were frightened, thinking that he went mad or something. The elf princess was still butt naked but that was the least of her worries at the moment.


    A deep shade of gray swirled within Leonardo''s previously ring pitch-ck eyes, but the odd color quickly receded into the natural, abyss-like darkness.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Of course, the mncholic vacancy reemerged once again. However, he didn''t care for that at the moment. His heart was anything but calm, and the pumping blood found a path of release through his busted skin near the knuckles.


    A drop of blood never sounded so loud, clear, and disturbing to Pandora and the female elf as Leonardo''s blood fell one drop at a time to puddle beneath his feet.


    "I don''t care anymore." He muttered just loud enough for both of them to hear. Honestly, what kind of an experienced veteran would make that type of rookie mistake? Dropping his guard in an unfamiliar environment, losing himself in the pursuit of soothing his instinctive desires?


    Did he have to venture so deep into a region unknown? And for what?


    Moreover, Leonardo also realized that Mordred''s warning was for Pandora and not himself. They were supposed to be his guardians, but clearly they simply joined the ship looking for opportunities of their own.


    As for the elf princess? Leonardo could care less about her fate.


    He slowly closed his eyes to rest the turmoil in his head. "I don''t need guardians like you; I''m better off alone. Good luck with attaining sainthood. As for miss princess or whatever the fuck you may be; get lost."


    Pandora''s mind was clouded with grief and anger for the most part of the wait. However, witnessing the distressed attitude of Leonardo and thinking back to how she and Mordred treated their supposed leader in retrospect, it dawned upon her that they never took him seriously.


    Mordred treated him like a kid, while she treated him like a spoiled sugar baby. A temporary toydy Nier picked up and would soon discard. However, both of them knew deep down that they looked down on Leonardo out of jealousy, nothing more and nothing less.


    What happened to Mordred was the guy''s fault. Worse yet, he could have dragged them both with him. Leonardo never even gave him permission to touch a hair on the captive, much less feast on her blood essence.


    She wanted to say something, but words wouldn''te out. Eventually, she squatted nearby and brought her knees to her chest, sinking into silence as well.


    The princess was in a dilemma as well. She knew from the very beginning that Leonardo, who appears to be the group''s leader, had no interest in her whatsoever. Nevertheless, this can''t be more false after a change in perspective.


    Due to her special circumstances, she needs help attaining sainthood.


    She needs it as soon as possible.


    However, unlike the higher realms where sainthood doesn''t amount to much due to the existence of divinity and immortality¡­ Sainthood on Arcadia is literally the lifeline of every powerful family.


    What people like Leonardo consider a matter of course, just a matter of when and not how, is a matter of life and death on Arcadia.


    Just the fact that Leonardo was confident to be a Saint within 5 years speaks volumes of the difference in realms. Since the forceful approach literally got her nowhere, she might as well¡­


    She eventually stopped trembling and curled up to the side, just like Pandora.


    Time crawled by and the morning dew vaporized, the sun scaled the high blue sky and eventually settled behind the mountains in a curtain of dusky hue.


    Night descended and departed repeatedly, and three days went by.


    On this morning, the female elf could hold it in no longer and carefully approached the slumbering Leonardo who resembled a resting demon in her eyes, obviously after his outburst.


    She kneeled in front of him with her massive breasts on full disy, not even bothering to hide her shame, and slowly but gently held Leonardo''s left hand before running her tongue across his wounds. Leonardo''s eyes snapped open when he felt a cool sensation cleaning his infected tissues and clotted blood.


    The princess flinched lightly, but she continued to boldly lick his left hand clean under the silent watch of his inky, lifeless eyes.


    Pandora swallowed nervously as she observed the two. Then, she gathered her courage and brought out a small box containing some medicinal mucus. She also carefully approached Leonardo before kneeling right next to the princess.


    After hesitating for a moment, she dodged eye contact with Leonardo and began applying medicine by smearing the mucus in even portions over the knuckles of his right hand.


    Leonardo watched them silently without a ripple of emotions in his eyes before closing them once again.

 Chapter 9 Nier’s Shock

    ?Another three days passed and Leonardo kept to himself, simply resting with his eyes closed. Dew and leaves umted over his body periodically for the past few dusks and dawns, but the women at his side voluntarily and tentatively cleaned him up. Of course, minor conflicts were inevitable when there was just about so much work to do, but they didn''t dare make a scene and settled it with hostile eye signals.


    Pandora felt indignant that the elf was making use of being naked to subtly service Leonardo with her body and sultry skin, but thetter didn''t as much as grace her with a nce, much less a reaction.


    On this day, the female elf''s internal energy began to operate naturally after the medicine wore off. Also at this moment, as though he could sense it, Leonardo''s eyelids lifted open, revealing the usual pair of lifeless eyes.


    Both girls sat to either sides of Leonardo; Pandora to his right and the elf to his left.


    He turned his head to look at her before asking, "You''re no longer incapacitated in terms of energy."


    She responded by lowering her head and keeping silent, not knowing what to say. Eventually, she leaned forward and lowered her head to the ground, pleading with a trembling voice, "Just allow me to stay by your side, I truly have nothing left to my name other than my personal strength¡­"


    "Weren''t you some sort of a princess? Just go back to your castle or whatever." Leonardo responded tly, not wanting to risk having a level 40 mortal at his side while he was barely a level 25.


    He stopped considering Pandora as his guardian after the cave episode and sensing her killing intent periodically on their escape route. Thus, he turned her way next and said, "You''re no different either, I could tell you had a suppressed urge to kill me from behind. I didn''t bother mentioning it because I wouldn''t have been able to put up any resistance whatsoever. Aren''t you an experienced veteran when ites toary invasions? Go ahead, make do without me."


    Leonardo''s words stabbed into both their hearts as regret gnawed their nerves. The elf didn''t even bother lifting her head as she exined, "I used to be a princess! My father was forced to abdicate to my uncle, who then proceeded to im my mother as his concubine before taking control of the royal court. I have nothing left anymore, this secluded garden is something my mother built in her younger years, we''re nowhere near the capital, let alone a pce that''d be no more than a deathbed for me if I went back now!"


    "Please! I wanted to force you to fight my uncle for me at first. I admit I''m wrong¡ª but at least allow me to be your follower from here on out!"


    Pandora also went down on one knee, lowering her head in shame while confessing, "I deserve death for harbouring such thoughts as a guardian! I shouldn''t have med you, I was merely angry because of my selfish sentiments. Please reconsider having me by your side, I promise absolute obedience no questions asked!"


    Both women had their own problems and goals, goals that they wouldn''t mention now or in the near future due to how vtile the situation was. However, both their confessions seemed sincere.


    This reminded Leonardo of that time he was forced to take that one step following after Nier, and that''s precisely because she grasped his weakness.


    Now, he grasped the weakness of these two.


    Was this what she felt back then? The feeling of being in absolute control without lifting a muscle? It doesn''t matter to me whether they stay or leave, but it makes a world of difference to them. That''s why they''re on their knees, begging.


    If she asked me to go down on my knees and beg to help my mother, would I do it?


    What if it wasn''t Nier, but someone I absolutely loathe, yet I would have to kneel for them, would I do it?


    These questions bombarded Leonardo''s psyche till his body began trembling. Eventually, he gritted his teeth and spat out in a low voice, "I don''t trust you two."


    Both girls had their eyes shine with an unknown light for a moment. While Pandora hesitated, the female elf didn''t bother second guessing her decision before nting her fingers into her mind''s eye, extracting what looked like a jade crystal but not; a green seed but also not.


    She presented the seed-like crystal to Leonardo and exined, "This is my soul seed. It should have been kept in the main pce as a countermeasure to prevent rebellion, but my father passed it down to me before his death."


    "You can feel its connection to me if you just as much as simply hold it. With this fused into your mind''s eye, my life and death are but a mere thought away."


    Leonardo looked deeply into the elf''s eyes, though he said nothing. She seemed to remember something before she blushed at her own stupidity before speaking out, "I forgot to introduce myself¡ª My name is Juvia. Please, let me follow you!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo thought for a moment before taking the seed. As previously borated, he could feel a mysterious connection between the seed and Juvia.


    Without wasting a moment, he nted the seed into his forehead before his mind''s eye consumed it. A momentter, Leonardo could feel a mystical telepathic link between himself and Juvia, albeit it was one sided in his favour.


    He then silently looked over at Pandora. The girl hesitated no more and drew her short dagger before cutting the vein running through her left ring finger. Then, dark red blood flowed out. In fact, it was a single drop, but Pandora''s face went pale.


    She then split the drop of blood in two portions, one of them consisting of 30% which she returned to her finger, and she directed the remaining 70% to tunnel its way through Leonardo''s skin like a red bullet and into his heart before he could react.


    A momentter, Leonardo felt as though Pandora''s heartbeat fell in sync with his own. No, more urately, he was subconsciouslymanding her heart to follow along his heart''s rhythm. The effect was self exnatory, Pandora didn''t need to mine words at all.


    "Since you''re both so adamant about it; alright." Leonardo finally agreed to their selfish, and somewhat foolish requests. He knew their goals revolved around sainthood, and their sainthood revolved around him, meaning their temporary disy of allegiance might just be another ploy.


    However, it didn''t matter. He will make sure they wouldn''t attain sainthood before he did. During his ascension, he would merge Pandora''s blood essence and Juvia''s nascent soul into himself, forever binding their life and death to his own.


    Only then would he feelfortable allowing them to ascend into sainthood.


    Looking at Pandora''s current condition, Leonardo chose to stay for a few more days while Juvia exins the general situation in Arcadia.


    ording to her, this is controlled by three races; humans, elves, and beastkin. The three forces bnce out each other while simultaneously going through intense internalpetition.


    They are currently near the sky mountain range, a mysterious ce on the edge of the western region in the forbidden domain. It is called a forbidden domain due to the treaty of the three races; this is forever and without an owner. In a sense, the forbidden domain is shared among the three races.


    Since both Juvia and Pandora suffered losses to their blood essence one way or another, Leonardo didn''t question them much and allowed them to rest while he simply closed his eyes.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡­


    Somewhere in the starry void of the upper realms, Nier and the old man were walking through something that resembled a tunnel but did not, resembled a bridge but did not, seemingly real but also not.


    "We should be arriving at the Interster Supreme Court''s headquarters soon, youngdy." The old man muttered softly. Nier nodded her head, gently opening her palm to reveal a grey vortex spiralling with bloody lines.


    Who could have guessed that kid to be a virgin? I actually obtained the essence of his unique martial intent, giving me a chance for a secondary divinity! Of course, when Leonardo is strong enough, he mightprehend some of House Hestia''s bloodthirsty intent, albeit the chances are too slim.


    Nier chuckled lightly to herself, thinking of ways to settle this debt and unintentional gain. Suddenly, she felt nauseated and felt like vomiting.


    The old man was somewhat rmed and quickly scanned her body. The next moment, he was frozen stiff, much like Nier who did a self inspection out of habit. They both felt the initial pulse of a tiny life radiating from Nier''s lower abdomen.


    "This¡­ Impossible¡­" Nier touched her lower abdomen in a daze, a strange expression on her face. She couldn''t believe it, she was actually pregnant! With Leonardo''s child!


    She not only got the essence of his martial intent because he was a virgin, but the kid also knocked her up!

 Chapter 10 Valdmor

    ?Juvia could have recovered her lost blood essence way earlier if she wasn''t concerned about Leonardo''s state of mind. Now that she got his approval to follow him, she felt at ease and proceeded to slowly recover her lost vitality.


    As for Pandora, she hadn''t actually ''lost'' her blood essence per se, as she could still feel its existence slowly merging into Leonardo. Nheless, she would need to generate thecking 70% anew with her blood magic, slowly patching up the holes in her internal structure.


    The following morning, both girls opened their eyes, theirplexions improving significantly. Leonardo was already up on his feet and walking into the distance. Since the mountain range is on the edge of this region within the forbidden domain, he might as well travel in the opposite direction; east.


    The two girls quickly stood up with the intention of keeping up. Pandora wrapped herself up with the ck robes before giving Juvia a nasty look through the corner of her eye. "What are you? A prostitute? Leader clearly isn''t interested in your body, or might you be having thoughts of seducing men on the way to satiate your cravings?"


    Juvia froze, only now did she remember that she was naked. She got toofortable being nude over the course of almost a week, to the point where she would''ve been oblivious to the whole thing if not for Pandora''s reminder.


    Nheless, she waved her dainty hand while gnashing her teeth at Pandora, not even bothering to respond. Countless tree leaves descended from all around before dancing elegantly across Juvia''s skin. Apparently, her Ode of the Elements is quite the versatile nature magic.


    Quickly, an elegant floral green yet in dress wrapped up Juvia''s hourss figure, firm curves, and deep cleavage. Then, a darker shade of green gathered into thick robes to conceal her figure just like Pandora did.


    The two beautifuldies hung their hoods low to mask their facial features under the curtains of shadows before lightly picking up their pace, nking Leonardo from his right and left respectively, following the arrangement they had during Leonardo''s resting period.


    Leonardo wasn''t bothered by their squabbles, but he had something to say about Juvia''s reliance on the elements for everything so basic. He advised her to buy clothes, as every bit of concentration counts during battle, especially to a mage. Of course, Juvia had no reason to refusebat guidance, especially since this was one thing shecked during her period of living as spoiled princess.


    ¡­


    The party travelled east at a brisk pace. During sunset of the same day, they finally reached a fairly popted town co-managed by the three races. This town, ording to Juvia, is one of the three subsidiaries to the main city of the western region.


    Due to the mysterious mountain range blocking advancements west, this region is sparse with resources and activity, hence why Juvia''s mother could im a fat plot ofnd under her name.


    Upon entering Valdmor, the hustle and bustle of the town was the least of Leonardo''s concerns. Looking around, he instructed Pandora to rely on her stealth abilities and senses as a ranger to investigate the situation in this town.


    To be exact, the local forces.


    To be even more precise, business parties and their interrtions.


    To make things even easier, he instructed her to narrow it down to tradepanies and caravans who are looking for investors and sponsors. The more information she could gather by dawn, the better.


    As for Juvia, he instructed her to get herself some in clothing since her elemental get up was practically screaming for attention. These people in a subsidiary town might not be perceptive enough to notice her top notch mastery over the elements, but one can never be too careful.


    He then held out his hand, "Hand over the sack of wild fruits and mystical meat, I''ll browse the market streets to get a grasp of the current ratio of goods per currency exchange. Keep some silver on your body for the clothing"


    Juvia nodded and removed the travel sack from her back before handing it over. Then, she turned around and disappeared into the crowd in haste. Obviously, she had it in mind to quickly find a set of new clothes and return to her leader''s side.


    The atmosphere in the market street was heated to say the least. Stall owners, shop fronts, and even travelling merchants crowded the area with goods of multicultural origins. Humans, elves, and the beastkin who were visually variant due to the proliferation of bloodlines contested over customers.


    From a cursory nce, Leonardo gathered some basic statistics about public needs and demands on the market.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Most human customers crowded near beastkin as they disyed enthusiasm toward the exotic weapons, leather skins, and ornaments crafted from glistening gems and sapphire.


    Most eleven customers were captivated with the various human products such as instruments, poetry, gorme, and arts.


    The elven shops revived their fair amount of customers of the various races without a significant surplus, mainly because they sold fruits and raw medicinal herbs. The elves are notorious for hoarding their local specialties so it wasn''t that surprising.


    From the looks of it, the price of fruits on the market is very low, meaning the only avenue to profit would be selling the mystical beast meat. By the time Leonardo finished inspecting the market street and selling his goods for a fairly decent price, Juvia was also done shopping for a new set of clothes.


    The two happened to meet at an intersection.


    Just like Pandora, Juvia bought a set of ck robes and a ck leather suit tailored for long rangebatants. Leonardo recognized her through a a pair of shimmering emerald eyes in the shadows under her hood.


    "Stop her! Quick!" A deep voice echoed through the market streets, drawing the attention of the onlookers and Leonardo, who just reunited with Juvia.


    The pair nced over, spotting a lithe, pittie shadow shuttling through the crowd. She was a young girl wrapped in ck robes, and the moment her crimson eyes locked with Leonardo''s pitch-ck orbs, a wave of relief washed over them.


    Leonardo instantly recognized Pandora, eliciting a frown on his otherwise nonchnt face.


    A robust, more urately a fat man was struggling to keep up with Pandora who was relying on the raw potential of her physique to weave through the crowd while being marked down by three bodyguards.


    The people split like two opposing tides clearing the road centre after Pandora fell in formation behind Leonardo, allowing the opposing party a moment of respite to collect his stamina.


    Juvia leaned into Leonardo''s left ear and whispered, "The fat man is an ordinary human, the three bodyguards, on the other hand, are mortal cultivators with an average level 21 strength."


    Leonardo nodded, inwardly praising Pandora for maintaining a low profile even though she could have killed the party of four without much effort.


    "Is that girl one of yours?" The fat man gathered his intellect and frowned, silently asserting the party of three. That girl was listening in on an important meeting, and they found her due to nothing but sheer luck.


    It was unknown how much she gleaned from their secret meeting, but judging from her abilities of espionage, it wouldn''t bode well for theirpany if the contents of their meeting leaked into the light of day.


    "Why don''t we settle for a ce with less¡­ What was the word?" Leonardo swept the crowd with his lifelong eyes before muttering in a low voice, though the winds carried his words to the opposing party nheless, "Publicity."


    The fat man stated long and hard at Leonardo.


    Although the youth was d in in white clothes that could be found anywhere, his wise old eyes could make out the shining outlines of inscriptions embedded into the fabric. His years of experience warned him against acting out rashly, thus he nodded his fat head and responded, "Very well. Follow me."


    With that, he turned his round body and started walking away.


    Leonardo silently followed with the two girls trailing behind.

 Chapter 11 A Businessman

    ?In a dimly lit room swamped with thick stench of smoke and clouds of sulfur, Leonardo sat at the end of a rectangr table. To either sides of his left and right sat two middle aged men, and directly opposite to his seat was the old man from earlier.


    Goes without saying, everyone seated by the table was a regr human without any powers with the exception of Leonardo. However, to the bodyguards standing at attention behind their patrons, Leonardo seemed like nothing more than an ordinary young master under the protection of two mysterious servants; courtesy to his deste martial intent''s newly discovered functions.


    Leonardo wasn''t spending his week wallowing in self me after the encounter with the exotic beast. In fact, he was busy engineering flexible ways to utilize his unique martial intent, and he realised that he could infer from the world order of the Exiled Paradise and operate his intent in a simr manner.


    He began to disy rudimentary signs of assimtion between his internal energy and his martial intent, positive signs towardsprehending the essence of his own energy, and a crucial element to achieve sainthood. For now, he could delude everyone''s perception of his internal energy as long as they weren''t saints themselves. This way, to everyone in the room, Leonardo was nothing short of a curious yet harmless young master.


    A maid to the side brought a fat cigar to the fat man. Then, he reached into the inner sleeves of his shirt before pulling out an exquisite ck long barrel revolver. What caught Leonardo''s attention was the intricate designs of enchantments itched into the metal, that was until the fat man aimed at the ceiling before firing a random shot.


    Three rings of light surfaced and ovepped the muzzle before a silent, thin beam of light prated the roof. The beam was so intense, a wave of heat washed over Leonardo and his two followers stabilized behind him.


    The fat man gave Leonardo a look that tranted to ''I could have easily killed her if I wanted to.''


    Then, he attached the crown of his cigar to the muzzle. The faint touch lit the cigar aze almost immediately, and he then tossed the heavy revolver on the table before taking a deep drag of smoke.


    "So you were ultimately curious about her motive, hence you allowed her to lead you back to me?" Leonardo asserted with a faint smile on his face. "What do you think?"


    The fat man closed his eyes as the smoke wreaked havoc in his lungs. A momentter, he exhaled with a sigh while responding, "I know a fat sheep when I see one. You''re definitely fat, but you''re definitely no sheep either." The man hinted at the intricate inscriptions decorating Leonardo''s in white clothes and the inconspicuous space ring on his left ring finger.


    This was probably the first native on this to recognize the origins of the ring, which surprised even Leonardo. Obviously, the waters in this room ran deeply, almost dangerously deep.


    The fat man continued, "Take my advice, leave the woman behind, and go as far as you can from Valdmor. That girl heard something she shouldn''t have, and I can only say you''re lucky she didn''t disclose anything to you yet."


    Pandora felt tense at the moment because she wasn''t sure if Leonardo would take this chance to dispose of her. With her strength, taking care of two or three level 21 bodyguards is simple. However, if each bodyguard had a simr weapon like that revolver¡­


    "What if I want to monopolize the profits as well?" Leonardo responded in a calm voice, "I may not be a sheep, but I am indeed fat, and I''m currently looking for business partners."


    The fat man''s eyes constricted, and Pandora looked at Leonardo''s back in astonishment. How could he have known the content of their meeting? She didn''t have the chance to disclose any information, but he nailed the topic of their discussion.


    These four men might share an agenda, but they each serve a different Lord from the human domain. How could Leonardo deduce that they were partners and not colleagues?


    Leonardo could see the shock in the fat man''s eyes and so he leisurelyid back into the leather chair before speaking tly, "Don''t let your thoughts wander too far, my subordinate didn''t tell me anything yet. In fact, you told me everything by yourself."


    Under Leonardo''s sharp gaze, the fat man finally realized that this was Leonardo''s retaliation. Still, he was quite intrigued by what the youth meant, and thus he ignored the piercing res of the two middle aged men before asking with interest, "Oh? What did I possibly tell you? I''m interested."


    Leonardo spread his fair left hand, casually inspecting his spatial ring while recounting in a t tone, "I am not a sheep, I am a businessman. Although I don''t know what kind of secrets my subordinate listened to, ever since we arrived from the far west, I gave her the simple instructions to investigate the situation of this town; specifically the local lords and their business. I can already guess that while she was investigating the interrtions, she stumped upon this secret meeting."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Another point of suspicion is that." Leonardo gestured with his eyes at the heavy revolver, "You''re just a normal human, yet you''re carrying such a powerful weapon. Obviously, the bodyguards behind you are nothing but mirage and smoke, perhaps you hired them from the local forces since you arrived in Valdmor with the intentions of maintaining a low profile, hence theck of professional bodyguards."


    "If my suspicions are correct, the forbidden domain is about to transition from a neutral domain to a battlefield of conflicting interests. The question is, what is it that is so valuable to shatter the pretentiousness and facade of neutrality that the three ruling domains struggled to maintain."


    At this point, even the two middle aged men who thought that the fat man sold them out were shocked, staring at Leonardo as though they''d encountered a ghost in daylight. Honestly, they weren''t sure how much of their conversation did the female ranger spy, hence they were stressed about silencing her.


    However, it seemed as though by trying to bait out her master, they''ve invited a demon into their midst.


    "You''ve got a keen eye for fat sheep," Leonardo spoke again, a t smile on his face thatplemented his lifeless eyes as he spoke out thest nail into the coffin, "But I''ve got a keen eye for business."


    "So¡­ Do you want me as a business partner, or a business rival? Oh, trust me when I say that if I wished to investigate this business opportunity on my own, although it might prove to be a hassle, it wouldn''t take long with a Saint on my side."  Leonardo''s words shocked the three men, their bodyguards, and the two beautifuldies behind him.


    Especially Juvia who, if guessed the implications of her leader''s words, was intending to put his reservations aside and help her attain sainthood as soon as possible. She was onlycking a martial intent, she onlycked a single enlightenment.


    She didn''t know how to feel at this point.


    Pandora nced briefly at the trembling female elf with unconcealed envy in her eyes. However, no one in the room cared about that.


    The fat man stared hard at Leonardo before speaking, "You said you came from the west? Did you cross the sky''s mountain range?¡­"


    "Something like that." Leonardo replied faintly. Not everyone in Arcadia was aware of the existence of a higher realm. Unless they were a force like the Interster Supreme Court who advocated human rights throughout the realms, noble houses like House Hestia wouldn''t bother decimating the knowledge of immortals to the public.


    Juvia was an exception due to her royal lineage. However, ording to her, there are only three kingdoms in each of the governing domains in Arcadia.


    Leonardo wasn''t going through this hassle for no reason. Of course, he knew if he left Pandora behind and decided to leave Valdmor, he''d be dead before crossing a kilometer out of town.


    What he needed to do now was buy time, and as much as he didn''t wish for it, he had to help Juvia attain sainthood without leaving the surveince circumference of Valdmor.


    As expected, the fat man said, "Give us three days to discuss this matter, we will reach out to you at the end of the week."


    Of course, this was another way of telling Leonardo to not leave town, not that he even cared. Thus, he silently nodded without saying a word before standing up for the door.


    Hepletely kept his back wide open for the fat man as though he didn''t care whether or not he took the golden opportunity to shoot at his back. The fat man''s hand kept trembling, and it remained like so even after Leonardo''s silhouettepletely disappeared into the dark lobby.

 Chapter 12 Sainthood

    ?Leonardo led Juvia and Pandora into a nearby inn as the sky had already fallen into darkness. To the surprise of the fat man and his party, Leonardo didn''t try anything funny and directly lodged a room for two nights and three days.


    The moment he entered the room followed by his supposedly two bodyguards and shut the doors, Leonardo visibly rxed as he let out a sigh. Looking down at his trembling hands, he stretched his lips into a faint smile.


    Pandora was the first to drop to one knee while lowering her head.


    "Sorry I''ve brought you trouble, leader¡­"


    Juvia didn''t know whether this was good or bad because for all the bad reasons, she finally got her chance at sainthood. Nheless, she also dropped to one knee, lowering her head to hide the internal struggle she felt.


    Leonardo took a deep breath to calm down before shaking his head, "You did great, actually. My mission isn''t to attain sainthood in five years, but to invade and conquer Arcadia. This business opportunity is a big leap forward, so you can stay here and attend the lecture in regards to sainthood."


    He then turned around, looking down at the female elf who tossed back her hood. A head full of golden hair, a pair of emerald eyes, and a face sculpted with a lethalbination of elegance and charm. This creation of the creator stared longingly in a daze at Leonardo.


    Eventually, he willed for his spatial ring to take out a fist sized energy crystal, startling the female elf who had yet to recognize the space ring. However, the moment she did, she was even more shocked.


    "You''re probably familiar with energy crystals, simply not ones of this size and degree of concentration." Leonardo snapped her out of her daze as he spoke, "Make yourselffortable and listen to this lecture about martial intent and by extension; sainthood."


    Juvia nodded her head and quickly walked over to a fairly isting corner of the room before taking a seat on the floor. As for Pandora, she approached the bed and sat down, intending to listen as well. Although Leonardo told her that the key for a martial intent is sentiment, she couldn''t understand why or how back then.


    Leonardo sat in a position where the trio were locked in a triangle formation before he began his lecture in a calm voice.


    "Sainthood is about sentiment. Although the catalyst for sainthood is the essence of energy, what is exactly the ''essence'' of energy? Some may confuse it to bews because Saints gain a rudimentary understanding of them and an opportunity to feel thosews, but that''s wrong."


    "That question has an infinite amount of answers and all of which can be either false or true under the impression of your sentiment. The essence of my energy is destion, and that essence is derived from my martial intent. Then, where does the importance of sentimente from?"


    "Simple; sentiment is the connection between your soul, body, and the world all around you tranted into martial intent. We are all intelligent creatures, and intelligence is apanied by our ability to perceive and express emotions."


    "Toprehend your unique martial intent, you need to perceive your spiritual connection to the world. My personal experience is a destitute one, and I happened to perceive the destion expressed by the world before expressing my own, and that sentiment allowed me toprehend something unique to myself."


    "As an elf, your innate talents will lead you toward nature, focus on that direction. Not the elements; just nature. Not the nature of Arcadia, but the nature in your heart. Let your emotions depict what nature truly is."


    "Arcadia is Arcadia, you are you. Attaining sainthood is a sign, a deration of independence. If you can''t detach yourself from relying on Arcadia, you will never truly achieve the uniqueness you seek. If you can''t attain sainthood with all of this, you''ve disappointed me." By the time Leonardo finished lecturing Juvia, the female elf was already in a deep trance digesting the new direction to her cultivation path.


    Pandora was also in a silent state ofprehension. Unlike Juvia who relies heavily on the circumstances of being in her home to harness energy and magic, people like Leonardo and Pandora have already discarded the notion of relying on their surroundings for greater power.


    Their unique circumstances in the higher realms attuned them towards independence, hence the final section of the lecture was nothing short of redundant to Pandora who was already entrenched in her own blood magic and ranger capabilities.


    Leonardo left the two girls to their own devices as he entered the shower for a quick hygiene check. Having been stranded in the wild for so long, a lot of filth has umted on his clothes and skin. In fact, he had brought a few sets of clothes with him, he simply hadn''t found the chance to take a rest and shower appropriately for the past week.


    It had been almost 10 days since he left home and as such, his shower thoughts wandered back to his mother, and her image upied his mind for thetter part of his luxury hours.


    Half an hourter, Leonardo exited the shower room in a fit of new white garments simr in style to hisst attire. A casual white shirt, white windbreaker jacket, and white pants. What greeted him was Pandora''s curious crimson eyes and face as she long discarded her hood.


    Leonardo always wondered how old was Pandora to have such a childish face, but he didn''t care enough to inquire about it. On the other hand, Pandora had a question of her own, "Had it ever urred to you to simply abandon me behind and walk away?"


    ¡­<novelnext></novelnext>


    When Leonardo andpany left the discussion room, the fat man eyed his two business partners from left to right respectively while talking, "What do you two think? Hm? Mason? Andrew?"


    "Don''t ask me, Jeffery!" Mason pped down the table with a solemn expression.


    "Indeed," Andrew added, "This is your mess, clean it up. I will report things back as they are."


    Jeffery looked from Mason to Andrew, he then smiled deviously before saying, "If you two leave it up to me, I might simply make him as much of a partner as the two of you."


    "Bullshit."


    "If you want to help him onboard, you can split profits from your share; we are not obligated to clean up your mess. Don''t forget, it was you who insisted on meeting up in this shithole of a ce to begin with!"


    Jeffery kneaded his forehead, feeling an iing headache. Both Mason and Andrew washed their hands clean from this, and his boss back home might react negatively if they were to find out that their shares have beenpromised.


    Jeffery took a deep drag from his cigar while thinking.


    "Wait! How can you be sure he won''t leak sensitive clues to our Elven and Beastkin counterparts?" One of the two asked.


    "He''s not dumb," Jeffery breathed out a thick stream of smoke while mumbling out a response, "He''s a businessman."


    ¡­


    Quickly, three days have passed. During these three days, Leonardo apanied Pandora on a routine trip throughout Valdmor while ignoring the eyes in the shadows.


    Also during these days, Jeffery reached out for his boss back in the human domain to update them on the unexpected turn of events. Of course, Mason and Andrew did the same, but they anonymously agreed to pin the me on Jeffery, promising to make him take the fall.


    This was a covert operation, the human domain didn''t wish to alert the beast and elven domains of their movements. Thus, they could only handle things secretly as theye.


    None of the trio revealed the content of their direct orders to their partners, but Mason and Andrew were all smiles at the table, it was Jeffery who wore a solemn and slightly exasperated expression.


    He was a sly fox, and he happened to have recorded the conversation with Leonardo. That was his only way to prove he wasn''t quibbling nonsense or exaggerating Leonardo''s capabilities to underwhelm his failure.


    Nheless, he felt a headache over the orders passed down from the human domain.


    It was at this point that the door to the discussion room opened and Leonardo walked in, alone.


    Manson and Andrew both raised their eyebrows at how gutsy this kid is, daring toe alone.


    Only Jeffery felt an increasing headache because he knew this wasn''t the kid being gutsy, but being careful instead. If all three of them were in this room, they''d have lessplications to worry about if they took action to kill. However, under these circumstances, they absolutely cannot afford to kill this kid.


    Indeed, this was Leonardo''s first move on the chessboard. Although risky, it worked magic on intelligent brains. At first nce, and from everyone''s expressions, Leonardo instantly deduced that the fat man was the biggest brains in the room.


    Without an ounce of hesitation, Leonardo joined the discussion table.

 Chapter 13 Devil In A Business Suit

    ?"Gentlemen¡­" Leonardo smiled tly and nodded at the party of three, leaving thest nod and brightest smile to Jeffery before he sat down into his leather chair. With both arms resting on the table and hands sped together, Leonardo dered his intentions, "I will invest in recruiting manpower and supplying equipment from the various channels going through Valdmor. Of course, to keep our involvement a secret, I''ll delegate the task to an elven representative under mymand."


    As he spoke, spatial fluctuations untraceable by anyone in the room, including Leonardo himself, flooded the table surface. The next moment, a stash of gold, silver, and energy crystals sparkled in everyone''s eyes.


    Mason and Andrew jumped to their feet with mouths agape in shock, whilst Jeffery''s face darkened. They haven''t even started negotiating, but Leonardo had already skipped to the investment segment.


    Jeffery coughed lightly and said, "I had a feeling that you''lle to realize it sooner orter, but I didn''t expect you''d see through us so quickly. Hm, let me see, this will fast forward our ns by a lot."


    Leonardo nodded. Of course, he realized their pinch.


    Since the operation is obviously set up in a low profile setting, it means that they camecking not only in bodyguards but also manpower. Hence, they entered Valdmor in hopes of finding business partners who could supply them with funds while being in the dark to the human domain''s real intentions.


    Building rtionships with the local businessmunity of Valdmor, fund raising, and arming their forces could take months if not outright a year. Of course, if they had space rings to transport funds, things would have been smoother.


    However, how rare were space rings?


    Only peak saints can create space rings with their understanding of dimensions, and how many peak saints is there on a like Arcadia? Hence, Leonardo unting his space ring hints at two things; wealth and backing. With so much funding in liquid assets, the n to rally up arms and workers can be implemented directly.


    The question is, "The only way for you to join us is if one of us willingly sold you some of his shares, and I can tell you now that I''m the only one in a position to sell." Jeffery said, his intentions between the lines clear as day.


    "Wait a moment!" Both Mason and Andrew interrupted, having second thoughts about this whole thing. That was a goddamn space ring for god''s sake! Let alone the mass of wealth on the table, the existence of a space ring by itself foretold Leonardo''s influence in the near future!


    With that much funding, Jeffery can go ahead and start expanding his influence, leaving them both behind. Their supporters behind the scenes wouldn''t like that one bit. Sadly for them, they weren''t insightful enough to recognize the inconspicuous wealth on Leonardo''s person from thest meeting.


    They were too busy cutting their losses and gloating over Jeffery''s misfortune.


    Unfortunately for them, Leonardo wasn''t in the habit of working with idiots, neither did he care for whatever project they had undergoing as he was merely in this to establish a foundation of connections.


    Although cing one''s eggs in one basket isn''t wise, that sort of indecisive behaviour is detrimental for a long term business cooperation built on trust and integrity.


    Thus, Leonardo ignored them and smiled faintly at Jeffery before saying, "How about you sell me 1% of your shares? That should be enough."


    Jeffery''s mouth hung wide open.


    Mason''s mouth hung wide open.


    Andrew''s mouth hung wide open.


    ¡­


    Somewhere far away in the human domain, in aforting wide in-door jacuzzi, a certain beauty''s mouth hung wide open as she observed the meeting through Jeffery''s point of view.


    ¡­


    Jeffery blinked,ing back to his senses when a certain maic voice echoed in his mind, reminding him of the conclusion his nobledy came to after the full recount of thest discussion, "I want him!" She dered back then.


    Jeffery then swallowed a lump of stubborn saliva as he wiped off the sweat off his forehead while checking in case he heard wrong, "All of this? For only 1% of my shares?"


    Leonardo raised his brows, "Not enough? I can double it if you want¡­" Leonardo''s expression seemed genuinely confused, which escted the shock of everyone else.


    The offer rang in Jeffery''s head, almost driving him to the edge of insanity as he quickly waved off the offer despite having no clear understanding of Leonardo''s real intentions. "Enough! Enough! More than enough!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    He then stood up and extended his right hand from between the petrified Mason and Andrew to introduce himself, "My name is Jeffery, you can call me Jeff."


    Leonardo epted the gesture with grace as he replied with a faint, charming smile that overshadowed the mncholy in his pitch-ck eyes, "My name is Leonardo, you can call me Leo."


    Both Mason and Andrew felt infuriated by being ignored. Mason was the first to speak up, "Wait, I will sell you 2% of my shares for your investment!"


    Andrew was quick to follow up, "4% of mine!"


    Andrew and Mason red at one another before quickly shouting at the same time, "5%! Final offer!"


    Leonardo smiled from ear to ear at their response. The reason he chose Jeffery was, first and foremost, the man was smart. Secondly, the other two were prone to maniption, exactly like now.


    They wouldn''t want the bnce to break before their project even started, exactly as Leonardo predicted.


    Jeffery''s heart sank at Leonardo''s smile as he finally picked up on thetter''s scheme. As he feared, Leonardo chuckled lightly and spread his arms.


    "Gentlemen, gentlemen, I am a businessman of integrity, I''m afraid I can''t have multiple partners for the same endeavour¡­"  Leonardo shook his head lightly.


    "But," He went silent for a moment, the silence shredding at the two middle aged men''s hearts as they swallowed nervously.


    Leonardo said, "Although I won''t invest in your business, I will offer you an additional 20% in liquid assets to buy exclusive rights to 5% of your shares; each! This might not provide you with much for the long run, but it will provide a decisive advantage in short-term."


    "Of course, this means that we will not be partners, and you will be obligated to provide me with full documentation on the operation in hand. This is a take it or leave it offer!" Leonardo smiled deviously at the party of three.


    As much as Jeffery wanted to interfere, this would be nothing short of stabbing his partner in the back, which would vite his conduct of good faith. On the other hand, Andrew and Mason were too entranced by greed and self confidence that regardless of the long term ns, as long as they held an advantage during the initial phase of the ns, losing 5% of the essence ore mines is worth it!


    Thus, almost without an ounce of hesitation, both agreed and shook hands with Leonardo while introducing themselves. Jeffery could only watch with cold sweat drenching his back over Leonardo''s business acumen.


    Within one session and under half an hour of negotiations, this young man scored himself a seat as prime long term investor and a business partner with exclusive rights to 10% of the mines, and shared interest to an additional 1% that if Jeffery guessed correctly, Leonardo would resell to one of the two businesses in the long term.


    The question is, who will buy it? Because as of this moment, Jeffery is a leading shareholder with a 4% edge over his two partners, leaving him with 32.3% shares.


    Each of Andrew and Mason are left with 28.3%, and Leonardo at the bottom of thedder with 11% of the shares.


    Although it wouldn''t make a difference to Leonardo whether he kept the 1% or not, that same 1% represents a world of difference to Mason and Andrew who would soon be at each other''s throat to earn an edge as the second biggest shareholder.


    It all made sense now as to why Leonardo was content with a mere 1%.


    This mere 1% became a hard leash for Leonardo to control both Andrew and Mason, putting the youth in a seat of power. Both of them would realise that getting shares from Jeffery is impossible due to the heated contest in the human domain, but Leonardo is an external party without an involvement to the political parties of the domain.


    The more Jeffery thought about it, the colder he felt.


    This was a beautiful move as it was scary.


    "Shall we draft the contracts?" Leonardo asked with his maically alluring voice akin to whispers of the devil. Andrew and Mason nodded enthusiastically with big grins on their faces before they called forward their personal aids to draft the contracts.


    Leonardo nced over at Jeffery who swallowed with a bitter smile before nodding his head as well.


    Thus, that night concluded Leonardo''s first of many smooth negotiations, and the birth of his formidable business empire.

 Chapter 14 Blessings And Restrictions

    ?It wasn''t until morning of the next day that Leonardo went back to the inn with three contracts holding the imperial seal of three different human kingdoms from the human domain. As he expected, those with enough power and influence to scheme against the pact of the three domains aren''t your ordinary Tom, Dick, and Harry.


    The moment Leonardo made it into the room, what greeted him was a levitating Juvia in a seated position with beads of sweat running down her cranium. To the side, Pandora stood at attention with fidgeting fingers, not knowing what to do.


    It was only a moment for Leonardo to realise what went wrong.


    Since Juvia was trying to ascend into sainthood with an imperfect soul, the process of assimting her sentiments into her internal energy. After giving the matter some thought, he sank into his own consciousness where the seed of Juvia''s soul revolved within the confines of his mind''s eye.


    A wisp of grey martial intent wrapped around the soul seed, and under Leonardo''s will, the wisp of martial intent integrated into seed like beautiful veins enchanted across its smooth surface. From Pandora''s point of view, Leonardo simply stood face to face with a Juvia who seemed to be suffering from an untold amount of pain.


    Then, under her shocked eyes, Leonardo pulled out the soul seed from his forehead before pushing it into Juvia''s. Although she instinctively felt that something was different about this soul seed, she couldn''t pinpoint exactly what it was.


    She was shocked because Leonardo willingly gave up his only leverage and control over the female elf to assist her ascension. Was this trust or something else? Nheless, what transpired next entranced the female ranger.


    Leonardo cut his right index finger before flicking a drop of unusually dense red blood that shot directly into Pandora''s chest. It was so fast, she couldn''t recognise the sliver of deste intent joined within the blood essence. The next instant, she had the urge to sit down and regte her energy as a sudden enlightenment assaulted her mind.


    Thus, she sat down and immersed herself in the sensation of having her immature martial intent blossom under the guidance of Leonardo''s martial intent, much like the current Juvia.


    Leonardo didn''t know which aspects of his martial intent would their immature martial intents inherit, but he knew that his understanding would influence andpliment theirprehensions, and because the nature of destion is a universal concept, regardless of in whichever direc their martial intents mature, it wouldn''t be a detriment to their future growth.


    Of course, Leonardo wasn''t stupid enough to give up his control over them. He imparted his will and influence into their blood essence and soul seed respectively, meaning that their lives were directly under his control on an essential level.


    Juvia''s contorted face visibly rxed when her soul seed remerged into her mind''s eye, and Pandora''s face gained an additionalyer of fairness to the ruddyplexion. Witnessing this change, Leonardo nodded to himself before walking over to a nearby desk to review the contents of the so-called essence ore mine project and everything rted to it.


    Jeffery would have never provided this information to Leonardo as a mere prime investor, hence why he manoeuvred for a seat as a shareholder. Within minutes, Leonardo went over every little detail of the material before he sank into thoughts.


    However, he then decided to go over these materials together with Juvia as he opted to train her into a capable aid and representative.


    Thus, he instead took out a dense energy crystal from his space ring and began his first formal cultivation session. He was wondering how lomg does it take to naturally grow in levels since his only experience was that moment of dual cultivation with Nier¡­


    Just as Leonardo was busy calcting his body''s speed of absorbing the natural energy, he was shocked that his levels were climbing at an exponential pace. Being ignorant of the difference between constitutions from Mortal, Saint, Divine, and Immoral constitutions and their talents for cultivation respectively, Leonardo was in for quite the pleasant surprise.


    Soon, day turned into night, and by dawn of the next day, the energy crystal crumbled into dust and powder, startling Leonardo awake.


    A cursory inspection of his body showed that he was already at level 30.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Increasing 5 levels overnight brought him immense joy. However, he understood that the only hindrance in the mortal cycle is energy andprehension of martial intents. Currently, Leonardo onlycked energy, and judging based on his absorption speed, he could make it into sainthood within the month.


    Only after attaining sainthood would climbing the levels of cultivation prove somewhat arduous, which would increase in difficulty as he approached the levels of the divine. Of course, thews of Arcadia would restrict him to the level of saint. Thus, unless he fully conquered Arcadia, attaining divinity is but a fancy dream.


    Suddenly, violent waves of energy began to wreak havoc throughout the room, drawing Leonardo''s attention to the source; Juvia.


    Shocking, Pandora''s hair had somehow flipped from ck to silver white, whilst Juvia''s golden hair was in the midst of transitioning into the same colour. Only now did Leonardo notice that he could barely sense Pandora''s presence, which indicates that her martial intent had inherited the ability to conceal and sever connections with energy all around.


    As for Juvia, a sense of natural dread and death loomed around her figure. Apparently, thebination of nature and destion allowed her martial intent to derive the concept of death, which is a force that could branch out from both the aforementionedws.


    Seems like the near death experience in the cave impacted Juvia so much that her expressed and perceived sentiment of the world revolved around the concept of death. Then again, such a pampered princess, this didn''t strike Leonardo as a surprise at all.


    The suddenmotion awakened Pandora from her cultivation session as she cast a bewildered look at Leonardo, unaware of the silver gleam that consumed her pupils as she redirected her line of sight to Juvia, and finally at her own silver locks of hair that draped over her shoulders. Pandora had a weird look on her face as she asked Leonardo, "Leader, can you actually share your martial intentprehension with other people?"


    Leonardo shrugged, responding, "I guess it was only possible because I had your blood essence and her soul seed imnted within my body long enough. If not for that, thepatibility would have been absolutely zero."


    Pandora figured as much. However, before she could voice out her following thoughts, Juvia''s eyes snapped open with a silver re before she rushed impatiently into Leonardo''s embrace, brazenly locking her sultry lips with his own to express her joy and gratitude.


    Leonardo''s brain went out ofmission for a good few seconds whilst Pandora''s mouth hung wide open. Juvia was almost taller than Leonardo, but because she was practically levitating because as a saint, she gained control over a natural energy field around her body that permitted enough control to enable flight.


    A momentter, Leonardo''s eyes dimmed into a lifeless state once again before he circled his arms around Juvia''s waist to pull her body down to the ground. After she stood in front of him, he smoothly pushed her back with a t smile on his face, "Well, congrattions. I was worried about finding a suitable disguise for your appearance, but it seems like that''s no longer an issue."


    Leonardo nodded to himself before continuing, "As for your name¡­ You can keep it, but I''ll give you the nickname Winter Soldier for public meetings. For now, go ahead and browse through those papers and the various contracts."


    Leonardo pointed at the desk by his side before he directed his attention to Pandora, who was still in a daze. With a light chuckle, he said, "As for you, I need you to focus on reaching level 41 within a month. Don''t worry about your cultivation resources, I have plenty of those." As he spoke, Leonardo waved his left hand, sending out a dozen or so high density energy crystals.


    "This¡­ You''re not worried that we''d simply leave?¡­" Pandora asked the question in her mind while she epted the energy crystals. Leonardo merely shook his head in response before asking rhetorically, "My martial intent and will are an integral part of your existence by now, what can you possibly do to me?"


    Pandora and Juvia blinked their eyes as they realised that their leader provided them with both opportunities and restrictions. However, Juvia didn''t care one bit, she happily sat by the desk and began browsing the documents. Of course, she took pride in the moniker provided by her leader, as it matches well with her new hair colour and silver eyes. Unlike Pandora, as a saint, she could now project her energy and consciousness to inspect herself from the outside.


    When both girls were busy with their own matters, Leonardo softly touched his lips absentmindedly with a rueful smile. He thought that his first conscious kiss would be reserved for Nier, but it seems like that fantasy was shattered.


    He wouldn''t me Juvia for her reaction, but he felt weird about women forcing themselves onto bim over and over, was it universal thing outside of his home for women to be the aggressive type?

 Chapter 15 Business Expedition

    ?While Pandora focused on cultivating her internal energy which represented the only barrier between herself and attaining sainthood, and Juvia focused her attention on going through the contracts and the information about the newly discovered energy ore mines, Leonardo left the inn for a bit of shopping down the market street while simultaneously investigating the economical situation of Valdmor personally.


    ¡­


    "Today, you just stand back and watch how I do business. Remember two things, a statement and a question," Leonardo spoke to Juvia who was no longer cloaked, but had her charms on full disy with a long silver ponytail, a set of clean rectangr reading sses, and a white formal suit cut low to reveal a deep pale cleavage.


    Other than her sharply pointed elven ears, there was nothing left to associate this beauty with the former haughty princess.


    "Partners are nothing but temporary allies in business!" Juvia continued to speak for her lead, "As for the question¡­ You asked me, why is it worth it to hoard that 1%" Juvia fixed the position of her sses while talking, something she found herself addicted to for some reason.


    Leonardo nodded. "I was wondering, is your royal family aware of the existence of these mines? I mean, ording to the information, the high saint of the human domain, basically it''s Sovereign and Emperor, sensed the usual energy fluctuations with his extensive consciousness, resulting in a contest between the three imperial heirs, two kings and the sole queen, as to who would monopolize the mines without external aid from their respective kingdoms."


    "If my spections are spot on, this might be an agreement between the three domains to determine who they should deposit in thisnd to expand the influence of their respective kingdoms. The question is, who will the beast domain and elven domain send to Valdmor? How many heirs are there? What method would they use? Are they going to split the domain equally between the three domains or contest for supremacy?"


    "If you were toe face to face with one of your royal siblings, especially the current heir, the son of a former concubine, can you keep your emotions in check?" Leonardo paused in the streets and leveled a calm gaze at Juvia, who also stopped silently.


    She never thought that far into the future, but now with this brought to her attention, what would she do if that happened? Leonardo could see the confusion and hesitation in his eyes so he snapped at her in a high, clear voice that reverberated throughout the street, "Winter Soldier!"


    Leonardo''s shout routed Juvia from her muddled state of mind as she reflexively answered, "Leader!"


    Then, realization struck the confused princess. She was no longer a princess to speak of, and by extension, the affairs of the elven kingdom no longer held sway over her current life. Even if her family stood face to face with her in the same room, she doubted they''d recognize her new persona.


    Leonardo''s shout attracted a lot of attention, some of which was the negative kind of attention revolving around Juvia''s mature body and ripe figure. At first nce, Leonardo and Juvia looked like a pair of siblings, but that obviously wasn''t the case judging from their interactions.


    "Leo my friend, why so agitated?" Jeffery stepped from within the crowd with a heartyugh as he approached the pair with open arms, silently observing Juvia for any particr details. Winter Soldier? What was that supposed to mean? The fat man thought inwardly but the smile never left his face.


    "You didn''t have toe all the way here, we were on our way to the main gate to meet up with you, Jeff." Leonardo responded with a t smile, acting as though he didn''t notice Jeffery''s gesture for a hug.


    Jeffery noticed the tacit refusal and proceeded to p his fat hands together with a grin, "I was on my way there too, that was until I heard you shout at this beautifuldy¡­"


    "She''s my business secretary¡ª aide; Winter Soldier. You can call her Winter, that works as well." Leonardo introduced before turning over to look at Juvia, "This gentleman is my business partner and at the same time, the recipient of my long-term investment, Jeffery."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Juvia fixed her shy sses with her right index and middle fingers before giving Jeffery a slight nod, but other than that, she remained silent.


    In the world of business, words are one''s protective tes and ammunition. One may just call them a double edged sword; if you don''t know what to say, say nothing at all.


    Jeffery served directly under the sole female leader to one of the three human kingdoms; Queen Adeline of House Sylvia. Because of his investment, Jeffery didn''t mind providing Leonardo with some basic information about how things work in the human domain.


    At the top of the food chain was the Sovereign, and no one knows how high his or her cultivation is. Below the Sovereign are the three Kings, supposedly the three ancient lineages since the establishment of the human, elven, and beast domains.


    These lineages are House Sylvia, House Venus, and House Exodia. Since the capacity for high saints on the level of Sovereignty on Arcadia is limited to three individuals, the quota was split evenly between the three domains, and the quota for the human domain was up for grabs to each of the three kingdoms under the guise of a fairpetition.


    Of course, the Sovereign is forbidden from involving themselves in the secr world, so as to not break the bnce of power between the three houses. Furthermore, thepetition to elect a new Sovereign is always ever-changing and unpredictable because the current Sovereign sets the rules.


    Since the Sovereign could sense the usual fluctuations of the birth of an energy ore mine, they decided that the house that could start from scratch in the forbidden domain and sessfully monopolize the mines will regain the rights to elect a Sovereign candidate from their house.


    Of course, Leonardo concealed this information from Juvia. Although he was positive that she''s aware of the entire Sovereignty session rituals, she most likely remains oblivious as to how the human domain handles their sessions, much like how the human domain remains oblivious to the elven and beast domains'' civil affairs.


    From Juvia''s perspective, this is merely a profitable business venture that caught the eye of three great figures back in the human domain. As to who exactly those figures are? She couldn''t bother to ask, not like Leonardo would divulge this type of sensitive information either. However, she could gleam hints that this business is conspicuous enough to grab attention from royalty ss patrons.


    Jeffery smiled at Juvia after the introduction,plimenting her temperament on the way, "How lucky to have such a beautiful assistant, and an elf nheless!"


    "Well, I did say I will have my elf subordinate take to the front of scouting for menial candidates and future negotiations with the elven and beastkin." Leonardo responded to Jeffery''s obvious attempt to bait for information.


    Seeing that his attempts of probing failed miserably, Jefferyughed awkwardly before taking the lead to a stable of horses in the distance. In his opinion, both he and Leonardo were ordinary humans, thus they''d require the assistance of a steed to travel across the surrounding territory without much of an inconvenience.


    Leonardo had no intentions of revealing his cultivation to the world and he made that clear to both Juvia and Pandora. Since this trip will take a while, probably till the end of the month, Leonardo left some instructions in the form of paper notes on the desk in the inn for Pandora the moment she finished her cultivation and ascension to sainthood.


    Thus Jeffery, Leonardo, two bodyguards, and Juvia took off on horses as they departed from Valdmor''s gates on a business expedition that would bring pleasant surprises to the young businessman.

 Chapter 16 Ambiguous Feelings

    ?"There are a total of seven tribes in the vicinity of the mines, and their territories ovep with it." Jeffery handed over a parchment of paper while talking, "The people of the forbidden domain are descendants from war refugees, ouws, deserters from the Dominion War countless years ago, and every rotten apple you can find out there."


    Leonardo took the parchment and observed the hand drawn map, "So they hold the people of the three domains in contempt, you''re no exception, especially with your royal background." Leonardo concluded with a light nod.


    "Why not use force in your endeavour? I mean, with so much funds, you could raise an army." Leonardo''s eyes shed lightly, but Jeffery was too busy inspecting their surroundings while responding, "Because my Queen is kind and benevolent, she doesn''t want to mount her throne on a stash of corpses."


    "Oh? How cute. She''s one of those." Leonardo nodded in sympathy despite his words, as he couldn''t imagine working for a Queen who holds interest in the good of both parties; her side and the opposition.


    Jeffery knew Leonardo was biting his words out of respect for Queen Adeline''s status, hence he sighed deeply. Leonardo looked at the map once again, asking, "Which of these seven are delegated to you? Which are mine?"


    Leonardo didn''t know the agreement they came up with after reshuffling their interests, not like he could change the oue with his pitiful 11% shares anyway. Whichever location each of them chose, the leftovers are his to pick.


    Jeffery looked at the map and coughed lightly before saying, "Err, with only 11% shares, you''re not qualified to oversee an entire tribe, the minimum threshold is 14%. However! There is a small settlement near the north-west borders of the mines, you can start there."


    Leonardo silently stared at the map and the highlighted, inconspicuous dot representing a settlement of former convicts in exile. For some reason, he thought back to his life the Exiled Paradise, which was why he kept silent in deep thoughts.


    Jeffery assumed that this silence meant Leonardo epting his loss, thus he smiled faintly. If Leonardo wanted toy im to a tribe now after the distribution, he''d have to either conquer or buy the shares. Nevertheless, he can''t aim for Jeffery''s tribes, meaning his next option is either Andrew or Mason.


    Anyway, while the three of them are entangled in war, Jeffery can focus on excavating the mines and fortifications. Then again, it wouldn''t necessarily be Leonardo aiming for Andrew or Mason, it could also be the other way around.


    At one point, their greed for the additional 11% would drive them into conflict, much like how their greed for initial funding cost them 5% each. Both Jeffery and Leonardo used the insatiable greed of the two idiots to manipte them in the shadows.


    Leonardo knew all of this, but he didn''t say anything and forwarded the documents to Juvia, intending to test her intelligenceter.


    After handing the documents over, Leonardo then turned to smile faintly at his dear business partner before speaking, "Well, I better get going to check out that settlement of mine, who knows if it''s fit enough to shield the wind and rain of theing seasons." Leonardo patted Jeffery''s shoulder lightly.


    The fat man chuckled and said, "If you find yourself in a pinch, just send me a message and I''ll be right there!" Jeffery handed Leonardo a bracelet with amunication pearl embedded into it, which thetter epted graciously.


    Juvia was diligently observing their interactions, words, expressions, and sorting them out in her mind. She was a clever person, for all the shorings she had when it came tobat. If not, she wouldn''t have been plotting to escape to the higher realms with her pitiful mortal cultivation.


    ording to the map, out of the seven tribes, Jeffery has shots on three of them while Andrew and Mason split the remaining four evenly. Jeffery was in a rush to check out his three tribes and find a way to recruit them to his cause.


    Soon enough, only Juvia remained by Leonardo''s side. She drew closer with her horse and spoke her mind, "Leader, he plotted against you just like that! Why didn''t you say anything?"


    "Oh? You saw through it already?" Leonardo hadn''t expected Juvia to see through the plot so quickly, he assumed she''d cast the me on all three of them and not solely on Jeffery.


    Juvia pouted as she pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. However, Leonardo chuckled lightly and said, "He might be plotting against me, but that''s for his own protection."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo''s words puzzled Juvia, thus he exined further, "He just mentioned that Queen Adeline doesn''t like unnecessary bloodshed and acts of tyranny. In a world of cultivation, that''s pure bullshit, I''m surprised she hadn''t been dethroned yet. I suspect she has the least vassals between the three kingdoms, putting her in a position of inconspicuous weakness."


    "However, that inconspicuous weakness will transition into a ring weakness here in the wilderness. Although kindness and benevolence will buy the hearts of people in the long-term, the three kingdoms are in a race against time as we speak. Although Jeffery won''t resort to underhanded tactics for the tribes and their unconditional support, who''s to say that Andrew and Mason won''t? And when they''re done¡­"


    Juvia suddenly realised something and blurted out, "Jeffery is a fatter target than us!"


    "Exactly!" Leonardoplimented with a faint smile, "You''re indeed a clever woman, you''ll make for a great secretary."


    Juvia blushed lightly as a shback of her boldly bouncing on Leonardo for a kiss resurfaced in her mind. However, she quickly shook that off and recalled everything that happened to find out where she went wrong with her analysis.


    Leonardo simply watched her pensive expression with a faint smile.


    A momentter, she cast a gaze full of admiration for Leonardo''s way. It was way back when Jeffery was too busy inspecting for danger on the road when Leonardo brought a simple question about forceful upation.


    Jeffery didn''t deny that possibility entirely, only that he was restricted against doing so. From that statement, one can assume that Andrew and Mason might very well be plotting an invasion, especially since they have double the fundings allocated to Jeffery.


    With one question that Jeffery answered subconsciously based on his understanding of his Queen, he ruined his own plot without even realising it.


    "Let''s go inspect our settlement, we have a lot of work to do." Leonardo reminded Juvia who had stars in her eyes beforeunching off into the distance with his horse, and Juvia quickly followed.


    One thing Jeffery, Andrew, and Mason failed to ount for was¡­ How deep were Leonardo''s pockets?


    ¡­


    The month quickly came to an end with the foursome of Leonardo, Jeffery, Andrew, and Mason each upied procuring resources and manpower for the uing sh of interests. Mercenaries were riled up, walls fortified, and many schemes and secret agreements were afoot.


    Back in one of many small inns in Valdmor, a certain petite youngdy opened her silver eyes to find herself levitating off the ground. She looked over at her own floating figure, disbelief and joy colouring her eyes.


    If Leonardo was in front of her, she might have impulsively kissed him just like Juvia did. She didn''t know why, but she suddenly felt in inexplicable soft spot for Leonardo in her heart, a feeling urged to her from the depths of her blood.


    Quickly calming down, Pandora''s eyes shifted to the bed where a tight fit white garment, a ck hair tie, and an exquisite white mask rested in a bundle of other equipment. A long white bow, a pair of snow-white daggers, and a sealed letter nearby on the desk. She could tell that Leonardo left a task for her to aplish.


    Some timeter, a white silhouette stepped out from the inn and into the crowded streets. However, the silhouette silently faded into obscurity, and a nearby kid suffered a mental breakdown believing they''ve witnessed a ghost in broad daylight.

 Chapter 17 Two Siblings

    ?"Congrattions on your breakthrough, Pandora. I will be taking Winter Soldier with me on the business expedition. I want you to stay behind in Valdmor and make use of your profound concealment techniques for espionage once more to keep an eye on any shipments that enter or leave the town during my absence."


    Pandora finished reading the letter and destroyed it then and there before leaving the inn. For some reason, the thought that Leonardo gave that damned elf a special moniker but she got nothing irked her, even though she knew that Juvia''s identity must be kept a secret.


    However, no matter how vexed she was about it, she could only swallow her grievances and wait for the leader to return. Until then¡­


    ¡­


    Leonardo was unaware of the side effects from having his will fused with Pandora''s blood essence or the weird thoughts in her head after the fact. Now, he was still upying a high cliff overseeing the small settlement of convicts with Juvia by his side. The two of them had arrived here two weeks ago, and Leonardo did nothing but observe the day to day lifestyle of the people below ever since.


    Of course, some small breaks for food and rest every now and then did take ce but Juvia who was now a saint, and by extension did not require food or sleep for sustenance, kept up her vignce and meticulously observed every person in the settlement.


    At first, she found it somewhat taxing to simultaneously observe over 300 people who were entric in nature. However, as days passed on, it became something akin to a second nature to her. Albeit chaotic, everyone had a set pattern to their lives, and this pattern is a reflection of their experience over the years ironed out under the relentless sands of time.


    Juvia didn''t know this, but Leonardo specifically organised this practice to hone her observational skills and temper the way she judged people.


    Two weeks ago, these 300 or so people were nothing but filthy convicts in her eyes, a subconscious thought imnted in her mind under the influence of Jeffery''s storytelling. However, after first hand experience, she came to realise that she was rash with her judgement.


    Although most of them were bad, some good was present in the settlement.


    A young boy spending days on an empty stomach to provide bread for his sister.


    A rough man splitting his day''s worth of bread to somehow lose it identally, and the bread happened to fall in a position where the aforementioned young boy wrestled it out of the jaws of stray dogs and ws of stray cats.


    An old man purposefully paid the aforementioned rough man an additional loaf of bread for seemingly no reason.


    And a mysteriously cold person afraid by virtually everyone sneaking his way at night into the settlement with a bag full of food, the same food that exchanged hands countless times during the day.


    As for where this food came from? Nobody knew, nobody cared, and nobody felt entitled to it.


    For all it was worth, everyone had a special someone to ce their needs above oneself. Because everyone had a special someone, a trace of light and good miraculously survived in this harsh environment.


    Over the course of thest two weeks, Leonardo''s short breaks for food and nap time had gradually snowballed from indistinct periods to stable periods, which slowly began to expand into hours before he began to literallyze about either stargazing or mentioning stories of his mother on Earth, to which Juvia attentively listened without disturbing his train of thoughts or breaking focus.


    On this fateful evening, Leonardo finally stretched out after consuming a juicy red apple variant. Due to his young and immature features, Juvia found hiszy countenance quite cute and so she chuckled lightly behind her fair hand that hid her luscious lips.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo didn''t give the matter much attention as he approached the cliff hanger as he voiced out hismand, "Let''s go."


    The next moment, Leonardo jumped off the dozens of metres high cliff with his hands tucked away inside his pockets. Within seconds, he was about to crash heavily into the rocky ground before an invisible force restrained his descent, allowing him tond gracefully on the dirt covered ground.


    Behind him, Juvianded just as gracefully with her ponytails whipping about, she then fixed her sses habitually with a faint smile before voicing out her thoughts, "About time, leader!"


    ¡­


    It was just like any other day in the settlement of convicts. People exiled from their tribes for all sorts of reasons, good and bad. Ruckusughter sneaked its way through the thin walls of a fairly popr bar in the small settlement and into the ears of a young child perched right outside its widely swung windows.


    The smell of heavy ale and beverages did nothing to dilute the high vignce in his leopard-like eyes as he carefully observed two stray hounds in a corner not that far away.


    Soon, a stray piece of loaf was shot seemingly identally from the open window. As though it was a gunshot inviting a brutal race, the young child rushed to his feet in a speed rivalling if not eclipsing the sprinting burst of the two ck hounds.


    The dogs barked their warning through their voracious fangs to which the kid responded by hurling a handful of stone pebbles into their maws and crazed eyes. The beasts reflexively halted their advances in defensive measures, and the kid took advantage of their instinctive response to grab the piece of loaf into his embrace before rushing down a nearby corner.


    Not a split secondter, the dogs chased down the kid''s tail. However, on the next turn, a wide b of metal held by the kid greeted the two dogs with a heavy sh in their faces.


    The two dogs winced in pain and debris blocked their sense of smell and vision. By the time the came back to it, the kid and loaf of bread was no longer in sight, forcing the dogs to begrudgingly return home on an empty stomach, concerned about how to provide for their baby puppies in the dark alleyway.


    Late into the night, the young boy with shoulder length ck hair and deep brown eyes with gems for pupils approached a rundown hut like many others lined up on the road. This was his home for as long as he could remember, and regardless of how helpless a pair of siblings were, they managed to live through their hardships seemingly unbothered by themon folk of this settlement.


    The young boy was rather happy that he managed to find some food for his little sister who was nine years old this year. However, the moment he entered his own humble house, a pleasant smell prickled his nose, and he could almost got a full spasm of pleasure throughout every cell of his body.


    He instinctively looked through the broken door to the kitchen so he could find a beautiful big sister cooking a pot of meat soup in a stone oven. A tongue of me extended from her dainty pale hand to simmer the sauced water while potatoes, tomatoes, and meatballs bobbed over the murky surface inside the pot.


    After swallowing hard, he heard theughter of his little sister from across the room where he found her hugging the arm of a ridiculously handsome young man like a swing, swaying back and forth uncontrobly.


    Although the food smelled good, the young kid instinctively felt an aura of death looming around the beautiful big sister. On the other hand, the young man had a mysteriouspelling aura around him that naturally drew people''s attention and empathy, especially his deep pitch-ck eyes with a barely concealed sadness within their smiling expression.


    Not knowing how to react, he didn''t even notice the loaf of bread falling from his embrace and onto the dirty floor.

 Chapter 18 Love At First Sight

    ?During the two weeks of idle observations, Leonardo''s rivals in business were in full swing with their preparations. The massive amount of funds afforded to them on Leonardo''s behest allowed them to fast forward purchases and productions of weapons affordable for the use of humans of considerably stronger build and mortals of low cultivation.


    Leonardo had expected this, hence he instructed Pandora with keeping an eye for the iing shipments after realising the potential behind Jeffery''s heavy energy revolver. In the belly of a wide canyon, a few carriages hauled by a group of beasts akin to oversized bulls stopped to offload a dozen or so steel locked boxes.


    ording to her memory, the people receiving the shipment were Andrew and Mason, the two middle aged men who were involved in the meeting on that fateful evening. They looked excited, hurriedly unlocking the boxes to reveal rows of long energy rifles lined up in 3x2 formations on a bedding of haystacks.


    The borate silver design riddled with scarlet red intricate inscriptions from the slender long muzzle all the way to the recoil pad tugged at something of the deepest desires in her heart. This type of technology that represented a hybrid of the peak of elven artistic concepts and an expression of human mechanical industry ensnared Pandora into love from first sight.


    What followed was the test procedures for the newly developed energy rifles. Thus, Mason who seemed to be more adept as a marksman mounted a prototype in his bosom, nted the recoil pad over right shoulder as he lined his right eye down the holographic scope of the silver babe.


    Taking a deep breath, he aimed at a flying avian approximately two kilometres into the clear sky before silently pulling the trigger. The inscriptions lit up as the equivalent of fifth the energy deposit from a standard energy crystal converted into a silent, barely perceptible bullet of light that was so fast it put the speed of sound to shame before sting through the avian.


    The poor creature pped its wings a few times beforeing to a slow halt. Then, and only then did blood gush out from the thin depression in its chest as a trail of blood and a dead creature raced toward the ground below.


    "Hahaha! Amazing! When will the next shipment arrive?" Andrew couldn''t contain his excitement after watching Mason''s preformande. Heughed, pped his own thigh, and shouted at the old man in a researchb to the back.


    The old man fixed his sses as he responded, "This technology is still in its infancy stages. The only reason we could provide you with three sets of 3x2 shipments is a signed document from House Venus and House Exodia. I''m afraid you''re not qualified for any surplus."


    The old man''s words annoyed Andrew.


    How can he be content with only 18 of these babies? That''s barely enough to arm the vanguard of his forces. Still, he couldn''t do anything to the head of the military research department from the capital.


    Perhaps I should steal some of Mason''s shares? Andrew thought to himself, unaware that someone nearby isn''t simply thinking of stealing one, she was already standing in close proximity to Mason who remained oblivious to her existence altogether.


    Because of her martial intent thatplemented her stealth and concealment, Pandora was basically non-existent to these people who weren''t even saints yet. She couldn''t help getting closer to the beautiful energy rifle for a look.


    This piece of art is exactly what she needs at the moment. For once, she felt that it wasn''t so bad for her leader to task her with staying behind as she was able to find herself a soulmate.


    This was nothing short of love at first sight for Pandora.


    Of course, the little curious devil had no idea how far reaching the dominoes effect would be after she stole one of these beauties to herself.


    ¡­


    Back to the present moment.


    Although the sound of bread crashing into the ground was soft, due to the loaf being mostly dry, everyone could hear it. Of course, both Leonardo and Juvia were aware of the kid''s presence even before he opened the door, but only now did the nine year old girl notice her big brother''s return.


    After dropping from Leonardo''s strong arm, she rushed at her brother with a wide smile cracking her face into a blissful image of happiness before she plunged into his embrace with an unceasing bout ofughter.


    "Hehe," She was still smiling foolishly at her big brother before her little face settled into a solemn facade as she said, "Godfather Leo told me that you were abstaining from eating and drinking for my sake! Is that true?!"


    The kid was momentarily dazed with shock. The implications of this statement were grave, since when did these two make it into the settlement of convicts?


    Also, they looked clean, far too clean to be natives from the forbidden domain, much less criminals of some heinous acts.


    Also, what Godfather? Since when did his sister get a Godfather?<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Leona, do you even know what a Godfather is?" The kid held onto his little sister''s shoulders and asked her in a hushed tone, believing that the other two couldn''t hear him.


    Leona looked at her big brother as though he was an idiot and replied, "Godfather Leo said a Godfather is someone who provides food and takes care of parentless children. Aren''t we parentless, big brother?"


    The little girl seemed very casual about the fact she never met or even heard of her parents before. Thus, the idea of having an illusory parent in the form of a Godfather intrigued and excited her. However, she quickly realised they were going off track so she smacked her big brother''s cheat while pouting, "Don''t dodge my question! What have you been eating? Ugh! Never mind, let big sister Winter take care of you!"


    The little girl who shared Leonardo''s initials bounced back to her Godfather who was silently watching the show. She jumped into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck, somehow feeling veryfortable and safe when within close proximity to this young man in particr.


    The instincts of children is very strong, and the kid knew better than anyone that his little sister''s heart had an exceptional talent for people''s intentions, it was like a sixth sense of sorts.


    No one knew, not even Leonardo, that this sixth sense of Leona would be the foundation of a powerful psychic martial intent in the future. One can say that under her eyes, no heart could conceal the deepest of its desires.


    However, that remains a thing for the distant future when this Goddaughter attains her sainthood. For now, she was nothing more than a child deprived from parental love for the better years of her childhood.


    Leonardo looked at the kid with a smile without saying anything, simply observing the wariness in his brown eyes.


    At this moment, Juvia walked in with the pot wrapped up in a thick cloth before she sat down on the floor where a mattress was prearranged by Leona and Leonardo. She then smiled faintly at the kid.


    "You must be hungry, Kieran."


    Almost by divine intervention to expose the little boy who was barely fourteen years old, his stomach growled deeply. Blushing, he ignored his reservations about Juvia''s deathly aura since his little sister seemed fine with it, and he quickly approached them.


    To the side, Leonardo was deep in thought as he could sense a slumbering potential within both Kieran''s and Leona''s bodies. He knew that if they cultivated properly, sainthood wouldn''t be their limit, but perhaps mid-divinity.


    That begs the question as to who are their real parents?


    Leonardo has a father suspect in mind after observing the settlement for two weeks, but who could be the mother? As he was in deep thoughts, he noticed two dogs peek their heads through the door, followed by four small heads.


    All six pairs of eyes were focused on the meatballs in the soup.


    Chuckling lightly, Leonardo ced Leona near the pot before rummaging through the travel sack carried by Juvia. A momentter, he tossed the thigh of a mystical beast to the family of dogs.


    The small family rushed into the small hut and began to wolf down the food. However, the two parents only ate a small portion before abstaining from the rest.


    Watching this scene, for some reason, Leona''s eyes began to water down rivulets of tears. Not knowing what to do, she clung to Kieran''s chest while bawling her eyes out.


    On this particr night, the small hut felt much warmer to the two siblings. Leonardo  and Juvia didn''t interrupt the children and merely minded their own business.


    Only when Leona realised how drenched Kieran''s ragged shirt was did she stop and forcefully sniffed back her snot while apologetically expressing herself, "Sorry, I don''t know what happened¡­ Now you might get cold, big brother¡­"


    Kieran shrugged and patted Leona''s small head while saying, "I don''t remember thest time I saw you crying, letting it out once in a while is good for health, especially for a child like you."


    Leona was about to protest but before she could, Leonardo nodded his head in agreement. "He''s right, you need to take advantage of having a chest to cry into, because a lot of people would kill for a luxury like that."

 Chapter 19 Silent Tears

    ?Time quickly passed by and the two children fell asleep near a clump of me conjured by Juvia. They hugged each other close, wrapped up in a dirty nket.


    Leonardo was standing near an open hole in the hut checking the situation outside for the night. From behind him, Juvia approached while fixing her sses out of habit.


    "Are you really adopting them?" She asked what was on her mind, as she never expected Leonardo to have a soft spot for children. Of course, it wasn''t entirely because of having a soft spot, but perhaps some of the cause could be attributed to that.


    Leonardo grew up without a father figure and perhaps this was the shadow behind his sentiments for Leona and Kieran. However, he also knew that if they were mere mortals doomed with a mortal constitution and/or physique, he wouldn''t have bothered with adopting them.


    Leonardo didn''t respond for two obvious reasons. First, he already made up his mind about it, questioning his decision at this point in time is fruitless. Second, he didn''t need nor did he ount for a second opinion regarding his personal life.


    Juvia, who was trying to have some small talks with Leonardo, seemed to realise that  she was intruding on his personal life far too frequently.


    Thus, she decided to wisely shut her trap and retreat for the night and apany the children in their sleep, albeit she wasn''t actually sleeping nor was Leonardo.


    The next morning, Leona and Kieran woke up to find Juvia seated nearby.


    She was watching Leonardo ying with the four ck puppies. Well, he was hosting a few bs of meet on his palms for them to eat as they tangled yfully with his hand.


    Not too far away, the grown dogsidzily with some meat leftovers on the ground in front of them. They didn''t seem concerned about the safety of their puppies near Leonardo, seemingly aware that he meant them no harm.


    "Get up and get yourselves washed up, I prepared a tub of warm water for you two in the back room." Juvia addressed the two children with a faint smile before she continued, "You''ll find a new set of clothing inside there as well, be quick!"


    Leona''s sleepy eyes widened in disbelief before she rushed to the back room. Soon, a high-pitched shriek followed by a loud ssh of water echoed through the room.


    Kieran felt embarrassed for his little sister, but he was also curious about how it felt to bathe in warm water and so he quickly excused himself and followed his little sister. Leonardo gave Juvia a look, and she quickly understood before following after the two children to help them clean up properly and dress properly.


    About an hour of water tossing and childrenughingter, the situation settled down and Juvia walked into the living room with a helpless smile on her drenched face. Following Leonardo''s instructions, she couldn''t use any cultivation based abilities in the presence of these children, at least not in an obvious manner. Hence, she had to suffer the bullet and tease of Leona throughout the entire course of events.


    Kieran was more reserved as he didn''t wish to anger this beautiful big sister, especially with the ufortable aura she gave off. Leonardo also knew that Juvia wasn''t properly controlling her martial intent, but he didn''t mention it to her as this wasn''t something solved in a matter of days.


    Leona had a refreshing air about her with her blue one piece dress and soft sandals. As for Kieran, Juvia fashioned him a white t-shirt and a pair of blue shorts matching Leona''s dress, not to mention his white sneakers.


    These were clothes created from Juvia''s magic. As a saint, she could now project her magic to the outside world with ease, and the energy didn''t need to maintain close proximity to her body or energy reserves to function properly.


    One can say that such simple spells were already within the realms of being self sufficient.


    The morning activities of a rural ce such as the settlement of convicts were nothing grand. A few dunken, eye sunken, bedraggled meny strewn across the dirt roads. Garbage and inedible waste products littered the streets, and robust men brawled their way and screamed at one another in a disy of boredom and strength.


    However, on this day, something new happened.


    A young adult trailed by a breathtaking mature elf walked down the dirty streets of this settlement. Not only that, they were dressed in light white outfits that exemplified their beauty and elegance, not to mention the two children in theirpany.


    Leona refused to distance herself from Leonardo. Hence, the young businessman could do nothing but hold her little hand as they approached a rather crowded corner at the edge of the settlement where a group of men and women stormed two muscr white horses.


    Each horse was saddled with thick hides of intricate design and colorful fabrications. A lot of people were surprised to see the two kids all dressed up, neat and tidy. However, the majority were yet to notice as their eyes were draw to the exceptional steeds.


    "Excuse me," Leonardo parted his lips, and his maic voice drifted across all the way in ripples, striking into everyone''s ears alike. Of course, this was only possible because Juvia extended a domain that enveloped the street where Leonardo took advantage of the medium to distribute his voice equally to everyone''s ears.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Now, truly everyone had their eyes on this group of four.


    A particrly muscr man who was inadvertently dropping his bread every now and then seemed to realise something before stepping out from the crowd with a particrly curious expression as he said, "You two¡­ Are you here to kidnap the children of this ce or something?!"


    Leona and Kienar were the only children in a ce like this. No one knew exactly whom children they are, but it was an unwritten rule for some time now to leave them to their own devices.


    Of course, some people with enough influence and privy to something, and this man was one of those people, much like the owner of the night pub in the makeshift red district.


    Of course, Leonardo knew that this man was secretly looking after these children. Hence, he didn''t take his usations to heart as he responded calmly.


    "I am their adopted Godfather, they deserve better than this life."


    The man''s scarred face twisted as he snarled, "We don''t need the pity of you rich motherfuckers. Take your horses, leave the kids behind, and fuck off before I changed my mind!"


    At this point, the people watching the show pulled some distance, save for a fewzy-looking men who leaned closer to the tall brute of a man. Leonardo sighed, as he didn''t like violence, "I know you have been taking care of them on the behest of someone else, which is why I don''t feel like killing you or anyone else in this ce."


    "In fact, I am on my way back to Valdmor to fetch some food, water, and clothes for the people of this settlement. If you don''t believe me, you can follow in our steps to check for yourself."


    The man''s expression faltered, not realising that he was being spied on for the past two weeks. If so, the mysterious young man could have assassinated him and no one would be the wiser.


    Although criminals, the people of this settlement weren''t impulsive idiots. Honestly, Leonardo felt rather surprised because ording to some fantasy novels he chanced upon, the other party should be some obstinate unreasonable fool who would send wave after wave of subordinates to their untimely deaths.


    Instead, the man struggled for a while, then swept his eyes over the little girl who clung tightly to the young man''s thigh and Kieran who stood silently in the back.


    The man seemed to have aged considerably as he sighed. Although he watched over them in the shadows, he grew rather attached to the two brats. Thus, seeing someone who could provide better lives didn''t sit right with him.


    Although he knew that the rational choice was to let them go, he felt utterly reluctant to let them go. Leona seemed to notice something, even though she didn''t know the man or how he took care of them, but she was inclined to believe in what Godfather Leo told her.


    Thus, she timidly took small steps forward, approaching the group of fierce men. The man who was struggling internally didn''t notice her approach until he felt a soft and small body pressing against his muscr thigh, snapping him back to the situation at hand.


    "Thank you, uncle."


    The moment the man looked down, he saw the adorably round face of Leona and her clear brown eyes. The man sighed in defeat and rxed his taut muscles before rubbing Leona''s head with his massive hand that was big enough to cover her face.


    Regardless, the caressing felt rather pleasant to the little girl as she smiled.


    A momentter, the robust man stepped aside and allowed the party a path to the two white horses.


    "Just go before I''ve changed my mind!" He barked, putting on a solid front. When the group passed by, Leonardo''s patted the man''s wide shoulder, and he could feel that the man''s body was trembling ever so slightly.


    "You''re good!" Leonardo left these two words before mounting his horse and picking a hyped Leona to hisp, allowing Kieran and Juvia to mount the other one.


    Thus, on this day, the monotone morning routine of the settlement was broken, and it would forever change after this day.


    Also, on this day, a seasoned criminal shed tears in silence.

 Chapter 20 House Hestia

    ?Lady Rosaline of House Hestia sat on her high chair which rested on a grandiose crimson throne. She rested concealed behind a blood red canopy that blocked vision and sense from any invading parties as a row of 36 low chairs lined up to either of her sides evenly in a semicircle.


    A total of over hundreds of floating continents orbit around the Immortal Kingdom of House Hestia. Unlike the lower and middle realms, a star system in the higher realms doesn''t consist of celestial bodies revolving around a massive star, but a mysterious domain of solidified ether energy supportive of life that extends for light years on end if need be.


    Within the confines of this domain, citizens are afforded protection against lethal elements in the otherwise starry void of the higher realm. Lethal elements such as void monsters, radiations, explosive stars, ck holes, and countless other natural disasters.


    Divine cultivators require the self sustained domain of an Immortal Kingdom to maintain the prosperity of their respective dimensions where their followers and progeny multiply and prosper.


    Out of the hundreds of divine dimensions, only 36 of them belong to the branch families of House Hestia, though that doesn''t include the dimensions located somewhere in the depths of the void. These are merely the dimensions registered under the protection of the main bloodline.


    That is to say, the 36 chairs below Lady Rosaline''s throne were upied by the family heads of each branch of these house''s discussing the critical matters pertaining to the unforeseen future of the family. If one was to pay attention, none of the 36 seated elders, be it men or women, shared Nier''s signature scarlet phoenix eyes.


    That had to do with the incestous nature of the main branch to maintain the purity of the bloodline and guarantee the session of their bloodthirsty martial intent. Thus, the fact that Nier''s father and eldest brother had gone missing simultaneously brought the main line of the family into a crisis. At the worst case scenario where the son went missing, the father would take the responsibility to reproduce with his daughter.


    However, it just happened that both the father and son went missing for over a thousand years now without notice of their status or locations.


    Since the siblings had not been wed nor was the youngdy bedded by the young master, the next case on the agenda should be to find a suitable partner for the youngdy, and by extension that would guarantee the session of the bloodthirsty martial intent and perhaps introduce a new martial intent into the main family line.


    Of course, Lady Rosaline thought differently. She thought that their unique martial intent was fit for violence and ughter. In a world where might makes right, everyone and their mother wants in on this unique martial intent, and thus the other Immoral Kingdoms conspired against her brother and son to force her hand into wedding her only daughter.


    Well, she would rather bathe the upper realms in so much blood that the neutral elements of ether would be dyed red over capitting to their schemes.


    "Your Excellency Lady Rosaline, you have been declining marriage proposals, even maternal ones, for the past few century! At this rate, the opposing Immoral Kingdoms will take this as a sign of contempt and wage war onto our Star System!" Although the members of this particr meeting were, in all sense of the word, family. s, everyone outside the main family line was confined to never make it to immortality with their ineptws derived from second rate martial intents.


    Thus, other than prancing around and tossing their opinions, they could do nothing to make decisions that affect the fate of the House as a whole. That responsibility lies solely in the hands of the immortals of House Hestia.


    Although no one can see it, a pair of elegantly shimmering crimson eyeszily swept over the anxious expressions of everyone present. Her soft red lips parted gently as she yawned in a naughty manner, not dignifying theint with a reply as she felt it was way beneath her status.


    Another one of the high divinities, a woman, spoke her mind, "There are plenty of promising young noblemen ready to marry into our house, your Excellency! Although the youngdy is talented, sooner orter she must find a husband to sire an heir to the family, we should maximise our gains!"


    While one voice of reason after another spoke to the seemingly thin curtains concealing the throne beneath, no one was aware that Rosaline was already sleeping soundly with her little fist propping against her right cheek.


    The massive gates to the throne room suddenly swung open as a petite youngdy dressed in a in ck dress entered the hall, trailed by no one but her old servant who silently maintained a distance far enough not to infringe upon hisdy''s personal vicinity, but also close enough to protect her from harm if need arises.


    Nier''s sudden intrusion caused everyone to snap in attention to her rude behaviour. However, she didn''t bother giving any of those cowards a nce before she spoke tly, "Leave us alone."


    "We should be saying that!" One of the branch divinities spoke up. Interestingly enough, it was the same woman who argued for potential gains.


    Nier looked at this distant rtive whom she couldn''t recognise on the family tree with a puzzled look as she voiced her doubts.


    "And you are?¡­" Nier''s young and genuinely confused expression tossed oil onto the raging inferno of rage that bubbled up within the woman. She stared intently at the pair of crimson phoenix eyes with intense envy and malice.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Lady Rosaline slowly parted her eyelids to check the situation. Seeing that it was her daughter arguing with the bunch of trash, she decided to return to her short nap as no one would dare act up in her presence.


    However, before she could close her eyespletely, a faint fluctuation of life its source being her daughter''s lower abdomen struck her like a bolt out of the blue.


    She immediately passed down her orders, "Leave us alone!"


    This was the first and might as well be thest sentence Rosaline uttered in this facade of a meeting. The branch divinities felt helpless and frustrated, but they could do nothing about it. Thus, the throne room was quickly emptied out, leaving Nier alone to face the screen of crimson silk that blocked her vision and senses.


    Behind the curtain, Rosaline fixed her eyes on her daughter''s abdomen silently. Nier knew what to do, and thus she came clean about everything that happened as pregnancy in their family was a huge matter.


    She spoke of how she went to seek the favour from an immortal fortune teller who directed her towards a mortal from a called Earth. She was told that she would be the missing piece of the puzzle in his life and vice versa.


    At first, she didn''t know what to make of it, that is until she sent him into the Exiled Paradise where he somehow managed toprehend thews of that forsakennd and nurture a unique martial intent tuned to its nature.


    One thing led to another, and she decided to gamble with her fortune and gave her chastity to him. Little did she expect he was a virgin, allowing her to obtain the essence of the deste martial intent. If that wasn''t enough, she even found out that she was pregnant with his child, and she could feel the essence of her bloodthirsty martial intent and his deste martial intent flooding into the new life within her womb.


    Thepatibility of these intents was astounding to say the least, and her child will be the first generation offspring of such a fusion. Thus, she decided to put a hold on her ns and return home to give birth to this child.


    Rosaline listened with rapt attention to the fascinating story, her eyes and lips parting at the absurdity of it all. However, she also felt jealous of her daughter for plucking the essence of such a martial intent.


    Whoever to dual cultivate with that young man now would have a slim chance of obtaining a sliver of his martial intent, and only a sliver of it.


    "Does he know that you''re carrying his child?" Rosaline suddenly asked out of the blue.


    "Not yet." Nier felt confused, but she shook her head nheless.


    "Oh," Rosaline went silent for a moment before asking, "Where is he now?"


    Nier felt even more confused, but she still answered, "He has 5 years to conquer a private of mine in the middle realms, a called Arcadia."


    "Oh," Rosaline went silent for an even longer period before she said, "Alright! Go seclude yourself within my private chambers for the next nine months. I will handle the rest."


    Since Nier knew that it was an impossible task to keep her mother in the dark about something she desired knowing, she opted to be above board whenever questioned.


    She at least knew that now with her pregnancy, her mother would be even more adamant about refusing those so called talents of the younger generation.


    However, what she did not know was that she sessfully nted a seed of curiosity in her mother''s heart, a seed that hopefully won''t bloom into a disaster.

 Chapter 21 Volatile Situation

    ?Leonardo andpany made it back into a particrly odd atmosphere in Valdmor. Though nothing seemed to have changed, Leonardo could sense that something was off, as though a trigger to a ticking time bomb was set off.


    He was gone for merely a month, yet the general tension in the town was at full swing. This could only hint at the progression of recruitment orders passed down by the Venus and Exodian crowns, perhaps the Sluvian crown was involved on this.


    Although the elves and beastkin seemed to operate as per usual, the human citizens have split into opposing factions be it in terms of attitude or otherwise. The crowd moved in groups of twos or more, and caution was written all over their faces.


    The tension was even more so prevalent on little Leona who was acutely sensitive to the hearts of men.


    The trek into the old town under the scrutiny of unscrupulous eyes was anything but pleasant to the young ones, but be it out of reservations or yet a more sophisticated reason, no one involved themselves with the party of young humans escorted by a mature beautiful elf.


    Only when the party made it inside their room at the inn did Leona visibly rx and stare curiously at a particr corner. Seeing this, Leonardo was genuinely shocked because he didn''t think this was a mere coincidence.


    The little girl''s intuition was frightening because the next moment, a petite girl with long silver hair made her presence known with a look of unbridled astonishment on her face. She, too, felt incredulous and humbled when her concealment was seen through.


    Leonardo smiled tly at this and pointed out the w in Pandora''s concealment, "You need to mp down on your intense feelings when you mask your presence, don''t understand the mysteries of someone''s instinct."


    Leonardo then patted Leona who was petrified in shock that a human could pop out of thin air. Of course, at this point, Leonardo was sure that Leona''s instinct must be some sort of an innate martial intent.


    There was no way in hell a nine years old could temper her instincts to such a level unless she was like him, trapped in some god forsaken corner of the universe cut off from the flow of time. Of course, the difference between Leonardo''s instinct and Leona''s was purely their mastery and control over their sixth sense.


    There existed a lot of irritable convicts in the Exiled Paradise, so much that the slightest of psychic fluctuations in their domains of perception would warrant a beating. However, those bitter memories are better kept on the shelf.


    Kieran was just as shocked as his little sister, but he was more so the introvert type so he silently stood to the side. Juvia seemed to be the only one to notice the new item on Pandora''s body, an energy rifle, but she assumed it was something Leonardo arranged for her littlepetitor for Leonardo''s good praises.


    Leonardo, in fact, had a vague feeling that this rifle was somehow connected to the high tension outside. Still, he opted to wait for Pandora to exin herself as he stroked Leona''s hair until her shock simmered down.


    "Leader," Pandora quickly settled her thoughts and got her priorities right before sounding out her thoughts, "I want a moniker too!"


    Leonardo blinked, visibly confused for a split second before it all clicked in his mind. She wanted a name just like Juvia, but she also wanted one personally picked by him. Well, that was easy enough, he thought.


    On the other hand, Juvia felt as though she was losing something important with this transaction. Thus, while Leonardo was in thought about a suitable moniker, she took it upon herself to diffuse the situation before it''s toote.


    "Why would you need it? No one knows who you are or where you came from throughout the entirety of Arcadia!" Juvia snorted, her elven charm on standby as herpetitive nature kicked in high gear.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Pandora was thoroughly entranced by her leader''s pensive expression when she was yanked out of her revieree by Juvia''s snide words. ring at her elven counterpart, she barked back, "What has this got to do with you? Keep your nose to the Arcadia business where it belongs!"


    The meaning behind Pandora''s words was that at the end of the day, unlike Juvia, they would have to leave this sooner orter. As for the elf princess? Her sole objective was sainthood, and she had well and over achieved beyond her goals.


    Pandora didn''t even spare her minced words as she continued, "Your potential died out as a saint. Even if you follow us back, what can a mere saint help with? There are millions of people like you; a toddler saint!"


    Juvia''s face flushed red as she spat out her words that might as well sum up everything she knew about Pandora''s profession, "Like you''d have it any better? Out of Arcadia, and god knows what other middle realm off you go, stop acting as though you''re going to follow the leader forever!"


    Juvia''sment struck a sensitive nerve of Pandora''s, catching the girl off guard. Both girls were striking open wounds and retrospect insecurities in efforts to blindside their own.


    Kieran and Leona chose to silently stand aside and act deaf, mute, and blind to it all while Leonardo felt amused by the whole situation.


    "Alright enough! Sigh¡­" Leonardo interjected before they imnted some psychological damage to their state of mind. He recalled some of the lectures his master spoke of during his tenure in the Exiled Paradise, most lectures were about martial intent and other mechanisms ofbat free of internal energy.


    "Each of you has a sliver of my martial intent already, that is to say your innate talents are amenable and susceptible for future development. I have a n in mind to increase your talents and cultivation, though peak sainthood might be the limit for the foreseeable future." Although Leonardo wasn''t sure how high his martial intent would propel their innate talents, he at least knew that in due time, the benefits would show themselves.


    Of course, the method he spoke of was dual cultivation. Under peculiar circumstances, the seed of his martial intent was already nted within the two women, hence the process would be much smoother in the future.


    Both Pandora and Juvia couldn''t believe their ears as they have never heard of someone propelling someone''s talent relying solely on their own. Of course, this orthodox method is forbidden in the higher realms because a lot of dak hand factions hunt talented yet unripe cultivators, extract the essence of their martial intent, then force them into dual cultivation to breed and evolve other talents.


    This kind of vile manhunt disgusts the ISC.


    With that off the table, Leonardo looked at Pandora and cleared his throat, "As for your moniker, how about White Specter?"


    Pandora didn''t care what the moniker was, she only wanted one from her leader to somehow ease the urges from the depths of her blood as she nodded silently, though her eyes overflowed with honey and joy.


    Then, seemingly recalling something of less significance to her new identity, she disyed her new weapon to Leonardo as she said, "Leader, I got this from the Andrew guy''s shipments while keeping an eye on their movements! It can silently st someone to death from over a two kilometre range before they could even react to it!"


    "Oh," Leonardo nodded, now understanding the vtile situation in Valdmor. Andrew must have suspected his business partner with the theft, disturbing their rtionship. Of course, Leonardo didn''t know that Andrew was so adamant about his suspicions because he himself harboured such thoughts in the first ce.


    Leonardo''s eyes shed with a devious glint as he said, "Tell me everything you know about these rifles and shipments in detail."

 Chapter 22 Choosing A Partner

    ?Leonardo was afforded some time before the food supplies and other necessities were rounded up in a chain of carriages for delivery. Until then, he decided to draft a training regime for himself, Juvia, and Pandora.


    The three of them stood together in a deserted open field not too far from Valdmor. Leona and Kieran sat on a protruding b of rock in the distance, watching curiously as Leonardo exined the details of the training.


    "My cultivation has increased significantly in such a short amount of time that I honestly have no clue how to understand the concept of this strength. As for you two, starting from Winter Soldier, your control over your energy iscking to the point that even children with high enough instincts could sense its attributes."


    "As for White Specter, what youck is simply refined technique for close proximitybat in hand to hand. As far as I can tell, you''re not used to prolongedbat, you''re essentially an assassin."


    "Thus, our training will include a session of hand to handbat where we will limit our cultivation to level 1, and then fight. Each fight will conclude after ten exchanges, and these are the rules¡­"


    "If I win six out of ten exchanges by the end of each cycle, both sides will increase their cultivation by 1 level ordingly towards the eleventh exchange. We will keep going until I can win six out of ten exchanges at level 30."


    "In case O exhausted my stamina, after a short break toprehend our gains and losses, I will start again with my second training partner, Winter Soldier."


    "This will be the first part of the training for the next few days. As for the second part," Leonardo thought about how to drive this one home as he spoke, "That would be dual cultivation to supplement your innate talents. However, if you don''t want to, I won''t force the matter."


    "I don''t mind!"


    "I don''t mind!"


    Both Pandora and Juvia spoke at the same time. Then, they red at one another with death states. Leonardo felt a headache and wash over him as he didn''t expect their enthusiasm to be so high they almost fought then and there.


    "Let''s be straight with our training, then." Leonardo ignored their little contest and spoke up, calling for Pandora to step forward.


    Leonardo''s foundations in armlessbat with human limited strength could be described as off the charts as both his experience and technique were derived from high divinities and immortals. Hence, hepletely trounced Pandora by winning all ten exchanges for every cycle from the first level to the tenth level.


    His timing, muscle memory, power distribution, judgement of battle dynamics, and reflexes were superb. However, when adding the curious element of internal energy into the ever soplicated alchemy ofbat, Leonardo began disying ring ws.


    Everything that seemed like a perfectly flowing river of water now looked like a blurred piece of art. The sudden change caught the two women so off guard, Pandora almost lost control over her internal energy and pped Leonardo to death.


    Leonardo''s foundations of energy control weren''t just bad, they were practically nonexistent! By the time Leonardo was out of stamina after a training session from early morning till high noon, he was at a bottleneck with the cycle of level 13.


    After much needed rest and food, Leonardo restarted the training with Juvia while Pandora stood to the sidelines, either silently watching or talking with the two children about where they came from, how they''ve met Leonardo, and whatnot.


    She was surprised to know that Leonardo adopted them as his Godchildren, her first instinct was to ask if that elf temptress took them in as their Godmother as well.


    Luckily for her, Juvia didn''t dare take them as her adopted children after Leonardoid im to them as his own. She knew her ce and value, thus she presented herself as a kind big sister.


    By the time Leonardo and Juvia reached level 13, Juvia gained enough understanding of her strength and death energy to bnce out five wins of the ten exchanges. Thus, the two would repeat the level 13 cycle over and over in an ever increasing pace, speed, and momentum.


    Juvia was a smart woman driven by a sense ofpetition with her human counterpart ranger. As a mage, her hand to hand basics were on the same level as Pandora, perhaps even significantly lower.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, her control over energy and her innate affinity to its elements allowed her to catch up in her own ways, thus not falling behind.


    Although Leonardo trounced Pandora only to be utterly demolished near the cycle of level 13, his contest with Juvia was more like a tug of war between them as neither could gain a significant advantage.


    One can say that introducing death energy to Juvia''s nature energy ruined her foundations to a stage simr to Leonardo''s, while introducing the concealment affinity of the deste martial intent to Pandora''s foundations was an undeniable buff.


    Soon, it was time for the sun to set and dusk to colour the sky in a scarlet hue.


    Leonardo sat in a lotus position on the ground, drenched in sweat with his silver hair stered over his damp forehead. At the end of the day, he managed to stabilise his foundations up to level 19 for the day, which was in itself good progress.


    The moment he opened his eyes, Pandora and Juvia were standing in front of him. Juvia had a brilliant smile on her face, while Pandora simply stood there with a stoic expression, yet her eyes betrayed her anxiety and eagerness.


    This was the part for Leonardo to choose his dual cultivation partner for the night. ording to logic, he should choose Juvia as she was the one in dire need toplement her energy and martial intent.


    On the other hand, she was also the one that could be partially held responsible for Mordred''s death, not to mention he spent almost a month at her side while Pandora remained behind doing all sorts of tasks.


    After giving it some thought, he looked at Juvia.


    "Juvia," They were far enough from Leona and Kieran they didn''t need to hide their real identities. Thus, Leonardo continued, "Take Leona and Kieran back to the inn ande back tomorrow morning, I''ll spend the night with Pandora."


    Juvia''s brilliant smile faltered as it crumbled away. She looked at her leader with pleading eyes that seemed toin about how her mature figure would trounce over that human brat any day of the week.


    However, she knew better than to disregard a directmand and thus she could only knead her forehead and reply, "Consider it done!"


    Knowing that she should be feeling frustrated, Leonardo could only shake his head and say, "You apanied me for an entire month while she was locked up by her lonesome all this time, not to mention I had her run some errands for my future ns. This could be considered her reward for the hard work."


    Juvia nodded her head in understanding as she cheered up, thinking that this makes the score even between herself and Pandora.


    All this time, Pandora was petrified on the spot, her face flushed red and her mind nk, not knowing how to respond after realising she would apany her leader to a session of intimate love making.


    Although it was essentially just a session of cultivation, she didn''t care about that detail at all.


    Leonardo felt amused by Pandora''s behaviour. He stood there, overshadowing her petite figure, but she was oblivious to it all in her daze. Leonardo would be lying to himself if he said he wasn''t biassed towards Pandora due to the simrities between her figure and Nier''s.


    If there was a difference, that would be Nier''s chest that wasn''t as t as Pandora''s, but beggars can''t be choosers now can they?


    Leonardo propped up Pandora''s stiff chin before sealing her lips into his, pumping some life into her dazed eyes that quickly transmitted like a wave of hot fire, igniting her body from head to toes in preparation for what toe.

 Chapter 23 Pandora’s First Time

    ?If the stars and the three moons had eyes, they would question the type of forey ongoing below their crystalline sparkle.


    Leonardo found Pandora too stiff to progress things the orthodox way. Thus, the two were now interlocked in hand to handbat once again. However, there was one small adjustment to the practice.


    Both were stark naked.


    Leonardo couldn''t deny how aroused he felt in the face of Pandora''s sleek skin, silver shy eyes, awkward positioning as she tried to retaliate while simultaneously concealing her bare breasts and uncharted lips between her thick thighs.


    She soon realised that ying the defensive would only allow her leader to feast his eyes on her figure even more. Although she felt happy in her heart, driven by embarrassment, the intensity of her retaliation grew in folds to give him something else to keep his eyes on.


    Although this temporarily worked out, she quickly ran out of stamina.


    Sweat began to pour down her smooth spotless skin that stood in contrast to Nier''s beautifully scarred figure. Quickly, she made a rudimentary mistake due to the exhaustion she felt both physically and mentally.


    Leonardo grappled at Pandora''s right hand before drawing her in the moment she distabilised her centre of gravity, quickly twirling the petite body in his captive to press her back into his broad hot chest, her feeble arms crossed onto her abdomen.


    "L-leader¡­" Pandora whispered, her face flushed red as she felt the meat shaft nestling between her proud and firm buttocks, poking against her lower back in a way that made her spine jelly numb.


    With a chuckle, Leonardo rested a kiss on Pandora''s scalp and continued with a chain of pecks across her nape, right shoulder, and eventually his eyes rested on her chest with its pastle pink protruding nipples.


    Each kiss sent Pandora''s body shivering in restlessness and expectation. A curious feeling ate away at her lower abdomen as her little cave began secreting nectar that was wholly unfamiliar to her. She wanted to cover up herself, but her tiny hands were mped down against her skin under Leonardo''s left palm.


    "Excuse me," He whispered to her right ear in a soothingly tempting tone, that for the love of her, she could not contemte refusing. The next moment, she gasped in shock and vivid pleasure as Leonardo''s fingers danced across her wet slit and tingling clit.


    Her blood boiled so much, patches of red dotted her body from her cheeks, thighs, buttocks, and eventually her nipples stood as erect as ever while she climaxed on the spot. Her legs wobbled and she felt light headed, not knowing why or how her body felt so weak when she was up and fighting barely a minute prior.


    Leonardo gently princess carried Pandora who was outright seeing stars in her eyes to the patch of robes they dressed the ground with beforeying her down. The overwhelming weakness post-orgasms finally relinquished im over Pandroa''s numb brains as she came to realise what just happened.


    Looking up, she found her breathtaking leader propped above her body. She felt her hands sped above her head in a tight grip and hence she instinctively searched for her legs, instinctively locking them across Leonardo''s hips, pulling his groin to grind against her own in the process.


    The sensation transmitted across her body telling her of the iing danger of a stiff, hot, and foreign member about tounch a hostile invasion to explode the depths of her body rmed her greatly, though not in a negative light.


    She gasped once again, arching her back instinctively to pursue the not so familiar sensation of climax. Her hips awkwardly grinded away against the foreign tool of pleasure as her stiff expression melted away into a sensual mess.


    Panting, her eyes betrayed her utmost desires as sheshed out with her little mouth on a quest to find Leonardo''s, and heplied to her demands by seizing her soft lips into his own. They ate away at each other based on sheer animalistic instinct, their tongues mashed into one another as their hips elerated until finally, his nectar soaked shaft plunged into the warmths of a new world.


    Leonardo grunted in pleasure while Pandora winced in pain, her slender fingers albeit locked away behind Leonardo''s palm, bent over and dug into his knuckles. A trail of blood raced down Pandora''s thigh, but it was quickly washed away by currents of secretions the further Leonardo pushed his advances.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Pandora arched her back ordingly, gasping for air per each inch of territory lost to her male counterpart. Soon enough, she felt stuffed full, a bulging muscle disyed across her t abdomen which she assumed to be a man''s cock.


    Leonardo found Pandora''s expression to be quite the novelty, as she stared nkly at her abdomen in a daze, ayer of hazy tears umting at the rims of her reddish eyes. Pain and confusion intertwined briefly before giving birth to lust and pleasure in those silver eyes.


    "Are you alright?" Leonardo''s maic voice tugged at Pandora''s attention. When she no longer felt the stinging pain, she nodded her head in a bashful yet longing manner.


    Since this was her first time, Leonardo opted to treat her body as gently as he could, picking up his pace gradually while locking her up in a kiss. Now that the difficult part was under the rug, he released her restrained hands which she quickly brought to hug his waist and shoulder, clinging to him as her nails dug into his skin.


    When their lips finally separated, a visible thread of saliva bridged the gap between their tongues. Pandora swallowed the aftertaste of Leonardo''s saliva before she found herself moaning away in pleasure the moment Leonardo increased his momentum with a powerful thrust that touched on her soul.


    Embarrassed, she lunged forward and bit at his exposed shoulder to gag herself shut, only whimpers of pleasure that drowned under the constant smacking noises of their flesh echoing under the night sky.


    Before long, Pandora found her body spasming, her silver eyes rolled into their sockets as she climaxed yet again. Careful of getting her pregnant, Leonardo quickly plucked out his cock during the moment of weakness where Pandora''s legs gave way, resting his swollen stiff cock across her sulent abdomen before a burst of sticky whtie substance painted her skin.


    Leonardo sat up, panting heavily as he nced down at the woman soaked in sweat and semen with an indulgent expression on her rxed face. He reached out a hand, adjusting her silver locks behind her sticky face.


    Some focus returned to the maiden''s eyes as she smiled weakly.


    It seems that climaxing back to back is her limit for now, Leonardo thought to himself,pletely forgetting how he passed out in the same manner after being sexually abused by Nier who did nothing other than cowgirl riding back then. Then again, the difference in strength was simply that vast.


    "Are we¡­ Done?" Pandora asked meekly, feeling weak all over.


    Leonardo smiled tly, thinking that anymore and it might cause harm to her body. Thus, he nodded his head, leaned forward, and kissed her forehead softly before allowing her the respite she so needed.


    ¡­


    Early the following morning, Pandora found herself seated on a rock with Leonardo standing behind her. The pair were yet to put on any semnce of clothing, but Leonardo wanted to help the girl rinse her body with water to get rid of the filth fromst night.


    An hourter, Leonardo and Pandora made their way back to Valdmor neat and tidy. The whole way back, Pandora would seal nces at Leonardo''s back and when she wasn''t, she would simply stare at her two feet.


    As for Leonardo, he wasn''t particrly upied with thinking aboutst night. Instead, he was wondering how strained the rtionship between Andrew and Mason had be by now, and whether or not he could take advantage of the situation.


    One matter remained certain is that Jeffery would soon notice the anomaly in Valdmor ande knocking on his doors.

 Chapter 24 Dreadful Miscalculations

    ?"What in the hell is going on¡­" Leonardo gawked in disbelief at the crowds of frightened civilians streaming out from Valdmor''s gates, the lines of brash burly men lined up in siege outside the town, and rows of armedbatants shouting battle cries.


    At the helm of this group of crazy bastards was Andrew. Behind him stood fifteen capable bodyguards, each of them armed with an energy rifle familiar to that Leonardo saw with Pandora two days ago.


    "Did you act on your own ord without my consent again?" Leonardo asked Pandora who was just as confused as he.


    She quickly shook her head in denial of such usations before iming her innocence of such actions, "No! Leader, I have done nothing without you explicit permission ever since your return!"


    Leonardo touched his chin and observed the changes with interest. Seemingly, the value of these energy rifles is beyond his original estimations. Luckily, Juvia was already a saint, thus he needn''t worry about the children in herpany.


    "Mason! This is yourst chance toe clean, otherwise don''t me me for marching on your town and raze it to the ground!" A level 25 cultivator stood next to Andrew, screaming out words that the businessmen whispered into his ears.


    Valdmor is an ancient town where many forces across the forbidden domain are entrenched and involved in its economy. Just because of their backgrounds, that doesn''t mean they could afford to throw their weight around bullying people or harming the daily operations of the market.


    Thus, the only way to resolve this conflict is by taking it elsewhere, and elsewhere could also mean openly going to war. The thick gates of the town opened and a party of four walked out at leisure.


    One mature female elf, two human children, and a fat man sweating buckets with a nervous smile on his face.


    Juvia, Leona, Kieran, and Jeffery strode through the tension-wracked streets, each with a different expression on their faces. Both Jeffery and Leona seemed awfully ufortable, Kieran had a solemn expression on his otherwise calm young features, while Juvia utterly disregarded everything else.


    The ruckus and fighting early in the morning frightened Leona awake into shock and tears. The girl was always awfully enthusiastic about expressing her emotions just as much as she was sensitive to the emotions of everyone around her.


    Terms such as an open book, heart on her sleeves, and emotional mess couldn''t describe thisss any better. If it wasn''t for that, Juvia wouldn''t bother leaving the inn and apanying the children outside the town.


    She attempted to iste the room inside a sound barrier with her energy. s, much like Pandora''s concealment, this failed to block the girl''s instincts and hyper sensitivity to an atmosphere heavily invested in raw negative emotions.


    Left without a choice, Juvia could only leave the confines of the town until things calmed down. This would have been a good choice if Jeffery wasn''t tagging along, as the mere sight of his face angered Andrew as a potential idea finally surfaced in his mind.


    Could they have been yed? Perhaps it was Jeffery who stole the rifle and pinned the me on Mason? Was he vindictive that they had enough capital to buy these weapons and have enough money to spare for fortifications?


    That must be it! Andrew who saw only in red with no target to vent his frustrations quickly locked eyes on Jeffery who was stiffly following behind the group.


    Andrew was unaware of the association between Juvia, the two children, and Leonardo. For all he knew, Jeffery''s merepany of an elf is a living proof that the man brought elven interference into their sh of interest.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Out of everyone in the group, perhaps only Leona perceived the brewing hatred directed towards their group out of everyone evacuating from Valdmor. In fact, Leonardo noticed something off as well, but he was too far to act and the enraged Andrew already pulled out a heavy revolver and opened fire in the group''s general direction.


    Next thing everyone knew, a bullet ran through multiple bodies of humans and other races alike.


    Mason''s marksmanship aside, Andrew''s aim was far from perfect, and the bullet was just that fast.


    "LEONA!" Leonardo''s lifeless eyes constricted, and the next thing he knew, his vision altered between bleak grey and dense red, almost rendering the man blind. His shout was so loud it struck like a p of thunder in the distance, shaking the cliff he mounted to the base as rocks and debris came crashing down the high mountain behind him like an avnche.


    Pandora flet her blood boil over while Juvia felt a heavy tug at her soul, snapping her to make an instinctive decision. Next thing she knew, she pushed the children away and stood firm in the face of the iing projectile of energy that carried the volume of an essence crystal.


    With a ssh of viscous red, the bullet wedged deep into her abdomen, but it couldn''t prate through Juvia''s physique that was full of energy within and out. Juvia spat a mouthful of blood and dropped to one knee. Had she had enough time, any defensive spell would do, but she had to make a snap decision.


    Jeffery and Kieran gaped in a daze while Leona outright fainted from the overbearing influx of raw emotions in the air. However, a cacophony of miserable crises suddenly alerted everyone to look in the direction of those gut wrenching wails.


    A puddle of blood formed under the hundreds of armed soldiers behind Andrew as a white silhouette raced through their ranks.


    Arms, feet, and heads rolled to the skies as the entire formation sank into pandemonium. It was a petite girl with ferocity in her silver eyes and a pair of curved, serrated white daggers dancing elegantly in her hands while she imed one limb at a time, and oftentimes her strikes proved fatal.


    Pandora didn''t know why, but her blood kept urging her with cryptic signals for blood and ughter. Little did she realise that this was a mere proxy to the havoc running through Leonardo''s mind as he struggled to maintain his rationality. Although Pandora''s martial intent was derived from a lesserw than his destion, rendering it outright ineffective, his cultivation base had outright broken through the minor membrane representing his level cap.


    Thetter stages of the mortal cycle, the bridge towards sainthood as some may refer to it, allowed for the faintest traces of projected telepathy, and whose a better conduit to these other than his two followers? Hence, the excessive irrationality Leonardo could not contain was transferred over to Pandora, who ruthlessly expressed these unspeakable whims tomit senseless ughter even though no one was suffering any grave dangers.


    While everyone gaped in horror at the unfolding massacre, Leonardo silently appeared in front of the kneeling and gasping Juvia, carefully inspecting her injuries. Luckily, the projectile was an expression of energy and thus quickly dissipated into the natural order of the world. Other than that, Juvia''s wounds began to slowly but surely heal themselves.


    Juvia smiled weakly at Leonardo''s eyes which altered curiously between dark grey and scarlet red, with an asional sh of absolute lifeless darkness. She didn''t know if these erupting emotions were for her sake or his Godchild, but she felt privileged to witness the conflict within those eyes.


    "Don''t worry, leader¡­" Juvia whispered feebly, "I''m not dying before¡­" Herst sentence was nothing more than incoherent ramblings as she quickly fainted from the excessive blood loss,nding weakly into Leonardo''s broad chest.


    He truly underestimated the intelligence of Jeffery''s business partners. These borderline idiots almost cost him dearly, and he dreaded the thought of it.


    Leonardo sighed, shutting his eyes to get a grip over his emotions before barking at the still dazed Kieran, "Kieran, snap out of it!"

 Chapter 25 Temporary Peace

    ?Kienar''s deep brown eyes snapped back to attention and he was shocked to find his Godfather standing among their group out of the blue. He didn''t know when or how the young man got here, but he threw these doubts to the back of his head and hurriedly picked up his little sister in a piggyback.


    Kienar didn''t know why his Godfather''s t voice didn''t sound that soothing anymore. If anything, it felt somewhat scary. However, the kid quickly trained his eyes back to the big sister called White Specter as she cut down the contingent of mercenaries with a sense of reckless abandon.


    Although it confused him why she attacked every except the bastard who almost killed his little sister, the intelligent boy knew better than to speak up at this point in time.


    Leonardo levelled his tranquil eyes at Jeffery who was just as confused by Leonardo''s appearance as Kienar was. Nevertheless, he was more shocked to know that there was such a terrifying expert protecting Leonardo''s group in the shadows, and that expert was as bloody as bloody could get with their methods.


    Jeffery felt ufortable under Leonardo''s scrutinising eye, but he didn''t have to endure it too long as Leonardo picked up Juvia over his back and gestured for Kieran to follow him into the heat of the ughter.


    At this point, everyone and their mother knew better than to get involved with the small group of Leonardo and his entourage, lest they drew the attention of that white silhouette¡ª no, she was already red from head to toe in the blood of tens of frence mercenaries.


    The group of fifteen armed bodyguards stood in a tightly knit formation around Andrew who was quaking in his boots. Themand to aim and shoot down this woman who was chipping away at his army hung on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn''t find the guts to spit his orders.


    "Halt! Stand back!" One of the bodyguards noticed Leonardo approaching their group from a distance, and decided it was a wise move to shout out a verbal warning thatnded on deaf ears as Leonardo wholly ignored these naked threats and advanced firmly.


    The bodyguards weren''t idiots and like everyone else in the scene, they''ve be aware of the fact that they had dragged a potentially uninvolved party into the dispute over the stolen goods, and matter''s might have spiraled out of control.


    A number of new faces stood on the high fortified walls of Valdmor and watched the show with interest. However, their presence went unnoticed in the heat of the moment below.


    "Leonardo, my friend!" Andrew pushed through his bodyguards with a distressed smile on his ugly face. He just remembered that Leonardo mentioned having an elf assistant, and thus it wasn''t out of the ordinary for Jeffery to be apanied by an elf.


    Sadly, he was too confused, angry, and anxious to think straight.


    All he could do now was hope to settle the dispute as peacefully as possible since he didn''t feel like offending Leonardo without probing the young man''s background or origins.


    However, Leonardo didn''t bother mincing words with this idiot. The moment they stood face to face, Leonardo''s right hand went ablur, and the next thing everyone saw was Andrew''s twisted right cheek with Leonardo''s backhand smacking the man''s teeth into oblivion.


    The middle aged man spun on his heels before he crashed into two of his bodyguards like crumbling dominoes. Before his bodyguards could retaliate, Andrew barked an order through his bloodied teeth.


    "Don''t! Hold your fire! Ptiu!" He spat a tooth and a spittle of saliva and blood with an ugly smile, feeling lucky that it was resolved with a simple backhand.


    Leonardo didn''t even grace the bodyguards with his attention as he braved through their ranks and approached the blood soaked Pandora whose features were unrecognisable at this point. She stood there panting in a sea of blood, flesh, and painful groans.


    Out of the tens of hired troops with ranging levels from 10 to 21, the majority of them were lying dead. All of this to satisfy a sliver of Leonardo''s excessive thirst for blood that he couldn''t keep in check, something he didn''t know was dormant in his personality.


    In a sense, this trait wasn''t innate but inherent from Nier, it simplycked the catalyst to ignite it. The mere prospect of having to witness his own Goddaughter fall to the idiotic conclusion of some low lives almost drove him to the brink of insanity.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo quickly trudged through the stench of blood and stood face to face with Pandora who stood nkly in ce, not knowing what took over her instinct in that moment of befuddlement.


    Sighing, Leonardo patted the girl''s head, unaffected nor was he repulsed by her current state. In fact, he felt relieved and thankful as she expressed what he had to keep bottled up as to not blow his cover as a cultivator, ruining his ns for the long term.


    Pandora, who was worried about getting scolded for acting on inexplicably whims, felt relief wash over her at the sensation of her leader''s gentle caressings, getting the urge to simply groan in satisfaction as she lunged forward and hugged the young man tightly.


    She was utterly scared to displease him one day after their union.


    Back on the fortified walls of Valdmor, the infamous, influential, and great figures of the ancient town got plenty of information to digest from this cruel disy of might.


    One thing was certain, any ns to keep things undercover went with the winds. Now, everyone and their mother would be intrigued with the ins and outs of this peculiar situation.


    Many of these intrigued parties would reach out to Leonardo sooner orter, and the young businessman would find himself thrust in the eye of a political and economic storm between the natives of the forbidden domain and the kingdoms infringing upon its territory.


    It would have been a wonderful moment if Andrew didn''t intrude with his wasted mouth that he didn''t even bother cleaning up.


    He swallowed nervously and said, "Leonardo my friend¡­"


    Leonardo sighed and kept his emotions to himself before fashioning a faint, t smile before nodding his head, "Don''t worry, no hard feelings. Business is business, and this whole farce is just a mistake on your part."


    Andrew sighed, wiping the sweat off his forehead as he nced fearfully at the petitedy hiding in the young man''s arms. He couldn''t for the love of god associate this little girl with the spectre of death that gued his troops moments prior.


    If he had any ns of targeting Leonardo''s small settlement prior to this day, those ns were shelved into a corner of his mind that he would bring to his grave.


    On the far cliff where Leonardo and Pandora just stood, two men stood upright and watched everything unfold with calm expressions.


    One of them, shockingly, was the same burly man who was reluctant to part with the two children. Next to him, a middle aged man with streaks of grey hair mixed in his ck locks watched silently, the centre of his attention being Kieran and Leona.


    "Let''s go, Henry." The man spoke calmly before turning around and walking into the distance. Henry wanted to say something, but the moment he turned around, he found that his friend has vanished into thin air.


    Henry sighed, cursing under his breath, "Fucking House Eternus bastard, you seriously need to read some parenting books in your spare time!" s, he knew his words and advice were redundant.


    "Well, they seem to be in good hands I guess."


    Henry then embarked on a long journey back to the settlement of convicts, his heart at ease after watching the lengths Leonardo would take to protect the two children who were the closest thing to a family he ever had, even if from the shadows.

 Chapter 26 An Expected Invitation

    ?A week went by after the unfortunate incident that was partially Pandora''s fault, or so she thought of it after calming down and rethini the situation over. If she hadn''t stole the rifle in the first ce, Andrew wouldn''t lose his mind and resort to such radical tactics.


    Thus, while Juvia rested bedridden for the entire week, Pandora knelt by the bedside with her head on the floor, refusing to budge an inch as long as Juvia hadn''t fully recovered. She med herself for almost costing their leader his Godchild, and moreover med herself for Juvia''s grave injury.


    Unfortunately, this meant that Leonardo could no longer suitably train and firm his foundations for controlling energy. In fact, he realised that he had awakened a secondary martial intent which he assumed to be House Hestia''s bloodthirsty.


    This martial intent reminded him of those berserk buffs from generic fighting games. Except, this one had a serious stiption that the more one killed, the stronger their intent.


    Leonardo never considered himself to be a senseless killer, so he had no idea how to advance this martial intent of his down the line.


    How should he evolve it into sainthood, divinity, and assimte it into an Immortal Kingdom thereafter? He truly didn''t know. In fact, he thought to simply shelf it away and focus on his deste martial intent instead, as it was more versatile and practical in both means and technique.


    Nheless, one can never have too many martial intents now, right? Or so the young businessman thought as he spent his week shooing away representatives from various factions throughout Valdmor to allow the people under his leadership some much desired serenity.


    Apparently, Leonardo was under the false impression that the three kingdoms vying for the Sovereignty of the human domain were the sole ruling powers. As it seems, there are many other factions and diverse kingdoms throughout the human domain, it just happened that the three ancient lineages hold a stren monopoly over the ticket to Sovereignty.


    Other than that, they and the other kingdoms are like, except that some minor alliances of convenience are frequent here and there. Afterst week''s disy of strength, many of the representatives of these kingdoms festered an interest in diplomatic rtions with the mysterious young man protected by a saint cultivator, and an elf on top of that.


    Furthermore, these factions had be aware of the existence of the energy ore mines, and Leonardo could think with his knees about the consequences. The three royal representatives will have to share their split with interested parties if they want a smooth operation from here on out.


    Thus, while Leonardo andpany kept to themselves in the room, Valdmor was like an explosive shell of activities outside.


    Knock! Knock!


    "I told you I''m not interested¡­" Leonardo sighed ruefully as he opened the door to his room, revealing an exotic beauty with a pair of heterochromia eyes, one blue and the other green, staring at him with a faint smile.


    "Sir Leonardo¡­" The woman began her speech, but was interrupted by the cute little Leona who clung to Leonardo''s left leg with begging eyes.


    "Godfather, I''m hungry!" Leona said, forcing a t smile from Leonardo as he picked up the little girl in her sky blue dress and motioned for the woman to lead the way.


    "Might as well talk on our way to a restaurant downtown, if you don''t mind?"


    The woman was first stunned as her only job was to notify Leonardo about the uing gathering between representatives of various factions to discuss on how to proceed with the mining for resources. However, she didn''t expect to be invited out for a meal and struggled to refuse.


    During this time, Leonardo was already walking ahead and nearing the staircase without the intention of stopping. Helpless, the woman could only bite the bullet and follow through with this arrangement.


    At least, now he would have less of a reason to refuse showing up for the meeting, the woman thought to herself while following to the base floor and outside the inn.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ¡­


    Te''s Dine & Shine, a restaurant managed by old grandma Te and her progeny, a business passed down through ancestry, served as one of the signboard shop fronts that testified to the arduous years Valdmor went through.


    This propelled it into bing one of the few protected establishments that are enjoyed by members recognised as the noble ss of Valdmor. Even if the entire town descended into turmoil, these ancient establishments are at least afforded the courtesy of maintaining neutrality and safe grounds in the chaos.


    The luxury introduced in the architecture of eight storeys stunned Leona who almost forgot to get moving after her Godfather and the strange woman in formal clothing. Leonardo had no choice but to pick up the stunned doll and enter the ground floor of the restaurant, which felt as though they''ve entered a separate dimension.


    Two receptionists who were curiously two elven beauties dressed in white clothing lined in golden strips and embroidered ck rims greeted the party of three.


    "Wee to Te''s, young master Leonardo, youngdy Azalea, how can we help you?" One of the two receptionists spoke up in a pleasant tone of voice that managed to attract Leona''s attention, snapping her out of her daze as she spoke the first thing on her mind.


    "Pretty big!"


    Leonardo was about to voice his fake surprise about how these two knew of his identity when Leona spoke out of turn, drawing a smile from the young businessman before he poked her small nose.


    "Yeah, isn''t it amazing?" Leonardo decided to simply act away as though he wasn''t surprised that his identity waspromised, which was the truth of the matter. Instead, he changed the subject smoothly by gracing the woman with an answer, "I am here to dine, anything would be fine."


    Leonardo wasn''t curious about how they gathered information but about how they would y host with such little information they had about him. Thus, he gave the two spaces to manoeuvre through the options. This way, he wouldn''t embarrass himself by asking for more than what his current status in Valdmor afforded him, and at the same time figure out how much weight his presence would hold in the uing meeting between the various factions, even if through proxy.


    Eventually, Leonardo andpany were escorted to the sixth floor and into a private room. The decorations were pleasing to the eye, multiple inscriptions ovepped to create magic formations that kept the weather cool and refreshing with a few spirited birds in the background.


    Looking that there were two additional floors for him to explore, Leonardo thought that this wasn''t as bad of a result as he expected. While Leonardo was busy doing his own thing, Leona was running around the opulent establishment.


    Very quickly, Leonardo found himself seated face to face on a furnished table with the Azalea, and the two of them were curiously observing Leona trying tomunicate with the blue birds.


    Leonardo didn''t know what ran through Azalea''s head, but he was sure that they''d investigated Leona as much as they''d done to him. However, what he desired to know was precisely what their investigations led to, because he highly doubted they''d find anything of significance.


    As Leonardo expected even though he had no way to prove or perceive it, Azalea and the power behind her, along with the other powers, were stumped that they couldn''t trace Leona''s origins past the town of convicts. No parents, no rtives, no nothing.


    The same went for her elder brother Kieran.


    The only semnce of contact was a local who goes by the name Henry, but even he seemed clueless as to when they appeared in the town, he just felt like taking care of the brats inconspicuously.


    Snapping back to her senses, the beauty with heterochromia eyes nced over at Leonardo as she said, "I heard you''re a clever young man."

 Chapter 27 Coercion Tactics

    ?"Pardon?" Leonardo''s brows raised in confusion at the unorthodox method Azalea used to start the conversation. What did she mean by pointing out that he was a smart young man?


    Shaking his head, Leonardo smiled tly at the woman and made no furtherments to entertain her rhythm, simply allowing her to go off.


    Azalea expected more than that as a reaction from her male counterpart, but seeing him remain silent, she locked her small, fair hands into one another before resting her chin on her soft knuckles.


    Her pink lips parted with a sigh as she articted what ran through her mind, "I don''t know what kind of a smart young man you are, but God be witness how I hope you''re the type to prioritise your family''s interests above your own."


    Leonardo took a moment to process the underlying threats she was pointing towards Leona. However, just to be sure, he asked aloud with a confused facade on his face "Are you threatening to do harm to my Godchild in a way to force my hand or something?"


    The young servant arranging the dishes and Leona not that far away looked in their direction with varying expressions of shock, disbelief, and confusion. Azalea was just as stupefied because Leonardo was basically throwing free information to the servants, which would undoubtedly be delivered up the chain ofmand as information for anyone else for the right price tag.


    Just as Azalea was about to steer the conversation into a more cryptic direction, Leonardo shook his head with a helpless expression as he expressed his thoughts on the matter, "You honestly don''t need to threaten with acts of violence against children if you''re that desperate for my shares on the energy ore mines about a week''s journey east from here. If you pay enough, I''m willing to sell."


    "Let''s see, I''m willing to offer 10% of the legal rights of ownership and mining for a piece ofnd where I could establish a fiefdom of my own. As for the location, any kingdom would do, as long as I retain my independence and rights of expansion through political intrigue and conquest."


    Azalea''s jaw practically hit the table at this point. This man not only revealed the location of the mines in a public setting, he basically announced his willingness to withdraw from the massive fortune brought along with the shares and future investments.


    She couldn''t help but doubt the rumours and tales spun about him within Jeffery''s circle of political influence back in House Sylvia''s kingdom. She expected a stubborn, smart, cunning young man who would milk them dry out of resources.


    However, if all he wanted was something as cheap as fiefdom, any major power under the different noble houses could afford it, let alone the royal families themselves.


    The woman was so shocked she didn''t notice the servants excusing themselves to leave. Once they were all alone again, Leonardo''s confused and innocent expression melted away into a gentle yet not so gentle smile, mainly out of how sinister it seemed in Azalea''s eyes.


    Suddenly realising something, the woman got to her feet with a fierce re in her eyes, "You did that on purpose, didn''t you?"


    "Did what?" Leonardo responded with a faint smile on his face before hinting to the slowly closing door, "You might wanna report back to your boss, I doubt he or she would be happy that you coerced me into stating a price for my shares in such an open manner."


    Azalea struggled inwardly as her gaze shifted from the door to Leonardo, annoyed yet amazed at the same time. No matter how she spun the story around, no one would believe her if she said no acts of coercion took ce. Thus, she couldn''t help but give the young man onest look before storming off.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Only then did Leona approach the table and take a seat on Leonardo''sp, her head resting squarely on the young man''s chest as she reached for the assortment of food on the table starting with the bread and soup while voicing out her confusions.


    "Godfather, why was she so angry?"


    Leonardo caressed Leona''s dark hair with a sigh before exining, "You can say she got what she wanted, but also couldn''t get it at the same time."


    "What does that mean?" The little girl couldn''t help but twist her neck back and stare up at her Godfather''s faint smile with a piece of bread in her mouth. Since bread was the only thing she ate for most of her life, it was literally the only thing on the table of dishes where she knew how to start dining.


    Leonardo didn''t know how to exin theplicity of psychological warfare to a nine year old child. Thus, he decided toy the matter as it is, and whether she understood or not will be up to her intellect.


    "The human domain has three dominant kingdoms and vassal kingdoms to dominate it. While the vassal kingdoms can''tpete with the ruling powers for resources in thend, they can indeedpete for foreign influence, and I happen to own such a desirable region with the blessings of the ruling powers."


    "The ruling powers wouldn''t want some of their vassals having too much influence or growing too fast. Hence, these vassal kingdoms can''t simply approach the representatives of those powers to im their properties, making me the beat go to option. However, because I am technically protected by the three ruling kingdoms, they can''t simply harm or kill me, through they can harm me by proxy through you or Kieran."


    "She wanted me to keep your safety in mind and not br too stubborn about iming regional profits, but she didn''t expect me to simply disregard the whole thing altogether for a cheap price. Of course, the issue isn''t that the price is cheap, but that everyone else will soon be aware of the fact that I''m not particrly interested in keeping my shares of the profit long term, and I am willing to sell."


    "What started as a fiefdom might as well turn into a barony or a county on the negotiations table by tomorrow''s meeting. In any case, she''s mad because now she doesn''t have enough time to report back to her boss and make a private deal with me since everyone else will be aware of my intentions,pletely ruining the purpose of trying to intimidate me by threatening your safety."


    Leonardo thought for a moment before adding, "Oh, perhaps she''s mad because now everyone will think she was stupid to threaten me in a public setting which resulted in the leak of my attitude. She might be demoted and reprimanded by her boss for this¡­"


    Leona simply trained her deep brown eyes at Leonardo who was shooting his mouth in an unnatural manner unbefitting of his usual temperament, thinking that this was quite the experience. The little girl had no idea that after almost losing her, Leonardo began to subconsciously improvise on bing closer to Leona for reasons he himself remained oblivious to.


    Knowing that she understood nothing of what he just said, Leonardo knocked on her forehead in frustration before saying, "Well, just know that you can''t make a business deal with someone when you have no idea what they value to behave with."


    Leona nodded her head andmitted the lesson to memory. The little girl may be unaware of her gifted talents in regards to intuition and psychic sensitivity, but Leonardo already noticed this peculiarity.


    One can say that this little girl is destined for great things in the future when it came to the field of maniption and psychological warfare, to the point where Leonardo waspelled to bring her along on every business meeting he mighte across, simply to expose her to as much treachery as possible.

 Chapter 28 The Distressed Jeffery

    ?Leonardo spent the next half an hour feeding his Goddaughter properly and teaching her table manners, simultaneously educating her on the various cuisine the world has to offer. At least ording to his limited understanding of the food culture in Arcadia.


    News that Leonardo was willing to sell his 10% of private shares for a fiefdom in a good piece ofnd spread through the intelligenceworks of the various intrigued parties.


    Although shocked, they were mostly humoured by the silly manner in which Lady Azalea unearthed such information, and many silentlyplimented the woman''spetence in their hearts.


    Whether this was genuine or not, only they knew.


    As for Leonardo, he knew that such a grand project, especially when needing to tend to the benefits of so many parties, is ought to drag on for years, years he simply didn''t have. As such, he would rather sell his private shares for legitimised properties, an identity, and a group of loyal servants to begin his expansions on the human domain''s maind.


    Within less than five years, he must somehow lead this small fiefdom into a power strong enough to contend with the three ruling kingdoms in terms of economics, prestige, and military might.


    He also nned to help Juvia to reach the necessary heights of power to reim the elven kingdom since unlike their human counterpart, they only have one ruling power that holds sovereignty over the domain, much like the beast domain where thew of the jungle reigns supreme.


    Thus, it was no surprise that when Leonardo entered the designed venue for the meeting with Pandora by his side, only a select few were interested in him.


    After all, they all came to believe that he was but a young man who got lucky with idiots the likes of Mason and Andrew, leaving only Jeffery and Azalea aware of how deep this young man''s machinations were.


    Unfortunately, the former of the two didn''t care as long as he couldtch onto Leonardo as a potential investor with the 1% share, whilst thetter''s warnings fell on deaf ears.


    The infrastructure of Valdmor resembled an old fortress of variousyers, eachyer of the town is separated from the other with a thick wall and a great gate. This was Leonardo''s first time stepping foot into the residentialplex that housed the privileged ss, as the first gate provided ess to inns, bars, and the market street no more.


    Jeffery andpany tried maintaining a low profile in said district, but someone had to blow their cover in a fit of rage. Since the web of intrigue expanded so much as to include the seven second-rate kingdoms, Leonardo made the wise decision of backing down.


    Literally no one needed to convince or provoke him into doing so.


    Leonardo and Pandora made their way into an open venue housing a number of handsome men, beautiful women, and impatient servants scurrying around in hopes of tending to everyone''s needs.


    Such a maid quickly made it to Leonardo''s side with a silver te and a row of spirit drinks of seemingly high cost and value to the young man, a smile on her round innocent face.


    Leonardo seamlessly blended into the crowd while Pandora stuck to him like his shadow. Luckily, Juvia recoveredst night, allowing the young man to rx with her keeping watch over Leona and Kieran back home.


    The only reason Leonardo allowed Pandora to maintain her excessive means of apology was that he needed someone to stay back home protecting the party of three, and not out of the goodness of his heart orpliance to Pandora''s guilty conscience.


    "Are you serious about selling your shares?" While Leonardo was minding his own business trying out the various delicacies in good faith that no one would he stupid enough to poison the food, Jeffery approached him and asked in a hushed voice.


    Leonardo munched away at a particrly sweet cookie, savouring the taste. It has literally been years since hest tasted something so sweet, to the point where he almost forgot sweets exist in this world.


    Leonardo didn''t immediately respond but rather washed down the cookies in his mouth with a sk of water before sighing in content, expressing his thoughts a momentter.


    "I should have brought the kids along if I knew¡­ Sigh, do you think anyone would care if I packed some of these back home? The kids would love them."


    Jeffery''s eyes twitching, his fat face alternating between white and red. However, when heid eyes on the young girl standing behind Leonardo like an obedient little thing, he kept his not so well oriented opinion to himself and chose ax approach instead.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Do you know what you''re missing out on? Ten or even twenty years from now, the forbidden domain will slowly transition into and of contention between the three domains! The earlier you im a plot ofnd, the better you''ll have it in the future!"


    One could not tell if Jeffery was genuinely concerned about Leonardo''s future or had something else in mind. However, like everyone else, the fat man adopted the fatal mistake of assuming where Leonardo''s best interest lies.


    Although Leonardo wasn''t aware of Jeffery''s intentions for stopping him from selling, the young man was adamant about it. Jeffery, too, knew that he couldn''t do anything about it and felt helpless.


    "Toote for that I''m afraid."


    Leonardo had yet to respond when Azalea pronounced her entrance with a ck gown, a thick fur coat, and sleek elbow length white gloves as pale as her pristine skin. This woman was in a ss of her own beauty whenpared to Leonardo andpany who were overly casual with their getups.


    Azalea gave Pandora the wary eye before she returned her focus to the ongoing conversation, scoffing in displeasure before she added to her earlier statement.


    "If he were to rescind his statement now, he would make an enemy out of everyone who had a lick of interest in this project. I''m sure a smart young man like him wouldn''t make such a mistake. Right?"


    The spite in her tone when she emphasised the words smart young man couldn''t go unnoticed by any of the intelligent people involved in the conversation.


    Leonardo tossed yet another cookie into his mouth before giving Azalea a once over, his eyes a mask of interest as heplimented the woman.


    "Well, aren''t you looking beautiful tonight?"


    Jeffery and Azalea choked. However, before she could protest the shamelessness, Azalea felt a bloody cold killing intent washing over her figure, albeit the extent of it was thoroughly suppressed.


    The woman couldn''t help but shiver. However, the next moment, Leonardo flicked Pandora''s forehead while sounding out a reprimand.


    "Behave yourself!"


    The youngdy saint dejectedly lowered her head in silence, not understanding what her leader found so great about an ordinary human girl. He never dane topliment someone''s looks before, not even that seductive elf.


    The crowd looked in absolute bewilderment at how a young man treated a saint powerhouse like no more than a naughty child acting up, not knowing how to feel about the whole situation.


    Azalea lost all of her umted anger and simply gaped at the scene, questioning the principles of life.


    Leonardo cleared his throat and replied to their early statements ording to memory, "Am I serious about selling? I am. For me, obtaining territory is much more important than contesting for one, not to mention contesting for an isted area from the poption altogether. That''s not healthy for my Godchildren."


    "Furthermore, Lady Azalea is right, it is toote for calling back the shots now. Of course, I''m also interested to see who will bid most for my shares, it should be quite the experience."


    Azalea''s expression went dim and grim recalling how she was used to freely advertise Leonardo''s bottom line, while the fat business couldn''t help but feel a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.


    With all his brainpower and experience, Leonardo couldn''t for the love of god tell why was Jeffery being so distressed about this. In a sense, they were and will remain partners regardless of who obtained Leonardo''s shares.


    Thus, the trio continued with their light conversations until the meeting officially started, and everyone involved got summoned into the inner hall.

 Chapter 29 Selling His Shares

    ?"Everyone here is a grown adult, and I don''t find it in me to mince words. Although some things havee to our attention, I will allow the opening rights of speech to lie in the hands of Mason, who represents House Exodia."


    In a great hall that Leonardo found oddly ordinary in setting and aesthetics, the various representatives of what appeared to be seven kingdoms without ounting for House Sylvia, House Venus, and House Exodia.


    For now, he didn''t care for the distribution of power andnd or the bnce of power between these big shots as it truly was something out of his radar for the moment. The only thing he might keep in mind would be the identity of whoever eventually bought his shares.


    Exactly, it remains unknown whether he would sell his shares in bulk or distribute them. For now, it depended on the offers provided at the end of the day.


    Mason nodded at the representative who broke the ice and stepped out from his seat at the high chair of the hall. To his right sat Andrew, and to his left sat Jeffery, and each of them had expressions that betrayed their misgivings.


    Of course, they wouldn''t reveal to everyone the gravity or importance of this operation, as that would simplyplicate matters. Instead, Mason took the most obvious of excuses and the general conclusion reached by the majority of everyone present; the three ruling powers sought a monopoly over thends.


    "As everyone of you is aware, thend with the ore mines sits upon an energy vein in the depths of the earth. Because of the energy vein, the leylines in the vicinity are overflowing with dense energy, enriching the environment for hundreds of miles." Mason stopped his speech for a moment, allowing the information to sink in.


    Thanks to someone, the location of the mines was alreadypromised, and whatever information Mason spat out now is something everyone could and would eventually find out. Thus, Mason beat down his urges to curse Leonardo outright and simply continued his calm facade.


    "Although we won''t be selling shares, you are wee to invest in¡­"


    Leonardo found himself unfocused, lost in his own thoughts instead of listening in on the contents of their conversations.


    Why?


    It didn''t matter much to him. He knew this has nothing to do with his future ns, the only reason he sat here in this meeting today was to offer up the potential of striking it rich within a decade. He had much more important things to do back home, such as Juvia.


    While he was contemting life, someone who sat next to him, Azalea, poked his side with her elbow.


    Leonardo snapped back to attention, some focus glimmering in his dull ck eyes. Blinking, he tilted his head towards his aggressor with a confused, questioning look in his eyes.


    "What is it?" Leonardo asked.


    Mason on the high stage coughed to draw everyone''s attention before speaking up, "Young master Leonardo, please take up to the stage and proceed with selling, investing, or even providing lease prematurely ording to your discretion."


    Leonardo realised it must be his turn now or perhaps they wanted him to go up first just to keep the information regarding the sales and investments a secret. However, he didn''t care, thus he didn''t remind them of his 1% investment in House Sylvia''s sheres and coteral property.


    Anyway, Jeffery didn''t seem to be in the right mindset to rify this minor misunderstanding either.


    A momentter, Leonardo stood in front of the crowd that represented the overwhelming pressure of the human domain. Each of these representatives held unimaginable power behind them or so they thought, but Leonardo thought otherwise.


    With his hands in his pockets, he dered, "Alright, what are your offers? Let''s start with a fiefdom and a noble title of independence. I won''t pay tribute, tax, or servitude to the upper echelons of the territory I upy."


    "Furthermore, I retain the rights to groom my personal forces and expand my region in acts of retaliation and conquest against any and all acts of hostility. This is my bottom line for selling my 10% of private shares, the rest is up to you all to decide."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Do you have any specific requirements? Such as the overall size of thend, its location, living conditions, territorial threats, and other matters of concern?" Someone from below voiced out their thoughts and patiently waited for a response.


    Leonardo didn''t give the matter much thought before responding, "I have already stated my bottom line. Everything else is redundant in my eyes, but of course, I will always choose the better amodation for myself when presented with multiple options."


    "Oh, one more thing!" Before anyone could speak, Leonardo looked over towards Pandora and motioned for her to go outside, "Bring me a box and a stack of papers from outside."


    The youngdy nodded her head, and in front of everyone''s eyes, vanished into thin air like a spectre, leaving behind but a gust of wind. Although everyone heard that she was a saint at this point, not everyone had the chance to witness her performance in livebat.


    Thus, the speed and agility disyed awed some of the crowd, but that''s about it. Although sainthood was something grand, it wasn''t something they didn''t encounter beforehand, some even encountered saints of higher realms than this fresh one.


    A momentter, a gust of wind rushed through the room and settled right next to Leonardo, who took the big box from Pandora before looking back at the representatives with nk pieces of paper presented to each and everyone of them.


    ? "Alright," Leonardo nodded approvingly as he said, "I want everyone to write down their offer on the paper with the name of your house beforeing upstage to deposit the papers. I will go through them, and thereafter choose the one to my liking."


    "Conniving bastard¡­" Azalea and Jeffery, albeit unaware, cursed silently in a voice so low nobody else could hear it. Of course, even if Leon heard them, he wouldn''t care.


    Just as everyone was about to begrudgingly take part in this activity, Jeffery coughed stiffly and spoke up, "Erm, can I have a piece of paper as well?"


    Leonardo turned around and gave Jeffery a weird look, did he get that right?


    Not only Leonardo, everyone else in the room gave the fat businessman a questioning look. Was House Sylvia openly trying to monopolise even more shares? Everyone knew that none of the seven houses couldpare in wealth with a ruling power.


    Everyone thought this way, including Mason and Andrew, who in turn also stepped forward with rmed expressions as they voiced out their willingness topete.


    "Get me a piece of paper!" Mason dered.


    "Count me in as well!" Andrew wasn''t one to fall behind either.


    Only Jeffery felt pained in his heart, knowing that Queen Adeline didn''t give two fucks about the shares, she only wanted to keep Leonardo to her region in the human domain.


    While everyone saw this as a chance to get a head start, his Queen saw it as an opportunity to rope Leonardo in closer to her.


    Jeffery knew that the royal treasury was about to bleed because he couldn''t risk offering a price that could be overlooked. Moreover, he should choose a territory far enough from imperial influence so as to not chase Leonardo away with an overwhelming offer.


    ''Sigh¡­ My Queen, this isn''t wise at all¡­'' Jefferyined inwardly.


    Leonardo didn''t mind one bit that the three of them took part. From his perspective, this was even better. In fact, ording to his understanding of the three ruling powers as reflected from their representatives, he knew his choice would be House Sylvia before they even started.


    Luckily for Leonardo, Jeffery didn''t read that much into his personality, and the young businessman was about to strike it rich because of it.

 Chapter 30 Shocking Proposal

    ?Azalea and the other representatives, including her boss, stared in silence.


    Luckily, they forwarded Leonardo''s case to be the first agenda for the meeting, otherwise this unforeseen development might have ruined their ns altogether. They would simply bide their time and negotiate about their fair cut of leases and investments after this whole circus show ended.


    Mason and Andrew red at one another, then they red at Jeffery, then they each snatched a piece of paper from Pandora before returning to their seats to silently list down a tempting offer. Lastly, Jeffery approached Leonardo with a bitter smile on his fat face before receiving a piece of paper of his own, sighing as he did so.


    Leonardo was wholly bewildered about this fat guy''s attitude.


    Why did it look like he was forced into an unwanted betrothal or something? Leonardo wondered.


    "Anyone else?" Leonardo turned around and nced down at the gathering crowd. However, to his expectations and disappointment, no one moved a muscle. They silently upied their seats and awaited an oue, much like the young businessman himself.


    Obviously, no one wanted to step on the lion''s tail. With a sigh, Leonardo gestured for each of them to start writing down their offers and put them in the box.


    While Andrew and Mason contemted with serious expressions, Jeffery painfully looked at the paper and the fountain pen in his hand before shaking his head in exasperation. Then, he wrote a few lines on the paper before stamping it down with House Sylvia''s signature seal, and proceeded to insert the paper into the box.


    He did it so swiftly that most people had the misconception that Jeffery wasn''t giving the matter some serious thought. Mason and Andrew were also somewhat alert, not knowing how much their fatpetitor gave up for the sake of these shares.


    Moreover, they hadn''t received any orders or clearance to spend wealth or forwardnds to someone else for the sake of extra shares. After giving the matter some deep considerations, the pair settled down for their respective offers and inserted their papers.


    Since Leonardo wasn''t the dramatic guy, but rather the impatient and straightforward type, at least superficially, he quickly fished out the first paper on top.


    It was an offer from Andrew, and by extension, House Venus.


    Three thousand ves, a small agricultural town, three viges, and a mansion; all within thefort of a personal fiefdom the size of a typical barony.


    Although the location wasn''t mentioned, it did specify that such details could be discussed the moment Leonardo made it within the borders of the kingdom, as there were simply too many territories that met these conditions.


    Leonardo nodded lightly and moved to the next offer proposed by Mason, and by extension, House Exodia.


    Five thousand armed ves, two thousand horses, three hundred virgin maidens, a medium sized industrial town, three mansions, and a recognised noble title of earl, also known as count.


    The details pertaining to location could be discussed under the same conditions of House Venus.


    Leonardo had to admit, if he wasn''t already biased towards House Sylvia due to the naivety of their Queen, he would have loved going with House Exodia''s offer.


    Nheless, for the sake of formalities, he figured he might as well go with the motions. He already nned to burn the papers after giving them a glimpse and not leave any evidence behind.


    The next moment however, when he read the proposal listed down by Jeffery, Leonardo''s hands went rigid and he gaped in shock for a few moments.


    He almost couldn''t believe his eyes. He had to rub them clear once, twice, and thrice before giving Jeffery a dubious look.


    "Are you fucking serious?" Leonardo couldn''t help but ask to be sure.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Are you sane?! Fiverge towns with private mansion estates, ten thousand armed ves, and the noble title of a Foreign Prince?! Have you gone mad?!"


    Leonardo honestly couldn''t believe his eyes, he simply spoke his thoughts out loud for everyone to hear, stunning the crowd.


    Jeffery felt defeated as this wasn''t his offer, but orders passed down from her highness Queen Adeline. However, would he dare put that for everyone to hear? What would they think of her sanity?


    Thus, he had to bite the bullet, grit his teeth, and nod his beet red head.


    Seeing this, the contract almost dropped from Leonardo''s hand as he kneaded his forehead in exasperation.


    "Fucking unbelievable¡­" He muttered, walking back to his seat without even voicing out his choice. Even a blind idiot could make an intelligent decision given these choices, much less someone like Leonardo who was already biased. However, since it already happened, he wouldn''t be humble and simply ept this windfall.


    Azalea was staring like a stupid fish at Leonardo this whole time. She couldn''t believe this runt just became a Prince in the matter of moments. When she thought that this all happened because she supposedly coerced him back at Te''s, she felt frustrated.


    As for Pandora, she wasn''t fazed the least. The status of royalty in a some middle realms was dirt in her eyes, and she knew that Leonardo most likely felt the same.


    After all, due to their dual cultivation session, she knew that Leonardo''s physique was at least a divine rank.


    How could one differentiate between the various physiques and their potential talents? That was actually quite simple.


    The build of a mortal talent allows the person to cultivate energy embedded into their flesh and blood, limiting their overall capacity and ess to varying deposits of energy. As for the physique of a saint, one could simply add the bones and marrow to the equation. Likewise, a divine physique would enable an individual to store energy throughout hundreds if not thousands of meridian channels, or more precisely, the neural system.


    Since Pandora had to coordinate her energy cycles with Leonardo''s, she could feel his energy delegations through his flesh, blood, bones, and meridians.


    The moment she realised that Leonardo''s physique was pushed from a mortal all the way to the divine, she understood deeply how much the youngdy Nier cared for him, further enhancing her resolve to follow him.


    Leonardo didn''t participate in the following events of the meeting, and about four hourster in the dead of night, the meeting concluded. The young businessman didn''t wait for anyone to congratte or hinder him as he quickly left the venue with ns in mind.


    He truly felt pity for everyone present because he dealt a twofold strike not only tody Azalea back there in Te''s, but by extension, to everyone else. Everyone seemed to forget that Te''s Dine and Shine was a neutral power, and Valdmor wasn''t a town under the jurisdiction of humans.


    Elves and beastkin must have already bought information regarding the location of the energy ore mine and the corresponding details.


    God knows what bloody battles await the seven kingdoms and the three ruling powers once they''ve eventually arrived at the location in the near future. As for Leonardo, he silently made his way back to the inn where he booked an extra room, instructing Pandora to switch shifts with Juvia and watch over the children while thetter came over for a session of dual cultivation.


    After this session, he will finallyplete his fourth mortal cycle and enter seclusion to merge his dual martial intents to embark on the path of sainthood.


    Although reluctant, Pandora begrudgingly whispered the ''good'' news to Juvia, who could barely wait any longer. The female elf responded by quickly leaving the room where Kieran nced over a book of rudimentarynguage before refocusing on his efforts to learn reading. As for Leona, she was already deep asleep.


    Looking at the two sweethearts, Pandora sighed and went up on the bed beside Kieran, slowly guiding him through the difficult words.

 Chapter 31 The Loyal Servant

    ?Steam rolled out from the bathing chambers as a practically nude Leonardo stepped into the bedroom. A damped white towel wrapped over his torso, translucent water drops raced down his sculptured, defined muscles.


    He was on his way to stargaze at the night sky and the three brilliant moons when the door to his room resounded with gentle knocks.


    "Come in," Leonardo spoke softly, aware that Juvia would hear it. As expected, the door parted and a beautiful, maute elf in a white nightgown stepped inside, locking the door behind her.


    Juvia stood there for but a split second before she rushed into Leonardo''s embrace, tumbling into the bed with her lips sealed over his.


    Leonardo always knew that she was quite enthusiastic about her passion, but he didn''t think it was this intense. Nheless, he wasn''t about to let her handle him without retaliating.


    He mped down on her milky thigh with one hand, smacking down on her plump rear with the other as he flipped over, taking her together with him as they dropped to the floor with a loud thud.


    Juvia groaned in delighted pain, biting down on her bottom lip when she felt Leonardo sink his teeth into her slender neck.


    "Ah-" She gasped sharply, feeling a cold hand scroll through her nightgown andcy panties, clutching at her moist garden of eden. The sensitivity was nigh unbelievable, Leonardo felt sticky and wet all over his curling fingers as they explore past her thick folds and into the pink slit.


    "Easy¡­" Juvia panted heavily into her leader''s ears, contrary to her contracting cunt that locked down on his fingers. She felt so tight to the extent where Leonardo questioned with a hint of disbelief in his tone.


    "You''re a virgin?"


    Juvia sped Leonardo''s head into her dainty hands, clutching at his silver hair before yanking him about, rolling the young man over before straddling hisp over the wrinkled towel.


    She red down into his abyss-like gaze while responding with a bit of anger in her voice, "Why wouldn''t I be?!"


    She plunged into yet another kiss, sneaking her tongue past Leonardo''s lips while she guided his hand back between her thighs. Into the kiss, she whispered.


    "You can check it for yourself if you don''t believe me¡­"


    Leonardo honestly didn''t care whether or not she was a virgin. After all, the majority of the poption on his home lost their virginity during their youthful years. Heck, it almost felt like a social crime to graduate from high school as a virgin,


    Thus, the concept of safeguarding chastity wasn''t of significance to Leonardo, especially when the con did of marriage alliances and the multitude of benefits apanying taking someone''s first time didn''t exist.


    Juvia could understand where Leonardo got his misunderstanding from, but she didn''t find it in her to exin or talk about her experience with Mordred prior to the catastrophe that befell the two of them. All in all, the man saved her life, even if it wasn''t for any heroic purposes.


    Leonardo sneaked his hands out of Juvia''s grasp before restraining both her wrists in a tight grip, only to round them up behind her back, leaving her helplessly leaning into his embrace with a fervent glimmer in her silver eyes.


    Her heavy breathing and undting breasts that seemed on the verge ofmitting a breakout from the deep cleavage enticed him so.


    A faint trace of his bite marked her snow-white skin, and the ever-escting temperature of her body began producing fragrant droplets of sweat that stood in contrast to the water coating Leonardo.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Swiftly, he pinned her face into the carpet before mming her prone on the floor. She seemed to like the rough treatment, and rough he shall be.


    A crisp tearing noise followed as Leonardo tore apart Juvia''s nightgown and swivelled the fabric around her wrists in a fit bind. With a sultry smile, Juvia propped her ass into the air by fixing up her posture, knees nted down in line with her face, her silver hair sprawled over like a fanned nket, revealing nothing but the sparkles of her silver eyes that stared back at the man seated behind her.


    Leonardo positioned himself behind the firm peachy buttocks of Juvia, ring intently at her drenched panties below the shredded gown. Sticky secretions flooded down her thighs, and Leonardo couldn''t help but swallow a gulp of saliva, his genitalia pitching a proud tent under his waist, the sight of which caused the elf princess to hyperventte.


    Leonardo tossed the white towel aside, revealing his thick shaft and glossy ns to the fancy of Juvia who began shaking her hips impatiently while muttering incoherent bbering.


    "Go ahead and test me!" She urged, feeling too hot and itchy. Although the bindings of mere fabric were ridiculous to a saint, Juvia didn''t dare generate a bit of strength to rip them apart.


    If he wanted her to be a helpless little girl, that she would be. The war for the man''s affection was undergoing, and she knew better than to abolish his dark fantasies.


    Leonardo smiled tly at her impatience, but he wouldn''t deny the unspeakable urge to explore the insides of a mature female elf who presented herself so boldly. Thus, tucking the thin strips of the makeshift panties that hid no more than a thin pink slit, without a bit of forey, Leonardo plunged himself from the tip to the base, shaft and all, in one swift motion that stole the breath from Juvia.


    "Ah!" She gasped for the love of god, her breath running short as her body quivered In unadulterated pain. A trickle of blood rushed down her inner thighs, but the woman tempered down the pain with a shallow smile as she finally proved to Leonardo that although Mordred feasted on her blood essence, that was all there is to it.


    Whilst she was lost in thoughts, a wet tongue danced along the edge of her pointed ear, followed by a pair of thin lips that nibbled at her flesh, apanied by a few whispers that electrified her bones into mush.


    "Good girl," Leonardoplimented her efforts for protecting Leona all the way back then at the expense of her potential death. He knew it was a disy of loyalty, and he decided to fully reward this elven princess tonight.


    Juvia didn''t know for what reason was she praised, but she enjoyed it nheless. She wanted to respond, but someone decided to draw his hips back and rail down her tight tunnel with so much force, the woman''s knees went jelly and shey prone on the ground but a momentter.


    She moaned loud in a mix of pain and pleasure, as it was literally the only thing she could do with her hands tied and body restrained under the weight of her leader. One loud p after another echoed as Leonardo''s hips mmed into Juvia''s wide buttocks, the muscles squeezing his length ordingly as her innards shape under the constant ramming.


    Not five minutester and Juvia''s tongue rolled out, a puddle of saliva beneath her chin, and a gush of nectar flowing past her uncontrobly quivering folds. For the first time in her life, she climaxed.


    However, Leonardo wasn''t done rewarding this loyal follower of his, and he made it clear by taking off to his feet and dragging her along by her silky hair. Albeit disoriented from pleasure, Juvia obediently took to her knees and took further pleasure from feeling the thick weapon of mass destruction that ravaged her insides caressing her face.


    She breathed heavily against the shaft coated in her juices before instinctively taking the thing into her mouth, her glimmering eyes looking up to meet a pair of smiling yet not smiling midnight dark orbs.


    Leonardo patted Juvia''s silver hair, looking down as a good portion of his cock disappeared into her mouth and down her throat despite the pleading, choked expression on her face.


    She wanted to spit it out but she wanted to savour the taste some more, hence she could only look at her leader for directions on how to proceed.


    Leonardo mped her little head and took matters into his own hands whileforting her with a few words, "Don''t worry, the night is long¡­"

 Chapter 32 Secret Operation

    ?It has been a month since Nier made it back to the headquarters of House Hestia, and she had closed up in her mother''s bedchambers ever since. It was an isted sub-dimension from space-time, making sure that the youngdy wouldn''t be distracted, disturbed, or spied upon during the period of her pregnancy.


    As for Lady Rosaline, she was also confined to one of her many sub-dimensions in the grand castle, currently walking circles around a jade tform with what resembled the marite of a silver fox. She was caught in a dilemma, muttering to herself.


    "She won''t me me¡­"


    "She will me me¡­"


    "She won''t me me¡­"


    "She will me me¡­"


    "She won''t¡­"


    "She will¡­"


    After who knows how long, Rosaline bit her bottom lip and spoke up her final decision, "I''ll simply take a look! Just one quick look!"


    Then, she sat in a meditative position one meter away from the jade pedestal that carried the divine artifact. This artifact was something Rosaline came across years before her marriage, but had no use for it ever since. Now, she could finally make use of it to sneakily stick by Leonardo''s side.


    She couldn''t help it, her curiosity got the better of her. Thus, with a few hand seals, a strand of her will,plemented by her martial intent and a drop of blood essence emerged from her mind''s eye.


    The semi transparent drop of blood rushed into the marite, specifically between its eyebrows, and dense soul fluctuations began to resonate between the marite and Rosaline for a few hours.


    Then, the little fox''s eyes slowly parted, revealing an intelligent crimson glimmer within the feminine gaze. For the next few minutes, Rosaline spent the time getting ustomed to controlling the fox''s body, voice, tone, and auxiliary matters.


    When everything was ready, the fox muttered, but Rosaline''s mesmerizing voice echoed from the lips, "So¡­ Arcadia was it? How do we do this again?¡­"


    The little fox waved her paw, slicing open a rift in space that viewed the peaceful atmosphere of Arcadia. With a faint smile, the little fox jumped into the spatial tear.


    ¡­


    On a teau half a day''s distance away from Valdmor, Leonardo sat half naked between the assortment of eight-one high grade energy crystals. Although the young businessman was unbelievably rich with resources, these resources are means for him to further his cultivation rather than waste spending and investing on fateless endeavors.


    A ce like Arcadia doesn''t have the necessary resources to support someone like Leonardo who enjoys the endowment of an immortal physique, and this point was further illustrated as waves after waves of worldly energy flooded into his body.


    The concentration and density of the energy was so high, the entire surface area of the teau was concealed in a transparent cloudy fog of worldly energy. This energy rushed into Leonardo''s body through his pores, filtered through his muscles, flesh, blood, bones, marrow, and finally confined to his cells.


    With a thought of Leonardo, a deste aura representing his martial intent rushed from the depths of his heart and mind, joined up with the stream of worldly energy, and mended together within his cells in an effort to provide his internal energy with an essence of destion.


    This is the critical phase of ascension into sainthood.


    However; at this moment, the unexpected happened.


    Leonardo felt his blood boil over, a crimson red martial intent roiled about and rushed into the stream of worldly energy, its sudden presence almost shocking Leonardo awake from his meditation.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Little did Leonardo know that this unintended awakening of his bloodthirsty martial intent, something he wasn''t nning on merging into the essence of his energy, was triggered by the presence of a small white fox on the border of his energy crystals formation.


    "Your little Leonardo is lucky I was here for him! As a reward for my efforts, I''ll stick around for a few years¡­" The little fox thought to herself while shamelessly scanning Leonardo''s body inside and out, curious as to what oue would fusing two martial intents derived from highws would birth.


    ? Leonardo wasn''t in the mood to question why his martial intent suddenly triggered, but he guided it into his cells nheless. Unexpectedly, the dull gray and crimson red energies intertwined seamlessly, slowly blending into the torrents of worldly energy that was transitioning into internal energy.


    Faint pulses of gray energy followed by crimson red energy discharged from Leonardo''s skin, the two slowlying together, interwoven to form a cocoon of energy that sucked up everything contained within the crystals holding the formation.


    The little fox blinked, an invisible barrier forming to encapste the entire area, preventing unwanted sensory and the leak of stray energy fluctuations. Leonardo found himself entering a trance within the cocoon, unaware of the hectic mess outside.


    Three days and three nightster, things gradually calmed down, and the eighty-one energy crystals crumbled into fine dust that was swept clean by the wind.


    On the dawn of the fourth day, the cocoon of interwoven gray and crimson receded into Leonardo''s body in a gradual motion before he opened his eyes that shuttled between dull gray and a crimson glimmer, only for a dominant stillness of a pitch-ck lifeless gaze heavy with mncholy took over.


    The expression in Leonardo''s eyes caused the little heart of the fox to flutter, but Leonardo was too engrossed in the feeling of sainthood to notice the little creature. He quickly concealed his energy fluctuations internally and externally, albeit this act was redundant in the fox''s eyes.


    Noticing that he was butt naked, Leonardo was about to don a proper outfit before a white fur ball crashed into his face. Next thing he knew, a warm small tongue ran across his cheek, drenching him in saliva.


    Shocked, Leonardo picked up the silver white fox that had a pair of enchanting crimson eyes. For some reason, this unfamiliar mystical beast felt endearing to him.


    After a quick examination, he noticed that it was a female fox, but where it came from and to whom it belonged, he didn''t know. However, her eyes were deep with intelligence.


    "Are you lost, little one?" Leonardo asked.


    The little fox was still relishing in the taste of Leonardo, as she couldn''t contain herself from acting up. He definitely tasted good.


    Hearing the question, she shook her head, indicating that she wasn''t lost.


    "Oh," Leonardo nodded, "Do you have an owner? A home?"


    The little fox shook her head twice.


    "Oh," Leonardo nodded, "Do you want to follow me? What''s your name?"


    The little fox nodded once, then shook her head. She wanted to follow him, but didn''t have a name. She wouldn''t actually talk to him, lest he was frightened into caution.


    "Oh," Leonardo nodded, silently contemting his options before saying, "How about Aria for a name?"


    The little fox nodded her head in agreement. With that out of the way, Leonardo smiled faintly before cing the fox aside. Although it was cute, he needed to put on some clothes and hurry back to the inn.


    Not that the little fox had anyints. She eagerly feasted her eyes on this fine eye candy.


    Oh Nier, you never mentioned he was this handsome, the fox thought to herself, albeit with a hint of guilt.

 Chapter 33 Departure

    ?It was already evening of the same day when Leonardo made it back to the inn with the little fox in his arms. However, right at the foot of the stairs, Azalea and Jeffery were waiting for him. Though, from the looks of it and their subtle bodynguage, they might have arrived separately.


    "Thank goodness, you''re finally back!" Jeffery was the first to speak, sighing as he approached Leonardo with a bitter smile and said, "Everything about your identity has been prepared, except for the name of your household; I need that information."


    Leonardo blinked, remembering that he never mentioned hisst name to anyone yet. Then again, thest name on his home is definitely something else from the household name in a ce like this.


    Moreover, using House Hestia''s name could be a major point of contention in the future since he doesn''t have the necessary qualifications to unt that name around. After giving the matter some thought, Leonardo finally came up with a suitable name for now.


    "Just list it as House Grace, that shouldn''t be a problem."


    "It shouldn''t be." Jeffery nodded, feeling envious of Leonardo for having a certified household name, unlikemoners of his stature. He then handed Leonardo a bracelet while exining its functions.


    "This bracelet is connected to your ten thousand ves through their soul imprints. All of them can cultivate, albeit the mortal cycles are the limit. You can sense the presence, location, and thoughts of every ve under your banner the moment you bind the bracelet to your will."


    "The bracelet also has a secondary feature to function as a distantmunication device; one simply needs to sync with the frequency of another device be it automatically through proxy or manually. I have already added my contact information to your bracelet."


    ? Leonardo nodded, "Is that all?"


    Jeffery went stiff for a moment, about to respond indignantly, but a little girl''s silhouette could be seen rushing down the stairs while shouting Godfather, not allowing Jeffery the chance to speak up.


    The little fox curiously watched the little girl from Leonardo''s embrace, only to be shocked by the presence of an unfamiliar martial intent, albeit a fledgling, within the girl''s body, let alone her divine physique.


    What''s a divine physique doing on a like this one? The fox thought to herself, only to notice the little girl staring her way with an equally shocked expression.


    "As expected of my little girl''s intuition," Leonardo smiled faintly as he wasn''t surprised that Leona could sense a trace of emotions from the little fox. He patted her head and introduced, "Leona, say hi to Aria, you can take her to y upstairs and pack up your things, we will be leaving soon."


    Leona snapped out from her shock, only for the little fox to enter yet another shock. This girl was Leonardo''s adopted child? Where are her parents?


    A small girl and an even smaller fox stared at one another intently before Leona finally couldn''t take it anymore and rushed to take the small thing into her t bosom. She shrieked happily and rushed back upstairs, all the while screaming I love it so much, thank you Godfather.


    When the episode was finally over, Azalea pushed herself between Leonardo and Jeffery with a stern expression while asking, "What do you mean you''re leaving? My superiors have business to discuss with you, and I''ve beening here for the past few days waiting on you."


    Leonardo gave her a t smile before voicing out his thoughts, "Your superiors should have nothing to do with me, unless they want the saints under me. Be whatever it may be, I don''t have the time to waste running around from one household to the next knowing that you have nothing of interest to me."


    "You!" Azaleas fumed, her heterochromatic eyes spitting daggers at Leonardo as she blurted out, "Just because you''re now a Prince, don''t forget that-"


    "I might have been nothing but a beggar for all I care, my ns for this god forsaken domain devoid of a decent poption and life havee to an end. I''m a busy man, and don''t even bother pulling the same trick of threatening my adopted children as I''m pretty sure you''ll have much more important matters to tend to in the fewing days."


    Leonardo''s t tone of rejection left no margin of discussion, but thest sentence in particr caught Jeffery''s attention, being the meticulous business he already is.


    He couldn''t help but think back to anything rted to Leonardo in one way or another throughout the past few days. However, the only thing that came to mind was the stupid coercion tactics in Te''s the other day, where nothing of significance happened.


    Wait, nothing of significance?<novelnext></novelnext>


    Jeffery''s eyebrows locked together as a bad premonition crept into his heart, he knew Leonardo wouldn''t simply have someone threaten his child and get off with a pat on the wrist. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became.


    It was only when he saw Juviaing down the stairs with the other three that he seemed to have been enlightened. More urately, when he saw her trademark elven features while simultaneously contemting the connection between Leonardo''s words and Te''s.


    When he finally connected the dots, an explosion went off in his head, causing him to sway in ce before leaning against a wall for support as he red at Azalea with bloodshot eyes.


    Seeing her obstinately trying to make things difficult for someone who wasn''t far off from a devil incarnate, Jeffery blew his tops.


    "SHUT UP ALREADY! Don''t you realise it yet?! It was a public conversation at Te''s! FUCKING TESLA''S!" Jeffery didn''t care one bit about his fitness and ran off, his destination unknown.


    The sudden outburst scared Azalea senseless, not knowing what went wrong with the guy''s head. As for Leonardo, he chuckled bitterly.


    Fat Jeff is as sharp as always, just a little hint and the cogs in his brain went full cylinders.


    "What''s going on?!" Azalea had a bad premonition and began to wrack her brain as well, giving Leonardo a look of difort.


    Leonardo sighed, didn''t this woman call him a smart young man the other day?


    "Say, are you ying dumb or something? Haven''t you noticed a sharp decrease in elven and beastkin poption the past few days? Or did you attribute that anomaly to a holiday or some twisted curfew?"


    Leonardo''s words buzzed in Azalea''s ears like a p of thunder. In addition to what Jeffery just said, she was finally aware of how grave the situation is. With a palepliment, she cursed Leonardo out for being a cunning, devious son of a bastard and rushed into the distance.


    Juvia, being Leonardo''s future secretary, watched with awe as she marvelled at her leader''s multyered schemes. Everyone was already here, and Leonardo was shocked to see everyone dressed in speckless white clothes much suited to his sense of aesthetics.


    The little fox Aria struggled out from Leona''s arms and rushed into Leonardo''s, making herselffortable while subtly eyeing Juvia and Pandora. She could already tell what type of a rtionship they shared, and she felt like unting her position to the crowd.


    "Aria!" Leona pouted, feeling betrayed by the cute little thing.


    Kieran shook his head, keeping to himself as the introvert he was, simplytching to the hem of Juvia''s sleeve.


    Juvia picked up Kieran in her arms, Pandora picked up the grumpy Leona, and Leonardo could only hold the fox in his arms while giving Leona a helpless smile.


    Then, the three of them simply vanished into thin air under Pandora''s domain, and rushed out from Valdmor a momentter.


    As for whatever chaos may engulf the town, the mining location, and the domain as a whole¡­


    Leonardo andpany would be all the way across the great sea and within the borders of the human domain when all that happened.


    Would they give a shit? Not exactly.

 Chapter 34 Royal Household’s Ambush

    ?Albeit long, the journey was overall safe due to Pandora''s concealment skills. On the way, Leonardo had to entertain Leona by taking her into his own embrace while keeping the fox on his shoulder instead.


    He didn''t know what sparked a rivalry between these two, but he couldn''t deny the soft spot he had for Leona. On their way, whenever they''ve encountered unreasonable people, Leonardo couldn''t help but feel a tug at his heart to simplyy waste to their lives, even as a usually nonchnt pacifist.


    It goes without saying that he grew up in a civil world where violence was shunned, murder was a crime, and the just though not the only way to retaliate was throughwful pursuit. Deep down, Leonardo was aware that this subtle change was the influence of the bloodthirsty martial intent blending into the essence of his being.


    One way or another, these urges must be satiated, lest he suffer from deviations in his essence due to the imbnce between the deste and bloodthirsty intents within his energy. Perhaps, the only two aware of Leonardo''s inner struggle were his little child and the little fox, but neither of them decided to act up in response.


    The forbidden domain is a massive continent surrounded by the ocean on three fronts, and a seemingly endless mountain range at its northern front. South of the forbidden domainy the human domain, with the beast domain all the way east, and the elven domain in the opposite west.


    Arriving at the dock harbor that was attached to a small town for matters of convenience, the group slowed down with ns to resupply for fresh food and drinks. Although most of them didn''t need such necessities, Kieran''s and Leona''s healthy growth were of utmost importance to the young businessman.


    The midday sun shone brightly on the bustling streets of the harbor where stalls of fisherman lined up in rows, selling their yields of fantastical sea creatures of the day. This was the first time for the kids to witness something like this, as their lives huddled up deep into the maind prevented them from such sceneries.


    The smell of oil and salt diffused in the air, something that Leonardo didn''t really enjoy much. Sneezing, he dered his intentions of skipping the fish market, but he inquired if anyone was interested in browsing the local delicacies down the harbor.


    "Can I go take a look?" Surprisingly, Kieran was the first to speak up about his intentions, as curiosity got the better of him. Having never seen or heard of anything remotely close to this marketce, he didn''t want to live in regret for keeping his desires to himself.


    To the side, Juvia nodded her head and volunteered to keep Kieran''spany. On their way from Valdmor, the trio of Juvia, Pandora, and Leonardo didn''t ck on their schedule of training, neither did they ck on their dual cultivation sessions.


    At the moment, Juvia could control the death essence of her energy to the point where it didn''t bother those who are acutely sensitive. As a result, Kieran didn''t feel as tense or repulsed by Juvia''s presence anymore.


    Leonardo nodded his head and said, "Then, let us meet here one or two hours from now. I''ll take Leona to eat in a restaurant downtown."


    The party agreed to regroupter that day, and thus the group split into two for no grand reason other than collecting food and other supplies. Two hourster, they regrouped on time and made their way into the shipyards in search of a voyage into the human domain''s maind.


    Kieran seemed to have opened up a lot to Juvia during their alone time, pleasantly surprising Leonardo who in turn, gave Juvia a silent thumbs up, to which she replied by sticking out her tongue yfully.


    The three were about to engage in a conversation when they felt the powerful auras of multiple saints explode in the distance, epassing the entire harbor. Aria''s long ears twitched, and shezily nced in the direction of the auras as well.


    Leonardo closed his eyes to sense carefully before opening them, his eyebrows raised in surprise.


    "About twenty seven saints, I underestimated the strength of the human domain, or perhaps I underestimated the chaos caused by the involvement of the elven and beastkin." Leonardo muttered silently, feeling regretful he couldn''t stay behind to watch the battle unfold.


    Just as Leonardo was musing over this turn of events, hismunication bracelet began to emit soul fluctuations, forcing him to tear his attention from the fleet of soldiers and into the device.


    "Jeff? What''s up?" Leonardo inquired after connecting the call.


    "This is urgent, have you encountered the fleet of reinforcements?" Jeffery''s tone was anything but light and dandy, causing Leonardo to frown as he answered in the affirmative.


    "How many saints can you spot?" Jeffery asked.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Twenty seven, why?" Leonardo responded and immediately questioned thereafter. The other end of the connection went silent for a moment before Jeffery cursed and sighed.


    "Let''s just say the households weren''t happy with your parting gift, especially the household behind Azalea. Thus, House Venus, House Exodia, and House Regalia separated a division each from their reinforcements to intercept and ambush you on your way back before you made it into the Sylvia Kingdom''s territory."


    "ording to my information, the reinforcements should have had a total of thirty saints, which means a total of three diverted from the main formation to handle your ground.  A division usually consists of amander and three thousand soldiers, which means we''re looking at a mob of nine thousand soldiers and three saints who aim to kill you before your official coronation in the Capital of Sylvia. Sigh¡­"


    "Wow, they really nned a proper wee party for me, haven''t they?" Leonardo responded in a t tone, though his lifeless eyes were pulsing with a crimson shimmer.


    Everyone around Leonardo knew that whatever party he spoke of definitely wasn''t good news, and their hearts went cold.


    Only the little fox excitedly rubbed her head into Leonardo''s as she perched on his shoulder, the act itself inadvertently increasing the frequency of the crimson shimmer. She knew this was a chance to further experiment over what type of an inheritance had Leonardo gained from the bloodthirsty intent.


    The bloodthirsty essence cocoon that engulfed Leonardo during his ascension was a clear sign that his path of ughter aimed down towards the construction of his battle oriented bloodthirsty armament, just like Nier.


    Then again, that should have been a given since Nier was the source of his intent to begin with. However, she wondered how a bloodthirsty armament influenced with a foreign intent would look like, especially one of a highw.


    The only issue and difference here was that Nier bathed in the blood of thousands on the path of each and every cycle of her growth, a baptism which Leonardo severelycked. Rosaline, who was disguised as Aria for these chapters of Leonardo''s life, was concerned about finding suitable victims to baptize him.


    Now however, that problem was solved. All she needed to do was subtly influence Leonardo and groom these malevolent thoughts that his blood whispered into his conscience.


    By the time they encounter the so-called wee party, blood will run rivers and paint thends and sky red. Hopefully, this much blood would aggravate him enough to construct a rudimentary armament.


    Nier''s rudimentary armament was a long sword, so Aria guessed that Leonardo''s shouldn''t be that far off. As for what body armor his armament would be, she''d have to wait until he attained a divinity for that to happen.


    Perhaps only the little fox was shivering with excitement and anticipation at this cold atmosphere that surrounded Leonardo, but he quickly snapped back to his senses feeling lost at what sinister ideas just upied his mind.


    Shaking his head, he smiled tly and looked at everyone.


    "Let''s not let our hosts wait too much, yeah?" With that, he advanced onward the harbor for the first ship heading ind to the human domain.


    Juvia gave Pandora a questioning look, but thetter helplessly shook her head and followed with Leona tightly holding her hand.


    Pandora vividly recalled those crimson eyes as something inherent to House Hestia''s main bloodline, now she was positive that someway somehow, this leader of theirs obtained the inheritance.


    She simply couldn''t believe that the youngdy gave her first time to him, and she dreaded that woman''s reaction when she found out that her man was sleeping around with trash from the branch households.


    She sighed and decided to face things as theye, thinking to vent her frustrations on the fools blocking their path with whatever foolish ambush.

 Chapter 35 The Beginning Of A Massacre

    ?The geopoliticalndscape of the human domain was peculiar to say the least. With the three ruling powers in the centre of the domain, encircled by the seven kingdoms, and ring after ring of feudal territories that stretched their ws onto the edges of the domain.


    Although it wasn''t wise for a superpower to find itself encircled by countless ambitious factions, the ruling powers couldn''t help it as the centre of the domain was the location most abundant in worldly energy and the core area where the energy vein connected to the''s core is closest to the surface.


    Although the three ruling powers don''t have an established non aggression pact or any semnce of a powerful alliance, they at least have a signed pact of mutual defence unto perpetuity. Unless the seven vassal kingdoms acted as one to usurp the power from the three ruling powers simultaneously, any foolish endeavours towards that goal would result in but one final destination; absolute destruction.


    Putting aside the overwhelming power of an offensive alliance with three superpowers represented, the vassal kingdoms needed to put their differences and grudges aside, cleanse the nted moles and spies within their ranks, and absolutely trust one another before they could even think about acting up against their lords.


    Everyone knows that isn''t impossible, but highly improbable.


    However, this also ced Leonardo andpany into an awkward position as they would need to travel through the territory of Regalia''s Kingdom, under the nose of House Regalia, if they were to charge into the desired borders of Sylvia''s Kingdom.


    Even if Queen Adeline was aware of the iing ambush awaiting her newly crowned Foreign Prince, she couldn''t justifiably march an army into the borders of a vassal kingdom. On the other hand, House Venus and Exodia split their troops with the excuse of ferrying their forces on multiple rotations, making the queen feel helpless.


    Thus, at the moment, an army of nine thousand strong spearheaded by three robust saints took positions in a fairly wide ravine carved through massive mountains. These mountains would be the very first naturalndscape to catch one''s eye on the distant sea as they approached the town''s harbour, with the ravineing next the moment they touched down on the maind.


    "Stay focused! Anytime soon, they will appear within our line of sight! It is suspected that they have at least two saints, so expect heavy casualties!"


    One of the saints in heavy armour and a broad sword nted on his shoulder spoke up, his robust voice echoing through the ravine.


    "Remember, your goal is to drain their stamina and capture the children on any given opportunity! Once you''ve captured them, consider the battle resolved!"


    Amanding officer under the saint spoke up to remind his troops. ording to their information, the target ces heavy importance in the safety of his two adoptive children. If they could capture those, they could spare themselves a heavy toll of death counts.


    Sadly, themanding officer barely finished his sentence before a red beam of light shot through his forehead, which burst like a watermelon the very next moment, followed by a loud bursting sound almost two seconds after the fact.


    This was a shot delivered through Pandora''s new baby toy energy rifle, powered up by her energy essence in a makeshift recement of energy stones. Silent and without a trace of energy fluctuations, even the three saints couldn''t see that oneing.


    Everyone stared dumbly at the posing body of their oncemanding officer with blood rushing out through his sted head, horrified.


    "What the fuck¡­" Someone finally spoke up, and everyone snapped their necks to the entrance of the ravine. There, a party of five slowly walked down the path nked by two massive mountains.


    A young man, a young woman, a mature elf, and two children.


    They looked like nothing short of a family on vacation, especially with the cute fluffy fox hugged by the doll-like little girl walking beside the young man.


    Leonardo suspected that the mystical beast fox was at least a peak mortal if not a saint, otherwise it couldn''t have withstood the pressure emission from his ascension back there. Thus, he entrusted the inconspicuous feral with Leona''s safety, mainly out of trust in the little one''s intelligence.


    Leonardo sighed helplessly and looked over at Pandora who was lovingly stroking the energy rifle. He didn''t allow her to use it within the borders of Valdmor, but the moment he allowed her to, she went ahead and shoot off the head of the first irritating fucker they''ve ran into.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You know, Specter,  I really wanted to personally kill that bastard." Leonardoined with a bitter smile.


    Pandora smiled awkwardly and apologised, "Eh¡­ I''m sorry?¡­"


    "Never mind!" Leonardo waved his hand, looking at Juvia next.


    "Winter, as my future secretary, you need to know that sometimes, a businessman can''t rely on numbers and wits and deliver a message." As Leonardo spoke, he began to roll up his sleeves, gesturing for everyone to stay back as he broke formation and advanced in a solitary stand.


    "Sometimes¡­" He muttered, his lifeless ck eyes overwhelmed with a sinister crimson re as his aura red up from the shackles of destion, radiating an unadulterated bloodlust, "You need to start subtracting lives instead."


    Juvia didn''t know whether tough or cry in despair on such advise, she didn''t need any pointers on something like that. As for Pandora, she red intently at Leonardo''s back and the bloodthirsty aura radiating off his body.


    That was an aura reminiscent of an orthodox House Hestia warrior, though he wascking the blood red set of weapon and armour, everything else clicked right in.


    On the other side of the wide ravine, the three saints were at first bewildered as to why the target would break from the formation and protection of his two saint bodyguards, but it didn''t take them long enough to notice the sharp rise of his aura and the expanding, invisible domain from within his body.


    "He''s a fucking saint for god''s sakes!" The trio blurted out, shocking the thousands of second cycle mortals, hundreds of third cycle mortals, and tens of fourth cycle mortals beneath theirmands.


    They couldn''t help but send messages and reports with this revtion to their superiors, oblivious to the fact that the entire region was under spatial lockdown and total obscurity by a mischievous little fox snuggled into Leona''s t chest.


    However, when hell breaks loose and they''d attempt an escape, they''d be in for a rude awakening. Aria had long made it her objective to leave no survivors behind after this encounter.


    After the moment of shock, the three saints at the rear of the formation snapped back to attention and barked their orders for a full scale march, hoping to exhaust Leonardo''s energy with overwhelming numbers.


    Oh, little did they know what divided their mortal and saint physiques from that of an immortal. First harsh lesson; don''t everpare energy reservations.


    The thousands of foolish mortals screamed their throats hoarse as they rushed like a river of steel and metal down the ravine, crashing through Leonardo''s domain with wild abandon. Those of weaker wills among them felt as though they''ve phased into a world of bloodshed as their earth and sky flipped over in a sea of blood, copsing in horror where they stood.


    However, all it took was a bit of pain from the uncaring stampede that trampled their bodies, and they snapped back to reality before picking up their swords, spears, and axes before resuming their march.


    For the longest time during their voyage across the sea, unceasing thoughts of murder and ughter clouded Leonardo''s mind, and he was about to unleash these unholy fantasies and paint the world red with misery and pain for they have plotted against his bottom line.


    The vanguard of the army were thrilled to find their target a mere hundred metres away, but gasps of shock resounded when he thinned out from their fields of view, vanishing without a trace.


    Their confusion wasn''t long lived as a miserable cry drowned by none other than the ng of steel echoed from the depths of their military formation. Leonardo stood there, hand wrestling out a long spear from a random soldier before wedging it deep through the chest cavities of three perfectly lined soldiers and into the throat of the unlucky number four.


    This was the beginning of a massacre, but they were yet to realise it.

 Chapter 36 Total Wipe Out

    ?"Charge this bastard! What are you waiting for?!" Amanding officer yelled out as he brandished his saber and pushed through the array of soldiers.


    The remaining soldiers snapped out of their momentary shock and shouted out their diverse battle cries, flooding Leonardo''s immediate surroundings.


    Leonardo was caught in the marvelous sense of satisfaction as four ephemeral wisps of blood danced within the confines of his invisible domain like threads of silk, fusing into his body the instant he killed the four soldiers. He assumed this was the necessary essence umted to cultivate his bloodthirsty intent, and this information instinctively transmitted to his mind.


    He now understood the merit behind those bloody traditions Pandora spoke of when they discussed House Hestia by that beautifulke.


    Leonardo yanked the spear from the stacked soldiers and swept the shaft in a full circle, clearing the perimeter of his immediate surroundings, or rather further tarnishing it with the stter of blood and gurgling noises of these throat-cut men.


    Weapons dropped to the ground as one man after another clutched their slitted necks, tumbling into the blood of their fallen brethren. Leonardo knew better than to allow the formation to lock him in ce as hundreds and thousands of desperate, suicidal maniacs rushed to the throes of death in hopes of anchoring him down into their graves.


    For reasons unknown, Leonardo focused, instinctively wrestling out one spear at a time while overlooking the swords and sabers as he rushed the narrow cracks in the formations hampering his advances. Blood stained his face and once immacte white robes, dying him an utter madman.


    He got so ustomed to the cries and heinous shouts of people struggling with death, his mind began to automatically filter out these noises, all he could see was a bunch of savages screaming silently to his face and back while heads rolled down bodies embellished incerations nketed the ravine in his wake.


    The three saints watched with grave expressions as Leonardo befell their men in the dozens and seemingly without effort on his part. Pandora and Juvia were gobsmacked with how efficiently and without an ounce of hesitation or a margin of error Leonardo''s close quarterbat disposed of one life after another.


    This was no disy of magic or overwhelming destructive force that a saint could unleash onrge scales, this was but a brutal massacre with no more than thebat techniques they''ve trained in daily for the past three months of travel.


    As for Aria, she sat on Leona''s small head while stretching her paws to cover up the little girl''s eyes. Of course, she was also obstructing the psychic waves from approaching the little girl, otherwise simply covering her eyes would have been pointless.


    Leona could only cross her arms and pout in protest because she knew how intelligent the adorable little fox was, and she could feel the good intentions behind her actions.


    Back on the battlefield, hundreds of thin ephemeral threads of blood swarmed across Leonardo''s body. His now drenched robes were torn and tattered as they weighed down on his movement due to their viscous nature. His eyes gleamed a dangerous crimson as his blood boiled over and overclocked his heart with every thumping pulse. At some point in time, all Leonardo could see was a bleak red and bodies attached to mismatched limbs.


    The heavy blood on his clothes and in the ground mired down his speed to a point where he got locked in ce for the briefest of moments enough for a toon of soldiers to swarm him like locusts. With a fierce roar, Leonardo punctured through seven men with the stab of a spear, but the force was so great the shaft snapped apart in his grasp.


    He immediately gave up the weapon, driving his elbow into a would be sneak attacker before twisting his waist enough to face the concussed soul, his fist running through the man''s te armor and chest, dark gray and red threads intertwined along his palm and forearm when he crushed the man''s heart.


    A sh of destion washed over Leonardo''s eyes, and a glimmer of anticipation welled up within Aria''s.


    The next moment, Leonardo drew his hand back from the man''s chest, a dense collection of crimson gray essence energy swirling within his hand. Instinctively, he motioned with his empty hand as though he smashed down with some heavy polearm, but that illusion didn''t live long as a woeful weapon of mass destruction snapped into existence.


    The entire bloodthirsty domain contracted like the snap of a shutter, condensing into the shape of a two meter long halberd crowned by dual edged serrated des radiating a sense of death and ruin.


    An stic crimson shaft stretched from the crown and into Leonardo''s fair, bloodied hand, and a twisted spear tip emerged from between the symmetrical semicircr des of the halberd.


    The bloodthirsty domain shrunk to engulf the halberd so much that the crowds of suicidal soldiers were spared the despair its aura entailed. However, that didn''tst long as runic scripts of anguage long forgotten jutted out over the surface of the weapon, etched in a deep dull gray that didn''t taint the crimson beauty but further enhanced it.


    All of this took ce within the split second of Leonardo''s motion from clenching his empty fist and smashing down into the bloody soil at his feet.


    BOOM!<novelnext></novelnext>


    The halberd struck a deep crevice into the ground, a bloodthirsty domain intermingled by destion exploded outwards, death washing over the soldiers in the thousands as what they''ve experienced was no mere illusion of their souls waning and their bodies going decrepit, but a hard reality.


    They gasped in horror as their internal energies went still within the confines of their mortal vessels, the mere fact they couldn''t project their energy outward being the sole reason they couldn''t prevent the damnable essence of destion from infiltrating their systems.


    What was a sure kill encirclement flipped into a one way ticket to the underworld. The deste domain pulsed out once before it crumbled under the suppression of Arcadia''s naturalws, catching Leonardo by surprise, but he quickly understood.


    His deste intent and the essence of Arcadia were two opposing poles, the only way for one to exist is by utterly demolishing the other. However, that single pulse of destion swept the battlefield only once, and the erosion struck like cancer, snuffing out every trace of energy within the ranks of the opposing armies.


    Within moments, an unnatural silence enveloped the ravine as thousands of soldiers far and near dropped dead, their eyes betrayed their confusion. Although the deste domain crumbled to bits, the bloodthirsty domain was still in full structure, galvanizing the thousands of ephemeral blood threads from the deceased and molding them into Leonardo''s bloodthirsty armament.


    Leonardo stared foolishly at the sea of corpses littering the ground, the majority of them died without the trace of a wound or blemish on their bodies. Not only Leonardo, even the saints be it his allies or not, they simply gaped in shock.


    Pandora couldn''t believe her eyes. Only now did she believe what Leonardo said when he mentioned how his martial intent is a natural nemesis to Arcadia, and that was putting it humbly.


    That was practically the nemesis to all life. She couldn''t help but side eye Juvia, who gained the death essence of Leonardo''s martial intent.


    Juvia wasn''t faring better, she couldn''t believe her eyes either.


    As for Aria, her little heart went into overdrive with jealousy when she thought about how lucky her daughter was to get her hands on such an overbearing martial intent practically for free.


    Only when Leonardo brandished his long halberd and nted it across his shoulder, taking one steady step at a time in the direction of the three saints, did everyone snap back to their senses.


    Leonardo''s figure blurred, crossing a distance over a kilometer to arrive about a hundred meters away from the three saints in their post-shock state, scaring the living daylights out of them as they observed those scarlet eyes trained on their bodies.


    "Gentlemen¡­ I haven''t kept you waiting for long, have I?" Leonardo asked in a t tone reflective of his t smile.


    Two of them gulped nervously whilst the third took a step back involuntarily.


    Their first thought was; this was no human being.


    Their second thought was; escape.


    Their third andst thought was; I can''t move¡­


    Having assumed the trio were frozen stiff from shock and fear, which couldn''t have been further from the truth, Leonardo took advantage of what he deemed a chance and swung his halberd without hesitation.


    Heads rolled, and three saintsy strewn across the ground, their eyes betraying their helpless confusion.


    Leonardo sighed, falling to one knee, and began to vomit in disgust from the stench of blood as the crimson glimmer faded from his eyes and a lifeless swarm of midnight darkness consumed them.

 Chapter 37 Clouded State Of Mind

    ?Valdmor, in a private room.


    "Are you still incapable of contacting them?" A middle aged man sat on a round table, apanied by Mason and Andrew, but his question was directed at Azalea who stood respectfully behind him.


    "I''ve been trying for a while now but to no avail¡­" Azalea responded with her head lowered, much like her voice.


    "There''s no point trying, Jason. For some reason, we couldn''t contact them either, not even their Excellencies could do anything about the weird interference influencing the region as we speak." Mason interjected the futile conversation.


    "That''s right," Andrew added in a grave tone, "We can only wait."


    There were several simr meetings ongoing throughout the underworld of Valdmor, even Jeffery was on tenterhooks while waiting for a response from her Majesty since he couldn''t contact Leonardo.


    Just as he was getting anxious, hismunication bracelet, one more advanced than Leonardo''s, lot up and projected a wide static screen apanied by a gentle voice.


    "Fixed it! We can have a look at the battle situation now¡­ But I''m anxious, do you think he''s still alive?" Queen Adeline asked hesitantly.


    Jeffery felt like crying, what monarch would expose their weakness to a subject? What about putting a false, strong front?


    "What''s with that expression? You think it''s no good too, don''t you? Aiya! I should have ignored everything and sent one of my Sky Angles, I have twelve of them anyway!" The Queen began to whine in a distressed tone.


    "Absolutely NOT!" Jeffery panicked, shouting, scaring the living daylight out of the Queen who went silent on the other end.


    Jeffery coughed awkwardly and added, "Let''s not underestimate him, your Majesty, how about we take a loo first and decide on what to doter?"


    "Alright¡­" The Queen agreed, having been too anxious and lost her grip on her emotions. Then, the wide screen flickered and revealed the scene of the battle''s aftermath.


    Or rather, the aftermath of a massacre.


    "Ah!" The sight of which elicited a shriek from Queen Adeline, having never witnessed so much death and destruction in the sanctity of the holynds under the three ruling powers.


    Thousands of bodiesy dead, and with her cultivation, she could instantly count their numbers so she could answer Jeffery''s following questions.


    "How many corpses do you count?" Jeffery asked.


    "Nine thousand¡­ Nine thousand and three corpses¡­" Queen Adeline replied in an unnatural tone, on the verge of puking her lunch.


    "Good lord, they''re all dead¡­" Jeffery muttered, but then he noticed something weird and was quick to point it out.


    "Hey, the majority of them are unharmed at all, at the rear of the formation, how did they die?"


    Queen Adeline was also confused and focused her consciousness, only to conflict with two other consciousness no weaker than her own. As a result of which, the entire broadcast crumbled under the bacsh.


    "Ow!" She whined, "I couldn''t see much, perhaps some powerful expert made a move in the shadows¡­ I assume it is that powerful expert who warded off the area from probings as well."


    Jeffery professionally ignored the whines and whimpers, putting on a stoic facade while nodding his head. Those three just triggered a ho''s nest it seems.<novelnext></novelnext>


    In the other and only room where the representatives could rely on the power of the three ruling powers to inspect the battlefield, an oppressive silence engulfed the entire room.


    Azalea covered her mouth and shock and then fear of what might descend onto her homnd if such savages were tob through thend. And for the most part, her fears weren''t unfounded, as countless times had the thought of retaliation against the Regalia Kingdom popped up in Leonardo''s mind.


    However, he simply shook his head clear from such thoughts, at least not until he was officially allotted and and a title, as any acts from that point onwards are considered an act of war and conquest.


    For now, Leonardo andpany were having a peaceful trek through the hilly countryside behind the stretch of mountains located behind the great ravine, the little siblings being none the wiser to the massacre that urred right behind them.


    It seemed that Leona had gotten quite attached to Aria, always hugging the fox to her bosom with one arm and holding onto Leonardo''s hand with the other, happily discussing matters of life, or at least whatever thoughts that came to her mind with the silent animal.


    Kieran was the opposite. Although he progressed enough to voluntarily take the initiative to hold Juvia''s hand, he didn''t speak much but rather curiously skimming his gem-like brown eyes about the terrain all around, feeling excited even though his expression didn''t show it.


    "Although we don''t know how to make our way around this region and into Sylvia''s Kingdom, we could find some business caravans and offer our services asmissioned protectors, or we could join a caravan and hire protectors of our own to show the way and exin the situation across the realms."


    As the party made their way through the lushly countryside, Juvia proposed a course of action she found best. However, Leonardo who was awfully silent this whole time didn''t hear her.


    He was engrossed in the process of capturi the feeling of wielding that archaic halberd, and the influx of information regarding its origins that surfaced in his mind. Only now did he understand why someone as powerful as Nier didn''t bother arming up with protective gear or fancy weapons; she didn''t need any.


    He had to admit that this martial intent is tailored for battle, and he now could understand the crisis such a bloodline would invite if they didn''t have the power to protect themselves from the greed of mankind.


    "Leader!" Juvia called out with an exasperated tone, for the fifth time.


    "Hm? What?" Leonardo blinked, noticing that everyone was giving him looks of concern. Juvia recounted her n to Leonardo, which he epted with a casual nod of the head, his response as simple as it could get:


    "Sure, whatever works."


    Juvia noticed that Leonardo wasn''t in the right mindset, but she didn''t me him for it. After giving the matter some thought, she suggested, "How about we settle down in a nearby inn for the night and look for a caravan tomorrow?"


    "Sure, whatever works." Leonardo nodded absentmindedly, still lost in a peculiar state of mind. Juvia sighed again, simply giving Leona a look, and the smart child understood her meaning and nodded with a smile.


    Then, Leona began to subtly guide Leonardo by pulling at his hand, and the young leader simply followed along without paying attention to the overall situation and environment. It was soical that Leona couldn''t help but lead him to walk in circles around the circumference of arge tree, and surprisingly, Leonardo didn''t even notice that.


    The two of them circled the tree about twelve times when Juvia couldn''t take it anymore and gave Leona, who was struggling to notugh, a stern look.


    Leona rolled her eyes and mouthed silently, "Godfather is acting silly today!"


    Perhaps only Aria was aware of what went through the young man''s mind, and she couldn''t help but give the elven beauty a look of approval. What Leonardo needed now was to simply sit down and sort out his thoughts, asprehending the intricacies of a highw isn''t something to scuff at.


    Thus, the group entered the nearest town and rented three rooms for the weekend.


    Juvia shared a room with the children, Pandora slept alone, and Leonardo absentmindedly entered his own room, but Aria stealthily sneaked in as well, a curious glimmer in her crimson eyes.

 Chapter 38 Stress Relief Session

    ?Leonardo absentmindedly climbed into his bed andid back with his arms crossed behind his head. Staring at the ceiling, his thoughts drifted away into the heart of the battle earlier today, his eyes shimmering crimson, and he silently closed them.


    He felt something climbing over his chest, which he assumed to be Aria, and thus he ignored her presence. However, as though under a spell, he felt his thoughts clear up and knowledge passed down from generations ago surfaced in his mind, orderly and collected.


    Aria curled up on top of Leonardo''s chest, staring down at his handsome face with a curious glint in her eyes. She was guiding the awakening of Leonardo''s bloodthirsty armament through her psyche and will, as it would have taken days if not weeks of secluded meditation for Leonardo to sort through these thoughts on his own.


    Leonardo now understood that the rudimentary awakening of the armament is but a prelude to a path of ughter. The strength disyed by his bloodthirsty armament is proportional to the umted volume of blood essence extracted from his fallen victims; taking quality and quantity in mind.


    That was simply one of many enlightenments he realised before drifting to sleep. When he finally slept, Aria stood up, and like a wisp of smoke, the little fox fled into the night.


    In the blink of an eye, the little fox made it back to the deste scene of thousands of corpses in a sea of viscous blood.


    "What a waste of blood essence," She muttered helplessly, "Can''t be helped, his domain is too fragile to influence thousands of people simultaneously."


    As she spoke, she pawed the sea of blood, and it immediately began to boil over and surged, shrinking in size before morphing into a dense blood red bead the size of an olive pill. The fox took the pill to her mouth before heading back, silently at that.


    When she intruded into the bedroom once more, Leonardo was already sleeping peacefully on his side. She sighed in relief before approaching his right palm, observing his backhand intently as a faint red shadow reminiscent of Leonardo halberd surfaced on his skin.


    Aria spat out the pill of blood essence and guided it directly into the blood halberd, smiling to herself as the faint shadow condensed and became even the more visible for a moment before sinking back into Leonardo''s skin.


    With that matter out of the way, Aria crawled her way into Leonardo''s chest, falling asleep within his embrace for the night.


    Barely a few hours went by when the door to the bedroom creaked open, alerting Leonardo and Aria awake as the former sprung to sit up on the edge of the bed. As for Aria, she jumped onto the headboard with a bittersweet glint in her eyes.


    Can''t I have one night to myself?! She thought in despair as Pandora and Juvia walked in, hand in hand.


    Leonardo couldn''t help but swallow a lump of saliva as he eyed their contrasting figures. This was the first time both women approached him in a pair, and he couldn''t help but pinch himself to test whether or not this was a dream.


    "We noticed your state of mind wasn''t at it''s best after the battle, leader¡­" Juvia spoke softly, sashaying over with her mature figure wrapped in a pleasant white lingerie that entuated her perks as a stunning beauty with theced strings bounding her breasts firmly and tightly wrapping her thighs and curves. She immediately made her way behind Leonardo, pressing her breasts against his firm back, her slender fingers dancing across his chest in a way that sent shivers down his spine.


    As for Pandora, she tip-toed over wearing one of Leonardo''s oversized shirts. Moreover, judging by the perky nipples disyed through the fabric, the outlined curves of her small buttocks, and her beet red cheeks; it didn''t take a rock science genius to figure out that she was practically nude underneath that white shirt.


    With blood rushing to his head, by the time he snapped out of it, Pandora was already kneeling between his thighs with her little cheeks nuzzling against his erect cock, his pants and briefs somewhere unknown.


    Pandora kissed the quivering shaft lightly as she whispered, her hot breath caressing the monster awake from its slumber as her words echoed in the silent room.


    "Let your girls relieve your stress, daddy¡­"<novelnext></novelnext>


    And that was thest thing the Foreign Prince remembered before his instincts took over¡­.


    As for Aria, she rolled her eyes and went outside to keep an eye on the kids.


    ¡­


    It was onlyte into the day as the midday sun scorched the inn, golden rays bombarding Leonardo and his two beauties awake from their deep slumber after an intense night of passion.


    Last night, Pandora took her head game to a whole new level. No, she practically discovered a dimension of pleasure that took Leonardo in and the young man almost didn''t want to leave it.


    Leonardo couldn''t get over how explosive of an effect was a Pandora in an oversized shirt, the temptation was on the scale of divine intervention. All hell broke loose when she addressed Juvia as her mommy and sucked those milk jugs into oblivion.


    Her little mouth is nothing short of a weapon of mass destruction.


    His mental burden of having ughtered over nine thousand people for apparently no reason other than some mysterious urges was finally lifted off his mind. In fact, if such a senseless ughter was a free ticket to yet another threesome, he might send yet another batch to the afterlife.


    The sudden movement on Leonardo''s part elicited soft groans from the two naked beauties who instinctively snuggled further into his chest, only to pump forehands in a silly manner.


    Pandora and Juvia opened their eyeszily, two pairs of silver optics exchanged drowsy nces. The next moment, they both smiled and reached over simultaneously and locked themselves into a wet kiss before switching over to kiss Leonardo as well.


    After a minute or two of messing around, Leonardo stopped them with a flick on the forehead for each before letting out a sigh.


    "You two did well, have we discussed anything important yesterday? I wasn''t paying attention."


    Juvia and Pandora exchanged a look, deciding to keep Leona''s little prank a secret before Juvia spilled out her thoughts on how to proceed. Leonardo naturally agreed, and he decided to take a cold shower before fitting himself with a presentable set of clothing.


    Of course, to avoid wasting time, he would take the bath with his lonesome.


    And since the kids were in Juvia''s room, the two women went for a bath in Pandora''s chambers instead.


    Half an hourter, everyone was waiting for Leonardo in front of the inn, chatting lightly or joking around. Aria''s long ears twitched and she immediately left Leona''s embrace, jumping ino Leonardo''s arms the moment he descended the stairs.


    Leonardo smiled tly, but that was the extent of the shift in his expression while he patted Aria''s head, his lifeless eyes as pitch-ck as usual.


    Juvia and Pandora sighed in relief upon noticing the same old disregard for life andposed look in Leonardo''s eyes. At least, this was a good sign.

 Chapter 39 Grim And Reaper

    ?Leonardo andpany made it through the busy afternoon streets and into the open za where countless carriages hooked into massive magical beasts of burdeny in wait.


    Other than the vocal advertisements and recruitments for protection and protectors respectively, many people were fervently discussing the heinous massacre of three royal divisions. Everyone began to refer to the incident and the location as the ravine of demise, and numerous ridiculous rumours spread like wildfire as truths and lies coexisted.


    The mind sure is a miraculous thing when someone invests into their imagination.


    As the group made their way around the za, Leonardo led them towards the section where they could hire personal protectors as no one would hire bodyguards walking around with two children.


    Leonardo didn''t wish to act like a stubborn novel protagonist who couldn''t put his ego down and enjoy ying the secondary or supporting character role once in a while. Furthermore, he needed capable subordinates, and the experienced veterans who travel back and forth across kingdoms and the various realms would stand out as potential candidates.


    However, for some odd reason, most local groups either eyed them from a distance or outright avoided them. Leonardo assumed it had something to do with the Regalia Household, so he kept strolling around patiently.


    "Hey! The big family of five over there!"


    A skinny young pair, a man and a woman who seemed like siblings based on their simrities; wavy green hair and dark eyes,. They were dressed in tight ck fitting clothes under gray robes.


    "Come over! We''ll protect you guys!" The young man smiled wide, and the woman skipped over and crouched down next to Leona before rubbing her head aggressively yet gently at the same time.


    Leona''s little head bobbed and swayed from left to right, back and forth, but she was oddlyughing and having fun from the young woman''s techniques that didn''t strain her neck or muscles.


    The woman''s eyshes were thick with mascara, reminding Leonardo of those gothic girls and the hype around them. However, since Leona wasn''t detecting any ill will from the pair, Leonardo assumed such yful behaviour would be fine.


    The young man seemed surprised that the group simply watched as a stranger got within such close proximity, evenying hands on the child, and they simply let it be without putting up any shred of resistance or caution.


    How can they be so rxed and casual when the royal family is on their heels? Or could the information have been wrong?


    The young man scratched the back of his head with a steel dagger, his expression betraying his disbelief as he spoke, "You guys¡­ Sigh¡­ Aren''t you too rxed around strangers?"


    "Miko! Shut up!" The kind big sister red at her younger brother, seemingly afraid that he''d ruin her fun time with Leona.


    Miko could understand the feelings of someone who loves children but doesn''t seem to find any child courageous enough to reciprocate. However, this child was acting so normally it in itself was a bit abnormal!


    She''s definitely no ordinary child!


    "Misaka, I''m serious though! Shouldn''t the normal reaction be something¡­ Something¡­ Ugh, something other than this? Kid, aren''t you scared or something?" Miko seemed unconvinced that a child who didn''t fear his sister''s face existed on this.


    "Scared? Why?" Leona asked, her head already stopped spinning but she could feel Misaka''s gentle hand pressing down on her.


    "I can tell big sis is a good person!" Leona looked at Miko as though he was a bit abnormal, causing Misaka to burst outughing while hugging her stomach. This was the first time a child favoured her over her little brother in a long time!


    Miko shrugged and pointed at an ordinary carriage in the rear section of the za while talking, "Anyway! You guys need protection, right? We will calcte the fee based on the distance and the amount of people we kill- ahem! I mean block from antagonising your little family until we''ve reached the destination!"


    "My code name is Miko Grim, and she''s Misaka Reaper," Miko pointed at himself then at his sister, then pointed back at a group of twelve simrly clothed individuals, though their identities were concealed nigh perfectly under their robes.


    Not even their general gender could be easily discerned based on visual judgement.


    "You''re not going to take payment upfront?" Juvia asked, somewhat surprised by the offer as she added, "What if we don''t have enough money to pay you afterwards?"


    Miko was stunned. That''s right, he simply made this proposal with the idea in mind that these are rich investors from Valdmor, being led by a soon to be crowned Foreign Prince, how could they have no money?


    But he can''t simply tell them that he had one or two bold spections about them, right?


    "Is this your first time doing this?" Juvia asked with a dubiously cautious expression.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Of course not!" Miko was quick to deny, adding up, "The thought that you might not pay never crossed my mind, honestly! I mean, if you don''t have money, what are you doing here?"


    Miko spoke his honest reasoning in a manner which didn''t expose his inner thoughts, he knew they had at least two saints, and just because he enjoyed the backing of a saint, that didn''t mean he could tantly lie to one in the face.


    "Godfather Leo is rich! Don''t worry!" Juvia was about to say something when Leona suddenly interrupted,forting Miko and Misaka with a kind smile. Then, she looked up at Leonardo with a smile while inquiring, "Right?"


    Juvia almost tripped over, feeling exasperated by the antics of this child.


    Sometimes she wished she was just as introverted as her big brother.


    Juvia looked down at Kieran who was simply watching with interest, her eyes overflowing with warm affection for the child who was willing to silently put everything aside and suffer for his little sister.


    If only that sense of kinship wasmon in the royal pce, Juvia sighed.


    Of course, no one noticed this short episode.


    "You''re right, money is no problem," Leonardo smiled tly at Leona before eyeing the yet crouching Misaka with interest, though the only impression thedy got from his dull eyes was the same as any other.


    She couldn''t fathom what sort of life has this young man gone through to have such deep seeded mncholy to the point where it was borderline captivating, but she had the mental fortitude to not sink in this depthless sea of emotions before she snapped back to her senses, back drenched in cold sweat.


    For someone with her profession, a moment of distraction could trante to a free ticket straight for the afterlife. She couldn''t believe that one nce from a normal human youth would cause her to trance about.


    She quickly stood up and awkwardly dusted off the sweat from her palms before walking back to her brother''s side, gesturing for the group to follow.


    "Alright then! Consider Grim and Reaper as your employees from this moment onwards! Oh right, where do you want to go?" Misaka stopped and turned her head to inquire for their destination.


    Pandora rolled her eyes, "Here I thought you''d never ask!"


    The siblings coughed awkwardly, but Leonardo simply waved it off before taking out a skin parchment from his spatial ring, on it was disyed the modernndscape of the Sylvia Kingdom.


    There were tens of cities and even hundreds of towns marked in the royal crest of House Sylvia, but there were also those marked in gray, presentable plots ofnd for the aplished subordinates.


    Leonardo pointed at a massive plot ofnd on the map, it was a massiveke in the shadow of a distant mountain peak, surrounded by five towns in the formation of an inverted pentagram, highlighting theke at the centre.


    The region was an ovep of borders between the three ruling powers, but it had ultimately fallen in Queen Adeline''s hands. Individually, the energy vein of such a remote location wasn''t something to speak of. However, the ovepping energy veins of three different regions suffused the area in worldly energy, hence the high value of the region.


    One can tell how invested Queen Adeline was in forming good rtions with Leonardo, and after the ravine of demise incident, no one would jeer at what an extravagant price the pacifist Queen had paid just for this one mysterious friend.


    Looking at the map, Miko''s mouth hung open and he blurted out, "You truly are that upstart Prince!"


    Smack!


    Misaka pped Miko over the back of his head before cursing his ancestors, then she nervously looked back to see Leonardo''s reaction, but he simply smiled at her with no intentions of denying it or making a scene whatsoever.


    "What? Not willing to take the job?" Leonardo raised an eyebrow.


    "Of course we''re willing! Of course!" Misaka replied, bullshit they wouldn''t be willing, this is a chance to change their future for the better! They simply needed an opportune moment to request this Prince for a position as his Royal Guards after they''ve proven their worth!


    "Did you have to be so heavy handed?!" Miko groaned as he got back up to his feet, grumbling¡­

 Chapter 40 Give Us An Opportunity!

    ?Separating the group from the region known as the Star Territory was a tropical rainforest, one of the longest canyons to be discovered in the human domain, and an expansive clearance inhabited by ferocious, magical beasts.


    The region was dubbed Star Territory mainly due to the fact that the five towns are spread out in an inverted pentagram formation akin to a star. While the fleet of wagons was advancing, three of them to be exact with Leonardo andpany upying the wagon in the middle, Leonardo broached the subject of the royal crest of House Grace to Juvia.


    As an elf, she must have a talent for art, and thus Leonardo gave her a general outline of what he desired to be the emblem crest of his house.


    He described it as a white feminine angel cradling a crimson star in her embrace, shielding it from an encroaching ubiquitous darkness with a divine radiance from her folded wings.


    As for the wings, he requested for a total of twelve wings in six pairs, folding over the angel''s figure much like an omnidirectional sphere. As such, the angel must adopt a fetus position. This concludes the overall concept and design of the royal crest, she would make sure to print it out in varying sses of metal, including but not limited to gold and silver.


    Leonardo wanted a symbolic emblem that reflected his past, present, and future.


    The darkness, obviously, represented the despair and helplessness he carried in his heart. As for the divine light, it could be inferred from the dull gray sky Leonardo had to cope with for over almost three decades of his life.


    Although it wasn''t much of a gentle experience, the membrane separating the Exiled Paradise from the universe as a whole inspired Leonardo to envision this light that was as divine as it was deste.


    The crimson star was the easiest piece in the symbolic puzzle as it iconised the start of Leonardo''s conquest in Arcadia, and by extension, the grand world atrge. Crimson represented the mark of House Hestia, more precisely, that young and petite silhouette who gave him this opportunity he so desperately clutched and protected, lest it all one day goes away.


    The final art of the emblem was the angel. Although he felt it was cliche, and borderline cheesy, he hoped to look at this being as though it was his own mother.


    That''s the least he could do as a filial son.


    Of course, he wouldn''t go out of his way and exin what represented what in his royal emblem, he would simply leave everyone to their own devices.


    "Are you guysfortable there?" A faint thud echoed inside the wagon as Miko jumped on the wooden roof, his voice vibrating through the nks constructing the closed carriage.


    "Is there something wrong?" Leonardo questioned in a calm yet inquisitive voice.


    "Nothing, at least not yet! If my sources are viable, the journey might prove quite the hassle with a bounty on you guys, especially one handed down by the royal family of House Regalia!"


    "Apparently, they''ve issued a regional bounty for a young man, white haired and always dressed in white, apanied by two white haired women, one of them an elf, and two children."


    "Well, I don''t know about you folks, but you pretty much match that description to me! I guess they''re not entertaining the idea of throwing their saints and soldiers to the ughter, hence they''re using a borrowed knife to get the job done." Miko sighed, leaning back on the wagon''s roof while chewing down the tip of his dagger. However, the reinforced steel bent and twisted like a straw stick.


    "Should we be worried?" Leonardo asked with a faint smile. Although Miko couldn''t see that smile, he could distinguish the ridicule in the young man''s tone.


    "Not at all! I''m honestly here with another proposal!" Miko spoke up.


    "I''m listening." Responded Leonardo.


    ? "If we make it into the borders of the Sylvia Kingdom without a hitch¡­ Erm, I mean, without any of your experts having to make a move, how about you incorporate Grim and Reaper into your personal force? Royal Guards maybe...?"


    Leonardo was a bit surprised, mainly because he was hesitant about broaching the subject of recruiting these people himself. Thus, he confirmed it by asking with a hint of doubt in his voice, "My Royal Guards?"


    "What? That''s too much to ask? It doesn''t have to be that high of a position, normal guards would do as well¡­" Miko hastily responded, thinking that he might have asked too much off the bat.


    "Why do you want to join the banner of my house?" Leonardo asked curiously. I mean sure, he was severelycking in subordinates if he wanted to defend his territory and expand with military efforts.


    ves can be counted as working force, but theirbat experience is severelycking. He had ns to carry out a cleansing and shrink down the ten thousand ves to perhaps one thousand, split them into five regiments, and station each regiment into one of the five mansions.


    As for Miko, Misaka, and their twelve brothers and sisters in arms, Leonardo already inspected their physiques and he could groom them into saints.


    The downside being that their potential is limited to the first cycle only, perhaps the siblings could push their luck to the second cycle, but that''s the extent of their natural endowment.<novelnext></novelnext>


    One might ask why wouldn''t Leonardo dual cultivate with Misaka and improve her physique and talent much like he did with Pandora and Juvia.


    In reality, Pandora and Juvia could be listed as unorthodox or peculiar cases as the former''s blood essence and thetter''s soul seed have been baptised, nourished, and imnted with Leonardo''s will and martial intent, allowing them to artificially and forcefully improve their natural endowment.


    Leonardo wasn''t so extravagant to continually split portions of his will just to groom some subordinates, especially when he''s notcking in the strength department anymore. In fact, he was forced by the circumstances back then, unless he desired for Juvia and Pandora to be stuck as mortals, he had no choice but to return their respective soul seed and blood essence. Thus, the two women could be gged as lucky, nothing more and nothing less.


    Regardless, having an extra fourteen saints, even if they were the mostmon bottom of the barrel type of saints, would serve just as fine to solidify the foundations of his territory.


    Regardless, the young man was nheless curious about Miko''s motives, even if just as nothing more than superficial formalities or a standard protocol.


    Miko visibly rxed, returning toy down as he munched away at the steel dagger while musing over his next few words. He wanted to leave a good impression on his future to be boss, so he thought long and hard as the wind carried his long green hair haphazardly.


    "Me and my brothers are bored, I guess¡­" Miko started in a low voice, but everyone could hear him, including the two children, even with the loud rumbling of the wagon''s wheels.


    "Each and every one of us came from a humble background. A convicted family or a noble house that fell from grace; the stories vary really. However, one thing we have inmon is theck of a ce to settle down."


    "I mean, who wants to take in a group of refugees with tabs of piled up debts and blood feuds? The crimes of our forefathers brought hell and rain of ash on our families, and you can say we are thest remnants after trials of blood and fire."


    "We got bored and tired of this lifestyle, but with our stained history, finding a new start is quite difficult, ya know?"


    Crack!


    Miko clenched his teeth on the steel dagger, crushing it to bits. The sound was grating to the ears, one could hear the frustration buzzing from the grounded teeth that locked off the cold weapon.


    "Everyone was scared out of their wits that goresome dawn when news about the ravine of demise spread like wildfire. I pulled on every connection and favours I had to get to the bottom of this. What everyone else saw as a catastrophe, me and my elder sister saw as an opportunity!"


    "No matter how big of a shithole our forefathers got themselves into, it wasn''t as brazen as offending two ruling powers and a vassal kingdom! Now that shit is fucked up man!" Miko yelled with a fervour zeal in his dark green eyes, gone was the frustration and in its ce was a drive to see the world engulfed in chaos.


    "Those pretentious, sanctimonious bastards had iting sooner orter! However, if another catastrophe like that was to ever befall thesends, me and my brothers want to be in the heart of it all venting our frustrations!"


    "So, Prince Leonardo, are you willing to give us that opportunity?!"


    Miko dangled over the wagon''s side, his long hair long messed up, but he peered through the window at the smiling face of the young businessman.


    Leonardo could see the bubbling excitement in the young man''s eyes, a motivation not the least bit affected by his skinny build or dirted countenance.


    Leonardo couldn''t help butugh softly , shaking his head as he did so, his t smile morphing into the shadow of a sinister grin.


    Miko could''ve swore that the young man''s eyes shed crimson for an instant before his face resumed that calm t smile after he kneaded his forehead.


    "Alright," Leonardo responded through the gaps of his fingers, "I''ll grant you that opportunity."


    In the foremost wagon, Misaka was ying with a set of throwing daggers when she heard the entire conversation. A brilliant smile bloomed on her face as she said, "Well boys, you heard em''!"


    "Sharpen your weapons!"


    The men didn''t respond, bit dense killing intent began to undte from their bodies.


    Misaka didn''t know just what obstinate fools would dare approach them, but may god have mercy on their souls for they''d dearly need it.

 Chapter 41 Another Ambush

    ?Miko returned to the foremost wagon to join his sister and the climbed into the carriage through the door. Then, he sat down and tapped hismunication bracelet to link up with the rest of the brothers in the rearmost wagon before he spoke in a stern, impassioned tone.


    "Since we can''t take the normal trade route through the various towns and cities, and for obvious reasons at that, we will need to go through the tropical rainforest, the canyon of despair, and the lost wilderness before we could reconnect to the popted areas. More specifically, the border towns between the two kingdoms."


    "I don''t need to mince my words, the journey will be arduous, expect the unexpected and don''t let your guard down! We may encounter natural disasters, apex predators, stupid bounty hunters, but we must forge onwards unhindered!"


    "For our brothers who may rest eternally on this one way track to greatness, entrust those who may live on to carry your ambitions! I swear on my honor that as long as I draw breath, my will shall never bend!"


    The men immediately echoed the sentiment without an ounce of hesitation.


    "My will shall never bend!"


    "My will shall never bend!"


    "My will shall never bend!"


    ¡­


    "Boss, in case I never made it, you know where I left my will just like everyone else amongst our brothers. In my will, I didn''t leave much, only information about my little sister who should have turned six years old by now."


    "Honestly, I left her as an infant, but I won''t say much. Everything you need to know is in my will. Her birthday, favorite food, a list of her friends, her location, and a location where I periodically buried away stashes of money that I meant for her to inherit when she turned sixteen."


    "If I don''t make it with the rest of the brothers, just bury my share of our profits, however much it may be, in that location. Then promise me that after twelve years on the date specified as her birthday in the will, she will find the fortune waiting."


    "Just tell that brat that her big brother had always kept an eye for her in the dark."


    The entirepartment went silent for a brief moment of time before Miko finally responded.


    "Are you done, Azazel? Is that it?" Miko looks at this hulk of a man who had one hell of an eroded scar across the bridge of his nose.


    Azazel rubbed the bridge of his nose and smiled faintly, nodding his head.


    "Alright, alright, good." Miko nodded his head repeatedly, his oversized hoodie falling to shade his expression.


    "Very good, very fucking¡­ GOOD!"


    BANG!


    Miko threw a heavy right jab that almost dislocated Azazel''s jaw as he smashed sideways into the interior wall of the carriage.


    "Fuck your sister man! If you want anyone to take good fucking care of her, do it yourself! And you dare call yourself a brother?! Is that what brothers are to you?! A bunch of nanies you toss your fucking responsibilities onto?!"


    "Do we look like a group of housewives to you?! Who here has ever raised a child before?!"


    "I''ll tell you what you piece of shit¡­" Miko reached over with his skinny hands and picked Azazel by his cor, ring hard at the man.


    "Speak one more word about dying and I swear to god above whether he existed or not, I''ll send your sister right after your sorry ass. At least, she wouldn''t spend the rest of her life grieving over what sorry ass of an excuse her big brother was, to not have the bit of courage to confront her face to face at least once before kissing this world goodbye!"


    "Shame on you!" Miko tossed the man aside, his hoodie identally shing to reveal that his eyes were  somewhat moist for the briefest of moments, but he quickly pulled the hood back down forcibly.


    "Anyone else with a death wish to speak of!?" Miko deliberately raised his voice, all the joy he had felt from getting Leonardo''s approval went down the drain due to some stupid fucker.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Like he did he need them to remind him that they couldn''t afford to die, not today, not tomorrow, and certainly not anytime soon. If they were prepared to die, they wouldn''t be scrambling away from one town to the next.


    However, sometimes, a man is forced to make a choice.


    "If you can''t afford to die yet, then scram before it''s toote! Go back to being a babysitter or whatever, but I stand here with a choice, and I''ve already made up my mind to see it to the end!"


    After he finished, Miko climbed out of the carriage once more and returned to the roof,ying down while he chewed away at a new dagger. However, the moment he locked down his jaw, his deep green eyes constricted and he immediately went onto a reverse handstand before following up with a smooth backflip.


    Xiu! Xiu! Xiu!


    Sharp air splitting sounded as the thick canopies ahead were torn through, revealing three speeding, massive crossbow arrows each being at least two meters in length.


    Miko Instinctively evaded the first bolt that shot right through the foremost wagon before he could even alert the group. With a loud crashing sound, the wagon flipped over as it''s splitters scattered about, forcing the other two wagons to veer off course to stop by the roadside.


    However, before all that, Miko knew he couldn''t allow the second and third bolts to pass by him. Thus, his internal energy cycled rapidly, his veins webbed across his skin, and a green me jutted from his hands to envelop his two daggers.


    With a loud nging sound, he struck the second bolt from below, the steel de of his dagger screeching along the shaft of the metal arrow before forcing it to ricochet and smash into the third bolt, deflecting both shots with a resounding boom and a bloom of green fire.


    "An ambush!" Miko shouted hoarsely, to which those in the rearmost wagon responded by tossing aside their dark cloaks and revealing their personal weapons and gear below.


    As for the foremost wagon, what remained of its races was a think cloud of dust, rubble, and shattered wood concealing the silhouette of the massive beast as it roared.


    Although concerned about his sister, Miko had much more pressing matters to attend to as a hail of arrows descended from the sky, filling the airborne young man''s field of view.


    "Careful!" He shouted before striking the edges of his daggers together in a fierce sh, causing yet another beautiful emerald explosion of sparks and fire that covered the sky indiscriminately.


    The momentum of the explosion sent Miko back tond in front of Leonardo''s wagon after incinerating the flood of arrows, but he quickly snapped back to inspect the situation with his sister.


    "Misaka!" He called out with a hint of concern.


    A strong gale billowed from the center of the wreckage, uplifting the thick curtain of dust. A macabre scene greeted Miko as the massive siege bolt impaled through Azazel''s back and out through his broad chest, pinning the man to the ground with a massive hole peering through his mashed lungs.


    Everyone else was gaping in shock at the man who was resolved to confront his little sister not one minute ago. Misaka as well, all she could remember was Azazel striking the carriage floor with the blunt end of his sword instinctively when they heard Miko cursing outside.


    The next instant, everyone was blown a safe distance away, but the mante in his fourties had no spare time to dodge or parry. Thus, everyone survived, save for this man.


    Miko''s eyes reddened underneath his hood before he recklessly rushed into the thick canopies, having determined the distance and approximate location of the ambushers.


    Misaka split the remaining members in two separate groups before taking one of them and rushing after her brother, patting Azazel''s thick shoulder silently as she shot past the dying man.


    She swore to herself that she''d line up the heads of everyone single one of them on spikes right here before this man drew hisst breath.


    Inside the middle wagon, Leonardo, Pandora, and Juvia were listening in on the conversation when shit went south. However, following their agreement, unless absolutely necessary, Leonardo andpany won''t make a move.


    "Will youpensate their families in case of death?" Juvia suddenly asked in a lowered voice.


    Pandora and Leonardo gave her a weird look, but thetter didn''t answer, he simply closed his eyes to rest. It was about time for him to simplyy back as a background character and enjoy the peace it brought.


    What fuckingpensation? He barely gives a damn about these people, let alone their distant families.

 Chapter 42 The Survivors

    ?It was a long and silent journey. At first, everyone med Azazel''s death on carelessness, sharpening their senses and vowing to not divert their attention unnecessarily until they''ve reached the border town and fortress within.


    A tattered wagon dragged by two bulky men rather then a beast of burden rolled into the concrete gates of the border fortress. The moment it stopped, the two men dropped to the ground in a puddle of their own blood, twitched a bit, and then went still.


    Dead still.


    Miko, who was barely keeping up on his own two feet, spearheading the group, barely breathed a sigh of relief before he heard a muffled thud behind him. His heart ached, but he drew in a sharp breath and steeled his heart before turning around.


    Out of everyone who pledged to move on till they drew theirst breath, only five now stood before him.


    Scarred by the mes of conflict, even his once beautiful sister had a long poisoned scar slithering down the side of her profile. However, she ignored the bubbling miasma and gave him a bitter smile that seemed to question whether or not this was worth it.


    "Misaka¡­"


    "Sitri¡­"


    "Kristopher¡­"


    "Anderson¡­"


    "Lucas¡­"


    These were the ''survivors'' of this hell-like trek through the province of oblivion; Tropical Rainforest, Canyon of Despair, and the Lost Wilderness.


    Azazel was merely the beginning, and Miko could do nothing about it but watch helplessly because his priorities were the safety of Leonardo and his party, no matter the cost or sacrifices.


    On multiple asions had his brothersmitted to fooling actions that were borderline suicidal for the sake their cause, leaving nothing behind but words of encouragement to their agonised boss.


    Miko dropped to his hands and knees as hot tears trickled down and stained his bloodied knuckles. He could finally rx, and his emotions of guilt burst out. He couldn''te forth and admit to his brothers that he saw thising, he knew death to some was inevitable but he lied to their faces and to himself.


    His sister and the rest must have figured it out midway due to the intensity of the consecutive ambushes. They must have figured out that they''re no more than sacrificial pawns for a chance at a better future for whoever survived.


    That must be why Azazel made his will clear, as no one else had the chance to do so in the following days.


    Miko felt disgusted at himself and his actions, but he moreso felt disgusted because although his motives were clear as day, regardless of how impure, everyone carried on as though it was natural.


    However, just because they understood and didn''tin or revolt, that doesn''t mean they''ve epted it or forgiven Miko. They''re simply forced by the circumstances.


    That''s right, they''re alreadymitted to the cause, there is no going back.


    Leonardo enjoyed watching this y out because now exists a psychological barrier between Miko and the five survivors. Those five will naturally form a cohesive unit joined by their feelings of distrust and despise towards Miko, while Miko will be driven by guilt and self me into the arms of someone, anyone who would dare ept a scumbag like himself.


    That person would just happen to be Leonardo.


    Leonardo andpany could have acted to save the lives of Miko''s troupe in subtle ways, but that would prove counterproductive for Leonardo''s future ns.


    He didn''t want a group of subordinates willing to risk their lives for another subordinate. That''s unnecessary and foolish.


    Misaka and the other four simply stood to the side, not even bothering tofort Miko. However, if anyone was prone to ultimately forgiving him, it would be his sister as she understood him best, and knew the burdens in his heart.


    It must have been painful to go through with this decision.


    The doors to the wagon''spartment flung open as Leonardo andpany alighted to the ground from either side.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo had the same t smile on his face as he proceeded with calm steps, his left hand clutched onto by Leona, though her expression seemed a bit duller than usual; less enthusiastic and more solemn.


    Juvia was eyeing the little girl with a hint of worry in her eyes, much like Kieran who was silently clenching his fists tightly. Throughout the journey, Leonardo didn''t permit anyone to obstruct the iing psychic waves from affecting Leona.


    The suffering, agony, bloodlust, hatred, sadness, greed, and a collective of negative emotions the girl never knew existed constantly bombarded her immature mind.


    She fainted, woke up, fainted, woke up, and again fainted in a cruel cycle. However, she endured through it after her Godfather''s instructions.


    ording to her Godfather, it was about time for Leona to see the ugliness of this world since a chance presented itself. Even now, the little girl could feel a thick cloud of dark sentiments like a lingering miasma reeking from the five survivors and Miko.


    However, the frequency of Leona passing out lessened greatly over the course of the three months journey, so much that she could control what she perceived and to what extent, not to mention limit the range of her perception ordingly.


    This was great progress that Leonardoplimented the little girl for. Now, she was aware more than ever that this world has more than lights and rainbows to it.


    She was sheltered from the rain by her big brother while he trudged through difficulties and starvation. Then, a kind Godfather introduced her to the colourful world atrge. However, if all she could experience was joy and happiness, there wille a day where her innate martial intent would be the downfall of this child.


    Because no matter how everyone protects her, the world is a cruel ce that she must endure in solitude sooner orter.


    "Leona, are you okay?" Juvia approached the child together with Kieran and asked her with a hint of concern in her tone. As for Kieran, he directly broke off from Juvia''s hands and hugged his little sister silently, kissing her small head.


    "Don''t worry, big brother!" Leona smiled and rubbed Kieran''s back while hugging him. As for Leonardo, he eyed Juvia and spoke in a calm tone.


    "We''re already beyond the areas where your family can exert influence so I''ll be returning to calling you Juvia from now on. If your existence could escte a war between the two domains, we can make use of that to put you on the Elven Throne."


    "As for Leona, don''t worry about her. Although I don''t have a suitable cultivation technique for her physique and talent, I can train her innate capabilities for the following five years by exposing her to intensive raw emotions. For now, however, I want you to impart a saint grade cultivation method to Miko, including the insights of ascension."


    As a saint, projecting energy isn''t the only thing an individual could do. In fact, auxiliary techniques such as imparting memories or soul projections for the purpose of mind invasion and imnting seals within someone''s mind''s eye for various purposes are also possible; very being the most prominent of the bunch.


    When Aria who was resting on Leonardo''s shoulder realised that the young man was seriously nning to bring Leona and Kieran back to the higher realms with him, and that the young girl wascking a suitable cultivation technique, namely a divine grade in ordance with her physique, she began to ponder.


    As for Leonardo, he looked at the remaining five and said, "Are you going to introduce yourselves to me yet?"


    The five heard everything that went on between Leonardo and Juvia, and they were shellshocked that Miko was granted sainthood just like that. Although his physique wouldn''t be able to handle the magnitude of energy toplete half the first cycle of sainthood, let alone progress further.


    At least, he will be a saint, even if the lowest of the bracket.


    They only snapped back to their senses when Leonardo called out for them, and they instinctively dropped to one knee each as they greeted their new Master.


    "This one is Misaka¡­."


    "This one is Kristopher¡­"


    "This one is Sitri¡­"


    "This one is Andreas¡­"


    "This one is Lucas¡­"


    Leonardo observed the five, mainly focusing on the four men with fluctuating ages from young to those in thetter years of their forties. However, the only acute differences lie in their facial features, everything else is but ordinary from the ck hair to their eyes. Actually, Lucas was the only person with somewhat exceptional features of blonde hair and blue eyes, but beauty was never a standard of talent or strength whatsoever.

 Chapter 43 Various Factions Prepare

    ?Leonardo silently stared them down for a few minutes before he started talking in his trademark t tone.


    "Unlike Miko, the five of you were forced into following through with the mission against your wills. Your loyalties don''t lie with me, and you don''t need to put up an act when your brothers kept falling for my sake, even though I could have saved them all."


    "That''s right, I could have had my saints save them, on more than one asion, but I let them die anyway. In a sense, I was more of a cause to their death than Miko was, and that''s the truth."


    "I''m going to dispatch each of you to one of the five towns where you''ll meet up with my ves, two thousands per estate to be exact. Then, you''ll join the great culling that I''m nning for the various ves from the first to the fourth mortal cycles."


    "The only one exempt from the great culling will be Miko, but the five of you should look forward to days of ughter in a grotesque survival game where only the elite will make the cut."


    "Out of the ten thousand ves, nine thousand will serve as no more than whetstones for my elite garrison units. However, regardless of the results, I need two fourth cycle mortals for each garrison, and one of the two will recover my blessings and ascend to sainthood if they prove their loyalty."


    "However, I''m not so cruel as to pit the five of you against one another so I''ll simply dispatch each of you to a different unit. Hopefully, by the end of the great culling, you''ll reunite with one another."


    Leonardo spoke in a t tone before making his way towards the entrance of the border fortress, followed by Pandora, Juvia holding the hands of Kieran and Leona, and a silent Miko trailing behind with a lowered head.


    Only the five survivors were left behind, kneeling silently as if they haven''t heard a word.


    ¡­


    Twelve cloaked individuals sat in the perimeter of a massive round table. If one was to look carefully, these twelve were mere projections osciting between reality and illusion, making it impossible to discern their true identities.


    One of them spoke in an encrypted voice, "This is absurd, the hallucinations of an rmist. We''re literally having our discussions in random locations throughout the neutral chaos zone, not to mention the dozens of space-time folds surrounding the sub-dimension we hold our meetings in."


    "And now, we need to take our security measures a step further and project our souls under disguised frequencies? What next? Imnt our nascent souls into the fledgling souls of infants and hold this meeting when they''re old enough to talk?!"


    "Do you honestly think House Hestia, that declining House Hestia, warrants such caution and cowardice?!"


    "It can''t be helped!" Someone else interjected, "The fortunate and fate of House Hestia had been tampered with and obscured, it is nigh unpredictably as things stand. I believe they have made connections with a powerful immortal wielding fortune rted martial intent, making it impossible to divine their actions."


    "The only thing we know is that Nier visited three different locations before disappearing from our eyes and ears. First, the ISC ve auction. Second, the Exiled Paradise. Third, a private house upying a wormhole portal to the middle realms; Arcadia."


    "It is impossible to figure out what Nier did in the Exiled Paradise, we don''t even know how long she spent inside. However, after that incident, both Nier anddy Rosaline Hestia went into seclusion, and it has been seven months since."


    "I don''t know why, but the head of my house is having an ill feeling as of recently, and that feeling is but snowballing by the day. We can''t keep in the dark anymore, which is why I summoned all of you."


    "We need to make a move!"


    The voice concluded in a solemn tone.


    "What do you have in mind?" Someone of the twelve, a person who kept silent until now, asked tly.


    The voice responded, "Well, we obviously can''t get anything from the stewards in the ISC auction, we also can''t infiltrate Earth to investigate it or what was so special about the ve, let alone going to the Exiled Paradise as gods know how many years went inside there."


    "Our only option is to take advantage of bothdies of House Hestia being in seclusion and infiltrate Arcadia. However, we can only dispatch first and second cycle saints, anything beyond that and we wouldn''t be able to maintain a low profile."


    "I give you all two weeks to dispatch a forceprised of one saint and at least ten fourth cycle mortals with enough potential to ascend by utilizing Arcadia''sws. If anything, they are permitted to act first and reportter."<novelnext></novelnext>


    With that, the meeting concluded on a fairly peaceful note unlike the former which devolved into a fit of childish bickering.


    "Before you go!" The voice suddenly called out, "As you all know, five years from now, the Interster Supreme Court will open the gates to its Interster Supreme Institution. As direct heirs to our Immortal Kingdoms, we will receive an enrolment letter of recognition each; just make sure to not act in a way that''d expose our affiliations to one another when the timees. That''s all."


    Meanwhile, in the crimson domain of House Hestia''s Immortal Kingdom, in a safely guarded sub-dimension where rivers of blood from a source unknown poured into a vast yet shallowke, Nier was rxing naked in the liquid.


    Her bulging stomach pierced through the opaque surface, vivid runes written in dull gray and ring crimson pulsating across her skin.


    The only unfortunate aspect of this beautiful scene would be the criss-crossing scars all over her petite figure. She couldn''t believe that someone would actually feel attracted to such a body. Overwhelmed, his first impression was.


    She lovingly stroked her stomach while facing the almost impossible riddle in the face of every parent to have existed on the face of this universe.


    What to name the baby?


    Her crimson eyes shed as she attempted to pry into her own womb to take a look at her unborn daughter greedily swallowing the worldly energy infused with the essence of bloodthirsty and destion. However, before she could enjoy the features of her unborn child, a membrane of gray matter blocked her vision, making her feel as though her senses resembled a stone sinking towards the depths of a spiraling abyss of nothingness.


    This sensation was reminiscent to that which she felt while looking into the deep abyss which was Leonardo''s eyes, causing the youngdy to sigh helplessly.


    "Well, you surely take after your father, silly child¡­" Nier muttered.


    "Does she?" A feminine voice broke the silence as a tall woman dressed in a blood red phoenix gown walked into the sub-dimension with her proud thick thighs, striking bust, and symmetrical eyes.


    "Mother?" Nier was momentarily shocked before she blushed slightly.


    Half a year of solitary confinement with her unborn child caused her to frequently hold periodical meaningless conversations, but she never expected her mother to spy on her.


    Rosaline chuckled and covered her little mouth, smiling faintly as she responded to the embarrassed young girl, "I used to talk to you just like that back in the days when I was all alone, you don''t need to feel embarrassed. I only stopped by to tell you I''m going to enter seclusion until the grand opening of the Interster Supreme Institution."


    Nier sighed in relief knowing that she wasn''t the only one to act in such a senseless manner. However, she was still concerned about the whole institution thing and thus voiced her thoughts, "Is it alright for our house to file in students? I mean¡­"


    She wanted to remind her mother about their current situation.


    Rosaline snorted coldly, and the entire sub-dimension trembled with her sentiment. She announced coldly, "They really don''t take any immortals seriously unless they have a dick between their legs, huh? Don''t worry, your mother has been feeling stiff for a few thousand years. I have the urge to stretch a little. By the time you enter the institution five years from now, no one will bully my baby girl."


    In reality, Rosaline had some other impure motives. For example, she didn''t want to be disturbed throughout the five years vacation she nned to spend immersed in her act as Aria, the cute little fox.


    As she turned around, she seemed to think about something as she spoke in an unnatural tone, "Urm, so you were in a dilemma about a name, right? You can thank me by naming her Aria¡­"


    As soon as she finished, she split the space of the sub-dimension and walked out, leaving a dazed Nier behind.


    Much like Leonardo, Nier was also filial. Thus, she would take her mother''s suggestion seriously and name her daughter Aria.


    Five yearster, Leonardo would be surprised by this coincidence, and naturally, he would love the name.

 Chapter 44 Sending A Message

    ?In the higher realms, saints fall and rise like the ashes of the mortal world. Most of them go unnoticed, while an abysmal fraction of them makes it long enough in life to cross the countless light years separating one Immortal Kingdom from the next.


    Of course, a simr logic applies to divinities. Except, an abysmal faction of those divinities finds sce in the boundless ether in pursuit of abundant kingdom essence energy to merge their sub-dimension into the universe, establishing their fledgling Immortal Kingdom.


    House Escanor is one of those houses established within the recent ten thousand years in light of the downfall of other Immortal Kingdoms. When an Immortal Kingdom falls under the oppression of war, chaos, or even a natural disaster; the essence it had umted over the years scatters into the vast universe for the fortunate few to find and establish new kingdoms on that ruined foundation.


    These foundations are known to be protected by the will of the universe, much like how a mother would protect its adolescent child and observe their conducts throughout their natural growth cycle.


    The heavens are always watching, and those condemned by it are ill fated for a bitter end.


    In the past, the fortune of House Hestia was a scarlet red sky and earth. However, it seems that a few years of inactivity and the deliberate concealment of such fortune had led to the birth of some bold motherfuckers.


    Or so Rosaline thought as she surveyed the flourishing gxy of neumorus divine sub-dimensions in cohesive order within the domain of House Escanor''s Immortal Kingdom.


    This is a fledgling kingdom under the protection of the universe, people thought.


    This is a safe haven, people also thought.


    Soon we will have the qualifications to join the ranks of aristocracy among the Immortal Kingdoms, people also thought.


    s, a particrly impatientdy thought otherwise.


    "I may not have any bloodthirsty armament," Rosaline whispered under her breath as her aura began to soar, her bloodthirsty domain expanding in a speed inconceivable to envelop the entire fledgling kingdom and the sub-dimensions contained within.


    She then stretched out her fair white hand as her hair and dress fluttered elegantly, her crimson eyes ring like torches from the abyss while reflecting countless red dots across the gxy-like scene ahead.


    With a slight tug of her finger, millions of red dots burst like soap bubbles. Following that, millions upon billions of bloody streams shot through the sub-dimensions, breaking the space-time barrier, and joined together into apressed one metre long arrow.


    Within moments, the condensed blood and energy within said blood had intensified to a degree where space began to wrap around the arrow''s tip.


    It was also at this moment that hundreds of divine auras of rage exploded. However, Rosaline locked onto them almost instantly and lightly tapped the butt of the arrow, railing it down like a shooting star, piercing space-time.


    Just what can a divinity do facing an immortal? Nothing but sit and wait for death.


    By the time the house head of House Escanor exited his sub-dimension, hundreds of tentacles that were once the blood essence of hundreds of divinities twisted and twined around his four limbs, torso, and neck.


    He could barely believe his eyes as not even the membrane created by the universe could block these attacks, and the answer to that conundrum is rather simple; the protection wouldn''t block the blood essence of its residents from wreaking havoc.


    In a sense of irony, Rosaline was akin to an adult using a child''s hands to smack their own face. Even as an immortal, when facing the tendrils enhanced by billions of strings extracted from the blood essence of mortals, saints, and hundreds of divinities, he could do nothing but struggle in despair.


    Escanor watched the genocide with pure hatred in his eyes, screaming in a hoarse voice.


    "B-b-b-b-bloodthirsty Territory! House Hestia! WHY?!"


    That''s right.


    Bloodthirsty Territory, much like the Bloodthirsty Armament, is the other bloodline inheritance of House Hestia. It is an ability inseparable from the bloodthirsty domain, as theyplement one another.


    As disyed by Rosaline, even though this inheritance is impotent and weak in singrbat, which was the main reason people forget about its existence, the bloodthirsty territory is a nightmare forrge scale battles, especially a war between Immortal Kingdoms.


    The morebatants you file into the battlefield, the more you''d contribute to the snowballing power level in the hands of a bloodthirsty territory inheritor.


    "Because I felt like sending a message!" Came a calm response from the distant void, and that was all Escanor would remember on his journey to the afterlife as tendrils of blood tentacles burrowed into his eyes, ears, mouth, and heart as they sucked him dry of blood essence and ether, leaving behind nothing but a husky corpse that copsed along with the Immortal Kingdom''s connection to the universe.


    Within the matter of moments, an entire Immortal Kingdom copsed into ruin.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Rosaline was truly helpless as it seemed that everyone and their mother forgot about how dangerous the women of House Hestia are.


    The house is named after a woman for god''s sake, why can''t those motherfuckers take a hint for once?


    Yes, the first ancestor of House Hestia was a man, but that''s only because Mother Hestia couldn''t win him in a one on one battle. However, on the battlefield of conquest for the Kingdom Essence to establish an Immortal Kingdom, it was the bloodthirsty territory that nted fear and reverence in the hearts of the people, not the bloodthirsty armament.


    However, when Rosaline thought back to the scene brought about by the destion domain, she shuddered at the thought that Leonardo might be an exception to that bnce.


    Fucking broken! Rosaline cursed her luck before leaving the site of devastation and making her way back to House Hestia''s Immortal Kingdom.


    Hopefully, her message would resound loud and clear for those blind fools and they won''t push her buttons too far.


    Only her mutters lingered in the void for no one to hear, "Now, when Little Leo grows up, I can find the kingdom''s essence for him to merge into the sub-dimension!"


    Unfortunately, the ns against House Hestia have already been set in motion, at least that was the case in the middle realms.


    Only time can tell what her reaction would be when encountering the infiltrators on Arcadia.


    ¡­


    By the time Rosaline returned her focus to the sliver of will within the divine marite, the little fox was lying quietly on a soft bed in a stone room. Off to the side, a wooden door leading to the bathing chambers remained shut as hot steam rolled out from underneath.


    The sound of running water stopped, meaning that Leonardo just finished with his shower. Aria watched with interest as the young man exited the bathing chambers with his nude figure on full disy, a white towel scrubbing at his silver locks of hair.


    She never got tired of this scene.


    It was approaching nighttime and Leonardo felt like spending the night in meditation instead of dual cultivating with the girls. As for the girls, Juvia was imparting her knowledge to Miko while guiding him, and Pandora was watching over Leona and Kieran as they explored the border fortress under the instructions of Leonardo.


    This was another way of training Leona''s martial intent. By exposing her to people and the way they interact, or more precisely lie and deceive, she woulde to understand that not everyone has the luxury of being honest and upfront about their feelings.


    More importantly, she must learn to mask her feelings instead of putting them on her sleeves and face for everyone to see. For now, her task wasn''t exposing the liars, but learning how to conceal her intentions just as good as they do, and even more than that.


    "Oh, you''re not going out with Leona today?" Leonardo looked at Aria and began drying himself up, much to the entertainment of the intellectual little fox.


    Like hell she would waste this golden opportunity just to spend time with a bunch of children, Aria thought. Within moments, Leonardo was dressed in a casual white outfit.


    However, this time, discrete crimson patterns were embroidered into the fabric of the white trench coat that Leonardo donned over his casual wear. He didn''t know why, but there was this growing interest in the colour red in his heart.


    Clearing his mind, Leonardo sat in the lotus position on the soft bed and closed his eyes. The moment he did, Aria quickly jumped to hisp and gotfortable lying there, not nning to budge an inch for as long as this meditation sessionsted.


    Recently, Leonardo encountered a problem with his cultivation ever since the so-called ravine of demise battle. It seems that the will of Arcadia had marked him, locking his cultivation base to the first cycle of sainthood.


    And no, dual cultivation doesn''t increase his cultivation base, but the energy umted from those sessions is redirected into improving the constitution of both Juvia and Pandora, reconstructing their meridian channels to handle the transfer of worldly energy, energy essence, and quintessential energy.


    Therefore, regardless of how many cultivation sessions they had, it was irrelevant to the progress of their cultivation speed. Now, with the will of Arcadia constantly suppressing his deste intent, any further advancement is practically impossible.


    He could only assume that the will of the is afraid of his potential growth, and the catastrophe it might rain down its inhabitants.


    Thus, his only option is to raise the level of his bloodthirsty intent to a realm where even second cycle or third cycle saints must fear him.


    In a sense, ughter is the only method left to improve his battle prowess, and luckily he doesn''tck punching bags on this.

 Chapter 45 Chat Over Wine (1)

    ?The nightlife in the border fortress was very peaceful, mainly because multiple saints were stationed to garrison the border on every passage between the kingdoms. Travelling from the border to the ind of every kingdom would consume a lot of time and energy, even for a saint. Therefore, Leonardo andpany would wait out in the fortress'' amodations until a fleet of royal wyverns was dispatched to apany the prince and his entourage towards the bequeathed territory.


    Leonardo spent hours from dusk till dawn meditating over his bloodthirsty armament, and he made considerable progress, unaware of Aria''s contributions to that endeavour. Although he was curious about the rest and their whereabouts throughout the night, he didn''t feel like disturbing their time of peace after a few months-long arduous journeys.


    Opening his eyes, Leonardo got off the bed but not before Aria stretched her paws and climbed to his shoulder. The little fox seemed exceptionally pleased to monopolise Leonardo to herself for the night, even though it wasn''t anything of significance to upy the man''sp.


    Leonardo chuckled at Aria before stroking her silver-white fur, only to notice the pulsating red halberd on the back of his hand growing vivid to the eye. Nheless, he attributed it to his increasingprehension of the bloodthirsty armament and discarded the subtle changes.


    The moment he exited his designated sleeping chamber, he encountered a soldier on patrol in the hallway. With a faint smile, he inquired while simultaneouslyplimenting the man, "How diligent, here I thought I was the only one to wake up this early during the day?"


    The soldier seemed updated about Leonardo''s status and thus offered a salute before answering respectfully, "Your Highness must be joking, I haven''t had a shred of sleep sincest night."


    The soldier felt somewhat on edge as rumours about the ravine of demise had circted far and wide within the borders of Regalia Kingdom, even a border soldier like himself heard of them. Thus, he couldn''t afford to offend this god of death under any circumstances.


    "However, speaking of diligence, I think I noticed a group of five that have been training since the twilight hours of the night, they should be resting in the closed firece hall, they might be nning to continueter on."


    "Is that so?" Leonardo raised his eyebrows. He could make an educated guess as to who those five were. However, he didn''t expect them to be so anxious about the great culling as to start training without a proper rest from the tense journey.


    "Yes, I''m pretty positive!" The soldier couldn''t recognise the question as a rhetorical one, responding respectfully. Leonardo didn''t hold the man to it, instead patting his shoulder with a nod before allowing the soldier to continue his patrol.


    As for Leonardo, he made a detour and started heading towards the firece.


    Currently, in the firece, the five survivors or so Leonardo liked to refer to them, sat on wooden chairs in a close circle to the raging mes within the modern-style firece. Although the hall was grand and spacious, it was too early and cold for most people''s liking.


    Misaka wasn''t bothering to hide the twisted scar and rotting flesh of her side profile as she wouldn''t shy away from herrades that went through the trials of life and death with her. She didn''t even wear a cloak, let alone a face mask.


    Sitri was dressed in casual pants and a shirt as well. However, tattered bandages wrapped around his arms all the way into the short sleeves of his shirt, concealing his skin in its entirety save for his ordinary-looking face. However, who''s to say that this face wasn''t but another disguise?


    Andreas was thergest of the bunch in stature, and muscles build-wise. He was a head taller than the rest, had apact build, and had rough short hair. Unlike Kristopher who was as ordinary as ordinary could get.


    One would categorise him as one of those who made it so far out of sheer luck, nothing more, nothing less.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Lucas seemed absorbed by his own drifting thoughts. While the rest of the group were either sharpening their weapons, warming up their knuckles, or simply tossing bits of stick and stone into the fire, he merely stared absentmindedly into the twining mes and crackling wood within.


    They were so engrossed in their own little worlds that they didn''t notice Leonardo who stood too close to the group.


    "How lively," He spoke calmly, though the sound didn''t seem so calm to the fivebatants as they instinctively drew their sharp weapons and were about to strike with a lethal force that could obliterate any mortal from the face of this.


    Luckily, but luckily for whom? Debatable¡­


    Nheless, luckily, they snapped out of their daze and reflexive actions and managed to hold back. However, they had quite odd expressions seeing him carrying a silver te with six wine sses in one hand and a few bottles of wine in the other.


    Misaka who was the most familiar with Leonardo''s temperament, or so she led herself to believe, spoke up.


    "Your Highness?"


    Leonardo shook his head with a sigh, resting the te and wine bottles on a nearby table before pulling in a chair for himself. Once he gotfortable, and under the dubious eyes of the group, he began to personally pour red wine for each and every one of them while talking in a t tone, dressing his expression was a t smile.


    "Just call me Leo for now, I''m here to chat with you, not unt my worthless status." The moment his sentence came to an end, he correspondingly finished spreading out the drinks in each of the five''s directions with an inviting gesture.


    "You''re hurt, I get it. However, you don''t have the luxury to pent up all of these emotions so I havee up with a proposal." Leonardo took the lead by picking up his own ss of wine, knocking it down his throat with one shot before he began to cough with a red face.


    One can see his alcohol tolerance at one nce. Still, he continued talking, "You either wash down those emotions with alcohol; lots of alcohol, or you cough them out with even more alcohol."


    "So? What would it be?" Although he was asking them, the five knew that they weren''t given the opportunity to decline, but to choose one of two evils. If not, Leonardo would have waited for their input on whether they felt like drinking, to begin with.


    "Oh right," While everyone was hesitating on how to proceed, Leonardo took out a small box containing a herbal green remedy from his spatial ring. This is something from Nier''s collection so it must be something good.


    As for how good, Leonardo wouldn''t know. However, it was surely one grade or two above whatever good medicine this ce had to offer when it came to skincare and treating infections, poison, and burns.


    He passed it on to Misaka while saying, "Take this, it should fix up that bloody thing on your face. If you''re going to work for me, you need to be presentable at the very least."

 Chapter 46 Chat Over Wine (2)

    ?Misaka stared at the medicine with doubt in her eyes. Leonardo could tell what she was thinking and was quick to persuade, "You''re probably thinking of something along the lines of, if he had something like that, why keep it to himself for so long? Well, I was testing you, of course"


    "Testing me?" Misaka felt even more repulsed to epting the medicine now than ever. Although she didn''t feel like saying it, she really desired this medicine that came from someone who could casually bestow sainthood on her younger brother. However, she couldn''t shake off the feeling that everything that happened was within Leonard''s expectations, including their survival.


    Leonardo sighed, saying, "By you, I meant everyone, not just you. Don''t y dumb, even if Miko was never forthright about the danger epassing this mission, none of you is an inexperienced child. You probably had your doubts about Miko from the very beginning, right?"


    Leonardo''s words struck a cord within the hearts of almost everyone present, as apparent on their faces and perspiring foreheads as a sign of anxiousness, they have been attempting to deceive themselves one way or another. Sadly, Leonardo wasn''t nning on letting them have it as he continued, "You were wondering how far is he willing to go for his aspirations. More precisely, how many of you were he willing to sacrifice? However, you were torn inside, perhaps because you also know that sacrificing you or those who fell to the hardships on our way here was never his intention. He truly wished for everyone to make it safely."


    Misaka pursed her thin lips hard as her pitiful lies were disyed bare from another man''s mouth, wracking her with a sense of dread that her little brother came to know of the truth just like this clever young man. The one who reacted the most intensely seemed to be Andreas who had veins bulging across his arm with a pair of clenched fists.


    "The fact of the matter remains as is, he didn''t push any of you to your deaths. Well, perhaps some of the slow ones on your team didn''t see through the dangers of this undertaking, but the five of you and that Azazel person surely did."


    "However, just like Miko, all of you abstained from revealing the extent of danger to your fellow brothers in the dark. In a sense, Miko betrayed his follower''s trust, and the five of you outright stabbed them in the back."


    "What do you think of when you look at Miko? Hm? Don''t you see yourselves? Do you perhaps despise him topensate for the loathing you feel towards yourselves? Are you trying to escape the reality that the blood of your brothers is on your hands just as much as it is on his?"


    "What do you know?!" Andreas, the bulky of the group, mmed his hand on the wooden table so hard the surface split without the use of any internal energy whatsoever. He couldn''t sit and listen to the ramblings of a pretty face child who had not seen the cruelty of life.


    "Who are you to judge us? Judge me? Judge anyone at all for that matter?!" Andreas flipped his switch with reddened eyes, about to jump from his seat.


    A hand wrapped in bandages rested on his shoulder as a hoarse voice echoed near his ear, "An, calm down!"


    "Get off me Sitri! This is absurd!" Andreas didn''t want to face judgmental eyes of Leonardo, he feared that he couldn''t handle the ridicule and disdain contained within, causing him tomit a crime he would regret whatever remained of his life before he got killed for it.


    "Who am I to judge?" Leonardo raised his eyebrows at such a stupid question.


    If anyone is qualified to test and judge these people, it ought to be him, no? Wasn''t he their new leader? Boss? Master?<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo swept his lifeless eyes over the rest of the survivors, but they remained silent. He nodded to himself and muttered something inaudible before speaking up.


    "Alright then, if you think I''m not qualified to test, judge andment on your actions, the doors to the fortress are wide open. If you think otherwise... Drink!" Leonardo wanted to chat with them on equal footing to harmonize and open up slowly to one another.


    He didn''t look down on their actions. In fact, he praised and advocated such methods of thinking among his subordinates. He wanted subordinates who could abandon others for the sake of the bigger picture, for his sake, and for his goals.


    It was at this point that Sitri replied to either one of the two andply chose to chug down his ss of wine, resting the empty cup back on the cracked table under the eyes of his aplices without hesitation.


    Before Andreas could open his mouth in shocked retort, another cup went up, this time it was Lucas'' ss of wine. Finally, the third to chug it down without any more hesitation was surprisingly Misaka, who had a rosy flush on her face after one shot, much like Leonardo.


    After drinking the wine shot, Misaka then proceeded to open the remedy box before dipping two fingers in. The cool sensation on her skin rmed the woman with surprise as she had never assumed a medicine with such a refreshing texture and feel could exist in this world.


    Nheless, she was yet sceptical about its effects and hurried to apply a mask of it on her face in even proportions, stressing the area of the scar. A stinging sensation flooded her beautiful face that elicited a wince of pain, but the feeling went as quickly as it came.


    "Only the three of you it seems..." Leonardo poured some more wine for Sitri, Lucas, and Misaka to drink while smiling tly at Kristopher and Andreas, "Can you two give us some privacy please?"


    Both of them knew that this was not a humble request but an order. An exertion of dominance. A tant divide and conquer simple stratagem. s, however simple, it still worked.


    These five have merely cooperated out of convenience, one could also say that it was a matter of tacit understanding. After a moment of silence, Andreas stood up like a moving whirlwind, Kristopher quickly getting to his feet as well to follow in the man''s shadow.


    The youngd seemed to avoid eye contact as much as possible, shrink in the background, and simply follow the whims of the strong. The kid''s got survival instinct, but sadly it wasn''t honed enough yet, or else he could have seen through this test of character.


    "You''re right," When the two who refused to drink for one reason or another left the hall in a mismatch of heavy and silent steps, Sitri was the first to open his mouth and talk after downing his second shot.


    His voice as hoarse as usual, the mysterious young man continued, "Although I look down on the boss for driving so many of us to certain death, I''m also ashamed to admit tomitting the same horrendous act. I mean, their lives aren''t my responsibility, so I guess I''m not having it as hard as the boss. In fact, I have this nagging feeling that he knows that we knew but withheld the information, but he simply keeps the me all to himself."

 Chapter 47 Chat Over Wine (3)

    ?"Keeping the me to himself?" Leonardo repeated the sentiment with a calm expression, his dull eyes observing the swirling wine of his second shot at the bottom of the ss.


    Lucas washed his second shot down his throat as well, but his expression was as absentminded as it always was, his blue eyes shimmering in the refraction of the firelight as he spoke his mind, "I don''t know about you guys, I didn''t think that deeply about it I guess..."


    Sitri and Misaka gave the pretty blonde a weird look, but his expression was genuine.


    Sitri narrowed his eyes and spoke after a moment of hesitation, "Thinking about it... When did you even join Grim and Reaper?" Sitri came to the startling realisation that he had no impression of this Lucas person, be it hobbies, fighting style, personality, aspirations, none.


    Misaka seemed toe to the same conclusion as shock rippled through her mint green eyes, looking at Lucas in disbelief. Observing their expressions, Leonardo felt intrigued as well and thus anticipated the answer.


    "Oh? Ah... When was it?" Lucas began to scratch the back of his head, looking down at the golden liquid swirling about in his empty ss before muttering, "I think I remember..."


    Thud!


    His face then smashed right into the table''s surface, seemingly knocked unconscious from the alcohol. The other three simply gaped in disbelief at this spectacle, not knowing to react exactly. Thinking about it, even Leonardo couldn''t remember what or how this person behaved throughout the entire journey, which was a frightening aspect in and of itself.


    This could only be attributed to an innate martial intent, one that Leonardo couldn''t see through just yet. Of course, just because he couldn''t, that didn''t mean no one else could. For example, Aria was also gaping in astonishment at the blonde youth who seemingly passed out.


    Only she knew that he was suffering a bacsh from his own martial intent. However ridiculous it sounded, that was the hard fact, as such cases weren''t rare in the least. For instance, Leona is one example, when knocked unconscious from the heavy toll her inability to affix the iing psychic waves wrought upon her immature mind.


    "Did this guy seriously knock it off with two shots?" Misaka voiced out her suspicion, but Leonardo shook his head to dismiss the notion as the young man had disyed no symptoms of alcohol affliction.


    "You really can''t remember anything about him?" Leonardo asked Sitri and Misaka.


    The former''s eyebrows creased tightly as he tried as hard as he could to recollect whatever figments of memories he had about Lucas, but it was all just a blur of inconsistent thoughts. Judging from Misaka''s expression, she was the same.


    It''s like they have been overlooking his existence all this time. If it weren''t for Leonardo''s interference, they might have been oblivious to this fact as Lucas was simply too withdrawn from involving with anyone else.


    "Forget it!" Leonardo waved it off and poured some more wine for the two and himself, feeling a bit tipsy already...


    For now, this mystery remains unsolved. Little did they know that by the time they woke up the next day, whatever conversation they established with Lucas would be nothing but a vague memory, as though the young man dropped dead unconscious from his first shot, and they would attribute it to his pitifully weak alcohol tolerance.


    Only Aria would remember this night, but it remains unknown how she would handle this delicate situation. One thing is certain, she felt pity and regret on Lucas'' behalf as such an innate martial intent was doomed to confinement in the physique of someone limited to the heights of a saint.


    Lucas would make the perfect agent to infiltrate an enemy base and practice espionage, more so than Pandora could ever be. However, as always, heaven is fair, or is it?


    "You can go wash your face now by the way," Leonardo seemed to mention this casually, but Misaka snapped back to her senses, and with the influence of alcohol and being flustered, her facade of calmness in regards to her looks crumbled as she rushed out of the hall to her own room.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Well of course, which woman wouldn''t care about her looks?


    Sitri watched the flustered woman skid away and sighed helplessly, finding himself alone with the so-called new leader.


    "So Leo... Did you perhaps n to iste us into engaging in one on one conversations with you?" Sitri brought the wine to his lips, washing it down his throat for the third time. Of course, Leonardo did the same, but the tipsiness began eating at his conscious acts little by little.


    "First of all, hic! I''m d you dropped the formalities..." Leonardo swayed lightly as he struggled to pour yet another wine ss. However, Sitri reached out to take the bottle from Leonardo''s hand, inadvertently making physical contact with thetter.


    When that happened, Sitri acted as though he was stung by an electric shock as he quickly withdrew his hand, although it was already clothed byyers of bandages, the young man seemed keen on maintaining distance from other people.


    Leonardo didn''t seem to notice as he huped before blurting out his thoughts, "You see, I don''t mind people with a bit of malice in their hearts... Hic! In fact, those are the people I need at the moment..."


    Sitri raised a brow as he poured in some more wine into the empty sses, wondering as to what Leonardo meant by that and thus he was quick to inquire, seemingly as sober as he could be.


    "Why is that?"


    "Thanks!" Leonardo thanked the man before taking the wine down his throat in one go, not bothering to put up any resistance as he knew that no matter what, Aria was present so no one could pull any dirty tricks, even with his cultivation currently locked down by the deste intent.


    "Why you ask?" Leonardo seemed to mutter in a soft voice, and just like Miko, Sitri could swear that he saw the illusion of Leonardo''s eyes shing crimson and it was not mere refraction of the cinders and smouldering wood.


    However, he couldn''t simply point out whether he was hallucinating. Nheless, Leonardo''s next words captured his attention as his pupils constricted...


    "Because I need such devious followers who apany me on a path of senseless ughter..."


    "I''m not looking to practice the arts of war, ying political games, or acting as a nobleman. That path is no longer any good for me," Leonardo spoke of how the will of Arcadia is suppressing his natural growth. Of course, Sitri had no idea about that.


    All Sitri could see was a young man drowning in alcohol and spilling out the content of his heart. However, he spoke of no ambitions, no dreams, no aspirations, he simply spoke of ughtering lives for the sake of it.


    He didn''t justify this act of terrorism with any superfluous noble cause, no excuses, no sugar-coating, simple and direct; go and kill for the sake of killing.


    Leonardo didn''t wish for this either, but the will of Arcadia left him with no choice. If he could cultivate peacefully in the shadows while putting on the mask of a harmless diplomatic prince, a cunning businessman, then by all means he would. However, he wouldn''t stun his own growth for the sake of a peaceful noble cause.


    He would simply manipte the various forces of the to either act aginst him in open hostility or bow to his rule. Sooner orter, in five years, this must fall under House Grace, and by extension, House Hestia.

 Chapter 48 The Great Culling

    ?The drinking session ended on that note with one knocked unconscious, two struck out, and two making it alive for another day. When Leonardo made it through the corners of the hallway, his tipsy expression was wiped clean and reced with his usual calm demeanour.


    However, he didn''t make it past the next turn before he bumped into an overly enthusiastic and tipsy Misaka, who was so out of it that she grabbed him by the cor, invaded his privacy, and kissed him passionately with her soft lips.


    Leonardo truly felt depressed at this point as he seemed to never take the initiative with women, it was always the other way around. Before he could react, he felt her soft body copse into his chest, she simply went out cold with a pleasant smile on her face. Leonardo looked to the side, only to find Aria ring at him with a pair of cute yet hateful eyes.


    "Look, I''m the victim here alright?" Leonardo tried to reason with the little fox, but she merely snorted before rushing off to god knows where, because Leonardo himself didn''t. Still, he can''t simply hug a sleeping woman in the middle of an empty hallway, lest some traffic began to circte only for the soldiers to discover this shameful disy.


    However, because Leonardo didn''t know which of the chambers was designated for Misaka, he had no choice but to tuck her into his own bed. Thus, momentster, Leonardo found himself stowing away Miko''s elder sister into his own bed. For some reason, this felt wrong. Assuming she would be out of it for a while, and because his body reeks of alcohol after so much drinking, Leonardo excused himself and entered his bathing chambers for a quick shower.


    As for Aria, the little fox skipped through the intersecting halls like a fleeting shadow before sneaking into the room where Leona and Kieran slept. The child is too talented to waste away five years due to theck of a proper cultivation technique, Aria thought. Hence, her motive for returning to House Hestia wasn''t merely to send a message but to also find a suitable cultivation technique capable of supporting Leona on her path of cultivation.


    She needed to be discrete about transferring the technique, making it look like it had automatically awakened from within Leona''s memories. Hence, waiting till the girl passed out from natural exertion was a good opportunity. Thus, while everyone was fast asleep, Aria''s crimson eyes shed with divine light as she transferred the content of the technique into Leona''s mind, whereupon the little girl began to unconsciously recite the content of the scriptures in her heart.


    Aria quickly left the room and disappeared into the shadows. With a general idea about what Leonardo was going to do next, she eagerly traversed the distance and phased into the young man''s bed chambers. As for Leona, unknowingly, she began to draw worldly energy from her immediate surroundings to infuse into her skin, flesh, blood, bones and marrow, and through the desated meridian channels within her physique.


    It was a slow and arduous process, but it had been initiated. Within days, Leona would have cleansed her body and form, starting up with the first cycle of the mortal stage.


    Before too long, the high-pitched deafening cries of multiple wyverns covered the midday skies of the border fortress. Everyone was done with their morning regime, batting, and any other misceneous objectives like shopping or simply browsing the fortress market. After all, the fortress was a massive castle with hundreds of rooms, and tens of open courtyards, and it sat upon the only crossover point between the two kingdoms for thousands of miles.


    It was only natural for a small hub of merchants and the like to gather within, adding a bit of colour to the dull lives of the stationed soldiers. Upon hearing the cries of the dragonkin beasts, Leonardo andpany exited the fortress and headed further ind, officially stepping foot on Sylvian soil after a brisk twenty-minute walk through a secured stone pavement.


    Miko was left behind in seclusion with sufficient resources to facilitate a smooth ascension. Of course, Leonardo deliberately left the man behind so he could consolidate his strength and control over the essence of the worldly energy that he would soon begin to generate. He was instructed to brave through the stretch ofnds from the border fortress to the star territory in a solo journey whilst Leonardo andpany went on their wyverns.


    When Leonardo received the territory, he instructed Jeffery to have the ten thousand ves convene at the starke and begin constructing five arch bridges of jade stone from the directions of the respective towns and begin setting up a massive pce on the water''s surface. This was almost half a year ago, and with the help of some saints dispatched by Queen Adeline herself to assist, the entire pce should be finished by now, if not on the verge ofpletion.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Sadly, Leonardo wouldn''t be able to drop by and inspect the pce, all because he must carry on his way to the capital of the Sylvia Kingdom, all in order to proceed with the necessary ceremony of coronation for various diplomatic reasons. He nned to drop Misaka, Sitri, Kristopher, Lucas, and Andreas in one of the five towns respectively and initiate the great culling. Then, he would leave Pandora and Juvia behind to watch over Andreas and Kristopher, all the while taking care of Leona and Kieran.


    A pleasant surprise was that Leona began to slowly show clear signs of cultivation. Although Leonardo couldn''t figure out the cause, the girl said that the method suddenly surfaced in her mind, which Leonardo attributed to her mysterious origins and decided to let it be.


    At least this way he wouldn''t have to ask his owner for a technique. He could imagine how awkward it would be for him to make it back with a child and on top of that request a cultivation technique for her, and a divine grade to put the icing on the cake.


    This sudden windfall allowed Leonardo to rx and focus on the important matter, the great culling. Thus, as the group was on their way to the four wyverns down the path, Leonardo exined to Juvia and Pandora how to carry the selection.


    "The idea behind it is very simple. I want you to release the ves into the respective towns in batches; start with the first cycle mortals, the second cycle, the third cycle, and finally the fourth cycle. Dispatch them unarmed and through random locations throughout the vicinity of the town, instruct them that they could only enter the town on the first ray of dawn the following day."


    "There are five towns in total, meaning that there will be five separate survival battles. Here is what I want; Only two survivors from the fourth mortal cycle, eight from the third mortal cycle, thirty-two from the second mortal cycle, and one hundred fifty-eight survivors from the first mortal cycle."


    "This boils it down from two thousand to two hundred overall. From the two fourth cycle mortals, I''ll personally pick one and provide them sainthood, and the other will oversee the regiment of soldiers under him. As for the ranks and everything else, I''ll leave that to Pandora to decide based on her experience."


    "Erm..." Pandora interrupted Leonardo and voiced out a critical question, "Are there any rules on the selection? Like time limit, safe zones, banned weapons?"


    Leonardo clicked his fingers and nodded, "That''s right. Harming innocent civilians is a death sentence, and you''re not allowed to divulge rtive information about the drill else you are also to be executed. Only the use of cold weapons is permitted, but stealing from the citizens is also a death sentence."


    "Basically, any form of criminal activity is a death sentence. No time limit, no safe zones, and that is all... Oh, retaliations against hostile civilians are permitted and don''t bother cating the civilians that opt to leave out of fear for their lives, I don''t need cowards within my borders."


    Leonardi didn''t feel it was necessary to exin all of these since he could transmit them directly to his ves through the bracelet, but he could never be too cautious. Thus, he entertained Pandora''s inquiries.

 Chapter 49 Chaos Across The Forbidden Domains

    ?A haggard short yet obese middle-aged man dragged his heavy footsteps through the empty hallways of an opulent residence. Since they no longer bothered keeping a low profile, he went from renting an inn in the outer and firstyer of Valdmor to the third and coreyer of the great metropolis. Thanks to Leonardo''s little prank, the elves and beastkin jumped into the fray to fight for the region suspected to contain the energy ore mine and the energy vein below it.


    Thesest seven months weren''t particrly easy on Jeffery, Mason, Andrew, and the vassal kingdoms as the tendrils of war spread to engulf every faction involved in the domain. No one was as desperate as the three ruling powers about securing this ore mine, proportionally, no one had suffered as great of a loss in resources and manpower as them either.


    Jeffery barely made it to the weing gates to his bedroom for a shred of sleep that he oh so longed after for days now, and a hurried set of flustered footsteps echoed behind him.


    "Fuck my life... What is it now?!" Jeffery instinctively barked at the servant boy who skidded to a stop behind him, trembling in his shoes.


    "U-u-u-u-u-urgent report, s-s-s-sir!" The boy almost copsed mentally from the pressure, he feared joining his seventeen predecessors six feet under by delivering this terrible news. However, there is no helping it, the reports must be handed over.


    "What is this time? How many saints did we lose? Who and their mother died? What fort copsed? Did we lose even more of our borders? Spit it out please..." Jeffery kneaded his forehead, running through everything that could be considered bad news in his mind. He can''t help it, he needed to be mentally prepared for whatever this servant threw at him now.


    The servant almost pissed himself in fear before he dropped to his knees and stuttered out his report, "S-s-s-s-six saints..."


    Bang!


    Jeffery kicked the servant boy in the face and raged, "SIX?! SIX SAINTS?! HOW TE FUCK DID WE MANAGE TO LOSE THAT MANY?! HUH?!"


    Bang!


    Bang!


    Bang!


    Jeffery stomped and stomped the servant boy without a shred of humanity in his expression. All Jeffery could see was red from rage and frustration. Only when his shoes were stained red with blood did e stop, looking down on the servant boy breathing hisst while reporting.


    "Six... Six unknown saints..." With that sentence, the servant boy dropped dead, full of grievance and despair.


    "Eh? What?..." Jeffery stared nkly at the corpse by his bloodied feet and blinked, thinking he misheard or something. So, it wasn''t a casualties report? Unknow saints? As Jeffery was contemting what that implied, hismunication bracelet transmitted something to his mind. Upon receiving the news, he was shocked.


    A group of powerful saints with an entourage of mortals appeared in the heart of battle and began to indiscriminately ughterbatants in whichever direction they came from. Some were even strong enough to causerge settlement-scale destruction on the battlefield.


    The various powers are asking for an urgent meeting to discuss a temporary alliance to rebel against the mysterious force. While the various factions were reeling from the unexpected intervention of these saints and their followers, the people in question were floating above the area suspected to contain the massive reserves of energy ores and a branch of the energy vein.


    "We absolutely struck it rich this time, brought Xavier! Hahaha!" A youth with a tall ck braided hairstyleughed heartily at the unexpected harvest. Who would have thought that the moment they infiltrated the, shockwaves from a battle on the level of saints washed over them.


    They stealthily followed these rampant fluctuations only to stumble upon this massive fortune. Of course, this was barely considered a fortune to the aristocracies that supported them in the dark, but the fortunes of those houses aren''t within reach for them, unlike the fat piece of meat stationed in front of them.


    "The other team will probably be stunned from envy when they finally instigate the neighbouring into invading this one! Haha! They''d be shocked by the scale of our established stronghold when they finally breach the atmospheric protection!" The young man continued tough in a crazed manner as he observed the mortal cultivators clean up the battlefield.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Countless corpses belonging to humans and elves littered the ground, but what reviled him were those half-beasts half-human creatures that disgusted him. He could barely suppress an urge to hail down the wrath of godly proportions on those sorry excuses of lifeforms and drive them to the brink of extinction.


    The man called Xavier creased his brows at the scene of senseless ughter at full swing below, deliberately not mentioning the despicable acts of plunder and vition of the female warriors in public without regard for chivalry or respect.


    "This is a mistake! We were ordered to keep things low-key!" Xavier reprimanded hispany of saints. Although he didn''t know from which houses they originated, nor did he believe that they were aware of whom their true master was, the orders were a clear cut down to the letter.


    Instigating an entire to open hostility with another is a long process that could take months if not years. At the fastest three years, and six at thetest. How are they supposed to constantly defend their base of operations for that long without logistics or resources? Forget the resources, what about manpower?


    These saints were driven mad by greed and acted on impulse, leaving them in a fairly vulnerable situation. The scale of this mine isrge enough to be the focal point of a hundred years of a protracted war of attrition between the major forces of this. Now, however, they''ve offered these forces amon enemy to rally against.


    If they couldn''t find allies and fast, although they wouldn''t die, they would either end up retreating somewhere which would inevitably dy their ns or wash the entire battlefield in blood.


    The blood of people, in name at least, under House Hestia''s banner. This p to the face will invite disaster to the houses involved. The young leader Xavier didn''t wish to see that. s, he was facing the same problem of disrespect from his so-called subordinates that Leonardo suffered from.


    The only difference is, Leonardo could afford to discard Pandora and Juvia, while they couldn''t afford to lose his support. In Xavier''s situation, sadly for him, it was quite the opposite.


    "What do you mean by mistake? Have you gone mad?!" The young man who wasughing suddenly flipped a switch and berated his leader with a loud, disdainful tone.


    One critical issue was that the underlings are aware of their value, making them prone to rebellious tendencies. Xzavier could see the displeasure in the eyes of the five saints, rendering him helpless as he asked.


    "Okay, what do you n to do after this, Anvil?"


    "We''re going to lock down the area and ughter anyone who dares trespass! Then, we branch out, rob, kill, enve, and rule as the overlords of this region with an iron fist! Our low-key n is already out the window, might as well mess things uppletely!" Anvil barked out his intentions with a face twisting in malice.


    The other four seemed to be of the same mind, especially a muscr woman dressed in men''s clothing of imperial order. She had long crimson hair decorated in barbed braids, she was currently hugging two females, a human and an elf, who were beaten ck and blue behind a shred of resistance while having their bloody bodies explored vulgarly by the woman.


    The scene disgusted Xavier, but he ignored it and said, "And then? When House Hestia finally notices our activities here, what do you n to do?"


    "House Hestia? HAHAHAHA!! Don''t make meugh myself to death!" Anvil cracked his head back andughed out loud, feeling humoured by the ridiculous statement.


    "Haven''t you been notified yet? The bitch and her daughter are in secluded cultivation! They''re probably preparing for the opening ceremony of the Interster Supremacy Institution, granting us five years of luxury in their backyard!"


    "And when the five years are over? They would be preupied with the institution, who would bother with a backwater in some pitiful middle realms?"


    Anvil and the other four seemed convinced that they were untouchable at the moment. If only they knew that not one day after they''re dispatched to the middle realms, that so-called bitch of a month single-handedly brought the entire Immortal Kingdom to ruin.


    However, as usual, ignorance is bliss.

 Chapter 50 How To Move Forward

    ?While Leonardo expected to kickstart a massive war campaign by subtly leaking information to the elves and beastkin, there was no chance in a blue moon for him to anticipate the timely arrival of a counterforce dispatched by House Hestia''s enemies to ransack the of its resources.


    Surely, if he knew, he would have abandoned all his ns and rushed back west into the depths of the forbidden domain, fighting tooth and nail, motivated by a feeling foreign to himself and his widespread reputation as aposed and rational devil in a business suit.


    Luckily, he was already half the way across the on his way to the capital as he had washed his hands clean from the matters concerning the forbidden domain. Furthermore, because Jeffery didn''t know what sort of rtionship these people had with Leonardo, who simrly invaded their lives out of thin air, he advised Queen Adeline to keep Leonardo in the dark about these developments.


    At the moment, on the eighth floor of Te''s Dine and Shine in the heart of Valdmor''sfort, the various representatives of the three ruling powers and the seven vassal kingdoms sat around a table crafted from energy crystals, dotted with fragmented essence crystals in a fashionable substitute for illumination crystals, and an assortment of wild, exotic meals cooked from the flesh of a saint grade magical beast.


    However, no one was in the mood to ogle at such luxuries or bother with the otherworldly beauties ying the instruments in the background. In the hands of every representative was a copy of the casualties report from the battle¡­ No¡ª the massacre that engulfed their armies, the armies of the elves, and the armies of the beastkin.


    The statistics were heart-wrenching as there were almost no survivors that made it back in one piece. Those who did, only made it back to deliver a message and a bold deration.


    "Don''t dare step foot within a saint''s eyesight from this region."


    ? What was the eyesight of a saint? That was enough to cover up a piece ofnd as vast as ten townsbined into one. That muchnd is enough to establish a self-sustained dukedom, triple that and you have yourself a fledgling kingdom. They were only six saints and sixty mortal cultivators, yet they dare open their mouths and swallow that chunk ofnd after merely one battle.


    They could onlymit open ughter because the armies had a considerableck of saints in these preliminary, probationary battles. Not everyone was oh so desperate about these mines, as the elven and beastkin ruling powers weren''t involved in this war, merely their greedy vassals.


    Thus, the human domain couldn''t stretch it and p the opposing powers in the face by openly dispatching saints to engage in a brutal one-sided ughter. However, now, the situation escted beyond their control.


    The elves and beastkin are allowed doomed to retaliate, that''s inevitable at this point. As for the various powers and factions of the human domain, they merely need to discuss how to coordinate their assaults with and not against the iing armies from the elven and beastkin domains. The war efforts were sessfully forwarded at least ten years, and that open ughter will mark the initial spark in what people would soon dread as the domino piece for the inevitable countdown for the second War of Dominion.


    Hopefully, by the time such war breaks out, Leonardo''s forces would be up for the task, lest they get swept away in the wreckage of the senseless battles. Only a little few would actually remember that the cause for all of this was one off-hand remark by a human youth under the supposed coercive tactics.


    Some would curse Leonardo, some would curse Azalea, but for now, the masterminds behind the inevitable storm are calmly browsing through the first of many simr reports toe their way, in an ambience nothing short of divine.


    "It''s probably an effort of retaliation from the organisation behind Prince Leonardo! I suggest we push House Regalia to negotiate with them and see where they''reing from!" A man seated across from House Regale''s representative spoke, his eyes dripping with malice as they roved across Azalea''s body behind the representative.


    "If some of us knew how to put a proper leash on our dogs, things wouldn''t escte this far!" He added a momentter, his words thought-provoking. Moreover, he made sure to address Leonardo as a proper prince, though why he bothered to speak that way, no one knew. Rather¡ª no one hinted that they knew.


    Azalea''s body quivered as her heterochromia eyes shed with a hint of fear. She had been subjected to at least five assassination attempts on her way from the outer region of Valdmor to Te''s, expressing how much these people despised her.<novelnext></novelnext>


    She begged her leader to allow her a safe return trip back to the borders of the kingdom. However, she knew that simply making it into the borders wouldn''t guarantee her safety. She had but one option, seek asylum with Prince Leonardo as she believed he owed her that much at least.


    He used her, and by extension, basically pronounced her a death sentence. Even though everyone knew she was but a pawn, and he would have twisted her words one way or another, and it would have resulted in the same oue no matter who was sent Leonardo''s way, a crowd of mad people who lost their friends, family, and loved ones desired an outlet, a sacrifice.


    Azalea happened to be that sacrifice in the eyes of many.


    She knew it, and her leader knew it as well.


    "I don''t think so!" Jeffery spoke up to refuse the ims, "If Leo wanted to retaliate, this isn''t his style. Furthermore, you''ve all witnessed the scene from three months ago in the ravine of demise; with an expert like that backing him, why would he bother asking for reinforcements?"


    "Not to mention that he ns to settle down within my Sylvia Kingdom, why would he cause us harm? Especially when he''s investing in my lot of shares!"


    Jeffery emphasised the informality when addressing Leonardo with the initials of his name, also making it a point that Leonardo was now, above all and foremost, a citizen of Sylvia. Furthermore, as icing on the cake, the party Leonardo is most likely to support is also that of House Sylvia.


    Jeff had to admit that although Queen Adeline is silly sometimes, she has quite a sharp eye and foresight.


    Jeffery''s remarks ignited an unintentional path of retreat for Azalea who was already desperate. That''s right, if she could get through to Leonardo through Jeffery, she could secure herself a safe passage to the territory of House Grace!


    Jeffery was unaware of this seed of hope he nted in the heart of this maiden, as he was too absorbed in the discussion about how to properly redress the iing clouds of disaster rather than pointing fingers.


    The factions split into three opinions.


    The first group was of the opinion to open negotiations with the mysterious force and offer them a right to some shares. After all, they did it once, they could do it again.


    The second group was of the opinion to let the hot-headed beastkin domain serve as a vanguard while they contact the elves and discuss follow-up strategies. War was already an inevitability, it was simply a matter of in whose favour would the war escte.


    The third group was of the opinion to withdrawpletely and allow the ruling powers of each domain to deal with this mess. Of course, these were the thoughts of those hoping to fish for benefits after the ruling powers exhausted themselves.


    Of course, they wouldn''t outright confess these thoughts, they spat out an excuse that the scale of this conflict was already beyond their capabilities as vassal kingdoms and states to the throne.

 Chapter 51 Maria Evernight

    ?"These holographic screens are really something interesting, don''t you think?" A man seated on a rounded table with a serving of hot ck coffee and a set of baked pastries casually tapped away on a colourful blue screen.


    The screen''s header read [Daily News, January 1st of the year 4,023], and an article below disyed the trending topics around the globe with a mini window designated for regional news.


    The top-rated article disyed a batch of newly introduced human-like androids with realistic expressions thanks to the new 3D digitalser printing technology. With the tap of a finger, the article would erge to cover up the entire screen, and various videos and broadcasts begin to stream in over 73 differentnguages.


    Of course, the man couldn''t understand a single word and thus he turned to look at his partner for this morning''s treat while voicing out his confusion, "Do you understand what these people are saying?"


    Seated in front of him was a man dressed in the steward uniform of the ISC auction house, and he looked very anxious. Shockingly, this was the man who introduced Leonardo to Nier on that fateful night over eight months ago. He woke up to find himself abducted by a group of convicts that are either crippled to the bottom levels of the first mortal cycle or non-cultivators, to begin with.


    However, these convicts are the cruel, heinous, and dangerous type of locusts if released on a backwater civilization like this. Currently, he was face to face with one of these convicts entitled to a secret mission of investigating Leonardo, his family, and rtives, and gathering as many resources as possible to make the earthling ve submit in one way or another.


    This operation was done in secrecy by the household leading the twelve houses, not even those involved with the alliance knew of these contingencies, thinking that their entire focus was on the middle realms.


    How would they expect that the young master was so paranoid he even dispatched rogue criminals to the peaceful environment of a in the lower realms?


    "I- I understand them¡­" The man responded with a pale face, not daring to y any tricks as he was no more than a little steward with only his affiliation to the ISC to be proud of. However, that affiliation wouldn''t help him the least bit here.


    "Good!" The convict continued browsing through the holographic newspaper.


    "These people are disgusting! They''re really kidnapping these robots for sex? How depraved must one be?" He eximed in shock, not finding the words to describe men who would stoop so low to fuck a machine.


    "Here, your coffee is ready!" A beautiful woman in a maid uniform and shing high heels that literally hovered above the ground approached their table, on her hand was a silver tray with two cups and a mug of coffee ready for serving.


    She had long purple hair, much like her radiant eyes. The maid uniform did her body absolute justice by highlighting all the right curves while stoking one''s imagination. Her thick red lips reflected a sunlight warm smile that melted some of the ice around the convict''s heart as he responded with one of his own.


    When the maid turned around, he couldn''t help but size up her stic buttocks with a shine in his eyes. Seeing this, the ISC steward coughed awkwardly and said, "Erm, she''s also an android¡­"


    The convict was about to swallow his coffee with a silly smile on his face before he choked on the drink, almost killing himself then and there before releasing the pressure with a coughing fit.


    A moment ofposing himselfter, he red at the steward and barked at him, "What has that got to do with me?! Your job was to hand me a detailed file and a background check on Leonardo, that damned ve, have you got it ready?! The boss is impatient!"


    The steward shuddered, knowing that this was a direct breach of human rights protocols in the ISC code of conduct concerning the privacy and protection ofs in the lower realms. However, he was a man, and man is selfish, and a man wouldn''t choose death when they could continue living.


    Gritting his teeth, he handed over a stack of documents to the convict.


    The convict put on a solemn face and began reading through the papers.


    [Full name: Leonardo Evernight.]


    [Age: Seventeen years old.]


    [ Mother: Maria Evernight, worldwide entrepreneur.]


    [Father: Unknown.]


    [Bio: CEO of the Evernight Group International.]<novelnext></novelnext>


    The convict skipped through everything that seemed like extra, focusing his attention on the Evernight Group Internationalpany. Apparently, the new generation of Artificial Intelligence in conjunction with the new generation of realistic androids took the market by storm over a decade ago when Maria Evernight established the first branch of herpany, introducing her first android, Project Nightshade, to the world.


    Twenty yearster, she brought herpany into bing a massive behemoth in the world of industry, branching into various known capitals and metropolises across the globe. However, to this day, her very first android; Project Nightshade, receives priority for any and all updates and or upgrades to both software and hardware.


    Thepany explicitly stated that Project Nightshade will always remain at least two generations ahead as the predecessor to the new style of androids on the. Infiltrating the headquarters and sensitive facilities of thepany is nigh impossible as all of the important positions in thepany andboratory are carefully monitored and upied by intelligence androids.


    If he thought that this maid android was something, then he should buckle up for a world unknown, unimaginable, and iprehensible to someone who relied on cultivation his entire life. On a without the introduction of cultivation, the poption has already advanced beyondprehension in fields of science.


    The convict could tell that this report was no mere exaggeration as he looked all around at the flying hovercrafts, neon lights, towering skyscrapers, intangible holograms guiding the traffic, not to mention androids; mere machines, that he couldn''t tell apart from the living and breathing human beings.


    This was all too novel for him.


    The two had no idea that their entire interaction was recorded and live broadcasted through the maid''s eyes and ears to the futuristic fortress of this era.


    Evernight Group International''s HQ.


    In an office room on a floor hidden within the clouds, a beautiful woman with long silver hair, pitch-ck eyes, and pale skin stood weakly facing a projected screen on her wall. She held a white napkin to her thin colourless lips as she coughed lightly, but the napkin was quickly stained red from her gushing blood.


    Her tall figure swayed lightly, and she couldn''t help but find the nearby desk for support. The next moment, a beautiful woman dressed in a tight-fit ck suit with her ck hair tied into a ponytail stepped forward.


    One can see four rings of dimly lit neon lights in her iris, leaving the pupils within sparkling white a white glow. She was obviously not human, regardless of how simr she was to one.


    This was Project Nightshade, the android who raised Leonardo during his mother''s difficult times.


    The other woman was obviously Maria, Leonardo''s mother.


    "Madam!" Nightshade spoke with a hint of concern in her eyes while supporting Maria,forting her Madam with the words she knew were best to speak aloud.


    "They''re using the divine tongue, their presence here must mean that the young master is doing just fine! Isn''t that great, Madam?"


    Maria smiled weakly and shook her head, speaking in a whisper-like voice, "I''m not worried about my son at all, I''m simply worried we might drag this whole into our mess if we don''t handle these pests silently¡­"


    "I don''t want the perfect image I worked so hard to build around my son toe crashing down due to a moment of carelessness¡­ I want to wee him into a warm embrace ten years from now¡­ He said he will be back in ten years, and I believe him."


    As she spoke, she eyed a decorated handwritten letter on her wall. She smiled, not knowing whether she should feel guilty about trapping her beloved son in the illusion of them being an abandoned, unwanted mother and child.


    "He will understand, Madam!" Nightshade seemed to see through Maria''s worries and spoke up, "Moreover, this Interster Supreme Court seems like a neutral and fair organisation, they won''t allow those pests much leeway, so you don''t have to worry about our whereabouts being discovered anytime soon!"


    Maria took a deep breath, her dull, midnight-ck eyes shing coldly as she watched the two clowns prance about on her screen while nodding her head.


    "I guess we can entertain those idiots for the time being and buy my son some time¡­"


    Nightshade smiled dazzlingly at the mention of the young master.

 Chapter 52 Brutal Selection

    ?A piercing draconic roar stabbed through the blue skies of the Sylvian Capital, attracting the attention of the millions of residents filing through the streets. However, one look and they understood that this was the royal wyverns procession, nothing they could or would like to involve themselves with.


    Looking down from above, Leonardo found the infrastructure of the imperial capital simr to that of Valdmor, meaning, those millions of people were barely the tip of the iceberg when it came to the overall poption of the imperial capital.


    This was Leonardo''s first time witnessing such a densely packed city without a motion of chaos or disorder, even with the apparentck of patrolling soldiers. This peaceful ambience clearly reflected the benevolence of Queen Adeline and how her conduct influenced her people. Of course, his attention was drawn to the assortment of grand pces in the distance.


    A young wyvern rider by his side smiled and exined, "The Imperial Pce is the one in the centre, it is where the King and Queen reside. However, the King doesn''t involve himself with the people or the secr world and is instead focused on his cultivation. As for the other constructs, they are Royal Pces for the various Princes and Princesses, their wives, concubines, and children."


    "The Royal Grandchildren without any rights to the throne loiter at the bottom of thedder in terms of status and military achievements, they are stationed as Marquesses in the variousmanderies sectioning the domestic provinces from the feudal territories."


    "The Lords of our kingdom are free to either serve as vassals following thews passed down by Queen Adeline or separate into their own territories under the stiption of paying yearly tribute in the form of taxes. Of course, there are restrictions on their military operations¡­"


    The man continued his long-winded exploration although Leonardo wasn''t paying him attention at all. At least, he stopped paying attention after the matters concerning the royal family was over.


    He truly didn''t care one bit about the monarchy and governmentws these people adhered to, as they were almost guaranteed to be overhauled by him sooner orter. After flying across the skies of the imperial city for almost an hour, they could finallynd peacefully in front of the grand pce gates that put the greatest walls to shame in more aspects than one could count on their two hands.


    It was a massive wall so high a mortal wouldn''t be able to see the end of it. Laced in a multitude of enchantments that drew and persevered worldly energy, dipped in gold, and a divine-like halo radiated off its surface. Leonardo was absolutely amazed to see rows of pedestrians young and old literally prostrating to the wall praying to and for their High Queen, reverence and worship clear as day in their eyes.


    When the procession of soldiers approached the thick gates, everyone split like the sea in a practised manner, bowing their heads low. Contrary to Leonardo''s expectations, these pedestrians seemed wel-fed, dressed, and educated even though they were a dense pack of non-cultivators.


    Of course, Leonardo paid them no mind whatsoever, much like Aria who slept soundly on his right shoulder. Since everyone believed Leonardo to be a non-cultivator, they helped push him along with a gentle force that propelled him forward.


    Some people were curious as to how a non-cultivator could withstand the aura and pressure of multiple saints, especially the oppressive atmosphere which rested beyond the pce''s gates. However, they soon realised that a formless energy fluctuation imbued with the essence of sainthood rippled from the white little fox on the young man''s shoulder, solving their conundrum.


    Still, they were shocked that a non-cultivator had a saint magical beast as a pet. How extravagant.


    Several princes and princesses gathered on the balconies and terraces of their bedroom chambers to curiously observe this mysterious person about to be crowned as a Foreign Prince by their High Queen, and they were somewhat taken aback by his casual clothing and disregard for proper dressing codes or formal attires.


    Was this the attitude of someone about to meet with their High Queen?


    How would they know that Leonardo couldn''t act surprised or taken aback no matter how much he desired to. Although the architecture seemed grandiose and all, it was nothing more than an erged medieval design in his eyes.


    Of course, you can p a few eye-catching manifestations of spiritual energy to represent the height of their cultivation, but who were they fooling? Perhaps if Leonardo''s life so far followed the traditional protagonist path of a greater mountain peak behind every high mountain peak, a sky beyond the sky, and all those philosophical theories meant to humble the cultivator on his path, then maybe this would impact him somewhat.<novelnext></novelnext>


    But having gone from the rug of cultivation society on Earth to the pinnacle of the known universe to hisprehension, only to be brought down to a civilization that could be described as mediocre at best, he truly found it hard to feel overwhelmed.


    In terms of cultivation and realms, the energy he felt from Nier''s body during their moment of union was at least ten times greater in multitude and magnitude than what he perceived at the moment. Of course, it was so overwhelming he literally nked out, never to recall the experience that followed.


    Regretfully¡­


    As for aesthetics and luxury. Well, to be humble, they were a few generations behind his home in that aspect. Leonardo was still unaware that his mother brought about a revolutionary upgrade to the concept of artificial intelligence, which indirectly revolutionised supeputers and technology in a butterfly effect,pletely overturning the industrial ecosystem across the globe within a short span of twenty years.


    While Leonardo was being escorted into the massive structure, his head was filled with thoughts about his own territory and the great culling. Moreover, he was wondering if Queen Adeline had any ulterior motives for being so kind and generous to him.


    Back in the Star Territory, the preparations for the great culling were already underway and on the cusp ofpletion. Of course, the territory''s name was changed from Star Territory to Grace Imperial City, with the five towns incorporated into the massive city as five separate districts that will be named at ater date after Leonardo''s return.


    Pandora wanted to rush the selection as much as possible, but Juvia suggested postponing it to build an all-epassing defensive wall around the circumference of the five towns and theke situated in the epicentre of the region. These walls would serve as the borders of Grace Imperial City, as they both knew of Leonardo''s ns to dere war not too long after his official coronation.


    With the assistance of Pandora, Juvia, and a few saints dispatched by Queen Adeline, the ten thousand ves quickly constructed a great wall. The wall was iid with an assortment of defensive formations personally inscribed by Juvia, these formations were a collective of twofold and threefold arrays direction from her elven heritage, and she could only be so extravagant with them because of the ridiculous amount of wealth Leonardo left behind.


    Since he couldn''t progress his energy cultivation under the suppression of Arcadia''s will, he opted to invest all his wealth in the construction of his pce, and city, and raising his army.


    "After the great culling and when the cowardly citizens have fled beyond the borders of our walls, shut the gates and start up the formation¡­" Juvia spoke weakly as she stood up, Pandora to the side providing her with the necessary support.


    "Is carving formations really that exhausting?" Pandora asked as she helped lead Juvia to her bedroom chambers inside the pce.


    Juvia rolled her eyes at that silly question before responding, "I had to constantly burn my essence energy to properly carve my family''s Ode of the Elements into a self-sustaining defensive formation, how about you tell me?"


    Then she added, "If you thought that tiny water dragon was something, wait until you see the formation utilise every drop of water in thatke, and you''ll realise how powerful the heritage of my race truly is!"


    Although Juvia wanted to boast, her paleplexion and low voice really made it hard to do that. She could barely structure two sentences before coughing, making it difficult for Pandora to take her seriously.


    However, she didn''t feel like agitating this former princess, and she appreciated the risk Juvia took by openly disying her heritage as an elven royalty regardless of the dire circumstances. Thus, after delivering Juvia to her bed, Pandora asked Leona and Kieran to never leave her side while the petitedy left to carry on with the brutal selection.

 Chapter 53 Dawn Of Battle

    ?It was like any other silent night to thewful citizens of Star Territory''s five towns. Some were fast asleep, some were up gambling, and some were indulging in the pleasures of the flesh with their significant others.


    Two thousand ves besieged the borders of each town, dressed in casual leather-fitting clothes as they stood in attention in front of a realistic projectionposed of worldly energy. The same projection of the beautiful Pandora hovered in front of each other camp, speaking directly to the ves below.


    "Every one of you must have been updated on the rules for the following selection. I won''t lie to you, it will be absolutely brutal. Out of the two thousand people before me, only two hundred will make it out alive today."


    "Not one person more, not one person less. Actually, there might be a less headcount than two hundred by the time I''m through with you all."


    "In front of you are industrial towns with hundreds of thousands of innocents; elderly and young. They have experienced an epoch of peace since the forlorn War of Dominion and until today, all because they have been fortunate enough to reside within a territory protected by an ancient pact of non-aggression."


    "You will trample your way into the depths of theirfort zone and bring along a reign of terror that might outright re up a spark of resistance and rebellion within the hearts of the bold, while the cowardly pack up and flee."


    "Under no circumstances are you to open hostility against the weak and unarmed. Under no circumstances are you tomit arson, piging, sexual assault, and or all kinds of abuse be it physical, psychological, or visual through inflicting deliberate self-harm."


    "All of the mentioned above with the inclusion of war crimes warrants a death sentence, no exceptions whatsoever. We have nted all sorts of cold weapons, armour kits, and medical remedies throughout the town. You will find them stored within hiddenpartments marked by the emblem of House Grace."


    "This way, you don''t need to rely on a thief in order to obtain weapons, you merely have your skill and luck to back you up in this desperate battle."


    Although this method of selection may seem novel and all to the people of this, Leonardo in all honesty simply introduced the battle royal video games with a bit of inspiration from the famous Hunger Games series from his home.


    This was nothing close to creative, but it got the job done anyway.


    "All of those from the first-cycle mortals advance forward, your selection will start at the first sign of dawn! On the following dawn, all second-cycle mortals will follow them regardless of the oue! On the following dawn, and the dawn after, we will proceed in the same fashion!"


    "You are not allowed to harm directly or indirectly those who are not in line with your cultivation cycle! Failing to adhere will result in death!"


    "Each and every person will be assigned a pearl with a number within. That number is connected directly to the ve bracelet linked to your minds, and it will disy the number of ves on a simr cultivation cycle as yours within the distance of your respective towns. When you notice that the number has fallen to the following numbers, cease allbat!"


    "Mortal first cycle; one hundred fifty-eight!"


    "Mortal second cycle; thirty-two!"


    "Mortal third cycle; eight!"


    "Mortal fourth cycle; two!"


    Pandora''s projection went silent for everyone to register their safe number, with those on the lowest level of the mortal cultivation feeling relieved. They didn''t expect that their prince would pass down the orders that would practically cripple the army.


    They had no idea why the strongest of the ves would have to go through the most brutal of the cleansing, especially the fourth-cycle mortals. Plus, with all these restrictions that would force them to keep a leash on their destructive behaviour and energy exertion, it would be even harder to operate normally.


    Misaka, Kristopher, Andreas, Sitri, and Lucas were mostly calm as they were already aware of these harsh rules and restrictions. However, the rest of the fourth cycle mortals who numbered in tens if not borderline a hundred for each two felt stifled. A sense of crisis assaulted them, having their muscles and nerves tense up.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Pandora was relieved by this oue.


    Although she wasn''t aware of the wisdom behind such decisions, she trusted Leonardo''s acumen greatly.


    That man''s intelligence was borderline divine, and his actions had far-reaching implications. She figured she would sit back and watch the great culling y out for the uing week and try to see through his decisions.


    Very quickly, the deep hours of the night slipped away and a silver ray of light erupted from the eastern horizon. With the re of this light, hundreds of first-cycle mortals broke ranks from the formation and rushed into the town in a desperate bid to collect weapons and armour as soon as possible.


    Back inside the massive pce, in a steam-filled wide bathing pool, Pandora and Juvia submerged in the hot water with rxed expressions while observing the multiple screens hovering on a curtain of light.


    Juvia had also engraved these transmission formations throughout the five towns to provide them with the convenience of rxing while carrying out their duties. Far in the distance, Leona and Kieran were ying with water toys, mainly pistols and guns, in a small pool of their own.


    Although Kieran''s expression was stoic, there was a pleasant smile in the depths of his eyes as he constantly head-shotted Leona over and over. Amazingly enough, all of his shotsnded on the same spot between her eyebrows, no matter how she dodged and ran around.


    Eventually, the little girl gave up and simply sprayed the water torrent like bullets on her big brother in a bid of chaotic suicidal attacks. Leona''sughter was music to Juvia''s ears, as the little brat had maintained a scaringly solemn silence for the past few weeks ever since the great journey.


    "She''s finallyughing again." Juvia sighed and sunk further into the hot water, fully content.


    "That kid isn''t half bad either, his uracy and precision are a frightening talent." Pandora nced at Kieran who was as steady and confident as always. She treated him as though he was her dearest little brother, and he was opening up mostly to Pandora, with the exception of Leonardo.


    Juvia snorted when she saw how Kieran was basically bullying Leona, she couldn''t help but feel a burst of maternal instinct kick in as shemented, "Talent? You want to speak in front of a ten-year-old who has already started cultivating a divine technique about talent?"


    Pandora had no idea where this sense of unjustifiedpetition came up. However, it did spark a long-forgotten rivalry between the two women that have long been suppressed by their fear of leaving a childish impression on their leader. Seemingly, this sense of rivalry now transitioned tond on the shoulders of the two siblings.


    "So what if she had a five-year head start? Leader simply couldn''t define a growth path for Kieran because, unlike his little sister, his options for a martial intent weren''t set in stone upon birth! Moreover, the leader already explicitly stated that Leona''s innate martial intent has little to do withbat! In fact, it might as well be her downfall if not taken care of properly!" Pandora snorted in a fairly reasonable argument as well.


    "For cultivators, especially those with a divine talent, five years or five hundred years barely makes a difference! Oh wait, I wouldn''t expect an elf from a backwater cultivation civilization to know that much about the realms of the divine and above."


    "You little¡­" Juvia pounced on Pandora after having her sore spot rubbed so mercilessly. Of course, the two were conscious enough to not use any energy lest they hurt the children.


    Of course, their friendly fight, apanied by their charmingughter as they tickle-attacked one another, drew the attention of Kieran and Leona who were having their own fun in the distance.


    Earlier, the two beauties were submerged shoulder-length in the water so there wasn''t much to see. Now, however, Kieran was staring dumbly at the spring action in front of him, only to feel a soft little hand smack the back of his head.


    "Pervert!" Leona shouted in a cute voice, her face flushed red.


    And thus, on the silver ray of dawn, two battles of epic proportions erupted.


    One in the open, and one in the depths of the Imperial Pce.

 Chapter 54 The Usual Cliche

    ?Within the depths of the Sylvian Imperial Pce, after a day of rest preluding to his coronation ceremony, Leonardo woke up in a rather luxurious room.


    Heid on a spacious bed surrounded by soft pillows, a curtain of thin yet opaque fabric descended from a high canopy above the bed, concealing his half-naked body from the servants scurrying about in the room preparing a set of formal imperial clothes, the bathing chambers, and hairdressers for Leonardo.


    Leonardo could hear the ongoingmotion, chuckling lightly. The sound of his calmughter echoed in the room, startling the young maids who were trying to act prudently and cautiously so as to not disturb the prince in his sleep.


    They never expected him to be such a light head when it came to sleeping. Little did they know that Leonardo was chuckling because Aria was entangled with the softyers of bed sheets that covered his body. The little fox was desperately trying to free her limbs and head, eventually rolling into a small burrito on Leonardo''sp, her eyes glowing in frustrated embarrassment.


    To think that an exalted immortal like herself would have a day like this. Although tearing apart the sheets to free herself would be as easy as blinking her eyes, it was too rude and udlike, and she didn''t wish for the servants to have the impression that Leonardo couldn''t even control his pet.


    Moreover, witnessing the usually lifeless and dull expression of this young man bloom into a smile once in a while wasn''t that bad of an experience.


    Leonardo shook his head and pulled Aria from the sheets, holding the little fox from under her armpits. She simply wished she could die right now, her long ears bent over to cover half her face and eyes, not daring to meet his gaze directly.


    Shaking his head, Leonardo took the little fox to his embrace before rolling off the bed and through the swaying curtains, the excessive light that phased through the massive window striking his vision all white and gold.


    A line of seven maids quickly stood respectfully to the side. They have gathered and waited silently the moment they realised that the prince woke up, as to show their proper due respect and leave a good impression.


    Although they had heard rumours from the escorting soldiers that this new prince was a pretty boy material, their hearts skipped a beat at the sight of his messy wild hair, baby smooth skin, perfectly sculpted muscles, and the kind smile on his face as he teased the squirming little fox in his embrace.


    The intense sunlight forced him to narrow his eyes and steer his line of sight downward, and since he had nothing better to do, he began to stroke across Aria''s head while disregarding her silent protests.


    It took Leonardo a moment to adjust his eyes to the high brightness of the searing morning sun before the warmth retracted from his smile, though the smile itself remained the same, the feeling wholeheartedly changed.


    It became more of a formal t smile of acknowledgement, giving the maids enough courtesy to notice their existence and what they''d done throughout the morning period in order to prepare him for this long day.


    One of the seven maids who was d in all ck, unlike her sisters who had a design harmonising between ck and white, quickly gathered her wits and stepped forward to bow courtly and express a neutral sentiment.


    "We have prepared the bath and a set of clothing for your Highness based on the measurements of your previous fitting. Once you are done, a steward outside will lead your Highness to an open courtyard so that you could join the sons and daughters of the kingdom to a breakfast arranged by Her Majesty the High Queen."


    After reporting the schedule arranged for Leonardo, and emphasising that he would need to bathe and dress on his own, dousing the fledgling mes of desire in the hearts of the maids, she gave them a stern stare and waited for them to leave the bedroom chamber before she hurriedly left as well. Her heart was beating beyond her control, and she only bowed her head because she wasn''t confident in maintaining a calm facade while staring down those depthless ck eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ? Aria had a yful look of amusement in her eyes when she witnessed the whole scene y out. Of course, she knew what ran through the young head maid''s mind, but she couldn''t me her for it. The next moment, the little fox bounced off from Leonardo''s embrace and settled down on a sofa not too far from the bathing chamber''s doors, thereafter getting into afortable position while she eagerly watched the door.


    It was that time of the day for Aria.


    After a shower and a quick dres-up, Leonardo finally left his bedroom chambers and stepped into one of thebyrinth-like wide hallways of the pce. Leonardo was provided with an entire wing to himself, and without guidance, he would be easily lost, especially since he couldn''t arbitrarily use his spiritual senses for the moment.


    He wore a set of luxurious white robesced in golden embroidery, translucent ck buttons that rowed over from his cor toward the centre of his abdomen, a long flourished cape dangling off his shoulders and swaying with each of his graceful steps, and a sleek back hairstyle glistening with pomade.


    On his shoulder rested Aria with azy expression, her fluffy tail coiling around Leonardo''s neck like a winter scarf as the steward nervously escorted him to the open rear courtyard belonging to one of the Royal Pce''s ast of the Imperial Pce.


    It was a natural Arcadia-themed courtyard that expressed a sense of belonging to nature. Natural paved roads of ttened dirt walkways weaving through gardens of lush trees, nked by dense foliage and shrubberies. The fragrant scent of fresh fruit upied the atmosphere, practically guiding Leonardo to a vast meadow clearance with erected wooden seats and tables sporadically stationed within.


    Almost twenty youths with reserved yet steady auras confined themselves to this space of nature while chatting,ughing, gossiping, and discussing cultivation with one another popted the courtyard. The ratio of males to females obviously favoured the former, as there were about seven prettydies and fourteen young men, all of them were of a simr age to Leonardo, if one could judge age based on looks.


    Queen Adeline apparently thought it was a good idea for Leonardo to interact with people of his age group, but he couldn''t help but feel a bit helpless about this as he was far from being their age.


    Not a single one of them seemed to have attained a martial intent, let alone ascended into sainthood. However, even for mortal cultivators, their presence was dense and steady, their realms must have been consolidated to the extreme.


    A few royal guards stood not too far, and a few of them radiated the aura of sainthood essence, but it was unknown whether they were here to protect the children of the kingdom or Leonardo, or they were simply here to observe and report without actually intervening in case of pity conflict.


    Although technically they shared the same status as princes and princesses, Leonardo knew they would ostracise him as an upstart foreign prince and feel an innate sense of disdain towards him, while he felt an even greater sense of disregard for these childish fools due to his superior background.


    Although he knew this whole breakfast is destined to go down a shithole one way or another, he still stepped forward and invaded theirfort zone by approaching a table presenting a colourful array of sweets, pastries, and snacks.


    He picked up two chocte chips before tossing one into his mouth and feeding the other to Aria, who had long since forgotten the taste of such delectables.


    Although the princes and princesses felt it would be fine for them to disregard Leonardo, they felt a strike at their pride and status to be treated the same. Leonardo knew what wasing next, it was all too familiar to him from the ridiculous cliche scenes he saw in the various movies, anime, and games back home¡­

 Chapter 55 Playing With Fire

    ?Being the centre of everyone''s attention, Leonardo finally turned his head and swept his lifeless eyes over everyone present. Shaking his head at their immature and angry eyes, he decided not to entertain their unreasonable pride and shouted in the direction of the Imperial Pce.


    "I''ve had enough breakfast, for now, Adeline. I don''t have the time to waste on children." Leonardo knew that Queen Adeline must be watching him in one way or another, but he wasn''t here to perform or entertain anyone, not even her.


    "Impudence!" The royal children shouted in anger, their expressions twisted beyond their calm facade. One of the tall women tightened her fists as she made her way over, but Leonardo wholeheartedly ignored her actions.


    He decided to not entertain their little episode, but he was curious as to how they would act. Although the Queen might be a pacifist, that didn''t mean her temperament wasmonce in the royal ranks.


    The woman, like her hal-siblings, had a head of pale golden hair, emerald green eyes, and soft white skin. She approached without emitting a hint of energy fluctuations, she obviously didn''t feel like bullying a non-cultivator young man. However, for all of her imposing air, Leonardo gave her a dismissive look while stroking Aria''s fur.


    When the tall woman stood face to face with Leonardo, her right hand blurred, and swung, and a crisp noise echoed through the courtyard as Leonardo''s head swayed to the side, a red handprint clear on his handsome face.


    The royal guards were shocked because they knew, thanks to insider information, that the little fox in Leonardo''s arms was a saint-rank magical beast. They thought that Leonardo would expose hints of his pet''s prowess if he were to be entrapped by a crowd of arrogant and angry royal children.


    These saint royal guards were stationed in order to mitigate any and all possible dangers to the royal children''s lives. However, they never expected Leonardo to simply hold down his pet and receive a p to his face.


    Leonardo''s lip busted open and he could feel a sweet taste in his mouth. However, his expression remained as dull and lifeless as usual, as though nothing of significance happened. He lifted a white napkin from the table and spat his blood directly into its folds, not wanting to dirty the floor, contaminate the food, or leave his blood behind for these people.


    The tall woman was shocked that Leonardo simply revived her p to the face without an ounce of resistance or fluctuations in his expression, as though he was looking at a stray dogshing out randomly. It was an expression that said, it couldn''t be helped, some animals are just that wild.


    Leonardo levelled the haughty princess with his calm eyes as he asked in a soft whisper, but he knew that everyone within the vicinity was strong enough to hear him.


    "Is this a deration of war?"


    That single sentence shocked not only the royal children, but even the stationed guards and Queen Adeline who was secretly probing Leonardo''s temperament felt her heart jolt. She immediately recalled the scene in that ravine, and she felt chilled.


    The situation spiralled out of control before it even had the chance to get on the nned track. She immediately sent urgent orders to separate Leonardo from the royal children before things got out of hand. She cursed her stupid and yful curiosity, she should have taken Jeffery''s advice and not tested this man''s patience.


    Leonardo was truly impatient to make it back to Grace Imperial City, as he didn''t have the time to y these childish games.


    "War? Do you have the qualifications to talk war with us?!" A young man pointed his finger angrily at Leonardo, feeling incensed at such a bold statement.


    They were one of the three ruling powers, who would dare dere war on them?


    "Guards, fly that stupid animal alive for this Prince! Let me show him an example of what would be his fate if he kept being so arrogant!"


    The prince turned his head to shoutmands at a few guards who were busy reviving their orders while gaping in horror at the prince. Not only them, everyone else was the same, some of the females covered their lips in shock and disgust.


    Seeing those unresponsive guards, the prince took a step forward while swinging his hand at the guards to scold them. However, he felt his foot sink into something moist and thick, confusing him as the ground was dry a moment ago.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The next moment, he noticed that he wasn''t pointing fingers at the guards. Actually, he wasn''t pointing at anything at all, the space before him was empty. Shocked, he nced down, only to see his arm severed cleanly by the biceps, blood flowing down like a river.


    There was no pain at all.


    The cut was so clean that his own body hadn''t registered the fact yet. However, seeing his arm in a puddle of his own blood, he directly fainted and dropped back on the tables behind him, losing almost half his blood while everyone was reeling from the shock.


    "You¡­ You¡­ You¡­" The royal guards were at a loss for what to do. They could only stare at Aria resting on Leonardo''s shoulder while licking away at the clots of blood on her right little paw, quickly getting it back into its sparkling white sheen.


    She could have done it without spilling a drop of blood on her paw, but it would have a greater impact when done this way as the culprit would be easier to deduce.


    When was thest time someone dared point a finger at her and call her an animal? Aria felt disgusted with these children. The kid was lucky she didn''t rip his body into a million pieces.


    Finally, the docile women lost their cool and began to shriek as they fled the courtyard with pale, horrified faces. The morning breakfast descended into pandemonium, and everyone ran off, everyone except for the tall princess who stood petrified under the blood-red eyes of Aria, and the few guards who didn''t dare make a move due to the close proximity between the princess and Leonardo.


    "Princess Veronica¡­ Slowly retreat¡­" A guard mustered up his courage to speak, but he didn''t dare make any sudden movements. No kidding, they couldn''t even protect someone across the courtyard from that magical beast, let alone someone directly in front of it.


    Veronica dearly wanted to retreat, but all she could see was a world of bloodshed and corpses within the depths of Aria''s eyes. She knew if she was to move now, her fate would be uncertain.


    "Prince Leonardo, allow Princess Veronica to leave! The High Queen wishes to meet with you!" A guard suddenly spoke up, having received new orders to lead Leonardo directly into the Imperial Pce to meet the High Queen.


    Leonardo ignored himpletely, simply staring directly into Veronica''s eyes. The princess couldn''t handle the mental pressure and her will copsed, directly falling to her knees in a puddle of urine in front of Leonardo. However, the young man didn''t move, and Aria didn''t budge a muscle either.


    Veronica''s eyes began to shed tears uncontrobly as she began to speak incoherently, "A-auntie t-told me to! I''m sorry! D-don''t kill me!"


    "Your Highness!" The guards jumped in fright, not knowing why the princess would suddenly break down and spill out everything voluntarily. How would they know the amount of pressure her psyche was enduring at this moment?


    She was practically on the verge of going insane, hot tears streaming down her face. Leonardo didn''t need her to exin why or who, he wasn''t an idiot.


    "Leave your hand behind."


    Leonardo spoke a momentter, shocking the guards silly with fright as theirmunication bracelets went crazy. How would they know that this sentence was like heaven''s salvation to Veronica who was on the verge of mental copse? She didn''t hesitate at all before drawing a long, sharp dagger and hacking down at her own right wrist.


    A silver light shed, blood sttered, and a hand stumbled down by Leonardo''s feet. Only when that was done, Ariazily closed her eyes once more.


    Only now did Veronica notice the state she was in. Her tear-stained face, urine-drenchedp, and severed right hand. She shrieked loudly, her voice echoing far and near before she mentally snapped and copsed onto Leopard''s feet.

 Chapter 56 Bewildering Intuition

    ?Only now did Veronica notice the state she was in. Her tear-stained face, urine-drenchedp, and severed right hand. She shrieked loudly, her voice echoing far and near before she mentally snapped and copsed onto Leopard''s feet.


    However, a translucent energy barrier protected Leonardo from the disgusting secretions as he stepped back as though revolted. One explosive aura after the next burst from the guards who could only see red in their eyes as they were about to strike Leonardo dead then and there.


    However, the next moment, a gentle domain enveloped the courtyard, suppressing the multiple saints and knocking them unconscious where they stood.


    At some point, a mature beautiful woman was standing not too far away from Leonardo, crossing her arms with a pouting yet not-so-pouting expression, an angry yet not-so-angry expression.


    She couldn''t help but shake her head and wave her hand, a streak of emerald light enveloping Veronica, levitating the woman off the ground and closer to Queen Adeline while her hand regenerated, her filth evaporated, and some hint of roseness surfaced on her unconscious face.


    Queen Adeline was a little shocked that the little fox was so fast, perhaps its sainthood''s essence was rted to speed, but her long-distance energy projection was incapable of following the fox in its movements.


    Only when Veronicapletely recovered did Queen Adeline pat her chest and heave a sigh of relief, drawing Leonardo''s attention to her pale white cleavage and the valley beneath. Queen Adeline behaved as though she didn''t notice and beckoned for Leonardo toe to sit on one of the clean tables in the distance.


    "I suppose holding a ceremony would prove counterproductive now, huh? Did you have to be so heavy with your hand?"


    As the two reached the table, Queen Adeline stood to the side and gestured for Leonardo to sit as he passed her by. However, the next moment, she felt something was wrong, but it was toote as a palm quickly approached her face.


    Smack!


    Disbelief coloured Queen Adeline''s face as Leonardo pped her smooth cheek, and it took her quite some time to recover from the shock of the warmth spreading as a result.


    "Does this feel good?" Leonardo asked in a t tone before making his way around the table and heading toward the exit of the courtyard, not bothering with being polite or anything.


    "When you''re sincere enough to stop these childish games, you cane find me for a civil discussion. I''ll probably be supervising my armies as theymence a ughter in the Regalia Kingdom."


    Later that day when Leonardo was apanied out of the pce on the back of the wyvern, Queen Adeline sulked in her hot bathtub while touching the handprint left on her left cheek. As a third-cycle saint, she could easily heal such a superior condition. However, she decided to keep it and reflect upon her actions as she sulked away in thefort of her private chambers.


    As for Leonardo, he was rather curious about how the great culling yed out. Although they were flying on a wyvern, it would take around two weeks before reaching the region formerly acknowledged as Star Territory and currently known as City of Grace, or Grace Imperial City.


    What puzzled Leonardo was that Aria had entered into a deep sleep ever since they House Sylvia''s Pce, but he wasn''t feeling anything ill of it. In fact, he felt some inexplicable anxiety, as though something very important to him was about to happen, but he didn''t know what it could be.


    He wouldn''t know that currently, Aria''s real persona, Rosaline, was rapidlypping one hand seal after another into the quivering space of her private sub-dimension.


    Today was the day Nier initiated with her delivery. However, before Rosaline could get to work on the baby''s birth, the entire region of bloodied began to boil over and a domain of destion began to erode into the spatial nodes, almost wing the coordinates of the sub-dimension.<novelnext></novelnext>


    If that happened, not even she would be able to locate in whichever corner of the vast upper, middle, or lower realms had the sub-dimension moved to. This was a space isted within multiple folds of space, and losing one fold in whichever direction would cause thepressing pressure from its counterparts to propel them through multiple space vacuums, much like a wormhole.


    Luckily, she was around before the start of the childbirth, lest both her daughter and granddaughter went missing. She wouldn''t know how to face herself if that were to happen, let alone Leonardo.


    Nier was screaming out in pain as she breathed heavily, sweating profusely as her breathing went shallow, her eyes nted over in search of something. Rosaline quickly came to her side, holding her hand whileforting the young woman.


    Nier could feel her blood flowing going berserk and a conflict raging through her cells, meridians, bones, and flesh. All of the signs thus far hinted that her daughter had an immortal physique and both the deste and bloodthirsty as innate martial intents. Thus, Nier had to struggle with all her might to bnce out the conflicting forces rampaging her body while passing down the necessaryprehensions of both intents to her infant daughter.


    However, from the signs, her daughter obviously inherited the bloodthirsty territory, which meant that she required her mother''s help in this crucial phase. Of course, Rosaline was more than happy to finally have another bloodthirsty territory in the family.


    Seven days and seven nightster, a sharp high-pitched cry echoed across the sub-dimension. Blood roiled over, and the entire space quaked and quivered due to the intense flow of worldly energy that rushed from all directions and into the body of a crying infant.


    Rosaline quickly waved a hand, and a slither of the rushing energy weaved into a blood-red fabric, like a nket, wrapping around the child after the worldly energy cleaned off the secretions and blood on its baby skin.


    ¡­.


    It was around this time that the anxiety which haunted Leonardo for the past week finally settled down somewhat, recing it was an ambiguous feeling of relief that he could not understand.


    It was also around this moment that Maria, who was back on Earth shifting through a pile of documents, suddenly felt a peculiar heartthrob-like sensation in a way reminiscent of that when Leonardo was finally born. However, the feeling was illusory and fleeting, but because she keenly trusted her intuition, she touched the space around her heart in a daze.


    Shockingly, however, if anyone was to carefully inspect, they would find almost no heartbeat as though the space within was entirely hollow. However, this remains a mystery for the time being. In fact, there was a heartbeat, but it was simply so weak it might as well not exist.


    "How long can youst for? I wonder if ten years is even enough¡­" As she whispered, she reached a hand for a white napkin before she coughed blood into the fabric, her eyes growing misty¡­.


    ¡­


    "You did well¡­ Very well!" Rosaline carried the newborn Aria in her left arm while stroking through Nier''s soaked wet face and dishevelled hair with her right palm, smiling brilliantly at her daughter.


    "Let¡­ Let me see my baby¡­" Nier requested in a very faint, barely audible tone. This naughty child almost consumed 80% of her vitality and blood for that final push, deeply bewildering the two women. What kind of an infant would require so much blood essence, vitality, and energy for a mere birth?


    However, seeing the peaceful sleeping face of baby Aria, Nier tossed all of those questions aside and held the baby to her bare chest as tears trickled down her cheeks.


    However, while Nier might overlook that one detail, Rosaline couldn''t.

 Chapter 57 Advent Of Bloodthirtsy

    ?However, while Nier might overlook that one detail, Rosaline couldn''t.


    She was an immortal expert who had experienced much in the world, and she had picked up enough clues now to conjure a ridiculous guess that Leonardo wasn''t in origin a mortal, but there was a missing piece in history that she couldn''t obtain.


    Perhaps if she went to personally investigate Earth? She shook that idea away. Let alone immortals, even saints are a disaster in a ce like the lower realms. She felt something was odd ever since Leonardo impregnated Nier.


    Usually, even in the case of having one''s constitution remodelled, it is impossible to impregnate a life form with an innate superiority. Although Leonardo''s cells might have been upgraded to contain enough energy, allowing him to safely practice immortal cultivation techniques, his genes should have been those of a mortal.


    Those genes shouldn''t have been capable of fertilising within the womb of an immortal no matter how one looked at it. The same goes vice versa, an immortal wouldn''t be able to impregnate a woman unless she was on his level of gic superiority.


    Why else would she waste her time with a mortal? This simply made no sense to her, and now this freak father produced a freak daughter, confusing Rosaline even more.


    Feeling helpless, she decided to simply wait, perhaps the future will provide some answers. Meanwhile, she stroked Nier''s head with a content smile on her rosy lips.


    Seemingly thinking about some clue, her eyes brightened as she asked, "What exactly did the fortune immortal tell you? Driving you to go so far as to buy a ve from a mortal realm?"


    Nier was still immersed in the joy of giving birth to a healthy child as she replied absentmindedly, "Something about intertwined fates,patibility, and that this person was the only path out of the iing crisis¡­"


    "I didn''t know what she meant by saying that, but she said that he''s someone with the aura of a neswalker?"


    "neswalker?" Rosaline was confused, what was a neswalker? She has never heard such a term before.


    Some focus returned to Nier as she also shook her head, confused, "I don''t know, but I n on looking through the ancient texts in the Interster Supreme Institution for what that means, but the fortune immortal told me it''s best to keep this matter a secret from the Interster Supreme Court''s upper echelon if we want to escape a cmity¡­"


    Rosaline snorted, what cmity has House Hestia ever feared? However, she was prudent enough not to implicate her family with her fearless and stubborn nature. Thus, she gave her daughter a peck on the forehead before leaving the mother-daughter pair to their own devices.


    Before Rosaline left, she dropped a few words to Nier, "It is best if you continue your secluded cultivation here with your daughter for the time being, but make sure to constantly mention her father while also showing his portraits to her if possible."


    "Although she may be a child, don''t underestimate the intuition and intelligence of newborn immortals. Not like you''re not used to talking with her by now anyway." Rosaline''s silver chuckle echoed, leaving behind a blushing Nier.


    Not longter, Aria stretchedzily on Leonardo''sp as she opened her crimson eyes, startled to see Leonardo foolishly looking in no particr direction with a hand resting on his heart.


    She had an odd feeling in her eyes as she observed his bewildered expressioncking in focus. She furiously rubbed his stomach with her head, drawing his attention ever so slightly.


    Leonardo blinked, looking down at the intelligent spark of curiosity in Aria''s eyes, causing him to let out a sigh as he said, "I''ve been feeling anxious over the past week or so, but all of a sudden, that anxiousness disappeared and was reced with something akin to relief. This is too confusing, I''ve never felt like this before."


    Leonardo wasn''t the type to confide in other people, and the only instances of such were the unintentional ones. However, he didn''t feel that keeping things to himself from a magical beast was necessary, hence why he would asionally open up about these enigmatic feelings to Aria.<novelnext></novelnext>


    This was also one of the reasons Aria was so attached to this alter ego persona of an intelligent magical beast.


    Aria was shocked that someone who acted so emotionally detached could have such a strong heart and parental intuition. Then again, she remembered that Nier described him as someone who was very filial, so she thought it only made sense.


    She couldn''t wait to see the look on his face when he finally met eye-to-eye with his daughter. Although it was somewhat cruel to keep him in the dark about it, she couldn''t simply tell him he now had a daughter of flesh and blood as they might have an adverse effect on his future decisions and judgement and an especially sharp effect on how he treated Leona and Kieran.


    Now, although they were his adopted godchildren, he treated them as though they were his own. If his heart was suddenly swelling in expectation of his newly born daughter, this would affect the mentality of the two kids who had yet to have their fill of parental love and guidance.


    Especially Leona who was too sensitive about such feelings for her own good. Thus, looking at Leonardo''s torn expression, Aria truly felt helpless.


    "I don''t know why, but I''m feeling some sort of inexplicable urgency. It seems that I must speed up my ns and dere war as soon as I''ve arrived at my domain." Leonardo made up his mind and began sending multiple messages through hismunication bracelet to Pandora, Juvia, the distant Miko, and eventually Jeffery.


    Far away in his personal residence in Valdmor, Jeffery''s expression twisted in rm as he burst out from his bedroom in his sleepwear without a care for his image, his destination being House Regalia''s representative courtyard.


    As for Pandora and Juvia, they were watching thest moments of the great culling at the moment. Although the towns were mostly intact, blood washed the walls, streets, and open zas. Furthermore, the two came to the realisation that at the beginning of the culling, many of thebatants would identally release too much strength with their energy exertion.


    Now that may not be an issue or even noticeable in an open battlefield, but the closed environment of the town, narrow roads, and the all-epassing sense of crisis made it difficult for people to maintain a calm and collected mind.


    Thus, this resulted in many cases of buildings crumbling and innocent people dying due to stray shockwaves. Of course, these people were silently killed under Pandora''s marksmanship.


    These cases weren''t so prominent in the lower brackets of the culling, but they became evident during the fights of those in the higher cycles of the realm. Only those with sufficient control over their energy and emotions managed to deliver the most fatal blows without as much as a ripple of excessive energy, and they had be so proficient in it that was surprised the twodies.


    Under the threat of death, most people stopped caring and unleashed their powers in a fit of a mad gamble, but even if they killed their opponents, they still died under Pandora''s energy rifle barely a momentter.


    Intermittent beams of light continually shed from above the pce throughout the day and night, chilling everyone to the bones.


    Leonardo''s message was simple, they were to prepare a full body of light armor for him, one that would bepatible with high-tension battles and supportive of high-speedbat. Furthermore, he desired a white mask embedded with formation inscriptions to mask his voice and block spiritual probing.


    It would be best if the mask was crafted from high-grade energy crystals, infused with both death and stealth attributes from their martial intents, and for the battle armour to be a mix of ck and red.


    Then, they would pass down words to the survivors that themander of their army would be someone called Bloodthirsty.


    Of course, this would simply be Leonardo in disguise, as he wouldn''t be able to openly ughter people otherwise.


    Juvia left the finish-up procedures of the great culling to Pandora as she went to work on a suitable armor for Leonardo, excitement flickering in her eyes.

 Chapter 58 From Battle To Battle

    ?Rumble!


    Early dawn after a cruel battle thatsted for over a week of the ceaseless bloodhound, the five towns surrounding Grace Imperial Pce were drenched in blood, the buildings scarred from the aftershocks of what could be described as a holy war to the ordinary people caught within.


    Two hundred warriors that crawled their way through piles of flesh and bone flinched in fright as the ground beneath their feet quacked. Furthermore, they felt a wonderful sensation through their souls; as though something iplete had finally been mended back to perfection.


    They realized that their missing stands of the soul were set free from the envement bracelet and returned to their mind''s eyes. They couldn''t help but feel moved and delighted, as although they were promised top-tier treatment and grooming if they were to survive, no one mentioned anything about their freedom.


    Everyone felt emotionally moved, except a few who weren''t ves, to begin with, but a band of mercenaries to say the least. As Leonardo expected, Misaka andpany survived to thest day, even that unremarkable Kristopher who simply stuck to Andreas like a leech survived, which was somewhat unexpected.


    Pandora and Juvia reported that this guy''s luck was simply heaven-defying, always making it out of danger in some unexpected, unorthodox ways. It almost felt like the world was genuinely biased toward him.


    Another shocking thing was Lucas'' performance. The thing is, they didn''t know how to evaluate it because they couldn''t exactly recall his fighting style. More urately, he seemed to have been overlooked by almost everyone.


    And when he actually fought, the formation would have been coincidentally broadcasting another fight as it would prioritize based on the intensity of the fluctuations, allowing the twodies to keep an eye on those incapable of controlling their energy.


    By the time they realized it, Lucas was already one of two survivors. Leonardo was positive that Lucas had a mystical martial intent that was rted but not limited to the psyche of the human mind, it might even be on a deeper level.


    However, he didn''t care much about that. If Lucas could make it to the end, then no one would doubt his battle strength. While everyone was in shocked joy, the ground trembled as they felt an illusory force wash over them and the five towns.


    Those more experienced could tell that this was a saint''s domain.


    As a saint''s domain could stretch as far as a saint''s eyesight could reach, simply by levitating in front of the Grace Imperial Pce, Leonardo who was dressed in a striking battle fit of ck leather scribbled in crimson red array inscriptions, could release a domain that epassed the entire Imperial City; the five towns already being recognized as separate districts.


    A massive energy projection scaling from the ground all the way into the sky in a size observable by the entire elite squad of one thousand warriors drew everyone''s attention. They knew this was for thosecking the eyesight to clearly see what was going on, and thus everyone quietly observed this mysterious figure who stood there, in a mask, but a pair of terrifying crimson eyes that felt like the gates to an ocean of blood captivated them.


    Pandora and Juvia''s projections appeared standing respectfully behind this mysterious man, causing some of the warriors to raise their eyebrows. However, no one spoke as they simply watched in awe.


    It was Juvia who spoke first.


    "This is your Supreme Commander on a path of no retreat."


    ? "A path of bloodshed."


    "A path of no mercy."


    "A path of glory."


    "A path of grace."


    "A path of darkness and light."


    "This is your Supreme Commander Bloodthirsty, and you shall apany him on the path of absolute ughter. Pay your respects to yourmander or die!"


    Juvia''s voice was anything but impassioned. It was a t tonecking any emotion or motivation, but it was as direct as it could get. The moment she finished her words, Leonardo stretched out his right hand as it shed with a sanguine light, a halberd that was now no short of three meters tall, circling it were intertwined wisps of dull gray and crimson red, its spear tip as dark as the midnight sky due to the immense concentration of blood.<novelnext></novelnext>


    nked by sharp, curved, yet serrated des on either side, a dense bloodlust pulsed from the weapon. This bloodlust traversed the incorporeal bloodthirsty domain, sending shivers down every warrior''s spine, including the battle-hardened previous Grim and Reaper protectors group.


    Even the seeminglyzy Lucas felt his life sh before his eyes as though he was nothing but a dried husk of flesh and bone without a drop of blood. That illusion was too realistic for him to deny, and sweat poured down like rain.


    In front of everyone''s shocked eyes, the blood on the streets, walls, and even in their clothes and bits of hair, began to bubble over and gravitate in an elerating momentum towards the dreadful halberd.


    The light of dawn was instantly swept by a crimson sky as countless tributaries of blood rushed like flood dragons and plunged into the shaft and crown of the halberd, the scene sending shivers down everyone''s spine.


    They now understood one thing, whoever this man was, his path of cultivation relied heavily on bloodshed. And, to think that he followed this path into sainthood, they could only guess how many people he had killed.


    They have all seen a saint before. After all, they were ves to no other than one of the three ruling powers, a saint was like amonmodity to such powers. However, their intuition led them to believe that something was different about this saint and his powers.


    Leonardo would understand their feelings as by now, he saw through the deficiencies in the middle realms and their saints, or might simply be something exclusive to a like Arcadia.


    Leonardo assumed that most houses would groom the inhabitants of their respectives in the middle realms, it just happened that this one was a private property to Nier, not something under the jurisdiction of House Hestia. Thus, ironically, although Nier is their goddess in name and essence, they''re unaware of her existence.


    Not many believe in the existence of the higher realms, and for those who do, they don''t believe they''d be associated with them anytime soon. If Juvia didn''t personally witness Leonardo andpany entering through a spatial rift, she would subconsciously deny the possibility of them descending from a higher realm as well.


    The saints in the middle realms arecking in both saint-grade battle skills andbat-oriented martial intents. Though, the second reason was simply something to be med on the environment of the as the majority of the cultivation poption enjoy an elemental-oriented martial intent, as for those who diverge from the popce, their martial intents have absolutely nothing to do withbat.


    So, the introduction of a saint with such destructive and dangerous essence was something borderline otherworldly to these people. It couldn''t have helped, as the circumstances shape the people, this is merely the cycle of natural evolution.


    People may think they are free to choose their paths, but was that really the case? This is merely a psychological prison people inadvertently reject due to how narrow their understanding of the world as a whole is.


    This is no different than a multiple-choice question. One may answer thinking they had the power to choose their future, but if that was the case, why would they brew over the presented options?


    Why not question who gave them these options? Why were they limited to that specific number? Were they really given the freedom of choice? If that unknown force bothered presenting them with these options, would it matter to it whatever choice they eventually made?


    This is the case with Arcadia and its will. The itself restricted its inhabitants, and when a power that could rebel against its natural selection of rule, it would simply suppress it.


    Perhaps they delude themselves into believing they''re free to choose one of one thousand paths to sainthood, but who is to say there weren''t ten thousand? A hundred thousand? A million?


    They wouldn''t know because they never bothered thinking that deeply about it. When a household takes over a in the middle realms, the will of the could either submit or die, no third option, as it could hinder the growth of the potential ves.


    Just like Leonardo''s destion and the will of Arcadia, only one of them can prosper. Leonardo wouldn''t be surprised if Juvia would start to feel these invisible shackles once her cultivation advances in the future, but he truly didn''t care about that.


    For now, all he wanted was to carve a path of blood and utterly force these  into submission within five years.


    Leonardo looked down at the warriors below and gave a simplemand.


    "Follow me."


    Then, hended on the ground in the direction of the Regalia Kingdom''s border in a direct march. This was because a deration of war had its own principles to follow, they couldn''t simply bring an army andnd directly into the depths of the opposing party and start a ughter.

 Chapter 59 War Effort Negotiations

    ?"You really have the guts toe see me after your people kidnapped my assistant, don''t you?" Two men sat in opposing positions on either side of a heavy, rectangr office desk. Jeffery, who rushed over and after who knew how much wasted time, finally got to meet with Julian, a representative of House Regalia''s interests.


    Jeffery''s face was wrought by fatigue and anxiety as he mmed the desk with hisrge fist and exhaled his next few words through gritted teeth, "Instead of worrying about a ticking time bomb that you keep to your waist, you should worry about your base ind! Leonardo just dispatched an army of one thousand soldiers and a minimum of two saints to charge through your borders!"


    Crack!


    The fountain pen in Julian''s hand was crushed to pieces from shock. Was that Leonardo mad?


    "What did you just say?" Julian, the representative of House Regalia, stared in disbelief at Jeffery, "He''s leading an army of one thousand men to my Regalia Kingdom in the name of conquest? Is he mad?"


    There was nothing he could aplish by sending an army of a thousand, and two saints? The border fortress alone has at least eight of those, let alone the experts of the entire kingdom. To dare dere war with so little ability, he was either mad or just a mad idiot.


    Jeffery was astonished at how obstinate this imbecile is, to dare look down on Leonardo''s forces even at this time.


    Jeffrey''splexion went dark as he said, "You fucking idiot, do you want your cities to be one ravine of demise after the next?! And do you think your kingdom''s only issue will be Leonardo''s advancements? Have you forgotten about what we haveing our way in this forsakennd?"


    "And what about the other six kingdoms? Do you think they would lift a hand to help you in your crisis or simply strike you when you''re down? Even though Leonardo should be the top priority on your list of problems, you have the time to look at me with that dumb astonished expression of yours?!"


    Just who was the mad person here? Jeffery truly felt like the so-called representatives of their kingdom''s interests were foolish puppets, not putting into consideration that the temperament of Queen Adeline was a special case, causing him to develop his mind on a path towards caution and hype-intelligence.


    As for the other rulers, they wouldn''t entrust their crucial decisions in the hands of a mere representative, so they weren''t used to thinking that far ahead or on the scale of diplomatic affairs of two nations, let alone the aftermath of making a decision when involved with the potential war on three fronts.


    That''s right, House Regalia will have to put up with three fronts from now onwards. First, the conflict in the forbidden domain. Second, the conflict of interest with the other vassal kingdoms. Third, the possible repercussions from Leonardo''s army.


    Jeffery shook his head, " Our saints stationed in House Grace reported that Leonardo isn''t leading the army, but someone called Bloodthirsty, his cultivation is heavily reliant on absorbing the blood and or blood essence of the dead, especially cultivators."


    "If my guess isn''t wrong, the whole army behind that man is just a pretense, a formality to start an official war. It''s impossible to officially dere war if you don''t havend, poption, and an organized army. If that man started butchering people without the pretext of a war, his actions would be intolerable."


    "My guess is that he doesn''t care for the lives of the one thousand ves, they''re just rounded up for the numbers." Jeffery estimated, and he wasn''t far off from the truth.


    In fact, Leonardo wanted to wait for a while and groom these troops for a while more. However, he no longer could afford to waste time and resources on people with such weak potential. Except for Misaka, Sitri, and Lucas, everyone else was conscripted into the army for this war.


    He had no hopes for any of them to make it back alive, while the other three were currently undergoing a secluded cultivation session to attempt their chances of ascending to sainthood.


    Jeffery''sments were like a rude awakening to Julian who was yet to realize how grave the situation is. He almost forgot the current political climate between the kingdoms, the three races, and the unidentified saints. He was simply that stifled because he lost a capable assistant, Azalea.<novelnext></novelnext>


    It was so much that he was subconsciously looking down on Jeffery for being too much of an rmist, and perhaps he was cautious that this man Jeffery was targeting him for some reason. However true or false this information may be, he needed to split some of the troops dispatched to the forbidden domain and have them travel back to the Regalia Kingdom just to be safe.


    As for Leonardo, currently disguised as Bloodthirsty, he was in one of the war rooms in the border fortress with Pandora at his side, and an army of one thousand waiting outside the defensive lines of the fortress. Before the war started, he was meant to schedule a diplomatic meeting with themander of Regalia''s Border Forces, who was also a saint.


    To the side was a representative who would bear witness and record the meeting for diplomatic measures, making sure both partiese to an agreement concerning thews of the uing war, and the stakes offered by both parties.


    Although the man was feeling ufortable about the dense, unconcealed bloodlust pulsating from Leonardo, he still gathered up his courage to keep on his two feet while enduring the incredible momentum.


    The representative on the side finally spoke up, "You two need toe to an agreement on a few points."


    "These points are, for exactly, the duration of the war, terms of surrender, and the period of truce that may follow after either party raised the white g."


    Leonardo was the first to open his mouth as he already had his needs in mind, he said, "The war will continue until one party surrenders, I have no intentions of recalling my troops before that oue. Why bother with a specific duration? This war might end sooner than expected."


    "As for terms of surrender, whatevernds that I, Bloodthirsty, cut my way through, will be ceded to House Grace, including the rights to their general poption, trade routes, and collecting taxes."


    "Agree to those terms, and you can freely determine the grace period of our truce in the aftermath of this war."


    Leonardo could see the hesitation in the other man''s eyes, and he could understand why. This wasn''t a war between kingdoms, it could be considered as a war of conquest between vassal lords, with the exception that Leonardo wasn''t technically a vassal lord.


    Nheless, since his territory was granted to him by Queen Adeline, at least on paper, both House Grace and House Regalia were vassals to the same Queen, regardless of the difference in attitude.


    Leonardo wasn''t dering war on the kingdom as a whole, as he could simply target the counties on the fringes of the kingdom, or the independent feudal states. The Regalia Kingdom has at least seventeen provinces under feudal rule, and these provinces are spread across its borders.


    The rainforest, wilderness, and grand canyon that Leonardo andpany traveled through were one of these many provinces.


    Leonardo gestured for Pandora and she proceeded to ce a map of the Regalia Kingdom on the table, highlighting a dozen or so feudal provinces ruled by descendants of former Dukes that served under the crown.


    All of them were territories on the borders between the Regalia Kingdom and the two ruling kingdoms of Venus and Exodia. If the campaign was a sess, Leonardo would directly cut the trade routes between the three kingdoms, forcing them to go the roundabout way and trade through neighboring kingdoms, suppressing their economy with heavy tax rates and strained diplomatic rtions.


    The other kingdoms would also see through this possibility for future profits and refrain from interfering directly in the war, cutting the feudal lords from seeking allies through connections to their former crowns.


    This despicable move is something that no matter how nervous the general was, he would not ept at all. He immediately prepared himself to negotiate.

 Chapter 60 Kill

    ?"That''s too much!" The general pointed at the map, his face fuming red. He red at the selected provinces and his heart bled, various contingencies shing in his battle-hardened mind. Anger won over trepidation as he furiously poked the map with his callous finger.


    "Giving up these territories will cripple the traffic of our ie and strain the spending of the entire kingdom for the long run. I cannot permit this under no circumstances!" Looking at the map, the general felt like he was being yed the fool. However, he then calmed down and realized something, but Leonardo already spoke up.


    "Are you an idiot? You can always surrender if you find it unbearable. I mean, the sooner you give up, the less you lose during this war; both lives andnd." Leonardo''s voice was calm and t, but borderline disdainful. The general felt like pping himself.


    Now that it came to this, if he really went ahead to surrender midway, it would only serve as a stain on his war achievements and not a strategic retreat. If he surrendered too soon, it would be a disy of cowardice and not wits, since the terms Leonardo suggested had no specific parameters for the duration of the war. On the other hand, if he surrendered toote, who knows how many soldiers would die? Land be lost? And for the worse, his fate thereafter?


    He then remembered that he enjoyed an unquestionable advantage when it came to numbers. There were four provinces that Leonardo selected, and each province had at least two contending families with an ancient heritage. Of course, the Regalian Crown deliberately spiked contests between equally ambitious houses in the provinces beyond its control, that way they''d have something keeping them busy.


    That means he could conscript at least eight saint powerhouses, and with him at the helm, that made nine.


    Nine saints on their side and three on House Grace''s side.


    Hundreds of thousands of soldiers on their side and only a thousand on House Grace''s side.


    Almost limitless military rations on their side and theplete opposite on House Grace''s side.


    The more he thought about it, the more confident he felt. Thus, he spiked up his courage, newfound confidence, and determination as the crimson eyes behind that expressionless mask no longer seemed so frightening.


    He will obliterate a thousand men strong army, circle their leader in a death trap battle of attrition, and im the former Star Territory to his kingdom and its borders. When he thought of such aplishments, his blood boiled with excitement. It can''t be helped, the position of the Star Territory is just too strategic as it was stationed amidst the collective borders of the three ruling powers on three of its five fronts, with only two fronts bordering neighbouring vassal kingdoms, the Regalia Kingdom being one of the two.


    The moment they upied the territory, they would have a knife in the back of their neighbouring vassal kingdom, this was a significant military edge, a geological advantage.


    The more he thought about it, he realized that he was simply too pessimistic by counting his potential losses that he almost overlooked the potential gains. This sudden boost was exactly what Leonardo was waiting for, allowing him to smoothly go back and forth with the negotiations.


    After all, the general was convinced by his pride, greed, and perhaps foolishness that sooner orter, he may lose many battles, but he will surely win the war. Eventually, at least.


    Half a dayter, Leonardo and Pandora walked out of the border fortress with a document signed by the three parties; Leonardo, the general, and the representative. While they were walking, Pandora asked curiously about Leonardo''s skills and techniques, since she noticed he wasn''t using any in the massive battle known as the ravine of demise.


    "Leader, do you not have any battle skills or techniques? Now that you''re a saint, even if you haven''t learned any magic, you can simply imbue your skills with your martial intent toprehend new techniques." Pandora wasn''t looking down on Leonardo, but she was genuinely curious.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo thought for a moment before shaking his head, and responding, "I have plenty of skills and techniques. However, my training was in the use of the sword, while my bloodthirsty armament is a halberd variation of the spear. Hence, my skills and techniques are useless."


    "It''s not that I can''t simply get myself a sword to use, but the bloodthirsty martial intent is special. Other than the inherited bloodthirsty techniques, you can''t apply them to any other skills. As long as I am under Arcadia''s suppression, being unable to release my deste martial intent externally, my skills and techniques are useless."


    Leonardo''s Master in the Exiled Paradise is an Immortal Swordsman and an incidentally powerful one at that. Nier''s bloodthirsty armament was a sword, thus she was biased towards the use of swords, hence she desired that Leonardo became a swordsman as well. Thus, his cultivation technique,bat techniques, and battle skills all revolve around the sword. As for his bloodthirsty derived techniques and skills, he could only patiently wait for them to surface naturally in his mind as hisprehension of the martial intent deepened.


    Pandora finally understood that Leonardo''s main motivation behind the war was to cultivate his bloodthirsty martial intent and everything else was simply a bonus. Very quickly, the two of them arrived at the army''s camp, only to see that Miko has already joined up with the main force, but there was a cute little girl by his side.


    She looked around seven or eight years old, a timid but curious character and a pair ofrge baby blue eyes peeked from behind Miko''s legs as she observed everyone around her.


    Looking at this little girl, Leonardo seemed to think about something but he didn''t speak of it, as he was supposed to be ''Bloodthirsty'' at the moment, and not the young businessman. When Miko made eye contact with Leonardo'' his body involuntarily shook as he quickly dropped to one knee, reporting to him.


    "I greet the Commander!"


    The little girl seemed startled and flustered when she saw Miko quickly kneel, and she awkwardly followed by example while tightly clenching the hems of her dress. All of those big brothers were scary, especially the big brother in ck and red.


    Leonardo nodded in acknowledgement to Miko, overlooking the presence of the little girl. It was absolutely foolish to bring this girl to a soon-to-be battlefield, but Leonardo didn''t want to actively get involved in decisions made by Miko, especially towards what could be considered the final thread of hope that kept the man from falling into depraved guilt.


    "You all have one week of grace period to allow the four provinces the necessary time, they need to make some preparations for their inevitable massacre. While they bask in their illusory sense of safety,fort, and superiority, you will spend this time resting and recovering your energy."


    "You may act as you please as in one week from now, you can only kill or be killed. I will charge my way through the four provinces and their armies even if I was thest man alive. I will either bring back those towns, cities, and people under the rule of House Grace or die trying."


    Everyone had their own thoughts and expressions when they heard this. Some of them even thought about getting as far as possible within this one week before defecting from the army, who would find them now that they have been freed from their shackles? None of them was stupid, and they could see that other than the saints, everyone else was doomed to die.


    Miko was exceptionally grateful as he had assumed that Commander Bloodthirsty was giving him this time to bring the little girl back to a safe territory before they began their ughter. Hence, he was determined to rush back at top speed and join his Commander on the frontline.


    Honestly, no matter what they thought or how many of them fled, those people have already served their purpose once the formalities were over. Moreover, if the ves provided by the ruling family were to defect on their Master in the first battle, Leonardo couldn''t wait to see Queen Adeline''s expression after that. Thus, he turned his back to them with no other thoughts than killing on his mind.


    With Aria and Juvia staying behind in the pce, he could go all out this one time knowing there was nothing he could lose as a repercussion.

 Chapter 61 Claiming Her Rewards

    ?By the time night descended, only Leonardo and Pandora remained in the army''s camp as no one wanted to waste a week of their precious time and freedom near their frighteningmander. Who knows, they might not even bothering back one week from now.


    Leonardo was secluded in a military tent going through the various reports about the military might of the four provinces when a fairly bashful Pandora entered the tent. Leonardo immediately sensed some fluctuations, and a concealment domain spread to envelop the spacious tent.


    Pandora stood to the side of the entrance while silently watching Leonardo. Although he seemed engrossed with the documents, she knew he had long sensed her presence, and her intentionsing sote in the night were self-exnatory.


    It has been a long time since thest time Leonardo dual cultivated with Pandora and/or Juvia. Juvia would usually be the bold woman between the two, but Pandora could no longer bear the itch in her body and heart.


    Fifteen minter, Leonardo meticulously arranged the papers in a stack before storing them in his spatial ring, including everything on therge table in front of him. Within a moment, the previously packed surface was now a clean smooth te of wood.


    Leonardo stood up from his seat and began to unbutton his vest after rolling back his ck robes, but Pandora had already rushed to the table andid down at a perfect angle entuating her perky buttocks, thin waist, and petite stature while breathing heavily on the table.


    Leonardo chuckled lightly at this disy of initiative. Knowing that her best assets were her mouth and perfectly firm, fit martial build, Pandora began to experiment with ways to fully utilize her weapons. For instance, that shocking boldness to wear his oversized shirts and call out to Leonardo as her daddy.


    Even the man himself was clueless as to where she came up with these ideas, but they surely were fatal. After fully disrobing himself to the nude, Leonardo propped up Pandora''s pointed chin after softly caressing her cheek, and her body submissively followed his rhythm as she lifted her silver eyes to meet his.


    Through her cor, Leonardo could clearly see that below her white robes, Pandora was entirely naked. Her eyes seemed to dart from his handsome face to his muscr upper body, but try as she might, she couldn''t drive her line of sight anywhere near the erection she longed for.


    The anxiety and anticipation almost drove her mad, how she wished to simply beg for it, but the slightest of pressure keeping her mouth shut prevented her from speaking out, even though she could have easily voiced out the thoughts in her mind.


    Finally, the pressure lessened somewhat but a warm and slender thumb barged into her little mouth, wrestling down her wet tongue with the overwhelming yet familiar taste of its skin. Pandora''s body quivered lightly as she, conveniently and obediently, locked her lips on this finger and began to treat it as though it was Leonardo''s pulsating muscle.


    Her fantasies seemed to get the better of her, immersed in the feeling, onlying back to her senses when a thick warm shaft caressed her left cheek.


    Pandora''szy eyes snapped open as she reflexively spat out the thumb and took the glistening ns into her mouth. The tight vacuum that was supposedly a throat contracted from the sudden foreign object, eliciting a gag, followed by a string of saliva that coated Leonardo down to the base.


    The young man groaned from the sudden stimtion, his hands gripping down Pandora''s little head with familiar ease. The constant contractions in the depths of her throat kept assaulting his sensitive ns that haven''t been stimted in too long of a time, but since Pandora didn''t need to breathe in oxygen anymore, even though it was ufortable and bordering pain, she smiled through her tearful eyes and pushed the cock even deeper.


    Leonardo felt blissed.


    This must be the epitome of head games.


    He almost ejacted from nothing but Pandora''s skillful control of her muscles, timely adjusting her contractions to stimte him so much his semen almost voluntarily evacuated from his body and down her throat.


    She even had the time and concentration to send him a spiritual transmission as her mouth was too upied at the moment.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Feed me, daddy¡­"


    She simultaneously ran her head back and forth along his length, and within minutes of Pandora''s constant begging and divine grade skills, one could finally notice the woman''s neck bulging as a constant noise of swallowing echoes through the empty tent.


    "Pah!"


    Pandora gasped in satisfaction as the ns popped out of her mouth, clean and glistening. Not a drop of sperm wasted, Pandora eyed the monster with unbridled lust and the darkest of desires. Leonardo was panting heavily as he fixed a few straying strands of hair from Pandora''s sticky forehead, praising the young woman.


    "You''re going to suck me dry one day, but it can''t be helped when you''re this good at relieving me."


    As she felt her head being patted, although she didn''t dare raise her hands from the table, Pandora still pleaded for Leonardo to reward her with the much-desired release she longed for.


    "I''ll always provide for daddy, can I be rewarded now?" The hint of a plea in her voice practically brought this role-ying experience to a new realm, so much so that Leonardo didn''t feel like he could keep up with the teasing anymore.


    Nodding his head, Leonardo walked around the table and lifted Pandora''s long skirt, unbelievably her already drenched pink folds, tributaries of nectar running down her thighs, and a constantly twitching pair of firm, white buttocks.


    Pa!


    A crisp noise no different than music to Leonardo''s ears echoed as he lovingly smacked her right round cheek. Unable to bear it, Pandora''s legs quacked, folds contracted, and she climaxed then and there with a moan of pleasure. She couldn''t believe she was so hot and bothered, she released at the slightest hint of stimtion.


    Seeing how wet she was, Leonardo felt a bit guilty for teasing her so much. The three of them indulged in dual cultivation practically every day on their way from the forbidden domain to the human domain.


    Three months of pleasure could do wonders to a woman''s body, especially when she was infatuated.


    Without holding back, Leonardotched onto her cute thighs, took aim, and pierced the gates to Pandora''s sacrednds, railing his divine spear into the gates of the heaven within.


    Leonardo''s tip braved through the tight walls of Pandora''s insides and knocked heavily into her uterus, sending a shiver down her spine as her eyes snapped back in twisted delight.


    "Ah! I''ve been very good!" Pandora subconsciously confessed to having behaved herself during Leonardo''s absence, unaware that he simply skipped the forey directly to the reward. Both of their energy cycles connected, and Leonardo hammered away into Pandora with pping so loud it resembled a thunderstorm.


    Leonardo made sure to reward andpensate this obedient girl through the entire night, constantly drawing on his worldly energy reserves to replenish his stamina whenever he felt exhausted, fully aware that pumping the energy directly into Pandora would have an even greater effect to nourish her constructing meridians.

 Chapter 62 Ominous Clouds

    ?The following morning, Pandora woke up to find herself sleeping peacefully in her bed. She didn''t even remember how she got here. After climaxing for like seventeen times, all she could see was a blur and her mind was nk. Nheless, the pleasure kept washing over her.


    Smiling, she picked up hermunication bracelet and sent a message to a certain someone.


    "Daddy fucked me all night long."


    After sending the message, she had a smug smile on her cute face before she dropped back into her pillow, too exhausted to get up for the day.


    ¡­


    In a secluded region of the mountain range near the military camp, Leonardo sat in a lotus position under the bark of a massive tree a few kilometers long. A long rustic sword rested on hisp, its scabbard scarred from the dregs of time, to a point where no one could urately determine its age.


    Specs of dew and green leaves fluttered down and rested on Leonardo''s shoulders, arms, back, and face. However, these elements of nature quickly withered, their livelihood dulled away by a gray contamination before disintegratingpletely.


    As usual, as long as it was within his body or the aura surrounding his skin, Leonardo could freely control the deste martial intent. However, once he attempted to project this energy, just like how any fledgling saint should be able to, an omnipresent will in the atmosphere would almost instinctively demolish every and any trace of destion.


    If Leonardo was to treat his body like his own domain, then his skin would be the atmosphericyer protecting and isting this domain from any external interference. He thought about flying into outer space, escaping the presence of this will, and then advancing to the second-cycle of sainthood. However, that wouldn''t help him in any way whatsoever because once he returned to Arcadia, the suppression would be the same.


    With a metallic click, the sword left its scabbard with ayer of dull gray energy coiling over its sharp edges, and Leonardo causally swung the sword horizontally, releasing a burst of destion essence that burrowed into a nearby tree. However, that was the extent of it, the martial intent didn''t travel further from that, although the tree eventually withered away and disintegrated as well.


    After a morning session of meditation, Leonardo returned to the military camp in his Bloodthirsty disguise and stood there, lost in thought. If this war of conquest was to take more than three months of time, there was a high possibility of reinforcements arriving from the forbidden domain as most of the military might of the vassal kingdoms should have been dispatched there over the past year.


    Although he couldn''t tell how intense the situation there was, he could make an educated guess about it, but he wasn''t aware of how terribly far from the truth his guess actually was.


    Quickly, the week went by and the day of reckoning came.


    In front of Leonardo right now stood five people.


    That was it, only five people.


    He was truly speechless that out of the one thousand warriors who pledged to brave through blood and fire with him, no one showed up.


    However, that was also to be expected. Closing his eyes briefly, Leonardo triggered his will.


    Misaka, Pandora, Miko, Sitri, and Lucas silently stood there with solemn expressions, wondering what theirmander was doing. Soon, however, their expressions changed as one streak of blood after another came rushing their way across the sky.


    It was like a volley of shooting red stars, one thousand strings descended from the sky, and into Leonardo''s right hand they crept.


    No one was stupid and they guessed the origins of these blood strings. I mean really, they literally amount to one thousand, anyone can make an educated guess with their knees, let alone their minds.<novelnext></novelnext>


    What horrified them was that they were killed in a way that ignored distance. They couldn''t even sense the expansion of a domain, let alone fluctuations of magic or techniques.


    The five saints were dressed in a simr fashion to Leonardo, though they were missing a cloak each.


    "Alright, I''ve disposed of the filth. Since there is no army, you no longer need to address me as your Commander Bloodthirsty, just Bloodthirsty is fine." Leonardo swept his eyes across the five followers who stood before him, his mere gaze making them feel somewhat ufortable.


    Miko couldn''t wrestle away the feeling of familiarity, but being the blockhead he was, since he got the permission to act informally, he let out a sigh and dropped to his butt on the ground.


    "Fuck, man! This was stressing me out too much! Here I thought you''d be the stoic, cold, kinda insufferably arrogant person!"


    Misaka red at her brother and smacked the back of his head, "Behave! You can''t be this disrespectful to Senior Bloodthirsty!"


    Miko might not have been there on that day to witness a practical river of blood cover the entire sky. However, those who did were shaken to the core, and thest thing she wanted now was to have her little brother sucked dry just because of a slip of the tongue.


    "Hahaha!" Leonardoughed, hisughter shocking everyone not because of their preconceptions concerning his temperament, but because that voice was too damn familiar.


    Leonardo took off his mask, ruffled his silver hair, and swept back his heavy hood to reveal his handsome face. However, the only difference nowy in those crimson pools as everyone was used to a pitch-ck lifeless abyss, not a pool of dense bloodlust.


    Even Lucas had a shocked expression, let alone the other three who were like stone statues after witnessing something inconceivable.


    "B-b-b-b¡­. Boss¡­" Sitri stuttered while pointing out his trembling finger. Although, they could only guess so because of the heavy bandages swaying about through his arm.


    "Shhh, you guys can keep a secret, right?" Leonardo gestured shush with his right index finger before giving them a yful wink. This white shift in personality shocked them beyond their capabilities to respond.


    Seeing them like this, a sinister grin crept along Leonardo''s face before he concealed himself once again, his voice cryptic and cold as he spoke in that diabolical tone, "Let''s see if you guys can keep up with my pace as we make the ravine of demise anew! Remember, I''m Bloodthirsty! Hahaha!"


    Leonardo didn''t wait for them to respond before stretching out his hand, dense bloody aura condensed into a heavy halberd that struck the ground with a bang, causing it to cave in from the pressure.


    With a sonic boom, Leonardo rushed like a streak of ck light into the borders of the Regalia Kingdom, his bloodlust stirring dark clouds in the sky while his domain exploded to ingest fear and terror into the hearts of the unfortunate souls ahead.


    "Holy shit! Don''t tell me he was the one who killed everyone back then?!" Miko was the first to respond, his inner divine calling for chaos urging him on. He knew those eyes were too damn familiar, but he simply forgot where he noticed them first.


    Laughing, his domain also exploded, aura surged, and a green me burst forth and coiled around his feet and daggers before he followed with a sonic st of his own.


    Sitri, Lucas, and Misaka realized that Pandora was nowhere to be seen. In fact, she was also nearby, but her concealment techniques were simply too heaven-defying, Leonardo suspected that she inherited the essence of nothingness from his deste martial intent.


    Not to be the ones tog behind, three consecutive sonic sts echoed like thunder in the dawn sky as dense clouds of bad omens spread across the skies of the Regalia Kingdom.

 Chapter 63 Killing Spree

    ?Thousands of soldiers radiating a dense killing intent lined up inpact formations on the grasnds of open ins. On a high hill not too far away was a giant military tent that raised the gs of the Samuel Household and the Issac Household.


    The Crouching Dragon Province was an area of contention between these two peak households, and they have been at each other''s throats for hundreds of years by now.


    As usual, the geographical terrains of Arcadia revolved around high mountains, winding rivers, towering trees, and expansive ins. The cities and towns are usually built within thefort of multiple mountain chains to shelter the poption from conflicts between cultivators and massive beast tides. Although reaching these cities would prove rather tedious, it could also provide benefits such as a strategic advantage in defensive wars.


    The high mountains and rocky terrain limit the channels through which an army could advance onward. Moreover, even if the army managed to reach the cities hidden deep within the mountains, attacking a stronghold deeply rooted within suchplex environments is no different from sensing one''s troops to their deaths.


    Hence, predicting the enemy''s path of advancement is rather simple, especially when the site of conflict has already been predetermined. The Crouching Dragon Province would be Grace Army''s first target, and to chain up with the next province they''d need to go through the wild ins currently upied by thebined armies of House Regalia, House Samuel, and House Issac.


    Although the resources and tax rates within this province are monopolized by the two houses and theirpetition, thend is strictly regted under Regalia''s rule, and thus the two feudal houses are subjected to paying yearly tributes.


    Honestly, by this time, the two houses didn''t care to whom they paid tributes and would rather they wouldn''t pay any at all. However, they are forced through covenants to put up arms and help the Regalia Kingdom in matters of war as long as they lived under their jurisdiction and rule.


    Hence, there was a total of six saints in themander''s tent, currently listening to a rather interesting piece of news. The six saints sat onvish stone chairs in a semi-circle while facing the open space centre of the tent. A man dressed in ck, seemingly proficient in espionage, stood respectfully to bow before taking on a knee.


    "The one thousand-strong Grace army disbanded as every member of their ve recruits defected during the grace period. ording to our observations, they have all used some secret channels to smuggle their way into forgotten ruins, and abandoned towns, or even directly escaped across the borders through unfavourable routes."


    "Haha! That''s what happens when you ce an ipetentmander to lead an army! I knew it, what would a young kid who ved his life away chasing business and fortune know about the arts of war?" Sneered one of the two saints upying the highest two chairs, feeling disgusted.


    "I don''t know why those businessmen dispatched to the forbidden domain are scared witless simply by the mention of this guy. Really, young people are too green when ites to managing armies of hot-blooded warriors. Did he really expect the ves to throw their lives away after gaining freedom? Since when was the world so benevolent and kind?" A Samuel saint spoke up, subtly sucking up to the saint from House Regalia''s army divisions.


    Still, he was still somewhat worried inside.


    "Didn''t the reports also hint that a powerful expert is backing Leonardo as well? Won''t we be offending them?" He voiced out his worries aloud for everyone to hear. As expected, the others descended into silence for a moment before one of the saints spoke up with a not-so-confident tone.


    "As long as we don''t put that kid''s life in danger, that expert won''t have the drive necessary to make a move. Moreover, no one knew what exactly happened on that day. I heard that over 80% of the soldiers died without the slightest hint of energy, as though their life force was extinguished by an attack bypassing everything else."


    "You''re right. Judging from the traces, there was an intense battle pattern. If I guessed correctly, when Leonardo''s life was in mortal danger, that expert finally made a move. Since that is the case, don''t worry about it and focus on eradicating the army. As long as they don''t have armies ornds, so what if he has a powerful expert behind him? If he acts out too much, he will eventually draw the ire of Goddess Arcadia and be struck dead with none the wiser."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Everyone else nodded. All of them have powerful and erudite backgrounds. The higher one''s realm, the closer one bes to thews of the world around them, all in preparation for the construction of their personal sub-dimension and attaining divinity. Those powerful saints that gain the favour of the''s will are nourished by itsws, allowing theirprehension and cultivation to soar.


    In exchange, when the is facing mortal danger, those powerful cultivators are to defend it even at the cost of their lives. It remains unknown whether or not this was worth it, but they ''sacrifice'' themselves to provide their families with better fortune and care from Arcadia.


    This fortune is ephemeral and illusory, the benefits are intangible, to say the least, but one can see the difference in power snowballing as the three ruling powers rotate the position of the Sovereign between their three houses.


    However, this fortune and protection are exclusive to the three ruling powers, and years of peace and petty scuffles between the vassal kingdoms allowed the three ruling powers to hide their fangs deeply, to the point where their power remains a mystery.


    The saints continued to discuss, but there was one among them who had a frown on his face as he faced a certain direction with an ill omen striking his heart. The heavy air around him drew everyone''s attention, and someone finally asked him, "Is something wrong?"


    This saint was the closest of them to the second-cycle, and they felt like they should respect him. Openly at least, even though he was stuck in a bottleneck for many years. The saint did not respond, he merely closed his eyes and extended his domain in the direction of the army, and expanded further ahead of them.


    Everyone else watched silently as time ticked by. Until suddenly...


    Rumble! Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!


    BOOM!


    One sonic st after another echoed from the distance. Then, the saint felt a powerful domain smash directly into his domain. The point of collision was a dozen kilometres in front of the joined armies, and they had no idea what was going on before the sky shook and invisible wind des spread from the point of contact. An aura of unquenchable bloodlust entangled with the aura of a staunch mountain as the two domains shed.


    Then, another domain superimposed over the first, and another, and another...


    Eventually, the defending domain crumbled like ss, and a fierce explosion reverberated through the air. The soldiers felt like this was a descending apocalypse as waves of dark clouds approached from the distance as though fleeing from an ancient beast. Like a bolt of red lightning, a halberd three meters tall tore through the vanguard formation of the armies with a loud bang, shaking thend.


    In the tent, the unlucky saint felt his mind ring and his body rattled. Unable to hold on, he spat a mouthful of blood and went pale in fright. All of that happened within an instant, and before anyone could inquire about his plight, explosions rocked their hill and they immediately shot to their feet.

 Chapter 64 Nerve Shaking Battle

    ?"Tsk, I could have crashed through that domain on my own!" Raged Leonardo with his crimson eyes beforending squarely in the midst of the rattled soldiers. A vast clearance of blood, flesh, and bones surrounded his bloodthirsty armament in the depths of the crumbling crater. That disy of might shocked the soldiers silly before they snapped back to their senses.


    "BLOODTHIRSTY!" A furious shout came from the distant hill as five domains superimposed and came crashing down on Leonardo''s domain, almost crashing it to bits and pieces. Leonardo staggered back a few steps as his bones creaked under the pressure, blood trickling down his lips behind thefort of his mask.


    "Oh? How unexpected, there are six of you on the frontlines?" Leonardo''s cryptic voice echoed through the entangled domains. Another st rang loud as the tent and the hill beneath it was blown to smithereens, five powerful auras surged like a tide as the saints shot like a bolt out of the blue, their target being the madman in ck.


    "Wait for me! Boss!" Another shout came from the distant horizon. The soldiers felt their ears buzz and bleed, but before they could tell what the hell was going on, a pir of emerald mes crashed into their midst. Miko brought both his arms swinging forward with the inertia of his superheronding, sweeping two beautiful arcs of destructive green mes like a pair of wings as they washed over Leonardo''s location and continued onwards towards the distant hill.


    "Bastards! Don''t implicate the normal soldiers!" The army generals felt their eyes turn red and their lungs explode from rage as thousands of normal foot soldiers fell by the second, exploding into a bloody mist or being scorched into oblivion. Just as the six saints were about to charge and entangle Leonardo''s group and take advantage of their 2:1 ratio, they were shocked to sense more than just one aura approaching from the distance.


    Four powerful domains came crashing down and blended into Leonardo''s and Miko''s domains, preventing them from crumbling under the pressure of five saints. Then, the saint who suffered a slight loss finally erupted with his domain once again, tipping the bnce to an even square once more.


    Swish! Swish! Swish!


    The sound of piercing the air introduced Misaka, Sitri, and Lucas who lined up right next to Leonardo and Miko on the frontline. As for Pandora, no one knew where she was hiding, but they could feel her domain''s reinforcement.


    The five saints that rushed out quickly came to a halt in the rear of the army''s formation, and the injured saint quickly followed them.


    As for the army of hundreds of thousands, they were horrified. Some of them outright died from the pressure, if they haven''t already fainted into a blissful slumber. Stuck between the grinding domains of twelve shing saints they felt that their lives could be forfeited at any given moment right now. Dark clouds covered the sky, and rumbling could be heard for hundreds of kilometres.


    Leonardo leaned his backzily against the bloodthirsty halberd, his arms crossed, and he simply stared down these pitiful soldiers and the trembling saints behind them.


    Miko was tossing about with his short ck daggers as green mes crept over them.


    Misaka''s green mes spiralled around her figure like divine rings.


    Sitri''s bandages danced in the wind, and if one was to look carefully, his shadow danced erratically as tentacles of darkness swayed from within in a tranquil rhythm following the motion of the bandages.


    Lucas being Lucas silently stood there, his absentminded gaze not even cing the six saints in his eyes. However, at some unknown time, an elegant sabre stabbed into the ground right next to him. This lineup of six saints went beyond the expectations of House Regalia, House Samuel, and House Issac.


    The general under House Regalia was the first to open his mouth, "You bastards who understand nothing of war! I can''t stand your intolerable bullying! Allow our soldiers a safe path of retreat before youunch a decisive battle!"


    "He''s right, Commander Bloodthirsty. We understand that you have no choice but to charge in personally due to the... Ahem,ck of troops. However, you can''t wantonly attack foot soldiers! That''s breaking the traditions passed down from our ancestors since the dawn of battle!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "What you''re doing is an absolute disgrace with no merit whatsoever! A general meets a general, a soldier meets a soldier! That''s how it has always been!..."


    "Shut up!" Barked Miko, ring disdainfully at the quivering men and the anxious saints behind them. He flipped back his long, dark green hair as he smiled wickedly and said, "If you don''t like it, surrender as fast as possible. This isn''t a war for us, but an open ughter! If you don''t wish to die, simply don''t run around courting death!"


    Miko swung his daggers horizontally, and twin wings of explosive mes burrowed into the enemy formations before loud explosions and painful cries erupted.


    "You fucking animal!" A House Samuel saint exploded in anger as thousands of his carefully groomed soldiers simply exploded into minced, scorched meat. His shout shook the foundations of the rear army camp, some of them even having their brains sted to bits.


    Usually, the saints would take their fights somewhere high in the sky so as to not disrupt the flow of the battle among the foot soldiers. However, Leonardo andpany directly rushed into the army formations, their intentions clear as day. Leonardo had no time to bother with those stupid rules as he held no reverence or respect whatsoever towards the arts of war.


    "Kill them all!" He leaned forward from his bloodthirsty halberd before brandishing it from the earth, not gracing those idiots with a proper response. They can either rush through their men to fight him or simply watch as he made a paste of everyst one of them.


    "Got it, boss! You sanctimonious bastards, this is for my fallen brothers!" The suffocating guilt flooded from the depths of Miko''s heart to fuel his explosive mes as he split from Leonardo''s position and charged into a separate division tounch an unbridled massacre.


    "You love bullying people with numbers, huh?!"


    Boom!


    "You love unting your wealth with those stupid bounties, huh?!"


    Boom!


    "You''re not so great and mighty after all, huh?!"


    Boom!


    Misaka''s eyes went red as she watched her little brother go berserk with rage, throwing his spells incoherently without a spec of elegance or skill. He was simply venting his anger with himself and the world. Taking a deep breath, she also shot into a separate division before she spun round and round, aggravating the worldly energy to draw directly into her sacred rings of me.


    The next instant, a towering pir of me began to gradually condense into a massive cyclone, drawing the miserable men directly into their premature reincarnations. On Sitri and Lucas'' sides, the scene was less impactful visually, but the kill count wasn''tgging that much behind.


    Furthermore, erratic beams of light flickered every now and then, silently picking off lives in the hundreds per moment. The six saints couldn''t simply watch anymore, and they rushed into the heart of the battle to buy time for whoever was lucky enough to escape this cmity.

 Chapter 65 An Invitation

    ?"Good afternoon, how can I help you?" Asked a beautiful woman in an office suit.


    "I have a scheduled meeting with Madam Evernight, here is my identification card," A man in his twilight years with a few wrinkles on his otherwise handsome face smiled faintly in response to the android secretary. Behind this man who was dressed in high-end formal attire were two men in sets of bodyguard ck outfits, their sunsses masking their identities, at least from the perspective of a normal human eye, not the revolving iris of an Evernight android.


    "Wait a moment, let me cross-reference with the database," The android secretary took the identification card and passed through the maic field to check for the possibility of forgery before running through the database for today''s scheduled meetings. A momentter, she returned the identification card with a brilliant smile.


    "I got it. You scheduled a meeting to discuss possible investment avenues from ourpany into your new virtual reality game, correct? Madam is currently attending a meeting in the conference room, you can wait in the lobby for about ten minutes. I will call for you once it''s your turn, Sir Rosmond."


    Sir Rosmond nodded his head and turned to bring the two men behind him to an isted lobby down the hall. Luxurious sofas could be found everywhere, and tables were stacked with treats and desserts, not to mention refreshments. One of the two men in ck seemed to rather enjoy the taste of sweets, especially chocte, so he went ahead to help himself with a few tes before he started eating them silently while waiting.


    "Good god, there wasn''t a single male android in this entire building, why was that?" The other man in ck asked Sir Rosmond. These two were dispatched to infiltrate the underground syndicate organizations, invest in criminal groups, and muddle their way into the light in order to approach people like Sir Rosmond.


    Sir Rosmond is the textbook example of a man with a vision and ambition, butcking the funding for it. It was he who brought up the idea of integrating the upper realms and their ecosystem into a virtual reality game, allowing everyone to have something they could rely on to grasp the world order of those near-perfect immortals.


    He was working on this project for a long time now, he even actively helped the envoys to find chosen candidates for the ascension in exchange for superficial knowledge.


    Anything would be done for the sake of development.


    He waster approached by a group of people iming to have been chosen in the past and now they made it back to the. They even enticed him with loads of information, and the testimony of an envoy.


    He could tell that the envoy was the real deal from his outfit and ISC badge, these were impossible to fake. Thus, with great enthusiasm, he epted their patronage to invest in hispany. Today, he no longer needed the investment from the Evernight Group, but it would be very helpful if they could provide him with one of their super-intelligent artificial intelligence systems to operate and oversee the game.


    After all, the reputation of the Evernight Group is like the moon on a cloudless night.


    Sir Rosmond answered respectfully to the man in ck, "Even before the introduction of the androids, Evernight Group didn''t ept any male employees. Young master Leonardo was, is, and will always be the only male in thepany. Of course, if he was to beget a son, that would also be an exception, stared explicitly by Madam Evernight."


    Sir Rosmond smiled bitterly. Ever since that deration, countless families rained down their marriage proposals to House Evernight, some going as far as to brazenly consent to illicit rtionships between their daughters and the young master of the Evernight Group.


    The youngest CEO of an international enterprise, how grand was that? Luckily for Leonardo, he was a minor and couldn''t engage in intercourse with adults, let alone officially get married, otherwise mature women would have flocked to the headquarters and camped outside for him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Sir Rosmond, you cane in!" A pleasant voice echoed through the microphone in the lobby. Following the voice, Sir Rosmond and the two men in ck filed into the conference room, one of the men even brought a te of chocte bars with him.


    ¡­


    Cool air diffused through the conference room as Maria sat on her leather chair behind the sandalwood desk. A whiteptop was flipped open in front of her, and Nightshade stood calmly behind Maria to her left side, hands sped behind her back.


    Nightshade had been constantly observing the movements of the crippled convicts as long as they dared make any waves in the light. It could be said that irrelevant to her name that could leave a dark impression, Nightshade''s beautiful smile and elegant style positioned her as a graceful knight in the light.


    The underworld people are inherently cautious and they absolutely have no trust in anything remotely mechanical, electrical, or close to that. They handle their business in ck and white on paper, cold weapons, and secret channels bound to various organizations like charities, car washes, malls, fast food restaurants, etc.


    If the convicts took root in the underworld, maintaining a close eye on them would be nigh impossible. Thus, after some discussion, Maria and Nightshade decided to take up Sir Rosmond on his invitation to invest one of their artificial intelligence brains into his virtual game project.


    If anything, Nightshade would have backdoor ess to its database, records, intelligenceworks, and everything connected to the game after itsunch. The artificial intelligence brain would be no more than a puppet controlled by Nightshade, and by extension, the Evernight Group.


    Maria wouldn''t usually scheme like this, but those convicts are obviously trying to spike up apetitor for herpany by diverting the masses from real life into a virtual world controlled by them. This could be a serious propaganda tform in the near future, and they could attack herpany''s reputation by then.


    As for the convicts, they nned to keep on striking Maria Evernight, stimting her illness, and then provide her an invitation to the higher realms to cure her heart issues. Once she was in the higher realms, their mission would be a sess.


    ¡­


    Miserable cries of agony pierced the dark clouds as one explosion after another shocked the world. Following a massive shockwave that sted tens of thousands of soldiers into bits and pieces, a grave crater marred the green ins as the saints of both parties stood in confrontation at the center.


    Leonardo spread his followers ingeniously so that when the opposing saints decided to crash their party, the resulting shockwaves would enjoy maximum range and momentum.


    At the moment, Pandora also left her stealthbat mode and stood in line, opposing the other six.


    The battlefield was eerily silent as hundreds of thousands of unlucky men met their unjust downfall today. The saints red hatefully at Leonardo who stood there calmly, dense bloodlust swirling around his bloodthirsty halberd that was denser than ever in the aspects of aura.

 Chapter 66 Weakness

    ?Clouds blotted the sky. Silence in the deep grey heaven and earth. Countless corpses littered the ground for miles in all directions. A deep crater bore into the ground at the center of it all.


    Dust, smoke, and wisps of blood rose from the now-barrennd. The souls of the dead wept as the thunder rumbled above as though the will of Arcadia felt pity and infuriated. Only saints survived the shockwaves of a battle thatsted for half a day, as those below the saint realm could barely lift a finger under the pressure of twelve superimposed yet shing domains, let alone try and flee. The normal soldiers were nothing but a flock of sheep to the ughter, but it wasn''t like Leonardo andpany cared one bit about them.


    "You shameless- PFFT!" The saints of House Samuel and House Issac spat blood from rage. The military power of their armies had been crippled, and they couldn''t possibly engage in any secr warfare in the future.


    "Boss is simply too powerful, he can''t control his strength when beating idiots. If you make it out of here alive, chase away the trash from the battlefield unless you desire a thorough cleansing!" Miko sneered, panting lightly with green mes dancing in his eyes.


    Sitri and the rest rolled their eyes while panting as well. This idiot is as loud-mouthed as always, it seemed that his contempt for the royal families was like the seven oceans that never ran dry. However, it truly was a curious thing how contradictory were the mes of the brother and sister. The former had an explosive re to his mes, and thetter had an elegant ambiance to her mes, but both of them were equally deadly.


    "Guess the warm-up is over. Right, gentlemen?" Leonardo spoke in a t tone betraying the excitement in his crimson eyes.


    Following Leonardo''s signal, everyone scattered into isted regions of the battlefield. For now, everyone would focus on fighting a solo life-and-death battle, and the faster one side cut down their opponents, the better their odds at making it out alive.


    Sharp whistling through the air and consecutive sonic sts exploded to Leonardo''s left, right, and front as his followers dashed into the distance while leading their respective opponents.


    "Seems like I''ll have to rid this of a demon today. I have this intuition that my advancement to the second-cycle rests on your head!" A pair of vacuum wind des condensed in the man''s hands, violently kicking up a storm that tore at the earth below.


    An invisible energy blended into his body from the natural ambiance, clearly being reinforced by the will of the world. A hint of ridicule surfaced in Leonardo''s eyes as he picked up this attempt of tipping the scales of power in the native saint''s favor.


    "Well then, what are you waiting for?" Leonardo tilted his head sideways, lifting the tip of his halberd forward before thrusting it from a tricky angle, not even bothering to quibble about life and death.


    The man''s eyes shark as the tip of death zoomed in towards his throat. This attack was multiple realms above the previous casual blows exchanged for half a day.


    But of course, Leonardo''s previous style ofbat was simply unbridled and barbaric because his sim was to expel as much excess energy as possible to expand the scope of the shockwaves and borrow the momentum to kill and ughter the army.


    Now that he was in a legitimate life-and-death battle, although Leonardo''s main path of practice was the sword, he could easily infer the weaknesses of his opponent after fighting for almost half a day. With no way to block, the man''s aura exploded as he shot back like a gust of wind, barely escaping a fatal injury.


    However, as he shot back, he deliberately drew the condensed air from Leonardo''s surroundings at a speed so fast it actually created a vacant space without any gaseous pressure, only for the wind to copse all around Leonardo with a loud boom.


    The dust settled to reveal Leonardo shielding his head behind his crossed arms, countless gashes of blood riddled his torn robes, revealing the glowing crimson inscriptions on the tight-fit battle armor below.


    "Sure enough, magical arts hit differently when you''re creative enough!" Leonardo muttered silently. He never expected that the man would suddenly expand the region of his wind des influence to silently epass a domain within the original domain, masking the fluctuations by simply overwhelming them with simr yet stronger ones.


    Because of that little trick, Leonardo suffered a loss in this exchange because he was yet to adapt to fighting experts who weren''t restricted to their physical limitations and hand-to-handbat. Nheless, this also spiked Leonardo''s interest to study not onlybat skills, but magical arts as well.


    Sadly, establishing magical arts with the bloodthirsty martial intent as the foundation is but a joke, so he could only suppress that urge for now.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You''re actually just so-so."


    The man seemed to also pick up on Leonardo''s weakness. However, he was also deeply shaken because he felt as though Leonardo could read his weaknesses as well.


    "You better keep focused lest yourck of experience results in your fall today, Bloodthirsty!" He then shot forward like a rotating bullet with both des dancing, crisscrossing wind des weaving into a formidable that covered Leonardo''s visionpletely.


    Observing the original wind des closely, one could notice a sharp decline in their dense concentration of energy that was being controlled by the man. Furthermore, Leonardo noticed a briefg from unleashing the attack to drawing the worldly energy once again.


    These fluctuating intervals disyed the inconsistency in the formation of the, and Leonardo specifically targeted that weak link in the chain as he charged through the of death by piercing its weak point.


    Just as he thought he made the right decision, the man smiled coldly.


    Leonardo immediately had a bad feeling about this, but he quickly realized that he fell for the same trap a second time. Just as expected, the interwoven wind des copsed with the intent to entangle Leonardo while the man brought his semi-solid down on Leonardo''s neck while his arms and legs were bound by the violent winds.


    Bang!


    A silent beam of light shot right through the man''s right hand, sting both his palm and the wind de to bits just as it was about to sh through Leonardo''s neck.


    Blood sshed like a blossoming lotus.


    Not having the spare time toin about the sneak attack, the man brought his second de in a dual sh from Leonardo''s foremost right, but the man was shocked to see Leonardo bundled up in the wind without the halberd.


    A sense of crisis washed over the man and he instantly retreated.


    Boom!


    The moment he dashed backward, the halberd smashed down his previous location with a shocking momentum. Leonardo remembered that the halberd wasn''t a real weapon, but the condensed essence of his martial intent, and he could freely control it within his domain.


    Thus, instead of using it the traditional way of close-quartersbat, he attempted to utilize it in a simr way to magical arts. He simply needed an opportunity, and luckily, Pandora also knew of Leonardo''s weakness when facing a magic user and thus she kept an eye on his end of the battlefield.


    Leonardo cracked his neck and reached out for his halberd while he spoke, "Theck of experience is never a fatal weakness, but merely a temporary one. Come, let me collect some experience at the behest of your life!"


    The man was fuming that he missed a golden opportunity to y a saint, but he knew better than anything that he should maintain a calm head. Everything prior to this point could be considered petty schemes and warmups, the true battle is about to finally erupt.

 Chapter 67 Tribulation Descends

    ?"Boss sure is taking his time, huh?"


    "What''s wrong with that? Clearly, he''s using this fight as a training experience! You''re forgetting he''s barely eighteen years old!"


    "Don''t misinterpret my words, big sister, I didn''t mean anything wrong by saying that¡­"


    "Perhaps we should start using our weaknesses to fight our peers as well?"


    "Don''t even bother, you''re not smart enough to keep up with the pace of a deadly fight while trying toprehend something. You might die trying."


    Miko was about to respond when he noticed Misaka''s stern gaze. He shivered, but he felt warm inside nheless as he knew she cared too much for him.


    "Sigh, fine! I don''t want to embarrass my boss by showing how awesome I am when tackling my weaknesses. Then again, I guess leaving a weakness or two can be considered as good karma for my opponents lest theyin about how broken mybat prowess can be¡­"


    As he was acting away, Miko noticed that everyone else was paying attention to his conversation with Misaka in one way or another, except for Pandora who kept her eyes locked on the apocalyptic battle in the distance.


    Dark clouds churned, wind roaded, and blood sttered incessantly.


    From high noon till dusk, and into the night, the fighting never stopped. Leonardo knew that this dy was at the cost of exposing their determination to ze through the armies of the opposing feudal lords without a hint of mercy to the ordinary soldiers, and they would undoubtedly take some measures to avoid such a catastrophe, but he couldn''t just ignore the fact that he came here to train himself.


    He realized that although he feared no one in close-rangebat after experiencing the skills of high divinities and immortals, he couldn''t help but walk on thin ice when magical arts are involved in the picture. There were many instances where he almost lost his life in this one-on-one, and sometimes Pandora had to intervene on his behalf to save his life.


    This was one reason why Pandora kept a close eye on the fight, not daring to even blink. That wind saint is fighting while being simultaneously blessed by the will of Arcadia, but Pandora''s martial intent of nothingness, or for a better word, nihility, can bypass the man''s perception and strike clean regardless if he saw iting or not.


    Both fighters are in a pathetic state at the moment, but Leonard''s eyes were ring crimson with battle intent while the saint''s eyes were dim and exhausted. He already knew that no matter what he did, death was inevitable.


    Even if he could kill Leonardo, the other five won''t allow it.


    He can''t find a gap in their encirclement, and that stealthy marksmanship of the silver-haired woman is frightening. If she wanted his life, she could have reaped it in a sh during one of their intense exchanges.


    And this battle maniac has already adapted to his magical arts to a point where he could deduce the w of every move and counterattack, no matter how hidden he thought his little tricks were. Even if he prepared for a move during the precious ten, twenty, or a hundred exchange; Leonard would immediately connect the dots and react ordingly, if not outright ruin the tempo and force him to y a different tune.


    Just as he was dwelling on his predicament, the halberd in Leonardo''s hands exploded into a bloody mist that upied the man''s entire vision. He wanted to blow the mist away with a gale of wind, but a bloody hand shot through the mist and aimed a palm right through his heart.


    The man snorted, locking the palm down by grabbing the wrist with both hands. Just as he was about to channel currents of wind des into Leonardo''s body through the pores, his eyes shed in horror as Leonardo''s other hand gripped tightly around his cor.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The blood mist surged and flowed into Leonardo''s right arm before bursting from his palm in the form of a three-meter-long halberd. The man had no time to act as he assumed that the halberd would emerge from Leonardo''s left hand that was wing at his cor, but it actually pierced through his heart instead.


    Blood sshed, and the man spat out bits and pieces of his internal organs with a face as white as a sheet of paper. Never in his dreams would he have imagined that such a heavy weapon could dissolve into liquid or mist, as Leonardo did nothing but disy his ability to remotely control its movements within his domain, nothing more and nothing less.


    "Anyst words?" Leonardo lifted the man off his feet as his blood essence flowed into the glowing bloodthirsty halberd, but Leonardo controlled its pace to leave the man with some dignity and a final farewell.


    "Cough¡­" The man coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining the already-drenched halberd with a conspicuous hint of red that quickly faded. He struggled to spit out a few words.


    "Forbidden¡­ Domain¡­" He wanted to ask if those peoplemitting unbridled ughter in the forbidden domain had anything to do with Leonardo, but he could hardly construct a sentence let alone a question.


    "What about it?" Leonardo asked in confusion, even the man could see the confusion in Leonardo''s eyes, allowing him to heave a sigh of relief.


    "Good¡­" He muttered quietly as his soul departed his body, and it quickly devolved into an empty, dry husk of flesh and bone. The halberd made sure to suck out every bit of blood and essence from the man''s body as he wasn''t a low-rate saint who advanced with the constitution of a mortal, but a genuine saint with potential.


    Leonardo stood there, dumbfounded as faint, barely imperceptible des of wind swirled around his bloodthirsty halberd. He didn''t know if it was because the man''s martial intent was inherently of a high grade, divine, or simply because he was momentarily blessed by the will of Arcadia.


    Anyway, a trace of wind elemental mastery was attached to the man''s blood essence, and that essence was now flowing through the halberd. With a thought, Leonardo quickly drew the halberd back into his arm and sat down in a lotus position, drawing the trace of wind that was yet to detach from the will of Arcadia into his cells.


    "Now I''ve got you!" Leonardo celebrated inside.


    Within his body, the figment of will lost its connection to the mother will outside due to the overbearing deste intent. No matter how berserk the will was, the bit of wind element was isted within a small space inside Leonardo''s cells.


    Now, a small portion of Leonardo''s cells was split into three regions; bloodthirsty essence, destion essence, and wind essence which was entangled by the will of Arcadia.


    Leonardo wanted to test if he could refine this trace of will and merge it into a small portion of his destion essence. However, this trace of will wasn''t much, it couldn''t count as a drop in the ocean whenparing the infected cells with the other cells.


    Just as he was wondering how to make use of this trace of will the best he could, the world descended into darkness as clouds dark as ink blotted the sky.


    Thunder shed, and a bolt of pale blue lightning smashed down on Leonardo so hard it rocked him awake from his meditation with a mouthful of blood.


    "The wrath of Goddess Arcadia!" Shouted Miko, Misaka, and Sitri in voices filled with shock and horror.


    Even Pandora was shocked and worried as to why would tribtion lightning strike Leonardo?!

 Chapter 68 Change Of Plans

    ?"Pffft!" Leonardo swayed and spat a mouthful of blood as the cirction of his energy essence was interrupted. He wiped his mouth and looked up at the sky, a trace of disdain and derision in his eyes.


    Under the mask, his face was pale white, but his eyes remained as lustrous crimson as they could be. Obviously, that lightning washed his cells and managed to destroy the wind essence contained within, but he managed to trap a sliver of destructive lightning that was trying to escape the bindings of his martial intent, even now as he cast the sky a look of derision.


    "Guess you''re still an immature child¡­" Muttered Leonardo, confusing the other five in the distance as to whom he was speaking. Of course, Leonardo was taunting the will of Arcadia, as it was so naive to think that it could wrestle for control over whatever already entered his body.


    That wasughable, but not to the extent that Leonardo would actuallyugh about it.


    "Boss! Are you alright?!" Shouted Miko from the distance, not daring to get any closer. He may be a rouge, but he knew to respect and fear Goddess Arcadia.


    "I''m fine, it barely gave me an itch!" Shrugged Leonardo, spitting the sweet blood in his mouth before shooting directly into the heart of the storm above.


    Misaka covered her mouth in shock as everyone stared, dumbfounded, while Leonardo disappeared into the tribtion clouds.


    "Boss sure is boss¡­" Miko muttered, his green eyes unblinking as he observes the shy show of thunder. Ony Pandora overcame her shock as she realized that this might have something to do with Leonardo''s original martial intent, so she wasn''t entirely worried.


    RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!


    The moment Leonardo entered the dark clouds, it was as though he phased into a new world, a world that rejected and hated him. He could sense the omnipresent hostility and the will to destroy, as well as a trace of fear from these clouds.


    He knew the fear was birthed in response to the essence of destion throbbing from the depths of his cells, but it was this will that provoked him and not the other way around.


    Thunder shed and a hail of lightning bolts struck Leonardo''s body at a frequency so high his clothing disintegrated into torn rags, revealing a bloody and scarred lithe figure. Lightning coiled around his arms and legs like winding dragons before rushing into his pores, skin, flesh, blood, and bones, and directly washing away at his cells.


    Leonardo groaned in pain as he endured. A strand of lightning might go in, but it won''t ever go out. His skin was charred ck, splintered, shaved off, and regenerated by drawing the essence and vitality from the bloodthirsty halberd. Only now did he realize that he could draw on the blood essence that the halberd was yet to refine and heal his wounds with it, but that didn''t mean the process itself wasn''t painful.


    Millions upon millions of his cells worked in tandem to split the volume of the iing destructive lightning, while Leonardo tried his best to segment the bloodthirsty essence, destion essence, and destructive lightning essence into three distinct portions within his cells.


    The more he could endure, the better it will be in the future. Luckily, both his deste and bloodthirsty intents were at the peak of the higher realms, genuine immortal intents, and they could barely hold on against the destructive tribtion lightning of the immature Arcadia''s will.


    Time trickled by, and by the dawn of the next day, Leonardo''s cells were already packed full with lightning. Only, the will of Arcadia was intent on destroying his body because it could still sense the trace of its will within the lightning.


    "Fuck it!" Leonardo clenched his teeth, seems like Arcadia won''t ever allow him to merge with its will no matter what. If that were the case, he will find a better way around utilizing the essence of destion in the future.


    Leonardo endured the pain and sat down in a lotus position in the sea of lightning and began to crazily urge his destion essence to wash away the lightning space within his cells, directly eradicating the will of Arcadia attached to the lightning.


    Seemingly noticing what Leonardo was doing, the intensity of the lightning increased in volume and size, directly blowing holes into Leonardo''s body. However, he didn''t care, even if he had to draw on the blood essence of the hundreds of thousands of people he already killed, and the six saints, to get this matter done.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Just as he thought he was on the verge of copse, thest remnants of will within his cells were destroyed by his destion essence, cutting off his connection to Arcadia''s will on the outside world. Followingthis, the clouds finally began to disperse, revealing a clear morning sky and a naked young man charred ck and dyed red in blood falling from above.


    With a sonic boom, Misaka rushed to catch Leonardo''s unconscious figure, but a petite silver-haired beauty already beat her to it and caught him while eyeing Misaka with cold dead eyes.


    Misaka shivered lightly, presenting an awkward smile as she said, "I meant no harm, I was simply worried about the boss."


    She cursed inside that this little girl still doesn''t trust them.


    Only now did Miko and the others arrive, gasping in shock at Leonardo''s condition and grave injuries.


    "Now what?" Asked Sitri, they obviously couldn''t continue the campaign with Leonardo in this state.


    "Let''s head back to Grace Imperial City, for now. The leader will decide on what to doter."


    Pandora spoke before wrapping both herself and Leonardo in a veil of nothingness and shooting off into the distance, not caring about the other four.


    "Sigh, she doesn''t trust us yet."


    Misaka shook her head gloomily, her mood shifting from bad to worse.


    Lucas and Sitri on the other hand remained silent, as they didn''t care for the opinion of Pandora, their loyaltyy with Leonardo and not his followers.


    "Um, I mean yeah, we barely know one another?" Miko spoke up his thoughts, thinking it was only natural for Pandora to be on guard against any potential danger.


    Even he wouldn''t dare approach Leonardo in such a sensitive and delicate situation, let alone those who were forced into taking part in the brutal culling. Thinking about it, he felt bad for Andreas and Kristopher who defected with the rest of the army, he could think with his knees to figure out that it was all instigated by that stupid Andreas.


    He was probably the one to deliver the information regarding the defections to the other party as well.


    "What do you know?!" Barked Misaka with a red face. In fact, she still remembered how she kissed Leonardo back then, and this memory only surfaced now because her perception of the man changed from a smart young man who couldn''t cultivate to¡­


    However, since he acted as though nothing happened, she couldn''t thicken her face and bring it up on her own, it would be too damn embarrassing. Just as she thought a chance presented itself, a thick city wall called Pandora blocked her path.


    Now she truly felt helpless and irritated, taking it out on a dumbfounded Miko before she rushed back to the Imperial City.


    "What did I say wrong?" Miko stared nkly at his sister''s fading figure, feeling helpless.

 Chapter 69 Situation Reversed

    ?It was unknown how much time had passed. Suddenly, Leonardo found his consciousness in a deep ck space of nothingness. This space would sometimes alternate from darkness to a crimson ocean of blood, sometimes from a criminal ocean of blood to a deste colorlessnd, and sometimes from a deste colorlessnd to an ocean of lightning.


    However, no matter the cycle or transmission, it would all settle down as a single drop in the vastness of this darkness. It could be said that each drop represented a portion of Leonardo''s cells, but what confused him was that if this were the case, then would that make the ocean of darkness his body?


    He was in this peculiar state of mind, watching as one drop of crimson, gray, and pale blue descended into the dark ocean without as much as causing a ripple. It could have been hours, it could have been days, it could have been weeks, it could have been months, but Leonardo simply found himself absorbed in this state of mind until suddenly, he glimpsed something within the ocean of darkness.


    Curious, he descended with his consciousness into the ocean to find the source of this peculiar feeling. The moment he entered the ocean, he heard the sound of a thumping heart that beat in sync with the ebb and flow of the waves. More urately, that muffled heartbeat was the driving force of these waves.


    At the very bottom of the ocean, Leonardo saw a massive ck heart beating rhythmically every now and then, but it was silent at the moment. Not too longter, the heart twitched, and the soundwave of another powerful beat erupted and sent waves throughout the ocean.


    As the soundwave washed over Leonardo''s consciousness, his mind was jostled awake with a powerful bang in his head. He immediately shot up from his lying position, only to find himself sleeping in white robes on afortable bed.


    Above him was a vast ceiling with the depiction of a twelve-winged angel curled up while hugging a crimson star, a ubiquitous sea of darkness encroaching upon the gray halo of her silver wings.


    This is Grace. Leonardo thought to himself as he eyed the kindness on the woman''s features.


    Leonardo had no time to think before he heard a loud explosioning from the outside, and he could feel thend shaking. Startled, he immediately got off the bed with his stiff and rigid body, almost finding his muscles unfamiliar to him.


    He urgently needed some time for meditation to adjust his state of mind per his body, but now wasn''t it.


    ¡­


    "How long do you think this formation is going tost for?! Hand over your white g, and you can keep your lives!" A loud shout from a saint traversed through heaven and earth, shaking the buildings of the five districts that used to be separate towns.


    Although energy couldn''t phase through the Odd of the Elements formation, shockwaves from thepressed air were different. Heavy pressure shocked the mundane structures of the districts as the humans within experienced nothing less than an earthquake.


    Misaka, Sitri, Lucas, Pandora, and Miko took a post in one district each, protecting the residents from the aftershocks of the powerful sound waves.


    "How long are you going to turtle yourselves up, huh?! We know that Bloodthirsty has been killed by Goddess Arcadia, we all saw her wrath on that day! The Goddess wants you all dead, you better hand yourselves over obediently!"


    A soldier on a high siege post shouted through a voice-magnifying formation, iming to have witnessed the battle that shook the Crouching Dragon Province to the core. That battle four months ago was a brutal massacre under the hands of Bloodthirsty and his five Blood Generals.


    Of course, the people are now calling them Blood Generals, but a fierce controversy erupted as some people imed that there are five, some imed that there are four, and some imed that there are six.


    However, when people began to list the generals down, the only difference between the four and five was the ountability for Juvia. As for the party iming that there were six, they simply imed that while Juvia was protecting the Imperial City, a set of six saints blocked the saints of the Crouching Dragon Army, Bloodthirsty included.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, no one could recall anything specific about the sixth saint, not even his appearance or how he fought. They just knew he was there, but that was the extent of it.


    Not even the saint watching from the distant borders could recall what he saw and wanted to report. It was as though the person both existed and didn''t at the same time. It was a curious thing.


    Not even Misaka andpany could confidently im that they''ve fought side by side with Lucas after all these years together, let alone a group of scouts. This sense of self-contradiction was a brutal weapon in and of itself, causing the group to sweat thinking about it.


    A doubt in the heart is a fatal de to one''s confidence that could disrupt their connection with the world around them. The confusion would block them fromprehending the essence they want to seek enlightenment in, as that doubt would eventually shift from doubting themselves to doubting the world itself, doubting their path and belief, eventually their confidence and faith would crumble to never be restored.


    Leonardo stood on one of the high pirs of his pce, only overshadowed by the massive dome of the main pce hall. That dome stretched into the clouds above, and if Leonardo stood there, he wouldn''t be able to see the situation at hand.


    On his shoulder was Aria, the little fox. For the past four months, Aria remained in the pce to screen it off from anyone trying to pry into its secrets. Not even the sacred items of the three ruling powers could spy on whatever happened within the pce with her protection.


    Thus, Leona and Kieran were free to focus on their own matters. Aria''s vision wasn''t any less than Leonardo''s, but on the contrary, it was beyond his current realm. Thus, she glimpsed hints of where Kieran''s foundation and martial intent would lie, allowing her to impart him with a suitable divine cultivation technique in the same manner she did to Leona.


    In these few four months, Aria was stealthily overseeing the growth of the two children. Leona was now ten, but her control over her martial intent had improved significantly to a point where she could somewhat control her own psychic waves and emotions.


    As for the fifteen years old Kieran, his precision, uracy, calctions, and oversight had increased significantly as well. Although he was only fifteen, each of his actions and movements was borderline mechanical with the amount of detail he puts into them.


    It was like coincidence and luck didn''t exist with this child. When ites to his actions, for example, range practice or games, he could replicate anything, anything, and anywhere. He simply needed to put his mind to it, and it''s done in a matter of how long it requires him to adjust.


    After adjusting, he could redo, replicate, and/or recreate the moment in an endless cycle.


    Juvia had the frightening notion that if he could see through someone''s body and directly study the cirction of their worldly energy, Kieran would have the ability to steal their martial arts, and cultivation techniques, and if she wanted to exaggerate and add in their musclenguage, he could also learn to steal their daily habits and martial skills.


    She was frightened that these siblings matched one another like two faces of the same coin. One reflects the heart, the other reflects the body.


    Together, the duo would make a nightmare of an enemy.


    Luckily, they had been adopted as Leonardo''s children. Then again, Juvia wasn''t sure which party here was the luckiest in the end.


    As she stood on the pir, hugging Leonardo''s waist from behind while her head rested against his sturdy and warm back, these thoughts upied her mind, not overly concerned about the dozen or so saints and hundreds of thousands of soldiers putting the Imperial City under siege.

 Chapter 70 Underhanded Methods

    ?"Can you update me on the situation?" Leonardo asked in his usual t tone, his eyes no longer crimson red but midnight ck. He stood straight with his arms crossed to his chest, coldly watching as hundreds of thousands of people trapped his city within their encirclement.


    "After Pandora and the rest brought you back, everything was calm for a while. However, two weekster, the armies of the remaining three provinces decided to take the initiative and bring the battlefield to our territory instead. That way, if your subordinates went all out withrge-scale attacks, it''d threaten your people''s livelihoods."


    "They hoped to indirectly hold your people hostage. Sadly, they never expected that we have constructed such a powerful formation, and their siege hadsted ever since then. As time passed on, more and more soldiers began to pour in from the various provinces under the guise of conscripted citizens, and after four months, this is the result."


    "The good news is that they couldn''t file in saints with the excuse of conscripted citizens, that would have been an utterly ridiculous excuse. As for the bad news, our reserves of energy crystals are running very low, and I don''t think our liquid funds can maintain this formation for long¡­"


    If a dozen or so saints rushed into the formation, Juvia would easily dispatch them with the power invested in it. However, if an entire army rushed in without regard for their lives, indiscriminate killing would be her only option; harming both themselves and the enemy in the process.


    Thus, while the situation seemed under control for now, she was actually quite anxious. Especially since Leonardo was in a deep quasi-death state for this whole time.


    Now that he woke up, she finally rxed and melted into his firm back while embracing him. While Leonardo listened calmly, he suddenly looked up in a certain direction for a brief moment before looking down at the troops below once again. Juvia didn''t pay particr attention to this, but someone in the far distance did.


    Three saints in embroidered clothing floated in the air, their dragon robes billowing from the cirction of their aura. The one to the right raised his eyebrows and eximed, "That fellow''s intuition isn''t half bad, he could actually sense the general direction of my gaze from such a distance!"


    "He should be the child of some hidden power on a trip for tempering. Of course, he would have some little ability. Don''t let his concealed aura fool you, he probably has some treasure to screen his cultivation base from spiritual probing."


    Answered the saint in the middle. Looking closely, the saint in the middle was levitating slightly higher than the other two, not to mention he was at least one step in front of them both. He didn''t want them to get used to the misconception that Leonardo was just a normal non-cultivator.


    Which human non-cultivator would have a saint elf falling head over heels for them? Acting like a meek kitten in their presence? It almost felt like she wasn''t a dignified saint but a housepet.


    "Well, we weren''t sure if Leonardo was in the pce or not for the past few months. However, now that he has shown himself, we should proceed with dispatching a diplomat."


    "ording to the battle reports, Bloodthirsty must have died to Arcadia''s wrath; this is our best chance to press our advantage."


    "I''ll pass down the order immediately." The other saint who hasn''t spoken yet opened his mouth before closing his eyes for a moment. Visible spiritual fluctuations rippled from his third eye, clearly, he wasmunicating with someone else.


    On the tall pir far away, Leonardo patted Juvia''s hand and spoke softly, "Let''s get down from here, I''m expecting guests sometime soon."


    "Guests?" Asked a confused Juvia, feeling reluctant to part but acquiescing obediently nheless.


    "Yes. If I''m not wrong, they should be sending a diplomatic envoy to negotiate with me on the terms of surrender. Since we have nonds under foreign upation, even if the war ended, they''d have gained nothing but lost thousands of lives and six saints, obviously, they wouldn''t want to end the war without any gains."


    "Their only option is to intimidate us by threatening to raze the city to the ground, kill us all or simply leave me alive all by my lonesome. Anyway, it''s about time they disyed their trump card, then I''ll refuse, then they''ll disy a greater trump card¡­ Now that greater trump card is what I''m curious about."


    "Would the greater trump card be enough to sway your mind?" Asked Juvia while she brought Leonardo down through the open ceiling of a luxurious courtyard. Under everyone''s eyes, Leonardo couldn''t possibly fly down relying on his own ability.


    Even if the sharper ones picked up some clues about his hidden cultivation base, the majority of the poption in every world wasposed of idiots who were easily fooled by whatever was on the surface. Just like an ignorant child looking through the surface of the ocean, easily mistaking the corals below as a colorful colony of fish. Due to ignorance, and fear of the unknown, the solid rock morphs from an inanimate stone to a fearsome organism.


    What you can see and what your mind interprets it as are two different concepts, but not many would realize this psychological truth. In fact, while studying the Dao with his Master, Leonardo realized that most of the profound truths of the Dao are either famous ormon philosophical inquiries in the river of history in the mundane world, between the mundane lives.


    He presumed it had to do with the race against time for these experts that are devoured by the urgency to get stronger, stronger, and even stronger as time passed.<novelnext></novelnext>


    They focus on the path of strength so much so that they either forget, overlook, or wholeheartedly ignore the necessary wisdom required for life. That is, until they reach a realm of strength where they could no longer climb higher, they are forced into taking a break to breathe and observe the world all around them, not that they''ve deliberately chosen to stop.


    Stopping wasn''t a choice for them, it was an inevitability.


    Hence, Leonardo found the whole sudden enlightenment in the mortal world after ceaselessly roaming the immortal world a huge joke. They''re simply patching up holes in their personalities and perspectives about life, holes that have remained void for the majority of their path due to their blind urgency.


    "How can you be an immortal if you hadn''t even been a mortal?" Leonardo muttered to himself with a sigh as he walked into his throne room, Juvia dutifully followed behind him.


    Hearing that sentence, she ruminated about it while flicking up her squared sses; a sh ofprehension in her eyes. She seemed to understand why Leonardo would rathermunicate with everyone in his status as a non-cultivator, and she presumed he was giving her pointers from the higher realms.


    She felt immensely grateful.


    Unlike the exterior of the pce, the throne room was rather in, but only inparison to the exteriors of the pce. That didn''t mean the throne room wasn''t grand in any means.


    Looking at the pitch-ck ceiling littered with dazzling energy crystals as though they were twinkling stars, surrounding the graceful angel at the center of it all, allowing slivers of cascading light to bathe the long pathway leading to the high throne.


    Looking at the surrounding walls depicting myths and legends of eras long past, forgotten, or even concealed from the public eye.


    Looking at the high chair crafted from condensed obsidian essence as the ck surface glimmered resplendently, providing Leonardo who sat upon it with a magnificent halopleting his white regal robes inscribed in crimson blood essence.


    Leonardo just sat on his chair, Juvia to his right side, curiously reminiscent of their time in the forest near the Sky Mountain Range, and the doors to the throne room swung open with Pandora leading a group of schrly-looking young men, a middle-aged man, two war generals, and four ves carrying a heavy sealed box.


    Pandora silently took her position behind Leonardo to his left, while the rest stood respectfully in front of him, but they didn''t bow, kneel, or disy proper etiquette.


    "Your Highness¡­" The schr began to speak, but he was then interrupted by Leonardo raising his palm.


    "How bold, eh?" Leonardo swept his eyes over the ves in the back. Understanding his meaning, Pandora silently vanished into thin air for just a moment before returning to her original spot.


    Blood sshed, and four heads rolled to the floor.


    The stars in the ceiling shed, and the blood on the floor was miraculously sucked into the tiles below to thest drop.


    The two war generals were shocked. They too were saints, even if they were at level 45 of the first cycle, they were still saints on guard.


    "Kneel or lose an arm each, and that''s me being lenient towards your disrespect."


    Leonardo spoke coldly. If they were to open their mouths to speak one word, regardless of who opened his mouth, all of them would lose an arm today. They could consider it a punishment for soiling the floor of the throne room by bringing in ves who wouldn''t even greet a prince, let alone kneel to him.


    That was a tant disy of their disregard for his status, something he wouldn''t tolerate lest they walked all over him after this disgusting prelude.

 Chapter 71 Unexpected Guest

    ?The throne room was dead silent.


    Who would expect a fierce disy of strength from someone with a city on the brink of copse? Moreover, they were told that Leonardo is supposed to be some sort of sharp, intelligent, and wise businessman.


    No matter what, a businessman would never cut their final path to retreat in the face of a cmity. Is this to say that he didn''t care for the rise or fall of his fledgling feudal state? Or perhaps, he has some hidden cards yet to y, capable of changing the flow of the battle in his favor?


    The schr maintained a calm, pensive expression as he ran through his options silently. However, the rest of the group had it far worse as they were long entrenched in the belief that they''d rather die than kneel down to a pretty boy from some god-knows-what-forsakennd.


    They were warned to maintain caution as Leonardo could be some hidden expert tempering himself in this region of Arcadia. Some spections hint that he is someone from Sky Mountain. However, no matter how they cut it, he didn''t look the least bit like a hidden expert to them.


    While they were silently measuring their options, Leonardo received a message to hismunication bracelet about an unexpected guest arriving at the gates of his pce, confusing him ever so slightly.


    The hint of confusion in Leonardo''s lifeless eyes didn''t escape the observations of the schr, hence, he immediately bit the bullet and dropped to one knee respectfully.


    "I greet your Highness, pardon my disrespect!"


    The room was silent. Hence, the sudden thud as the schr dropped to his knee echoed in everyone''s ears. Let alone Juvia and Pandora, even the remaining schrs and the two war generals were shocked and speechless by what they perceived to be a spineless act.


    The two war generals were about to speak when the remaining schrs dropped to their knees to greet the prince as well, leaving them in an awkward position. However, they didn''t kneel, as they were already saints and are not bound by these secr traditions.


    Thus, they simply bit their teeth and bowed in a respectful manner while sping their fists. Albeit unwilling, they too greeted Leonardo respectfully.


    Leonardo nodded his head and gestured with his eyes toward the leader of the group to speak.


    "My name is Lexus, a schr from House Erudite."


    The man first introduced himself before slowly standing up. However, when he finally stood up, his back was straight with a sharp light in his meticulous gaze. He looked Leonardo right in the eyes before he continued.


    "Your Highness, your conquest is nothing but a suicidal war at this point. I beseech you to reconsider throwing away the lives of your hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in pursuit of an ambition built on foundations of smoke without fire, sea without waves, and goals without drive."


    "These are people who have never experienced the wind and rain, let alone the pain of war and whatever devastation that follows in its wake. Don''t be a ruler who brings his people from the lights into the shadows. From thefort and through seas of bitterness and misery. From an era of peace to an endless era of bloodshed and cmity."


    "Your Highness, what you have is your civilians, while what your walls will sooner orter endure is wave after wave of unswerving, violent, battle-hardened soldiers with nothing but red in their eyes."


    "They shall pige!"


    "They shall trample!"


    "They shall destroy!"


    "They shall vent the pain and hatred your Commander Bloodthirsty forced down their throats as he mercilessly ughtered the incapable of their brethren!"


    "I am here as a diplomat, an envoy, and most importantly of all; a mediator! My House Erudite worships the peace and tranquility brought upon us by Goddess Arcadia, a peace thatsted ever since the unholy War of Dominion, a peace shattered to pieces in the blink of an eye!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo smiled tly at this impassioned speech from Lexus, having somewhat understood what he was fearful of, but didn''t dare speak aloud.


    Why would he bring something as grand as the war of dominion? Others might be confused by this.


    This is merely a war between two vassals. At least, that''s what it imed on paper, so why bother? Only Leonardo and perhaps Juvia understood the implicit intentions in his speech.


    Lexus wasn''t talking about this pitiful war, nor was he talking about the people native to the star territory. He was merely using them as an excuse to overshadow the future of the entire Human Domain.


    Their enemy? Who else but the Elven Domain? Lexus most likely realized the identity of Juvia when he connected her elven lineage, name, and the formation outside.


    In fact, anyone with enough knowledge and power should have realized her identity by now, hence the indirect suppression by filing in military personnel through hidden and improper channels.


    If they couldn''t conceal this information from the elves, they could very well dere war on the Human Domain with the excuse of having their inheritance stolen and distributed throughout the human race.


    That would be one apocalyptic war.


    Unluckily for them, that''s exactly Leonardo''s aim in this farce.


    Unluckily for Leonardo, the elven military was already beyond entrenched in a massive war enshrouding the forbidden domain. Even if they learned of this matter, it was unknown how they''d react. However, both sides didn''t know of the other''s true intentions and hidden obstacles, hence they could only y it low-key and use the Star Territory and the Four Provinces as a pretense, while their true argument revolved around the Human and Elven Domains.


    Even though Leonardo saw through the hidden message and implicit warnings, he merely rested his calm gaze against the sharp gaze of Lexus.


    "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. You im that the wrath of your lords will rain down on my fledgling state, I admire your courage. However, from the throes of chaos, my mighty state will bathe in the blood and destruction of your so-called rain of ceaseless wrath."


    The war generals and the other schrs ground their teeth, taking this as a provocation of sorts. They thought Leonardo was saying he didn''t care how many people be they ordinary or cultivators died for his cause. As long as he was alive, the war would engulf thesends until he conquered thempletely or they surrendered somend.


    Lexus'' expression darkened as he understood something else entirely. He took in a deep breath to calm down before regaining his sharp focus.


    "Are you so determined to see this through to the end? Don''t you care for your people''s lives?"


    "Haha," Leonardo chuckled lightly, "My people? What people? Those who desert the army on the first opportunity given? Howughable!"


    "Don''t get me wrong, Lexus. My people are right by my side. I can count my people on my hands right now, and none of my people are so weak, unreliable, and foolish enough to die in your pitiful conflicts."


    "I wished to remain a humble, kind, straightforward young man pursuing business and profits. However, one idiot after another decided toy their lives in my hands, who am I to refuse them?"


    "If you wish for this war to end,pensate me with the four provinces I desire. Otherwise, my followers are quite obedient, and they will ze a river of blood through thends I so desire simply to fulfill mymands."


    "Trust me, out of everyone on the surface of Arcadia, those I care about are a pitiful few. Hence, to me, a kingdom of blood and bones is still a kingdom, a throne of misery is still a throne, and I am still me."


    Leonardo and Lexus stared at one another, both sides unyielding.

 Chapter 72 Send Them Off

    ?Lexus''s mind spun rapidly as he processed everything that was discussed to this point. For one, Leonardo didn''t admit or deny Bloodthirsty''s fall, leaving the answer to that mystery up in smoke. Although an unconscious Bloodthirsty was brought back into the pce, no one could pry past these golden walls from the outside.


    If such a ruthless saint was to lead an army through the dozens of provinces within a vassal kingdom, just as Leonardo forewarned, that man would ze a path of bloodshed and indiscriminate ughter.


    "Won''t you stop until you make the Human Domain into another Forbidden Domain?" Lexus asked in a quiet yet eerily calm tone.


    "For now, your only enemy is the Regalia Kingdom, and you can only act without a care because they''re already caught up in a storm of war somewhere else. Furthermore, the storm was caused by no other than you, I might as well be bold to say that you''ve deliberately arranged for this chaos to erupt, satisfying your wicked ambition."


    This time, Lexus was speaking of the unknown saints that descended upon the energy ore mines out of the blue. Of course, Leonardo had no way of knowing that, as he simply assumed that the domino effect he nned went well and above his expectations. Of course, there was no way in hell he would admit to such a thing, even if Leonardo and Lexus were debating over the same issue on differing wavelengths.


    "They''ve made an enemy out of me, and not the other way around. If you, your house, and the so-called neutral factions behind you want to make the same mistake as them, I wee you to try."


    "No matter how many vassal kingdoms rile up in arms, you can''t do anything to me, at least not openly. But so what? Do you think we''re afraid of your schemes in the dark? I tell you what?"


    "Pandora!" Leonardo shouted in a low voice. Pandora''s figure blurred as she knelt in front of the throne, her expression dyed with reverence and devotion.


    "I want you to assassinate every first-cycle saint in the Crouching Dragon Province, including the army before my city gates, by the end of this week."


    Pandora immediately vanished from everyone''s senses and perception as though she phased out of existence. Startled, Lexus quickly shouted with a dark face, "Your Highness!"


    Leonard waved his hand, "Stop!"


    Suddenly, Pandora reappeared within everyone''s sensory fields once more. However, the next moment, one of the two war generals sucked in a cold breath of air as Pandora''s short sword was pressed against his throat.


    It would take the slightest effort on her part to lock his head off and no one would be the wiser. Gulping, the war general didn''t dare move a muscle, but he didn''t need to be so apprehensive. Pandora silently withdrew to Leonardo''s left side before sheathing her short sword into the case strapped on her back.


    "How about it? I am magnanimous enough to y your little games of war when I could have simply dispatched two of my saints to silently assassinate every key figure in your pitiful territories. I don''t need an army, I don''t need the support of the people. In fact, your people, my people, their people, who cares?"


    "Aren''t we all humans? Your people and my people wouldn''t care who leads them as long as they''re well-fed and sheltered from the rain. No matter who suffers the most during the war, winners always write the books of history. You bring my territory to thest man alive? That''s fine, I''ll take your people and rece the dead of mine."


    "If there was anything humans are exceptionally good at, that would be proliferation and destruction. Of course, you can put schemes into that, but you''re a smart kid and I don''t wish to waste my breath educating those two muscle heads behind you."


    Leonardo sighed, having never talked so much before ever since he left Valdmor. Honestly, there was this unspeakable urge from his blood to simply kill his way through any and all oppositions. In his eyes, these people weren''t worth it.


    It had already been a year, and the only progress he made was establishing somewhat of a foothold in the Human Domain. Topletely conquer this in a peaceful manner would be utterly ridiculous.


    He already obtained a trump card for the Elven Domain in the form of his follower Juvia. As for the Beastkin Domain, it was yet to be seen whether or not they''d survive the chaos of the Forbidden Domain.


    What Leonardo required now was attention. A lot of attention.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Since there was a first Miko, there ought to be a second, a third, a fourth, and perhaps even more. Under the guise of this so-called peaceful eray histories of demolished nobilities, forsaken inheritances, and cohesive units fed up with the abuse of the strong.


    Where there isw and order, there is always a tendency for chaos. That''s inevitable.


    "It seems like you''re not interested in negotiations at all, Your Highness," Lexus spoke despite his anger inside. Even now, he maintained a semnce of respect toward Leonardo, addressing him as a Prince. Leonardo admired this man Lexus, and he made a mental note that he could be a threat in the future.


    However, House Erudite is a neutral faction directly connected to the three ruling powers, and Leonardo didn''t wish to make an enemy out of them. However, he wasn''t afraid of it either.


    "If you have nothing else to say, I have other guests to entertain. Go back and tell the army camping outside that a rain of blood will descend on thisnd, it simply remains a mystery as to whom will bleed to thest."


    Leonardo waved his hand, dismissing the envoy and their gifts. He wasn''t interested anymore, he already figured out that House Erudite was only neutral to the native forces and not him, an upstart Prince. Since that was the case, he had even less reason to act polite with Lexus.


    Lexus grit his teeth and forcibly calmed down before bowing once again as a courtesy. Then, he turned around and left. Surprisingly, they left the heavy box of precious stones and materials in the hall, not bothering to take it along.


    Leonardo smiled faintly at this disy. Lexus seemed to be a proud person and would disdain to take back something he offered as a gift. As for Leonardo, he wasn''tcking in money so he didn''t particrly care.


    "Just use these materials to power up a few energy cannons andunch them at the army outside," Leonardo instructed while Lexus had yet to leave the throne room. Thus, the man almost lost hisposure.


    You don''t want to take them back the nice way? Fine, I''ll shove them down the throats of your soldiers. That was Leonardo''s message.


    Pandora nodded and went ahead to aplish the task without a second of hesitation. Soon while Lexus andpany are leaving the pce, they would enjoy a front-seat show of energy beams raining down on the densely packed soldiers outside.


    For now, Leonardo instructed Misaka to escort the guest from Valdmor into the throne room. Following hismunication transmission, Misaka apanied a woman wrapped in ck cloth, a cloak, and a low hoodie into the room.


    After arriving in front of the high chair, she lowered her hoodie to reveal a pair of spiteful heterochromia eyes that red daggers at Leonardo. She looked tired and haggard, eyes reddening.


    Leonardo didn''t know what could have happened to a headstrong woman like her to fall into such a miserable state within less than half a year.


    Azalea had a lot of grievances on her mind as to what hell on earth she experienced after being used by Leonardo. It might have been a mere sentence on his part, using her like a chess piece to strike at those devils dripping with greed.


    However, she never for once thought that she deserved what came her way.


    She was tired, really tired. She wanted to yell, shout, and bash at Leonardo who caused it all, but she couldn''t find the resolve to do so as she stood there under his lifeless eyes, let alone the two silver-haired beauties by his side that she knew could kill her in the blink of an eye.


    For a moment, she didn''t know what to say, but her eyes did the work for her as tears began to pour down.

 Chapter 73 Xavier Visits Valdmor

    ?"Don''t tell me you came all the way here just to cry?"


    Inquired Leonardo, somewhat caught aback by her attitude. Azalea clenched her fists before taking a deep breath. She looked up, "Every faction in Valdmor wants me dead, just an excuse to cate the masses and their subordinates; ming me for the chaos which ensued after your departure."


    "The only reason why I can stand here today is Jeffery helping me under the pretense of kidnapping me, the source of the storm. It was me who asked him to send me here because my only path to survival is under your protection."


    Leonardo stared oddly at this sometimes smart, sometimes naive, and oftentimes stupid young woman. Azalea was just an ordinary non-cultivator, just like Jeffery and the rest. If someone really wanted her dead, a p would blow her brains out.


    He could only assume she was stuck to someone influential whenever she left her apartment to stroll the streets.


    Leonardo pointed at the two dead ves on the ground and said, "Are you sure? Didn''t you see the armies at my doorstep? Let me tell you, these two were supposed toe suing for peace, you''re clever enough to understand how things went down."


    Azalea acted as though she didn''t see the corpses and said, "I still believe that this ce is the safest for me! You can''t turn me down, not after all I''ve been through!"


    Her tone towards the end was filled with plea and despair, shouting, thinking Leonardo was finding a random excuse to turn her down after their muddled history together. Perhaps they stood on opposing ends in the past, but now it''s different.


    Leonardo sighed, "I don''t care whether you stay in this pce or not. Honestly, you may be safe temporarily, but when the war erupts, I can''t guarantee the safety of the hundreds of thousands of people outside my gates, let alone you."


    "You''re simply too weak, a weak woman who lost her position and favor with her lord, then came seeking asylum with her lord''s enemy. Tell me, should I simply open my arms and wee you in?"


    "Wrong!" Azalea shrieked, her dry cheeks stained wet again as she eximed, "It was them who cast me aside! They sacrificed me; they wanted to sacrifice me for some greater good in the hopes of cating your anger or whatever delusions they have about a gesture of goodwill!"


    Leonardo was stunned for a moment, confused. However, when Azalea saw that stunned confusion, she assumed that a delegation from Valdmor was yet to arrive. Rather, they never left because the war between House Regalia and House Grace already escted beyond the phase of making amends and negotiations for peace.


    "Didn''t they fear that your reinforcements would target them next? Or focus on theirnds and people? Isn''t that why they felt like tracking the problem to its roots and cutting them clean? Aren''t you angry at me for threatening Leona and Kieran?!"


    Azalea was borderline hysterical, clutching at her long ck hair while shaking from helpless anger. The more she spoke, the more she realized that maybe, just maybe, Leonardo wouldn''t have enough goodwill toward her to protect her.


    What a joke, wasn''t she the one to point the knife his way to being with? Even if the knife was forced into her hands, the choice to use it ultimately fell to her discretion. Thus, even if she could rebuke seven parts of the me, she couldn''t avoid taking responsibility for the remaining three parts.


    What reinforcements? Now Leonardo was truly confused. Judging from her tone, she seemed legitimately convinced that he dispatched a strong force to cause trouble throughout the Forbidden Domain. He realized things aren''t as simple as they may seem.


    He decided to send Azalea into one of the bedroom chambers to wash up and rx, for now, he would hear all about these reinforcements from herter. However, Aria wasn''t as patient as Leonardo, her eyes glimmered with a foreboding light as they narrowedzily.


    Seems like some people are simply too tired of living, she thought to herself before snuggling up closer into Leonardo''s abdomen, toofortable to go and check the situation immediately.


    ¡­


    Hundreds of thousands of miles away in Valdmor, Xavier was apanied by two middle-aged men as they approached the inner region of the ancient town. Xavier was curiously observing the old, yellowish structures with a hint of modernizationced into their walls.


    "I heard your people talking about some Prince Leonardo?" Xavier asked in a t tone.


    The ones walking together with Xavier were shockingly Mason and Andrew, and they had yet to believe they''de into contact with the leader of the Devil Saints Group, Xavier.<novelnext></novelnext>


    They were called the Devil Saints because of their conduct over the past few months of conflict. There was nothing they wouldn''t dare do, and killing their enemies was the easiest and simplest way to go down when opposing them.


    They didn''t differentiate between young or old, male or female, beast or man; they simply targeted them all. All of them were at the peak of their first cycle, with many unheard-of battle skills, magical arts, and martial intents.


    Of course, the humans weren''t like the elves who wouldn''t tolerate any acts of disgrace towards their race, and they surely weren''t like the beastkin who would kill first and talkter.


    Humans were smart, scheming, borderline despicable, and shameless. They would rather watch the world burn in agony as long as they didn''t suffer directly. Hell, they would join in and tear it down even more if they could snatch some of it for themselves.


    Xavier understood this point very well, hence he wasn''t surprised that the battlefield had been severelycking in human cultivators for the past few months. Since he knew how they thought and what they were thinking, he decided to personally give this ancient town a visit.


    He never expected that the moment he was within earshot of the gossip going around, he heard the news of an upstart prince wreaking havoc in the Human Domain, seemingly in retaliation against two of the ruling powers and a vassal kingdom.


    After a bit of soul-searching here and there, he ended up locking targets on Andrew and Mason, the supposed enemies of Prince Leonardo. From the fearful expressions of these two and the ongoing gossip, Xavier seemed to realize something.


    "Haha," Andrewughed nervously, his back drenched in a cold sweat as the information clearly dictated that Xavier was a saint going through his second cycle. Although Valdmor was protected by powerful old monsters who were going through their third cycle, that didn''t give him any sense of security.


    "Of course, Prince Leonardo is a suave figure that everyone respects nowadays. From a businessman to a Foreign Prince, and all he did was toy the various powers into achieving that position without lifting a hand!"


    "He''s very smart, too smart if you ask me¡­ Honestly, he tossed the entire domain into chaos and war before leaving as though it had nothing to do with him¡­" Andrew spoke cautiously so as to not say something too offensive. After all, he didn''t know Xavier''s position on Leonardo''s case, he could tell that they weren''t familiar with one another though.


    His mind spun, could this young man be on a tempering experience as well? However, if that was the case, what sort of powersy behind the Sky Mountains, nurturing such frightening figures?


    Xavier was a bit intrigued and asked, "You mean to say that the huge war we encountered was something orchestrated by Prince Leonardo?"


    Something that went unnoticed by Andrew and Mason shed in Xavier''s eyes when he asked.


    "Of course, it was a painful but beautiful move!" Andrew quickly went over what transpired on that day at Te''s. Hearing the full recount of the grand scheme, even Xavier was shocked by Leonardo''s intelligence.


    Truly befitting of the youngest CEO of the biggest international enterprise of his era, Xavier thought to himself. Having used the human green to hoodwink them from an obvious trap, that was truly a beautiful move.


    Perhaps if they weren''t anxious about buying the shares to the point of immediately hosting a gathering, they''d have noticed the movements from the other two domains. By then, let alone the current price of the shares, it would have been unknown as to whether anyone would get any shares to begin with.


    The sole profiteer in this situation is, without a shadow of a doubt, Leonardo.


    "Brother Andrew, brother Mason, would you like to apany me for dinner tonight and tell me more about Prince Leonardo? I''m very interested!"


    "Of course! Of course!" Andrew and Mason quickly agreed.


    News that the boss of the Devil Saints came to spend the night in Valdmor quickly spread, and many representatives of the various powers came to join the dinner.


    If only Xavier knew how lucky he was to spend the night in Valdmor, as this was the same night Aria decided to make a personal trip to the enemy ore mine and chat a little with the so-called reinforcements.

 Chapter 74 Leonardo’s Suspicions

    ?It was yet another bloody evening in the depths of the Forbidden Domain. A region of death stretched as far as the eye could see from the energy ore deposits mines. A small encampment was built within the depths of a canyon, and this encampment was upied by over a dozen mortal cultivators and a few saints with fearsome auras.


    Other than the weeping winds carrying the unwilling souls of the fallen, heavy panting and thought-provoking moans weaved through the air. However, some of these moans were muffled, some broadcasted the bitterness in their cries, and some presented how pleasurable the experience is, albeit unwillingly.


    Of the saints supposedly under Xavier''smand, Anvil was the one with the worst temper of them all. While everyone else was silently meditating in their private artificial cave dwellings, he upied one of the stone rooms of the military encampment.


    Here, he could subvert the energy flow of the energy vein underneath the earth to scrape some benefits to himself before the remaining toon of six saints and twenty-four mortals arrive. When the two groups convene and the entire descends into a nar war, their goal ofing here could be considered halfplete.


    However, no matter how he tried to calm himself down, he couldn''t toss away this bad premonition that silently crept into his mind. He suspected it had to do with Xavier leaving early today, but no one knows where that guy went.


    Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!


    Suddenly, the muffled noise of four heavy impacts roused Anvil awake from his deep thoughts, only to be shocked to see his four saintpanions knocked unconscious on the floor of his room. Before he could react, a wave of dizziness clouded his mind and thereafter he apanied them in their slumber.


    A small silver fox slowly materialized from thin air, her cold crimson eyes bore into Anvil''s mind for a quick, clean, and efficient soul search. It was odd that all of their memories indicated the presence of onest person, but what gave her a headache was the fact that none of these saints knows the true identity of their masters.


    It''s like they''ve been raised like domesticated animals in the shadows to carry the dirtybor no questions asked. Whatever, perhaps presenting those five to the elven race could spark things up a bit, thought Aria.


    She stretched her domain of will to envelope the five of them, casting a rather pitiable gaze over the bodies of the two female saints as she couldn''t fathom what treatment they''d suffer from in rpense.


    ¡­


    By the time Aria made it back to the pce, Leonardo was on his way to check up on Azalea in her bedroom chambers. It has been over a few hours since their meeting, and he trusted that she had time to calm down, take a warm shower, and collect her thoughts.


    Although Leonardo had a good idea and could make an educated guess about the identity of those seemingly powerful saints, it was better to be sure. Nheless, he couldn''t help feeling a bit apprehensive, anxious, and excited at the same time, even though his lifeless eyes betrayed no such feelings.


    If he had inadvertently pulled a few of Nier''s enemies into a windmill of death the moment they stepped foot into Arcadia, that would be something wonderful. Hence, he collected his thoughts and knocked on Azalea''s door.


    As he waited for permission to go in, he noticed Ariaing over from the corner of his eye, prompting him to turn around and wee the little fox into his chest, rubbing her little head.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Where do you go off to every now and then?" Leonardo asked curiously, with the full knowledge that this magical beast won''t respond no matter what he said. Thus, one man and one animal stared down at each other''s eyes silently until the door clicked open, revealing Azalea in a blue nightgown and damp ck hair.


    Her eyes were a bit red and swollen still, but her overall psyche wasn''t as turbulent anymore. This was Leonardo''s first time seeing this headstrong woman dressed in something so revealing, it almost felt like she was intentionally trying to seduce him by drawing his pity andpassion.


    Although she was incredibly attractive, Leonardo had long since built some mental resistance towards the charms of the opposite sex at this time. Perhaps if she offered herself a year back when he was still inexperienced and curious, but he could guarantee now that no one could seduce him against his will when it came to this department.


    "Are you feeling well enough for a chat now?" Leonardo asked in a t tone, his gaze roving about Azalea''s curves and presentable moist cleavage. Although he wouldn''t touch it, enjoying it while he could was an option. However, this brazen act of his only serves to embolden and build a foundation of hope in Azalea''s heart. Still, she couldn''t help but look down on him as this attempted seduction was simply too easy.


    "Yes, Your Highness!" Azalea sped her hands between her thighs and bowed her head, taking her seduction game to the next level. However, Leonardo felt like he had seen enough, and thus, he merely walked past her without sparing the scenery a nce while responding, "Drop the formalities for now, tell me the most you can within as little of a time as possible instead."


    Leonardo walked over to a sofa in the massive bedroom and sat down, ncing over toward the door only to find Azalea awkwardly bowing her head, too stiff with disbelief to straighten herself back up. That is to say, the view from behind wasn''t that bad.


    "Cough!" Leonardo decided to stimte her absent mind by interrupting her chaotic thoughts. Only then did Azalea snap back out of it and stand straight, biting her bottom lip to sort out her emotions that went from an all-time high to an all-time low just like that.


    She felt like she was treated like a cheap product that could be visually enjoyed but not physically touched. Although this was a stupid decision she came up with, her pride and self-esteem were still hurt because in her mind at least, Leonardo was just another ordinary man just like herself.


    Furthermore, he was clearly way younger than a mature woman like herself. From his young appearance, he should be around that age where temptations are most fatal. However, despite that, her figure couldn''t elicit much of a reaction from him whatsoever.


    Although vexed inside, Azalea took a deep breath and retreated to sit on a sofa opposing Leonardo since he upied a single-seat sofa. No matter how brazen she was, she wouldn''t directly sit down on hisp.


    "Go ahead andugh all you want, I am the one bowing her head and groveling at your feet for protection after all," Azalea smiled self-deprecatingly as she reflected on her conduct. She couldn''t help but curse at herself.


    "It''s fine,"forted Leonardo, "Our minds tend to nudge us into taking drastic measures during desperate times. Don''t sell yourself short and cheap. Since I gave you a bed to sleep on and a roof to rest under, I naturally won''t chase you away."


    As he spoke, Leonardo stretched out his hand. With a bit of spatial fluctuations, an oversized white jacket left his spatial ring and hung on his arm.


    Azalea hesitated for a bit before epting the jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders, instantly feeling a bit of her dignitying back to her. After being silent for a moment to collect her thoughts, she began to patiently borate on her experience after Leonardo left Valdmor¡­

 Chapter 75 Azalea’s Experience

    ?"It was already toote by the time everyone''s attention was drawn back to the energy ore mines. The elves and beastkin had upied quite a sizable area ofnd, refusing to cede any to the humans who cameter on. Without warning whatsoever, the beastkin decided to sneak attack the elves during their negotiations with the humans because they didn''t want both sides to join forces eventually."


    "At first, the elves thought that this sneak attack would prompt the humans to join forces with them, but the humans decided to strike the elves when they were down and joined the pincer attack instead. That drew the ire of the elves, and hence they decided to retreat and bring an even bigger army."


    "When the battle ended, the humans tried tomunicate with the beastkin, but the beastkin refused to return the territory of the elves to the humans, resulting in yet another war with the beastkin having the advantage in numbers. The battle stretched for days until the elven army made it back with a soaring fury, and casualties began to pile up like mountains."


    "It was around that time that the human reinforcements made it to Valdmor. At least, whatever was left of them after you guys killed the three divisions. Before then, the conflict involved only mortals, the human domain was the first to dispatch saints into the war for the mines. However, the elven intelligencework across the forbidden domain wasn''t for show, so the elven saints were quick to intervene."


    "As for the beastkin, their saints were always around, they simply didn''t take action because they disdain to bully the weak and feared the strong. Thus, only when the saints of the other two domains revealed themselves did the beastkin saints join the fray."


    "At first, you were the target of the human domains hate because of your scheme. Everyone kept talking about the devil businessman, traitor to the human race, and vicious scum, and the propaganda kept getting louder and louder. However, after the ravine of demise incident, these voices slowly died down to hushed whispers and ridicule for House Regalia."


    "Especially me, the witch of misfortune, the bringer of cmity, the foolish woman who dragged everyone down with my stupidity. Haha, they couldn''t bad mouth a vassal kingdom openly, and they were too scared to bad mouth an evil star with a death goddess by his side, so their optimal target ended up bing me."


    "At first, it started with abusive words, then taunting, then rumors of you and I deliberately colluding to harm the general interest of the three crowns and seven vassals. You''re simply too handsome that my heart swayed from its original ce, howughable! Apparently, the trap you pulled us in was so simple a child could have seen through it. How curious, right? I guess no one can equate the intelligence of a child among us."


    "Things got worse when I couldn''t walk down the street without being a practice target for people''s trash. Even the elven and beastkin began to suspect that you and I brought them into a trap so that the human experts could ughter them."


    "If it wasn''t for my status as the secretary for House Regalia''s representative, I might have received not a tomato to the head, but a bullet. However, it wasn''t too long before bullets and knives indeed came flying. On the eve of a big battle, six saints and twenty-four mortal cultivators of unknown origins, unfathomable powers, and never before seen cruelty joined the fray."


    "They indiscriminately killed beast and man alike, taking only female captives that they found pleasing to the eye for purposes you surely can imagine. All three parties did indeed practice restraint in their conduct throughout the war, but these unknown men and women shattered all conviction and struck like a bolt out of the blue."


    "They dered independence and sovereignty over the region within their eyesight, killing whoever dares to invade. Not even the diplomatic ambassadors were spared, let alone the innocents who were simply passing by. In fact, it became and of death within hundreds of miles, save for a small convicts settlement that was the little settlement representing your %1 of shares."


    Azalea looked oddly at Leonardo when she mentioned this, as this was a point of contention and debate in many of the meetings between the ruling powers and their vassals.


    Leonardo was also shocked to hear this, but he didn''t express it on his face. It was the same mask of calm, a calm too frightening to probe through. However, his mind was racing as he thought of a few possibilities, topping them was the existence assumed to be Leona''s and Kieran''s father.


    Leonardo now has this strange feeling that while he and Juvia were observing the settlement from the dark, they were also being observed from an even darker shadow. Perhaps, that shadow in the dark was the reason they could have left the settlement without much of a fight, to begin with.


    Was that blockage a mere test of character? Leonardo was now determined to revisit that settlement and investigate its history. He has this nagging feeling that he missed something important about it and its citizens.


    Of course, Azalea didn''t know that perhaps a frightening existence lurked in the settlement, thus she continued with the general conclusion.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Because of that, everyone thought that these people were a batch of experts dispatched after House Venus, House Exodia, and House Regalia made a move against you. The general conclusion is that this is your retaliation, making everyone afraid of any further transgressions against you, be it openly or secretly."


    "No one dares to go after your life now, and many of the representatives were cowed into speaking up in your defense whenever House Regalia and their allies tried to breach the subject of putting your fledgling state under sanctions."


    At this point, Azalea''s eyes began to redden again, and her voice began to crack periodically. Leonardo assumed that this is where things grew intolerable for the woman, and indeed, this was the dawn of a dark future for Azalea.


    The public opinion went from cursing Leonardo to speaking up for him, and all kinds of unremarkable ideas about patching up rtions with the young prince were called into question.


    Most of these ideas revolved around either offering a generouspensation of gold and jewelry, in addition to a considerable sum of energy crystals andnd. Of course, Azalea was also brought up often as a bargaining chip, alive or dead.


    Most people preferred offering her death as a show of sincerity and an apology, as they thought the only reason Leonardo red up was Azalea threatening to harm his adopted children.


    She was cursed for being a heartless bitch who even dared bring innocent children into a conflict of interest. One assassination attempt after another, and under the immense pressure of the public ire, even House Regalia began turning a blind eye to the abuse Azalea went through.


    One day, if it wasn''t for Jeffrey passing by, she would have been abducted into a silent alley by a group of horny bastards under the guise of seeking justice for Prince Leonardo. On that day, she begged Jeffery to help her out, and he arranged for her kidnapping on that same night, allowing her to leave Valdmor and the entire domain, crossing into the heart of the human domain on her own with a group of mercenaries.


    Luckily, the mes of war with House Grace allowed her to slip right through unquestioned, but the journey was arduous and tiring. At the end of her story, her cheeks were already stained with tears, flushed crimson, and her shoulders quivering.


    It was a very tough experience for a woman who used to live pampered in a noble house. Leonardo sighed, knowing that she needed a shoulder to cry on but he couldn''t be that shoulder.


    They were people from two different worlds, and Leonardo didn''t feel like getting attached to people who are virtually incapable of following in his steps. The only reason he epted Leona, Kieran, Pandora, and Juvia was their potential to be divinities in the future.


    As for everyone else? Leonardo sighed, slowly standing up to leave the room.


    "You can rest assured that you''re now in safe hands. However, take this experience as a lesson to strengthen your will, for a day when our paths inevitably deviate from one another is on the horizon."


    Leonardo''s almost silent footsteps were drowned by Azalea''s intermittent sobs. However, he didn''t turn back as he didn''t wish to provide her a false hope and an illusive sense of security. However, just as he reached out to the door, Azalea''s soft cry echoed throughout the room as she crashed into his back, hugging his waist tightly while wailing away.


    Feeling the soft body trembling as it clung to him, Leonardo felt helpless.


    Leonardo sighed again, merely standing there and allowing her to vent it out without much of a response.

 Chapter 76 Unorthodox War

    ?Ink as night was theke, bits of starlight and moon rays revealed the lurking beasts below the otherwise tranquil surface. Leonardo stood by the railing of his balcony, deep in thought as his eyes at times observed the sky and its three moons, thend afar and its seemingly endless army, and theke below for its depth remains a mystery unknown.


    "I''m very bad at this," Leonardo sighed after being silent for a while. Aria jumped off his shoulder andnded gracefully on the railings, her crimson eyes as inquisitive as always.


    "I''m a businessman who was taught the art of killing, not the art of war. As for matters of the heart? I''m very, and overwhelminglycking in that aspect."


    "However, no matter howcking I am, I''m still confused at how little these people that I would have considered beings of unfathomable power a few months back think of¡­ you know, the matters between man and woman."


    "I''m as proud as I am selfish. Perhaps the reason I rejected Azalea is that I can''t bring her back with me to the higher realms, but that would simply be part of it. If I''m being honest, the main reason is that I can''t leave my woman behind thinking that another man mayy hands on her."


    "Azalea isn''t like Pandora and Juvia, those two have the growth potential and won''t be some disposable junk to a behemoth like House Hestia. At least I''d like to believe that much. As for Leona and Kieran, even though I''m not sure about my master''s personality, I have a feeling that she won''t force me to abandon my adopted children, especially with their remarkable potential."


    "Ah, speaking of her, that brings me to the first of my worries and points of confusion," Leonardo''s lifeless eyes grew somewhat unfocused, the image of a petite, wild, scarred yet beautiful woman.


    He sighed, letting the worries in his heart float through his mouth, "I remember she wrestled me to the bed without a warning whatsoever. I thought I didn''t care whether I was her first orst, but after listening to Azalea, I now realize that I''m damn wrong about that¡­"


    A weird teasing light glimmered in Aria''s eyes, not having thought that the seemingly cold Prince Leonardo was the emotional type. However, thinking about it, if he wasn''t so emotional, he wouldn''t have gone through all of this.


    Then she tried to imagine her daughter throwing a man on her bed and knocking him unconscious with nothing but aggressive sex. She felt speechless¡­


    After Leonardo vented for a bit, sharpness returned to his eyes which were now dyed crimson once more. With a faint yet wicked grin, he faced the direction of not the army, but the Regalia Kingdom behind them.


    ¡­


    The next day quickly arrived. It was like any other ordinary day of the siege. However, the saints of the opposing army felt like something was amiss with the flow andmotion of the non-cultivators in the five districts of Grace Imperial City.


    The saints from House Regalia, House Samuel, and House Issac advanced to the forefront of the formation as they felt a surge of worldly energy aggregate in front of the five districts.


    One explosion of energy after another echoed as two pirs of emerald mes, and three pirs of wild energy soared into the clouds above, dering the presence of five saints unleashing their auras.


    Miko, Misaka, Sitri, Lucas, and Pandora''s auras exploded, their domains surging like five tides each superimposed on the next. One sonic boom after the other caused the hundreds of thousands of soldiers beyond the formation to clutch their ears as they buzzed, blood trickling down past their mped hands.


    "Insolence!"


    BOOM!


    The three saints echoed an identical sentiment as their auras also exploded, their domains merging seamlessly as a few powerful auras within the army also bloomed, surging to aid themander and his right and left vices. Quickly, the opposing domains merged into two conflicting tides that sted into one another a few miles away from the formation.


    "Not good!" The leading saint''s pupils constricted as the sneak attack was just a bait, and they fell right into it. However, it was already toote to take it back.


    "Protect everyone!"


    Shouted the saint. However, oddly enough, the world lost all its sound and color, and the soldiers stood rooted to their spots. However, it was just a misconception on the saint''s side because he was simply moving and talking too fast, it seemed as though no one was responding to his words.<novelnext></novelnext>


    From realizing his mistake to giving the orders, it was all within the gap in time preluding a beautiful explosion that shook heaven and earth.


    BOOM!


    Space twisted during the collision of two peak domains, rebounding into the massive collection of foot soldiers. A wave of dust, debris, flesh, and bone spread into the distance, mounted by no other than the miserable cries of the unfortunate soldiers closest to the siege towers.


    While the saints were busy warding off the aftershocks of such an apocalyptic explosion, five silhouettes sted through the curtains of destruction and rushed in the direction of Regalia Kingdom. Since they were flying at top speed, it wasn''t a puzzling conundrum as to their identities.


    Just as the saint was about to furiously shout, an oppressive bloodlust covered the earth and sky of the battlefield, even causing this second-cycle saint to falter in his train of thoughts, let alone the soldiers below.


    After the ughter at Crouching Dragon Province, Leonardo''s bloodthirsty aura grew almost substantial, suffocating the soldiers; cultivators and non-cultivators alike. Dense waves of blood rushed into the sky, swirling around a man d in ck robes and the three-meter tall halberd at his side.


    Deep crimson eyes peered through the silver mask on his face to re at the armies below, giving them the feeling of caged animals waiting for their inevitable ughter.


    "Bloodthirsty! What is the meaning of this?!" Roared the saint as he shot into the sky as well, floating right in front of Leonardo, his eyes red with rage. He didn''t even pause to question how this god of death appeared in front of him when he was supposedly dead.


    Leonardo tilted his head before his raspy voice echoed far and near, "What are you so flustered about? This is obviously my retaliation."


    "What fucking retaliation in a war?! Call back your subordinates immediately, lest we raze this city to the ground!" Spoke the saint through his gritted teeth. He received reports about Bloodthirsty and his unconventional methods, but he never thought that this madman would repeat his transgressions after Arcadia''s Wrath.


    "By the time you raze my city to the ground, my subordinates would have razed at least five of yours. They''re not moving armies, they''re five saints with the mission to ze a path of ughter through the four provinces. Let''s see who is willing to sacrifice more of their people for their own cause."


    Leonardo responded in a rather nonchnt tone, as though the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians had nothing to do with him.


    Off in the distance, Lexus''s heart throbbed with panic and anger as he heard those words. That Prince Leonardo is a madman, and hismander is just as much of a madman as well. He only considered Leonardo''s threats as something to take at face value, never thinking that he would actually follow up with his words.


    If Leonardo truly wished to establish a state on a throne of flesh and bones, asking him to take the lives of his citizens seriously was but a joke.


    "Of course, you can take your saints and intercept my subordinates, but then you''d have to leave me by myself with these courageous soldiers who dared raise arms against my House Grace!"


    "You''re simply using the context of war to avenge personal enmity!" The saint responded, his voice cold as he calmed down somewhat. He was absolutely furious to have lost so many of his soldiers, but he wasn''t some child who hadn''t seen the cruelty of the world before.


    However, as a man with multiple aplishments in the art of war, he respected as much as he feared this bloody concept. Now, to meet someone who didn''t care for the lives of the innocent, simply waging war to satisfy a selfish sense of indignation, his eyes zed with dense killing intent.


    Leonardo wasn''t the least bit bothered by this killing intent as he said, "His Highness said he doesn''t have the time to entertain your foolish games. You have two paths to choose from, each worse than thest."


    "My subordinates have already breached the defenses of the four provinces, rivers of blood might as well be running through their meadows as we speak. If you surrender now, you''ll have to give up those provinces to Prince Leonardo, or you can simply cling to a foolish hope of a textbook war and watch your soldiers fall to thest."


    "By the time you breach our city''s formations, you would be lucky to have the remnants of a squadron capable of marching into our territory to siege the pce. You''d have won the war, but lost millions of your people."


    Leonardo stretched a hand and clutched tightly at the pole of his halberd, his eyes cold and ruthless as he spoke tly, "Choose your path."

 Chapter 77 Between Righteous And Evil

    ?The saint was so angry he actually startedughing uncontrobly, hisughter shaking the heaven and earth, sending spatial ripples that sted into the defensive formation in the distance.


    A faint sheen of crimson aura shrouded Leonardo''s figure, protecting him from the stray fluctuations. He had to admit that this person was truly powerful, his dense essence energy touching the borders of space when excited.


    "All saints, go and hunt down those dogs! Leave this pretty thing to me!"


    His voice boomed through the battlefield, killing intent zing in his eyes. He was truly enraged now, but he wouldn''t bend down or take a step back for the sake of some psycho-maniac. He reached out toward the distantmanding tent as a faint humming sound echoed from its depth.


    A golden streak of light shot through like a strike of lightning before a metallic ng rang out from his palm. Looking closely, a golden spear wreathed in golden mes now rested in his hand, its mes dancing to the whims of his desire and aura.


    "I, Alfred of House Regalia, never took the life of an innocent man my entire life. Although my house is corrupted, where there is light, there is darkness."


    "I hoped to settle things peacefully, but your corruption puts the entity of House Regalia to shame! How many must die to satisfy your twisted sense of vengeance? Today, I''ll have your head hung on the tip of my spear."


    Alfred''s aura erupted like a golden pir of mes that connected the earth and the sky, dense waves of heat pushing the soldiers back.


    Leonardo''s bloodthirsty armament began to sizzle and boil from the intense heat, almost deformed out of shape in his hands. However, a pulse of destion swept across the halberd, extinguishing the heat.


    Leonardo didn''t have the patience to exin himself either, and his aura burst explosively. From the distance, people watched in awe as a dense pir of golden mes shed against a dense pir of boiling blood.


    "Die!"


    Alfred roared as he swept his spear in a full moon that drew in the entire pir of golden mes, condensing it into a disc of energy that whizzed through the air toward Leonardo''s midsection.


    Leonardo grasped his halberd vertically to block the iing attack, and the collision sent tremors throughout his body, his arms bending slightly from the pressure before he redirected the disc high into the air with a mind-numbing boom.


    The sound of air tearing apart whistled past his ears as the disc exploded into a golden midday sun. However, under the curtain of these mes, the ground began to sizzle and the soldiers'' clothes caught on fire. Leonardo barely had any time to admire the pyromancy techniques as a towering figure blocked him from the light.


    Alfred shadowed Leonardo''s figure as he brought his spear hacking down as though it was a staff. Leonardo snorted coldly, raising his halberd in a horizontal stance this time around. However, his grasp over the halberd''s shaft was very light, merely providing a pivoting juncture for when the iing attack struck.


    With a loud ng, Alfred''s eyes constricted as he struck the shorter end of the halberd near its base, causing the extended section crowned by a menacing de to whirl through the air, striking at his face. He immediately took advantage of the recoil to tilt his head back in retreat, only for the cold semicircr, serrated de to splinter his cheek open.


    Blood sshed as a bone-deep cut ran from Alfred''s chin to his cranium, iming his left eye in the process. This move bypassing counterattacking, simplyying down a death trap within the enemy''s attack shook Alfred to the core.


    Leonardo''s halberd was yet to stop its crazy spinning due to the fierce inertia, it appeared like a replica of Alfred''s golden disc, but only this one was dense red with a hint of ashen gray.


    Cold gasps echoed far and near from the soldiers below the two saints.


    The fight almost ended before it even started, shocking them speechless. Even Lexus in the distance couldn''t help but suck in a cold breath of air after observing Leonardo''s battle instinct. However, Leonardo didn''t give Alfred the time to bask in the shock of narrowly escaping indirectlymitting suicide; he directly flung the spinning Halberd in a ted angle towards Alfred who instinctively dodged to the side.


    However, the instant he dodged, miserable screams and the sounds of flesh tearing and bodies sting apart buzzed in his ears. Enraged, he looked down only to see Leonardo''s attack indiscriminately reaping the lives of his soldiers until the momentum of the spear ground to a halt, its de wedged deep into a random soldier''s chest.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "BLOODTHIRSTY YOU BASTARD!"


    Boom!


    Alfred''s body exploded into mes as he leaned forward like a leopard before stepping on empty air andunching himself once again at Leonardo. He figured that Leonardo could remotely control his weapon since it was impossible for the inertia''s momentum alone to carry out such a ughter.


    Of course, Leonardo only utilized his weapon that way because he felt it would have been far too wasteful to rely on his own strength to mitigate the power contained within. Thus, he generously passed down Alfred''s passion to his soldiers.


    Learning from his previous experience, Alfred didn''t hack down with his spear but rather stabbed forward with it. His hands bulged with veins, his knuckles creaked, and a spear image that threatened to rip space itself sealed Leonardo''s path to advance or retreat.


    "You already knew what kind of character I am, yet you dare send people my way? Was the ravine of demise not enough for you? Was the one-sided massacre in the Crouching Dragon Province not enough? What do you people have to prove so badly?"


    ng!


    Just as the spear was about to pierce Leonardo''s chest, his halberd condensed from the blood once again and smashed it away, barely scraping past his right shoulder. Leonardo then propelled himself backward from the impact, stabilizing himself in the air as his ck robes fluttered furiously.


    "Stop ying these stupid games of right and wrong with me! Everyone who came marching against Prince Leonardo marched with conviction to look death in the eye! Well, open your goddamn eyes, I am death!"


    Leonardo''s aura exploded once more as he bolted towards the staggering Alfred with his halberd hacking down like a falling red moon. Alfred quickly propped his spear up horizontally to block, but the halberd quickly dissolved into a bloody mist a hair away from the collision, throwing Alfred off guard.


    Before he could even register the sudden change, a heavy foot mmed into his chest, caving it down so hard a footprint bulged from his back. After a moment of silence, a sonic boom shook heaven and earth as Alfred came crashing down into the center of his military camp.


    Only his spear remained in the air as Leonardo''s kick numbed his nerves to the extent he subconsciously let go of his weapon. However, the spear didn''t hang in the air for long before Leonardo kicked it piercing toward Alfred''s forehead.


    An overwhelming sense of danger forced Alfred to roll out of the way. The next moment, it was as though a golden sun exploded in the midst of the army, mes rushing like a massive tide that charred the soldiers ck.


    Lexus'' expression was ugly because he was caught in the radius of the explosion. However, the reason his expression was ugly was the fact that his energy subconsciously circted to protect him from the heatwave, and only saints can project their energy outside their bodies to construct protective membranes.


    He just happened to look up to find a pair of crimson eyes staring intently at him. Leonardo''s attack was an attempt on Alfred''s life, a blow to ughter the soldiers, and a means to probe Lexus'' cultivation base.


    This attack scored full marks in Leonardo''s opinion as this allowed him to expose a hidden saint in the army''s camp. Of course, he also had Juvia who was watching the battle through the observatory formations with Leona and Kieran by her sides.


    "Why bother holding back? By trying to protect them, you''re simply signing your own death warrant."


    Leonardo looked into the heart of the explosion where Alfred stood up in his battered state, his military uniform in shambles and golden mes flickering in his eyes.


    Leonardo sighed, "Really, why bother?"

 Chapter 78 Ruthless

    ?Although the army in its entirety wasn''t wiped out, at this point, over eighty percent of them were dead. Those yet to perish were the lucky ones on the fringes of the formation, nowhere near the epicenter of the battlefield.


    Alfred was truly enraged at this point as he couldn''t understand how someone''s heart could grow so cold and indifferent to the plight of the weak. Leonardo seemed to see right through Alfred''s struggles, causing him to snort derisively.


    "Don''t give me that conflicted look. Oh, you so righteous man of moral values. Don''t give me that bullshit about good within evil, and evil within good. Just because your house has a few righteous souls doesn''t exempt you from condemnation."


    "If you''re so bothered about the lives of the innocent, go preaching to your family and higher-ups, what? You don''t dare?! Of course, you wouldn''t dare, that''s all that you amount to after all of this."


    "Come, let us exchange a few more blows, I''m curious how many of your soldiers will make it out of this ce alive by the time you finallye to your senses and cede those provinces to Prince Leonardo!"


    Alfred''s rage drove his rationality to borderline insanity at this point. He was way stronger than Lenardo, he could clearly feel that his opponent was only at level 41, while he was a second-cycle saint at level 54.


    If he went all out, he was sure to st Leonardo to pieces within ten moves at the cost of his army and the lives of everyone within the Grace Imperial City. Forget the destructive power and pressure of his domain, the spatial distortions alone are enough to bring an apocalypse onto thisnd, shaking the foundations of the five districts, the pce, and the surrounding terrain.


    Of course, this was only possible because the defensive formation was running low on energy. Otherwise, the formation could easily stabilize the space within its range. Just as Alfred was thinking about whether it truly was worth it or not, hismunication bracelet began to blink frantically.


    At the same time, both Leonardo''s and Lexus'' bracelets began to blink as well. However, the only one to rejoice with this sudden change was Leonardo, his crimson eyes were practically glinting with mirth.


    Pandora and Lucas infiltrated the enemy castles of the feudal lords in their respective provinces and silently ughtered the noble families to theirst, not even sparing the youngsters. As for Sitri, Miko, and Misaka, their aplishments were much bloodier as they weren''t skilled in either concealment arts or espionage and sabotage.


    However, their firepower wasn''tcking, especially in enemynds where the enemy was forced to hold back in fear of friendly fire. Of course, they followed Leonardo''s orders to the letter; no scrupulous whatsoever.


    The saints that followed them instantly gave up because they couldn''t bear it any longer, they were helpless to watch the people dying left and right while being incapable of helping or saving them. This was simply too ruthless.


    In the distance, Lexus'' gaze was as sharp as a sword as his lips moved, seemingly muttering something to himself. However, in response to his muttering, the shuddering Alfred silently calmed down. He was so angry he actually went from one extreme to the other, his aura gradually receding along with his domain.


    Only when he retracted his domain did half the pressure burdening on the soldiers below ease up. Next, Leonardo smiled faintly as he withdrew his bloodthirsty domain as well, allowing the incapacitated soldiers, at least those yet to perish from them. However, those could only wait until their mentality breaks down in miserable agony as a wave of mental exhaustion washed over them, knocking them unconscious.


    "Well, I''ll be magnanimous enough and allow you to take these prisoners of war ransom free. I''m in a good mood today, I must report back the sess of this campaign while you tidy up the necessary paperwork!"


    After waving his hand gracefully, Leonardo shot back through the formation, flying directly into his pce. On the outside, hundreds of thousands of citizens began to cheer loudly. Although they couldn''t hear the dialogue going on between Leonardo and the other saint, they knew that their city was under the protection of a godlike existence who blocked an entire army on his own.


    Especially the hot-blooded youths, they felt invigorated and riled up.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Dammit, all!" Alfred stabbed his golden spear into the ground. However, he didn''t discharge any power whatsoever, saving the terrain from any further suffering.


    "Don''t worry, I have some good news anyway," Lexus stepped into the field of destruction, standing right next to Alfred with his hands sped behind his back.


    "Five out of the six devil saints have been mysteriously captured by someone unknown and dropped into the custody of the elves. They kept the men and gifted the two women to the beastkin, specifically the lizardmen tribe; those lizards are easily infatuated with beautiful human women."


    "What has that got to do with us?" Asked a confused Alfred, "I mean, that''s certainly good news since we could focus our war efforts on two fronts with the decline of five powerful saints, but the war here is already over."


    Lexus shook his head, "This is merely one battle, not the war. The good news about it is that the leader of the six ims that their faction is in opposition to Leonardo''s, and we agreed to help him fight it off with him. As long as we don''t directly interfere or kill Leonardo, but create an opportunity for Xavier instead, we don''t need to worry about repercussions in the future."


    Alfred tugged at his spear before resting it on his shoulder, frowning as he said, "Should we really be drawn into the conflict of such powers? I don''t like the sound of this, we might simply get swallowed up in the storm. Although I''m angry, I can''t deny that we touched Leonardo''s bottom line first in this matter."


    "Don''t fool yourself," Lexus shook his head and sighed, "That bottom line is just an excuse. Well, even if it wasn''t, I''m sure he would havee up with something else as an excuse sooner orter¡­"


    Lexus''munication bracelet began to blink again, confusing him. Thus, he hurried to view the contents of the transmission, his expression growing cold.


    Alfred could tell from Lexus'' expression that it was anything but good news, his gut feeling telling him that it had to do with that Leonardo fellow.


    "What is it?" Alfred asked in a cold voice.


    Lexus took a deep breath before shaking his head, not feeling like pping his own face. Thus, he turned around and left the battlefield without a word.


    ¡­


    Inside the pce, Leonardo switched out his Bloodthirsty uniform and returned to his white garments. With a faint smile, he entered his bedroom chambers to find Juvia waiting on him in snow-white lingerie, copsing directly into his embrace.


    He hugged her thin waist gently before whispering into her long, pointed ear, "Is it done?"


    Her hourss figure shivered from the stimtion as she tightened her arms around his neck, exhaling softly with a trembling voice, "Beautifully done, dear!"

 Chapter 79 House Erudite Influence

    ?Leonardo and Juvia spent the rest of the day and the entire night indulging in a celebratory atmosphere. Well, it was as celebratory as it was sensually satisfying.


    Only the midday sun of the following day managed to rattle the pair awake from their deep slumber.


    The first to wake up was Juvia. She wrapped her arm around Leonardo''s shoulders, softly caressing his sharp countenance, meticulously tracing the sharp angles of his face as her heart throbbed.


    Leonardo slowly woke up, only to find the beautiful elf weighing down on his chest with her bountiful breasts, her misty eyes as though soulbound to him. Juvia stared down Leonardo''s eyes searching for an expression of affection in his befuddled eyes, but ultimately, his unfocused gaze was as lifeless as it would have been during his focus.


    Sharpness quickly returned to his eyes as he reciprocated her infatuated experience with a faint, t smile.


    "Things are bound to get lively in no time, hurry up and apany me back to the Imperial Capital so that we coordinate with Queen Adeline."


    Leonardo then kissed Juvia''s t forehead, hinting for her to get off him already. Very quickly, Leonardo and Juvia left the bedroom chambers and entered the bathing chambers to get themselves ready for a long day in the Imperial Capital.


    ¡­


    The Imperial Capital was as bustling as usual with its millions of citizens and visitors for the purpose of culture and trade. However, the closer one got to the heart of the city, the less hustle and bustle there was. Apparently, a solemn atmosphere clouded the ever-bright skies of the capital.


    An emergency assembly of the royal court was called for today, with representatives of the Venus and Exodia households joining the session. This would be marked as an unprecedented asion where the three powers, seven vassals, thirty-six prefectures, and seventy-two provinces convene for an emergency meeting.


    Each of the three powers is in joint control of twelve prefectures between themselves and House Erudite, a behemoth neutral power that is imed to be the founding power behind the religious faith of the Arcadian Church.


    One can even say that if the ruling powers control the martial prowess of the human domain, then the public mighty in the hands of House Erudite. Since ancient times and through the War of Dominion, House Erudite maintained a neutral stance as long as no one infringed upon or sphemed the dignity of Goddess Arcadia.


    They only began to make movements after the phenomenon was publicly recognized as a manifestation of Arcadia''s Wrath after the bloody massacre in the Crouching Dragon Province.


    Hence, the only power capable of summoning the various factions of the human domain would be House Erudite. As for why everyone was gathering in the royal court for the uing meeting, those with sufficient resources and deep enough foundations already know the answer, and those with wide enough connections know a thing or two about it.


    On this day and after a long flight on the back of an imperial wyvern, Leonardo and Juvia stepped down in front of the massive entrance gates to the Imperial Pce.


    This time, Leonardo didn''t need to waste time going through the royal pces, but he would directly make his way into the vast halls of the imperial pce to engage in some small talk with the various vassals and feudal lords.


    As Leonardo and Juvia made their way through the gates and winding, narrow pathways, they were escorted into a spacious open courtyard not the least bit inferior to a grand football stadium in Leonardo''s eyes.


    The various representatives young and old suddenly quieted down following Leonardo''s arrival. Looking through the crowd, Leonardo spotted a particrly inconspicuous servant with shy golden hair and baby blue eyes shuttling through the crowd with some champagne and refreshments.


    Leonardo beckoned over, and the servant made his way toward them. Juvia sped her mouth In unconcealed shock upon witnessing Lucas passing his time as an imperial servant in the heart of the capital, unable to believe her eyes.


    Leonardo tucked at her white, elbow-length gloves to calm down. If it weren''t for her martial intent of a much superiorw, she wouldn''t have noticed Lucas mingling with the crowd of servants.


    Lucas'' martial intent revolves around the mystery of oblivion, confusing the senses of those actively attempting to remember him. He was like an ephemeral ghost in the memories of people, illusory and vague. This has nothing to do with one''s cultivation, but it leans towards thews which their martial intents are derived from.


    Thews of oblivion in the middle realms can''tpare to thews of destion in the higher realms. Thus, the mystifying sense of loss epassing everyone present didn''t include Leonardo and Juvia.


    Lucas was also moved that there existed people who wouldn''t forget about his existence the moment they turned the other way. In fact, while others may envy his martial intent, he detested it.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Not even his closest of kin remember he even existed ever since he awakened this martial intent. Heck, not even his birth mother had any recollections of giving birth to a son, let alone someone in histe twenties already. This contradiction of being confident she gave birth yet not remembering her own son drove the woman insane.


    His father was also confused, and countless theories and suspicions arose.


    Was the child kidnapped?


    Was he aborted?


    Was he the father? He didn''t remember making his wife pregnant at all.


    Did she cheat on him? She couldn''t remember the process of pregnancy or getting impregnated at all, but her body wouldn''t lie to her.


    Lucas always treated his oblivion martial intent as a curse, he simply drifted along with life like the clouds in the sky. Only recently on that eve while drinking wine did someone notice his existence in this world, and that was Leonardo.


    Actually, not even Sitri and the rest were aware of Lucas seated right next to them back then. If it wasn''t for Leonardo pointing it out, they might have overlooked the young man entirely.


    Thus, Lucas was always enthusiastic about meeting and talking with Leonardo, even if he didn''t know how to exactly express it.


    "How are you blending in so far?" Leonardo asked in a whisper as he picked up a wine ss from the silver te, red as blood, swaying gently in his hand before he took a sip.


    "It shouldn''t be a problem to infiltrate the delegates from House Erudite during the meeting, boss!" Responded Lucas as he handed a wine ss to Juvia, who calmed down considerably by now. Listening to their conversation, Juvia''s eyes brightened withprehension.


    She realized that Lucas must have joined the delegation of a certain vassal and switched professions the moment he made it into the Imperial Capital, that would be the only exnation.


    She had to admit that Lucas was more suited to espionage and infiltration than Pandora. Thetter could only work as a proficient assassin, the former can work as an intelligence agent.


    Leonardo nodded. He thought to bring Lucas with him to the higher realms and offer his virginity to a woman of higher potential, that way his martial intent wouldn''t be wasted. However, he quickly denied that thought because it would be unfair to Lucas for one, and a higher cultivation base doesn''t necessarily attribute better to this kind of profession.


    Furthermore, there was no guarantee that a middle realm''sw would function as smoothly in the higher realms, not to mention that this intent could be exclusive to Arcadia as a, not the middle realm as a whole. Hence, he was quick to deny the notion.


    "Good, I want you to infiltrate the intelligencework established by House Erudite," Leonardo smiled faintly, patted Lucas on the shoulder, and walked past him into the courtyard.


    House Erudite''s intelligencework is spread throughout the three domains, all thanks to their Arcadian Doctrine of the Arcadian Church. It could be said that House Erudite is the only power with deep roots in all three domains due to its neutrality and ancient foundations. The only blind eye to them is the Forbidden Domain, as the supreme power endorsing House Erudite is nothing but an ancient pact between the three sovereigns and five emperors.


    Of the five emperors, Leonardo only met Queen Adeline, but meeting one is already enough. Since the meeting is scheduled forter this evening, Leonardo felt like walking aimlessly around the Imperial Pce with Juvia.


    As the two of them roamed the halls at theirx pace, they seemed to go deeper and deeper without realizing that they''d already deviated from the public areas. However, the guards simply watched them roam around without any hint of disturbing them, especially after Leonardo''sst visit.


    Suddenly, after a random turn, Leonardo and Juvia bumped into someone unexpectedly.


    A gasp of shock followed by the sound of ornaments crashing into the cold tiles, and a young, tall, blonde woman stumbled back into one of the high walls while covering her mouth.


    "Oh, if it isn''t Princess Veronica? What a pleasant surprise," Leonardo smiled faintly at this encounter.

 Chapter 80 A Huge Trap

    ?Princess Veronica jumped in shock, not having expected to bump into the man from her nightmare in the depths of the Imperial Pce. From her reaction, four level 45 saints jumped into action, surrounding Leonardo and Juvia while maintaining their distance from the quivering Veronica.


    Looking at their reaction, Leonardo''s gaze went cold but his smile was ever-present as he said, "Do you really want to go through this again? Don''t say that your aunty told you o do this, that excuse is sickening."


    Of course, Leonardo spoke to Princess Veronica, who was too frightened to speak or act. However, Leonardo''s words brought her back to her senses and she shook her head while trembling.


    The guards almost couldn''t believe their eyes as they watched the all-proud and cold Princess Veronica quake in fear. One must know that she was Queen Adeline''s favorite rtive, no one dared make her suffer any grievances be it past, present, or future. Nheless, she was acting as though she saw a devil incarnate.


    "I am an old friend of your little princess, you can drop your hostility before someone gets hurt now," Leonardo then directed his lifeless gaze to the four saints. Specifically, the two in front, as he didn''t even bother looking back at the other two.


    Leonardo knew that this Princess Veronica was in no state of mind to spend time around him, so he decided to take the initiative and walk past her in the opposite direction of wherever she was headed.


    Juvia looked curiously from Leonardo to Princess Veronica and vice versa, wanting to ask about their history. However, she knew that for one, she didn''t have the qualifications to question Leonardo. Two, this isn''t the right time or ce. Three, Leonardo always kept the matters of the house inside the house and the matters outside of it outside.


    "W-wait a moment!" Just as Leonardo and Juvia were pulling the distance between them and Princess Veronica''s entourage, she called out for Leonardo with her yet to stabilize, melodious voice. Apparently, this woman was already traumatized after thest experience.


    Leonardo could only me their weak personalities on Queen Adeline and her pacifistic approach to the world of cultivation as a whole. Nheless, Leonardo turned back and gave this princess a silent look.


    A moment passed, but she wasn''t saying anything, merely looking from her imperial guards to Juvia, seemingly wanting to say something yet not knowing how to say it.


    Leonardo understood her meaning and said, "Juvia, you can head back as I will have this private conversation with Princess Veronica,"


    Without a question or hesitation, Juvia nodded her head with a faint smile, walking over to the guards as she said, "Hey guys, mind escorting me back to the open courtyard? I might get lost otherwise."


    The imperial guards were also smart enough to read between the lines, and since Leonardo was also a mere human non-cultivator, he wouldn''t be able to harm Princess Veronica with her protective items on her body. Hence, they sheathed their weapons and left together with Juvia.


    Princess Veronica struggled to calm down before holding Leonardo by his sleeve and dragging him deeper into the pce. As they walked, she said in a whisper-like voice, "This is a huge trap, we can''t talk here!"


    Leonardo''s eyes shed with surprise, wondering what kind of a trap this was and for whom it was set up. However, he didn''t care as he had expected this much after offending Lexus and indirectly admitting to sowing discord between the two domains of the humans and the elves.


    This is also an opportunity to test how far is Queen Adeline willing to go for hum. In any case, the more hostile they are to him now, the more of an excuse he''d have to strike back at their powers. The only question remains is who would strike first, especially with the knowledge that someone from a supposedly opposing faction to him had appeared.


    Leonardo wasn''t stupid, he guessed that they weren''t opposing him, but rather opposing House Hestia. This matter gave him some worry as he didn''t know how things were going on Nier''s side. She briefly exined that House Hestia became the target of multiple powers, but even they had no idea how many of them there were or who they were.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Since they dared make a move on one of Nier''s privates in the middle realms, they most likely enacted a scheme to divert her attention. As for how dangerous that scheme was, he didn''t know.


    There was also the chance that she wasn''t trapped but simply busy running around the upper realms and was unaware of these pests sneaking into her. Nheless, he was determined to clean up the mess.


    Very quickly and quietly, Princess Veronica brought Leonardo into a private hall that wasn''t so spacious. Inside the hall, she closed the doors and activated some formations on the side panel, illuminating the room with a sh of silver light as countless inscriptions linked up on the walls and the ceiling.


    With all of that handled, she sighed in relief and looked back at Leonardo who was eyeing her calmly with his hands tucked away into his pocket.


    She blinked curiously, "Aren''t you worried that I isted you from your guardian to kill you?"


    As she asked, her aura began to visibly fluctuate. Although she wasn''t a saint yet, a non-cultivator was nothing more than an ant to a fourth-cycle mortal cultivator.


    Leonardo eyed her with some interest as he asked in return, "Are you that naive? Even if I was to lie down in the middle of the streets and sleep, no one would dare kill me; in fact, Adeline would waste no effort to make sure I wasn''t killed within the borders of her Imperial Capital."


    Leonardo found a decent chair in the room to take a seat as he rxed and shot his second question, "So, what trap are you talking about?"


    The moment he sat down, spatial fluctuations rippled from the table in front of him as a delicate assortment of fruits arranged on a transparent te appeared on the table. Acting somewhat surprised, Leonardo picked up a string of grapes before popping them into his mouth.


    Princess Veronica''s tough act deted as she sighed, realizing that this guy wasn''t so easily tricked. She hoped to scare him into revealing his background because just as he said, her aunt said that it was an existence they couldn''t afford to offend, not as a ruling power, and not as a domain.


    Although some spections revolved around the domain behind the Sky Mountains, those were simply spections based on surface clues.


    "I''m really curious about your origins though!" She decided to be open and direct about her inquiries, taking a seat in front of Leonardo.


    She didn''t say, but these formations were capable of detecting lies based on heartbeat, mental fluctuations, blood cirction, and breathing. Hence, while it seemed like she was simply curious, she was actually interrogating him.


    Leonardo didn''t seem to sense any of this as he responded with a faint smile, "My origins? Nothing great really, just some backwater ce as far as it could get from the cultivation civilizations"


    ? Leonardo''s sincere expression caused Princess Veronica to gape in shock, mainly because the formation didn''t react negatively to his answer. However, she quickly realized the loophole in her question. His origins didn''t matter as much as his current status and the organization behind him.


    She wanted to press further when Leonardo waved his hand impatiently, saying, "Aren''t you going to tell me about this trap House Erudite is tossing my way?"

 Chapter 81 On The Mountain Peak

    ?Evening.


    On the side of a mountain peak behind the imperial grounds, hundreds of people gathered. They were the masters of their respective regions apanied by their handpicked representatives for this gathering.


    On the nted mountain peak rested three jade white thrones veiled in a screen of light blocking the vision and perception of the people below. ording to status and prestige, even though this was the heart of House Sylvia''s territory, the highest throne was reserved for House Exodia, with House Venus and House Sylvia seated left and right respectively.


    "Her Majesty''s vor is really something else."


    Said a man in the crowd, his sentiment echoed by those around him. People of their status are all too used tovish halls and extravagance. Now, having to meet up outside in the lush yet empty wilderness gave some of them a novel feeling, but some of them felt something else entirely.


    Guests and representatives were still filing in either on flying mounts or via a long staircase that stretched to the bottom of the mountain. However, even those that came flying didn''t dare go over the heads of the three thrones on the peak.


    Within moments, the dusky sky turned dim, then starlight and moonlight lit the mountain peak as a soft breeze went by. Apanying the descent of moonlight, Leonardo ascended the final step to the staircase with Juvia following closely behind him.


    The pair instantly drew everyone''s attention as the entire meeting was practically a covert operation targeting Leonardo. Of course, not all sides were against Leonardo as some of them were simply neutral, while some of them offered their silent support.


    For example, it could be said that by arranging for everyone to have a level ground of discussion, unlike the usual settings where the various powers and representatives are differentiated through their privileged seats, Queen Adeline was already expressing her silent support to Leonardo.


    Hence, of those that were originally of opposing opinions to the young man, they switched neutral. As for the neutral camp, some of them were emboldened into supporting his cause.


    Leonardo came dressed in white robes and a long imperial cape with the emblem of House Grace imprinted on its back, and a crimson-rimmed crest of gold pinned to his chest. Looking closely, the star that ought to be crimson in the angel''s hands on his crest was actually glimmering white, dense essence energy fluctuations pulsating from its depths.


    This was a condensed essence energy crystal, a whole tier above the usual energy crystals countless powers disy to unt their wealth. While everyone was drawn to the extravagance of this imperial crest, another woman ascended the stairs and followed after Leonardo, stunning everyone once again.


    This was a mature beauty d in the Sylvian royal dress, her golden hair in a high imperial bun that allowed the beauty of her immacte face, speckless emerald eyes, and pale white neck to bloom in the eyes of the onlookers.


    Now, even the opposing factions were stunned and speechless by Princess Veronica personally apanying Prince Leonardo to the mountain peak. Then, gasps of air resounded when Princess Veronica stepped forward and allowed Prince Leonardo to lead her by her dainty hand, even though it was clothed in a long white glove.


    When the pair met eyes, Princess Veronica gave him a meaningful nce to remember their agreement in the hall of secrets. As for Prince Leonardo, he responded with a t smile before bringing her hand up to kiss it lightly, indicating his position.


    However, this whole act drew a rather ambiguous message in the eyes of the crowd, wild spections flying about in their minds.


    Even Princesses Veronica was stunned as she hadn''t expected him to go so far and in public nheless. However, she was a practiced nobility and quickly controlled her emotions, not showing any expression on her face other than a cordial, polite smile. However, she clenched her hand and dug her nails lightly into Leonardo''s flesh in retaliation.


    She agreed to apany him up the stairs, but he went and took advantage of their deal to shake the confidence of those with a wait-and-see attitude. Now, other than the three ruling powers, two factions of immense influence joined the party.


    House Erudite with their clear ancestry and House Grace with their mysterious yet frightening background.


    From House Erudite''s camp, Lexus impatiently stepped forward and pped his hands to receive everyone''s attention. Then, he faced the direction of the three thrones and bowed lightly, followed by almost everyone else.


    Then, light shrouded the mountain peak as boundless pressure descended to envelop the crowd. This was the formless domain of a third-cycle saint. However, it was unknown whether they were within the lower or upper boundaries of level 60.


    Almost every saint exhausts their potential at level 61, very few make it to level 65, and Leonardo assumed that other than the sovereigns who capped at level 70; half-step divinities, the most one can reach is level 68.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Although they are only nineyers from 61 to level 70, those nineyers are like heaven and earth as each individualyer represents a qualitative change in someone''s essence energy.


    Anyway, the pressure weighing down on the crowd was a high-key deration of presence so that the people wouldn''t kneel down to empty thrones which would have been quite awkward. As the pressure enveloped everyone, they kneeled in respect.


    Be it those from House Erudite, the princes that lord over the thirty-six prefectures, the dukes that lord over the seventy-two provinces, and the feudal lords that enjoy their independent, minor provinces in the cracks of power. Only Leonardo and Juvia kept to their feet, though Juvia was suffering greatly from the formless pressure that threatened to shatter her bones.


    As for Leonardo, as the pressure invaded his body, it would be quickly, cleanly, and silently cleansed by his deste martial intent. No kidding, not even the will of an entire could shake the internals of his body, let alone thebined wills of three saints.


    Of course, if they decided to attack and shockwaves of power rippled into his body, that would be a totally different story. At most, he could maintain his little life for a moment of consciousness before being sted to pieces.


    Luckily, everyone was focused on paying their due respects and didn''t have the time to pay attention to Leonardo, save for Princess Veronica and the three emperors; King Ivar, King Austin, and Queen Adeline.


    The three of them nced over Leonardo''s body, their thoughts are known only to their respective hearts.


    Queen Adeline of House Sylvia smiled imperceptibly, seemingly not surprised the least that their wills couldn''t affect his body the least.


    King Ivar of House Exodia creased his brows ever so slightly, inadvertently increasing the volume of his will probingly, wondering if there existed a treasure on Leonardo''s body to protect him.


    King Austin of House Venus smiled amicably, hiding the shock in the depths of his honey-brown eyes. He could feel his will dissipate inside Leonardo''s body as though it was a mist floating above the surface of a calm, deste sea, never to return. He was trying to confirm whether Leonardo was truly a non-cultivator, but he came to the same conclusion as King Ivar.


    "Does House Grace fancy your Princess Veronica? Could it be that an auspicious joining of your two noble houses will be announced as an additional agenda on this fine evening?"


    King Austin couldn''t find anything from Leonardo, and since his Kingdom wasn''t far off from the Sylvians, he decided to probe and satiate his curiosity. After all, the only person to have met Leonardo in private was Queen Adeline, hence it was only natural to guess that she knew him best among their trio.


    Queen Adeline chuckled lightly and responded, "Who knows, a little bird told me that they''ve been all alone for quite a while now. Leave the youngsters and their house games themselves, and we, the adults, can focus on our game of chess."


    Queen Adeline was tactfully saying that even if something did happen between Leonardo and Veronica, that wouldn''t impact the big picture nor would she use it as a political bridge between her factions and the mysterious existence behind Leonardo.


    Although this deration was reassuring, no one can see the future or predict the sways of the winds. Thus, King Austin simply smiled in return while his focus shifted back to the gathering below.


    "Rise," Hemanded lightly.


    Following the majestic voice, everyone rose to their feet as the pressures dissipated into formlessfort, allowing the cold breeze to once again brush past their faces young and old.


    As everyone silently waited, Lexus stepped forward from House Erudite''s entourage, a long scroll in his hand.


    Leonardo wasn''t looking at Lexus, but at the young blonde man who silently stood to the side behind the Erudites. That was Lucas, hence, Leonardo smiled brilliantly.


    The show will start now¡­

 Chapter 82 Five Agendas

    ?The moment Lexus took to the stage with hisrge scroll, the crowd began to shift once again, each individual seeking their circle of connections properly. Around this time, Veronica joined with the royal children of House Sylvia, whilst the royal children of the other two ruling powers also joined up in their respective camps.


    Behind these groups were the vassals of the seven kingdoms who supported each ruling house respectively, while a chosen minority stood to the side, taking a neutral stance.


    Other than the groups of princes and vassal kingdoms, the lords of the remaining provinces also split up into five factions; some of them chose between the ruling powers and House Erudite, and the rest took a neutral stance.


    Out of everyone present, only Leonardo stood there with Juvia by his side. Other than being alone, what drew everyone''s attention was Juvia''s identity as an elf. However, Leonardo didn''t seem to mind at all, in fact, he waved his hand and summoned a crimson high throne from his spatial ring and sat upon its chair, Juvia climbing to stand behind him respectfully.


    Lexus was about to open his mouth and speak when he saw this, his words were swallowed back into his throat from shock and anger. The gathering has yet to start but Leonardo ced himself in a higher position than everyone else, save for the Three Emperors.


    It was like stating that he was below the emperors and above everyone else, dering his position. Moreover, while everyone is supposed to be standing on a level of equal ground, he went ahead to sit on a personal throne.


    Seeing that dumbfounded expression, Leonardo quite generously waved off his left hand, crossed his right leg over the left, and then rested his right cheek over his right hand''s knuckles.


    With azy smile, he seconded King Austin''smand, "Don''t look at me like that, you may already begin this meeting as this seat doesn''t have all night to wait for you."


    The gestures, tone, voice, and look in Leonardo''s eyes as he didn''t refer to himself with the appetion of a Prince but rather as an independent seat of power made Lexus'' eyes turn red. However, Lexus didn''t need to say anything for two reasons; first, it''s useless, and second, other people who foolishly jump into a fire pit would do the talking instead.


    "How preposterous!"


    "Young man, have a sense of propriety and behave yourself. You''re a fledgling prince with little to no territory under your name, let alone any ancestral heritages. You''re being way too disrespectful to the high crowns and their vassals."


    "Get down here this instant, stop fooling around!"


    "This is what happens when you indulge children too much, it gets to their heads."


    "You can''t say that- look at the royal children; reserved and humble. That''s how it should be."


    "I mean yeah, they have enjoyed imperial education since young, it only makes sense to be so."


    Leonardo only met up with the pampered bunch of the royal children, as the more capable ones are delegated to their own regions to oversee its industrial and agricultural development while engaging in politics and border defense warfare. Hence, while the royal children Leonardo met back then could be considered a group of immature brats, this group is the fine elites that climbed their way through unseen struggles.


    It could be seen from theirprehension and tacit understanding of the situation, calm disposition, and reserved saint aura.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo looked at the subordinates of the third-rate powers and their factions moring like dogs, but he wholeheartedly ignored them.


    Young and old, wise and fool, ringleaders and yes men, all of them were ignored as he continued tozily eye Lexus. As the ruckus grew louder and louder, things almost got out of hand, but Leonardo remained as nonchnt as ever, not nning to grace them with as much as a second nce, let alone a reply.


    Lexus finally waved a hand and said, "You all must remember that Prince Leonardo''s origins are his own, and he might conform to traditions unknown to us, what do we have to criticize Prince Leonardo for?"


    He then looked up at Leonardo on his high throne, albeit reluctantly, and continued, "You''re fortunate that we are a benevolent folk, and we can tolerate this much at least, regardless of your intentions."


    Lexus didn''t care to borate his meaning to the masses. Those who understand, understand. Those who don''t understand, may never understand.


    Following this, he nced over his scroll once again and spoke, "We have multiple agendas that will bring a monumental change to the Human Domain as we know it, and by extension, Arcadia as a whole if not sorted out efficiently."


    "First, it is an open secret by now that the rights of ascension to sovereignty lie in the hands of whichever ruling power to im the newly discovered energy vein in the Forbidden Domain. However, what should have been a covert operation indulging a handpicked group of businessmen somehow escted into a war that impacted the harmony of every faction stationed in the Forbidden Domain."


    "Second, putting aside the internal strife and conflicts of interest regarding the energy ore mine excavated on site, news leaked to the Elven Domain and Beastkin Domain. Fortunately, the Elven and Beaskin are united under the rule of a supreme power due to lineage and traditions, reducing their eagerness to fight for benefits, hence decreasing their contribution to the war efforts. In a sense, those drawn into the conflicts are individual lords forming temporary alliances and not the full might of their respective domains."


    "Third, the war only intensified when a party of organized saints and a troupe ofpetent mortals interfered andmitted a brutal act of undisguised, indiscriminate ughter. Capturing the women of both humans and elves to satisfy the desires of their flesh. However, this also links us to the fourth agenda."


    "Fourth, we revived reports that their entire party was wiped out by elven forces, with but only one survivor who happened to be in Valdmor at that time. For some inexplicable reasons, the elves believe that we are trying to protect this saint from fair and just retribution. This person''s background is as mysterious as Prince Leonardo''s, so I hope to get your full cooperation when ites to the fourth agenda or segment of this meeting."


    Lexus looked over at Leonardo with a faint smile, only to receive one of a kind apanied by azy response, "I''m starting to feel like the protagonist; all of your aforementioned segments somehow revolve around me. Ah, do continue, I''ll walk with you."


    No one else spoke a word in-between the exchange as words were meaningless at this point. Well, of course, Leonardo should feel like a protagonist.


    Did he think he could kick up a storm of chaos and wipe his butt clean from the karma involved? Howughable.


    To be fair, even Leonardo didn''t expect things to spiral so out of control.


    Lexus continued, "The fifth and final agenda, which is something although internal, is of utmost concern; Prince Leonardo''s recent campaign and war efforts. Those inhuman campaigns were a crime against humanity, not an act of war. If we don''t remedy Prince Leonardo''s methods of conquest and expansion, we look forward to a future Arcadia bathing in the blood of its natives."


    Lexus'' eyes grew sharp as he dered "The final segment is a vote on how to condemn and punish Commander Bloodthirsty for his conduct!"

 Chapter 83 Brazen And Daring

    ?The moment Lexus'' words sounded, all eyes focused on Leonardo to see his reaction. After all, no matter what, Bloodthirsty is a very powerful subordinate. Even as a level 41 saint, he could exchange blows with a level 54 powerhouse.


    Even though Alfred was holding back for obvious reasons, one can''t deny Bloodthirsty and hisbat prowess, especially in close-range situations. As for long-range? Rumors speak of a particrly frightening ranger under the man''smand, her concealment arts are something out of this world¡­


    "Do you have nothing to say before we start?" Lexus asked calmly, his hands sped behind his back. Of course, his question was aimed at everyone present, further emphasized by a cursory nce over the crowd.


    No one said a word, allowing Lexus to nod silently to himself. "My House Erudite is usually revered as a transcendent existence above the secr soil. However, we won''t deny that our foundations are deeply rooted within the secr world in the form of religious beliefs and establishments of faith."


    "In our doctrine, we believe that the Forbidden Domain is and forsaken, abandoned, and excluded from the mercy of Goddess Arcadia. Hence; our eyes, ears, and hearts bask in ignorance when ites to the development of such a cursednd of death and misfortune"


    "However, it is undeniable that thisnd harbors both good and evil, and within the dark clouds of misfortuney a silver lining of pitiful yet good fortune. For this bit of fortune, our brethren young and old are struggling amongst themselves and against our neighbors of elven and beastkin blood."


    "This war has been going on for over half a year now, by our humble estimates. Sadly, the repercussions of such a war have begun to influence our rtions with the elves and beastkin, straining the diplomatic ties and trade routes to the other two domains, especially throughout the Elven Empire. Hostilities are brewing and are inting in acts of abuse, discrimination, and business in bad faith between our two nations."


    Lexus closed his eyes to browse through his thoughts and double-check whether or not he forgot something. Meanwhile, the various representatives snuck covert nces at Juvia who was standing next to Leonardo.


    Of course, most of them were feeling ufortable about having this open discussion with the presence of an elf, not knowing how to express themselves without indirectly offending Juvia, and by extension, offending Prince Leonardo.


    Juvia seemed oblivious to these looks, but Leonardo wasn''t about to act like he saw nothing. However, he wouldn''t openly say anything about it either. Hence, after a brief deliberation, he hooked his right arm around Juvia''s thin waist before pulling her onto hisp.


    Juvia gasped in surprise, but she quickly toned down her vocals but it was toote. In the solemn and silent atmosphere, a feminine gasp of shock was particrly loud, drawing everyone''s attention. This time, they stared openly at the pair.


    Juvia saddled Leonardo''sp, her legs dangling off the throne as she pressed sideways against his chest, her arms instinctively hooked over his neck as she admired his sharp side profile.


    Juvia''s intoxicated expression and the blush that spread from her cheeks to her neck moved the hearts of plenty of young men.


    One particr prince under House Exodia finally couldn''t hold it in any longer and spoke with a hint of displeasure in his tone, "Please be mindful of your status, position, and current location. If you can''t reign in your frivolities, have someone escort that woman to a private chamber for the rest of the day!"


    "That''s right! What happens next? Are you going to start indulging in immoral acts just to unt your disrespect? We can ignore your insolence and erect a throne, but even buddha''s patience has a limit to it."


    "Or perhaps he''s trying to imply something. Think about it, while our fellow humans are out there suffering within the borders of the Elven Domain, he raised a female elf to the point where she could tantly intrude on such a sacred and confidential meeting. Who can guarantee that she''s no elven spy? Who can guarantee that she didn''t bewitch her way into our royal court discussions?!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    The more they spoke, the more rattled Juvia''s heart grew. She couldn''t deny that she was starting to feel displeased, especially when someone raised a point of her bewitching Leonardo to gain a foothold in the royal court.


    Although no one spoke in profanities as a show of respect to the three high crowns, their implicit meanings were as clear as day. Just as the buzzing of these flies start going into Juvia''s ears and out her eyes in a disy of cold killing intent in response to dragging Leonardo''s name into their cursing, thetter pinched her pointed chin and stered his lips on her own, sending her mind into absolute chaos.


    The brazen disy of affection lulled everyone into a brief moment of stunned silence before the mountain peak shook from their erupted rage at the total disregard.


    "That fool isn''t giving anyone any face," behind the screen of light, King Austin shook his head andughed bitterly, "On one hand, they''re throwing usations at him, saying that he was seduced by an elven spy. In response, instead of defending himself, he does the unexpected and showers the presumed spy in affection without a care in the world."


    "He knows if he takes a step back here today, he will keep retreating for the rest of his life," King Ivarmented coldly, seemingly reading through Leonardo''s character.


    "You have no idea what he dares and doesn''t dare to do," Queen Adeline decided toment on King Austin''sment, a bitter smile on her face.


    "Oh? Did he dare do something audacious?" King Austin asked curiously, even King Ivar turned over to nce at her. Between the three of them, secrets are redundant because they wouldn''t stoop so low as to expose one another in front of the subjects.


    On their level, it''s difficult to find a chat buddy, let alone a friend. Thus, they tacitly agreed to be open and candid with one another, but their conversations are kept to themselves.


    Whoever breaks this weird yet mutual trust will find themselves isted from the other two, which is quite unbearable, especially when the day to pass down the thronees and they find themselves ostracized from thepany.


    "What can I say? That brat dared p me in the face when I tested his character and bottom line," Queen Adeline admitted with a sigh, reaching to touch her left cheek with a vacant expression in her eyes.


    "He did what now?!" King Austin almost jumped off his throne, his expression betraying absolute shock. It was an expression begging for details.


    Even King Ivar was interested now.


    No one would believe that the three high crowns of the ruling powers had such a close rtionship while their respective kingdoms fought tooth and nail against each other.


    Queen Adeline proceeded to exin the events of that day, putting her emphasis on a conjecture that the small white fox is actually Leonardo''s spirit guardian and not any ordinary magical beast.


    After brewing over the matter, Queen Adeline also shared that although the little white fox gave off the fluctuations of a saint, even she couldn''t see through whichyer in which cycle it had reached. Perhaps, it was a high saint on their level¡­

 Chapter 84 Leonardo’s Response

    ?After brewing over the matter, Queen Adeline also shared that although the little white fox gave off the fluctuations of a saint, even she couldn''t see through whichyer in which cycle it had reached. Perhaps, it was a high saint on their level.


    The difference between high saints and regr saints is quiteplex. For now, just keep in mind that every high saint is a third-cycle saint, but not every third-cycle saint is a high saint. For instance, Queen Adeline''s twelve Sky Angels are third-cycle saints, but not one of them is a high saint.


    Any disciple with superb talent can change their way through the mortal cycles by simply umting energy. However, once they make it into sainthood, simply umting energy wouldn''t cut it, as they need toprehend their own essence and blend it into said energy, like a process of filtering the good and bad, and proceeding to umte the good essence on their path of cultivation.


    This precise process of filtering requires a deep understanding of worldly energy. The more finite the umted energy is, the harder it is to bnce and filter out the deficiencies. Subsequently, as a cultivator advancesyer afteryer, one level after another level, it bes even harder to filter out the worldly essence unique to their cultivation from the ambiance all around.


    Especially at theter stages of the saint realm, if they couldn''t find attributed treasures or natural environments thatplement their essence, furtherprehension and cultivation is but an impossibility. Thus, without sufficient talent,prehension abilities, luck, and fortune, it''s nigh impossible to reach the realms of a high saint, let alone achieve divinity on a like Arcadia in the middle realms.


    Even with the blessing of Arcadia as a whole, this ce could only produce three half-step divinities, which reflects on the difference between the higher and middle realms, let alone Earth which couldn''t produce a single cultivator.


    The reason why Leonardo couldn''t progress in the saint realm is simple, Arcadia''s will is forcibly separating him from the essence of worldly energy, not allowing him toprehend their profundities. The downside to mastering a mystical martial intent is the sparsity of corresponding treasures and natural environments, for theck thereof limits the growth of these powerful cultivators.


    "So you mean to say that the little fox isn''t a pet, but the strongest expert on Leonardo''s side?" King Austin asked while rubbing his sharp stubble.


    "I believe so, yes."


    "If that''s the case, it''s no wonder he can act so brazenly. Unless the three of us make a move simultaneously, it''s impossible to take his life under that fox''s protection." King Ivar said.


    King Austin seemed to realize something as he eximed, "You don''t mean¡­"


    The words barely left his mouth when a sharp wave of dense killing intent enveloped the three of them, making them feel as if they had been dropped from the mountain peak into an isted ice cer. That was a predatory killing intent that transcended space-time, pricking at their sense of danger like steel needles. However, the sensation was distant and illusory, impossible to pinpoint urately, albeit it was simultaneously as real as it could get.


    Austin swallowed back his words, his imperial robes drenched in cold sweat with the image of two crimson eyes engraved in his mind. He gulped, seeing the shock evident in hispanion''s eyes.


    "Did you two see it?" He asked in a voice far from calm and stable.


    King Ivar spoke in a tone he believed to be as calm as possible, overlooking his clenched fists that deformed the armrest of his throne, "Let''s leave the matters of the young to themselves, we old people should focus on our game of chess instead."


    King Ivar tacitly admitted to his mistake in a dignified manner. However, he was also d that this slip of the tongue allowed them to inspect the depths of that spirit guardian''s power, while also testing its bottom line.


    As it seems, as long as Leonardo''s life wasn''t under any direct danger, the spirit guardian wouldn''t act out.


    King Ivar spared Queen Adeline who was shivering on her throne a sideways nce, thinking that she''d been lucky to be let off with a p to the face.


    ¡­


    Thousands of miles away in the heart of the Grace Imperial Pce, Aria was lyingzily on Leona''sp, her narrow eyes halfway open into thin slits as a crimson re resided within.


    Leona was peacefully stroking Aria''s smooth silver fur while watching Kieran running across a track field as he held two custom-made energy guns and shooting away at static, moving, and shifting targets a few hundred feet away.


    Paying close attention, noticeable fluctuations of energy were radiating from within his body, specifically his pupils.


    Aria opened her eyes slightly for a moment before closing them once more, her thoughts unknown.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ¡­


    Leonardo practically swallowed Juvia''s tongue and lips with the impassioned kiss whilst he ignored the fervent yet negative atmosphere all around. Eventually, one of the saints couldn''t bear this farce


    He took a deep breath before his cultivation base exploded, his domain expanded, and his voice echoed far into the clouds, "Prince Leonardo!"


    His voice boomed like an explosive detonation, and as the sound wave hurtled toward the kissing pair, Juvia''s eyes shed coldly as she broke free from the kiss and unwrapped her left arm from Leonardo''s neck.


    With a wave of her hand, a domain of absolute death unfurled, submerging the mountain peak in an eerie wave of silence void of the elements. Even the lively soundwave died down, suppressed by thews derived from a higher concept.


    "Insolent, die!"


    Juvia then clenched her elegant fist. Following that, her domain contracted onto the insolent saint who dared endanger Leonardo. Of course, this pitiful sound wave wouldn''t endanger Leonardo, but they had to carry out  the act regardless.


    The saint''s eyes shed with horror as he erupted with full power. Sadly, when two people are within the same cultivation realm, it falls down to the essence and quality of their martial intent which supplements their respective domains.


    In this case, Juvia enjoys an overwhelming advantage.


    With little to no suspense whatsoever, the unfortunate saint from a third-rate power was locked and bound by the invisible domain of death, only to wither away into a decrepit corpse within seconds as everyone watched in horror.


    A few seconds after that, a breeze blew by, scattering his corpse into specks of dust down the mountain.


    Juvia snorted coldly, habitually fixing up her rectangr sses before bashfulness overcame her once again. Looking back at Leonardo, she spoke expectantly, "Where were we?"


    Leonardo waved it off, picking a few stray strands of silver hair and tucking them behind Juvia''s pointed ear as he spoke tly, "I''m not in the mood anymore. Since all five agendas are basically about me, I won''t even bother with whatever they have in store for me."


    "I''ll make my stance clear for them all to hear. As for whether they agree or not, I''m not particrly averse to warfare, I rather wee it wholeheartedly."


    Leonardo stroked Juvia''s pale cheek lightly, his tone t, eyes an abyss of murky nothingness, and posture quite domineering. With the sprinkled remains of a saint in his background, the image was soul-stirring for the youngdies in the crowd, Princess Veronica being no exception.


    Everyone had yet to wake up from the shock that Leonardo''s elven subordinate actually dared kill someone in open court, let alone the bombshell that Leonardo was yet to deliver their way.


    As for Lexus, King Ivar, King Austin, and Queen Adeline, they were shocked by thew and martial intent within Juvia''s domain.


    The death of a saint meant little to nothing in their eyes, what shocked them was the method Juvia used as this was a martial intent never before seen on the face of Arcadia.


    Each of the four is clear on Juvia''s origins as Leonardo didn''t bother concealing the fact about her royal lineage, and precisely because they''re clear on that point that the implications involved are frightening to contemte.


    They thought Bloodthirsty and his domain were something to be feared, but now they couldn''t even tell which was scarier between Bloodthirsty and Juvia.


    The fifth segment was an organized trap to get rid of Bloodthirsty due to his potential. Now however, an equal if not greater menace appeared in the form of Juvia.


    While the five of them were reeling from the realization, Leonardo proceeded with his judgment on the five agendas without a care¡­

 Chapter 85 The Harsh Truth

    ?"First, the contest for the energy vein. Well, I''m already an investor with a 1% share, so I am already involved in the war even though I haven''t made any contributions to it yet. One thing you guys have guessed correctly is that I''ve been dispatched to Arcadia for the sake of gaining experience. That was supposed to be kept a secret, but that would be impossible now that a batch of people from opposing factions to my house are making an appearance."


    "In fact, you can consider Arcadia as a private training ground for my faction, but the opposing factions are trying to dispatch secret forces to throw Arcadia into chaos, and by extension, eliminate me without any evidence. However, they''re too naive, and for multiple reasons."


    Lexus wanted to interrupt Leonardo multiple times now, but he held back his tongue because this information is a first for him. Even though Xavier already confessed to being of opposing factions to Leonardo, that man didn''t go into detail. However, since Leonardo is willing to take the extra mile, listening wouldn''t hurt.


    Seeing that no one had any intentions of interrupting, Leonardo continued, "They''re naive because even if they found me, they wouldn''t be able to dispatch any true powerhouses. At most, they''ll be able to dispatch a second-cycle saint, and their numbers will be limited. As for the saints they dispatch, it would be nigh impossible for them to advance into the third-cycle or high sainthood as theirws and essence won''t conform to this."


    "As for me, I''m in my rightful training grounds, I''m not limited in terms of power if I was to call for reinforcements to aid me. However, I have my pride, and so I wouldn''t send a message back to my house asking for help. No matter how many people they send, knowing that their absolute limit is the second-cycle of sainthood, I''m not afraid."


    "Now most of you will probably think something like, let the two tigers fight it out, and some of you might think something like, I''ll support one of the two and collect the profitster. Well, let me be clear on one thing; from wherever that tiger came from, there will be a second, third, fourth, and so on."


    "If you so foolishly believe these tigers will be satisfied with simply taking my life and calling it a day; you''re dead wrong. First, since I cane all the way here, I of course have my way to safely make it back. Second, their target isn''t simply me, but the faction behind me; I''m simply someone caught in the crossfire."


    "If they wish to deal my faction a blow, then their aim isn''t me, but Arcadia as a whole. They will treat this like a of natural resources; they''ll pige, kill, humiliate, and utterly demolish Arcadia''s foundations to the point they render it useless to my faction. Although I''m fierce, only my retaliations are so, I never take the initiative."


    "Everything I''ve done, although excessive, was with the aim to establish a very simple foundation; don''t fucking provoke me, don''t fucking test my bottom line, and don''t fucking target my close ones. As for the other pack of tigers, I don''t even feel like wasting my breath on them."


    Leonardo swept his eyes across the crowd, especially lingering on the representatives from House Regalia, who lowered their heads in shame and anger.


    No one would refute Leonardo because as he said, all of his actions were done as an act of retaliation.


    "I am but a businessman who wanted a sessful business empire, but some fools wanted to constantly test my bottom line and take advantage of my kindness. As for the other factions, they won''t even bother showing their kindness. They will directly take drastic actions and enforce their policies. If the fight between their factions and myself escte to the extent of rming my house, one of two endings awaits you."


    "First, the conservative ending, their people will be annihted and they will withdraw silently. Honestly, I''m not looking forward to the second ending, which includes flipping this entire into an open war zone for multiple factions. If ites to that¡­ sigh, let''s hope it doesn''t get to that point."


    Everyone tensed up, most of them couldn''t evenprehend the lengths of Leonardo''s exnation.


    The light viel on the mountain peak lifted to reveal the three high crowns who now lookedposed and dignified. It was Queen Adeline, the lowest in status and somewhat more familiar with Leonardo, who spoke first.


    "If this is done for, doesn''t it spill doom for your factions as well?"


    "What?" Leonardo looked up, confused.


    What has this got to do with whether or not they survive?


    Now it was everyone''s turn to be surprised. Queen Adeline furrowed her brows, "Aren''t you from the mythicalnds beyond the Sky Mountains?"


    Leonardo went nk for a moment before snorting coldly, then he involuntarilyughed.


    "Haha, you honestly think so? Of course not! How can my factions treat an entire as a training ground if they''re natives? I descended from what your history books describe as the higher realms, apletely separate dimension from this backwater."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo shook his head, sighing, "That''s why I said if this ce became an open war zone, you all would be lucky to survive the aftershocks, let alone the. Your so-called sovereigns are like ants in my faction. Although divinities can''t descend due to the world barrier, simply dispatching a few half-step divinities is enough to utterly wipe the existence of life from this."


    Queen Adeline and the rest drew in a sharp breath. She shared a nce with the other two high crowns, thinking that the spirit guardian must also be a half-step divinity if that was the case.


    However, the others didn''t get to feel Aria''s killing intent, making them oblivious to her existence and thus prone to disbelief and a bout of instinctive denial of the harsh reality.


    "Impossible!" Shouted a young prince from House Regalia, pointing his trembling finger at Leonardo while he did so.


    He eximed, "If your background was truly so great, howe you''re nothing more than a pitiful non-cultivator? An ant! I can swat you dead with the turn of my hand if it wasn''t for your bodyguards! What would you need training for?!"


    "Exactly! This doesn''t make any sense!"


    More and more voices of displeasure echoed out. As for the more experienced, wise bunch, they shook their heads.


    "Just because you can''t sense it, it doesn''t mean that he isn''t a cultivator," Lexus interjected in a cold voice before looking back toward Leonardo, "Right?"


    Leonardo rolled his eyes in agreement. However, seeing Queen Adeline and Princess Veronica''s expectant gazes, and remembering his promise to thetter, he snorted.


    "If my master gave me the chance to exin myself and that I''ve alreadyprehended my martial intent when in my mortal first-cycle, I wouldn''t be stuck here for five years. As for why I''m not unting my powers around? That''s because the will of this, what you people call Goddess Arcadia, is afraid of my martial intent."


    "sphemy!" Lexus raged, about to pounce, but he was stopped by Queen Adeline who looked back at Leonardo with confusion in her eyes.


    Leonardo sighed, "Fine, I''ll open your eyes and demonstrate!"


    Leonardo thenzily snapped his fingers and a domain of absolute destion erupted to envelop the entire mountain peak for a split second.


    Within that split second, the world lost all color, life lost all meaning, and everyone felt as though they were a group of ants with their powers stripped off their bodies.


    That world of utter destion onlysted for a brief split second where nihility, oblivion, death, destruction, decay, and everything in between ovepped only to be shattered by a bolt of lightning that ripped the domain apart.


    When the domain shattered, light returned to the world with a touch of rain and a cloudy sky. Everyone felt as though they''d woken up from an illusion, some people had even dropped to their knees from utter shock.


    Lexus, Princess Veronica, and the three high crowns looked in shock at thezy Leonardo on his throne. He rested his cheek on his right fist''s knuckles with an ''as expected'' expression on his face.


    "See? The will of this is forcibly suppressing my cultivation base due to its contradictory nature to thews of Arcadia. Our rtionship is like water and fire, positive and negative, life and death; for one to flourish, the other must decline. Even if I want to increase my cultivation, this won''t allow it out of fear and an instinctive rejection."


    Leonardo waved his hand dismissively as though nothing big happened. Then, he said, "Oh, we have deviated from our main objective; dealing with the pestilence that is the opposing factions. Honestly, the best thing you can do is support neither parties, and the second best thing you could do is support me. After all, they are prancing around in my faction''s territory."

 Chapter 86 Lexus’ Stubborn Resistance

    ?Juvia wore a smug expression as sheid her head on Leonardo''s shoulder, curling up her body on hisp as though marking her territory.


    After a long silent moment of shock, everyone began to digest the influx of information. Those who have delved into the ancient texts, and those who have collected the ancient tales of a higher realm, and mostly those of the three ruling powers, began to ponder deeply.


    There are many stories of sovereigns exploring the starry sky in order to uncover the secrets of this world. Of course, it wouldn''t be surprising that some of them came into contact withs under the jurisdiction of factions from the higher realms. By then, even if they couldn''t unearth some ground-shaking secrets, it wouldn''t be problematic for them to learn a thing or two about these mythical secrets and pass them down as legends.


    The existence of these legends is what served as a foundation leading most of the influential people present to half believe and half doubt Leonardo''s ims. Of course, this was enough of a disy to deter most of those present from finding trouble with Leonardo.


    After all, not everyone was past the point of no return with their grudges against him, not even House Regalia was of that opinion. The heads of these influential families are quite pragmatic, and if saving face was their number two priority, then racking up profits is their number one priority.


    Everyone had their own thoughts, the three high crowns included.


    "Are you saying that the realm above sainthood is divinity?"


    King Ivar who was silent up until now finally broke his silence, but his concern was rted to cultivation and not the state of Arcadia.


    Leonardo sighed, "Well, yes¡­ but, it''s impossible for anyone to achieve divinity in the middle realms; the world barrier won''t allow it, you''re better off focusing on what remains of your life after achieving high sainthood than chasing after something illusive and unreal."


    King Ivar frowned, "Why can''t I achieve divinity? Why are you so certain?"


    Leonardo looked at him as though he was an idiot, his expression odd, "Sometimes, knowing less is profiting, knowing more is unwise, and not knowing at all is a blessing. I shouldn''t have told you about most of what I have already revealed, but it would have been a matter of when you''ll find out and not whether or not you will."


    "As I said, since there''s a first tiger, there will be a second one and a third. What you need to do now is contemte your next course of action, not lock yourself up in futile cultivation. As I said, your first best option is to sit and watch, your next best option is to support me."


    "Wait a moment!" Lexus finally escaped his reverie from witnessing the might of his Goddess, only to hear Leonardo''s words. He cleared his throat, sped his hands behind his back with renewed vigor, and looked up at Leonardo.


    Knowing that his Goddess Arcadia was omnipresent, his back straightened.


    So what if Leonardo was all mighty and all? Goddess Arcadia blew up his domain apart with one bolt of lightning. Hence, in Lexus'' devout mind, Goddess Arcadia was all mighty and supreme.


    "First, it''s not that Goddess Arcadia is scared of you; Goddess Arcadia knows your true heart that seeks disaster and destruction with your savage and tyrannical methods."


    "Second, you im that this is under the jurisdiction of your faction, what proof do you have? Don''t give me some excuse about first impressions, that doesn''t prove anything,"


    "What if all of you came from the same faction? What if you''re ying the benevolent and malevolent lords on us? One side ying good and the other ying bad, just to bait us into blind submission?"


    "Also, what if you''re the one intruding on their territory? Wouldn''t that exin why your partyprised three people while they, on the other hand, outfit and outnumber you?"


    Lexus and his argument drew everyone''s attention back to these plot holes. True, now that they thought about it, a lot of twists and turns don''t make much sense in Leonardo''s story.


    Actually, they couldn''t see through the fog known as the higher realms and their factions, it could be said that any decision they make might be a wrong turn downhill.


    The three high crowns had ugly expressions because out of everyone present, they believed Leonardo''s words the most. Not out of his temperament and pride, not because they knew he would disdain to lie, but because of those crimson eyes that locked their souls in ce.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The presence of his spirit guardian is what gave them that confidence.


    Leonardo nodded inwardly to Lexus'' clear argument. This young man is quite the talent, Leonardo thought to himself.


    "You''re right, I can''t and I won''t try to prove myself. Which is why I said, your best option is to keep neutral and support neither party; let the tigers duke it out amongst themselves."


    "I''m in no position to remain neutral anymore," Queen Adeline''s gentle voice interrupted the flow of their intense conversation, her emerald eyes practically glowing.


    "My House Sylvia remained passive because my husband is too focused on getting as close as possible to the peak of sainthood, leaving little me to manage the affairs of the state," Queen Adeline patted her bountiful chest with an exasperated expression.


    "However, with what you just said, I have a feeling that his secluded cultivation willst for quite a while¡­ in the meantime, I think it''s about time for House Sylvia to start taking the initiative, starting with supporting our youngest Foreign Prince."


    Leonardo was a bit surprised at how straightforward Queen Adeline is, not knowing that most of her motivation was driven by fear and reverence more than trust in his capabilities. After all, no matter how strong he is, it would be useless if he couldn''t utilize that cultivation base.


    "Alright," Leonardo nodded at Queen Adeline.


    "It just happens that I need some help migrating the poptions of Crouching Dragon Province, Samsara Fields Province, Witchheart Province, and Sunset Valley Province to my Grace Imperial City after the recent campaign. I''m positive that the families of feudal lords of these provinces will require some guidance on how to behave until they get ustomed to their new amodations."


    Queen Adeline almost choked.


    Was he requesting her help to supervise hostages? One must know that thews of session in the feudal system are strictly monitored. Forget about that for now, Leonardo even nned on taking Regalian Citizens and, well, hosting them within the borders of his territory.


    "Ah, alright¡­ I''ll dispatch a squadron of imperial wyverns to monitor the traffic and migration efforts." Queen Adeline nodded with a stiff face. Since she decided to bite the bullet, she should at least show this much sincerity.


    "Great!" Leonardo tapped Juvia''s creamy thighs, prompting her to get off hisp as he descended from the throne with light steps. The iing influx of resources would be enough to marginallypensate for the exhausted resources on the defensive formation.


    "I''m sure that you people have plenty to discuss, and it would inconvenience your meeting if I were to stick around, so I''ll go ahead and excuse myself first."


    "Wait, it''s already sote so how about you spend the night in the same imperial suite from yourst visit?" Queen Adeline spoke up, gesturing for Princess Veronica with her eyes.


    Princess Veronica snapped out of her daze with that reminder.


    "Y-yes,e with me, Your Highness!"


    Princess Veronica stiffly bowed her head with a courtesy before walking in front of Leonardo, her expression unnatural. Although she was expecting a massive organization behind Leonardo, the revtion was something out of this world, it outright blew away her mind.


    Honestly, Nier was supposed to disseminate the information about House Hestia, the higher realms, and spread the immortality propaganda in the same manner that the Interster Supreme Court did back on Earth.


    That way, although the natives of Arcadia wouldn''t be sufficiently informed about how grand this world truly is, they''d have the tiniest bit of immunity to such a level of shock.


    The mental shock one receives by going from a high-born nobility to an ant in someone''s backyard is too much for some people toprehend and ept, much less adapt to. Hence, Leonardo yed it down to earth as much as possible, dering Arcadia as a discovered training ground for the younger generation, which is as far as possible from the whole truth, but remains an eptable truth nheless.

 Chapter 87 The Game Is On

    ?Lexus red at Leonardo''s receding back with malice in his eyes. Leonardo dared spheme against his deity, which was uneptable to Lexus.


    Even if what Leonardo said is true, Lexus still believed that Leonardo was overestimating himself and those so-called tigers. After all, they were all mere mortals, what can mortals do in the face of a Goddess?


    Lexus didn''t know that the will of a was also bound by the world barrier and itsws. It can''t directly interfere with the happenings on the or the conflict between the mortals, it could only act in cases of instinctive retaliation to imminent peril.


    However, it can''t be helped.


    Blind faith had always been synonymous with madness in the books of history, and this is a prime example of why.


    Only after Leonardo disappeared past the white ring of clouds did everyone realize that he hadn''t exined how he''d handle the five agendas and the encroaching danger they represented¡­


    ¡­


    Leonardo silently apanied Juvia and Princess Veronica down the long staircase.


    He silently thought to himself about how to exin this unexpected development to that petite woman. Even now, Leonardo was oblivious to her name, and he nned to keep it that way until she took the initiative to tell him.


    The conversation from back then in the Exiled Paradise surfaced in his mind; she never thought of him as someone worthy to know her name. In fact, she believed that information to be redundant as their rtionship was nothing short of a transaction.


    Each gets what he wants, and then they part ways.


    Hence, Leonardo instructed Pandora to keep silent about anything regarding House Hestia, she mustn''t mention anything at all. Inside his spatial ring was a specific talisman linked to the teleportation portal in Nier''s private residence on a floating ind in the higher realms.


    This was Leonardo''s one-way ticket back. No matter when or where, as long as he was in the middle realms, this talisman would open a passage through the spatial nodes that would pierce the world barrier and allow Leonardo safe passage to the higher realms.


    Luckily, the volume of the passage is enough to allow Leonardo and hispany of Pandora, Juvia, Leona, and Kieran to ascend the world barrier together. First thing first, Leona and Kieran must make it into sainthood.


    Since both of them are showing signs of a foundational framework of innate martial intents, achieving sainthood is but a matter of umting energy. However, due to their divine constitutions, umting energy to satiate their flesh, blood, bones, and meridians would consume quite the amount of time, especially if they''re aiming to bnce out their energies lest any deviations ur, resulting in an unfortunate detonation.


    In other words, a painless death.


    Thus, everyone is supervising the slow and steady growth of the two children to avoid any mishaps. This is also one of the reasons why Aria began to stick closer to Leona and Kieran instead of clinging to Leonardo as usual.


    It just can''t be helped, Aria convinced herself that by keeping the children safe, she''d score multiple affection points in Leonardo''s books.


    Since Leonardo was silent the whole way, Juvia didn''t find it suitable to breach the silence on her own initiative. As for Princess Veronica, she too was muddled withplex thoughts about her past, present, and unpredictable future.


    Before too long, Leonardo and Juvia were escorted into one of thevish bedroom chambers. Once inside the room, Leonardo subconsciously walked over to a nearby sofa to sit, Juvia dutifully following behind him to massage his stiff shoulders.


    After sorting out his thoughts, possible variables, and rational calctions on how to proceed forward, Leonardo exhaled a breath of turbid air before leaningfortably into the soft texture of the sofa.


    A trace of resolute determination shed through his midnight-ck eyes.


    As he indulged in the sensation of Juvia''s delicate fingers kneading his shoulders, neck, and cranium evenly, Leonardo closed his eyes.


    "How positive are you that the Elven Royal Family will send down hunters to investigate your traces?"


    "If things go as expected, they should be in Valdmor as we speak," Juvia answered after giving the matter some thought.


    "What is your n?" She inquired with a trace of bewilderment.


    "Isn''t it obvious?" Leonardo groaned lightly, "I want them to encounter Xavier in Valdmor. Five out of the six evildoers that disgraced your noble warriors have been arrested, the only one to escape is currently having some deals with the various human factions. Jeff already told me about these secret meetings, and it won''t be long before the hunters deviate from their original investigation and notice his presence."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "ording to Jeff, Xavier is a smart and steady person, the chances of conflict escting between the two sides are minuscule. In fact, I believe that Xavier will use his background and the reinforcements on their way as leverage to work hand in hand with the Elven Royal Family to hunt us down."


    Juvia nodded in understanding, but then she asked, "Why are you so sure that he will work together with my family? What if he doesn''t?"


    "Impossible," Leonardo shook his head, "Xavier doesn''t have any other choice. After tonight, the factions he''s trying to pull from the Human Domain will withdraw from this fierce battle between two factions beyond the scope of theirprehension. Humans don''t care about disgrace and face, they''re a profit-driven species."


    "But the elves are different!" Juvia interjected, "To them, a former princess bing someone''s follower is a disgrace, a stain that must be cleansed at all cost, so they would rather hunt me down while they still can!"


    "Exactly," Leonardo nodded lightly.


    "If Xavier could convince them that he didn''t indulge in any acts that disgraced the elves, and offered them enough sincerity and support to hunt me down while they focus on getting you back, they will find amon ground to stand on. Especially Xavier, with his forces wiped out, his only option is to rally the support of native forces."


    "House Erudite is driven by their blind faith while the Elven Royal Family is driven by their blind sense of nobility. They are both easily manipted forces due to their one-dimensional natures. Since I''ve already cut off Xavier''s means of establishing a foothold in the Human Domain, his only option now is to establish a foothold in the Elven Domain."


    "Then, what should we do now?" Juvia went around the sofa and plopped on Leonardo''sp, her delicate fingers tracing shapes across his chest.


    "What else can we do now? Absolutely nothing but wait," Leonardo rolled his eyes, pecking Juvia on the lips lightly before sighing.


    "The game is already on, the rules are set, and we can do nothing but wait for the developments. For now, we can only bunker down in Grace Imperial City, fortify the defenses, and work on your and Pandora''s cultivation."


    Leonardo smacked Juvia''s plump rear, clutching at her tight and supple flesh with a t smile on his face, "I can only rely on you two to make it to the second-cycle of sainthood as soon as possible, otherwise we''d really be done for when the timees."


    Since Leonardo can''t wantonly embark on military campaigns now, he wouldn''t be able to progress his bloodthirsty martial intent. As for advancing his cultivation base? That''s even more of a joke.


    Luckily, Pandora and Juvia are both reliable. Furthermore, there was a powerful thunderforce intent slumbering within his cells on the verge of eruption. It is but a matter of time.


    Juvia gasped in surprise from the sudden spank to her rear, her heart skipping a beat as ascivious yet bashful smile decorated her face.


    "Well, what are we waiting for then?"


    Licking her lips, she lunged forward and joined her lips to Leonardo''s, already feeling the heat in her abdomen and the nectar leaking through her thick folds below.


    Of course, Leonardo wouldn''t disappoint her as matters have already progressed to this point.


    He hurled her up into his arms, entangling his tongue with her own as the young businessman carried the elf in heat onto the massive bed, their mature figures intertwined behind the curtains of the silky canopy.


    "Ah!"


    Juvia''s sweet moan reverberated through the room along with the shuffling of clothes. From the cracks in the curtains, one piece of clothing after another were tossed outside.


    Eventually, Leonardo embraced Juvia''s naked, pale body.


    Her massive breasts deformed out of shape against his chest, her colorless nails etching long scars across his back. Throwing her head back, she let out a heart stirring moan as Leonardo''s erection pierced through her wet folds.


    Leonardo groaned in absolute pleasure before locking his lips and teeth onto Juvia''s exposed corbone, forcibly silencing himself as the overwhelming pleasure racked his senses.


    "Fuck¡­ harder! Faster! Have no mercy!" Juvia cried out without thinking as Leonardo''s pace increased and increased even further.


    Pain and delight intertwined as her walls clenched him and her nails marred his skin, steering the pair into a direction of animalistic, primal sex. For the remainder of the night, the bed didn''t cease bouncing, and the walls barely contained Juvia''s sharp, high pitched moans and unrestrained tongue of vulgarities.


    Outside the bedroom chamber, two innocent maids stood ufortably. Their hearts akin to wild deers in the open fields, not knowing how to spend their night waiting on Prince Leonardo and his attendant¡­

 Chapter 88 The Eternus Bastard

    ?As Leonardo expected, by the next day, word had been transmitted to the various factions in Valdmor to distance themselves from the conflict between Xavier and Leonardo. Furthermore, the orders were passed down directly from the high crowns, leaving no room for discussion whatsoever.


    It was said that when the orders were passed down, Andrew had a fit of anger and ended up directly killing three of his attendants then and there. As for Mason, the businessman was awfully silent. Jeffery was told by Leonardo to withdraw from the contest for the energy vein and keep to himself as any gains during the calm before the storm was akin to a fleeting cloud.


    They can toss their around it but they''d never be able to hold it down.


    As the news of the iing conflict of tigers spread through the upper echelons of Arcadia, the civil unrest began to creep into the day-to-day lives of themon popce, especially in thewless Forbidden Domain.


    Skirmishes riddled the forsakennd.


    Man killing beastkin.


    Beastkin killing elven.


    Elven killing man.


    Man killing man.


    It was like the previous chaos wasn''t enough as a massive dark hand, or perhaps several dark hands began to steer the public opinion in various directions.


    Curiously enough though, the small settlement renowned as a home for the vilest of convicts throughout the domain was exceptionally peaceful.


    Its people are well dressed and well fed, their sins bond them together as citizens bred from the ugliness in humanity, only for a trace ofpassion to bubble in their hearts.


    The people of the lower rugs are thankful to a white-robed schr they mention in their prayers as Godfather Leonardo, while those of enough influence and power remained indifferent to it all. To them, Leonardo''s charity was just a surplus and not a necessity.


    In the depths of the settlement was a massive, bulky figure running through the dpidated buildings, his destination a wrecked building teetering on the edge of copse.


    Once within close proximity to the building, his footsteps grew lighter and more cautious, as though afraid to bring the entire thing crumbling down.


    Once inside, he made his way downstairs to a well-preserved basement floor linked to a long, spiral staircase headed underground.


    Without a source of luminosity, almost instinctively, this man descended the staircase. The further down he went, the colder he felt.


    His thick skin and explosive muscles did little to ward off the biting cold.


    Frost began to coat his bronze skin with each step, plumes of vapor discharging with each of his heavy breaths.


    It was unknown how long it had been but the man''s bronze skin was already a deep shade of blue. With each step, ice ttered on the ground from his body, and he could hear the sound of ice shattering around his joints and tendons.


    He was muttering and cursing at the start, but he didn''t have the strength to even do that anymore. His only aim was to trudge forward stubbornly.


    Eventually, he entered a spacious room with a high tform with an altar at its center. On the high tform sat six old men in white robes, their hair resting on the ground, eyes closed, and hands in a particr seal while pointing at the altar.


    The six old men were maintaining a Six-Pointed David Star formation around the altar. As for the altar, it housed a rectangr block of ice nine feet long, three feet wide, and two feet high.


    Inside the block of ice rested a middle-aged woman of peerless beauty. She had a river of midnight ck hair, smooth skin, and sharp features. However, there were little to no fluctuations of life radiating from her being.


    Nheless, six streams of energy flowed from the six old men and into the altar, causing some strange symbols to pulsate off the ice. These symbols seemed ancient yet modern, strange yet familiar, meaningless yet profound¡­


    Furthermore, if one was to pay close attention to the fluctuations of those energy streams, one would be shocked that each stream contained enough essence andws to be categorized under high sainthood.


    However, the muscr man barely saw anything before his vision went dark and he copsed on the ground, frozen to the core.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Luckily, before this ice statue smashed into the solid ground, a ck streak of light shot from a hidden corner and carried the man all the way back to the ground floor.


    A momentter, the man drew in a deep breath while he went through a violent fit of coughing.


    Trembling, this muscr man looked up at the handsome middle-aged man dressed in ck in front of him.


    The middle-aged man shook his head as he patted the other man''s back, relieving him from the cold and pain effortlessly.


    "Muscle head Henry, how many times must I tell you not to descend the staircase? Your cultivation is already wasted, are you looking to die that badly?"


    This pitiful man was Henry, the ruffian that saw Leona and Kieran off with Leonardo the other day.


    "Can''t be helped, I''ve got urgent news."


    Henry sat up, thanking his lucky stars that his friend was in that room.


    The middle-aged man is no other than the mysterious figure from House Eternus, who also happened to be the biological father to Leona and Kieran.


    "What news could be so bad you almost died to deliver? What if I wasn''t in that room just now?" The man from House Eternus rolled his eyes impatiently.


    "This is about to be the focal point of a storm involving at least two houses from the higher realms, and that brat Leonardo is in the heart of it all!" Henry reported, being short of breath.


    "Oh? That''s all?" The man raised his eyebrows, not particrly interested.


    "You Eternus bastard!" Henry raged, exasperated. He stood up despite his weakness and throttled the other man, his eyes red, "Don''t you care for the little brats?!"


    The other man was throttled so much he began to see the midday stars in the sky, almost tripping over his own feet.


    "Hey! Hey! Hey! Rx! The two of them are in safe hands!"


    The man in ck struggled himself free, adjusted his cor, and sighed.


    "I can sense a familiar aura on that Leonardo brat, furthermore¡­" He was about to mention the little fox that even gave him a sense of danger but decided against it.


    "Oh?" Henry was somewhat baffled, "You mean to say he''s also a n-¡­Hmmmfff!"


    "Shut up you fool!" The man immediately covered Henry''s mouth, ring at him.


    "If you mention that term in front of me, or speak my name, this whole is done for! Why else would I keep my identity a secret?" The man rolled his eyes.


    Henry also realized he almost made a grave mistake, his expression turning pale with fright. Seeing that the muscle head calmed down, the man referred to as Eternus rxed and released him.


    "Well, if things are about to get lively, I better grab myself a first-row seat!" Eternus patted Henry''s shoulder and went around him.


    It took Henry a second to register the meaning of those words. Shocked, he turned around to inquire about Eternus'' destination, but the man was already gone.


    Enraged, Henry could only swallow his anger and strut away, cursing.


    "Fucking Eternus Bastard!"

 Chapter 89 Wooden Figurines

    ?The journey from the settlement of convicts to Grace Imperial City is quite long as one would have to traverse mountains and seas, cities and barrennds, forests and deserts, and even more dangers in the form of ferocious storms and monsters.


    Actually, the journey from any of the four domains to another domain is just as difficult, and unless absolutely necessary, undertaking such a voyage is quite foolish.


    Honestly, not every sane person would be willing to take on this half-year-long journey of hardship. However, some are insane enough to brave these difficulties even while fully aware that they''re marching onwards toward a certain death; an eternal rest.


    Everyone acknowledges these insane groups as members of either the religious fanatics or the elven royalty. Of course, other than foolish, their convictions are also admirable.


    Still, just because their drive is admirable doesn''t make it less foolish.


    A wise man once said, "One decision makes a brave king, another decision leads the king to an early death."


    Leonardo liked to believe that the Elven Emperor''s decision to march on Grace Imperial City to be brave, whilst his decision to actually attack it to be an early ticket to the grave.


    The flight from the Sylvian Imperial Capital to Grace Imperial City consumed a week from Leonardo''s time. Thanks to the convenience ofmunication bracelets, the migration efforts were already underway and meeting the final phases.


    Since the entire territory was upied by five moderate-sized towns in the past, there was plenty of empty space and avable plots ofnd for industry, agriculture, and residency. Under Misaka''s guidance, thesends were fertilized and cultivated into sustainable housing and agricultural projects that bloomed into a bustling city.


    Within a short period of half a month, the framework for Grace Imperial City was concluded. Now, no one would believe that this massive stretch ofnd was empty, containing a mere five towns and ake.


    Today, closely knitted buildings of concrete were everywhere within eyesight and beyond. Intricate white pavements diced down the blocks, and each of the former five towns was now like giant metropolises bordering one another with the massiveke and the Grace Imperial Pce at their center.


    Thepact formation was further enhanced by a dome-like barrier; the Ode of the Elements, sheltering the city from the harmful weather outside. Moreover, each street was engraved in strict formations to reduce shockwaves in case a fight broke out in the streets, while these formations functioned to periodically extract worldly energy from the intersecting energy veins underground to enhance the ambiance of the city.


    Although it was far from a city like the capital which was founded on the heart of a main energy vein, being second only to the capital wasn''t that bad. In fact, many people would kill to live here.


    After the final batch of immigrants, Grace Imperial City went on full lockdown. Not evenmunication bracelets could transmit or receive signals from the outside world. But of course, this was further reinforced by Aria behind the scenes, but only a select few were aware of her involvement.


    Other than the energy crystals currency, Leonardo had his subordinates print a new currency of copper, silver, and gold with his personal imperial crest as a face for the coins. The royal treasury is filled to the brim with treasures and pure energy crystals.


    Thanks to Miko''s experience as a mercenary and a bandit, he was able to urately appraise the worth of every valuable that belonged to the various families and factions now upying Grace Imperial City. Hence, everyone exchanged their treasures and valuable possessions for the new currency, and a new economy was born.


    For theck of a royal family and a royal court per se, Misaka, Miko, Sitri, Pandora, and Juvia worked as new district mayors reporting directly to Leonardo at the end of the day. As for Leonardo, he would spend his days experimenting with the thunderforce and how to blend his sword arts into the martial intent. Furthermore, since he was unable to progress his cultivation base, he decided to steer his cultivation in a new direction.


    For example, experimenting with the various martial intents on how to utilize them individually, in duos, and/or in trinity. At first, it was quite troublesome, and self-harming even. However, as days passed by, Leonardo became even more ustomed to it, and hisbat prowess increased by more than two folds. However, that''s a thing for the future, not today.<novelnext></novelnext>


    As Leonardo spent his days on cultivation and nights on pounding Pandora and Juvia senselessly, everyone else was upied by their own tasks, leaving the children with quite the free time to bond together.


    Just like now, three children and a fluffy white fox upied a spacious room with an open view of the sky in the ceiling. The warm skylight sprinkled down on Leona who sat on a small table with an even smaller little girl who seemed both happy and shy while ying with a wooden figurine.


    This wooden figurine was a replica of Miko, crafted by Kieran as both a side hobby and a way to practice his martial intent.


    Kieran''s martial intent revolves around uracy and precision. Hence, Leonardo assigned him the task of crafting wooden figurines from all sorts of wood.


    Tough wood, flexible wood, fragile wood, sharp wood, and countless variations of energy-infused wood. Since Kieran wasn''t a youngd of many words, nor did he particrly enjoy group activities or silent meditation, this hobby worked wonders.


    Leona''s cultivation was even simpler; a walk around the city during the day, and she was tasked with understanding people''s hearts without speaking to them, deducing their troubles, and tasking the royal subordinates or maids to fix that problem the very next day.


    As for the little girl? That was Razor''s little sister who apanied Miko back from an Arcadian Church within the Regalian Borders. Although introverted, Leona''s martial intent allowed the two to grow exponentially closer over time, and Kieran''s wooden figurines allowed the process to progress even smoother.


    "Big sister Leona, which big brother Miko is more handsome?"


    Nagi held up five different figurines of Miko in different postures and presented them to Leona who was browsing through a pile of history books from the higher realms. This was a collection Leonardo brought down with him and was supposed to read during his tempering experience, and he was almost halfway through finishing them.


    "Shouldn''t you ask big brother Kieran about that?" Leona chuckled before cing her book aside, she then reached over and took the figurines, closely and meticulously examining them.


    Nagi blushed, fidgeting with the hems of her floral dress as she stuttered, "Big brother Kieran is an idiot! Who cares what he thinks?!"


    Leona rolled her eyes, acting ignorant to Nagi''s heart which was beating out of control while suppressing a chuckle. After being silent for a while, she seemed to talk to herself, "Hm, they''re almost as good as the Nagi figurines I saw the other day¡­"


    "What?!" Nagi jumped, her face flushed to her ears.


    "Oh? Nothing, nothing, this uncle Miko looks the best!"


    Leona picked a random figurine and passed it over to Nagi, who absentmindedly took it and sat in her chair with a red face. Apparently, she never expected that Kieran made a Nagi figurine, but whether she would muster up the courage to ask for it or not remains as a thing for the future.


    Aria rolled her eyes at Leona''s mischievous acts, caught betweenughter and tears. Then, she looked over at Kieran who was absorbed 120% in crafting a Leonardo figurine. However, this one was special as it had a round wooden te as a foundation, while Leonardo was carrying Leona in one arm and holding Kieran''s little hand while advancing forward.


    There was even a lean hunting dog sitting with three puppies following behind Kieran, spiking Aria''s curiosity.

 Chapter 90 Fourth Dimension Immortal Scripture

    ?Day 1.


    A cold, silent, nk white room.


    A room constructed under the pce in the depths of theke where the presence is so high it naturallypliments the shockwaves absorption formations inscribed on the interior and exterior of the walls.


    This would be the room where Leonardo spends his day cultivating, just like right now as he stood at one end of the room, dressed in white robes and with a sword on his back.


    This was Leonardo''s day one as a sword cultivator after leaving the Exiled Paradise.


    At that moment, Leonardo''s eyes were a dull gray color as he stood silently, carefully probing the tiny streaks of lightning in his cells. For some reason, they weren''t pale blue, gray, or even crimson red.


    In fact, this thunderforce was a peculiar ck, just like ink. Furthermore, there was so little of it that Leonardo couldn''t find a practical use for it yet.


    Elemental-based martial intents require long-term nourishment and plenty of resources the further one wishes to cultivate them. Typically, the five elements of water, fire, wind, earth, and metal are the easiest to cultivate due to the abundance of natural resources derived from these five.


    You can find an ocean, a volcano, a storm, a desert, or even high mountains with deep mineral deposits. However, it''s not everywhere you can find a thunderstorm, not a natural one at least.


    Hence, the second best option is to nurture this thunderforce through the depletion of personal reserves of worldly energy. At that moment, Leonardo was constantly operating his cultivation technique to excite the flow of his energy and nurture the thunderforce.


    As Leonardo''s primary martial intent is the deste martial intent, it would naturally surface as the dominant force whenever he''s cultivating or circting his energy ording to the Immortal Scripture.


    Like a statue, Leonardo stood there with his hand on the hilt of the sword on his back.


    Wisps of excessive fluctuation spiraled from his body.


    Sometimes crimson and often times dull gray. However, not once was there a discharge of lightning, not even the tiniest of sparks. Although Leonardo could feel an immense destructive nature brewing within the thunderforce, it''s all meaningless if he couldn''t use it.


    Even though he attempted to stimte the thunderforce by pressuring it between his deste and bloodthirsty martial intents, there was little to no response whatsoever.


    Leonardo closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, his muscles rxing considerably as he decided to let loose his reins over the martial intents brewing within his cells.


    He even stopped circting his cultivation technique, not even allowing the deste martial intent to passively conceal the fluctuations radiating from the depths of his cells to the outside world. Typically, these fluctuations originating from a person''s energy-umting organs are what sells out their cultivation base.


    The reason why Leonardo could keep his cultivation base hidden is that the people of Arcadia, and the middle realms by extension, aren''t used to probing someone so deeply.


    As mentioned beforehand:


    A mortal constitution primarily stores energy in the muscles. A saint''s constitution primarily stores energy in the flesh and blood, and bones. A divine constitution primarily stores energy in the meridians, and finally, an immortal constitution primarily stores energy in the cells.


    By this example, mortals are incapable of concealing their cultivation base because they have nowhere to withdraw their energy from their exposed bodies. As for those with a saint constitution, they could withdraw the energy from their muscles and deeper into the flesh and blood, and so on and forth.


    In Leonardo''s case, he could release the energy from his cells to the surface of his body; the muscles, and vice versa. As no one is ustomed to investigating someone''s meridians, let alone cells, no one was prudent enough in examining Leonardo''s cultivation.


    Even if they tried, a protective membrane of destion would block their senses from approaching Leonardo''s cells, and an even sturdier defensive membrane was cast on Leonardo''s meridians by the Old Servant to confuse people''s senses.


    After hours of futile attempts at exciting the thunderforce, Leonardo decided to let go and allow things to progress naturally. The moment he rxed his control, a rumbling sound echoed from the depths of his body.


    BANG!


    Leonardo''s eyes flew open as waves of turmoil danced about in his irises.


    Waves red as blood shed against their ck and gray counterparts violently. With a boom, an uncontroble wave of energy discharged from Leonardo''s cells, rushing through his meridians, bones, flesh, blood, and muscles.


    Eventually, the chaotic waves blew his white robes to shreds, his skin cracked open, and his blood spilled out in rivulets. Even his eyes bled as pain wracked his body inside and out.


    Cough!


    Leonardo''s body swayed as he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, stumbling on the edge of copse. However, he allowed these forces to wreak havoc inside his body and find their natural sense of equilibrium. At least, that''s what he hoped for.


    Unfortunately, barely ten breathster, and his body''s instinctive response to danger automatically circted the Immortal Scripture, allowing the deste martial intent to lock down the other two forces within his cells once more.


    Thud!


    Leonardo''s exhausted body fell back on the hard floor, unconscious.


    ¡­


    Day 2.


    A cold, silent, nk white room.


    Leonardo''s second day of experimenting with thunderforce at the cost of his body. Yesterday was a failure, but an expected failure.<novelnext></novelnext>


    After Pandora''s and Juvia''s miraculous stress relief sessions, Leonardo was already back in top shape and ready for another experimental session.


    Having learned his lesson from yesterday, Leonardo took a deep breath, reached for the hilt of his sword, and began a gradual process of reigning in his tight control over the deste martial intent.


    After a year of passively operating the Immortal Scripture to control it, his deste martial intent reached the realm of instinctive action. In a sense, to gradually lessen its control means that Leonardo would have to deliberately act against his own instinct, which is much easier said than done.


    It''s about time to discuss the origins of Leonardo''s cultivation technique, the Fourth Dimension Immortal Scripture.


    The four dimensions represent four forms corresponding to the four known stages of cultivation; Mortal, Saint, Divine, andstly, Immortal.


    The power gap between the four dimensions is considered negligible at best, as they rely heavily on a cultivator''s martial intent, cultivation base, andprehension of the sword as a foundation.


    After his fatal failure, Leonardo began to tackle his issues from the perspective of the Instinctive level. Since he was passively supplementing his Immortal Scripture with the deste martial intent, then perhaps forcibly tearing them apart was a bad idea to begin with.


    That would irreparably damage his cultivation foundation, which resulted in the heavy bacsh yesterday. Since he couldn''t utilize his cultivation base, Leonardo subconsciously overlooked the fact that he was now a saint, capable of practicing the second form of the Fourth Dimension Immortal Scripture.


    However, what are the four forms respectively?


    The first form is the moon.


    The second form is the sun.


    The third form is the stars.


    The fourth form is the void.


    The first form, the moon, has a total of twelve stances with the first and final stance connecting in a consistent loop.


    Leonardo decided to spend his second day of cultivation trying to unleash the might of as many stances of the moon''s form as possible.


    Clenching his hand tightly over the hilt of his sword, a sharp unsheathing sound echoed as Leonardo hacked down with his sword.


    After a moment of silence, a sonic boom echoed as a violent gust of wind rustled Leonardo''s clothing. However, the timely released sh of destion dissipated into the world before it could even reach the other end of the room, disappointing Leonardo.


    This was merely the first stance, a clear sh from start to end, unlike the second stance where the sword undergoes two changes throughout the act of drawing and striking, or the third where the sword would undergo three changes, and so on.


    However, Leonardo wasn''t discouraged.


    If he wants to transition from the first form to the second, he needs to find a way around cycling through the twelve stances at any cost.


    Thus, overlooking the failure, Leonardo sheathed his sword, stood still, took a deep breath, and struck.


    BOOM!


    Another sonic st as the sword sliced through the sound barrier.


    As expected, no progress whatsoever.


    The webbing between Leonardo''s fingers split, blood trickled down, and he panted heavily. However, he didn''t care and continued.


    Again!


    BOOM!


    Again!


    BOOM!


    Again!


    BOOM!


    As Leonardo''s vision alternated between ck and white, he fainted in a puddle of sweat and blood.


    A few hourster, Pandora and Juvia entered the private cultivation chamber, their hearts clenching at Leonardo''s miserable sight.


    Juvia''s eyes we red and on the verge of breaking into tears, but Pandora had some form of mental fortitude in the face of such torturous practice methods as she knew best about House Hestia''s methods.


    Quickly and gently, the two brought Leonardo back to the Grace Imperial Pce for yet another stress-relief session.

 Chapter 91 60 Days

    ?The monotonous life in Grace Imperial City under the lockdown continued like a cog in a stable machine.


    Everyone was already aware of their respective responsibilities, missions, and tasks toplete their day-to-day lives. Of course, Leonardo''s days of cultivation were as stagnant as the world outside.


    Repetitive sonic explosions echoed throughout the empty cultivation chamber followed by an exhausted, bloody Leonardo in a pool of his sweat at the end of every day.


    By day 7, Juvia was already numb to seeing Leonardo like this because everyone knew that no one could help him when it came toprehending his own martial intent, not even Aria even if she wanted to.


    Unlike House Hestia''s bloodthirsty martial intent with thousands of years of heritage and experimentations throughout the sessive generations of immortals, Leonardo could be considered the first-generation ancestor to the deste martial intent, and Nier could be considered secon-generation, and their daughter could be considered the third generation.


    Thus, he needs to brave this path and mold it ordingly, one step at a time.


    Leonardo knew this fact as well, hence his dedication regardless of the pain and dangers involved. Sadly, with the suppression from Arcadia''s will, this task''s difficulty could only multiply in folds.


    On day 30, an event that broke the monotonous cycle urred, Pandora advanced to level 51, the firstyer of a saint''s second-cycle.


    Ten dayster on day 40, Juvia advanced as well.


    Their advancements didn''t go as smoothly as one expected, but they provided Leonardo with a much-desired inspiration to contemte. Thus, he rushed to the cultivation chamber and shut himself in it.


    Day 45.


    Pandora and Juvia entered the cultivation chamber only to find Leonardo in a lotus position meditating with the sword t on his knees. Since he wasn''t injured, they left him be.


    Day 50¡­


    Leonardo was still in deep meditation¡­


    Day 55¡­


    Leonardo was still in a deep state of mediation.


    Day 60¡­


    Leonardo''s body twitched lightly, and his aura disappeared entirely. If Pandora was around, she''d be shocked to realize that Leonardo''s application of his deste martial intent was a replica of her concealment arts.


    Strictly speaking, this is nothing short of a downgrade. However, this downgrade finally seeded, albeit barely so.


    As expected, when one door closes, another opens.


    Although Leonardo was exhrated, he couldn''t lose focus just yet. Ever since Pandora and Juvia advanced, Leonardo was in deep thought as to why would Arcadia allow those two to advance while blocking his growth, as all three of them were practicing the deste martial intent in one way or another.


    If Leonardo could be likened to a tree taking roots in Arcadia, then Pandora and Juvia could be considered as two branches at best. However, the branches are allowed to freely grow while the tree itself was restricted.


    Why would it be so?


    Then, Leonardo came to theprehension that his deste martial intent was as al-epassing, while Pandora and Juvia inherited but a partial figment of the whole.


    The death and nihilism aspects of destion aren''t a direct threat to Arcadia as a whole, only when all factors that beget destion are aggregated would it invoke the instinctive rejection from Arcadia. Hence, the branches can freely grow while the tree itself was ced under strict surveince.


    Although this knowledge wouldn''t allow Leonardo to progress his cultivation base as it is impossible to advance in levels relying on split portions of his martial intent, what Leonardo was attempting is finding a way to slowly break down his deste martial intent to allow the other forces some leeway.


    He came to a sudden inspiration that gradually releasing a stream of muddled water through a narrow channel wouldn''t change the nature of the muddled water, but he should instead aim to release the elements that made it into muddled water, to begin with.


    This is but a basic purification technique in chemistry that he decided to apply to his cultivation. Thus, for the past few days, Leonardo was attempting to extract the essence of nihilism from his deste martial intent while keeping the rest in check within his cells, and on day 60, he seeded.


    However, this could only be considered a gradual sess as if he were to break out of concentration, the essence of nihilism would be instantly drawn back into his cells to meld perfectly into theplete essence of destion.


    Hence, although this was a milestone of sess in his cultivation, it was also another obstacle to ovee.


    The good news is that even though his essence of nihilism was exposed to the outside world, he couldn''t feel the will of Arcadia trying to suppress or extinguish it, allowing him to let out a breath of relief.


    Leonardo ced the sword on the ground and slowly stood up. Then, with his eyes closed, he began to go through sessive hand-to-hand stances while maintaining the rhythm of his current cirction of his Immortal Scripture.


    His movements were so slow one would mistake him for a mortal struggling to learn basic martial arts. However, it couldn''t be helped as any excessive movements would instinctively excite the slumbering deste martial intent, throwing the delicate bnce awry.


    Time ticked by slowly, and sweat began to pour heavily from Leonardo''s skin under the arduous and slow rhythm. Unknowingly, night descended on the outside world, and the door to the cultivation chamber flung open.


    The slight disturbance tossed Leonardo''s focus off bnce as his deste martial intent responded instinctively and beyond his control.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Bang!


    An explosion erupted within Leonardo''s body as Arcadia''s will and his erupting deste intent shed, tossing his circting energy into chaos. His skin split open, blood spurted out, and he coughed up violently with blood rushing into his throat.


    The sharp turn in Leonardo''s state shocked Pandora and Juvia into a panic.


    "Daddy!"


    "Master!


    The two instinctively called out their respective pet names as they rushed to grab onto Leonardo who was quickly descending into a deep sleep. However, a shallow smile was on his face nheless.


    He was so engrossed in the sensation he lost track of time which was a good sign.


    ¡­


    Day 61.


    After a peaceful night of recuperation and stress relief, Leonardo instructed the twodies to not disturb him under any circumstances unless the great war erupted. Of course, he meant the war between them and the Elven Royal Family.


    Pandora and Juvia didn''t wish to identally kill Leonardo as a result of deviation in his energy cirction, so they hurried yet reluctantly agreed.


    On this day, Leonardo wasn''t seated, but he silently stood with the sword to his back. He stretched a hand to the hilt, closed his eyes, and followed yesterday''s example.


    Except for this time, he separated not the essence of nihilism but death. After dual cultivating with Juvia for so long, his understanding of death is as good as his understanding of nihilism, the only difference is that thetter couldn''t be utilized as a primary offensive force, more like an auxiliary force.


    As to why he started with the essence of nihilism yesterday? Well, he factored in the possibility of someone interrupting his cultivation session and as expected, that did happen.


    If his cultivation were to deviate as he tried controlling the essence of death, allowing that energy to rampage through his body, the result is quite predictable. Since the preliminary tests bore fruit, the practical experimentations could nowmence.


    Leonardo''s cells thrummed as thin fments of colorless death essence energy flowed outward through the meridians and body and began to surface on Leonardo''s skin.


    His white robes began to rustle without the influence of wind.


    His silver locks of hair swayed along as the energy circled his body from top to bottom and vice versa, looking for an avenue of release. From one thread of death essence to two, to three, and four¡­


    Eventually, the colorless death essence was like interweaving threads that followed along Leonardo''s physique and poured into the hilt of his sword.


    The scabbard quivered lightly. Evidently, the sword within had began to grow restless from the volume of energy infused into the de. This is an ordinary sword, meaning the amount of energy it could withstand was limited.


    A deliberate limitation Leonardo ced on himself for two reasons.


    First, he needed a finite grasp over the output of death essence.


    Second, he needed a finite control over the death energy essence already discharged from his cells, as he didn''t wish for them to charge back after extracting them.


    After slowly guiding the death energy essence one strand at a time for an hour, the sword eventually reached its limits.


    For now, Leonardo was tackling the issue of finite control over output and not finite control over cirction. Thus, without hesitation, he decided to unleash the strike of the first stance in order to make room for death energy essence to gather within the sword.


    Following a sharp unsheathing sound, the sword hummed audibly as a the space around Leonardo shuddered lightly.


    BANG!


    A sonic boom echoed as a colorless distortion cut through the air in the shape of a crescent vertical line.


    BOOM!


    The wall at the other end of the room shook, a shallow three feet tall crescent moon indentation appearing on its surface.


    Although this attack exhausted every bit of death energy that Leonardo slowly umted during thest hour, leaving him panting and breathless, he was happy nheless.


    "Sess¡­"


    Leonardo whispered, sweat drenching his forehead as his eyes gleamed curiously.

 Chapter 92 Encroaching Danger

    ?As Leonardo found a direction to guide his cultivation path, on the other end of Arcadia in the depths of the Elven Domain, Xavier stepped foot into the territory of the High Elf Lord.


    It was a vast forest surrounded by tall mountains and gushing waterfalls. The trees were arrayed in a natural formation conforming to the cycle of the sun, moon, and stars. Thick green canopies separated thend from the sky as the silver rays of three moons sprinkled past the green leaves.


    There wasn''t a sign of advanced constructions, or industrial revolutions, not even a block of y or concrete. However, curious enough, each tree''s bark was as thick as a house, some of them with a circumference vast enough to house a mansion.


    In the center of it all was a towering tree with branches so high it gave the illusion that this tree was holding up the heavens with minimum difficulty. Some of its smaller branches were the size of the aforementioned tree barks on the peripheral regions of this fantastical territory.


    As Xavier progressed through the trees nked by a procession of elven saints, he couldn''t help but marvel at the deep foundations the Elven Royal Family had. Unlike the three ruling powers of the Human Domain, the Elven Royal Family has the entire poption united under their rule.


    Xavier knew that his visit to the Elven Royal Family was under Leonardo''s predictions. Actually, he knew that he was forced into this path by a masterful move on Leonardo''s end by utilizing human psychology. Nheless, he didn''t care, as he had a surprise prepared for Leonardo as well.


    On top of the World Tree, a middle-aged man stood, cold and dignified.


    A beautiful woman with blonde hair, and blue eyes, dressed in a floral imperial dress stood intimately close to his right side.


    Further back was another exceptionally beautiful woman who looked very much like an older version of Juvia before her transformation. This woman had a cold countenance, hate etched deep within her eyes that she didn''t bother to conceal.


    "Your Majesty, you said that this young human will aid us in attacking the Human Domain?" The first woman asked in a coy tone, sneaking a ss at the former High Elf Queen standing a bit further.


    "We''re not attacking anyone¡ª I simply intend to bring back my niece to where she belongs." The man responded.


    A cold snort sounded from behind apanied by a sarcastic voice, "Please¡ª you''re afraid that Juvia will birth a male son with rights of session to the throne while running outside. After all, you''ve surely plotted deeply, even killing your own brother. Why would you sit around while allowing a threat to your rule to run rampant?"


    The woman next to the dignified man snarls fiercely, her narrow eyes spitting fire as she res at the former High Elf Queen.


    Smack!


    Bang!


    Juvia''s mother backhanded the woman across the face, sending her smashing into one of the inner walls of the tree. She then flung the remnant blood off her dainty hand while speaking in a cold tone, "A mere concubine dare look me in the eye? Truly tired of living!"


    "Valeria!" The man shouted, furious that his favorite concubine was beaten right under his nose.


    "You shut up, Richard!" Valeria red at Richard, her gaze cold and equally as dignified.


    "You were never a match for myte husband, let alone me. If you didn''t secretly poison the Vein of Eternal Spring while Reinard was cultivating, crippling his cultivation momentarily, you wouldn''t have been his match even if the sky was torn asunder."


    "You barely qualify as a High Saint, yet you''re already so full of yourself. Let alone me, you wouldn''t even manage to survive one on one with a Sky Angel. If not for me and the Seven Supreme Guardians, you would have long kissed the title of an Emperor goodbye!"


    Valeria spat on the ground before turning her back to the fuming Richard, heading into the depths of the World Tree without sparing him the least bit of face. This man''s stupidity is incurable, getting himself involved in a fight between two houses from the higher realms.


    As Valeria was making her way into the World Tree, its branches twitched ever so slightly and a wisp of soul energy descended from the top and into Valeria''s soul seed, presenting her with a vision that shook her to the core.


    Her expression went as pale as a sheet of paper. Looking back at the foolish so-called emperor, she cursed under her breath that he was ying with fire before she rushed to her private quarters.


    At the same time¡­


    Exodia Imperial Capital, Royal Pce.


    Inside an isted cultivation chamber, King Ivar was silent drawing the energy from the underground veins into his body, trying toprehend the essence of his own energy in an attempt to advance in the realms of his cultivation.


    Although Leonardo had already stated that advancing past High Sainthood is practically an impossibility, he wasn''t convinced.


    Suddenly, space rippled and the phantom of an old man with long white hair phased into existence without disturbing King Ivar''s meditation. Observing the young king, the old man sighed with remorse.


    This sigh seemed to gently pull King Ivar from his state of cultivation. The next moment, his expression changed as he hurriedly knelt respectfully.


    "I greet the Human Sovereign!"


    Although this old man was also a member of House Exodia, the status of a Sovereign transcends familial bonds from the secr world.


    The old man didn''t say anything, he merely tapped King Ivar''s forehead, transmitting a certain image that turned King Ivar''splexion white from fright.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Without even the presence of mind to continue his cultivation, King Ivar stormed out of the room.


    The same scene reyed itself in the depths of the Beastkin Domain as the Beast Emperor roared to the heavens above with abject horror and anger.


    ¡­


    Grace Imperial Pce.


    The little fox Aria wasying down on Leona''sp, gently humming afortable tone as she was experiencing the pampering of her life. Suddenly, her perky ears twitched, and she raised her crimson eyes to stare into the void.


    Her vision went through the walls, the formation, the skies, the atmospheric membrane of Arcadia, and traveled an unknown distance in the sea of stars.


    There, she saw a fleet of spaceships led by a powerful half-step divinity who had a sinister expression.


    Narrowing her eyes, she found a group of people with the aura of the higher realms delegated in the vessels, as well as a group of powerfulbatants with the aura of the middle realms. Apparently, the factions from the upper realms are nning to use a borrowed knife to kill Leonardo and destroy Nier''s private.


    However, Aria can''t possibly tell Nier about these developments for a few reasons.


    One, Nier is already a divinity and she can''t descend to the middle realms.


    Two, this isn''t under the protection of House Hestia, but Nier as an individual. Hence, even if she knew, there was nothing she could do about it.


    Three, how would she exin to her daughter if she were to ask something like, how did you know?


    Anyway, even if things got to the worst-case scenario, Leonardo could always use the talisman to escape the. Thus, shezily closed her eyes and decided it wasn''t something worth disturbing Leonardo over.


    Just like that, except for Aria, no one else within the borders of the locked-down Grace Imperial City was aware of the encroaching danger stretching its ws in Arcadia''s direction.


    Time quickly trickled by, the outside world once again descended into an era of silent turmoil with the masses blissfully unaware, and Leonardo''s days of cultivation progressed smoothly¡­


    ¡­


    Cultivation Chamber, Day 90.


    Countless sword marks scarred the four walls of the cultivation chamber.


    Some were long, others were short.


    Some were shallow, others were deep.


    Some were elongated, others were even.


    Some were straight, others were curved.


    Some were vertical, others were horizontal.


    In short, there were plenty of sword marks. However, under deep scrutiny, one would notice that they''ve umted to an overall of twelve variations, representing the twelve changes to the form of the moon.


    Leonardo spent thest ten days standing still in the middle of the room while facing a nk region of the wall that was yet to be scarred by his sword.


    Over the eighty days prior, Leonardo kept going through a brutal cycle of trial and error, eventually managing to establish a minute control over the strands of death essence, sessively and smoothly striking with the sword while simultaneouslypensating for the depleted energy.


    However, that wasn''t enough for Leonardo as the essence behind the form of the moon is to deliver the twelve charges within one finite strike.


    The minor aplishment realm is when Leonardo could alternate between the twelve stances at will without a specific order.


    The major aplishment realm is when Leonardo is capable of going through three to six changes in a single strike, as the changes from the seventh to the twelfth mirror the first to the sixth.


    As forplete mastery, that would have to be the realm where the twelve changes are gathered into one seamless strike.


    Leonardo spent the final ten days processing the changes from the first stance to thest. This was a process he was keenly aware of, as his body was intimately familiar with the raw forms after practicing for decades in the Exiled Paradise¡­

 Chapter 93 Improvised Cultivation Method

    ?Day 90.


    Silent ripples danced about Leonardo''s body as an invisible domain of energy expanded from his body.


    This was a domain of death simr to that of Juvia''s, albeit Leonardo''s control over it wasn''t as finite because he needed to split his attention between controlling the domain while simultaneously suppressing the essence of destion.


    The moment the domain was established, a rush of worldly energy gushed from Leonardo''s cells following a preset pattern into the de of his sword. It all happened in the blink of an eye. Leonardo''s figure shuddered ever-so-slightly, blood trickled from his closed eyes and down his cheeks as he instantly unsheathed his sword.


    It was a seamless, soundless strike.


    Neither fast nor slow.


    Neither smooth nor stagnating.


    Neither fancy nor ordinary.


    As the sword left its sheath and cut through the empty air in an arc, it seemed tog twelve times, but it also seemed to strike instantaneously. Things happened so fast that it gave the illusion that the sword would st the sound barrier, stop, and then st through it all over again with even greater momentum than before.


    Twelve sessive sonic booms that echoed as they were one rumbled through the room. The next moment, the wall in front of Leonardo caved in as though struck by a full moon.


    The indentation looked so smooth and clean-cut. With the moon were twelve deep gashes intersecting at its epicenter where an infinitesimally narrow hole formed. Then, water from the other side of the wall began to trickle through and into the room, very slowly at that.


    On the other side of the wall, a shockwave traveled in the form of a full moon six feet in diameter, and the shockwave pushed through the deepke waters for miles unhindered before sting into an underwater clifside.


    BOOM!


    A loud explosion shook theke. On the surface, a curtain of water erupted into the sky, catching the attention of many people. However, they simply attributed it to an aquatic monster ying around inside theke.


    ¡­


    Inside the cultivation room, Leonardo opened his eyes, allowing for even more blood to flow. Within his ck irises were two vertical, dull gray pupils. Apparently, this was a transformation invoked by partially controlling the deste martial intent instead of fully releasing it.


    However, storing these reserves of death energy in his eyes, especially when Leonardo doesn''t have any pupil arts to cultivate with, almost blinded him. This was an annoying drawback he deliberated over for a while now to no avail.


    Only now when a fleeting thought about identally disturbing Juvia and Pandora with this suddenmotion did he recall something he overlooked for a while now, which was his mind''s eye.


    If he could cultivate his mind''s eye into something simr to Juvia''s soul seed but dedicated towards his multiple martial intents. Whatever excessive death essence he can''t control, he will simply infuse into his mind''s eye.


    Wiping the blood off his face, Leonardo nced over at the wall that initiated a self-repair mechanism. With a huge sense of aplishment filling his heart, Leonardo sat down lotus style with the sword on his knees.


    First, he needs to search for the feeling of Juvia''s soul seed from when it was submerged in his sea of consciousness. Closing his eyes, Leonardo began to search in his memories for the sensation with meticulous care.


    The entirety of his spirit, focus, and consciousness were invested in this endeavor. Leonardo sank deep into the mindscape of his sea of consciousness, exploring every corner of this ephemeral dimension to grasp a better understanding of this vast and empty space.


    However, Leonardo was quickly confused because he couldn''t find anything remotely close to a sea, this was simply an endless stretch of nothingness, save for the obvious spiritual fluctuations of the soul.


    Not wanting to waste time, Leonardo began to gather and condense the energy of his soul as the nk mindscape began to roil over with spiritual fluctuations. However, Leonardo made a note to himself to further investigate the oddity of his sea of consciousness when an opportunity presented itself, perhaps after the matter with his soul seed is concluded.


    If this concept proved fruitful, Leonardo would be able to passively store death essence energy and various other energies derived from his martial intent for a quick, efficient, and harmless release.


    Leonardo didn''t know this, but this would be one of his most renowned techniques in the future, and it would grow together with him in potential to be his first created immortal grade cultivation technique. In fact, this would be a technique that directly ignores someone''s physical potential and focuses on the cultivation of their soul and spirit.


    As usual, however, that was another matter for the distant future. As of right now, this technique is nothing but a trash concept undergoing its first stages of baptism in trial and error.


    Leonardo''s spiritual energy and soul buzzed, and the stagnant space of his nk sea of consciousness began to rumble as invisible waves of energy began to rush in from all corners, pouring into Leonardo''s mind''s eye at the epicenter of this space.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Since Leonardo had used his soul and deste martial intent to scrutinize the soul seed in the past, it wasn''t that difficult to form his own, improvised soul seed with the former as a catalyst.


    ¡­


    Inside Leonardo''s mindscape, his spiritual energy and soul were rumbling in constant motion.


    A crystalline spherical pearl took shape under the molding of Leonardo''s soul and spiritual energy. If this isn''t the one-thousandth attempt, it probably isn''t that far off. He didn''t know how long exactly it had been as his sense of time within his sea of consciousness was quite muddled, but it surely wasn''t a matter of a few days.


    Whenever he reached the final phase of constructing the soul seed, the moment he rxed his control over it, the power of his soul would slip away leaving the empty husk of spiritual fluctuations behind.


    It''s not that he hadn''t thought of a method to fix it, but that method is nothing short of suicidal, he might even receive irreparable damage to his soul, making him into a crippled vegetable.


    That''s a risk he wasn''t willing to take unless there was no other choice.


    Apparently, he truly doesn''t have any choice.


    However, if he was to go through with it, might as well go big.


    Leonardo took a deep breath and closed his eyes tightly, forming some peculiar hand seals. Then, his body began to tremble uncontrobly.


    Within his mindscape, in the nk stretch of nothingness, three massive gates appeared.


    One of the gates was dark as ink, wreathed in thin fments of ck lightning that streaked across its surface.


    Another gate was crimson red and viscous blood trickled down its surface and poured into an open, eerie mouth with two sharp protruding fangs.


    Another stone gate silently floated there without as much as a single fluctuation of energy. It seemed ancient, on the verge of copse. However, it exuded a pressure that eclipsed the other two gatesbined.


    RUMBLE!


    The space shook as vast reserves of spiritual energy surged toward the epicenter of the mindscape, pouring directly into the ephemeral mind''s eye.


    The three gates automatically moved and surrounded the mind''s eye in a triangle formation. Then, as the spiritual energy began to shape the mind''s eye into a translucent, crystalline pearl, the mindscape buzzed once more.


    The three gates opened simultaneously as the essence of destion, bloodthirsty, and thunderous poured down in consistent streaks of gray, crimson, and ck, slowly merging into the crystalline pearl.


    Leonardo''s cells churned as endless energy poured from the outside world into them, and they in turn poured this energy into the gates, and the gates in turn poured this energy into the pearl.


    Immortal chants filled Leonardo''s mind as the image of a moon surfaced above the gate of destion, the image of a sun surfaced above the gate of bloodthirsty, and the image of countless stars surfaced above the gate of the ck thunderforce.


    While Leonardo was unaware, an illusive ck gate with a vibe of nothingness, an empty abyss that reflected the depths of Leonardo''s vacant ck eyes appeared above the triangr formation, an image of an endless void above it. However, this gate appeared for but an instant, its doors cracking open ever-so-slightly to pass down a strand of invisible energy before disappearing once more.


    BUZZ!


    Leonardo grit his teeth and began to forcibly tear his soul to merge it into the crystalline pearl to catalyze the creation of this soul seed. The nk white space began to crack and crumble, countless fissures extending into the distance.


    Unimaginable pain wracked Leonardo''s body, but he endured it. Blood trickled from his mouth, ears, nose, and eyes. However, he further endured it.


    His mindscape began to crack and shattered, but Leonardo ignored it. Eventually¡­


    BOOM!


    An explosion went off in Leonardo''s head, his skin cracked from the pressure and he felt as though his head split open. However, at that moment, he dropped unconscious.

 Chapter 94 Black Heart

    ?Knock! Knock! Knock!


    Soft knuckles tapped the wooden door lightly, thrice.


    "Come in," an even lighter voice, sweet as honey, sounded. Unfortunately, the sweetness was followed by a disturbing light cough.


    Click!


    The door was pushed open as a beautiful woman in ck entered the room with a hint of concern in her neon eyes.


    "Nightshade?" There was a hint of surprise in Maria''s voice as she wasn''t used to being disturbed in her private study sote into the night. Although this private mansion was bustling with androids, the study is a forbidden area.


    Only Maria, Leonardo, and Nightshade had the qualifications to enter this room. However, after midnight and during ordinary times, not even Nightshade was permitted entry to this study.


    However, if and whenever Nightshade decided to barge into the room, something big must have happened. Thus, Maria held a white napkin to her rosy lips and silently waited for Nightshade''s report.


    Nightshade took a deep breath before getting right into the subject.


    "The ck Heart! The young master''s first seal was broken!"


    Contrary to Nightshade''s expectations, Maria merely smiled faintly, not showing much of a reaction. Then, she coughed lightly into the napkin and waved her pale hand.


    "I know, I''ve felt it already."


    "But¡­"


    "No buts! What ought to happen will eventually and inevitably happen. No amount of illusions, no matter how far we run, no matter how many nes we cross over¡ª his fate was already set in stone as the Infernal Throne recognized him."


    Maria sighed in exhaustion, only to go through yet another violent fit of coughing. Then, she dismissed Nightshade.


    Nightshade hesitated, reluctance evident in her eyes. However, she eventually bowed and left the study, leaving Maria alone to her own thoughts and a luminous moon across the horizon.


    Sometimeter, Maria left her chair and approached the wall across from her desk, lightly pushing a block of concrete into the wall that scanned her spiritual fluctuations and soul before opening a hiddenpartment.


    Inside thepartment was a box of seemingly reinforced ss with countless ancient inscriptions pulsating with a suppressive energy.


    Behind these walls of ss was a levitating, beating ck heart.


    This ck heart was beating in sync with Maria''s deteriorating heart, as though the two weremunicating. The moment it was exposed, Maria''s heart clenched in her chest, and the ck heart grew agitated as though furious to meet the heart that stole its ce.


    It seemed to scream silently with each resentful heartbeat, but it also seemed lonely and longing to charge out of its confinement and merge back into Maria''s frail body.


    However, Maria knew that if this heart was exposed to the world, the mere shockwaves from its beating might as well destroy this and the illusions she so desperately worked to establish. She also knew if the seals on Leonardo''s ck heart were to be undone, other than an explosive growth in strength, it would serve as a beacon in the dark for those people to find him.


    Hence, Nightshade was restless, she was afraid that the seal would be undone prematurely, exposing her young master to a past he shouldn''t be aware of. She was truly afraid.


    However, they didn''t know where he was now or what he was going through.


    She knew that her Madam had the means to locate the young master, but she never expected her Madam to be indifferent to the implications of this grave matter.


    Maria stretched a hand, reaching for the ck heart. However, she ultimately clenched her fist, shut thepartment closed, and mmed her back to the wall with a vacant look in her eyes.


    A silent, translucent tear slid down her cheek as she dropped to the floor, hugging her knees, and coughing lightly into the bloody napkin in her hand.


    Then, darkness descended.


    ¡­


    Hazy darkness surrounded Leonardo''s senses as a searing pain jolted him awake. With a groan, he began to cough.


    Feeling weak and heavy, he tried to open his eyes, but the pain wracked his senses yet again.


    "Don''t open your eyes!" A soft, charming voice spoke to him.


    Although charming, it was a voice unfamiliar, startling him. However, curiously, he obediently listened to the instructions and closed his eyes. Leonardo could feel a stinging pain followed by a sensation of warm liquid trickling down his cheeks.


    Then, a slippery sensation assaulted his cheeks. This time, the tender and wet feeling were quite familiar to Leonardo.


    An outrageous thought suddenly manifested in his mind as he blurted out, "Aria?!"


    The sensation paused momentarily, and the charming voice echoed once again with a hint of relief in it, "Well, at least your intelligence didn''t suffer any bacsh, that''s good news."


    Aria then snorted coldly, biting Leonardo''s ear as she scolded, "Are you tired of living, you bastard?!"


    Leonardo was shocked, embarrassed, and furious all at the same time.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You can actually talk?!" He raged, feeling like an idiot, an open book of secrets. "You actually vited my privacy?!"


    "What nonsense are you spouting?!" Aria raged once more, her voice quivering, "You could have died back then! Are you an imbecile?!"


    Leonardo went silent for a moment, then he sighed.


    "How bad is it?" He was now sure that Aria was an existence beyond hisprehension. Perhaps, without her help, he might still be in aa.


    Aria didn''t respond, taking a moment topose herself before snorting coldly.


    "It''s not so bad that it''s irrecoverable. You received a heavy trauma to the foundation of your soul, you can''t use your spiritual energy, and your eyes are temporarily blinded."


    "The eyes are a window to the soul. Hence, you can''t use them as the minute spiritual energy in the world will agitate your spiritual energy, interrupting your soul during its process of recovery. As you can''t use spiritual energy, it''s impossible to circte your energy, forcing the energy in your body to undergo an instinctive state of dormancy lest they run rampant in your body."


    "Putting it simply, until your soul naturally recovers, you''re a blind non-cultivator. I was nourishing your soul with my will for the past two weeks, and the state of your sea of consciousness is peculiar, to say the least¡­ I can''t probe it out of fear to further agitate it, but I can tell that your soul''s foundation is recovering."


    "Don''t open your eyes, don''t try to use spiritual strength, and don''t try to use your consciousness for now."


    "You little bastard¡­ You''re really a marvel aren''t you?!"


    While talking, Aria grew infuriated once again, having the urge to bite off his skull open and personally investigate whether he had a brick for brains.


    "I get it, I get it¡­ I was wrong! Where is your little head?"


    Leonardo epted the beating and scolding like a man. After all, this time he truly almost died with his ridiculous ideas.


    Seeing Leonardo blindly trying to find her head, ayer of mist-shrouded Aria''s crimson eyes. However, she blinked it away and snorted, reaching her little head into Leonardo''s open palm.


    Leonardo smiled, patting the fluffy little head.


    "What about everyone else? How are they doing?" He asked.


    Aria sighed, "Everyone has been on tenterhooks the past two weeks, and things are getting pretty lively on the outside. Actually, you have guests waiting for you as we speak, they think you''re still in seclusion so they are waiting patiently¡­"


    Aria had an odd expression, not knowing how to best deliver news about the identity of the two guests. How would she tell him that Queen Adeline and the former High Elf Queen had been waiting on him for an entire week?


    That sounds wrong no matter how she opted to describe it.


    Anyway, the Sylvian Queen''s matter was understandable, but wasn''t the Elven Royal Family on the brink of dering war on House Grace? Why would their former High Elf Queen visit around this time?


    Just as Aria was wondering how to break this news to Leonardo, the massive doors to the royal bedroom chamber swung open as a group of people rushed in.


    "Boss!"


    "Boss!"


    "Godfather!"


    "Master!"


    "Da- cough!"


    "Boss!"


    Misaka, Miko, Sitri, Juvia, Pandora, Kieran, Leona, and even little Nagi.


    Everyone rushed into the room, various expressions from ecstasy to concern on their faces as they surrounded the massive bed.


    Leona directly jumped into Leonardo''s chest, bawling her eyes out while mumbling incoherently. Not even she knew what she was saying as snot and tears spilled like a spring rain.


    "Don''t agitate him! He needs rest!"


    Aria, who was pushed off Leopard''s chest by a charging Leona, suddenly said to everyone. By now, everyone was aware that Aria could talk. At first, everyone was shocked, but they had been too concerned about Leonardo to even care that a fox could talk.


    Intelligent magical beasts weren''t that rare after all.


    "It''s fine," Leonardo spoke up for the little girl, hugging her small body gently while soothing her emotions. Although he didn''t know what was happening within his sea of consciousness, he could feel the various energies being guided through some mysterious means and into his chaotic sea of consciousness.


    He assumed this had to do with his self-cultivated soul pearl, which he presumed was a sign of sess. Thus, he wasn''t too worried about subtle spiritual stimtions, even though he decided it would be best to let nature take its course for now.


    "Guests were waiting?" Leonardo suddenly asked after Leona calmed down.


    "Ah, that¡­" Juvia''s expression was a bit odd now as well, feeling quite awkward¡­

 Chapter 95 Two Queens

    ?"His Highness will be here shortly."


    A maid spoke respectfully to the former High Elf Queen, Queen Adeline, and Princess Veronica as the trio was apanied into a luxurious dining hall. In the center of the hall was a long table dressed in various seafood cuisines, sds, and spiritual fruits.


    The ceiling was riddled with chandeliers while the floor was a stretch of transparent, reinforced ss, peering into the depthlesske beneath their feet and a beautiful array of aquatic creatures big and small.


    Although Adeline and Valeria had some level of constraint on their emotions, the inexplicable sense of calm as a psychological effect from such a disy amazed them. On the other hand, Veronica wasn''t so constrained with her emotions; she gasped in shock and gaped at the view of exotic aquatic creatures.


    She found them very adorable to the eye.


    Adeline and Veronica sat at the right side on one end of the table, Valeria sitting right across from Adeline. Then, Leonardo''s followers began to file into the room one after another, starting with the siblings'' duo, the former Grim and Reaper members, andstly, Pandora and Juvia.


    Pandora sat on the head seat''s left side while Juvia sat on the right. As for the remaining followers, they took their seats in ordance with the progress of their respective districts.


    "Boss said to give him a few minutes," Miko spoke in a tone neither servile nor humble as he reached over to pop a grape into his mouth. In the silent room, the sound of chewing and swallowing was particrly conspicuous.


    Misaka''s face twitched, stepping on Miko''s foot from under the table.


    Miko reflexively clenched his teeth, identally biting on his tongue, causing his body to flinch and wince in pain. Helpless, he quickly reached for a bottle of red wine and began to chug it down.


    "Fucking hell! What is wrong with you? I haven''t eaten or drunk for two weeks! Let a man satisfy his stomach!"


    It would have been fine if Miko didn''t mention it. However, now that he did, rumbling sounds echoed from the other people''s stomachs. Everyone was anxious the past two weeks, they didn''t have the peace of mind to cultivate, let alone eat and replenish their energy.


    Adeline smiled gently, "You guys must have been very busy to establish such a flourishing city in that limited amount of time. If you''re hungry, just go ahead and eat first."


    "Wouldn''t mind if I do!"


    Miko ignored his sister''s hostile res and began chugging down food and drinks without a care. His disy eventually moved Sitri and Pandora, who decided to go ahead and eat anyway.


    Eventually, even Veronica started eating from her te because she couldn''t handle it anymore.


    Since at least one of the guests started to eat, Juvia and Misaka joined in as well. After all, everyone was hungry. Within minutes, everyone except the two queens was eating heartily, with Miko taking control over the flow of the conversations between the two sides.


    Twenty minutester, everyone was full and energetic.


    Through this meal, everyone finally and truly rxed from their umted stress. Queen Adeline and Valeria gave Miko a meaningful, deep nce. They could tell that the other four were burdened and anxious about something, and Miko had sessfully smoothed out their feelings.


    Could it be that something has happened to Leonardo? The two women thought to themselves. Just as they were thinking so, the door to the dining hall opened and Leonardo walked in with the help of a long ck cane in his right hand, his left arm being hugged by a beautiful young maiden with a pair of heterochromia eyes and long ck hair.


    Leonardo''s weak and almost nonexistent aura shocked the two women, not to mention his chaotic spiritual fluctuations. Furthermore, seeing him carefully sensing his immediate surroundings with a cane while being led around by a non-cultivator woman was yet another shock.


    Leonardo was dressed in his usual white clothes. However, there was now an additional white blindfold covering his eyes, at the center of which was the emblem of House Grace.


    ng!


    The fork in Veronica''s hand dropped into her te as she gasped in shock.


    "What happened to you?" It was Queen Adeline who asked, also shocked at this development.


    "Haha," Leonardoughed lightly, smiling faintly as he did, "I was trying to find a way around the suppression from Arcadia''s will and suffered a minor bacsh, it''s no big deal."


    Queen Adeline was caught aback by the sudden amiable temperament, feeling as though she was talking to another Leonardo altogether. If it was in the past, Leonardo would simply steer away from answering such a question because, well, this was none of her business.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Actually, Leonardo found himself doing things that didn''t conform to his usual style ever since he woke up from that shorta. Aria said that this had to do with his passive use of his martial intent.


    As exined, a martial intent represents a person''s sentiment, spirit, and essence. It was only natural for the deste and bloodthirsty martial intents to have some form of an influence on Leonardo''s psyche, hampering the development of his emotions.


    For example, no normal man would brush off killing so many people as though it was just and proper; that was merely the influence of the bloodthirsty martial intent.


    Perhaps the deste martial intent had a simr influence on Leonardo''s temperament, presenting a calcting, cold, and borderline nonchnt Leonardo.


    Now that these passive influences were on hold, his emotions would slowly surface, which could be considered both good and bad.


    It could be considered good because this will allow Leonardo a much-needed respite to collect himself together and not be swept by the influence of power. However, it could also be considered bad because there will be nothing to filter out the ugliness of Leonardo''s actions over the course of his journey.


    All of these negative emotions that have been suppressed by his deste martial intent and the bloodthirsty martial intent wille hounding like a pack of wild animals, eating away at Leonardo''s heart and mind.


    This could be considered as both a trial and retribution. During this time, no one can help him, not even the Gods above or the Demons below.


    "Will you really be alright?" Asked Queen Adeline with a hint of concern in her voice. She stood up, about to approach Leonardo, but Valeria stopped her.


    "Don''t approach him, your aura is too strong even when reserved. His energy, essence, and spirit are very unstable right now and he can''t be carelessly approached by people on our level." Valeria''s vision was sharp and she could see through some clues.


    "Oh!" Queen Adeline also seemed to notice the motives behind assigning a non-cultivator to apany Leonardo.


    Thinking about it, she couldn''t see the little fox anywhere near Leonardo, further emphasizing the seriousness of the matter.


    Actually, the boy of the fox is nothing but an empty husk, a vessel per se. There was no essence or high volumes of energy contained within to speak of, only a strand of Immortal Will.


    Of course, the Will of an Immortal is something beyond theprehension of people on Queen Adeline''s level, hence why she couldn''t tell the difference even if she were to personally investigate.


    "As expected of Juvia''s mother and a former High Queen of the Elven Royal Family, you''re quite perceptive!" Leonardo praised, turning his head in her direction with a smile.


    "You''re too kind. The fact that you could instantly lock down my position despite the shing echoes, relying solely upon your ordinary sense of hearing¡­ now that''s what I''d consider perceptive."


    Although Leonardo was blindfolded, Valeria had this peculiar feeling that a pair of calm eyes were staring her down. This peculiar sensation was both mystifying and novel to someone on her level.


    Azalea''s heart was pounding out of her chest, not having expected to be in the same room as the current Queen of House Sylvia and the former High Elf Queen.


    The pressure almost had her cave and kneel on the spot. However, knowing that she was now representing a pir for Leonardo to lean on, if she were to kneel now, it would only disgrace him. Thus, she could only distract herself with something else. Thinking about it, this was her first physical contact with Leonardo ever since that one night when she practically glued herself to his body for who knew how long.


    Her thoughts quickly spiraled down the path of the unthinkable, her face heating up without her notice. Only when Leonardo secretly tugged at her sleeve did she notice that he was waiting for her to lead him to his chair at the head of the table.


    Blushing, she lowered her head and guided Leonardo around the table and to his seat. Once seated, Leonardo handed his cane over for Azalea to hold onto as she stood behind him, he then joined his hands together on the table.


    Clearing his throat, Leonardo opened his mouth, "I''m curious as to what would impel you two to personally visit me?"


    Queen Adeline and Valeria exchanged a look, puzzled.


    "You don''t know?" Queen Adeline asked in return, baffled.


    "Know what?" Leonardo raised his eyebrows. Not only, Leonardo, everyone else was just as confused.

 Chapter 96 Deception

    ?"How do I put this? Remember when you talked about how a second, third, and even a fourth tiger will follow in the tracks of the first? Well, your words didn''t onlye to pass, but worse¡­"  Queen Adeline started, sighing.


    "I didn''t expect your lockdown to be so serious, we couldn''t reach you no matter how many envoys we dispatched so I decided toe personally."


    Queen Adeline was obviously talking about herself, excluding Valeria from the exnation. That begs the question, what does the former High Elf Queen have in mind to visit Leonardo?


    Valeria leveled a calm gaze at Leonardo before opening her mouth, "I heard of that meeting. Back then, you said that you were merely caught in the crossfire between two powerful factions, I believe."


    "This is indeed the case," Leonardo nodded.


    "Well, I''m afraid that the entirety of Arcadia is about to be riddled with holes from being caught in the crossfire as well. My brother-inw the High Elf Lord will open a spatial passage in the Elven Domain, allowing Xiaver''s people to safely make it through the atmospheric membrane of Arcadia."


    "The thing is, his ambitions blinded him. That fool is willing to allow an army of invaders from a different to safely make it past Arcadia''s final line of defense, all in the hopes of conquering the Human and Beastkin Domains by burrowing the momentum of their armies."


    "It is known that when ites to home-field advantage, my Elven Domain is an impregnable fortress. However, the armies we can dispatch are limited, hence why Xavier''s offer of handing over the entirety of Arcadia to High Elf Lord Richard enticed thetter so much."


    "For a man who assassinated his own brother, his own flesh and blood for power, putting an entire in jeopardy to wield even more power makes no difference."


    Valeria furrowed her brows, "You don''t seem particrly concerned about this?"


    As she exined, she noticed that Leonardo wasn''t showing much of a response whatsoever be it negative or positive. Of course, just because he didn''t show any, that didn''t mean he wasn''t hiding his emotions.


    Anyone on their level would have some control over their bodynguage and facial expressions, and it didn''t help that Leonardo''s eyes were literally blind at the moment so she can''t infer his thoughts from his gaze.


    As for monitoring his spiritual fluctuations, forget the fact that it''d be rude, that could outright harm if not kill him in his current condition, something she didn''t wish for.


    "Oh, are you done?" Leonardo raised his head in Valeria''s direction, tapping away his fingers on the table in a stable rhythm.


    "What do you mean by ''am I done?'' Don''t you see the consequences of Richard''s stupidity? How did things escte from you, to Xavier, to an entireary catastrophe?! Do you think you have nothing to do with this?"


    "You''re talking as though I put a de to Richard''s throat and forced him to cooperate with Xavier and the invaders," Leonardo interrupted Valeria lightly, his tone unhurried yet sharp.


    "Adeline, what was my piece of advice on that meeting?"


    "To keep neutral, but Leonardo¡­"


    "No more. There you have it; keep neutral. Without inside help, their numbers and power would have been significantly lower. Now, it seems like I have to reevaluate my ns to defend my city, and I believe you''ll have to take precautions because trust me, you''re inviting a pack of wolves into the heart of your house if your brother-inw doesn''t stop."


    "Do you honestly believe that every one of those higher realms people will be as smart and collected as Xavier? Let me tell you this right now; far from it. In fact, Xavier could be considered an oddball among them."


    "Those people look at you the same way you look at non-cultivators. They won''t treat you as equals, much less promise you a single thing. Furthermore, Xavier can be considered a failure at most. He had a mission, he failed it, and he''d be lucky if he weren''t executed for such a blunder."


    "While you''re here trying to force me into joining your camp, your brother-inw is out there discussing deals and promises with a man on his death row. Yet here you are, in all your seriousness, trying to pin the me on me?"


    "Enough!" Valeria interjected, her aura on the verge of exploding. Then, she looked over at Queen Adeline who had a helpless expression on her face.


    She then looked back at theposed Leonardo before talking seemingly to the void, "I know that a powerful senior is observing as we speak, can you please show yourself?"


    Queen Adeline tensed up, while Leonardo was confused.


    What senior?


    Then, space behind Leonardo rippled and a silver-white fox stepped out, curling up on Leonardo''s left shoulder as her tail coiled over his neck.


    Leonardo subconsciously reached over to rub her little head, a hint of surprise in his voice, "Aria? Weren''t you keeping the childrenpany? Did Leona calm down?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Queen Adeline and Valeria eyed this little fox curiously and warily. In the past, Queen Adeline could feel the fluctuations of a saint''s essence from Aria''s body. Now, however, it felt as though she wasn''t even present.


    As expected, Leonardo didn''t seem to realize the extent of this fox''s true power, she thought to herself.


    "You''re here not for this brat, but for me, aren''t I right?"


    Ariazily narrowed her crimson eyes while stretching over Leonardo''s shoulder. Her voice was as enchanting and charming as always, but a hint of unconcealed majesty lingered within.


    Leonardo was surprised, feeling weird inside.


    Was Aria really that powerful? He was skeptical. However, these two wouldn''t make light of something like this, meaning it had to be true. However, at this point in time, this isn''t something so shocking anymore.


    "I apologize if I happened to offend you, but this matter rtes to the billions of lives on Arcadia." Queen Adeline said.


    "Arcadia is Arcadia, Leonardo is Leonardo, while I am me," Aria responded in azy voice, not particrly interested in the flow of the conversation.


    No kidding, just who was she? Did they expect her to bother with the lives of some ants in a backwater nowhere like Arcadia?


    "I understand," Valeria interrupted Queen Adeline from ying the sympathetic card on someone like Aria.


    "What do you need in order to help me?" Valeria asked directly, not using any flowery words or sweet-talking her way through.


    Leonardo also remained silent as he wasn''t about to tell Aria what to do and what not to do.


    "I haven''t made myself clear enough it seems. This child is on a tempering experience, I will only act whenever his life is in immediate danger, and other than that, it''s none of my concern."


    "Doesn''t Arcadia belong to some faction from the higher realms? Wouldn''t they help?" Valeria pressed on.


    This time, Leonardo responded, "The people from the higher realms who have their eyes set on me will naturally be dealt with by me. However, the invading forces from the others in the middle realms have nothing to do with me; they''re merely profiting from a cooperation between your High Elf Lord and Xavier."


    "Just so you know, even if they rallied some support, the main striking force will still be the invaders. Thus, I suggest you dispatch your second-cycle and above saints to intercept them outside the atmospheric membrane of Arcadia, that is if you want to prevent them from destroying your forest as they march my way."


    "Of course, you''d have to¡ª I see how it is! Haha!" Leonardo suddenly realized something,ughing involuntarily as he shook his head.


    "I see how it is, I understand now," Leonardo shook his head with a mocking expression on his lips.


    "Your mother is truly something else, Juvia," Leonardo took a deep breath to calm down fromughing all of a sudden, tapping the table in front of him.


    "You too Adeline, you too¡­ Just whose idea was it? Hm? Guilt trapping me with some twisted sense of righteousness to bear the brunt of the invading army? Was the Beastkin Domain on this too? No¡­ No no no no, they''re not clever enough. It''s probably something you two came up with on the spot after meeting on your way here, I presume¡­ Anyway, that doesn''t matter. The answer is no, you''re on your own."  Leonardo impatiently waved them off, not even the least bit of courtesy involved.


    "What? Boss, I''m confused as hell!" Miko scratched the back of his head.


    Judging from Queen Adeline''s stiff expression and Valeria''s indifferent expression, something big must have happened.


    "Nothing much! These two wanted to use our forces to dy the invasion. Well, more urately, they wanted to bait me in order to force Aria to act on my behalf, ultimately protecting their little precious Arcadia. I can''t believe it went right under my nose!"


    Although Leonardo couldn''t see, he was sure their expressions must look wonderful right now. However, he didn''t care for that.


    "Richard must be in control of the Elven Forces, so he obviously wouldn''t send troops to interject the invasion in outer space. As for the Human Domain, they''re not about to sacrifice the lives of their people to pervert an inevitable oue. No matter what they do, the armies will eventually descend, it''s just a matter of when. I don''t even need to mention the Beastkin, they''re not the type to look for conflict unprovoked."


    "At the end of the day, everyone is after their own profits, and of course, the most conservative option to both the Elven and Human Domains is if the battlefield was relocated to outer space."


    Leonardo sighed in admiration. If he wasn''t injured right now and if it wasn''t for Aria''s attitude, his pride might have truly led him to a decisive battle in outer space. Unfortunately for them, he no longer had that bloodthirsty attitude, and he wouldn''t confront an army of hundreds of thousands on his lonesome.

 Chapter 97 Compromise

    ?"Your imagination surely works wonders," Valeriamented lightly, sighing.


    "Do you have nothing to say, Juvia? I don''t even recognize my own daughter anymore," Valeria switched from Leonardo to the confused Juvia. Of course, she''d be confused, after all, the topics that were brought to the table concerned the well-being of not only her race but the entire poption of Arcadia.


    Although she made her resolve to follow Leonardo to the higher realm, that didn''t mean she was apathetic to the fate of her mother, her race, and the entire. Unlike Leonardo who viewed his visit to Arcadia as a  passing chapter in his journey, she had deeply rooted feelings for the and its people.


    Not only Juvia, everyone else excluding Leonardo, Aria, and Pandora had a storm of conflicting thoughts about turning their backs on Arcadia in this hour of crisis.


    "I- ¡­" Juvia was tongue-tied under the gaze of her mother.


    She didn''t know how to respond.


    Valeria looked back at Leonardo and said, "Is it wrong for us to want to survive? Your imagination is telling you that we''re using you as a shield? Don''t make meugh."


    "What about you then? Aren''t you using the millions of lives on this as your shield? A distraction to buy yourself some time? You hole yourself up in this pce you built, waiting for the enemy to knock on your doors, while you act impervious to the cries and pain everyone out there is going through!"


    "Yes, we wanted you to take the battlefield somewhere else. Yes, we couldn''t keep neutral as you''ve advised, but what difference does it make? Are you saying that if we don''t provoke them then they''ll let us be? Isn''t that one ridiculous contradictioning from you? If they treat us like the ants you speak of, would our attitude even matter?"


    Valeria''s counterargument also wasn''t wrong. Leonardo frowned lightly, seemingly in deep thought.


    He shook his head and said, "You see, perhaps I can take a step back. If you can dispatch one of Arcadia''s Sovereigns and a fleet of second-cycle saints from both your factions, then I''ll allow whoever wishes to volunteer from my subordinates to apany them in outer space to intercept the iing invaders¡­"


    From that point, Leonardo was no longerughing it off but began to discuss it seriously with Valeria and Adeline. After all, he could understand their feelings.


    He would feel the same if two foreign powers invaded Earth and began to treat it as nothing more than a battlefield to settle their differences. At that point, it wouldn''t matter who was a criminal and who was innocent, who was young and who was old, who was strong and who was weak.


    The scale of the conflict is just that huge, the aftershocks wouldn''t discriminate between friend or foe. It was only natural that the decision makers, the people with power, would ultimately try to avert disaster by hacking all parties involved and duke it out in outer space.


    However, Leonardo had to remind them that they were no longer an unconcerned party. Even if those from his faction and the opposing factions were to dust off and leave, the invaders from the other are already here.


    Thus, even if Leonardo went out to act as bait, he would only draw attention from the minority of the iing army while the rest will invade this peaceful nheless.


    Ultimately, no matter how things were discussed, no one wanted to be the first party to sh with the descending army. Leonardo''s point was even though he understood their plight and could sympathize with them, but that''s about it.


    "The game is already set in motion, and I won''t change my ns out ofpassion or pity for the lives of the masses. Sorry, it''s regrettable but this is how things are going to be. If you want, you can start evacuating your people; the women, the elderly, and their children. I will offer them asylum in Gracr Imperial City, but have in mind that I''m only taking this risk because of Juvia."


    "However, I wouldn''t be too worried because no matter how little they think of Richard, it is a fact that they''d require elven channels to the trade and traffic routes if they wish to expand from the Elven Domain. Another thing to take in mind is the fact that you already know their main target, which is me."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "If you want, you can have the people abandon the cities and towns on their march and evacuate to a more secure location. If you''re worried that this action might irk me or give me the impression that you''re deliberately thrusting me into the ranks of the enemy, you don''t have to worry."


    Queen Adeline''s expression rxed lightly as she smiled, "That''s good, I was wondering how to break this matter to you. Everyone knows that the outsiders have their eyes set on you while the elves have their eyes set on Juvia, this is literally a personal conflict and not a diplomatic conflict, it would have been awkward if we made a move unprovoked."


    Technically, if the Human Domain interferes, it would be nothing sort of an obstruction of justice. That would give the elves a reasonable case to dere war on the Human Domain, and then they would take advantage of the invader''s momentum to sweep through the realm.


    It could be said that the Human Domain was ced in a passive predicament.


    "And if I was to lose this conflict and escape, theirbined armies would be upying a territory that is connected to the hearts of every notable kingdom through traffic and trade routes, a favorable position to invade the Human Domain from within and out," Leonardo added with a faint smile, "I''m positive this isn''t something your brother-inw coulde up with, based on how you described him."


    Valeria sighed, deting lightly, "Right, this was a n proposed by that Xavier guy. Though, I didn''t expect it''d go this smoothly. Actually, he already predicted you''de to this decision, and he was quite confident back then."


    Valeria couldn''t conceal her astonishment at the wits of these two. Of course, she was also informed about their game of chess without even meeting one another.


    Xavier and Leonardo, she couldn''t see through either of them.


    She wondered if people from the higher realms were all that scheming and pragmatic.


    "Oh really?" Leonardo raised an eyebrow, feeling intrigued. If that was true, then the likelihood of this Xavier guy getting executed had just plummeted.


    "Yes, he concluded that although you won''t yield to my demands, you''ll at leaste to apromise that would leave you with a sense of security while lessening the losses of the Human Domain." Valeria nodded, observing Leonardo curiously, "He said anyone with enough sentiment to adopt two strangers would at least have that much sentiment in them."


    Oh, he must have investigated the origins of Leona and Kieran. Of course, this could also be a hidden message indicating Xavier''s interest in that settlement of convicts.


    Leonardo heard that something mysterious was going on there, but he didn''t catch anything of particr interest on hisst and only visit.


    "Interesting," Leonardo muttered lightly. Of course, the others could only interpret it as Leonardo feeling interested that someone could read his character, which was far from the truth.


    "Oh, I forgot to ask, what ns does Richard have for Juvia? I''m sure there''s a deeper meaning to this whole farce than some reimed pride and upheld grace."


    "He''s afraid I''ll sire a son that would threaten his position on the Elven Throne!" Juvia answered before Valeria could gloss it over. Apparently, she was disgusted with her uncle, especially since he killed her father and would stoop so low as to repeatedly attempt to assassinate his little niece.


    Valeria opened her mouth a few times, struggling with herself. She didn''t know whether or not to speak her mind concerning this drama since this was something, well, personal. Eventually, she sighed, "Actually, he wanted to merge the main and branch bloodlines under his ancestry, but since he can''t overpower me¡­"


    "He wanted to fuck his niece instead?!" Miko jumped in his seat, eyes wide with disbelief. In fact, he even forgot that he was talking in the presence of two queens from his shock.

 Chapter 98 Trial Of The Heart

    ?"Miko! Shut up!"


    Misaka pinched Miko''s waist furiously, blushing to her ears.


    Queen Adeline and Veronica were blushing deeply as well, with thetter lowering her head silently.


    Valeria looked at Miko as though she was in the presence of some worldly marvel, this man''s brain was a masterpiece. He simply blurts out whateveres to mind. She nned to indicate it, subtly hinting, but not explicitly expressing it.


    For one, this is a dining room filled with not only food but women of considerable upbringing and backgrounds. Two, this is the woman of his lord that they''re discussing, is it alright to spout vulgarities involving her like that?


    The reason she didn''t speak the truth was precisely her consideration of Leonardo''s current condition, but she also couldn''t lie about it under the eyes of an expert like Aria, as that would only make them look insincere. Hence, she decided to take the middle ground and hint at it in a way that wasn''t too obscure or too obvious.


    Of course, not too obscene either.


    However, a marvel like Miko existed in this world.


    As expected, Leonardo''s mind wasn''t following the conversation the moment Miko''s words left his mouth. The mere thought that he would need to go through a bloody war simply because some random dick coveted his woman wasn''t something a sane man would ept peacefully, let alone someone with an unstable mind.


    Under normal circumstances, keeping a calm state of mind wouldn''t be oh so difficult for someone on Leonardo''s level of intelligence and rationality.


    "Calm down!" Aria''s voice echoed in the room, loud yet soft, clear yet ephemeral.


    Leonardo''s body was shaking in his seat, patches of blood staining the blindfold red.


    "Do something!" Misaka flew into a panic, if anything were to happen to Leonardo, influenced by her stupid little brother, she didn''t know what awaited him in the not-so-far future. However, she didn''t know what to do.


    Miko, realizing his mistake, was also fidgety and anxious. He almost reflexively bit down his tongue out of guilt, but Misaka was quick to knock him unconscious with a blow to the back of the head.


    Everyone was anxious, and Aria''s crimson eyes glowed spectacrly as she tried to suppress Leonardo''s boiling bloodthirsty martial intent that was roused together with his killing intent.


    "No one can help him now, this is a trial for the heart. It''s unexpected, but this was inevitable, Miko simply brought the test forward inadvertently," Aria spoke up once again, her eyes focusing on Leonardo.


    Although she suppressed the bloodthirsty intent, that only brought Leonardo face to face with the ugliness of his subconscious mind whenever that intent took over.


    Without the presence of that spirit, he would have to experience the difort, disgust, and paranoia brought about by ending someone''s life. This isn''t a feeling a teenager should be apathetic about, that''s too abnormal.


    Leonardo clutched at his head, trembling and clenching his teeth. In his mind, the darkness faded, enveloped by a crimson sky dripping with blood. From behind the sky, countless corpses began to rain down, descending like a hailstorm, an avnche, a crumbling mountain of screaming corpses.


    Despair and hopelessness filled their eyes as they came crashing down like a tsunami.


    rmed, he tried to summon forth his bloodthirsty armament instinctively. However, he quickly realized that he couldn''t. In fact, he didn''t have a lick of energy, he was standing there naked.


    Before he realized it, the sky came crashing down.


    The corpses, with all their disgusting blood, raced toward him.


    They bit down his arms, feet, legs, and torso, and not a spot of his body was spared. Not only that, they even began to scream directly into his ears, parting his mouth open and their blood spilled down his throat.


    He tried to shout but no sound came out.


    He tried to struggle but felt paralyzed.


    The more he tried to escape, the tighter their hold was on his body and mind.


    The sea of corpses was endless, and their cries of agony and hatred filled the earth and sky.


    In the outside world, Leonardo had long stumbled off his chair, convulsing on the transparent floor as blood leaked from his mouth, nose, and ears. As for his blindfold, it was no longer white but a deep crimson.


    Juvia was already hysterical, Valeria holding onto her daughter tightly and keeping her away from approaching. Not paying mind to her status or location, Juvia quite literally fought with her mother, tooth, and nail, as she bit and scratched at her mother''s arms.


    It couldn''t be helped, Leonardo''s current disy was simply too frightening.


    Only Aria knew what was going on, with Pandora guessing parts of it as a servant to House Hestia. Thus, out of everyone present, those two were quite calm on the surface.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Princess Veronica had long since fainted in Queen Adeline''s embrace, her mental fortitude being too weak to cope with such a bloody scene.


    Inside his mind, Leonardo felt so suffocated he simply had the idea to just give up and let them have their way with his body and mind. However, in that moment of despair, his crimson eyes were consumed by a pitch-midnight abyss of darkness, and everything around him went still.


    The screaming stopped.


    The sky darkened.


    The millions of corpses began to disintegrate into specks of ck dust.


    Behind the mountains of corpses, a towering illusory ck gate appeared, its doors open ever-so-slightly. Through the narrow crack in the door, an abyss of darkness could be seen.


    In the abyss of darkness was a vast ck sea.


    Above the ck sea was a silent, drifting moon.


    No.


    Looking closely, it wasn''t a moon, but something akin to a translucent pearl shining in the darkness.


    Streaks of dull grey, crimson red, and inky ck energies would asionally sh through its depth. As for the ck sea below, it seemed motionless yet not, depthless yet not, but also present yet not.


    At the bottom of the sea was a massive ck heart, floating silently along the waves. Then, the heart throbbed once.


    A powerful heartbeat that sent the sea roiling over with motion, a ck tide crashing through the ck gate and sweeping across the crimson domain of blood. Very quickly, the once crimson world became a vast expanse of deep darkness, with nothing but Leonardo floating aimlessly in this space.


    Before realizing it, his body was brought in through the crack of the towering gate.


    BANG!


    The doors were sealed shut once more.


    In the outside world, the blood stopped leaking from Leonardo''s body that stopped convulsing. At least, it stopped flowing through his mouth, ears, and nose.


    As for his eyes, the red blood was now dyed ck, startling even Aria.


    With a wave of her paw, the red blindfold disintegrated, revealing a sight that shook everyone to the core.


    Leonardo''s pupils had expanded to ovep his irises and the whites of his eyes, reflecting a pitch-ck abyss of stillness. Two rivers of a mysterious ck substance poured from his eyes, but his expression was serene and vacant, practically lifeless.


    "Wake up!" Aria shouted, her voice apanied by a frightening Immortal Will that drilled into Leonardo''s mind with the intent to rouse him awake. This development was too eerie and weird.


    Within the depths of Leonardo''s consciousness, just as he was about to be submerged in the ck sea, his mind shook.


    His listless eyes brimmed with the sparkle of intelligence, and he was shocked by what he saw.


    Sensing clearly, this was obviously his sea of consciousness, but what did it look like so?


    Just as he was thinking, Aria''s voice echoed all around him, startling him. Then, a powerful heartbeat echoed, shing with the invading voice. On the outside world, Aria''s little body shook, disbelief coloring her eyes.


    However, no one noticed as the ckness receded from Leonardo''s eyes back to his pupils as though nothing happened.


    Leonardo looked at Aria.


    Aria looked at Leonardo.


    "Why hello¡­" Leonardo muttered with a weak smile.


    Then, Leonardo fell unconscious¡­


    "You imbecile¡­" Aria muttered, dazed.

 Chapter 99 Unfathomable Taboo

    ?A moment passed after Leonardo fell unconscious, and it was as though everyone woke up from a mind-captivating spell. Anyone who looked into those ck eyes felt drawn by a mysterious abyss of mncholy, like a pool of murky, stagnant waters.


    Aria was the first to snap out of it. Actually, it couldn''t be considered that she fell under the illusion, it wasn''t to that extent for her.


    Then, Valeria snapped out of it. The moment she did, she hurriedly smacked Juvia on the back of her head during a moment of weakness, knocking her unconscious as well.


    Next, Queen Adeline snapped out of it, and only a moment afterward did everyone else collectively snap back to reality.


    Valeria had a never before seen serious expression in her eyes as she looked down at Aria who stood on the ground not too far from Leonardo.


    "What in the name of Arcadia was that? What trial of the heart?" Valeria asked, bewildered.


    Everyone else looked at Aria who sat there silently.


    A momentter, Aria sighed, "You all need to realize that Leonardo is just a child, no matter how strong and smart of an impression he provides. Due to some circumstances involving his martial intent and stagnant cultivation, where his cultivation base couldn''t keep up with the progress of the former, the nature of his martial intent began to influence his subconscious passively."


    "It''s not that this child is apathetic, indifferent, or simply cold to life and the abundance of killing that followed in his wake from the Forbidden Domain to here, but that burden was umting over the subconscious managed by the martial intent. However, that wasn''t a solution, it was only a temporary remedy."


    "You can think of it like building a dam, and the moment his cultivation suffered from deviation and went into a dormant state, the dam began to slowly but surely erode away. When his killing intent was roused earlier, the dam simrly broke, and the flood of these negative emotions came flooding down on his unstable mind and heart. All I could do was suppress his martial intent, but everything else had to be settled by his own resolve."


    "However¡­" Aria sank into deep thoughts, putting everyone on edge. Of course, this was the part that puzzled everyone, those ck eyes didn''t seem like anything rted to martial intent or cultivation.


    "It seems that some powerful existence ced some sort of a seal or a protective mechanism inside his sea of consciousness, that would act automatically during moments of danger. Whatever it was, it didn''t only suppress the trail of the heart, but it also forcibly stabilized Leonardo''s traumatized soul in the process."


    Aria suddenly linked this to Leonardo''s mysterious background as a newalker. If she guessed correctly, then he didn''t originate from Earth, but both his past and identity were sealed deep within his sea of consciousness.


    The trial of the heart might have touched upon that taboo, triggering this phenomenon.


    Based on her experience, this is the only possible exnation. Furthermore, whenever the word nwalker was on the tip of her tongue, her intuition of danger and rm bells would go absolutely haywire with warnings, as though simply mentioning the term will spell doom for her and everyone with karmic ties to her no matter how insignificant.


    She thought back to how this feeling never appeared when she discussed the topic with Nier, finally concluding that this term was only a taboo to be mentioned in the presence of a bonafide newalker, for example, Leonardo.


    She made her resolve to warn Nier about mentioning this term in Leonardo''s presence. Actually, she would forbid her daughter from mentioning this term ever again, not even investigating it in the Interster Supreme Institute.


    Powerful existence? Queen Adeline and Valeria exchanged a nce.


    If even someone as strong as Aria would praise them as a powerful existence based on nothing more than a remnant seal, then what type of background would Leonardo have?


    In any case, with this seal present, it seemed like nothing on Arcadia would pose a threat to Leonardo''s life. However, if he were to be ced in a position where there was no other choice but for the seal to act up automatically¡­


    Just as the two shrewd women weremunicating with their eyes and arriving at that conclusion, a terrifying killing intent locked onto them.


    "It seems you''ve overstayed your visit, don''t you think so?"


    Aria''s voice was zero cold, having noticed their thoughts.


    She then transmitted to them coldly, "You idiots, if that were to happen, let alone people on your level of power, not even your prided Sovereigns would make it out alive from the aftermath of this seal, no matter where they hide on Arcadia, because Arcadia itself wouldn''t survive to begin with."


    Aria''s words chilled the two women''s hearts, dousing them in a cold sweat. They hurriedly bowed, apologizing for their insolence and preparing to leave.


    "Ugh¡­" Leonardo groaned, feeling Aria''s tender tongue cleaning his cheeks once again. Then, he slowly woke up and sat down on the ground, Arianding in hisp with a hint of surprise in her eyes.


    She didn''t expect him to wake up so suddenly this time.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Seeing that look, Leonardo teased, "What? You''d rather I drop back unconscious?"


    Aria snorted, "Everyone is starting to take it for granted that you''d at least spend a full day and night in aa whenever something like this happens,"


    Azalea who got herself together out of her fright and confusion hurriedly kneeled behind Leonardo, offering her abundant chest and tender hands to support him on the cold floor.


    Quickly, Juvia and Miko came to their senses from being knocked unconscious as well, their eyes filled with confusion.


    Miko red at his sister before he rushed over to Leonardo''s side.


    He kneeled down and mmed his forehead on the floor, cracks webbing the transparent floor as blood dyed them red.


    "Boss, I''m sorry!" Miko yelled out, feeling guilty as he didn''t get to hear Aria''s exnation.


    Feeling helpless, Aria peeked through Leonardo''s palms and exined the situation once again, allowing the fool to heave a sigh of relief.


    As for Juvia, she nkly stared at her mother''s torn sleeves and bleeding fair arms due to her violent and unreasonable thrashing. At that moment, Juvia thought that her circumstances were too much for the current Leonardo to withstand, causing his sudden outburst.


    Desperate, she wanted to hug andfort him, but Valeria blocked her path, infuriating her.


    From that point, she couldn''t recall what happened to her at all, it was all a nk in her mind.


    She could only nkly stare at the torn flesh underneath her nails and the bloodied arms of her mother, feeling torn and conflicted. Eventually, she also knelt down with her forehead on the floor, weeping while mumbling incoherently.


    Although they stood on opposing factions, a mother is still a mother after the highs and lows in life, not to mention it was Valeria who helped her escape a fate worse than death.


    "Good child, get up!" Valeria sighed, helping Juvia to her feet.


    Juvia''s silver eyes were circled by a patch of red, tears striking down her cheeks like a baby out of control. Valeria hugged her calmly and whispered, "I would have done the same for your father, the women of our family can''t think straight when they''re in love. I mean, I was usually nothing but my physical strength, if your head was in the right ce, then you wouldn''t have tried shaking me free with your nails and teeth¡­"


    Valeria sighed while everyone else involuntarilyughed. Juvia blushed, feeling even worse. For some reason.


    "Sigh, I really didn''t expect that you''d actually fall in love. Well, it can''t be helped at this point¡­" Valeria softly wipes off Juvia''s tears, tenderness evident in her eyes for the first time ever since she arrived in Grace Imperial City.


    "How about you apany your mother for a private chat, just mother and daughter? You can tell me all about that scoundrel son-inw, right?" Valeria smiled warmly.


    "Is this really okay?" Juvia looks back at Leonardo who was stretching while receiving a massage to his back and shoulders.


    Leonardo waved his hand off with a smile, "That''s fine. Actually, youdies go have your time together, all of you! On your way out, call for that child Kieran, we will have ourselves a night for the boys as well!"


    Leonardo then gestured for Miko and Sitri, "What are you two idiots waiting for? I''m still a cripple, help me up to the wine cer! That will bring some nostalgia,"


    "Nostalgia?" Miko advanced to help Leonardo up, despite his confusion.


    "That night in the border fortress you idiot," Sitri muttered, exasperated.


    "Oh right!" Miko now remembered. He was about to invite Misaka over reflexively, but Sitri saw through it and stomped down on Miko''s foot, silencing him.


    Like that, the men and women split groups after leaving the dining hall.


    Of course, Aria went over to apany Leona and Nagi as she didn''t feel like entertaining either party.

 Chapter 100 Sage Miko

    ?Wine cer.


    The tinkling of ss filled the dimly lit room as Kieran carried a box full of wine bottles to Leonardo, Sitri, and Miko who sat on wooden chairs in a random formation.


    There were no hassles like distinguishing status from the arrangements of their seats. As a matter of fact, Miko had his chair tossed in some corner as he sat on the floor, stretched his legs, and leaned against a heavy wine barrel with a full bottle in his right hand.


    "Fucking aye boss, you scared the shit out of me back there! You were convulsing like some bitch on cloud nine¡ª forget that, make it cloud nine thousand! Except you didn''t look like you were enjoying it¡­" As he spoke, Miko chugged down half the bottle in one breath, some of the drink washing down his chin and chest.


    "Are you calling me a bitch, you fool?" Leonardo didn''t know whether tough or cry. This follower of his didn''t have a filter on his mouth ornguage, and it only gets worse when he''s drunk.


    Kieran poured down a ss for Leonardo and Sitri each, his eyes lingering curiously on Sitri''s bandaged hands and face, as he never got to see what this person looked like underneath those wraps.


    "Good kid, pour yourself something as well," Leonardo clicked sses with Sitri before gulping down his drink, feeling refreshed as the alcohol stimted his body and mind.


    "I''m not 16 yet, Godfather," Kieran replied while shaking his head. "Auntie Juvia said only adults at the age of 16 and above are allowed to drink alcohol."


    "Who cares about that? Just listen to your daddy over there!" Miko tossed his half bottle of wine to Kieran with a wicked grin on his face, "Don''t wait until these people or this life make a man out of you. If you leave it to them, there''ll be a price to pay, and that price will never be cheap."


    There was a hint of pain in Miko''s eyes as he muttered, "Life will always teach you lessons, but the value of these lessons is proportional to their prices! Thus, take your father''s lessons while you can, at least it''s not you who paid to learn them, eh?"


    "Holy fuck," Sitri muttered, "Now that''s some deep shit!"


    "I know right?" Leonardo wholeheartedly agreed, "Too deep for a 15-year-old child actually. But hey, it''s the thought that counts anyway,"


    Leonardo had actually caught the bottle of wine that Miko tossed over, sternly pushing it into Kieran''s chest as he said in a deep voice, "You''re a man, aren''t you? Men only take advice from men, unless the woman in question is your mother; don''t listen to them."


    "Come, go ahead and drink. While you''re at it, tell me about our wooden figurines, anything greattely?"


    Kieran was truly confused by Miko''s advice, but that went to the back of his head as soon as Leonardo mentioned the wooden figurines. He sat down next to Leonardo and began to talk about his craftsmanship for the past few months.


    "Oh yeah, Kieran''s eyes are practically a gift from heaven, especially when ites to appraisals! Instead of wasting this on wood and stuff, why not have him appraise women''s fine assets instead?" Miko suddenly sat up and spoke in a dignified, serious manner.


    He added, "I know a very good ce in my district, the women are out of this world too¡­ How about we take little Kieran there and make him a man?"


    Kieran frowned. However, seeing Leonardo act as though he heard nothing and continued to chug down his wine, Kieran decided to take matters into his own hands, "I''m not interested in women for now, cultivation is most important."


    "Aren''t you a virgin, Miko?" Sitri suddenly asked.


    Miko, who was drinking wine like a wise sage, suddenly began to cough violently, his bottle dropping from his hand.


    "Anyway," Miko decided to smoothly change the topic, "Are you really okay now, boss?"


    "I''m alright," Leonardo swayed his empty wine cup in his hand, his expression unreadable, "Lucas must be gettingfortable in some church about now, find Pandorater and ask her to find that kid and pay a special visit to the Elven Domain,"


    "What happened to Godfather?" Kieran asked, puzzled.


    Sitri and Miko exchanged a look, seeing that Leonardo had noment about it, Miko took to the stage, "Since your Godfather brought you down here to listen, it naturally means you''re already qualified as a man. You see, some guys that live in the trees got veryfortable, and their big boss wants to stretch his ws here and take your auntie Juvia away,"


    "That bad big boss doesn''t know that he fucked up, and fucked up badly, and it seems your Godfather decided to change his ns a little bit," Sitri added while sipping his wine.


    "Can I go as well?" Kieran asked expectantly, having been cooped up in the pce for too long already.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo patted his head, "Not yet you can''t, I want you to focus on cultivation for now. There will be plenty of opportunities to y in the future, you might even start wishing for these days offort toe back by then,"


    Leonardo then looked back at Sitri and said, "You cane by my studyter to receive a special gift, just have Pandora deliver it to Lucas and have him imnt it directly into their Vein of Eternal Spring, that should keep them a little upied."


    Leonardo smiled coldly, "For now though, let us enjoy a fine drink!"


    ¡­


    Juvia''s private chamber.


    Juvia, Pandora, Azalea, Misaka, Veronica, Queen Adeline, and Valeria sat under the cozy breeze of the sunset on the spacious terrace.


    Juvia was applying ointment on Valeria''s fair arms tenderly, while everyone else was engaged in their own brief or borate conversations.


    "So you knew his background from the very beginning, and you wanted to forcibly take him as your subordinate?" Valeria didn''t know whether tough or cry at her daughter''s foolishness. However, she also felt likemending her daughter for being so decisive back then, but perhaps it was so because she had no other paths to survival.


    "Weren''t you worried that he might hand you over to your uncle in exchange for a good rtionship with the Elven Royal Family?" Valeria was curious.


    "Ah, I haven''t thought that far actually¡­ I don''t know, he didn''t give me any dangerous feelings. Even though I was defenseless back then, he didn''t even bother with me and instead opted to set me free so I thought he''d be a good person¡­ I guess?"


    "Good person? Do you know how many people were killed for this good person? The entire Forbidden Domain was tossed into absolute chaos for this good person, the rtionships between the three ruling powers, House Erudite, and the Elven Domain hang by a thread for this good person, and the geopolitical structure of the the entire is about to undergo a massive shift in power for this good person, which of the aforementioned are uses of a good person?"


    Queen Adeline rolled her eyes, Veronica, to the side stifling augh because she knew her aunt was sulking. After all, Leonardo actually pped her face.


    How could she possibly think of him as a good person?


    "Anyway, good person or bad person,  are you nning to leave here without leaving behind a seed for the future generation? You know that you''re our only child from the main bloodline, and you need to sire an heir before you ascend the higher realms, right?" Valeria suddenly interjected.


    "That¡­" Juvia blushed, not knowing how to respond.


    "It''s not easy to get pregnant because their conditions and talents are too far apart, her body can''t possibly fertilize Leonardo''s seeds properly,"


    "In the best case scenario, after giving birth, she''ll lose her cultivation. Worst case scenario, she will die trying to nourish the baby," Aria''s voice drifted over from a ce unknown, wanting to stop this madness before it gets out of hand.


    "Is there really such a thing?" Both Queen Adeline and Valeria were shocked, never mind everyone else.


    Hearing that, Juvia felt dejected, but she quickly put up a faint smile.


    "That can''t be possible! You can''t allow our main bloodline to end here just like that!" Valeria''s expression was solemn.


    "If it''s about nourishing the fetus, the World Tree  can do that instead, you only need to serve as the carrier and the medium, let the World Tree invest its energy in the baby!" Valeria quickly thought about the crux of the problem and instantly thought up a solution.


    Aria snorted, "So you want to deliver Juvia back to Richard on a silver te just like that? You couldn''t protect your own husband, let alone a defenseless and pregnant woman!"


    "I-¡­" Valeria got tongue-tied, not knowing how to retort. She was speechless.


    As expected, she was too preupied with the matters of session to think about that disgusting brother-inw.

 Chapter 101 Succession Conundrum, The Seed, Ghost Face

    ?"I-¡­" Valeria got tongue-tied, not knowing how to retort. She was speechless.


    As expected, she was too preupied with the matters of session to think about that disgusting brother-inw.


    "If you want to carry through with that n, you need to make sure of a few things in advance. First, Richard is dead, which would only happen after the war is over or during the war. Anyway, that wouldn''t be a proper time for pregnancy because Juvia will most likely be on the front lines helping that brat Leonardo."


    "Second, the time doesn''t conflict with Leonardo''s schedule because he has only this one ticket to travel back to the higher realms. If he wanted to leave but the World Tree was in the process of nurturing the baby, do you want him to simply leave Juvia behind? Would she even ept that?"


    "Third, would your World Tree have the spare energy to nurture the child, to begin with? Don''t underestimate Leonardo''s talent and potential, nurturing his child might bring your World Tree into a state of dormancy, putting your entire race in a vulnerable position. Unless it''s an era of peace, I doubt your World Tree would make such a decision. Furthermore, even if that era of peace dide after this uing war, Leonardo wouldn''t have the time to wait on Juvia to deliver her child."


    Valeria''s expression grew darker by the second as she listened, deting in her chair. She knew the traditions of her race, since Juvia already epted a man in her heart, unless he died, there can be no other.


    However, it was as obvious as the midday sun that Leonardo wouldn''t be dying here.


    Would she be forced to carry Richard''s child? The mere thought disgusted her greatly.


    Looking at her mother''s conflicted expression, Juvia blushed and said, "Mother, why can''t you have his child instead?"


    Pffft!


    Misaka, Pandora, Veronica, Azalea, and even Queen Adeline; they all spat their herbal tea, coughing and choking simultaneously.


    "Brat! Have you no shame?!" Valeria raged, her face red to the ears.


    How can her daughter have the gall to suggest something so ridiculous?!


    Her and her daughter''s man? How did shee up with that?!


    "But¡­ This kind of practice is normal in some houses of the higher realms¡­" Juvia muttered in a not-so-confident voice.


    Valeria was about to argue that this was shameful and immoral when Aria''s voice drifted over again, "She''s not wrong;pared to the session of an entire family, what would a bit of incest amount to? Anyway, don''t rush your decision, you have a never before seen war on the horizon. Furthermore, you should be worried about your brother-inw right now, he truly found the worst enemy possible to infuriate,"


    Aria wasn''t only eavesdropping on the women''s side, but also the men''s side. Hence, she understood that the Elven Domain and its Forest of Eternal Spring are up for some dark days ahead of them.


    Of course, Juvia and Aria were aware of Leonardo''s ns to dominate the Human, Elven, and Beastkin Domains. If he could have his son be the next High Elf Lord after the war, that would be for the best.


    Since the opportunity presented itself, Aria and Juvia might as well help Leonardo nt the seeds in Valeria''s mind. As for whether this seed would bear fruit in the future, that''s not something to be worried about right now.


    Valeria''s expression changed a few times and she eventually sighed, "Alright, It''s about time I take my leave¡­"


    She kneaded her forehead, exasperated with her daughter.


    "Oh, make sure to keep your lips sealed about what should be kept within these walls, I don''t feel like moving around too much cutting loose ends, alright?" Aria said, basically threatening them to keep the matter of the heart trial, the seal, and Leonardo''s secrets to themselves.


    "I don''t need to say this but trust me when I say I can hear and see everything on the surface of this and below that surface, no walls are thick enough and no formations are tight enough to screen off my senses," Aria''s voice echoed within Queen Adeline''s and Valeria''s sea of consciousness, deeply shaking the two.


    To so casually bypass their spiritual defenses and transmit her spirit to their sea of consciousness clearly demonstrated her ability to kill them with a thought. Worse yet, if she wished to imnt some hidden restrictions or seals, she could have done so stealthily and they wouldn''t be the wiser.


    Valeria was considerably shaken because the elves had the best spirituality among the three intelligent races on Arcadia, with humansing in second ce.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Actually, when it came to spirituality and the prowess of the physique, the elven and beastkin upied first ce respectively, with humans upying second ce in both categories. It could be said that humans were jacks of all trades but masters of none.


    With this efficient deterrence, neither of the two would dare speak of what they''ve witnessed. Aria could have easily tampered with their memories as she did to the other outsiders, but the memories of people on that level would have obvious gaps if tampered with, threatening them directly would produce better results with less effort.


    As expected, this method worked wonders on Queen Adeline and Valeria.


    ¡­


    Later that evening, Leonardo''s Imperial Study.


    Leonardo sat behind hisvish desk with Pandora and Sitri standing in front of him in theirbat uniforms. Well, it didn''t matter what uniform Sitri put on, his trademark bandages would always be present.


    "I''ve informed her of your instructions, boss," Sitri broke the silence as Leonardo was busy scribbling away at a collection of documents that piled up on his desk for the past month.


    "The technological departments are progressing just fine I see, it wouldn''t be long before we merge the magical engineering department with the technology sectors, I look forward to their inventions in the uing war," Leonardo signed thest paperwork before looking up at Sitri, "You can wait outside for now."


    Sitri nodded and left the room to wait outside.


    Once Sitri left, Leonardo pulled out a sealed case that was radiating a dense aura of death and decay. Within this box was a condensed seed of both death and decay attributes from Leonardo''s deste martial intent, and he had practically depleted his energy to condense this seed.


    Although he acted crippled in front of Valeria and Queen Adeline, his condition had already stabilized enough to circte his energy. However, he would rather keep that matter a secret for now.


    "I''ve run out of energy before I could infuse the essence of nihilism into this seed, so I leave that part to you. After you meet up with Lucas, have him further infuse it with the essence of oblivion, I don''t want anyone to be able to sense it¡ª as for the so-called Sovereign, unless they''re deliberately focusing on sensing, it shouldn''t be a problem either."


    Leonardo passed the case over to Pandora and spoke in a grave tone, "Use your concealment arts to escort Lucas into the Forest of Eternal Spring and find a tributary vein that connects to the territory of the High Elf Lord. Then, nt this seed directly into the vein, and make sure to dispatch Lucas to the elven branch of House Erudite''s church beforeing back."


    "He will be my eyes and ears there, it''d be best if he could make it as a servant inside the World Tree and wait for a critical moment to act up,"


    "Understood!" Pandora nodded, her eyes worshipfully observing Leonardo.


    No one thought that Leonardo would use the gathering brought about by House Erudite to target him and nt a mole within their ranks with no one the wiser. It could be said that Lucas became both a celebrity and a nobody in the world of intelligence and information booking.


    He could easily blend in anywhere and collect viable information with no one being aware of his presence or having the capacity to remember his presence, let alone his face and identity. Everyone knows that he exists, but no one knows who he is, or where he gets his information from.


    The intelligenceworks refer to him as Ghost Face, because if anyone tried to remember his name or anything remotely personal about him, that specific memory would be hazy and distant.


    It could be said that other than Leonardo, only Juvia and Pandora have the immunity to actually go around his innate martial intent. However, it would be too cruel to send Juvia on this operation to cripple the Forest of Eternal Spring, hence he could only entrust this operation to Pandora.


    "Daddy is wise and brilliant," Pandora blushed lightly, her breathing growing heavy and uneven. Apparently, she wanted some special treatment before going on this long journey and arduous mission.


    Of course, Leonardo saw through her thoughts, but it wouldn''t look good as Sitri was waiting outside for now.


    "Call Sitri in and go wait for me in my personal chambers, I''ll be there in a bit," Leonardo chuckled lightly, waving Pandora off.


    "Certainly!" Pandora bowed in courtesy before she rushed outside with a flushed face, too impatient to waste a moment of this precious time. Since it was unknown when she''d meet Leonardo again, she wanted to be filled with his love and affection throughout the night, all by herself.

 Chapter 102 Past The Sky Mountains

    ?The next day, Leonardo stretched outzily in his bed, his eyes slowly parting open as a sloppy sensation upied his lower half. The moment his eyes gained focus, what greeted him was a pair of small, thick folds of flesh with a thin pink slit in between.


    The slit was secreting a translucent liquid that dripped periodically on his face.


    It took Leonardo a moment to realize what this thing was, and he instinctively mped down on two mounds of tender flesh before dragging the beautiful scenery near his lips, inducing a shiver and a soft moan from the petite woman on top of him.


    Pandora felt strength zap away from her body, her legs twitched, and she instantly climaxed from the sudden stimtion. However, her mouth was upied to the base of her throat with a hard cock pulsating with veins, suppressing her moans greatly as she went limp.


    After she copsed on Leonardo''s body, he smiled tly before pushing her petite figure forward while shifting in the bed, forcing her into a doggy position that entuated her perky rear glistening with sweat and a hint of red.


    She was already dazed post-climax, but Leonardo instantly shoved his length down to the base inside her tight hole, bringing her down from cloud nine to this mortal soil with a sharp moan that echoed throughout the Imperial Chambers.


    And thus goes another morning in the busy life of Prince Leonardo.


    ¡­


    Later that day, Pandora slipped out through the great formation with a pair of sparkling eyes and lustrous skin, happiness, and sunshine radiating off her body. Of course, under her concealment arts, no one noticed her movements.


    Her domain spread soundlessly and reached the edge of the far province. Then, she took a step forward and tore through theyers of space within her domain, reaching its end before the domain expanded once again.


    She would proceed so until she made it into the Elven Domain to meet up with Lucas who should have already received word from Sitri through some secret channels.


    As for Leonardo, he was in the pce adjusting his white robes and strapping an ancient sword with a rustic scabbard on his back. This was the sword that was apanying Nier on her visit to the Interster Supreme Court Auction House, and she had already passed it down to Leonardo after his apprenticeship in the Exiled Paradise.


    Regardless of its looks, this was actually a Divine Grade weapon. Once he made sure everything was ready, he spoke to Aria, "Are you sure you can send me directly past the Sky Mountains?"


    Aria rolled her eyes, "What''s so difficult about that? Just because these saints can''t cross the spatial barriers enveloping the mountain range, that doesn''t mean that I can''t do it either!"


    Although Arcadia was called a, it wasn''t actually a spherical celestial body. In fact, it could be considered like a vast board floating in space. As for the Sky Mountains, they were a chain of mountain ranges stretching from one end of the Beastkin Domain, through the Forbidden Domain, and to the other end of the Elven Domain.


    These three domains were split in half by the mountain ranges, and it is rumored that past the Sky Mountains, there is no body of water separating the three domains, making the Sky Mountain Domain thergest plot ofnd on Arcadia, with the Human Domaining in second ce.


    Although no one in Arcadia knew why it was impossible to cross over the Sky Mountains, Aria could tell that a spatial barrier reinforced by Arcadia''s will stretched from the base of the mountains all the way to the atmospheric membrane. Furthermore, the other side was under a chaotic maelstrom of invasive energies that could prove fatal for cultivators.


    As for those half-step divinities, it would be even harder for them to pierce the barrier because they could only step into the realms of half-divinity with the help of Arcadia''s will. In a sense, to pierce the barrier they''d have to go through an external and an internal conflict, which could harm their foundations.


    Aria is different.


    Her Immortal Will can directly overpower Arcadia''s will and send Leonardo inside. Furthermore, she can attach her will on him to bring him back in the case of immediate danger. Perhaps, that location would be Leonardo''s only hope of advancing in realms because the majority of Arcadia''s will is concentrated on maintaining the barrier.


    Not to prevent people from crossing over but to protect them from having that maelstrom from sweeping across the surface of Arcadia.


    "Alright now, you can either manually trigger my will to teleport you back or it''ll automatically trigger if your life is in danger, anyst words for everyone else?" Aria spoke impatiently.


    Leonardo chuckled, patting her little head, "Tell them to lock down and focus on cultivation, the outside world will be quite lively when Pandora and Lucas are through with delivering my gift."


    With a wink of his eyes, he turned his back to Aria and stepped into a tear in space that Aria created. Of course, he was also amazed by this disy of power. He couldn''t understand how someone so powerful could peacefully exist in the middle realms without drawing anyone''s attention.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ¡­


    Multi-colored clouds blotted the sky, and thunder rumbled across the horizon. Explosions filled the atmosphere as energies of all natures shed against one another on scales invisible to the naked eye, but frightening in their proportions nheless.


    Leonardo walked through a tear in space with the Sky Mountains behind him, and a stretch of destruction and chaos in every direction for as far as the eye could see.


    He could feel a flood of energy rushing into his body, ravaging his body down to the cells. However, his eyes shed with a silver, dull grey as ayer of destion enveloped his body.


    A tug of imperceptible resistance tugged at his body, spirit, and mind. However, that was about it.


    A smile crept on Leonardo''s face as he finally felt these shackles unbound from his body.


    Energy essences of all facets of existence within the scope of Arcadia were abundant in the atmosphere all around, exhrating Leonardo who desperately needed all of these natural resources, especially thunderforce in the skies above.


    Of course, Leonardo was also positive that over theeons, some natural life forms must have formed as this was only the cycle of evolution, and the deeper he would head inside, the harsher the conditions, and the stronger the abnormal life forms to face against.


    However, Leonardo didn''t care for that as his cultivation had been stagnant in the firstyer of the first cycle of sainthood for far too long now, he was disgusted with being a level 41 saint among a sea of people who were at least level 51.


    Immortal chanting filled the air as the illusory images of a moon, sun, and stars appeared behind Leonardo. As for the images, they were floating in the depths of an illusory ck void.


    Then, the moon began to light up partially, one form at a time. Eventually, it went through twelve changes and began to spin. The moment the moon spun, worldly energy began to pour into the moon and by extension, Leonardo''s body.


    Lightning rumbled in the sky as Leonardo closed his eyes, expanding his domain to further attract even more of these chaotic energies. The moment they gravitated towards the moon and channeled through it, the essence of destion would subdue and break down these energies before pouring them directly into Leonardo''s cells.


    Eventually, a stray bolt of lightning from the edge of the stormy region phased into Leonardo''s domain, striking the silver moon in the sky.


    RUMBLE!


    The illusory image shuddered, on the verge of shattering from the volume of energy. Furthermore, the lightning bolt was barely the thickness of a finger.


    Leonardo''s eyes snapped open and a streak of ink-ck electricity flickered within the depths of his eyes as he stared in the direction of the thunderstorm, amazed and horrified. Then, he wisely shrank the extent of his domain, found a nearby hill, and sat down lotus style in the sea of shing energies.


    With his deste martial intent and domain filtering out the harmful and heterogeneous energies, he needed only to focus onprehending the essence conforming with his cultivation path, and his cultivation base began to quickly climb like bamboo shoots after the rain.


    As one cell of his body was filled to the limit, shattered, andpressed, the next cell followed suit. When every cell in his body shattered andpressed once, his cultivation increased from level 41 to level 42, representing thepletion of oneyer in his cultivation.


    Of course, his cells shattered figuratively and not literally, as the pockets of energies distributed throughout these cells are whatpress, copse, construct, and restart the process the further Leonardo progressed in his cultivation.


    This also shows why someone with a higher innate talent and constitution would simrly require a vast amount of resources to advance in their cultivationpared with their weaker counterparts. Ever since Leonardo thought he couldn''t advance in his cultivation, he contributed all of his resources to the construction of Grace Imperial City.


    However, he didn''te to regret it now because thisnd of chaos and destruction, with the filtering of his deste martial intent, could be considered a holynd of cultivation for Leonardo.


    Just like that, Leonardo''s cultivation base began to slowly but surely rise with the passage of time¡­

 Chapter 103 The Hidden Tribes

    ?Purified energy ceaselessly poured into Leonardo''s body, saturating his millions of cells. With one energy pocket full, the cirction would drive the energy to the next, and the next, and the next until all of them were fully satisfied. Once that was done, they would simultaneously contact and implode, signifying Leonardo''s advance from one level to the next.


    Nine consecutive muffled explosions rumbled through Leonardo''s body within varying intervals, each explosion violently shook Leonardo''s figure for a few breaths.


    Level 42¡­


    Level 43¡­


    Level 44¡­


    Level 45¡­


    Level 46¡­


    Level 47¡­


    Level 48¡­


    Level 49¡­


    BOOM!


    With a final muffled bang three days and three nightster, the illusory images behind Leonardo began to fade as the immortal chanting that filled his mind began to settle down.


    Leonardo''s domain of destion also began to retract into his body along with the images, leaving him seated atop a high cliff with his white robes pping chaotically under the influx of the raging energies in the ambiance.


    Leonardo''s eyes fluttered open, two ck pearls akin to a depthless abyss swirling within his irises as glints of crimson and grey danced inside.


    Leonardo slowly stood up and faced the direction of the thunderstorm, a frown on his face. From his observations, a massive ring of thunderstorms ought to have encircled the deeper regions of the Sky Mountains Domain, where energy is most concentrated.


    The density of energy on the periphery barely brought satisfaction to his hungry cells to advance to the ninthyer of this cycle, and this influx of energy is barely enough to allow him a guaranteed advancement to the second cycle.


    "That''ll probably hurt a lot," Leonardo muttered to himself as he made sure that ayer of dense destion essence enveloped his body tightly. Then, just as he was about to recklessly rush into the region of the thunderstorm, he thought he might as well use this lightning to stimte his reflexes against magical techniques.


    His eyes glimmered as this region of thunderstorms was simr to a massive natural domain, and Leonardo could treat it as though an enemy was trying to kill him. With that thought in mind, he wouldn''t be blindly charging while tanking the lightning bolts, but he would be actively trying to maneuver around them by utilizing the movement technique exclusive to the Fourth Dimension Immortal Scripture.


    Of course, the movement technique was also split into four dimensions respectively; Lunar Eclipse, Sr Eclipse, Starry Eclipse, and the Void Eclipse.


    The first volume represents eclipsing heaven and earth with the phasing of the moon, silent and ephemeral.


    The fluctuations of the destion essence around Leonardo''s body shifted subtly, no longer a chaotic lump of energy arrayed in protectiveyers that stacked on his body, but they followed a profound cirction path that gave the illusion of the brilliance of a waning moon.


    Like a silent ray of white light, Leonardo shot into the region of thunderstorms without a second of hesitation.


    ¡­


    ng! ng! ng! ng!


    A massive metallic w the size of a house descended through the vast expanse of dark clouds, lightning, and thunder wreathing along its edges. Despite the ridiculous size, this w''s movement was beyond the capabilities of what a normal eye could perceive,


    This w was attached to some hideous dark talons, and below this w was a pair of gigantic bone broadswords that were charred ck from thunder. However, following a strike from the ws, the charred bits fell off to shocking reveal that the bone broadswords were actually fine.


    A seven-foot tall man was sted into a cliffside far in the distance after this sh with the w, causing the entire ground to shake and the sky to rumble.


    A sharp avian cry echoed in the air as a pair of massive ck wings could be seen pping among the clouds before the entire creature was submerged in the darkness.


    Pfffft!


    The man climbed out through the rubble and spat out some dust, debris, and blood. He propped himself up on his two massive broadswords and roared to the sky in defiance, only to receive an even sharper shriek of disdain and derision from the beast in the clouds.


    Not too far away on a high hill facing the direction of the battle, a group of three youths was watching the conflict with interest. There were two girls and one man.


    All of them wore primitive clothing that concealed their vital parts such as the crotch area for the men, while the women hid both their crotch and chest with a wrapping of tightly bound cloth.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The women were tall, and the men were even taller.


    They had dark skin, deep ck eyes, and long silver hair. The woman had their hair smooth and sleek, while the men had their hair rough and unattended, as though the aftermath of an electrical shock.


    As for their weapons, all of them held either massive broadswords or heavy sabers. Specifically, the man had two broadswords stabbed into the shape of an intersecting ''X'' behind him where he leaned against them. As for the two women, each had a heavy saber swung across their shoulder in a domineering manner, their eyes coldly watching the ongoing battle.


    "Tsk, Little John''s skin really is thick, he actually survived that strike unscathed," The young man spoke with a rough and hoarse voice, clicking his tongue.


    The two women continued watching silently and intently, careful of encountering any mishaps. Thus, they didn''t respond to the man.


    The man felt awkward about getting ignored, and he sneaked a nce at these two fine women of his tribe. However, he then noticed something in the distance behind them.


    Rubbing his eyes, he muttered softly, "Am I seeing things?"


    RUMBLE!


    The clouds in the distance churned as lightning bolts rained down on thend, startling the man.


    The two women seemed to have realized something and so they also turned to look, surprised.


    "Who is so idiotic to actually circte worldly energy in the thunderstorm regions? Wouldn''t that attract the wild energies and the thunderstorms all around?" The man was confused.


    In the doctrine of their tribe, it is absolutely forbidden to cultivate the energy and spirit in this region of absolute destruction. There are a few hidden rural tribes in the depths of thesends, and they baptize themselves in thunder and allow the various energies to temper their fleshly bodies to extreme levels.


    Only then would these warriors be allowed to travel above ground and hunt the beasts that have also grown ustomed to the harsh environment over thousands of years. However, no one with a lick of energy is allowed to traverse the destends because they will draw the attention of chaotic energies and thunderstorms, much like the phenomenon ahead.


    "Is it a child from another tribe?" One of the women asked, her brows creasing.


    "Am I seeing things or is that person headed in the direction of Little John?" The man rubbed his eyes and began to estimate the distance and direction of the iing thunderstorm.


    This time, the two women didn''t ignore him, as they had also noticed this grave situation. Although Little John''s body had been baptized and tempered enough to go outside, it wasn''t yet at the level of surviving a frontal confrontation with a thunderstorm.


    "This is bad! You two go and get Little John away, I''ll check what''s the matter with that fool!"


    One of the women spoke, and without warning, her thighs exploded with fierce strength as the ground caved beneath her feat. Following a sonic explosion, she relied solely on her physical strength to st through the sound barrier and rush in Leonardo''s direction.


    Shockingly, this output of power is no less than an actual saint with their worldly energy coursing through their bodies.


    "Fuck!" The man cursed, as the thunderbird must have sensed the iing danger and began to act recklessly, its fighting style going from toying with Little John to actually attempting to kill him and flee.


    The thunderbird wasn''t aplete fool, and it didn''t dare kill this little human because of the presence of those three powerful humans in the distance. However, now its instincts were screaming that an even more frightening presence was approaching this location, and it didn''t wish to die here.


    Thus, it changed its pattern ofbat, almost reaping Little John''s little life in thatst exchange.


    WHOOSH!


    A massive bone broadsword cut through the space between the thunderbird and Little John, prompting the thunderbird to retract its extended talons and the dangerous w that almost tore Little John in two.


    As Little John fell from the sky, a tall woman caught him by the arm and continued streaking past, heading in the direction of a high cliff nearby.


    The thunderbird took advantage of the three powerful humans getting distracted, pped its wings, and directly tore through the sound barrier and escaped into the distance.


    "My prey!" Little John shouted in frustration, his face quite immature despite his bulky stature.


    "Shut up! Go underground now!"


    The woman smacked Little John across the back of his head, sending him tumbling down a narrow cave in the cliff. Then, the woman and the man sted through the sound barrier and charged in the direction of the iing storm to help divert the person responsible to a different location.


    RUMBLE!


    Thunder zed the sky ck and blue in the distance, sending a chill down the pair''s spines as they anxiously followed theirpanion who went on ahead.

 Chapter 104 Too Tender

    ?With one step, Leonardo''s body split into two phantoms. Then, one of the phantoms disappeared, and Leonardo''s figure solidified a few miles away.


    That Leonardo then split into three, and two of them disappeared after crossing a few miles in separate directions, leaving only one who crossed double the distance with the second step.


    That Leonardo then split into four, then five, then six, then seven¡­


    This was the sight that greeted the party of two women and one young man the moment they appeared in the region of absolute mayhem.


    Lightning descended in droves, attempting to strike a lone white silhouette that weaved through the countless threads of finger-sized lightning bolts that exploded upon contact with the ground. Only when they arrived did they notice that Leonardo wasn''t actually advancing in their direction, but the sphere of his activities kept expanding and shrinking within the same region, giving them a false impression.


    They watched as he split multiple times from one to two, to three, and it went on until he split into twelve lifelike afterimages with his near-instantaneous movement technique.


    Even Leonardo himself was surprised by how smoothly he progressed with cultivating this movement technique. Unbeknownst to Leonardo, within the depths of his sea of consciousness, the soul pearl was softly pulsating above the calm ck sea as ripples of faint light spread through his sea of consciousness.


    But of course, he wouldn''t be aware of this because ever since the trial of the heart, he couldn''t inspect his own sea of consciousness at will. In fact, even though he was aware of his sea of consciousness and its peculiarities, whenever he tried to sink into it, a towering ck gate would block his attempts.


    Although he could touch upon the power of his spiritual strength through the gaps in the gate, going past it was absolutely impossible for him with his current level of power. The ripples from the soul pearl brought unimaginable rity to Leonardo''s state of mind, allowing him to smoothly circte his energy per the requirements set for the movement technique, and his consecutively advanced from the first change to the twelve changes of the moon in his movement technique.


    However, when his destion essence was about to charge past the changes of the moon and start the six sr changes of the sun, Leonardo would forcibly suppress it.


    Leonardo had long since made preparations to integrate his bloodthirsty martial intent into the form of the sun and its six sr changes, hence he couldn''t allow his destion essence to passively nourish that form as it did with the first stage of his cultivation technique.


    This was precisely why Leonardo needed a massive influx of energy to support his advancement to the second cycle of sainthood because he nned to forcibly integrate the bloodthirsty martial intent that is notorious for its high ipatibility with magical techniques into a high-tier cultivation technique like the Fourth Dimensions Immortal Scripture.


    His n was simple, condensing  every bit of his bloodthirsty martial intent into his bloodthirsty armament before thrusting it into the illusory moon of the four dimensions, allowing his destion essence to erode and transfer the volumes of bloodthirsty martial intent along the cirction path into the illusory image of the sun.


    To aplish that, an incredible amount of worldly energy to support his advancement is necessary.


    Just as Leonardo was musing over these thoughts, he noticed three figures in the distance watching him weave a path through the region of thunderstorms.


    "People?" A spark of surprise shed through Leonardo''s eyes. Then, with a step, he disappeared into the folds of lightning and appeared in front of the group.


    However, he couldn''t stay still lest the lightning struck his body, so he continued to sh past and around them, trapping them in a sea of afterimages as his voice echoed from all directions.


    "Hey! Howe you guys aren''t being attacked by the storm?! Also, are you guys natives?!"


    Leonardo could only shout to overwhelm the constant rumbling in the background.


    The three of them were dumbstruck by what they heard and witnessed, it couldn''t be that this kid is so clueless about thews in this region, right?


    The man tried to pinpoint which of the afterimages was the actual Leonardo, but he almost immediately felt dizzy and began to spin in his ce, his eyes swirling in bewilderment.


    It was the woman who approached first that shouted in a crisp and loud voice that drowned the raging thunder, "It is attracted by your worldly energy!"


    Her voice was powerful, eclipsing the thunderforce and striking Leonardo''s body like a hammer, as though it was a tangible sound barrier that pressed against him. That took him by surprise, almost throwing his movement technique into disorder, greatly shocking him.


    This was a pure sound wave void of any energy whatsoever, yet it was already this powerful.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo''s eyes sharpened as he carefully studied this group of three. They werepletely void of any worldly energy fluctuations, but their physical bodies emitted such a heavy pressure.


    Did they take their physical bodies to lengths unknown to man without relying on the umtion of worldly energy? How on earth did they cultivate then?


    Leonardo was deeply shaken.


    If he were to retract the protection of his worldly energy, his skin would be sted open by any random shockwave from these raging lightning bolts, let alone being struck directly. Furthermore, even if he withdrew the energy o his cells, the energy would still be sensed nheless.


    If he wanted to keep his energies to a minimum, then crossing this region is practically begging to die. If he didn''t, then that would simply be some effort of prolonging his time before death.


    Although he had an idea of how topletely seal his cultivation, he might end up dead right then and there due to some stray shockwaves.


    The woman seemed to notice Leonardo''s predicament and felt curious, did he have a way to conceal the presence of his energy from the world?


    Well, Leonardo surely did have a way, which was to retract his energy, not into his cells, but into the soul pearl in his sea of consciousness. The sea of consciousness is a separate ephemeral space said to exist on the borderline between the physical and ethereal dimensions, with the souls of intelligent creatures as a medium between the two.


    Thus, if Leonardo were to retract his energy there, it would technically be stored in a different world, a separate dimension, far from being sensed by the energies of this ce.


    "If you can conceal your energy from being sensed, I''ll protect you!" The woman shouted as anticipation welled up in her eyes. Her twopanions looked at her oddly, how is it possible for that to even happen?


    Their tribes attempted thousands of times across thousands of years to no avail, what made her think that this stranger in white could do it?


    Is she trying to have him killed? His body is so thin, and his skin is too white, it was obvious he didn''t go through any tempering. If struck while his energy was at a minimum low, he would instantly die if not lie there half crippled.


    Hearing her words, Leonardo''s eyes glowed as he seemed to understand her thoughts just as she saw through his.


    Without hesitation, he smiled and stopped at the peak of a nearby high hill. Then, his aura instantly vanished from existence as though he was but the weakest of non-cultivators. However, that wasn''t surprising because even their elders had ways to conceal their cultivation from the senses of other people, the question was whether or not it could be concealed from the will in this region.


    In front of everyone''s eyes, Leonardo''s body was shredded to pieces by a bolt of lightning. However, that was one of the afterimages in the air, not his true body.


    Then,  all of his afterimages were shredded apart, leaving only one stray bolt of lightning that was supposed to strike the original Leonardo. That bolt descended in Leonardo''s direction almost immediately.


    However, it seemingly deviated, striking a hill nearby to Leonardo, shocking the party of three. During their moment of shock, a wave of energy swept toward Leonardo at an incredible pace, but Leonardo simply crossed his arms to his chest and watched the ripple advance through the air toward him.


    Just as the ripple was about to strike, a heavy saber struck into the ground like a massive pir, and a tall woman stood in front of Leonardo.


    Her wild and muscr frame exuded a sense of pressure that blocked the sweeping shockwave as though it was but a breeze of spring wind.


    The woman then turned around. She was a bit taller than Leonardo at six feet and a few inches tall. Her eyes were pitch-ck with a hint of curiosity as she looked Leonardo up and down, from head to toe.


    Then, she extended a finger and poked his cheek lightly. However, shockingly, his skin split open and blood began to seep out, startling the woman into retracting her finger.


    "Little brother, you''re too tender!" She eximed in shock.


    Leonardo''s expression was amazing to look at, his t smile growing stiff.

 Chapter 105 Ye Tribe

    ?Was this really the case of me being too tender? Leonardo thought to himself in a daze as he mechanically wiped the trace of blood that trickled down his cheek. Then, he pulled out some medicinal ointment from his robes to treat his torn skin. By the time the other two came over, Leonardo''s skin was already in the process of healing from the woman''s touch.


    The other woman swung the saber on her shoulder and chuckled, "Big sis, don''t tell me you''re interested in this little man. He probably can''t even pierce your hymen."


    The girl grinned as she looked Leonardo up and down as well. After a moment, she hesitated, "Forget that, can he even push his way through, to begin with?"


    The man to the side coughed, blushing. As for Leonardo, his eyes truly opened to the world today.


    Looking at these bodies ofpact muscles, he subconsciously muttered, "I''d probably have higher chances with a piece of stone¡­"


    Both women were stunned, but the man suddenlyughed out loud, hisughter shaking the earth and sky, almost sting Leonardo''s eardrums open. Noticing Leonardo''s difort, he quickly shut his mouth with an apologetic smile, but his face kept twitching violently.


    "Brat, are you saying you''d rather fuck a stone over me?" The woman with a domineering saber stance barked, feeling funny and made at the same time.


    The first woman waved her hand and said, "Enough! Perhaps he''s not your equal physically, but what if he used his cultivation? Who can tell by then?"


    She then looked over at Leonardo, "Are you from behind the Sky Mountains?"


    Leonardo was surprised that this side referred to these mountains as the Sky Mountains as well, but he didn''t think much of it and said, "I''m actually from the higher realms, but you can say I crossed over from the other side of these mountains, technically¡­"


    "The higher realms? What is that?" The three of them eyed Leonardo with evident confusion in their eyes.


    Leonardo was inwardly surprised, but he merely smiled faintly at them in response, not borating.


    "That doesn''t matter," said the first woman, her eyes seriously meeting Leonardo''s, "Your method to conceal your energy from the outside world, can you offer it to my n? You can name your conditions, anything will do."


    "Anything will do?" Leonardo''s eyes shed with interest as he looked this woman up and down, clearly inspecting her body.


    Although her physique was powerful, the muscles weren''t growing disproportionately, maintaining her lithe hourss figure despite the monstrous strength hidden deep within every fiber of her being. Furthermore, Leonardo could see that the constant tempering allowed her innate potential to inte to the extreme of forming a natural meridian and strong bones.


    If she could cultivate, she could definitely reach divinity within a short one hundred years at a minimum. As for herpanions, although divinity is impossible, half-divinity should not be a problem.


    This must be apensation offered to them after enduring this harsh environment for so long.


    "Brat, don''t have any weird ideas!" The second woman hurriedly spoke up anxiously.


    The first woman waved it off, "It''s fine! If you want me in exchange for the technique, I''m sure the Patriarch can have it arranged."


    "What bullshit ''have it arranged''?!-!¡­"


    "Calm down! I''m merely interested in your technique to temper the body. Moreover¡­ The technique I''m using is something I created myself after over 120 days of bitter, self-harming cultivation, and I can''t really transmit it or find the correct method to replicate its effects yet¡­"


    Leonardo smiled bitterly. He wasn''t even sure if he could have survived that experience if it weren''t for Aria''s timely assistance, let alone teaching this technique to others.


    He quickly added, "However, if I can''t pass it on to you, I can at least bring you outside with me when I leave, would that be alright?"


    "What?!" All three of them reacted. Then, thinking about something and observing their surroundings, the woman spoke in a hushed tone, "This isn''t the ce to discuss this, let us head back to the tribe first."


    The other two seemed to agree. The man took off to bring back Little John, while the two women waited patiently. The man made sure to travel a safe distance away before sting through the sound barrier, out of consideration for Leonardo''s weak physique.


    "My name is Wendy, and she is Lihua. As for that man, his name is Rubin, and the younger one is Johnathan or Little John. Wee from the Ye Tribe, what is your name?"?


    The woman who offered herself in exchange for the technique remembered to introduce herself and the others, then turned to Leonardo.


    "I''m Leonardo."


    "Oh, Little Leo it is then," Lihua said with a grin while hugging her massive bone saber.


    Leonardo shrugged, not in any position to deny or decline.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Not too longter, Rubin and Little John made it back. Of course, Little John was shocked to see such a frail guy running around, but he was happy to not be the weakest man of the group anymore.


    When everyone got ustomed, they rushed out of the thunderstorm region, and only then did Leonardo release his cultivation freely as the group tore through the sound barrier collectively and rushed in a certain direction.


    The group was pleasantly surprised that the chaotic energies didn''t erode into Leonardo''s worldly energy as they were ustomed to, as this meant they could travel much faster. If they had to travel at the speed of ordinary humans, the journey would take days if not weeks.


    However, with their current speed, it wouldn''t take too long.


    Leonardo was also shocked to see them easily keeping up with his speed. If it was any ordinary human, without the protective membrane of worldly energy, their bodies would be sted to bits from the pressure of traveling at such high speed. He was even more determined to learn their methods of tempering the body now.


    ¡­


    Very quickly, the group made it to the entrance of a vast stone forest.


    "Alright, make sure to conceal your cultivation now, we don''t want the energies to invade our underground shelter," Wendy said to Leonardo after the groupnded.


    Leonardo nodded obediently and retracted his energy to the soul pearl. Then, the gap in the ck gate shut closed, and his energy could no longer be found by the will in the environment.


    When the energies stopped being drawn into Leonardo''s body, Wendy nodded and began leading everyone through theplex terrain of the stone forest. Then, they arrived at a huge rock the size of a small hill.


    Rubin and Little John pushed the rock away to reveal an entrance leading underground, and everyone went in. On their way here, Rubin exined to Leonardo a few things about the hidden tribes and their taboos.


    For example, the reason why Lihua got mad earlier was the low fertility rates of the hidden tribes.


    To maintain the high quality and potential of the tribesmen, marriage is only allowed between those who reached the peak of their potential, and women are permitted to give birth only once during their lifetime as they would invest all of their potential and talents into that one newborn.


    If there was ack of men, they would pay other tribes to have their women impregnated by a powerful man from another tribe. If there was ack of women, they could also pay for a powerful woman from another tribe.


    However, women are of course expensive because the female body is innately weaker than a male''s, making strong women in high demand but short supply.


    Wendy is actually the woman with the greatest potential of this generation and the former generation when taking the entire Ye Tribe in mind, meaning that she''s an invaluable asset to the tribe.


    She could even marry the strongest male of another tribe and form a marriage alliance, bing the Matriarch of an alliance between two powerful hidden tribes. However, that is something for the future when and if she reached her potential.


    For now, Wendy was nning to keep increasing her strength to the max before viewing her future options. If this was all tossed away for the sake of one cultivation method that might not even work, forget Lihua, the entire Ye Tribe might aim for Leonardo''s head.


    Leonardo finally understood why Lihua overreacted.


    Luckily, he wasn''t aiming for Wendy''s virginity. Anyway, he doubted he could take it even if sheid there defenseless for him to act as he pleased.


    However, he was really curious about how tight it would feel inside such a woman. Then, he had a frightening thought that she might mp it off by simply squeezing her walls, making the young businessman shiver involuntarily.


    No thank you, he made his determination to keep the little guy in check for this journey.


    Very quickly, they made it into a vast underground space with a few stone houses sporadically spread across the ground, their numbers in the dozens and no more.


    At the epicenter of this spacious underground structure was a pool of clear liquid that looked like water but obviously wasn''t water.


    Leonardo''s eyes shrank.


    That was an entire pool of liquified worldly energy, with pale blue streaks of lightning shing through the depths of the water.


    Currently, twenty pregnant women were seated in the pool undergoing some sort of baptism. Witnessing this scene, Leonardo seemed toprehend something.


    "Big sister Wendy! The Patriarch said to bring our guest over to his house!" A cute fourteen-year-old child came running over, her cheeks deep with dimples from her sweet smile.

 Chapter 106 A Will To Survive

    ?Leonardo and Wendy approached a simple stone house that was crafted artificially into the hollow of a massive boulder.


    "Come in,"


    A powerful yet low voice buzzed through the closed stone door. Leonardo stepped forward and pushed the door open. However, the door wouldn''t even budge from the ce.


    Wendy stood to the side without saying anything while the little girl watched curiously, wondering what was this big brother doing.


    "Big brother, don''t y around!" The little girl pouted before standing next to Leonardo. Then, she ced her little hands on the door and pushed it open.


    Her thin arms went stiff as an explosive strength passed through them, transmitting to her palms that pushed the door back with a loud creaking sound.


    Leonardo smiled bitterly and patted the girl, "Got it, I won''t y around next time,"


    However, he was deeply shaken inside, this was a ce swarmed with freaks.


    Not even a child around Kieran''s age was spared. Perhaps, this is what Rubin meant by condensing the talent and potential of both parents into a single seed for the next generation.


    The little girlughed and rushed off into the distance while Leonardo and Wendy stepped inside the stone house. There was only one room inside, and the Patriarch was seated on a beast hide mat while eyeing Leonardo with interest.


    "An outsider?" The man asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice.


    "Patriarch¡­" Wendy went forward and directly exined her encounter with Leonardo from start to finish, though she overlooked the terms ''higher realms'' and simply mentioned that Leonardo promised to take someone back with him past the Sky Mountains if they allowed him to temper his body the same way they did.


    The Patriarch nodded, his sharp eyes seeming lost in thought as he sighed, "I can''t make this call, you''ll have to ask the Tribe Elder for her opinion about crossing the Sky Mountains. As for the tempering of the body, the energy of our Divine Pool is limited in capacity, and we''re currently using it to nurture the next generation before locking the pool down for the next two to three decades¡­"


    Leonardo didn''t realize that tempering his body would result in such consequences to the Ye Tribe, feeling astounded. Seeing his expression, the Patriarch understood his thoughts and exined patiently.


    Apparently, the Divine Pools were natural resources connected to the energy veins spreading throughout the domain. Of course, there were now located in the outer regions where the energy is the weakest.


    These natural pools are suffused with both the liquified worldly energy and the pure thunderforce that travels all the way into the depths of the earth from the perpetual thunderstorms outside.


    Each hidden tribe upies a natural Divine Pool, and they usually allow the pool to umte thunderforce-suffused worldly energy for a set period of time before allowing the pregnant women to cultivate within the pool throughout their pregnancy, andter allow the newborns to temper their bodies to the pinnacle of their potential before mating again.


    The fertility rate of a n is tightly bound by the size and volume of their natural Divine Pool, as no one wanted to watch their children die an unnecessary death due to theck of natural resources.


    Children that weren''t tempered through the period of pregnancy before birth are too weak to survive in this atmosphere, which disys the importance of the Divine Pool.


    Leonardo sank into thoughts for a while before finally asking, "What if I could find my own Divine Pool?"


    The Patriarch blinked, Wendy looked at Leonardo weirdly.


    "If there were any Divine Pools around, do you think they''d be unupied up until today?"


    "What if I was to forcibly take one from an enemy tribe?"


    "That''s impossible! Every tribe is doing its best to survive, who has the time to start conflicts with other tribes? Don''t judge us based on your standards across the Sky Mountains. On the other side, there might be millions if not billions of people, but each tribe here has a handful of capable people to go hunt and feed their handful of children, a life is too valuable, far more valuable than any Divine Pool out there. If you bring up the matter of cutting off the lifeline of another tribe in my presence, don''t me me for being rude!"


    The Patriarch''s eyes grew sharp as dense killing intent bubbled in the depths of his pupils. "We''re not trying to be rich, nor are we striving to be the strongest; we are simply trying to survive. Keep that in mind."


    Even Wendy had a sharp expression as she looked at Leonardo.


    Leonardo was speechless and felt embarrassed, he could only apologize for suggesting such a thing. Then, he decided to simply not associate himself with these tribes to avoid causing trouble for them with his world views.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I spoke too rashly, I''m sorry. My hands are soaked with too much blood to stay with you guys for too long, I just hope you would allow me to inspect your Divine Pool, I might discover some clues to find some more in the deeper areas,"


    The Patriarch sighed and waved his hand, "It''s fine, you didn''t know about our circumstances so I wouldn''t hold you ountable for those words. At the bottom of things, your intentions were leaning towards helping my Ye Tribe, I appreciate the thought."


    He then rubbed his chin and said, "How about this; I''ll allow you to test your luck, but you''ll have to take Wendy along when you leave. If you do find an unupied Divine Pool, give half its energy to this girl Wendy, what do you think?"


    "Patriarch?!" Wendy was surprised, was that even possible?


    "If he relied only on himself, he would get lost in the thunderstorm. If you go alone, you won''t be able to find any Divine Pools before the dense energies corrode your body beyond the capacity of purification. Since you two can help one another, why not simply try it out?"


    Said the Patriarch. Without the ability to cultivate, it is impossible to buildyers of worldly energy membranes to protect their internal organs against the erosion of the chaotic energies, preventing the tribes from branching out into new locations of Divine Pools.


    These great tribes of hundreds of thousands of people slowly wilted down to a dozen few in each tribe, which was incredibly remorseful. Just as the Patriarch said, these people are merely looking to survive and nothing more.


    "I can agree to that," Leonardo nodded, feeling like he owed them at least this much because of his irresponsible remarks. Since Leonardo agreed, Wendy had no otherints to make.


    Then, the Patriarch dismissed the two of them and asked Wendy to apany Leonardo as he inspected the Divine Pool. On their way, Wendy whispered to Leonardo about the past of the hidden tribes and how their numbers declined from hundreds of thousands to their current state.


    All of that wasn''t from conflicts between the tribes, but because the tribes were selflessly exploring for one Divine Pool after the next. Even when they found a Divine Pool, it could only amodate a dozen or so people, where would the rest go?


    Hearing this bleak history, Leonardo couldn''t help but sigh. At first, he wanted to see if he could bring back a few of these people to join the war with him, but now he erased everything about that train of thought.


    "You''ve had it rough these years," Leonardo said emotionally, feeling heavy in his heart as he observed no more than ten children running around, and the few pregnant women in the Divine Pool ahead.


    This was truly too harsh of a condition to live in.


    The Patriarch''s words rang out in Leonardo''s ears, and he suddenly came to realize a profound truth.


    To survive, isn''t that the goal of everyone in the cultivation world? However, their means of survival differ depending on their environment and the tools avable to them.


    Before long, Leonardo and Wendy arrived close to the Divine Pool, but they were far enough from the women not to disturb them.


    "You can start now."


    Wendy spoke with a hint of curiosity, anxiety, anticipation, and a bit of hope in her beautiful ck eyes. If Leonardo could truly connect to the main energy vein and locate the other Divine Pools by using his cultivation, this will bring hope to many of the hidden tribes.


    Leonardo nodded and crouched near the pool before submerging his right arm inside.


    BZZZT!


    Pure thunderforce rushed through Leonardo''s arm, but he hurriedly absorbed it into his cells before forming hand seals with his left hand. Within the energy pockets of his cells, an illusory gate with ink-ck lightning dancing across its surface opened, taking in the pure thunderforce directly.


    Then, thin fments of ck lightning rushed into the pool, a trace of Leonardo''s spiritual force contained within.


    The gates were directly linked to Leonardo''s sea of consciousness, and these wisps of spiritual force were merged into the ck lightning inside his soul pearl, meaning they had an ephemeral connection to his soul from the ethereal dimension.


    Wendy gasped when she saw millions of silky ck lightning bolts disappear into the Divine Pool as they rushed against the currents and into the depths of the earth in the blink of an eye.


    She covered her mouth in shock and held her breath, afraid to disturb his concentration.


    She never knew that the techniques of cultivation were so miraculous. She heard stories from the Tribe Elder, but this was too unbelievable of a scene.

 Chapter 107 Tribe Elder, Little Yue

    ?"How is it?"


    Wendy asked anxiously a few minutester when Leonardo finally opened his eyes.


    Leonardo smiled faintly in response. "I''ve found quite a few, do you have an estimated map of the region?"


    "That''s good! That''s good¡­" Wendy sighed in relief, her tan skin glistening in sweat from nervousness. Leonardo was momentarily dazed as he observed the journey of a particr drop of sweat traveling down a smooth path through a deep valley and into an abyss unknown.


    What a smooth journey that was, he thought to himself before shaking his head from such thoughts.


    "Ahem, a map please?" Leonardo reminded Wendy who seemed to be lost in her emotions for a moment.


    "Oh, right," Wendy got her act back together and smiled faintly, heading off in a certain direction. "Come find the Tribe Elder, she''s the one who knows the most about writing and reading after all, others don''t have the time to waste on that stuff."


    Only now did Leonardo realize that despite their strengths, they were a group of illiterates.


    If this was the case, how would they read,prehend, and transmit cultivation methods even if he taught them? This is quite problematic.


    Leonardo touched his chin, deep in thought as he advanced forward. First, he was brewing over a way to cultivate a soul pearl without having to split a portion of one''s soul, as the damage would have been nigh-irrecoverable, not to mention that Leonardo didn''t know the capacity limit of energy a soul pearl could withstand.


    Was peak mortal cultivation the limit? First cycle saint? Two cycles? Three? High Saint? Perhaps it was factored based on the person''s soul?


    These were all questions unknown to him that he needed to slowly research over the years, meaning it wasn''t a pragmatic solution to the current situation. Suddenly, he thought about Juvia''s grand formation that integrated her Ode of the Elements, can he do the same thing but with his deste martial intent?


    Perhaps he could flood out all the harmful energies on a specific surface area and help the tribes construct a city.


    While Leonardo was deep in thought, Wendy escorted him into a wooden hut in a fairly isted region from the other houses.


    "I was expecting you."


    The voice of an old woman reached Wendy and Leonardo, snapping thetter from his thoughts as heposed himself and went inside.


    He saw the little girl from earlier seated across from an olddy, a beast hide separating the two, and countless yellow scrolls were stacked up on the beast hide.


    "Big brother!" The girl eximed in surprise.


    Tap!


    The old woman pped the woman''s head with what resembled a wooden ruler as she chided, "Focus on your studies, sillyss!"


    The girl held down her head and pouted, not daring to respond.


    Leonardo chuckled at this scene and said, "If you can learn how to read and write in the future, you''ll be very strong!"


    He then approached the girl, bent over, and lightly brushed her hair.


    She truly reminded him of Leona, making him wonder how that girl was doing now.


    The girl muttered, "Reading won''t give us strength, only the Divine Pool does¡­"


    "Oh? Who said that?" Leonardo raised his eyebrows, acting surprised and filled with disbelief. "Here, doesn''t that scroll say that reading is the basics of cultivation?"


    Leonardo picked up an old and yellowed scroll from the pile, its age surprising even himself.


    "Big brother, look at big sister Wendy, she''s so powerful but she didn''t have to learn how to read!" The little girl crossed her arms, her eyes sparkling with worship when she spoke of Wendy.


    Wendy and the Tribe Elder smiled bitterly, not knowing how to respond to this.


    "Tsk, you''re only saying that because you never saw what a cultivator can do, but your big sister Wendy just saw it!" Leonardo argued back, his expression unyielding too.


    "Ah!" The girl cried out in shock, quickly turning to her big sister Wendy.


    Wendy coughed lightly, a bit embarrassed, "It''s true, your big brother is actually a powerful cultivator¡­"


    "More powerful than big sister?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Eh¡­ Maybe?"


    "But¡­ But he couldn''t even open the Patriarch''s door!" The little girl around strongly.


    Leonardo felt a pang of pain, so she knew all along.


    Wendy struggled to maintain her stiff and natural expression.


    Leonardo snorted, "It''s just a door! Can you do this?"


    Leonardo then pointed out one of his fingers. Then, some of the remnants from the pure thunderforce began to dance over the tip of his finger. Then, with a bit of an influence from his will and spiritual force that lingered within, the pure, electric blue lightning began to morph into a pair of small birds that pped their wings and flew around in the closed space of the hut.


    Their sparkle illuminated the room, amazing even Wendy and the Tribe Elder with the motes of light that sprinkled down like a shower of stars.


    These stars dropped down on the little girl''s one-piece dress and adhered to its surface, pulsating with light with a few intervals of growing dim. A bit of destion was mixed into the thunderforce to absorb, assimte, and rechannel the chaotic energies around the little girl.


    "Whoa!"


    The little girl sprang to her feet and began to run around, jump, and spin in ce to see whether or not these sparkling things would fall down.


    Leonardo put up an arrogant and proud expression as he snorted, "Can your muscles do this? Huh? Huh?"


    "Since your big brother is so weak, give them back to me and ask your big sister to make some for you, how about that?" Leonardo raised an eyebrow when he saw the little girl too engrossed with this little trick to even bother with him anymore.


    "No! Big brother is powerful too! Little Yue means it!" The little girl jumped in fright, quickly rushing to hug Leonardo''s leg with a pitiful expression.


    Wendy could hold it in no longer and startedughing, years of worship were wiped clean with a single finger of Leonardo''s, but she was also shocked by the miraculousness of cultivation.


    The Tribe Elder was a bit worried¡­


    "Is this really alright?¡­" She didn''t wish for the worldly energy to draw those chaotic energies to Little Yue.


    "No worries, auntie. Thews infused with this little trick are on a higher tier than thews of this ce, and things seem to work the way I expected them to." Leonardo nodded in satisfaction as his idea could be implemented sessfully.


    "Higherws?" The Tribe Elder was intrigued and surprised, "Did the cultivation world outside already progress to that extent?"


    "Tribe Elder, Leonardo told me earlier that although technically he could be considered toe from past the Sky Mountains, he actually came from the higher realms, what is that?"


    Wendy suddenly remembered this crucial question in her mind and asked.


    "Ah!" The Tribe Elder''s body shook as she dropped her scrolls, her withered skin trembling. "Y-you said the higher realms?! Are you absolutely sure?!"


    This reaction shocked Wendy speechless.


    "No wonder¡­ No wonder¡­ I see, I can be relieved," tears actually umted in the Tribe Elder''s muddled eyes when she suddenly came to a sudden realization, "Wait, what do you mean by what you said earlier? As expected?"


    The Tribe Elder looked from Leonardo''s satisfied expression to the glittering stars on Little Yue''s dress, an inconceivable thought in her mind, "You don''t mean¡­"


    "Yup!" Leonardo confirmed her thoughts, "I might have a way to cleanse a massive surface area on the outside world for your tribes to live free from worries."


    Leonardo felt that he should do something for these kind people who suffered too much, perhaps to atone for the countless lives he took while under the influence of the bloodthirsty martial intent, but he wanted to leave a good seed in this, and not just a name that brings horror and fear in the hearts of the people.


    Leonardo nned to build a grand formation with the Divine Pools as the nodes, and an even greater Divine Pool as the eye of the formation to constantly purify the chaotic energies, allowing the people of the tribes to slowly temper their bodies to the point where those chaotic energies don''t threaten them anymore.


    It would be a long project, but Leonardo believed that the reason these people couldn''t adapt to the harsh environment lies in the density and ferocity of these energies, killing people before they had the chance to slowly temper themselves in a simr manner to the Divine Pool.


    The Tribe Elder couldn''t believe her ears, let alone Wendy and Little Yue who stared at Leonardo in disbelief.


    However, Leonardo was nothing short of omnipotent in Little Yue''s heart so she didn''t doubt him the slightest, her eyes sparkling.


    Leonardoughed, saying, "If only I had someone who can read and write to help me with the formationster after I find the Divine Pools, sigh¡­"


    Leonardo''s expression was downcast withmentation¡­

 Chapter 108 Crimson Eyes

    ?Little Yue''s heart jumped and she quickly said, "Little Yue will help! I can do it! Pick me! Pick me!"


    Leonardo seemed to not see Little Yue as he spoke to the Tribe Elder, "Do you think the other tribes have a beautiful sister who can help me?"


    "Ugh! Don''t! I really can do it! Look!" Little Yue ran over to the stash of scrolls and began to read through them with a serious expression.


    "Oh, not those scrolls, but these¡­" Leonardo waved his hand, his spatial ring dropping arge number of scrolls rting to formation principles, especially the Ode of the Elements.


    Little Yue gasped. However, she grits her teeth and jumped right into reading diligently.


    The Tribe Elder''s face was already wet with tears and a smile, and she was about to kneel in kowtow to Leonardo when he hurriedly stopped her.


    "We don''t have time for that, please. The Patriarch''s words actually helped me greatly, consider this my repayment for a lesson passed down through countless sacrifices of your hidden tribes," Leonardo sighed with emotion.


    "You can simply give me a rough map of what you know. While I''m away with Wendy, you can pass the word to the other hidden tribes about this, the more people who can read and write, the better¡­"


    Leonardo purposefully raised his voice near the end, "The smartest girl to help the most will have a very pretty gift from me!"


    "Ah!" Little Yue jumped, her ears twitching from what she heard. However, her expression happened to be as serious as ever nheless.


    Leonardo smiled, "The principles in those scrolls are tooplicated for a child, I hope the Tribe Elder will cooperate with the peers to study them collectively while we''re away on our quest,"


    "You can leave it to this olddy," The Tribe Elder nodded heavily, her muddled eyes quite determined as she brought up a rough scroll from her personal stash. "This is the map you need, the hidden tribes gather every decade to exchange resources and y matchmaking, we also exchange new maps with one another. In this scroll lie the sweat and blood of many of our warriors, I hope it proves helpful¡­"


    "It will!" Leonardo nodded at Wendy, and the two then left the hut together.


    ¡­


    "Can you really do it?"


    On the back of a massive ck thunderbird, Wendy and Leonardo sat not that far from one another as the former directed the flight of the thunderbird.


    This was a domesticated thunderbird that was incubated in the Divine Pool and raised since birth within the region of the stone forest. Typically, these creatures would be used to scout far away locations that are yet to be mapped out, but because Leonardo doesn''t have the necessary physical fitness to cross the ring of thunderstorms separating the outer region from further ind, they had no other choice but to use it.


    Leonardo sat in a lotus style while reading the map and arranging the specific locations for the formation nodes when Wendy couldn''t help but ask.


    Leonardo looked at this fit youngdy with a head of sleek silver hair, ck eyes, and attractive tan skin.


    "Since I said I can do it, I naturally will follow through with my word. More importantly, this is also helping me."


    Leonardo smiled, as he nned to use the eruption of worldly energy from the eye of the formation to make up for theck of energy in the middle realms and charge past his bottleneck.


    "How is this of any help to you?" Wendy was surprised, if this was also something Leonardo came up with to help himself, she was even more than willing to believe its validity.


    "Once the nodes are connected, there will be a huge eruption of energy. I''m nning to use that energy to advance in my cultivation, temper my body, and prepare a little gift for you," Leonardo winked mysteriously.


    Wendy gasped, "Is cultivation really that difficult?"


    "Eh, not really¡­ I''m just a special case¡­"


    No kidding. Other than his immortal physique, each of his martial intents could be considered one of the absolutews, their energy consumption is just that monstrous. Furthermore, now he had to worry about constantly nourishing his soul pearl, which in turn would nourish his spiritual strength, which in turn could allow him to eventually open the gate to his sea of consciousness.


    Sigh, he didn''t know whether he was a special case or a cursed case anymore.


    Wendy raised her brows, "A special case? Does this have anything to do with the higher realms? Tell me more about that ce, why did the Tribe Elder act that way?"


    Facing the curiosity of this lioness, Leonardo smiled bitterly, "Trust me, the less you know the better your future would be. Unless you were aware of how vast the world is from a young age, this will only be a blow to your confidence and conviction to grow stronger."


    Leonardo''s eyes grew sharp, "Just know that having the will to survive isn''t enough to cut it in a ce like that, you need something more."


    "Something more?" Wendy gulped, somewhat nervous but curious nheless.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo nodded heavily.


    Wendy simply stared at him with eyes that said she could handle it.


    Leonardo was silent for a moment before he looked far into the distance, his expression growing cold. "The will to abandon your humanity and embrace the darkness. Up there, there''s always blood."


    "Up there, it''s a matter of whether you swim through the blood of others, or drown in your own."


    As Leonardo spoke, a crimson glimmer that reflected oceans of blood and mountains of corpses flickered through his eyes. "I''ve been through these seas and mountains for as long as I can remember ever since I started my cultivation."


    Leonardo sighed, "In my kingdom of death and despair, perhaps this ce will be the sole utopia to keep me on the borders of sanity. Hence, to me, this is something I must see through to the end at any cost."


    "Now, do you think I have any ulterior motives anymore?"


    Wendy didn''t respond. She turned her back as well, leaning gently against Leonardo''s back as she silently directed the thunderbird. However, waves were tossing in her heart as a pair of cold, ruthless, and bloodthirsty crimson eyes seemed to have been engraved deep in her mind.


    The will to abandon my humanity? She wondered, shaken.


    As for Leonardo, he was reminiscing about a pair of elegant, crimson phoenix eyes. Those were the calm eyes of someone who grew indifferent to bloodshed.


    There was no ruthlessness, no coldness, no bloodlust. There was only silent indifference to ughter, as though it was something as natural as breathing, eating, and sleeping.


    However, that''s precisely what made it beautiful, especially in contrast with the petite figure riddled with wounds that foretold a curious past, present, and future.


    Just how many people has she killed?


    Leonardo believed that Nier''s state of mind must be the pinnacle for the bloodthirsty martial intent, deluding him from the eyes of a certain silver fox.


    He had yet to realize that the peak realm was a pair of eyes that could smile,ugh, and cry despite the rivers of blood and mountains of corpses.


    A realm where people would remain oblivious to the horror and ughter, mesmerized by the bit of beauty and life residing within.


    A realm where those eyes that thirst for blood would mesmerize the people to willingly, happily, and even desperately seek refuge in that illusion of a utopia, and an eternal peaceful rest they shall have.


    Just like that, the pair sank into the worlds of their own imaginations as they approached the borders of the thunderstorm region.


    ¡­


    RUMBLE!


    The thunderbird plunged into the region of the storms. Dark clouds shrouded its fleeting figure as it shuttered and weaved through the bolts of lightning, some of them striking its stiff ck features, only to be maized toward its metallic ws crowning the base of its ferocious talons. Like that, the remaining bolts were thwarted by Wendy''s bone saber without much effort.


    There were dark clouds for as far as they could see, and if it weren''t for the map, they might have crashed into high mountains or made their way into deep valleys with enough maic forces to dull their sense of direction.


    Leonardo felt inwardly grateful because if he had to navigate this region all alone, it might''ve taken months to cross from one end to the other, and that much time wasted is something he couldn''t afford with the war on the horizon.


    "By the way, I''ve never seen you use your sword, but I have the feeling it can''t be ordinary," Wendy suddenly spoke up after blocking a stray bolt of lightning, seemingly back to her curious self.


    "Yeah, it''s very powerful," Leonardo responded a momentter.


    "Is that why you''re not using it? To avoid drawing more attention?"


    "Not really¡­"


    "Oh, then why not?"


    "I simply can''t unsheathe it," Leonardo sighed¡­


    Wendy: "¡­"

 Chapter 118 Premature Departure

    ?"Would you even believe me if I said I''m not interested?"


    "It depends, you''re not telling me that an exalted High Saint was simply bored."


    "They promised our Sovereign a chance to enter the next realm if he helped them out, but he didn''t bring along any of his immediate descendants."


    To disy his sincerity, the High Saint called off his domain and sat on the edge of his cliff, sword sheathed and whatever left of his battle intent scattered.


    Leonardo thought for a bit, closed his eyes to sense something, then smiled faintly. With his dense bloodthirsty intent withdrawing into his body, the once red robes were now a speckless white again, the saint-grade sword in his hand crumbling to bits after the blood enchantment dissipated.


    With a step forward, Leonardo arrived next to the High Saint and sat down as well, not showing any reservations whatsoever.


    "You mean to say that all of these people are your people? Aren''t you feeling even a bit of heartache?" Leonardo seemed to ask casually.


    "Between your people and your family, who will you choose?" The High Saint responded with a question of his own. Hearing that, Leonardo had nothing to say as the answer to such a question was pretty obvious. However, another question popped in his mind, what if he had to choose between family and family?


    The mere thought caused Leonardo''s mood to plunge deeply, not having the presence of mind to talk for a long while. Actually, if the High Saint decided to suddenly attack Leonardo now, there was up to a 99.9% chance of killing the young man, but he simply stared nkly ahead as well.


    Some focus then returned to Leonardo''s eyes. "Why didn''t you do it?"


    Although the question seemed very ambiguous and broad, both of them knew what Leonardo meant by his question. Thus, answering wouldn''t be too difficult.


    "Family. They''re waiting for my return." The High Saint answered in a matter-of-fact tone. Somewhere deep down he knew that Leonardo wouldn''t waste away his life locked up here, so at least for now, this young man represents the future of his family back on his home.


    "Your Sovereign is an idiot, you know. He knows that his fate is irredeemable, they know it too, but they still dance to a tone of oblivion, grasping for invisible straws." Leonardo sighed.


    "What do you mean?" The High Saint raised his thin and sharp eyebrows.


    "If I''m being honest, your chances of achieving the next realm are much higher than his. Although you wouldn''t make it far as a divinity, you at least have the basic qualifications; an untainted will."


    "As for these Sovereigns, they''ve already signed the end of their cultivation path the moment they bound themselves to the will of a, as it would never allow its subjects to break the shackles of cultivation and be true divinities. Unless of course¡­" Leonardo suddenly trailed off, his back drenched in sweat.


    "Unless what?" The High Saint was startled, the sudden shift in Leonardo''s pace catching him off guard. However, Leonardo felt like an idiot all of a sudden, jumping to his feet and disappearing into the clouds of thunderstorms, only his voice echoing behind.


    "I have some business to attend to. If you want to wait for me, just stay on that cliff until I make it back!"


    The High Saint stared nkly ahead, not understanding anything at all. However, he eventually shrugged and sat down lotus-style, his eyes closed.


    ¡­


    It was indeed a sky-shaking battle thatsted for three days and three nights, its ending at the hands of the hidden tribes'' warriors. However, the atmosphere on this silent and blood-spanked battlefield was anything but joyous.


    The once-united hidden tribes were actually split into three factions at this moment.


    One faction of the triangle was the warriors of the older generation, Patriarch Ye at their helm, his eyes swirling with pain and remorse as he looked across the battlefield at a group of once young and innocent tribe warriors, who despite the hardships life imposed on them, killing another human to survive was never an option in their minds, let alone ast choice to make.


    Some of them stared ahead, confused.


    Some of them sat there, eyes closed.


    Some of them shed tears of grief and anger.


    Some of them red back at the Patriarch with undisguised hatred and me as the words of the invading saints echoed in their heads.


    And of course, some of them were looking in a whole other direction altogether. This little some of the young warriors had worship, fear, pain, panic, reverence, and a touch of a feeling unknown to them as they looked at thest and third faction of this triangle.<novelnext></novelnext>


    She was all alone in a sea of fire on a mou of metal and corpses, blood trickling down these spent bodies and flowing into thend like winding serpents.


    The invading army tossed in the white towel when their general was decapitated by this woman who represented the pinnacle of wild grace. At that point, the leaders retreated, the young warriors retreated, only she acted as though oblivious to the circumstances and carried a merciless ughter.


    The cries of shock, anger, agony.


    The pleas of mercy, tolerance, and forbearance.


    From the enemy camp and the tribes, she considered her home and family.


    She ignored it all as four words echoed in her mind.


    "Their blood or mine."


    After the general came his deputies, after them themanders, after them the vicemanders, then the squadron captains, and down to thest ordinary of soldiers. Not a life was spared as the multicolored fairy of death shuttled from one spacecraft to the next, with death and destruction in her wake.


    After a day and night of this senseless ughter, Wendy stood on the peak of this mountain of death with a nk expression, staring down the face of a once fearsome general as it rested on her blood-drenched hands.


    Not a trace of white was on her robes, let alone her face and hair. Perhaps, only her eyes had a touch, or ack of blood for a better term.


    This unbearable silencested for a while until a white silhouette appeared in the sky of the battlefield, standing precisely in the heart of the triangle.


    "Well, what''s wrong with you all?" Leonardo raised his eyebrows at the unexpected atmosphere lingering in the air.


    Was this the atmosphere befitting of a victory?


    "Teacher¡­?" Some rity returned to Wendy''s eyes at this moment, and tears began to overflow uncontrobly.


    She wanted to ask; why did Little John and Lihua have to die? Was it truly as she spected, their lives are worth this much? Just a lesson to be taught?


    However; she was truly and well exhausted, the only thing keeping her up and standing was the lingering confusion that wracked her mind.


    A sh of views and teachings thousands of years old gave her an unbearable headache, but her conviction as a warrior wouldn''t allow thisss to step down after she chose a path.


    "You can sleep now," Leonardo had a trace of warmth in his eyes as he looked up at this woman who was reborn through a trial of blood and fire. The next moment, his figure blurred, appearing right in front of Wendy''s blood-soaked body as he tapped her forehead.


    "Sleep¡­" Wendy muttered in a barely audible whisper as she dropped into Leonardo''s chest, but he quickly held her shoulders and brought her into his arms, sighing.


    "You ruined this child¡­" Patriarch Ye hissed through his gritted teeth, unable to contain his anger.


    Leonardo gave this man whom he deeply respected an indifferent eye. "It was either this child or all of your childrenbined. What, did the deaths of Little John and Lihua not pack enough force to p you awake from your delusions? Would you rather this mountain beneath my feet be that of your children instead?"


    Patriarch Ye choked, pain filling his eyes once more. He wanted to say something, but Leonardo beat him to it, "Since when is it my responsibility to protect your people? Let me emphasize, YOUR people."


    He then turned to look at the young generation of warriors. "Today, my student was here and so am I. However, when tomorrowes and neither of us is present, will you foolishly stand there and wait for death? I don''t advise so."


    "Anyway, there is a region a few hundred miles of purified space in the second ring, it should be habitable by now. If you want, you can start your migration to construct new buildings and the Ancient Hidden City. As for me, something came up and I should take my leave."


    Leonardo didn''t wait for the response of either party be it the new or old generation of people, quickly turning his back to them and shooting off into the distance. As his figure disappeared, a twinkling silver ring shot over toward Patriarch Ye.


    "Give this little thing to Little Yue when she starts cultivating her spiritual energy, it should be very helpful to herter on."


    With that, Leonardo disappeared into the clouds of thunderstorms.

 Chapter 119 A Carrier

    ?"A few hundred miles¡­"


    Patriarch Ye muttered a long whileter, his expression nk.


    A few hundred miles of purend, when each tribe had an underground space of barely a square mile, was a shocking number. In fact, everyone seemed to momentarily forget about what massacre took ce under the guidance of this dare-devil in white robes.


    Patriarch Ye quickly got back in his stern shoes and ordered a batch of veteran explorers to investigate the situation while he escorted the young tribe warriors back into the stone forest to prepare for migrations. For now, everyone tacitly agreed to never mention the matters pertaining to Leonardo and Wendy''s sudden departure, as they assumed that Leonardo would take Wendy back with him to the higher realms, unaware of the implications this particr invasion brought to Arcadia.


    However, the less they knew, the better.


    Like this, a few months in the future, a flourishing and independent city would see the light of day after thousands and thousands of years of constant decline. In the period of peace, the suppressed emotions between the two genders would bloom explosively, and babies would join this world in droves.


    When Little Yue grew up and started cultivating, she found countless articles and scrolls exining the functions of the grand formation Leonardo left behind, allowing her to carry an expansion campaign to include every Divine Pool found in the second ring into the territory of the Hidden Ancient City.


    Of course, as the pages of history flip one after the other, the schrs of the Hidden Ancient City would depict Leonardo as a saint who brought salvation, or a devil who brought corruption.


    At the end of the day, Little Yue would always be remembered as the Divine Daughter who spent her four centuries of longevity in a restless campaign of expansion. On her final day, she spoke one sentence to the people.


    "He was not a saint nor a devil, but a powerful big brother."


    These words that only the Ye Tribe Elder and Wendy would have understood confused the schrs of both factions to the end of time¡­


    ¡­


    Back in the present day, Grace Imperial Pce.


    Aria wasying on Leonardo''s bed as usual when she felt space fluctuate ever-so-slightly. Then, a long tear in space opened, and through the tear walked a group of three.


    Leonardo who was carrying the sleeping Wendy, and the middle-aged High Saint who followed right after him, his expression riddled with shock and disbelief.


    Then, his eyesnded on the silver-white fox who happened to be looking back at him. For some unknown reason, those calm crimson eyes seemed to spell death for him, sending shivers down his spine.


    He immediately connected the terrifying power of tearing space apart to this mysterious silver fox, hurriedly offering his respects with a bow, "This junior greets senior,"


    "These two are?" Aria tilted her head, curious as to why a High Saint from an invading army would follow behind Leonardo.


    "This man here is a swordsman not interested the least in this war, and this woman here is my student who I picked up after some twists and turns."


    Leonardo gave a brief introduction.


    Aria grew somewhat interested, a student?


    She swept her gaze over Wendy''s body, only to jump to her feet in disbelief.


    "What?!"


    She was just as shocked as Leonardo to find that Wendy''s constitution had undergone a talent transformation, just what is the deal with this middle realm?! It even had the means to produce an immortal constitution?!


    No wonder Leonardo would take her as a student. Thinking that her House Hestia would have three¡ª no, four immortals for this generation, her heart skipped a beat.


    Since an immortal''s lifespan is basically endless as long as they haven''t lost their Immortal Kingdom, they calcte each generation based on the natural cycle of the birth and death of a star instead. Thus, even though the seniority is messed up between Nier, Leonardo, Wendy, and the former two''s daughter, it would still be rounded up in a single generation.


    In less than five years, the interster star of the ISC would die and thus a new one would be born, hailing the new generation of cultivators under 1000 years old. These young talents would then enter the Interster Supreme Institution.


    Leonardo knew that Aria would most likely want a detailed exnation, so he signaled for the High Saint to leave and wait outside, anywhere in the city would do, while he brought the unconscious Wendy into the bathing chambers after calling for Juvia and Misaka.


    Inside the bathing chambers, Misaka and Juvia helped each other rinse Wendy while Leonardo brought Aria on his shoulder and headed into his imperial study. On the way, he sent various summoning messages through themunication bracelet.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ¡­


    "Speak, what''s the matter?"


    Ariay down on Leonardo''s desk, watching him closely.


    Leonardo sighed, washing down a cup of red wine down his throat before he began to recount his entire experience to Aria. By now, he was all too used to opening his heart to this unfathomable silver fox.


    The shock was ever evident in the eyes of this silver fox for a while as she digested the information. "The Sky Mountains Domain might be a fragment of an ancient battlefield from beyond the world barrier¡­"


    Aria muttered subconsciously. When she saw a trace of incredulity and interest in Leonardo''s eyes, she realized she might have spoken too much.


    "Do you mean there''s more to the world barrier than the lower, middle, and higher realms?" Leonardo seemed to think of something, could it be that Lord Hestia and his son were lost beyond the world barrier as well?


    "Don''t let your thoughts wander too far, this isn''t a topic someone on your level should touch."


    Although Aria said this, she couldn''t help but recall the terrifying seal in Leonardo''s sea of consciousness. If even someone on that level wasn''t qualified to know, who between this heaven and earth is?


    "Come on, some superficial knowledge shouldn''t be too much, right?" Leonardo was in a focused mood right now, he even forgot the main worries he wished to discuss with Aria due to his excessive curiosity.


    Aria rolled her eyes. After thinking for a bit, she thought she might indulge this future son-inw a little bit. "Between the immortals of the higher realms and the mortals of the lower realms and even the saints of the middle realms, there isn''t much of a difference¡­"


    ording to Aria, people of the lower realms cannot survive without the that provides food, oxygen, and shelter for growth as a foundation. The same thing applies to the saints of the middle realms, albeit their dependence on the environmental protection provided by their home is split into a two-dimensionalne.


    When the cultivators of the middle realms are strong enough, they ought to look after their, it could be said that their rtionship is a symbiotic one. However, when things progress to the higher realms, the rtionship between cultivators and the world around them grows into a three-dimensional rtionship.


    From the one-dimensional rtionship between a cultivator and their, where the is an indispensable resource in one''s life, to the two-dimensional rtionship where the cultivator and the''s fates are intertwined.


    Finally, the third rtionship between the and a cultivator; is a conflict for dominion. The third dimension of their long history is from the lower to the higher realms.


    Why ares extinct in the higher realms? Well, because as a goes through its transformation from the middle to the higher realms, it would generate the purest essence of Ether, which is a raremodity to the cultivators trying to advance from the Divine to the Immortal realms.


    Thus, the twisted rtionship ultimately falls apart in the face of human ambition and greed.


    Of course, this is where the world barrieres into the picture.


    The world barrier doesn''t exist to block people ands from ascending to higher realms but to protect them from the deprived lunatics who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals, even sacrificing billions of lives for a drop of Ether Essence.


    The world barrier collects the bits and drops of quintessential energy from thes that meet a natural end to their life cycle, ejecting this essence into the empty void of the higher realms, and allowing the divinities of those realms to fight fairly for them.


    "Now that you understand, you can imagine what it would be like in a ce where a world barrier doesn''t exist. An endless darkness, where humans ands are under the threat of sudden extinction on a whim. It''s chaotic out there, too frightening to contemte."


    Aria sighed, "You only see the inside world barrier, unaware that the whole realms are contained within an even greater world barrier under the supervision of the Interster Supreme Court. The lower, middle and higher realms are all within this massive universe also known as a Ster World, now do you understand why they are called the Interster Supreme Court?"


    Leonardo''s mind was in a daze for a moment as he digested this information, which only brought him back to his first matter of worry as he hurriedly asked, "Do you think the invading Sovereign is after the essence of Arcadia?!"


    Aria was caught aback by this question, saying in a low voice, "A mere half-step divinity isn''t enough to contend against the will of a, unless¡­"


    "Unless¡­" Leonardo took in a deep breath, both he and Aria speaking simultaneously, "Unless he is carrying the will of his on his body!"


    BOOM!


    The sky above the shook, the atmospheric membrane cracking.


    "Fuck!"

 Chapter 120 Incarnation Of Will

    ?"Holy shit¡­" muttered an ordinary-looking middle-aged man who was sitting in the shade of a green tree. Then, he turned to the little girl who seemed to be eleven years old.


    The girl had an adorably fierce expression, her brown eyes spitting fire as she said, "Uncle, no cursing!"


    This manughed awkwardly and said apologetically, "Okay okay! I''m sorry! Look, a fairy just told me that your Godfather is already back home, why don''t you go check it out?"


    "Really?" Leona jumped off the stone bench, excited. Over the past few months when her Godfather was in ''seclusion'', she would always go on a cultivation tour through the city. One day, she found this pitiful ''homeless uncle'' who despite being the opposite of her Godfather, always dressed in ck, gave her a warm feeling.


    Still, whenever she offered to help this uncle, he would say something about trying to find some good spot for a good show, yet being unable to find one.


    Eventually, they settled for thisrge tree that had a clear view of the massiveke and the Imperial pce.


    "Really! When did this uncle ever lie to you? You should hurry home¡­" The middle-aged man spoke somewhat urgently with a smile.


    Just then, the guards nearby seemed to have received a message, approaching and whispering something to Leona who gasped in amazement. Then, she told this ''homeless uncle'' that she will make sure to help him find a good spot to watch his show some other day, quickly leaving with the guards.


    When they left, this middle-aged man stood up, dusted off his butt, and sighed. "These fucking lunatics!"


    After this middle-aged man in ck turned around, he took a step and disappeared from the city, not even the grand formations detecting his movements.


    Only his voice lingered in the calm breeze.


    "These fuckers really think that the children of my House Eternus are easy to bully?!"


    A few minutes after he disappeared, the sky shook and the atmospheric membrane split apart with a deafening explosion.


    ¡­


    Outer space was a cold and dark ce. In this darkness, a winding river of asteroids circled a massive floatingndmass contained within a dense sphere of opaque energy.


    Looking from far off, this denseyer of pure white energy began to umte hints of ck spots that extended into thin and long fissures, so small they seemed imperceptible to the eye from such a high vantage point.


    However, these little, almost negligible cracks caused an old woman dressed in green robes to sigh. This woman''s face was riddled with wrinkles, looking just like the bark of a tree thousands of years old.


    Her waist was bent slightly, swaying gently as though on the verge of falling over. Looking at this old woman, it was almost like it if it weren''t for her walking stick, she would have long tumbled over and drifted away into space.


    Curiously enough, from the butt of her walking stick and on the dry surface of the dead asteroid, a patch of greenery would spread without the slightest fluctuations of energy, as though it was natural for vegetation to grow in outer space.


    "My children have truly sinned," this old woman with a pair of pointed elven ears sighed, her heart feeling heavy as inconsble grief clouded her eyes.


    "Don''t think about it too much, Elf Sovereign. This man deceived not only us, but his allies from the higher realms as well," an old man in white robes spoke from a distant asteroid. In fact, he was so far away that he looked no different from a speck of dust, yet his voice sounded ever-so-clear and low, as though he was standing right next to you while whispering softly.


    "This is all because all you so-called intelligent creatures do is think and think! It''s so infuriating! Even when my people are doing nothing but mind our own business, we get dragged into your mess nheless!" A roar of unrelenting anger mmed into the river of asteroids from another far corner, shaking the sea of rock and dust.


    This person wasn''t standing on an asteroid per se. No, his entire stature was asrge as an asteroid, with massive bat-like wings, an obsidian long tail, and the body of a bald eagle d in glittering ck scales.


    His yellow eyes were dripping in resentment as his slitted pupils reflected the image of an old man in ashen grey robes. This old man sat lotus-style in the void, in the middle of the triangle formation of the Human Sovereign, Elf Sovereign, and the Beast Sovereign.


    Each of them had their unique pocket dimensions unfolding to seal the old man within. Illusive images ofrge trees, mountains, seas, and countless beasts kept shing in and out of existence to attack the old man.


    "Haha," the old man who seemed to be trapped in the sea of images, his hands locked in a particr hand seal,ughed out loud as his row of decaying yellow teeth shed with cruelty.


    "My Asmodian has paid far toorge a price to be stopped here and now! My other two peers have entered into a deep sleep and transferred their portions of Asmodian''s Will to my body. You three should know that this is nothing as simple as a mathematical equation of one plus one plus one equals three! Fall into despair!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    As the old man spoke, his eyes suddenly widened to their limits, his head, therefore, drooping as though he fell asleep. The moment that happened, his already stretched taut pocket dimension of smoke and ash began to thin, more beasts, mountains, rivers, and steel-like vinesshing out on his seemingly defenseless body.


    BOOM!


    The three attacksnded on his body simultaneously, and a wave of absolute devastation spread like a ripple on the surface of a tranquilke. These asteroids the size of a moon from the lower realms fractured like crumbling bread, like brittle wood, like shallow ice smashing into solid rock.


    These once gigantic asteroids were smashed into little chunks of fist-sized stones that wereunched in all directions as the three apex cultivators didn''t expect Sovereign Ash to wholly ignore their attacks that were capable of copsing an entire hidden dimension in the folds of space.


    Space-time copsed onto itself as a frightening ck hole appeared. However, this ck hole quickly shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye,nding in the palm of a young man with long ck hair.


    The old grey robes were in tatters now, revealing a vigorous well-sculpted body. This young man had vacant grey eyes, a cold smile, and some kind of a domineering will revolving around him.


    He held the now ttened ck hole in his palm as though it was a thing, looking at the stunned party of three with his apathetic eyes.


    "The bodies of your inferior life forms are truly pathetic! Anyway, this should be enough for me," this Sovereign Ash who seemed to grow much, much younger in a split second suddenly muttered.


    Then, his eyes seemed to go past the petrified three, past the atmospheric membrane, and past the Sky Mountains to curiously inspect thatndmass that was apparently out of order whenpared to Arcadia as a whole.


    "Little girl Arcadia, I wonder if you''ve managed to nurture a good carrier while I was injured. Well, it doesn''t matter, I won''t give you any more time to do so."


    As he spoke, he flung his right arm as though he pitched a fast curved ball, streaking past the rmed Human Sovereign, Elf Sovereign, and Beast Sovereign as though they didn''t even exist.


    "You dare!" All three of them screamed at the same time.


    Space cracked open as a towering mountain peak descended into the world, a massive river crashing down like a raging waterfall as it wrapped around the mountain, creating one curtain of water after the next.


    From the curtains of water, a vast bamboo forest spurred into existence, firmly constructing a tall and fortified green wall with an emerald halo revolving around it.


    Then, a loud bestial roar shook the void as a massive leviathan rose from the water, its mouth wide enough to swallow earth in one bite and have enough room to draw in the rest of the sr system.


    The Human Sovereign, Elf Sovereign, and Beast Sovereign stood shoulder to shoulder as their essence, energy, wills, andws merged seamlessly to create the unique pocket dimension that represented their respective cultivation paths.


    The leviathan swallowed the seemingly minuscule ck disc, then plunged into the water where the bamboo wall bent and contracted to seal the beast. Then, everything was sucked into the core of the massive mountain, before the space was torn open, taking in this mountain.


    Then, silence.


    A few breathster, a silent explosion ruptured in the folds of space, its ripples causing the ck specks and cracks on the atmospheric membrane to expand.


    Pffft!


    The Sovereigns shook, their bodies trembling as blood leaked from their lips.


    The man in tattered grey robes raised an eyebrow, impressed.


    "You actually survived a blow that concentrated the opposing wills of twospressed into a ck hole! You three have a bit of skill, I give you that." The man sped his hands behind his back, his eyes sharp.


    "However, Little Arcadia, if these three are your final trump card after so many years, I''m truly disappointed."


    The three Sovereigns had ugly expressions, not understanding the context of this man''s words, but they knew things were going way out of their control.


    Although they didn''t know what was happening, a wave of terror still gripped their hearts, but all of them knew this terror wasn''t their own, but it was something that stemmed from the depths of Arcadia''s will that merged with their own wills.

 Chapter 121 Guests From Afar

    ?While the entire was shaking from the aftershocks of the battle in outer space, Leonardo stood on the peak of his imperial pce, his expression grave while observing the sky.


    Aria sat on his shoulder, her expression without any hint or indication of her true thoughts. At this moment, Leonardo had already lifted the blockade ofmunications that prevented iing and outgoing messages between Grace Imperial City and the rest of the world.


    Everyone on the surface of Arcadia was like ants on a t simmering pan, from the weakest of non-cultivators to people on the level of Queen Adeline.


    Leonardo''smunication bracelet kept flickering and buzzing, but he ignored it and simply stared off into space.


    Actually, not everyone on the surface of Arcadia was freaking out.


    For instance, the people from the hidden tribes were wholly oblivious to the chaos, their sky overcast by dense multicolored clouds. As the chunks of broken asteroids crashed into these clouds, they quickly disintegrated without a bit of chance tond.


    Things got even worse the closer these objects got to the core of thisndmass, directly evaporating into smoke, while otherwise they would be erased soundlessly and without a trace.


    Another calm location was the settlement of convicts. More urately, the ordinary underground space below that teetering building is on the edge of copse.


    Ever since the chaos started, the only notable difference to the group of six elders on the high altar was an extra line of words to their obscure long sutra, but the chanting never stopped, and the block of ice seemed to grow a bit denser.


    ¡­


    "This is already beyond you, it''s best if you just go back to the higher realms."


    Aria suddenly said this, not wanting Leonardo to have any ridiculous hopes of interfering in a battle of this scale. Unlike Leonardo, she could clearly see the development in outer space.


    Leonardo knew Aria could somehow keep track of what was going on out there, so he sighed with a bitter smile, "Is it that bad?"


    "Didn''t I already exin it clearly?! In the middle realms, the apex predators are thes, not the so-called powerful cultivators. This is a battle between celestial bodies, even half-step divinities are nothing but ants with their rudimentary pockets dimensions."


    As she was berating Leonardo, Aria''s ears twitched slightly, snorting coldly.


    "You have guests."


    Space shuddered. Then, Queen Adeline and Valeria stepped out from behind Leonardo, their expressions ugly to the extreme.


    Valeria didn''t mince words.


    "Can you help us?" She asked directly, a hint of pleading in her voice. As for Queen Adeline, she stood there quietly.


    Leonardo didn''t respond. Instead, it was Aria who spoke in azy voice, "This is a matter for your middle realms to handle, didn''t you choose to keep neutral and let him handle his matters on his own? Why should he now get involved with this mess?"


    Queen Adeline''s face twitched, not knowing how to respond. Indeed, they decided not to support Leonardo when he needed it. Even if this world came to an end, he could always return to his higher realms without the slightest bit of concern or worry, why risk his life for them?


    "For better or worse, you can be considered to have joined my Forest of Eternal Spring, are you going to take my daughter away and leave her mother, her family, and her people behind to perish as you do nothing?!" Valeria shouted angrily, her graceful image shattering to pieces.


    With a thud, she fell to her knees and said resolutely, "I ask you not as the former High Elf Queen, but as the mother of a daughter, even if not for my sake, don''t put my daughter through the pain of walking away from her family in need."


    Then, she resolutely smashed her forehead on the hard ground, not even using a lick or energy to protect herself. As a result, her forehead was covered in dust, and a scar split open to spill her blood.


    Leonardo was stunned, not having seen thising. Then, he turned around to see that Juvis was already nearby as well, her eyes betraying the pain and conflicting emotions.


    She also knelt just like the day back then, only this time, she wasn''t naked. However, unlikest time when Leonardo was apathetic to her plight, he couldn''t act the same now.


    Juvia didn''t say anything as words were meaningless at this point.


    The mother and daughter pair simply kneeled there with their foreheads on the ground, causing Leonardo to sigh helplessly.


    Aria''szy voice sounded, "Aren''t you going to kneel as well?"


    She was obviously talking to Queen Adeline, catching both the woman and Leonardo off guard, as this indicated that Aria at least had the means to deal with this catastrophe.<novelnext></novelnext>


    After struggling inwardly with her pride, Queen Adeline bit her bottom lip and knelt down as well, her forehead on the ground. However, her heart wasn''t as peaceful inside as the mother and daughter pair.


    Valeria knelt with her identity as a mother to one of Leonardo''s women.


    Juvia knelt with her identity as a woman, a follower, and a servant.


    As for Queen Adeline, she represented House Sylvia and the will of the Human Domain. Thus, she obviously wasn''t reconciled with kneeling like this, but she had no other choice.


    Leonardo gave Aria a puzzled look, but she simply gave him the side eye. "You still have one more guest waiting for you, let''s go meet him."


    Another guest? Leonardo was even more confused. However, he didn''t doubt this unfathomable little fox and stepped out, disappearing from the scene and heading into the depths of the pce.


    Leonardo''s expression was a bit strange when he noticed their destination. Then, he could hear the tinklingughter of his adorable Leona echoing in the room.


    When he got in, he saw a middle-aged man dressed in ck, had deep brown eyes, short ck hair, and a funny mask on his face.


    At this moment, this man was ying dead while Nagi and Leona were practicing medicine on his body. When Leonardo stepped into the room, Leona was the first to notice and jump to her feet.


    "Godfather!" She eximed in pleasant surprise. Then, she rushed over to cling to his leg, "This homeless uncle said that he came to visit you, but you were busy and he got lost looking around!"


    It didn''t take long for Leona to revert back to her cheerful temperament after countless sessions of cultivation. Thus, she was now the same girl with her heart on her sleeves, though only in front of her close family.


    Since she was acting like this in the presence of this man, Leonardo instantly figured out that he must have long since earned Leona''s trust.


    Leonardo smiled lightly and bent over to kiss Leona''s forehead, saying gently, "Alright, now since I''m free, let me talk to this uncle for a bit, okay?"


    Leona nodded her head vigorously. Then, as though she recalled something, she red at the homeless uncle and spoke in a solemn yet unquestionably adoring voice, " Don''t forget to behave!"


    This was the exact expression she made whenever that homeless uncle began to use foulnguage, hinting at him not to speak foul in front of her Godfather without explicitly exposing him. Then, she dragged the dazed Nagi who had her mind blown nk ever since Leonardo entered the room, leaving.


    The ying dead uncle chuckled lightly and sat up, removing his mask for Leonardo to get a clear look. Then, Leonardo''s expression went from stunned shock to suddenprehension.


    "You''re worried about their safety after all!" Leonardomented lightly, his expression mellowing a bit.


    "Yo!" The man made a friendly gesture with his hand, "Of course, I''d be worried about my own children, what kind of a question is that?"


    The manughed lightly.


    "Well, this ce is most likely done for if nothing unexpected happens. I came here today to remove the limiter on those brats, they should awaken their immortal constitutions when exposed to the higher realms, don''t mistreat them."


    Leonardo and Aria were stunned. In fact, not even Aria had noticed that Leona and Kieran had such a limiter on their bodies, hence her greater shock.


    "Don''t be surprised. Although the aura on your body is abysmally faint for some reason, I could tell that we bothe from simr origins, otherwise, I wouldn''t have allowed you to walk away with my children like that." The man smiled amicably at Leonardo.


    Although Leonardo was confused, Aria''s mind buzzed with one word.


    neswalker!


    While Aria''s thoughts drifted, Leonardo''s confused expression spiked a hint of curiosity in the man''s eyes. "What? You don''t seem to be aware of your own identity, huh? Well, I could think of many reasons as to why."


    After he muttered silently to himself for a bit, he asked, "What is the name of your house?"


    Although confused, Leonardo still answered, "House Hestia?"


    The man waved his hand, "Not that backwater house from the higher realms of this Ster World, the house of your original parents, what is it?"


    Leonardoughed bitterly, if even a house from the higher realms was considered a backwater, what of his house on Earth?

 Chapter 122 True Immortal Kingdom

    ?Leonardoughed bitterly, if even a house from the higher realms was considered a backwater, what of his house on Earth?


    "Ahem, uh, my original name is Leonardo of House Evernight."


    "Evernight?" The man silently muttered to himself that this doesn''t make any sense, he then asked Leonardo to trante the name from the Englishnguage to the divine tongue.


    After thinking for a bit, Leonardo responded, "The ''night'' in the name simply refers to the duration between dusk and dawn. As for the ''ever'' part, it should be the omnipresent, ubiquitous, all-epassing, evesting, etern-¡­" Just as Leonardo was about to say eternal night, his mind buzzed with pain, causing his knees to buckle.


    Aria was shocked, while the man burst outughing.


    "That''s how it is!" Heughed happily. In his mind, he already guessed it.


    This brat must belong to ''that'' bloodline, the Infernals of Eternal Night, he almost couldn''t believe his own thoughts. This must be a stroke of fate.


    However, someone must have deliberately sealed this brat''s memories, meaning that they didn''t wish for him to touch upon these secrets for now.


    This man suddenly found himself in an awkward position. His House Eternus was nothing but a branch household with minimal connections to the main bloodline, he should treat Leonardo as though he met his ancestors, but the ones above naturally didn''t want Leonardo to be aware of his own identity or influence yet.


    What a fucking headache, the man began to rub his head in annoyance.


    As for Aria, her mind was momentarily nk.


    All this time, she and her daughter thought that they''ve swept Leonardo into their mess. While as it turns out, they were the ones swept up in some deeper mess.


    The man stood up with augh, thinking that he was taking things too seriously. Even he, someone from the same origins, could barely recognize Leonardo''s aura, let alone outsiders. Thus, he dusted off his butt and looked at Leonardo in the depths of his lifeless ck eyes.


    "When they grow up and ask about their origins, just tell them this one word; Eternus."


    When Leonardo heard this word, his mind buzzed once again, chaotic voices as though metallic ws scratching the insides of his skull, giving him an even greater headache. Only when Leonardo passed out in a puddle of his sweat did the man confirm his assumptions, breathing out in relief.


    Then, he looked over at Aria, smiling faintly, "An incantation of will possessing this little toy, you must really think highly of this little brat. Good, very good!"


    After thinking for a bit, the man said, "To thank you enough, I''ll let you in on a little secret. It won''t be helpful to you, but it could help your descendants who have yet to build their Immortal Kingdoms."


    His voice then transmitted directly into Aria''s mind.


    "A Ster World is just a bigger, a bigger cage; a set invisible shackle. Don''t lead your descendants astray as they did to you. Don''t poison them with those pitiful bits of Kingdom Essence. I will transmit to you a cultivation method to cultivate an innate Kingdom Essence, but I see that this little brat already forged a path of his own so it''ll be useless."


    "Remember, a true Immortal Kingdom is self-sustaining, self-sufficient, evesting. Otherwise, why would we call them Immoral? Your Immortal Kingdoms can''t survive without the presence of a Ster World, while a true Immortal Kingdom can contain its own set of Ster Worlds."


    The man sighed. Then, he took a step and disappeared.


    If he told her that Leonardo''s main bloodline had governed over countless branch families, each branch family governing over a set of Ster Worlds, that would utterly shatter her conviction and ideas of the cultivation world.


    Thus, he merely gave her some pointers and advice.


    However, these little pointers already gave Aria a fright, her mind a total mess as a few sentences resounded within.


    Self-sustaining, self-sufficient, and evesting.


    Just a bigger, a bigger cage, nothing more.


    Thinking that she actually persevered with two cores of Kingdom Essence for Nier and Leonardo for when they left for the Interster Supreme Institution, she broke out in cold sweat. If what he said was true, then it wasn''t that no one knew the realms above immortal, it was simply that this immortal realm was nothing but clouds and smoke.


    She suddenly felt that this was one huge scheme from the Interster Supreme Court, but she would never let these thoughts slip from her mouth. Even if a trace of doubt that linked these secrets to the disappearance of her husband and son popped into her mind.


    ¡­


    "Move out of my way or die!"


    The incarnation of Asmodian spoke coldly, his ashen eyes radiating killing intent.


    Between him and Arcadia stood a group of what he considered children at best. However, these children were quite stubborn, irritating him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Millions of years ago, a star from beyond the world barrier exploded. The might of that star''s explosion was grader as a world-piercing level catastrophe, its fragments shooting like needles through the higher, middle, and lower realms.


    The core of this star happened to enter the middle realms, smashing into Arcadia when it was but a little immature celestial body. Although the core of the star didn''t have much of a momentum, it still smashed into the so hard it deformed, forever changing its geography.


    The once massive sphere fractured into a floatingndmass, four domains, and one massive sea. The intervention of the star core disturbed the natural cycle of Arcadia as a natural celestial body, helping it nurture a will as time passed over millions of years.


    This will then create life and bring prosperity to a on the edge of destruction.


    During this period of lost history, many of the other celestial bodies with aged and wise wills noticed the star core and wanted to consume its essence and ascend to the higher realms, as this star core was damaged to the point where they assumed its will to have been damaged as well, otherwise, how could a fledgling celestial body possibly overpower it?


    Everyone wanted to harvest the benefits of two weak celestial bodies, which caused the eruption of a great war between celestial bodies, their incarnations, and the countless cultivators they nurtured over the years.


    This battlefield between the cultivators was, naturally, Arcadia.


    During that war that utterly brought havoc to the four domains, and mainly the Forbidden Domain closest to the star core was swept under the annals of history as the War of Dominion, but no one knew why it erupted, they only knew how it ended.


    The strongest ns on Arcadia were transferred along with the invading armies into thend beyond the Sky Mountains, carrying on with a war thatsted for thousands of years.


    As for the Forbidden Domain, it became and of absolute death, a scar on this. Only the Sovereigns are aware of this fragmented history as the immature will of Arcadia isn''t capable enough to conceal these scenes the moment it merges with these selected characters from the billions of citizens on its surface.


    Asmodian seems to be one of the celestial bodies involved in that ancient war, and he seems to have recovered.


    Only, when he approached Arcadia, he seemed to have noticed the faint fluctuations of will from the core of that star have disappeared, leading him to believe that Arcadia had fully merged with the external will and was in the process of evolving to a mature celestial body.


    This is obviously bad news for him. Thus, he always carried misgivings about killing these three, allowing Arcadia''s scattered will to congregate again, which could hasten the evolution if not outrightplete it.


    However, these three seemed to have given up on their lives, not caring the least whether they live or die, infuriating him!


    "If you want to pass, you''ll have to do it over this old man''s dead body!"


    The Human Sovereign coughed up blood. Nevertheless, a vast space of mountains, rivers, and seas opened up behind him, seemingly between the solid and illusory.


    The Elf and Beast Sovereigns had the same resolute expressions, their rudimentary pocket dimensions expanding behind them, not caring about over-drafting their energy, essence, and blood.


    It was because they could feel the childish terror that stemmed from the depths of Arcadia''s will.


    Even if they had to die, they wouldn''t let this bastard through.


    "Well, it sure is lively around here, isn''t it?"


    "Haha! Asmodian you old bastard, you sure like to bully little girls the most!"


    "Oh my, this big sister isn''tte to the party, am I?"


    Everyone''s expressions changed, the three Sovereigns having the ugliest of expressions. As for Asmodian, he turned in the direction of the three voices.


    Two old men and one young woman were walking through the voidnguidly, their eyes smiling but seemed not smiling.


    "Uranus!"


    "Elyos!"


    "Veranda!"


    "You bastards actually recovered as well!"


    Asmodian''s expression was cold and dark, ring at the three children who blocked his path for so long. When the other three arrived, they seemed to have anticipated this situation, so they weren''t in a rush to reach the scene.


    Just as the three Sovereigns were in the pit of despair, another voice echoed in the void. However, this one was filled with frustrated profanities.


    "I wanted to continue watching this show quietly, but you bastards are too fucking noisy! If this keeps up and my wife is angered awake, even I can''t predict what will happen, and I''m her damn husband! Fuck!"

 Chapter 123 A Bit Of Stalling

    ?"I wanted to continue watching this show quietly, but you bastards are too fucking noisy! If this keeps up and my wife is angered awake, even I can''t predict what will happen, and I''m her damn husband! Fuck!"


    Asmodian, Uranus, Elyos, Veranda, Human Sovereign, Elf Sovereign, and Beast Sovereign.


    Everyone stared nkly at the man who sat on a not-so-faraway asteroid.


    He was a man that seemed to be middle-aged with a fairplexion, bright and deep brown eyes, short ck hair, and long ck robes that fluttered gently in this vacuum of space.


    "Handsome brother over there, what is the matter?" Veranda smiled enchantingly, appearing right next to Eternus a momentter, leaning against his body with her boneless frame as her slender arms wrapped around his shoulders.


    Her violet eyes shed brightly with curiosity, followed by confusion as she tilted her head.


    "Uh miss, I just said that I''m a married man you know?" Eternus smiled bitterly as he noticed a pair of fluffy breasts push down on his arm. Then, with a sigh, a formless aura spread from his body, forming a dark hourss n the void behind him.


    As the hourss began to turn, specks of ck sand fell from one end to the other.


    Under everyone''s shocked gaze, wrinkles began to appear on Veranda''s enchanting face at a speed visible to the naked eye.


    "Ah!"


    ? Veranda shrieked loudly as she tore through space and rushed back into her original position, horror filling her violet eyes as the tips of her hair grew white. A few secondster, the aging stopped, but time had already left wounds on her body.


    She now looked like a woman in her early forties, when she was a woman in her early twenties not too long ago.


    This wasn''t all of it. They didn''t know, but she knew that this change in appearance was simply a reflection of the changes that urred on her original body, Veranda, countless light years away.


    It was as though the had gone through thousands of years in the blink of an eye, though no one on its surface was aware of the changes all around them and deep underground. However, she could feel that the vitality of her Sovereigns had sharply dropped, causing her heart to drop.


    If she lost her Sovereigns, the entire cultivation poption would descend into chaos.


    "This handsome brother over there, I was wrong, please pass my greetings to beautiful big sister-inw!"


    With that, she turned around and left without hesitation, not even sparing Uranus and Elyos a nce to exin the horrors of her experience.


    Her thoughts were simple, she would simply wait until the vitality of those two was damaged before swallowing them up.


    Veranda''s sudden appearance and even more abrupt departure shocked the three Sovereigns into stunned silence.


    Eternus looked at the Elf Sovereign with a smile, "Old grandma, it could be said that there is some karma between your Forest of Eternal Spring and my young master, youe here and rest with me for a bit while I entertain these uninvited guests."


    Young master?


    Human Sovereign and Beast Sovereign gave the Elf Sovereign a bewildered look, but the former quickly connected the dots and blurted out, "That child Leonardo?"


    "Hey! Don''t disrespect my young master like that¡ª ugh forget it, he doesn''t even know about my existence, let alone the fact that his memories are temporarily sealed so don''t give him too much face." Eternus was about to snap before he quickly realized the little issue, waving his hand awkwardly.


    "Child, this is no fight for mere ants like you to get involved with!" Asmodian finally snapped, his anger boiling over.


    One hindrance after another popped up, ruining his ns that stretched for millions of years. Because he was already mad, and he could be considered youngpared with Elyos and Uranus, he didn''t pay mind to the change in Veranda''s attitude.


    Thus, the two old men silently blended into the background and watched the developments unfold.


    "Although my core is a bit crippled, handling a mere incarnation of a will shouldn''t be too difficult. All I need to do is stall you for a little bit after all."


    Intentionally or unintentionally, the corner of Eternus'' eyes nced in the direction of Grace Imperial Pce, an unknown light shing through his eyes.


    The three Sovereigns exchanged looks, then they shed, arriving behind Eternus silently.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The Beast Sovereign no longer had his massive body. However, despite his long white hair, his physical build was akin to a professional bodybuilder with years of experience under his belt.


    Uranus and Elyos exchanged a nce, shock evident in their eyes. Since when did humans have cores as well?


    As for Asmodian, he thought Eternus was talking about something else entirely, and since he didn''t have any misgivings about killing someone who wasn''t a Sovereign, he pped his hands together.


    BOOM!


    A muffled explosion erupted as a ripple of destruction spread, the opposing forces of his left hand and right hand cracking space-time, and in no time at all, another ck hole that seemed to swallow the universe bloomed.


    No matter how powerful a cultivator in the middle realms is, theirprehensive limit would always be half-step divinity. Thus, if nothing unexpected went wrong, a ck hole of this mass would surely prove devastating for this brat.


    The three Sovereigns had ugly expressions as they could feel an even greater power in that t ck hole than the one from earlier; this was a true world-ending attack.


    "Child, be careful," cautioned the Elf Sovereign, visible cracks on her walking stick, and the vegetation no longer following in her footsteps. She wanted to take a step forward, but Eternus waved his hand impatiently.


    "Just a little trick, the struggles of a weakling!"


    As Eternus spoke, the flying disc-shaped ck hole suddenly began to slow down as it was approaching their group of four. Then, it came to aplete stop in space.


    However, looking carefully, the ck hole was still advancing at a speed that could rip space apart, but it seemed as though countlessyers of space were being generated in between.


    Not an illusory phenomenon, but an actual physical, invisible wall of space that trapped the ck hole. Then, under everyone''s eyes, the ck hole began to scatter and dissipate silently.


    Although no one understood what happened, Eternus simply rewinds the time imposed on the attack, having it revert back to a static state of inception. Then, due to theck of enough energy to excite the ck hole, it naturally dissipated.


    However, in everyone''s eyes, Eternus waved his hand and destroyed such a fearsome attack, making others specte at the depths of his power.


    While Asmodian was shocked, the wall of corporal space wound around his body, trapping him within. Shocked and infuriated, he let out a roar and began to crazily attack on all sides.


    However, his attacks seemed to dissipate silently, and his voice never made it past a few miles from his original body. This disy shook everyone to the core, while Eternus sighed.


    "Some peace atst, this way my wife won''t wake up."


    As he spoke, he wiped off some cold sweat on his forehead, seemingly very exhausted. While everyone else thought that he was being sarcastic, he was truly very exhausted.


    If the other two were to attack now, he would have absolutely nothing to stop them with. Hence, he tacitly acted as though he didn''t notice them and turned his head to look at this wise and old Elf Sovereign.


    "So grandma, you have some naughty children down there, don''t you think?" Eternus was obviously talking about Richard, who assassinated his brother Reinard and usurped the Elven Throne, only to draw this catastrophe on Arcadia and its people.


    "I made the seniorugh at me," Elf Sovereign coughed lightly, bowing her head in shame.


    "How am I in the mood tough when that brat almost sent my eleven-year-old daughter and sixteen-year-old son to meet their ancestors? Haha. Say, I rmend you go back and clean your house before my young master wakes up and decides to take the cleanup into his own hands," Eternus spoke in a light and joking manner, but even the other two Sovereigns quivered, let alone the Elf Sovereign.


    The Elf Sovereign and the Human Sovereign exchanged a look, the former then decided to take a step back and travel all the way to the Forest of Eternal Spring to take matters into her own hands.


    Moreover, she could clearly feel that this battle has long surpassed their power levels as Sovereigns.


    If Arcadia was already mature, then she would have to fight this battle alone. Sadly, however, she was still an immature will of a celestial body.


    "Senior, are you going to kill them?"


    The simple Beast Sovereign inquisitively asked, his eyes glowing with an unknown light. Far off, the two incarnations also perked up their ears, curious.


    Eternus raised an eyebrow. "Me? Kill them? That''s too much work! There will naturally be someone to kill them soon¡­ Oh, she''s on her way as we speak."

 Chapter 124 Starfall Exterminator

    ?Eternus finally let out a sigh of relief, calling off the temporal powers of his core which began to disy faint cracks all over.


    He couldn''t help but chuckle bitterly, as if anymore and he would have died.


    She?


    Asmodian, Uranus, and Elyos had their hearts skip a beat, did Arcadia already mature?


    But that''s impossible!


    How can she send an incarnation while all three of her Sovereigns are functioning as normally?


    "Oh, I''m not talking about Arcadia, but I''m talking about the other girl." Eternus seemed to see through their confusion and speak up.


    At this moment, everyone noticed that another person joined the scene. Forget them, even Aria back on the was shocked silly.


    This was a tan-skinned beauty with long, multicolored hair and a pair of brilliant indifferent eyes. Around her body was an air of transcendence, a gaze that swept through millions of years and billions of stars.


    "How could that be?!" Aria cried out in shock.


    Her voice seemed to have disturbed Leonardo from a deep sleep as his eyes fluttered open, his breathing growing a bit hurried. After shaking his head to get rid of the headache, he gave Aria a puzzled look as countless fragmented scenes and memories yed in his mind.


    Frowning, he tried to get these memories together while rubbing his forehead, asking, "What are you shouting for?"


    "Didn''t you say your student hadn''t even started cultivating properly yet?" Aria asked in a soft tone.


    "Yeah, what of it?" Leonardo asked back, very confused.


    ? Aria wanted to say something, but she didn''t know where to begin. Eventually, she sighed and shook her head. "Don''t mind me, your spirit is a bit unstable, go adjust your state of mind for now."


    "Okay?¡­" Leonardo muttered with his brows furrowed tightly, this headache was a bit too much. Thus, he closed off his senses and began to silently meditate.


    As for Aria, she looked up at the familiar yet unfamiliar woman in outer space. Because she wasn''t aware of Arcadia''s history, Aria had no idea that the current Wendy was nothing but a borrowed body.


    When Wendy formed her soul pearl in the Sky Mountains Domain, her soul was sensed by the will of the star core.


    While the star core wanted to enter Leonardo''s body at first, something within his sea of consciousness gave the wounded will a sense of imminent danger, thus it settled for the second-best option, Wendy.


    However, this will was isted from Wendy''s, kept in the confines of the soul pearl, which wouldn''t inflict any harm.


    As Wendy was undergoing her trial of the heart in aa, just as she was about to have the martial intent obliterate her soul, this will reached out to Wendy and proposed mutually sharing the body in exchange for allowing Wendy to freely take control of this martial intent.


    After the star core''s will shared the past and present with Wendy, thetter eventually agreed to share her body with the star core''s will.


    One couldpare Wendy''s body to the artifact Rosaline used to carry her will into the middle realms, with the exception being that this will isn''t restricted by thews of the world barrier, even if it was missing the core that was hidden in the depths of the Sky Mountains Domain.


    "Scram or die."


    Wendy¡ª or rather the incarnation of the star core didn''t mince words, immediately giving the other three incarnations an ultimatum. Her voice wasn''t loud nor hurried, and it didn''t carry a hint of emotion.


    It wasn''t warm nor was it cold, it wasn''t forceful nor was it gentle.


    It was as t as t could get.


    Uranus and Elyos shed next to Asmodian. Now that this devolved into a battle between the incarnations of their celestial bodies, and since that mysterious young man had dered so by himself that he would simply watch, the variables seem to have decreased and allowed them to make decisions easier.


    "Who would have thought that you''re actually still alive, even after experiencing the destruction of your celestial body in a world beyond the world barrier."


    Elyos, a tall old man with a high ponytail bun on his head was the first to speak. Then, waving his palm in the distance, a dozen or so massive asteroids suddenly shark to the size of beans, each revolving independently at a speed so fast theybusted in outer space, then formed natural gravitational fields that supported and pressured one another while dancing on the palm of his hand.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Although the scale shrank, ck cracks began to spark between these now crimson red pebbles, their mass and destructive force unquestionably.


    "You''re an outsider trying to disharmonize the equilibrium thatsted for millions upon millions of years in my middle realms, either apany this old man peacefully to meet the Realm Lord, or I will have to use force," Elyos spoke, his aged voice booming in the void.


    Uranus seemed to be of the same train of thought, his hands sped behind his back, his unkempt hair. His hand left his sleeve and seemingly entered a void unknown between space-time, pulling it out with a massive broadsword the size of a lower realms star.


    Then, his body began to grow in size until the broadsword no longer looked disproportionate in his massive hands. Perhaps, if one looked from another perspective, nothing seemed off about this current disy.


    Asmodian clenched his teeth when he saw this, not expecting those two old men to go all out from the start. Wasn''t this just the remnant will of some dead star core? Nheless, he wouldn''t lose out to these two, especially since he knew that their excuses were all bullshit, simply bluffing their way to ce some restrictions on the mysterious man.


    Suddenly, the yfield was shifted. This time, although it was still a three against one, trapping Wendy in a triangle formation, it somehow gave off the feeling that it was Wendy who trapped the other three, and not the other way around.


    "I''ll help you two now. However, Arcadia''s core is mine, don''t dare fight me for it!" Asmodian shouted, his hair suddenly turning from ck to grey, a new set of robes manifesting on his figure as one ck hole disc after another began to revolve around him seemingly without a warning sign.


    Even as he stood there, the suction force pulled in one massive asteroid after another, and under everyone''s eyes, these massive dead celestial bodies crumbled to dust and shrank away into these holes.


    Elyos, who put on the righteous air,mented lightly, "Attacking mature celestial bodies is an act against the general world order of the middle realms. The Realm Lord wouldn''t tolerate such acts and neither will I."


    Asmodian snorted, not like how these old bastards were never direct.


    Wasn''t he saying that as long as Arcadia wasn''t mature yet, he would sit by and watch as billions of lives are lost just like that?


    "So, you want to die,"  Wendy muttered softly as her indifferent eyes began to scale towards the cold side, an invisible unknown energy that the others couldn''tprehend began to aggravate in the void, dancing over Wendy''s fingertips.


    Eternus'' eyes shed with bewilderment as he muttered silently to himself, tilting his head.


    "Magic? But this ne shouldn''t have any¡­"


    He couldn''t understand, he couldn''t recall anything about star cores crossing nes, let alone surviving the trip and reincarnating afterward.


    However, he wasn''t mistaken about this feeling.


    An energy that touches upon thews but isn''t aw in and of itself, more like a medium between the supernatural and technological, the bonafide magical techniques, unlike the cultivation techniques normally used by most.


    Other than Eternus, perhaps only a few people that Leonardo met or came in contact with would understand the theory of magic. That is to say, these people fighting with the possessed Wendy had absolutely no clue what was going on.


    "If only your teacher gave you the full cultivation technique, I wouldn''t need to rely on my core energy," Wendy seemingly spoke to herself, confusing everyone. However, thatst part of her sentence made the Beast Sovereign and Human Sovereign inadvertently give Eternus a look, as those words sounded awfully familiar to them.


    Wendy raised her hand up in the air, a faint multicolored circr diagram approaching on her little palm. This diagram began to revolve clockwise, spinning rapidly.


    Then, it began to levitate and expand proportionally to its climatic speed. Then, the diagram split into two, the split version much smaller and spinning counterclockwise.


    After the second version split and reached the zenith of its expansion, it once again split a third portion, then a fourth. Eventually, two multicolored diagrams that spun clockwise and two that spun in reverse constructed a multicolored cylindrical matrix in the void, hovering like an artificial sky above the entire battlefield.


    "Fourfold magic array, a fourth-tier spell?" Eternus was intrigued. However, the fourth tier barely equates to immortal-grade cultivation techniques, which wouldn''t be enough to handle a mature celestial body''s incarnation.


    Just as he was thinking this, the four circr diagrams began topress like a copsing star, merging into one massive multicolored diagram that was densely packed with ancient runes, radiating an aura of times long past.


    The sudden transformation caught everyone off guard.


    Back in Arcadia, in thend of absolute death known as the Sky Mountains Domain, all the multicolored clouds from the third ring and inwards were sucked dry into the core of the domain. However, no one noticed that anomaly, assuming that this was an attack casually conjured by the star core''s incarnation.


    "Fifth Tier Spell; Starfall Exterminator."


    Then, Wendy lowered her hand.

 Chapter 125 One Heartbeat

    ?"What is that technique?!"


    Asmodian and the other two felt shocked and rmed.


    "It''s already locked on our auras, we have no choice but to take this attack head-on!"


    Elyos stepped forward, holding the group of revolving,pressed asteroids as though he held a miniature sr system in the palm of his hands, muttering something to himself with a stern expression.


    Uranus had a stoic expression as well. He took a deep breath, nting the broadsword on his right shoulder as he shouted toward Asmodian and Elyos, "Augment my sword, your attack range is too widespread to target the core of this weird formation!"


    Elyos and Asmodian both paused. Then, after exchanging a look, they both nodded at one another before shing to appear on either side of Uranus, tossing their miniature sr system and the fleet of t ck holes to dance and spin around the de''s edge.


    Uranus clenched the massive hilt of his sword, connecting to the core of his original celestial body directly, tossing all reservations aside.


    As he did so, back on his celestial body, tsunamis raged and volcanoes erupted, one natural disaster after the next killing the people in the millions indiscriminately. Everyone thought that their God Uranus was furious with them, hurriedly dropping to their knees and praying to the sky.


    s, the raging disasters only got worse, and proportionally, the pressure emitted from the massive sword began to condense and increase.


    "What can a crippled core possibly do at this point in time? Just die you, vile outsider!" Uranus yelled out.


    "Idiot," Wendy was unphased nheless, as no matter how much energy they would draw from their cores, it would prove useless as the carriers to their incarnations are simply too fragile.


    In a sense, when you''re looking for a material to function as a conduit for energy, you have to find the purist grade for better and smoother conductivity. This follows the same principles in the power transfer theorem in electrical conductivity.


    In this sense, if one was topare core energy to electrical currents, then the carriers of Asmodian, Uranus, and Elyos could be considered aluminum, while Wendy''s tempered body could be considered gold.


    The intervalgging when transferring energy from the core to the carrier and further to the attack will cause both the quality and power of the attack to drop considerably.


    In a direct confrontation, this little discrepancy may not prove fatal. However, in this situation where they n to use their attacks to disturb the channeling of Wendy''s core energy while wholly oblivious to the aspects of her physical body, they''re in for one rude awakening.


    "Will this be alright?" The Human Sovereign asked worriedly. He knew firsthand how powerful a single ck hole disc was, let alone tens of them working in tandem with two other attacks seemingly not one bit weaker.


    If that attack was to strike a, even dust wouldn''t be left behind.


    "They''re not trying to win, they''re trying to survive,"mented Eternus lightly, a sh of pity in his eyes. Indeed, although the quality and stability of their attack are on a much worse level than Wendy''s, its destructive might shouldn''t be too far behind.


    If they simply ignored the fifth-tier spell, instead attacking the caster, they might have had a higher chance of survival. However, Eternus wouldn''t me them as he could somewhat sympathize with thosecking experience fighting against casters and magicians.


    To cultivators, when they sessfully materialize their attacks, it could be considered a done deal; either you die or I die. However, magicians and casters are different.


    Topensate for their ridiculously overpowered attacks in terms of casting speed, range, and power, a caster can''t simply pull out after the spell was initiated lest it wouldn''t only break the spell, but it could also cause a bacsh that would damage their core in ordance with the grade of the spell in question.


    Hence, Wendy called the group of three as a pack of idiots.


    "Rest in peace," Eternus muttered silently as Uranusunched his attack.


    "Die!"


    With a shout, his broadsword hacked up at the heavens, unleashing a stream of destructive sword energy that shed the void silently.


    There were no stray fluctuations or ripples to speak of as the sword aura, much like an elongated ck hole in the shape of a sword, swallowed energy, light, and asteroids in its path while advancing at iparable speeds.


    It left behind nothing but a wide crack that stretched like a bottomless rift, the world energy struggling to mend it back into a stable space-time fabric.


    On Arcadia, everyone looked up to see a massive crack that resembled the maw of a massive beast as a roar that shook the mountains and rivers washed over the.


    "Die¡­"


    "Die¡­"


    "Die¡­"


    "Die¡­"


    This shout that carried the will of an entire celestial body instantly killed off millions of the non-cultivators on the, as some cracks in the atmospheric membrane couldn''t block them from invading.


    Unrest spread across the, everyone mistaking it to be the anger of some divine beinging to deliver judgment on the sinners.


    "Help me¡­"


    In his meditation, Leonardo heard the immature voice of a little girl in his head, startling him.


    "Mama said, you help, please¡­"


    The voice echoed again, disturbing Leonardo from his calm attempt of sorting out his fragmented memories. All this while, the only thing he could figure out was the scene of a massive ck throne overseeing a ck river, and in the ck river were countless little specks of light rushing along the stream.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, these specks of light, astonishingly, resembled the artificial photographs of a ''universe'' based on modern astronomy back on Earth.


    Then, that was it.


    The memory ends there.


    Just as he was confused about what ''Mama'' and what ''Help'' this voice was talking about, countless scenes all across Arcadia were transmitted to Leonardo''s mind, including the cause.


    rmed, he didn''t have any time to think of what was going on as he had assumed this voice belonged to the immature will of this.


    He could tell it was immature since back then during their confrontation in the Crouching Dragon Province massacre, but he hadn''t expected it to be this young.


    Although he wasn''t clear on things, he was worried that the volume of this attack would increase enough to endanger Leona and Kieran, hence why he transmitted his simple thoughts to this immature will, asking it to redirect the attack into his sea of consciousness instead.


    After what seemed like a moment of doubt and hesitation, the voice echoed again.


    "Okay¡­"


    Taking a deep breath, Leonardo concentrated the entirety of his spiritual strength into a pair of illusory hands in front of the old, massive ck gate in his sea of consciousness.


    Aria, who seemed to have noticed the peculiarity, raised her eyebrows and looked into Leonardo''s sea of consciousness while maintaining a safe distance from the gate.


    She could guess that Leonardo wanted to artificially stage a situation that would allow the seal to passively react, but she wanted to see if this seal could handle something on the level of a celestial body''s incarnation.


    Up in outer space, the sword strike simply dove right into the massiveplex diagram, seemingly disintegrating on contact as though it was a delicate nourishment for the attack, stunning everyone except for Wendy and Eternus who saw this oueing from a mile away.


    Although the attack was powerful, it was far too brittle to shake the solid and dense formation, not to mention it was a spell with anti-matter as its core foundation.


    "IMPOSSIBLE!" Uranus roared in rage and confusion, truly unreconciled.


    This roar was a hundred-fold in volume to his previous war cry, starting even Eternus who looked in Arcadia''s direction, shocked and angry, actually on the verge of shouting out for his children.


    More than that, he was worried that these shockwaves might crack the ice barrier on his wife, forcing her to awaken prematurely.


    However, just as he was about to shout, he felt an overwhelming, oppressive aura erupt from Arcadia, startling him into shutting his mouth.


    Not just Eternus, but everyone else on the battlefield froze, space-time was locked, and the massive spell in the sky began to dim and fade away.


    If anyone paid attention though, it was Wendy who took the initiative to cancel her spell.


    Somewhere thousands of light years away, in an Interster Supreme Court temple that floated in the void, a middle-aged man who was isted from the world sat in meditation.


    Then, his sharp eyes opened, revealing a ck void with billions and billions of stars revolving within.


    Looking closely into his eyes, one star in particr suddenly grew dim and disappeared, causing him to frown.


    "One of the star fields simply disappeared? No, that can''t be¡­"


    He muttered, confused. Then, he decided he might go and pay that corner of the middle realms a visit to investigate personally.


    Back in Arcadia''s outer space, Wendy had a faint smile on her otherwise cold face as she transmitted to Arcadia''s will.


    "Good girl, now you''re safe."


    A faint voice soaked in fear responded, "Mama¡­"


    "Don''t worry, he''s on our side."


    While everyone was confused, someone was locked in ce as the terror that transcended time and space enveloped him. Then, he heard a soft heartbeat that seemed to travel from billions of years in the past and cross billions of years to the future.


    Then, his body simply exploded into chunks of flesh.


    Then, the world returned to peace once more, allowing everyone to gasp the air they''d held for what seemed like an eternity.


    Unbeknownst to them all, Uranus which was wrought in one disaster after the next had silently disintegrated into specks of ck dust that scattered in space.


    ¡­


    Back in Grace Imperial Pce, Leonardo was unaware of the changes, he simply assumed that all the heart did was dispose of the annoying will, breathing a sigh of relief.


    It was Aria on the side who didn''t know how to put her current feelings into words after what she had witnessed¡­

 Chapter 126 The Next High Elf Lord

    ?"Do you n on spending your entire cultivation experience from onea to the next?"


    Leonardo woke up with a slight headache. Who knew how many dayster?


    In his imperial chambers, on his bed, Aria was stretchingzily.


    "What happened?" He kneaded his forehead, feeling somewhat on edge after thatst attempt at provoking the mysterious ck heart in his sea of consciousness.


    Everything was fine, but the sealed memories and the heartbeat seemingly shed, and the one to suffer from the bacsh was apparently him, the host of those opposing powers.


    "Aiya!" Aria sighed exasperatingly, "Things blew out of proportion, and even the realm king came here in person to investigate the source of this chaos."


    "A realm king came in person? What did he do?" Leonardo was rmed, a bad premonition seeping into his heart.


    "He meditated on the war. Took back the people from the higher realms with him as he intended to send them away. He also requested from Eternus to leave this ce together with his wife, though judging from his tone, he meant the ster world as a whole, not simply Arcadia, let alone the middle realms."


    "Apparently, everyone who shouldn''t be on Arcadia or the middle realms atrge was escorted away by him. Oh, your student also woke up from the heart trial, but her situation is quiteplicated¡­"


    ording to Aria, who got her exnation from Wendy herself, there are two souls upying her sea of consciousness at the moment.


    One belongs to her, and the other belongs to the remnant will of the anti-matter star core. During the fight, thetter bluffed her way to absorb the energy from the simultaneous attacks of three incarnations toplete the transformation of Wendy''s physique and propel her cultivation to the third cycle of sainthood.


    The present Wendy could be said to be stronger than Leonardo in both the cultivation realm and raw physique, the only thing blocking her from bing a high saint was the deficiency of energy, be it in quality or quantity.


    She took the advice of her co-soul and gave up on taking the path of a martial cultivator and instead focused on magic spells as that would make better use of the anti-matter martial intent. Of course, she still considered herself to be Leonardo''s student, and she would continue trusting and respecting him in that aspect until death.


    This time around, it hadn''t been too long since Leonardo fell unconscious, barely three days. During those three days, Aria passed down the cultivation technique of condensing a core to Kieran and Leona, and she even made some time to go back to the higher realms and pass the technique to Nier while emphasizing its importance.


    Of course, she kept the part about Nier hidden while informing Leonardo about Eternus''st words before his departure.


    "You''ll naturallye to understand once you be a world king ¡ª ¡­"


    Those were hisst words, which confused even Aria at the time, until he transmitted the necessary information to her.


    Apparently, the realms of mortal, saint, divine, and immoral are considered the foundation cycles.


    100 levels split into 10 cycles.


    Typically, the general knowledge is that reaching level 91 is the first step into bing an immortal, with most immortals in the higher realms being around the levels 95 or 97.


    That could be considered both true and false, for reasons that have been made clear to everyone in the higher realms by now; the Immortal Kingdoms.


    The Immortal Kingdoms within a ster world are both an opportunity and a restriction.


    Eternal lifees at the expense of their future cultivation.


    No matter how many years they cultivate, their potential would be locked to level 99 at most.


    Everything past that would be devoured as nourishment by the ster world, allowing both it and the immortals within to live off one another.


    Only those who condense an independent embryonic core to enter level 91 after achieving their high divinity can create a rudimentary Immortal Kingdom that relies on their essence, energy, and spirit the same way those Immortal Kingdoms in the higher realms rely on the ster world to survive and flourish.


    This kind of cultivation technique is mostly reserved for the core members of massive organizations such as the Interster Supreme Court, and one way to obtain them is by advancing in the ranks as a student in the Interster Supreme Institution.


    In any case, after advancing from level 99 to the next level, they begin to estimate one''s power and cultivation based on ranks.


    Level 100, which equates to rank 0, which also trantes to the rebirth realm.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The essence, vitality, and energy of the individual would condense and merge into the rudimentary core, undergo a process of sublimation under the tempering of the heavenly tribtion, and smoothly engrave the various martial intents as a spiritual mark in one''s core.


    Then, the core would rechannel the sublimated energy and construct a new body for the individual, with each fiber of their being representing theirpressiblews.


    "¡ª ¡­Only after reaching the rebirth realm would you have the qualification to ask about a world king without getting killed outright." Was the continuation of Eternus'' message.


    "That bastard!" Leonardo clenched his teeth in anger. If he didn''t wish to say it, he didn''t have to, no one even bothered asking him for answers.


    However, he had to leave Leonardo hanging, which frustrated him too much.


    As for Aria, she was deliberating over whether or not to simply pay for the quota to send Leonardo and Nier to the Interster Supreme Court, but add an extra fee to give them freedom of choice and not be mandatorily conscripted into the Court''s ranks.


    Knowing Leonardo, he would very much rather be a frencer.


    Knowing Nier, she would pretty much prefer the same.


    After thinking about it, she decided to use the two kingdom essences that were supposed tond in Leonardo''s and Nier''s hands to the Interster Supreme Court for the two special quotas, that way she wouldn''t be losing on anything.


    "Was that everything that happened?" Leonardo asked after getting his thoughts on the right track again, feeling that this shouldn''t be all. "What about the elven invasion?"


    "Oh right, I almost forgot about that thing," Aria snorted coldly, "Richard was almost done for as the Elf Sovereign didn''t wish to offend Eternus. However, after the realm king interfered, chasing that man away, the Elf Sovereign let the matter rest just like that."


    "So they think I''m a toothless tiger now that my supposedly powerful support is gone? Interesting, that Richard is truly tired of living." Leonardo muttered to himself, and despite his anger, his eyes were oddly expressionless.


    No¡ª they seemed oddly deste, dark, and lifeless.


    "Well, at the very least, Arcadia''s will erased some of their memories that were rted to some of your core secrets, including Wendy''s performance, but that''s about everything for the past three days."


    Oh, if they had no memories to speak of, this could exin why the Elf Sovereign would act this way. Perhaps the Sovereigns went into seclusion, leaving the people to grasp at straws for guesses as to the actual chain of events.


    "Queen Adeline went back to the Sylvian Kingdom, but Valeria stayed behind, iming that she will take your side for the uing war. Since she lowered her head to you once, she thought that she might as well take it all the way."


    Aria''s softail swayed from left to right as she spoke, even though she knew Valeria''s true purpose was to have Leonardo''s child after witnessing fragments of the world-shaking battle in outer space.


    Well, she couldn''t see anything, it was Aria who transmitted those images to the female elf, especially emphasizing how someone as powerful as Eternus was addressing Leonardo as his young master.


    After two nights of contemting, the female elf finally made her resolve.


    Leonardo and Juvia weren''t a married couple anyway, they were just a man and his servant, she told herself.


    Thus, before Leonardo leaves for another one of his iprehensible war campaigns, his next order of business is to divide and conquer the mother-and-daughter pair.


    "Master!"


    Speaking of the devil, Juvia who received a secret transmission from Aria was already pushing the door open, her elegant wear of white clothes as remarkable as ever.


    Following on her heels was Valeria who was apparently stiff, anxious, and conflicted with her hands sped on her t abdomen.


    Leonardo eyed the two women in confusion before giving Aria a look that demanded an exnation.


    Aria gave him the side eye,menting lightly, "You''re about to go ughter the current High Elf Lord, the least you could do is put the next one on queue while you still have the time."


    Then, she hopped off the bed and disappeared silently from the room, her charming yet chiding voice lingering.


    "Who knows when will be the next time you simply drop unconscious."

 Chapter 127 Sensual Marathon

    ?So that''s how it is.


    Leonardo stared nkly at Juvia and Valeria who stood on either side of his massive bed. With the heavy curtains of the canopy drawn, only the shallow, see-through sheets separated Leonardo from the two elven beauties in a matching set of lingerie.


    Valeria was obviously ufortable, reaching with her fair arms to cover up her generous bust, her thick thighs squeezed into folding over the eye candy beneath her abdomen.


    "You two go ahead, just let me know when you''re about to release the seed."


    She threw her misty gaze away from Leonardo''s topless body, not daring to linger in her sight for too long.


    How long has it been since she graced a man with the view of her nudity?


    Blessed his ears with the echoes of her pleasure?


    Enveloped a man in a sea of immoral intoxication?


    Far too long, so long, in fact, her aged body might have forgotten all the spine-tingling sensations.


    She didn''t want another man to tap into her umted and dormant lust. Thus, the less intimacy, the better.


    If she could simply receive the seed in the spur of their moment upon reaching the zenith of pleasure, she would be satisfied.


    "Are you really fine with that?" Leonardo''s lifeless gaze that seemed to contain all emotions yet none of them swept over Valeria''s hourss, motherly figure.


    An elf truly represented the peak of aesthetical beauty for even a mother of her age looked no different from your typical early twenties be of the neighborhood.


    "She''s just shy, don''t mind her!" Valeria barely parted her apricot pink lips when the impatient Juvia invaded Leonardo''s private borders, phasing through the light canopy and slipping under the bedsheets.


    With a grunt, Leonardo swept the white bedsheets away to reveal a pair of conspicuous, wet, silver orbs that locked onto a fair genital outline bulging against Leonardo''s silk pants, about to burst through the fabric.


    Knowing how impatient her master would be during such times, Juvia immediately pulsed a wave of gentle yet violent worldly energy that shredded the pants and whatever stood between her passions and the treasure to reciprocate it.


    "Excuse me,"


    She whispered faintly before kissing the glossy crown of the ns, her tender lips parting to wee this warm, subtly twitching cock into the venue of oral service.


    Leonardo threw back his head, gently bumping against the cotton-embedded headboard as his slender fingers worked their magic, allocating Juvia''s hair into a high cluster above her scalp.


    Her t forehead quickly, and softly crashed into his sculptured abdominal muscles as his throbbing cock disappeared into the depths of her slimy throat.


    Juvia choked and gagged, tears spilling down on Leonardo''s skin, but she simply narrowed her long eyes that had a shade of red hue twinkling within, persisting for a few seconds before popping the shaft out.


    Gasp!


    She breathed heavily and swallowed her saliva that intermixed with the secreted precum, a thickyer of translucent fluids now coating the treasure in her dainty hands.


    "How the hell does Pandora do it?" She muttered in defeat, feeling like her oral techniques have beengging behind Pandora''s too much.


    Valeria''s heart skipped a beat as she sneakily observed through the corner of her eyes, a pricking arousal stabbing at her thick folds beneath thecy lingerie. If her thighs weren''t squeezed tight, a thin stream of secretions would have trickled down her creamy white skin.


    "Ha¡­" Leonardo let out a groan of pleasure that he kept tight in his throat from the sudden invasion of pleasure. For as long as he could remember, his days so far had been injected with a 10mm dose.


    7mm of which was pain, the remaining 3mm of which amounted to an even greater pain, albeit spiritually stressing.


    "You two used topete in the other''s specialty, but she had already dropped that notion and honed her own advantage to a peak realm," Leonardomented lightly as he pinched Juvia''s sharp chin,pulling her in for a deep kiss that extinguished the agony of herpetitive spirit.


    Juvia couldn''t hope to reach a finite control over the muscles in her body the same way Pandora could, as thetter had undergone a camp of rigorous martial training since young, raised, and groomed as a ughter machine to conquer the various civilizations of the lower realms.


    After entangling their tongues for long enough to make Valeria feel weak in the knees, Leonardo took the initiative to flip Juvia over, clutching at her now pinkish buttocks and marveling at her soaked vulva.


    Juvia gasped, bit her bottom lip, and arched her back in pleasure as she felt Leonardo''s tongue pry open her folds and explore her insides that felt deserted and uncharted for so long.


    A foreign yet familiar tantalizing sense of pleasure blurred her already hazy mind, and almost subconsciously, she mped the erect cock riddled in veins between her massive rack.


    She squeezed the base and the hard shaft tightly, descending with a passionate session of light kisses onto the wet ns. Intermittently, she would sail the ns deep into her throat for a lubricant, only to discharge it with an uncontroble moan whenever Leonardo struck one of her erogenous zones with a powerful flick of his tongue.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Suddenly, Juvia felt a tender hand clutching at her silver hair, separating her head from the engrossing delight of serving her one and only.


    Her eyes registered a familiar face for a split second before her breath was caught between the inhale and exhale, a pair of velvet lips smearing tightly on her mouth, a slippery tongue rampaging past her lush lips.


    Valeria could no longer simply sit by and watch, sweeping in to unhook Leonardo''s already pulsing hot cock from Juvia''s lips.


    Then, with a face wrought in twisted pleasure and shame, her hazel green eyes flickering apologetically as she spoke.


    "Excuse me¡­"


    Gasp!


    She tossed her leg over Leonardo''s waist, straddling his crotch as her drenched folds descended, taking Leonardo''s cock into her craving vanginal hole in a swift, smooth, and loud pop!


    Her body shook from head to toe, her consciousness buzzed, and her nipples instantly stood erect while her toes curled inwardly.


    A loud cry of pleasure aroused Juvia awake from her befuddled state of mind, only to see her mother, the former High Elf Queen, quivering with a body bent like a bow, a sprinkle of love nectar gushing on Leonardo''s crotch and staining the bed below.


    "Fuck!"


    Leonardo grunted from the sudden warmth, depth, and unforeseen contractions that assaulted his cock from the tip to the base, feeling as though tentacles wrapped his erection so hard they threatened to pluck it from the roots.


    The sudden overwhelming sensation instantly brought Leonardo''s mind into a beautiful nk space, and when he next came to reality, his thick milky essence was pumping vigorously into Valeria''s depth with his cock boxing at her uterus.


    "This is it!"


    Valeria shivered and muttered, unaware of her daughter''s current expression that was frozen stiff in disbelief.


    "Now you''ve done it!" Juvia cried out, caught betweenughter and tears as the cock she worked so hard preparing was snatched away just like that.


    "Eh?" Responded a confused Valeria. However, Juvia wouldn''t let the matter rest just like that, as she quickly mped down Valeria''s trembling shoulders and wrestled her down on the massive bed.


    "Master!"


    Juvia cried out to Leonardo who just descended from the ninth heaven, making him aware of the current situation as two pairs of white and round rears, and a pair of drenched pink slits squeezed against one another in front of him.


    "Punish her for cutting in line!"


    Juvia spoke, her eyes misty.


    Valeria, who began to regain some of her rationality, immediately protested that she was only participating to ept the seed.


    However, her protest was cut short by a heated wet kiss. Then, her mind went nk as a long, hard, and pulsating cock rammed into her cunt with an unprecedented momentum¡­


    ¡­


    Next morning.


    Leonardo''s legs wobbled as he left the bed, leaning on the wall as a support while making his way to the bathing chambers.


    Behind him was a scenery to be recorded down in history, the former High Elf Queen sleeping peacefully, her light snores in sync with the chirping of the early birds.


    Shey there with Juvia in her arms, both their bodies soaked in sweat as their long hair, gold, and silver, interlocked beautifully.


    Leonardo lost count after the ninth round, and only a few minutes ago did the mother and daughter pair finally sumb to satisfactory exhaustion.


    "Was Aria trying to have me killed?"


    Leonardo muttered with a bitter smile as he called for a pce maid and entered the bathing chambers. Sleep was the thing hecked the least right now, a good hot bath and a nutritious meal would work just fine.


    As for his ns after that, well.


    A hint of imperceptible ruthlessness flickered in the depths of his seemingly vacant, lifeless gaze.

 Chapter 128 Winds Of Change

    ?"Have you been followed by anyone?"


    A muffled voice suppressed by thickyers of cloth, almost drowned by the disembodied cries of insects and the rustling of trees on this fine evening.


    Other than the light of some particrly luminous nts and roaming fireflies, only the light shed on the Forest of Eternal Spring from the three brilliant moons of Arcadia could guide people through the night.


    Hence, it is as difficult to follow someone as it is to notice being followed.


    The muffled went silent and waited for a response.


    A momentter, the two men in the dark of the night had seemingly finished inspecting their tracks. Then, the one in the front spoke a sentence of reassurance while also muttering a low, multi-syble password to confirm his identity.


    "Alright, you two cane in and make it quick."


    The man behind the b of thick logs nodded in the affirmative before walking inside. He didn''t notice that the man behind him made some stealthy hand gestures, pausing for but a second, then followed inside the secret passage.


    ¡­


    "If it isn''t Lexus from House Erudite, to what do we owe the pleasure? Haha! Come, have some drinks!"


    When the two ck-robed men finally made it past the checkpoints, they removed their low hoodies smoothly.


    Lexus swept his eyes over the crowd of familiar and unfamiliar faces, smiling calmly as he approached them, "Why wouldn''t Ie here? Our Goddess showed us her power by repelling those pests that wished to invade us, almost reying the War of Dominion countless years ago, a war that made even our forefathers quake in terror!"


    "My House Erudite decided to ride this wave of reverence and worship the people embraced and flood this momentum into the Forbidden Domain, we will enlighten that forsakennd with the grace of Goddess Arcadia, establishing the Arcadian Church in the most auspicious ofnds! It is about time a fourth power arises and anchors the Forbidden Domain!"


    The man behind Lexus slowly removed his low hoodie, revealing a particrly handsome face donned with blonde short hair, baby blue eyes, and a faint smile.


    Lucas never expected that he would one day muddle his way into a den of wolves just like this one when he was first dispatched by Leonardo, let alone a den with Lexus as the alpha of the pack.


    Honestly, his mission was to intercept the flow of information to the Elven Domain and report back to Leonardo, he never expected that Lexus himself would descend on the Elven Domain to secretly meet with the representatives of various powers that entered the Elven Domain under the guise of business.


    He knew that Pandora who sneaked in by following him is currently observing, identifying, and memorizing the contents of this meeting to rush back and report as soon as possible, while he would improvise and divert from his original mission and keep a close eye on these developments.


    "Oh! Who might that friend be?"


    Someone seemed to finally notice Lucas who was standing behind Lexus silently, but the thing was, he didn''t give the vibes of an attendant or a servant.


    Lexus smiled faintly, "Ah! I almost forgot to introduce you people¡­" Lexus'' voice dropped to an all-time low, "Have you guys heard of Ghost Face?"


    Gasp!


    "Is he that Sir Ghost Face?!"


    The people immediately overreacted, their thoughts going to the extremes.


    "No," Lexus chuckled faintly, "This man''s name is Lucas, someone from the Intelligence Network Department of my House Erudite, but he is also someone Ghost Face mentioned by name as a middle-man."


    The heat in everyone''s chest calmed down ever-so-slightly, thinking ''Ah, as expected.''


    No one knows where Ghost Facees from or goes to, that illusive existence that could arguably dig up any secret information is too frightening.


    "Wait!" Someone seemed to realize something.


    Pandora who was lurking in the shadows, raised an eyebrow when she saw this man.


    Mason from Valdmor? Even this man got involved?


    Her thoughts whirled, but she ultimately decided she might as well leave the thinking to Leonardo.


    Mason pointed out, "What if he were to leak this information back to Ghost Face? Wouldn''t you have shot us in the foot then?!"


    Everyone finally realized the implications, their expressions turning ugly.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, Lexus merely smiled faintly as he said, "You worry too much, Lucas'' soul is bound by an oath to not divulge anything rting to this meeting. The moment he did, his soul would copse from the bacsh."


    "However, what we need to worry about is how to wash away that sphemous person''s ims to our future Holy Land, using any means necessary." Everyone present could instantly think of the ''sphemous person'' in question.


    Mason creased his brows, "That would be difficult, his assets equate to 1% of the overall territory, and that is derived from the overall original shares of House Sylvia. Perhaps¡­ Are you nning to open hostility with House Sylvia over this matter?"


    Mason was someone from the three ruling powers, House Exodia, hence he didn''t want to dip his hands into something that couldplicate the rtionship between the three ruling powers more than it already isplicated.


    "Young friend Mason worries too much," an amiable old man in the corner of the room spoke with a light-heartedugh, "This isn''t apetition of martial power but rather apetition of business interests. In these battles, especially when ites to major profits and losses, the way topete is especially broadcasted in an above-board manner; direct, aggressive, and open hostility."


    "However, this is the type of gentle hostility, a war that doesn''t spill blood shouldn''t be fought covertly but openly, why else would it be called business?"


    "Don''t lump in us businessmen with the hungry and vicious politicians, royal court officials, and renowned generals who dabble in the arts of war."


    Although the old man spoke in a soft, heartfelt tone of voice, his smile concealed an assortment of hidden des that would cut into someone''s soul, twisting their logic, and thereafter smoothly disy a persuasive charm that couldn''t be neglected.


    This old man almost fooled even Lucas and Pandora who weren''t intent on listening, let alone a non-cultivator like Mason.


    Lucas felt weird and out of ce on Mason''s behalf, what would a non-cultivator be doing all the way here amid an array of saints?


    Mason seriously nodded, "Senior''s words are right, I was merely overthinking things too much."


    Just as everyone in the room was growing even more amicable to one another, their smiling expressions like the spring after the rain, light in the dark, and lotus flowers on a clear spring, a plot with the intention to sweep through Arcadia like a storm silently brewed.


    In this inconspicuous corner of the dark Forest of Eternal Spring, the course of history began to subtly shift in a direction as thrilling as it was unpredictable.


    But of course, around these hours of the night, Leonardo was still upied with that sensual marathon that was on the cusp of reaching its conclusion at the first ray of golden light that cascaded through the hazy morning mist.


    On this clear morning in the Forest of Eternal Spring, Pandora and Lucas separated from one another, thetter''s zing ambitions and determination swirling within his baby blue eyes, overwhelmed by no other than the sparkle of undying loyalty to the first man who ever acknowledged his existence.


    Although Pandora was in stealth from start to end, Lucas had this ambiguous intuition that she was standing silently by his side, watching the sunrise together with him, and only a moment earlier had she truly left.


    Only then did this young man turn his back and fade into the dense forest of massive trees that seemingly upheld the sky itself.


    ''I won''t disappoint you, boss!''


    Lucas silently made his convictions in his heart.


    ¡­


    Grace Imperial Pce, Throne Room.


    Leonardo had just lifted his head from themunication bracelet on his wrist, brows creased in thoughts.


    Below his throne was one person, Wendy.


    Dressed in a long white skirt embroidered in multicolored rimmings, a tight golden sash slithered around her thin waist, and an elegant shortsword hung by its side.


    By now, almost the entirety of her wild and barbaric primitive temperament was refined due to the influence of the co-soul, but the reverence in her eyes as she looked up at Leonardo was ever-present.


    Her co-soul has ''told'' her some things that couldn''t be spoken aloud for a fear of inducing heavy karma. However, she was already his student, and some things could be shared.


    "I nned on making a personal visit to the Elven Domain and take you with me, but a message from Pandora brought to my attention that although I''ve dealt with the chaos across the river, I am yet to clean up the mess on my doorsteps." Leonardo silently muttered to himself before raising his head, his eyes that were on the cusp of turning bloody crimson receding back to an abyss of darkness.


    "So be it then, Richard''s head won''t be running anywhere. At the very least, if we switch the ying grounds to Valdmor, they wouldn''t be able to bring back any armies," Leonardo''s index tapped lightly on the armrest of his throne, a yful smile on his face.


    "Furthermore, it just happens that Arcadia is no longer suppressing my powers. How ironic, how pitiful, howughable¡­. Arcadia''s savior and Arcadia''s most devout of worshippers can''t even share the same sky¡­"


    With a t chuckle, Leonardo rose from his throne and passed down words for Juvia to find him in the Imperial Study once she finally woke up.

 Chapter 129 A Legacy

    ?In his Imperial Study, Leonardo scribbled away on a long white scroll of augmented silk. On the back of this scroll, countless miniature diagrams of iprehensible runes pulsated with faint worldly energy that seeped through Leonardo''s body with the pen as a medium.


    Leonardo was halfway through with writing down on this iparably lengthy scroll when Juvia entered the study silently.


    "Sit," Leonardo pointed to the corner of the room where an assortment of five seats was neatly arranged.


    After gesturing with his pen, Leonardo''s brows creased ever-so-slightly as he began to rearrange his interrupted thought process, then he continued to scribble away on the scroll.


    Not too longter, Misaka also entered the room, followed by Sitri and Miko respectively with short intervals in between each individual arrival.


    The four of them sat patiently to the side, their fleeting eyes secretlymunicating a coinciding hint of doubt as to whom was Leonardo waiting for.


    Just as Leonardo was about to finish thest few lines on the scroll, the door to the study was pushed open as a mature, dignified, yet amiable woman walked in.


    "Hopefully I didn''t have you wait for too long, have I?" This woman, Queen Adeline, spoke softly the moment she entered the room.


    Leonardo didn''t respond, instead focusing on the final lines of his work, each word elegant and strong with strokes of magnificence.


    Leonardo didn''t speak nor did he ask Queen Adeline to sit.


    Juvia, Misaka, Sitri, and Miko felt a bit ufortable as these two figures began a silent contest of imperial majesty. However, while Queen Adeline''s smiling expression faltered imperceptibly, Leonardo on the contrary was just as unhurried and focused on his movements.


    He didn''t seem to be deliberately making things difficult on the Queen, but he also didn''t seem unaware¡ª or rather as oblivious to her presence as his actions may portray.


    Then, with a final stroke and a light tap of the pen, Leonardo''s figure transitioned from fluid grace toplete stillness, his lifeless eyes not reflecting even a bit of light or focus, but it gave everyone in the room a sensation of being meticulously monitored.


    This was a subtle change to Leonardo''s temperament that even he himself was oblivious to, perhaps only people like Juvia, Pandora, and Nier who had met Leonardo during his weakest of moments would be privy to this subtle change.


    When Juviapared this man to that youth who had nowhere to vent his frustrations but to jab away at the inanimate ground and howl at a distant sky, a kind of inexplicable feeling surged like sea waves in her heart.


    Unknowingly, her gaze mellowed with affection and mist.


    "Alright then," Leonardo finally spoke after taking a deep breath. Looking up, his eyes calmly swept over everyone, treating them as equals before him, Queen Adeline included.


    "I will be taking Leona, Kieran, Juvia, Pandora, and my student Wendy with me to Valdmor, the Forbidden Domain, while I will be leaving Grace Imperial City in the hands of you three," Leonardo''s gaze was calm, but his words impacted the group like a bolt out of the blue, "Namely; Miko, Sitri, and Misaka."


    He continued, "This vast territory will be transitioning from a Feudal State to a Republic, with the Grace Blood Parliament as the core of its government, consisting of three seats of power in control of the military,merce, andmon state respectively. In my hands is an official documentation written out by me personally, to be signed in blood also by me and Queen Adeline, with Juvia representing the will of the former High Elf Queen in standing witness to my decision. In the future, this will no longer be Grace Imperial City, but the Great Grace Republic, an independent state allied directly to the next High Elf Lord with the consent of his mother, the former High Elf Queen; Valeria."


    As he was speaking, Leonardo was already holding his hand above an empty te. Then, and without any hesitation, he cut his hand and allowed his blood to spill out.


    Next, he soaked the crest of House Grace into his fresh blood and stamped it down on the silver scroll.


    Queen Adeline was too stunned to even speak, let alone stop him.


    Juvia was stunned at first, but she soon understood that Leonardo was leaving a way out, a goal, and a legacy to those who followed him but he couldn''t bring back with him to the higher realms.


    Miko and the other two were petrified in their seats. For a moment, they were just that, speechless.


    "W-w-w-wait a moment! Boss! What is the meaning of this?! I''m going to Valdmor with you! No way!"


    Miko immediately jumped to his feet and took one knee in front of Leonardo''s desk, his shoulder-length green hair waving about restlessly from the intermittent discharges of his worldly energy.


    Misaka and Sitri hurriedly advanced to kneel as well, their expressionsplicated. However, one of them was a man of too few words and the other was a woman who was overly emotional yet rationally restrained.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo smiled faintly at these three who followed him through rivers of blood in search of an opportunity.


    Leonardo looked at Miko, chuckling. "Your stupid wisdom, decisive judgment, and keen intuition are better invested in the Military Sector of Grace Blood Parliament, not to mention you have Nagi to look after. Sigh, that child will be heartbroken to be separated from that brat Kieran, but she needs to understand that theye from two different worlds, one high and one low, and although they progress to the same destination, they''re fated to be nothing but parallel lines, never intersecting."


    Leonardo then moved his gaze over to Misaka, his expression somewhatplicated. Although he spoke about Nagi and Kieran, his words had a hidden message to Misaka who had confused her sense of revenge and worship for him with senseless infatuation and an unrequited love.


    Then again, that was merely the budding influence that bloomed from a fleeting sense of overwhelming gratitude and ate-night kiss that shouldn''t have happened.


    Only Misaka knew of herplicated feelings among the group of five, thus she couldn''t help but smile bitterly, her thoughts transmitted as but a wisp of sorrow in her eyes.


    "Misaka, you''re verypassionate and considerate of the atmosphere and the feelings of parties involved, but you also know when to reel in these feelings and reprimand, punish, or even act ruthlessly to terrorize those who ultimately choose to oppose. These talents are an exemry standard for you to invest in the Common State Sector of Grace Blood Parliament, and I would like you to take in Azalea as both an attendant and a woman who understands your regrets in this life."


    Leonardo knew that both Azalea and Misaka harbored ill-gotten feelings toward him. Well, they weren''t bad feelings per se, but the source of these feelings is a moment of emotional weakness, allowing his shadow to seep into their hearts, especially Azalea who had no one to return to, but the man she plotted against eventually provided her with shelter.


    Leonardo then looked over at Sitri who was as silent as ever, feel like Lucas wasn''t the most unfathomable of the bunch, but it was this Sitri who was wrapped up like a walking mummy.


    Leonardo even wondered whether or not Sitri was human, to begin with. However, he only asked for loyalty from these people, nothing more and nothing less.


    "You intrigue me far too much, Sitri. However, everyone has their own secrets, and I believe someone as taciturn and adaptive as yourself would make it far in the Commerce Sector of Grace Blood Parliament."


    "Don''t worry, boss!"


    Sitri responded with a serious glint in his eyes, nodding heavily.


    "Now, since I''ve handled the matters with my children here, are you simply going to stand there or will youe to sign the document?" Leonardo then smiled tly at Queen Adeline.


    Queen Adelineposed herself from the shock, furrowing her brows, "Are you trying to say that the Elven Royal Family will have direct ess to the heart of my Human Domain in the future?"


    Leonardo waved his hand, "I understand your misgivings, but this alliance is purely a protective talisman I left behind for my legacy. The Great Grace Republic will have a lot of room for growth in the future, and it will attract the envy of many powers. If I didn''t leave behind something to guarantee their safety, they wouldn''t be able to rx."


    "Moreover," Leonardo''s eyes suddenly sharpened, "Your Human Domain¡ª No, your entire Arcadian poption owes me at least this much face so as to not attack this ce after my departure to the higher realms."


    Queen Adeline pursued her lips, not responding.


    She knew this wasn''t a request but a demand, one she couldn''t deny.


    Although the Sovereigns are thinking something along the lines of:


    ''Leonardo''s support from the higher realms was already sent away by the realm king.''


    However, both she and her two peers knew that this wasn''t the case as there was the silver white fox by Leonardo''s side. Thus, begrudgingly, she arrived at Grace Imperial Pce at Leonardo''s summons.


    After going back and forth with Leonardo and confirming that the possibility of an Elven Invasion through the channels provided by the future Great Grace Republic was practically impossible, she also signed in her blood, though she used the crest of House Grace to do so.


    Following an anonymous vote, the g of the Great Grace Republic will remain the same as the original crest tomemorate Leonardo as the founder of this republic.


    In two day, the winds of change swept through Arcadia''s Southern Human Domain and Western Elven Domain, the destination of these winds having been arguably preordained; the Northern Forbidden Domain.


    Whether these winds would pass like a gentle breeze or a havocing storm, it is yet far too early to tell¡­

 Chapter 130 Returning To Valdmor

    ?"The Gods are the ultimate truth! We have sinned far too much, people! Millions of our brothers! Sisters! Sons and daughters have died to repent for what you and I have done of misdeeds my brothers and sisters!"


    This was one of the countless slogans luring the masses into the Arcadian Doctrine Faith. Valdmor had always been quite the bustling ancient town. However, this was the first time since ages that the hustle and bustle were actually in the form of religious reformations and irrigation of faith.


    On this day, a party dressed in all white, speckless clothes entered through Valdmor''s main gates.


    Leonardo, Wendy, Pandora, Juvia, Leona, and Kieran stepped down from an ordinary carriage and slowly made their way inside through the crowded streets. Looking at this ancient town now, Leonardo realized that what he saw during hisst visit wasn''t the actual Valdmor, as he could sense at least two High Saints residing within this small town.


    Far from the inns and taverns, many people began setting up tens and camps right outside the borders of this now-packed city.


    Forget the ordinary people, even the supposedly devout seekers of divine wisdom couldn''t help but turn their necks and ogle at the delicate lineup of beauties, stunned.


    A petite Pandora in a tight-fitting whitebat suit and a long silver custom-made bow strapped on her back, its outline visible through her long white cape that linked to a hoodie concealing the upper half of her face. From the shade of the hood, a pair of vignt silver eyes glittered ominously. However, her delicate and fair chin, rosy plump lips, and steady pace¡­ All together contributed to her beauty.


    A nine-part dignified one-part wild Wendy with a sense of exotic beauty to her tan skin and multicolored hair, eyes, and sharp yet clear-cut nails took everyone''s breath away, and perhaps even their senses as most had attributed theck of an aura on her body made her out to be some non-cultivating beauty. In fact, they assumed the same for Pandora and Leonardo as well.


    The only one with apparent cultivation fluctuations of the second-cycle sainthood was Juvia, as her cultivation had progressed greatly, arriving at the cusp of achieving level 59 throughout the past few months of solitary confinement in the pce, or so she liked to think of it.


    Whenever she thought about how she would have been able to take pride in her level if it wasn''t for the sudden introduction of Wendy who was but a few steps away from advancing past level 65, Juvia felt bitter in her heart.


    Both Pandora and Leonardo spent these months running around Arcadia, leaving her behind between cultivation and handling the affairs of the pce.


    However, she knew that this ultimately was a matter of talent and inherent karma, and the day woulde when Leonardo and Wendy picked up their pace and left people like her and Pandora in the dust, lest they became burdens to this man. Nheless, Juvia had no regrets in her heart, only bliss.


    As for Leona and Kieran, the moment their seals were undone by Eternus, their umted energy was mysteriously sucked away into depths unknown within their bodies, most likely automatically disposed of as their physiques deemed the quality of the energy as being too low.


    Leona ran ahead and held onto Leonardo''s right hand, and he epted the gesture with a faint smile while the corner of his eyes observed the people who split like an ocean, allowing them unhindered passage.


    As for Kieran, he walked by Leonardo''s other side while holding onto Aria, his expression as indifferent as Leonardo''s would usually be. Apparently, the child enjoyed this silent indifference the most about his Godfather.


    "You there!"


    Suddenly, a group of cultivators approached Leonardo''s entourage, their leader a man of a considerably frightsome build nked byckeys exuding the aura of cultivators on par with the current Juvia.


    Apparently, these people were scouting the waters and waiting to see whether someone else would leave the carriage and join this clean group, but it seemed like their worries were superfluous. Obviously, the elf dressed in a long pce dress should be the strongest of the group, as to why this woman who dressed like a woman descending from a high pce was walking quietly in the rear of the group, this wild man didn''t give the matter one lick of contemtion.


    In fact, his eyes were drawn to Wendy''s exotic temperament the moment she stepped off the carriage. However, Valdmor became a den of hidden dragons and crouching tigers as recently, and no one would dare act out of line to anyone who presented themselves with sufficient martial might and elegant decorum.


    As for this group? A young man apanied by a fleet of beauties and two children, probably his younger siblings.


    A third-cycle saint andckeys with second-cycle cultivation, now this is quite rare. No, perhaps Leonardo''s cultivation back then wasn''t at a level where he would be able to tell a saint from an ordinary beggar even if he came across one.


    So, is this the true Valdmor?


    Leonardo ignored the man who was blocking the road and continued forward, though his lips silently moved to utter a warning out of good intentions, "Don''t be the flimsy pants scapegoat that will inevitably die just to scout the depths of our power,"


    There was a mysterious persuasive force to Leonardo''s voice paired with his lifeless eyes. In fact, an iparable will and majesty akin to a king bestowing a vassal with mercy filled the man''s brain, overtook his irrational lust, and made him aware of the fact that Leonardo''s party was already well and past his group, who were now looking at him with odd expressions.


    The man felt utterly humiliated after falling for such a simple intimidation tactic, but the people in the shadows were even more displeased.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The man also knew that those people would be displeased, and he was simply waiting for them to act. Suddenly, however, he noticed that something was wrong, as the petite girl that was in the group just a moment ago was already gone.


    Then, shrill cries of panic and surprise filled the tightly jammed streets as over sixteen heads rolled out from the alleyways and plopped down from the balconies overhead, and not a single head of them was less than a third-cycle saint with its fluctuations.


    After gulping, the man noticed that the petite girl was already back in formation, following silently behind Leonardo.


    Such godlike assassination skills were practically unheard of throughout the entirety of Arcadia, scaring the man and his gang witless.


    In the chaos, another group of people dressed in a luxurious fabric, the emblem of Te''s Dine and Shine pinned to their chest pockets approached Leonardo andpany, their expressions amiable.


    "Your Highness Prince Leonardo, please allow us the honor of providing you with meals and shelter,"


    The middle-aged man who took the lead bowed respectfully, showing his utmost sincerity and respect.


    "Oh? Seems like Adeline hadn''t made my matters public yet, huh?" Leonardo raised an eyebrow, curiously inspecting the flock of beautiful women that came to receive him behind this man.


    "If you would care to enlighten me, Your Highness, I would be forever grateful," the man responded humbly, his tone pleasing to the ear.


    "I am no longer a Foreign Prince, Grace Imperial City is no more, reced by the Great Grace Republic and overseen by the Grace Blood Parliament," Leonardo also didn''t mince words, "So you don''t need to be overly polite to me; I no longer enjoy any exalted status."


    Leonardo chuckled lightly, though his chuckle didn''t sound the least bit humble.


    "Ah¡­" The man was caught in an awkward position for a moment as his thoughts whirled.


    Would having an official status even matter at this point in time? Everyone who should be aware of Leonardo''s actual status was already aware of it, it could be said that the title of a Foreign Prince was no more than icing on the cake.


    ''You even dare to call the Queen of House Sylvia by her name, yet you don''t wish for us to be polite with you? Are you kidding me?''


    Although the man had this in his heart, his eyes quickly sparkled. "Then, please allow me to invite you into bing the Esteemed Guest of my Te''s, I''m sure the masters would be quite happy!"


    "Are you sure? I am quite short on money recently, and my people are very hungry."


    Leonardo emphasized the word ''hungry'' with clear implications, testing the attitude of Te''s. After all, his next course of action would rely on how they currently viewed him.


    "You jest, Esteemed Guest," a soft, almost hypnotizing voice filled Valdmor''s skies, its source undoubtedly the core regions of this ancient town, "Rosamond, escort the guests of my humble abode to meet me."


    Rosamond''s body quivered from head to toe as he bowed at a sharp 90 toward the voice, his voice shaking with delight and pride for having that person call out his name. Leonardo''s eyes shed as he could sense a familiar aura to that of the High Saint swordsman from the domain which transmitted the voice, igniting his curiosity.


    Rosamond quickly got his act together and smiled brightly, "You heard the will of the higher-ups, Esteemed Guest, please!"


    Rsamond''s steps were light as though he was stepping on clouds while leading Leonardo andpany toward the core region of Valdmor, not the least bit apprehensive that someone might ambush them on their way.


    No one is stupid, only one person would dare proim Te''s headquarters as their humble abode, it''s the goddamn owner.


    Nobody wanted to pick a bone with existence on that level, not even Leonardo would find it wise to antagonize someone on that level for no good reason or an irreconcble grudge.

 Chapter 131 Preordained

    ?As opulent to the eye and refreshing to the mind as it had always been, the style of Te''s in the conduction of the self and the disy of their wealth. The group made their way through long corridors basking in warm artificial light that seemed to caress their bodies and souls, a soothing feeling encasing their senses.


    Then, the floral scent and the wafts of appetizing delicacies that lingered in the air seemed to magnify the hunger indirectly by reminding the masses of how delectable food can be.


    "Where is Godfather?"


    Kieran suddenly asked as they have been separated from Leonardo for too long now. They were about to reach their dining area, but Leonardo was nowhere to be seen ever since they entered the building, and a maid requested for him to follow her.


    Rosamond was quick to reply, "He is going to meet with a great figure of our establishment, that may take a bit of the Esteemed Guest''s time¡­"


    ¡­


    Leonardo was walking down an old, undecorated stone corridor that was both cold and warm for some reason. A hint of a familiar yet unfamiliar aura encroached upon him the further he progressed down this seemingly endless path.


    "You can feel it, can''t you?"


    An ethereal voice echoed in the corridors in beat with Leonardo''s barely audible, light steps. Leonardo''s brows joined and locked for a long moment as he walked down this mix of illusion and reality, following either his instincts or the voice it was unknown, but a sense of familiarity and a distant calling was indeed present in the ambiance.


    "Perhaps fate and karma are real? However, are they elusive and beyond reach, or are they mere tools for the power to dictate the lives of the weak?"


    "In that case, who is powerful and who is weak?"


    "What is power? Is it the light in the sky or the shadow on the wall? Is it in life or in death?"


    "Anyone with a semnce of strength can take a life, but how powerful must one be to save a life? Give a life? And inconceivable even¡­ Create life?"


    "I''ve been watching you since you first arrived in Valdmor. Well, not that I thought highly of you, but something down the corridor in which you walk right now did."


    "I sometimes take it for a dead object, but it sometimes speaks to me about things. Things which I do not understand, things which I do not believe, things which I hoped to prove wrong¡­"


    "For example, fate and the preordained. However, once again have I been proven wrong, and my predecessors who lurked in the depths of this corridor in a world of darkness and gloom before me for sessive generations have been proven wrong too."


    "So tell me, preordained child of bleak fate, do you believe in fate and karma? If I told you that this was all prearranged even before the first light of the first sun and the first star of Arcadia, would you still dare enter this darkness?"


    ¡­


    It was unknown when Leonardo''s creased brows had actually rxed, and quite visibility at that. In fact, his once light steps were now absolutely soundless as wisps of faint ck smoke twirled on the tips of his silver hair and the corners of his eyes. Before he knew it, he wasn''t even listening to the ethereal voice anymore, only focused on the depthless darkness down this cold path.


    "I see¡­" The ethereal voice uttered in disappointment, yet a tinge of relief washed the undercurrents of remorse within.


    In no time at all, the darkness ahead expanded like a flood and swallowed Leonardo whole.


    He raised an eyebrow as he could sense the subtle change in the fundamentalws of space-time, indicating that he was brought into an isted pocket dimension from the outside world, and this is quite an astonishing feat in a ce like the middle realms without the aid of a respected divinity.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "So you''ve chosen to enter after all," A very young woman with long ck hair and a pair of hazel green eyes stood in the empty patch of darkness, a soft halo of white light shrouding her body and in white robes like a beacon in this darkness while she curiously observed Leonardo''s body.


    "I''m wondering, what connections do you have with this divine obelisk?" She tilted her head, innocent curiosity coloring her otherwise stunning face.


    "Obelisk?" Leonardo muttered to himself, confusion riddling his eyes as he looked past the woman, only to see a tall pir so pitch-ck it actually stood quite conspicuously even in this region of darkness where Leonardo struggled to see his own hands.


    Intermittent shes of light pulsed through its surface, revealing scrolls of anguage unknown to Leonardo sketched across the unknown ck material.


    "What is written exactly?" Leonardo approached the massive ck pir seemingly without putting any guard against this woman who didn''t leak a hint of worldly energy from her body.


    "I don''t know exactly, we are merely fulfilling our end of the agreement with it. As for what it is exactly, even we don''t know."


    The woman shook her head with a bitter smile, turning to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Leonardo.


    "You mean?"


    Leonardo turned his head and looked at this woman who didn''t look much older than himself with an expression he thought to be calm yet inquisitive.


    The woman acted as though she didn''t notice the irregr tremors of Leonardo''s eyes and responded truthfully, " Years ago during the War of Dominion when the atmospheric membrane was at its weakest, this pir of darkness descended on thisnd. At first, everyone thought that this was a result of the sh between what we now refer to as the ''Gods'' of the middle realms. It was one curious young man in the throes of battle who valiantly and gantly charged into the enemy ranks to rescue a woman he so dearly cherished and loved."


    Sigh¡­


    "When he found her, on herst breaths she was, gasping words of love that melted his ironed-out heart as tears of agony washed the woman''s face; the tears of a man with a will of steel. Those tears are exceptionally hot and burning."


    "It was then when the obelisk first spoke to the man and offered him a path to survival, a path to power, a path to save a life and live long thereafter. However, that came at a price, which was to guard the obelisk and wait for the destined child of fate. It could take hundreds, thousands, and even millions of years, but that was the price to pay to clear themselves from that karma."


    "That woman became the first Te, and after she came the second, third, and countless more until we arrived at this day. The obelisk sometimes spoke and taught Te about the world beyond the world barrier, and how pitifully small of an existence we in fact are. As repayment for our karma, every Te is bestowed with an immortal constitution and a choice, the choice to follow the destined one once he finally shows himself or simply be content with life on Arcadia after having her memories of these secrets sealed."


    "Let me guess, you didn''t believe it at first?" Leonardo suddenly interjected her story, as even he found it truly unbelievable. However, when he thought about it, it seemed that everyone he was in contact with so far after embarking from Earth was a personage of extremely high origins.


    "At first, I didn''t. But now, this will be the ultimate answer," The woman looked at Leonardo and spoke in a calm voice, "It said you are the son of the bleak fate, so you can go ahead and try."


    Leonardo gave this woman a look, then gave the obelisk a deeper look. It can''t be said that he fully believed her, but it can''t be said that he rejected this idea either.


    After all, even if he wanted to take a step back and me it on superstition and coincidence, there was one word that shed asionally on the ck surface that he could hardly ignore.


    Its meaning seemed to bubble from the depths of his consciousness as the ck sea within grew restless.


    Leonardo looked at this ancient word on the so-called divine pir, silently muttering to himself for a bit before reaching out a hand, and touching it.


    ''Infernal?''

 Chapter 132 A King’s Karma, The First Twilight: Ingrid ( 2 In 1)

    ?Author note: This 2 in 1 isn''t a thing! Might not repeat in the future! I forgot myself while writing is all!


    ---


    There seemed to be nothing but this word in Leonardo''s mind as his hand reached out to touch this ancient obelisk. The moment he touched it, space-time within this confined pocket dimension froze, and the world seemingly lost its color.


    Even the light in the young woman''s eyes seemed to freeze.


    Wisps of ck smoke seeped through the cracks in the obelisk and crawled across Leonardo''s hand, quickly yet also slowly charting his body and pouring into his eyes to paint them ck.


    Deep within Leonardo''s sea of consciousness, an indistinct shadow that didn''t seem to be a man or woman floated in front of the massive, ancient gate that kept the raging sea and the ck heart at bay. This shadow then extended a hand silently, a wisp of smoke passing through the gate and into the restless sea.


    In a moment, the raging sea with its waves sshing about restlessly calmed down, and the wisp of ck smoke returned through the ancient gate in the form of a small ck pill.


    As for Leonardo, his mind was upied by the image of a ck massive throne that began to fracture and crumble away into motes of dust, eventually leaving behind six fragments that were like particles of sand whenpared to the original throne.


    These seven particles of sand with two words etched onto each of these little particles, these words read ''Infernal ne.''


    Leonardo didn''t know how he figured out the meaning of the second word, but he just knew.


    Then, the seven ck fragments scattered across space-time, and the myriad nes.


    The vision ended there, and Leonardo''s mind returned to his sea of consciousness to see the indistinct shadow standing guard in front of the now-closed ck ancient gate.


    For a long while, the shadow didn''t speak and neither did Leonardo, as they weremunicating spiritually.


    About an hourter, the shadow began growing dim as most of the information it contained was already transferred spiritually.


    Noticing that it had so little time remaining, the indiscernible silhouette spoke in a clear voice, "Although you have too many martial intents, I can see that you haven''t practiced them arbitrarily, which couldpensate for your innate martial intent that is momentarily in a state of dormancy . Mhm, your current cultivation technique is alright, but it can only invoke the full potential of your currently awakened martial intents, while only stimting your innate martial intent once you''ve take the step beyond the divine realm."


    "This won''t do. Although your cultivation will progress quickly, thates at the cost of neglecting three of your martial intents to focus on one, segregating your martial intents to the four great cycles respectively. Allow me to fix the deficiency in your cultivation technique, perhaps your highly active martial intents would then stimte and excite your thunderforce and eternal night martial intents."


    The silhouette wanted to say more, but it didn''t have much time to guide Leonardo through his cultivation path, especially since it wanted to personally invest in the awakening of Leonardo''s third martial intent, the ck thunderforce.


    Thus, it sighed and muttered, "She has to make a choice," the silhouette then tossed the ck pill into Leonardo''s hands, dissipating into ck fments that burrowed into the ck gate, rushing directly into the colorful soul pearl that shed with the lights of four separate martial intents.


    ¡­


    In the outside world, in the frozen space-time, endless wisps of ck smoke poured into Leonardo from the obelisk, encasing his body in ck tendrils that ultimately burrowed their way into his ck cells, exciting them. Unknowingly, they began to buzz, inte, burst, and rpress.


    Millions of tiny explosions rocked Leonardo''s body, followed by a muffled bang as his cultivation finally began to climb past his level 51, all the way to level 61 in seemingly no time at all.


    Not only that, but Leonardo could feel that almost 70% of this ck energy was devoured by the ck lightning intent that emerged from the ck sea within the seal, allowing the faint wisps of electricity to grow substantially, now resembling miniature serpents that streaked across the surface of his ck cells.


    Woosh!


    A violent burst of wind kicked up the moment space-time resumed, and Leonardo''s robes were shredded to pieces.


    The woman came back to her senses and watched as the massive ck pir that was the ancient obelisk crumbled like brittle wood and scattered into the darkness of this pocket dimension. Then, the pocket dimension began to roil and toss about as it shrank uncontrobly, eventually fading as though it never existed, converting into a set of ck robes that donned Leonardo''s once-naked body.


    The woman didn''t see as Leonardo''s back was facing her, but his eyes were as pitch-ck as the obelisk used to be, only for the darkness to recede into the depths of his lifeless pupils. Feeling the power within his veins and blood, Leonardo lifted his hand to inspect a ck pill now within his open palm.


    In this now bleak and empty courtyard, one man dressed in in ck robes and a woman dressed in in white robes stood silently, the former giving his back to the woman.


    A momentter, Leonardo''s t voice echoed as he inspected his ck garment, his brows furrowed.


    "This color is making me feel ufortable," as he muttered, he brushed his right palm along the sleeves of the ck sleeves of this trench-coat like robes. He could feel a subtle connection between himself and this ck substance of darkness, albeit very faint.


    Leonardo''s deste martial intent rumbled from the depths of his ck cells and burst to the surface, causing the long coat to flutter chaotically, and the tight ck garments underneath to writhe and wriggle. Then, a corrosive bleak dull gray that bordered silver white crept into the clothes, allowing Leonardo to visibly rx now that he was dressed in a bright white set.


    The young woman was silently standing there and observing the changes, her thoughts unknown as her hazel green eyes flickered with various expressions.


    She knew she had to make her stance clear as her memories were slowly fading away under the influence of some mysterious power. Obviously, the spirit in the obelisk didn''t wish to give this woman too much time to think.


    "What is your choice?" Leonardo turned around and looked at this young woman who was dressed in in white, also quite impatient to move on to important business affairs after this karma is settled.


    Now he was more sure than ever that he and his mother didn''t belong to Earth, which exins many things that puzzled him, including Eternus'' attitude back in the day.


    "My choice, huh?" The woman smiled faintly, talking in a self-deprecating tone, "I finally have the right to make my own choice in this life?"


    Leonardo looked at her silently as he could understand how she was feeling. For all these years, generation after generation, forced to carry the burden of a choice made by two of their ancestors, not even having the freedom of choosing a name other than Te this and Te that.


    And at the end of the path, she could either choose to continue walking down this karma or have it all erased as though it never happened, just a bitter-sweet dream.


    Even Leonardo who thought his fate was in his own hands had inevitably fallen into this game of karma, and it happened the moment he decided to leave the little blue.


    The shadow made it clear that a powerful existence had already intercepted the lines of Leonardo''s fate, witnessed his future, and made arrangements based on that future. Hence, this situation seemed so surreal.


    "Can I at least choose a name of my own?"


    The woman sighed after much deliberation. After tasting the feelings of evesting youth and power to stand at the peak of this, thest thing she desired was dropping to a meek little girl for people to toy with as they pleased.


    For better or worse, she wants the legacy of this organization, Te, to carry on into the distant future, even if she had to sell her soul to the devil incarnate in exchange for this power.


    "Are you sure you want to be involved with this karma?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo asked again, his tone heavy.


    The woman smiled faintly.


    "If I wasn''t already prepared, I wouldn''t have invited you over to this courtyard, to begin with." She responded with a tone that started t but ended quite cheerful, a gentle smile stered on her lips.


    Then, she approached with a step before kneeling in front of Leonardo, her gaze cast on his white leather boots, "Please allow me to carry the burden of this karma together with you, no regrets whatsoever."


    Although she didn''t know much about the origins of the ck obelisk, she wasn''t stupid and she could tell how unfathomable of an existence the residual spirit within was. Thus, if even something as unfathomable as that would im that Leonardo is preordained to be King, even though she couldn''t understand the full picture or context, she at least had enough intelligence to know that it''s something beyond this world, and beyond something as small as a Sovereign.


    Leonardo sighed, having always wondered why would people want power, when the price for easy power is but a twisted reality and an end far from peaceful.


    "As you wish," Leonardo reached out with his open palm, allowing the woman to directly swallow the ck pill from his hand, she then held his palm close to her forehead, eyes closed.


    The shadow didn''t tell Leonardo much, but because the seven lifetimes of Dizmason Eternus were purified and refined, each of the six fragments would help Leonardo convert a lifetime ofbat experience into an infernal seed capable of transforming the fates of the bestowed.


    However, Leonardo did know that this would only work on those untainted by the karma of a ster world, and this woman could only remain untainted through the efforts of that spirit.


    The moment her memories are gone, her karma would be linked with this ster world, which then would''ve put Leonardo at risk of being exposed to a situation where his karma and the karma of the current ne shed.


    This is typically the case for every neswalker, as their presence itself defies the cycle of natural karma, and affecting this karma would draw a bacsh from the entire ne.


    Leonardo chanted in a low "With my mark as the sessor to the Infernal Throne, I confer you the title of the First Twilight. Henceforth, in good and bad, our karma will forever intertwine."


    At first, Leonardo wanted to call her something along the lines of an Infernal Guard. However, and after second thoughts, he realized that this wouldn''t sound quite right as he didn''t represent only the darkness of the infernals, but also the bit of light his mother invested in his upbringing.


    Thus, he ultimately settled for the best of both worlds, twilight.


    The seed dissolved like liquid into the woman''s mouth, spreading throughout her body down to the cells, painting them ck as ink. Then, her cultivation technique seemed to sense something and circte automatically, proactively absorbing this infernal seed, but the woman had already expected something like this to happen.


    After all, the cultivation technique practiced by the Chosen Te is something provided by the spirit of the obelisk; it would have been even weirder if it didn''t resonate with the seed.


    When she once again opened her eyes, she could feel a subtle shift in both her mentality and form, while the in white clothes on her body were now a long ck dress as dark as her eyes.


    She blinked once, stopping her circting cultivation technique.


    Then, her eyes returned to a lively hazel green whilst her dress returned to a pure, in white garment. The ck energy was wholly contained within her cells, unlike Leonardo who had yet to consolidate his new power and hence its presence on his body.


    She stood up and bowed with a brilliant smile and saluted.


    "My lord! Please call me Ingrid from henceforth."


    "Alright Ingrid, what is your inheritance? How can you help me in the future?" Leonardo continued to inspect his clothes which were a manifestation of his deste martial intent shing with the innate eternal night martial intent that was roused by the residual spirit.


    This isn''t the first time his four martial intents attempted to merge and manifest, as the bloodthirsty armament attempted aplishing this endeavor in vain during its premature transformation. However, the bizarre change to his cells under the influence of the Four Dimensions Inmortal Scripture cultivation technique already charted out a path of merging the four, Leonardo having always assumed the mergercked a catalyst, not expecting that the cultivation technique had an innate deficiency.


    Leonardo had no idea that when this technique was created, it was very rate for some to have dual martial intents, let alone four. Thus, it was more of a case about Leonardo deviating from the correct path than the technique being innately deficient.


    Ingrid observed this new lord curiously, noticing that he didn''t particrly like the color ck, or at least an excessive amount of ck. However, in her eyes and after living enshrouded by darkness for this long, she came to like the color quite a bit, only wearing in white clothes as she had long since noticed Leonardo''s particr interest in the color.


    Ingrid raised her palm, a ck me igniting and flickering about as though dancing, "The Esteemed Spirit passed down the Infernal me Arts to me, as well as boundless knowledge about alchemy arts that I have yet to digest. ording to the Esteemed Spirit, after achieving the Rebirth realm, you''ll need a lot of medical resources and pills to further progress in your cultivation, so what you''recking now isn''t powerful but resourceful followers."


    "Alchemy?" Leonardo seems to have an impression about alchemy, but not much. However, the Rebirth realm is too far from a mere third-cycle saint like himself, so he decided to toss it to the back of his head.


    "Okay, that can wait then. Now, let''s get into business rted matters, I want to invite your organization to invest in 49% of my ims to the energy ore mines and the energy veins underneath."


    Now that business was mentioned, Ingrid''s expression also focused as she said, "Why don''t we discuss the details after a meal, my lord? Also, if you want the support of this organization that was in essence built to support you on days like these, I can immediately hand over the position of owner to you."


    Leonardo waved her off and said, "No, that would make matters even worse for me, because even I can''t predict the actions of a desperate maniac blinded by useless faith."


    Ingrid was confused, she didn''t know about the conspiracy brewing at this moment as House Erudite and Lexus kept the information under strict lockdown, taking the slowly boiling the frog alive attitude against the people of the Forbidden Domain.


    "Pardon?" Ingrid voiced out her confusion.


    "Sigh, just know that in a battle where you''re confident in your inevitable victory, leaving your cornered prey with a bit of hope, even if false hope, is also a good strategy." As he spoke, Leonardo began walking out through the corridor that doesn''t seem so long at this moment. "Oh yeah, can you please arrange something presentable for me to wear? Make sure there is as little ck as possible, I won''t be able to maintain my martial intents running for long."


    Leonardo quickly found a random maid and asked her for clear directions on an empty room. Of course, the maid was under immense pressure from Leonardo''s aura, her knees about to buckle down throughout the entire process.


    Once inside the room, Leonardo stopped resisting the natural force that pulled all of his martial intents into his soul pearl, which also meant that his worldly energy was stripped clean as well.


    However, with the current stage of his tempered flesh, an ordinary saint would be helpless against him, hence he wasn''t bothered the least.


    He knew that the residual spirit was currently working like some architect, analyzing and devising a new cultivation technique with the Four Dimensions Immortal Scripture and his four martial intents as a foundation, the Infernal Inheritance as a reference point, and aplete merger as an end goal.


    About half an hourter, two maids in white clothes walked in while dragging a sliding wardrobe that had an assortment of clothes that clearly brought about a full set.


    With the help of these maids, Leonardo was fully dressed in no time.


    It was a luxurious white imperial suit and a long white coat despotic over the garments. Conspicuous gold rimmings and obsidian buttons were embroidered carefully into the white texture of the fabric, pleasing to the eye with a sense of harmony.


    Leonardo''s long silver hair rested calmly against his back, swaying asionally under the tempo of the long coat following the subtlest of his actions.


    "Not bad," Leonardo nodded with satisfaction before leaving the room, barely paying attention to the stunned maids in his wake.

 Chapter 133 Trivial Provocation

    ?Leona''s tinklingughter echoed from within lush leaves and in tandem with running streams, the chirping of birds, and the sounds of sshing water as she yed on the surface of a shallow, artificial river.


    She was running circles around an aesthetically pleasing high rockery, colorful avians quick on her heels with a few adorable exotic animals watching curiously from the side.


    Even further away was the rest of the group.


    Kieran couldn''t use his martial intent passively like Leona, resulting in a significant drop in quality and efficiency in his craftsmanship of wooden figures. However, that didn''t stop him frommitting to his now solid hobby of his, even if it was a matter as simple as passing time.


    He sat in the shadow of a random tree, Ariayingzily on top of his head.


    In another corner of this garden that might as well be an inspiration ofEden, three beauties of conflicting temperaments yet with a sense of peculiar harmony among them stood at the foot of a waterfall.


    Juvia and Pandora were talking about their experiences with Leonardo ever since they stepped foot on this.


    Juvia knew that were she to have encountered the Leonardo of this current mindset back then, let alone set her free, she might not have had the chance to even wake up after ingesting that poison.


    Many things have changed sin back then, and her mentality was no exception. As she spoke, she couldn''t shake off the sense of loss and sadness in her tone.


    Pandora also understood those feelings because she knew that their presence next to Leonardo, no matter how significant of a role they''re ying now, that''s only a roleparatively speaking in the middle realms, but it wouldn''t be the same in the higher realms.


    Wendy was also intrigued to learn about these little gossips, and she didn''t hold back when talking about her experiences either, but she kept some parts hidden, some ambiguous, and some parts she deliberately altered slightly.


    Even so, the conversation between the trio flowed like clear river waters that although didn''t necessarily flow down the same mountain, they also didn''t hinder one another from reaching the ocean below.


    Comparing themselves to rivers and Leonardo to the ocean in the distance, both Pandora and Juvia knew deep down that they were shallow rivers when facing the deep, seemingly bottomless wide river that was Wendy.


    They tacitly put aside their petty struggles from their first day as followers and put up the attitude of seniors, guiding Leonardo''s student with their status as his proud women who apanied him for every step of the way.


    "Excuse me," as the three were happily getting along, a cute maid stepped forward nervously as she bowed, "Esteemed Guest Leonardo is currently discussing business with our board of directors, and he invitesdy Juvia to attend the meeting as well."


    Juvia was confused for like two seconds before she broke out into a brilliant smile that dazzled the cute maid. As for Juvia, she almost forgot her status as Leonardo''s half-student.


    If not in the matters of cultivation, then at the very least, in business.


    ''Now I see why you left me buried in mountains of paperwork while that little girl Pandora was simply running around!'' Thinking back on it, Juvia almost blushed with shame.


    She knew if their roles were reversed, keeping Pandora in the pce with her running around to assassinate key diplomats and troublemakers in the shadows, things wouldn''t progress so smoothly.


    This also shows that no matter how wide or deep some rivers are, sometimes, it is precisely the shallow rivers that get the job done beautifully. Thus, with a refreshed mood, she winked at Pandora before having the maid lead the way.


    "Why certainly, let us not keep them waiting!"


    ¡­


    In an enclosed hall that Leonardo entered earlier, he was surprised to see a long rectangr table situated horizontally at the end of the room, seven figures both young and old greeted him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    What surprised him was that two of them were elves, two of them were beastkin, and two were humans, all of them split into a pair of male and female, and Leonardo could even sense some ambiguity in their eyes as they exchanged nces with their counterpart of the same race.


    As for the seventh, that was precisely Ingrid who sat directly in the middle, her seat a degree higher in terms of alleviation and structure, and she was the third human among the members of the board of directors.


    Leonardo''s pupils constricted the moment he entered the hall as he could sense a prickling sensation in his spirit when looking these people in the eyes, even though they seemed like your ordinary humble pedestrians from a first nce impression.


    There was nothing to be said about the elves and humans in terms of aesthetical representation, but the beastkin seemed like two wild wolves dressed up as humans.


    Long fluffy ears, clear white fangs protruding from their perpetually smiling expressions, golden slitted pupils, thick spiky hair like the mane of a lion, and powerful dark grey tails swaying rhythmically.


    Both of them looked extremely young, and no amount of poise or grace could conceal their sharp and feral auras that were like a silent ck sea on a moonless night.


    The woman was intently yet curiously observing Leonardo, as despite not sensing a lick of cultivation in this youth, her sense of danger kept buzzing off in her head the longer she peered down into his lifeless ck eyes.


    "Ara~ what business does this handsome little brother have with my Te''s? I wonder~¡­"


    She covered her sparkling white fangs with her fair hand, only to expose her sharp ws that were almost two inches long.


    Leonardo could even perceive them to have cut through the air, scraping against the fabric of space, from this subtle movement.


    ''Definitely a disy of power,'' Leonardo thought to himself inwardly. ''They''re clearly misunderstanding my intentions, are they apprehensive about my background?''


    Leonardo creased his eyebrows lightly, but he didn''t feel any ill feelings against Ingrid for taking a neutral stance, not supporting or denouncing him, as he didn''t wish for their lord-and-servant rtionship to be public just yet.


    As far as these six were concerned, Leonardo caught the eye of their Chairman Te, and to give him face, she allowed a meeting with their group of six despite their already jam-packed schedules.


    ? Of course, they were thinking something along the lines of giving face to the factions behind Leonardo, and not Leonardo himself.


    "I see how it is, it seems like your intelligence agency is only so-so after all," Leonardo sighed, almost dramatically as he found himself a chair to sit on. Then, he rested the ankle of his right foot over his left knee, elbow on the armrest, and cheek on his leisurely reclined fist.


    Indgid''s eyes sparkled with interest, but she didn''t speak much.


    It goes without saying that their intelligence agencies have branches across the three dynasties; Human, Elven, and Beastkin.


    For Leonardo''s first remark to directly target this intelligencework was quite the pill to swallow. However, the beastkin female didn''t particrly feel insulted as her race was straightforward and didn''t bother with these mind games, while the elves were reserved, leaving only the humans with inted pride about their intelligence with a bit of distaste in their mouths.


    The old man seated to Ingrid''s right snorted lightly, a bit of displeasure in his powerful snort, but he didn''t bother to quibble with Leonardo over some trivial provocation.


    It was at this moment that Juvia finally entered the room, drawing everyone''s attention to her defined features, ck and white color scheme secretary outfit, the clipboard in her hands, and a pair of clear rectangle sses on the bridge of her nose.


    "My apologies, I''ve kept you all waiting," her sweet voice diffused in the hall as smoothly as her entrance, bow of respect, and enchanting smile of unwavering confidence.

 Chapter 134 The Open Secret

    ?Looking from the enthusiastic Juvia to Leonardo who seemed lost in thoughts, simply seated there without any intentions of saying anything other than that snide remark, Ingrid smiled imperceptibly to herself.


    "Ara~ and who might this little miss be?"


    The female beastkin wasn''t aware of why would Leonardo send in a subordinate to do the talking, but the old human man and the elven couple could understand clearly, as both their respective domains had a royal court system that albeit differing in the handling of affairs, the concept was the same.


    Leonardo noticed that their Chairman didn''t join the discussion, but pushed them, her subordinates, instead. Hence, Leonardo responded by pushing out one of his subordinates as well, implicitly implying that despite the difference in strength, his status and position are no lower than their Chairman in this room, and they''re not qualified enough to discuss with him directly.


    The beastkin male simply yawned and then folded his arms across his muscr chest, gently dozing off to sleep.


    "All you need to know is that I am my lord''s representative. However, in the hopes that you will forgive me for beingte, I''ll grace you with a bit of critical yet very secretive piece of information," Juvia took a few steps forward to stand in the middle ground between Leonardo and the six board directors, her light pink lips curving into a conniving smile, "House Erudite are nning to stain the Arcadian Church with the muddled soil of the mundane world, and their aggressive expansion had already started proliferating every corner of the realm."


    Juvia sped her hands behind her straight back, the clipboard also behind her elegant figure as her narrow and long eyes sparkled. She meticulously observed the finest of fluctuations in their expressions by superstitiouslybining the efforts of both her and Leonardo''s spiritual strength with her soul seed as a medium. Since her soul seed was marked by Leonardo''s mind eye, this bit of cooperation was but a triviality.


    As expected, the expressions of everyone twitched ever-so-slightly, save for the beastkin female who was as easy to read as an open book, she stared nkly for a moment before turning to look at the elven and human counterparts with a puzzled expression.


    "I thought our intelligence mentioned something about human and elven officials joining hands? Since when did the Arcadian Church get involved?" She was thoroughly confused, as this was an unexpected curve ball.


    "If the Arcadian Church truly got involved and is nning to establish a Religious Dynasty in the Forbidden Domain, would your Te''s sit back and watch?" Juvia didn''t give them a chance to subtly hint at the female beastkin with their eyes, instead immediately locking eye contact with this simple, straightforward, and beautiful big sister material.


    The female beastkin was about to turn her head in the human old man''s direction when she met eyes with Juvia, feeling that it would be rude and disrespectful to shun away this elven cutie, hence she smiled in response. "Ara~ it would indeed be a bit problematic if matters of the state and religion got involved in awlessnd like the Forbidden Domain, but how are you so sure?"


    The old woman beside the old man parted her mouth, "Indeed, why should we take your word for it? Our people have reported back the unusual interactions between elves and humans both in the open and in the dark, not to mention the flood of elven investors flocking to Valdmor as we speak. I can''t me you for not noticing as you were rushed to meet with our Chairman Te the moment you entered Valdmor, but the citation here has changed."


    From the woman''s choice of words, it was clear that she ignored Juvia and directly spoke to Leonardo, nning to drag him into the conversation in one way or another.


    Leonardo noticed this, Ingrid noticed too, and naturally, Juvia was no exception. Thus, with a hint of cold light in her eyes, she decided to wholly ignore this wretched woman and maintain eye contact with the female beastkin.


    It is quite odd that except for the human couple, everyone else looked either middle-aged or exceptionally young for their positions as board directors, especially the elven couple who seemed to be in the prime of their youth.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I am naturally sure, how can I not be when my lord''s subordinates are thispetent?" As she spoke, she removed a few paper scrolls from her clipboard and advanced towards this straightforward beastkin woman. "What I have here is a list of names, including a record of a secret meeting that was held in an isted corner of the Forest of Eternal Spring. Of course, words on paper alone aren''t enough, but this is some mystical type of paper with the soul imprint and spiritual fluctuations of everyone who joined in on that meeting, those details have been aptly sorted out by two of my lord''s elite espionage agents on a secret mission of infiltration."


    Juvia handed over the piece of documents. Let alone the stunned female beastkin, even Ingrid was momentarily shocked, but her mind spun rapidly as she proceeded with these words.


    If anyone could seamlessly infiltrate this type of meeting and leave undetected. No, two in fact, and even manage to record the content of the meeting while replicating the spiritual fluctuations of those secretive and careful individuals, she could think of only one person with such capabilities in Leonardo''s entourage, that petite female assassin.


    However, this kind of a matter requires more than godlike concealment arts, as there was no way for her to find out the meeting location, time, and members directly involved to follow their trail relying solely on assassinations and concealment.


    While the female beastkin was going through the papers, spiritual fluctuations from the other four swept over like a gentle breeze to scan the remnant spiritual fluctuations imprinted within the papers, their expressions growing odd and a bit dark.


    Other than the signature auras of humans and elves, they could faintly discern the fluctuations of faith energy, a martial intent unique to the Arcadian Church and House Erudite.


    They didn''t even need to read the content of the report, as this was sufficient proof that this was a bigger conspiracy than they had anticipated. Only now did Ingrid put two and two together from when Leonardo mentioned a maniac blinded by faith.


    "I assume one of those two subordinates is the female assassin by your side,"Ingrid''s voice finally joined the conversation as this was no longer a matter of a business transaction, but a potential war of influence between two ancient hegemon organizations.


    Both the Arcadian Church and Te''s were organizations established during the post-apocalyptic era of Arcadia, to the extent that no one knows the depths of their roots and power anymore. If they wanted to rise and establish a dynasty in the Forbidden Domain, this will naturally spell bad news for them.


    Everyone looked at Juvia for an answer, while Juvia looked at Leonardo instead, redirecting everyone''s gazes to the young man who seemed no different from a statue in the room.


    "My lord?" Juvia gave Leonardo a look, wondering about whether or not he would expose that wild card to them.


    Leonardo lifted his ck eyes and stared Ingrid directly in the eyes.


    "We are here to discuss business, not my subordinates. Currently, House Erudite is unaware of its open secret, which is precisely why I don''t want your organization to take an aggressive stance either. All you have to do is invest in 49% of my property, and give everyone the illusion that you are my backers, while in fact, we''re going to slowly bait the Arcadian Church into exposing more and more of their hidden powers," Leonardo closed his eyes indifferently, "They''re treating everyone under this domain''s sky as a frog they could slowly boil to death while the frog itself is unaware of the dangers in the water."

 Chapter 135 Five? Six? Perhaps Seven?

    ?"Ara~ It''s not that sincere of you to keep away such secrets, no?"


    With a brush of gentle wind, the female beastkin was already standing behind Leonardo, gently massaging his shoulders while sniffing his silver hair. "Mhm~ the smell of imminent danger! Ara~ you''re so cute!"


    Leonardo frowned, but he had to admit that the force in her dainty hands felt just right. Of course, if this was any ordinary human being, their shoulders would have already snapped out of shape.


    "Well, if all of you could report your cultivation to me, then might also tell you about my subordinate." After giving it some thought, Leonardo chose topromise with this ridiculously powerful yet simple-minded woman.


    "Haha, I''m fine with that. I''m a level 67 High Saint, my husband is level 66, and this is the general range of everyone here, they''re all High Saints," the woman grinned, her white fangs sparkling.


    "How can you tell him something so important?!" The human old man finally opened his eyes, sternly looking down on his peer, his expression sharp. Then again, it''s understandable, no one would feelfortable with their cultivation exposed.


    "Oh, ara~Adrian, stop being so paranoid! If he couldn''t tell that you''re a High Saint by now, he''d have spent his life in vain. I merely confirmed his suspicions, right, ara~?" The beastkin continued to massage Leonardo''s shoulders while smiling kindly.


    Juvia to the side was also smiling.


    Ingrid in her high chair was also smiling.


    Leonardo kept his eyes closed in azy manner, also wanting to test the limits of his physical body under this ''kind'' and ''gentle'' treatment.


    A few momentster, a faint cracking noise echoed in the silent room, indicating that Leonardo''s shoulder bones were dislocated, but not broken.


    Leonardo frowned, his expression growing a bit pale, but that was it.


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Crack!


    Crack!


    The joints and shoulder des then followed, but with a face of surprise, the female beastkin realigned Leonardo''s bones and shoulders back into shape, her expression earnestly apologetic.


    "Ara~ I got carried away because your body seemed so strong. Hehe." She stuck out her tongue, a bit embarrassed. "I''ve never seen a human with such a strong body before!"


    "Oh well," Leonardo cracked his neck and moved his shoulders about, getting them back into shape, "I would have told you one open secret in exchange for your open secret, but you''ve now exposed one of my hidden secrets; my physical body." Leonardo shook his head, "Sigh, now you''ll have to offer me something else if you want that piece of critical information."


    "Ah! You tricked me!" The female beastkin cried out, but she didn''t seem particrly resentful about it.


    "Haha!"


    A robust voice echoed, the beastkin male who was seemingly asleep stretched whileughing.


    "Silly girl, he didn''t trick you, I feel like what he said is very reasonable. Even I was surprised by that physique, let alone some of his enemies who are definitely unaware of this hidden secret. Mhm, one''s cultivation base is an external and open secret, but one''s hidden strength and battle prowess that diverts from the norm are vital secrets for a warrior. Kid, I like you!" The man then beckoned for the woman, gesturing for her to return to her seat.


    She huffed, crossing her arms while walking back with her tail swaying, "Ara~ hubby, stop calling me a little girl in front of others, I''m only two months younger than you!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Although she said that, she was clearly happy with the attention and affection imbued within that rebuking tone of this man, choosing to give up on her chair and sit directly on hisp instead, wrapping her arms around his neck while letting out faint purring sounds from the intense vibrations in her throat.


    "Ahem! My lord has just pointed out that his excellent subordinate is also an open secret, just like everyone''s general cultivation base. It''s just that not many people bother thinking too deeply into some matters, their attention being drawn away from realizing that fact." Juvia took to the stage again, speaking in an unhurried yet proud manner.


    Everyone except for the beastkin pair furrowed their brows, trying to analyze the hidden meaning in Juvia''s words. Then, Adrian jumped to his feet with shock riddling his old face, "Don''t tell me¡­ Ghost Face?! That man is actually your subordinate too?!"


    Everyone else seemed to instinctively reject this notion, especially the male elf who frowned, "That''s impossible, we have collected data over every saint that interacted with him ever since his departure from Valdmor, our intel shouldn''t be wrong."


    "Exactly," the female elf spoke up, "out of his five saint subordinates, none of them can possibly be Ghost Face."


    "Didn''t the report mention six saints?" Her husband looked at her oddly, "There was a total of six saints in the Crouching Dragon Province battle, House Regalia dispatched two of their saints to oversee a temporary alliance between the Issac Household and the Samuel Household, which also dispatched two of their saints. In the epic of the battle, it broke down into six solitary battles between the saints, so that means there are six¡­ No?"


    "Don''t be ridiculous," Adrian frowned, "This woman is also a saint, but the reports didn''t mention any elf on the battlefield, meaning there were actually seven subordinate saints. However, we haven''t heard anything about Bloodthirsty showing up recently, could it be that he is Ghost Face?"


    "Stop relying on your memories, I have the reports here¡­" The female elf spoke up, waving her hand to bring out a scroll of paper from under the table, "From the former mercenary group Grim & Reaper we have Miko, Misaka, and Sitri. Then, you have Pandora and the former elf princess Juvia, andst but not least we have Bloodthirsty¡­ This sounds a bit off¡­"


    "Exactly! That''s a total of six, but Juvia wasn''t involved in the Crouching Dragon Province battle at all! How can you say there isn''t a seventh?"


    "Didn''t you just say five? How are they seven now?"


    "I meant five excluding Bloodthirsty as he was themander back then, so I naturally overlooked him."


    "But that brings the count back to six, where did the seventhe from?!"


    "That''s because¡­ The elf¡­ It only makes sense- Ugh, my head hurts!"


    ¡­


    The beastkin pair as well as Ingrid watched with interest as the human pair and the elven pair went back and forth arguing about three simple numbers.


    Five?


    Six?


    Seven?


    It seemed like an illogical paradox with sufficient evidence to arrive at a conclusion, but this was the case of too much information it actually confused them rather than helped them out.


    This was precisely a result achieved because even until today, no one knew that Leonardo and Bloodthirsty were one and the same, at least not on this side of the Sky Mountains. Hence, some people may confuse Bloodthirsty to being Ghost Face if they thought deeply enough, but their intellect would instinctively reject that notion as ludicrous for more than one logical reason.


    Juvia had a trace of pity in her eyes, sighing, "Isn''t this enough proof that Ghost Face being my lord''s subordinate is an open secret? Doesn''t this scene seem rather too familiar to you all?"


    Everyone who was watching with interest suddenly froze at this realization.

 Chapter 136 The Chairman’s Personal Investment

    ?Juvia had a trace of pity in her eyes, sighing, "Isn''t this enough proof that Ghost Face being my lord''s subordinate is an open secret? Doesn''t this scene seem rather too familiar to you all?"


    Everyone who was watching with interest suddenly froze at this realization.


    ''Yeah, isn''t this type of illogical argument something that erupts everywhere in the wake of this Ghost Face?'' Thinking that Ghost Face was someone directly reporting information to Leonardo, their hearts went cold.


    "Are you trying to say that Ghost Face has pawns in the Arcadian Church?" Adrian sucked in a deep breath, this time asking Juvia since he knew that Leonardo wouldn''t even bother responding to him.


    Juvia looked at Leonardo who gave her a silent nod.


    Juvia smiled, "My lord is wise and brilliant. Ghost Face has no pawns in the Arcadian Church, but he is a pawn in and of itself. My lord already nted Ghost Face in the ranks of House Erudite the same night the various factions gathered on the Sylvian Mountain Peak under House Erudite''s invitation, and he is now camouging as a ''middle-man'' between their young priest and Ghost Face¡­"


    Juvia''s words sent shivers down the old man''s spine.


    Was this to say that Leonardo could foresee House Erudite''s intentions to get involved in the political world from this far back? To actually use this invitation to nt a seed in the ranks of the Arcadian Church.


    "Ara~ hubby, does that mean this kid did something amazing? It''s so rare to see old Adrian acting as if he had just lost a match of chess!"The female beastkin was intrigued, her golden eyes sweeping over the frozen and stiff expressions of the other two couples, her ears twitching.


    Calp! p! p! p!


    "Haha, I see now. No wonder you said that when you''ve cornered a desperate opponent, and you''re already certain of your inevitable victory, then leaving them with a bit of false hope is also a strategy!" Ingridughed softly while pping her hands, no longer ying neutral and impartial. "You''ve actually dipped your hands in the matters of such an ancient force while leaving the entire world unaware! Truly frightening!"


    "Sigh¡­That little trick you yed on that girl Azalea, the seven vassals, and the three ruling powers did catch my eye a little. But this¡­ This chess piece, sigh¡­ I''m really growing old." Adrian deted back into his seat, somewhat at a loss for words.


    "Don''t feel so upset, my lord''s foresight is something so out of this world. On that same evening, he told me that the game had already started and that the rules were already set. Knowing back then and knowing now makes no difference, as the yers have yet to deal their cards on the table."


    "You mean?" The female human next to Adrian, while consoling him, raised an eyebrow. Juvia nodded, "Indeed, my lord said and I quote, House Erudite is driven by their blind faith while the Elven Royal Family is driven by their blind sense of nobility. They are both easily manipted forces due to their one-dimensional natures."


    Taking a deep breath while ignoring the sharp gazes from the two elves, Juvia smiled, "Irrational powers like faith and love may be blind, but no one can deny the strength hidden deep within this senseless devotion. After what this had just experienced, this blind faith will only increase, and this wave of blind faith induced by anger, despair, fear, and helplessness will allow House Erudite to slowly transition into the political world. As my lord has said, the rules for the game were set the moment the Elves and Xavier chose to join hands, and Xavier was never a key yer, to begin with."


    ¡­


    "He really said such a thing?" The beastkin man was astonished, thinking that this description of the elves and religious fanatics was ridiculously urate. "What did he say about the humans and us beastkin then?"


    Juvia pondered for a bit to remember the exact words and answered, "Humans don''t care about disgrace and face, they''re profit driven. As long as the gains exceed the losses, they can toss face aside, and vice versa¡­"


    The two humans and Ingrid had weird expressions when they looked at Leonardo.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Did he seriously degrade himself so openly like that? Then again, they can''t argue that what he said was wrong. This was also Ingrid''s first impression, but she quickly remembered that Leonardo wasn''t typically a human on gic levels, only that he was extremely close to one in physiology.


    "Oh? Then what about my beastkin?" The man grew even more interested.


    Juvia smiled faintly, "You guys wouldn''t go out of your way, getting involved with major conflicts unprovoked¡­ And that''s all he said."


    The man stared nkly for a moment as that was the same as not taking the beastkin race into consideration in this major political conflict. However, thinking that politics would be too much of a headache anyway, and he would most definitely avoid getting involved unless he was dragged into it, he silently nodded to himself with a serious expression.


    "This kid is very smart," was his onlyment.


    ''You''re just too simple-minded, and it''s an open secret!'' This was the thought of everyone else in response.


    "This brings us back," Juvia then smiled brilliantly as she looked at the female beastkin, "How are you going topensate my lord for exposing one of his life and death-rted secrets? You know, to a warrior, this kind of secret being exposed is a very¡­ very serious matter."


    The female beastkin chuckled awkwardly before licking the back of her hand, sticking out her tongue, "You can talk to the Chairman about that ara!~" Then, she acted deaf and mute, hiding her her husband''s chest.


    Juviaughed softly, looking at the Chairman.


    She didn''t know about the rtionship between the Chairman and Leonardo, so although she was smiling, her eyes were glinting sharply in preparation to retaliate in any shape or form.


    Unexpectedly to everyone present, Ingrid smiled faintly and said, "Oh my, life-and-death, huh? That''s quite troublesome as we can''t put a price tag on the life of someone with his status now, can we?" Ingrid tilted her head to the side, tightly closing her eyes as though pondering something.


    "How about this, I will invest in 49% of your property by paying with 10% of my personal shares in thispany, would that be enough?"


    "How can this be?!" Adrian almost jumped, "Each of us has only 5% of the shares despite all of our contributions, yet he gets a full 10% to himself?" Adrian instinctively rejected the idea without giving the matter some deep thought, even his wife was toote to stop him from jumping to his feet.


    "That brat''s assessment of humans is astonishingly urate¡­ Old Adrian, don''t you care about your old face anymore? Actually jumping out just like that?" The male beastkin almostughed out loud, only now did Adrian reflect on his uncouth behavior.


    Ingrid didn''t mind, responding, "Each couple here has an individual 5%, together rounding up to 10% assets for as long as you didn''t leave the organization. Hence, as long as you and your significant other see eye to eye, you are not inferior one bit to him be it in terms of influence and position,"


    It almost seemed as though Ingrid was using Leonardo to make sure these people never betrayed the trust of their partners, and by extension, her trust as well. Adrian''s reaction proved Leonardo''s philosophy, which made her even more pleased with this decision she made.


    "Furthermore," she continued, "Although 49% from an overall 1% seems so insignificant, negligible even, what if his 1% blooms into 100% in the future? Wouldn''t our Te''s be under one and above all else in the Forbidden Domain? Then again, do you think our Esteemed Guest will stick here forever? Once he leaves, who will inherit this Forbidden Domain?"


    "Since none of you actually lost anything, just treat it as my personal investment in our Esteemed Guest, but we will simply dere to the public that Te''s invested in 49% of his shares, while the specifics of the deal are to be kept a secret. Let them keep guessing at the bottom line of our support, oblivious to the fact that he has already joined the echelons of our board of directors. This way, the Arcadian Church won''t have the patience to slowly boil this frog, ultimately alerting everyone to the unusual temperatures of these deep waters." Ingrid spoke in a fluid motion as though blowing a harmonious flute, her smile growing increasingly bright, "Wouldn''t this be to your liking, Esteemed Guest?"

 Chapter 137 A Ripple In The Undercurrents

    ?On that day, a shocking piece of news took the officials currently residing within Valdmor by surprise, then it buzzed in their heads like the knell of the devil.


    In a courtyard designated for the House Sylvia in the core district of Valdmor, a chubby round man was running through thetest developments of recruiting foot soldiers across the Forbidden Domain, the estimated levels of power, budgets for funding the expansion efforts, and simr reports.


    On the other end of the table was a long list of houses that decided to withdraw ground the investment and decided to invest with the elves instead. As to why these people would switch sides during these critical times, he didn''t know.


    There were also lists of powerful cultivators who joined the fray with their own representatives, tossing in their investments in this chaotic game of wealth and politics, giving this man quite the headache.


    Knock! Knock! Bang!


    The door to his study burst open as a young assistant rushed in, his appearance as though he had seen a ghost.


    "Sir Jeffery! Big news! Big news!"


    The assistant almost choked on the heavy air in the room, not knowing how long it has been since this sir Jefferyst left the room, let alone had a decent hygiene check.


    Deep ck rings circled Jeffery''s red eyes as he looked up, mumbling, "When did you bring two of your twins over?"


    Jeffery asked the ''three'' assistants standing by the door, his voice dry and hoarse. Then, he reached over and ced a heavy bottle of wine and a transparent ss on the surface of his desk.


    Then, with great difficulty did he open the wine bottle, fill up the cup, and directly shove the bottle''s opening down his throat while ignoring the wine ss.


    The assistant shook his head and mmed the report on Jeffery''s table, feeling like this news might as well instantly flip this man sober.


    Jeffery looked down from the corner of his eyes to see Te''s trademark logo on the top corner of the first page, quickly dismissing the topic with a sigh.


    "Te''s is a tradingpany that specializes in the arts of natural cuisine, yes. They''re big, ancient, and powerful, I know. Kid, we have more urgent matters to deal with than this, His Majesty is so obsessed with cultivation that he finds the path to bing a Sovereign as his only chance."


    Sigh¡­


    Jeffery didn''t say it, but he''s worried that if house Sylvia couldn''t win the right to seed the Sovereign, the Sylvian King might simply go crazy. By then, perhaps not even Queen Adeline would be able to hold him back.


    Just as he was about to shoo the assistant away, hismunication bracelet that''s connected directly with Queen Adeline flickered. In fact, it has been so long since she contacted him, he almost immediately turned off the receiving function.


    He quickly focused what little of the consciousness that was left in him to check the contents of the Queen''s message, and a momentter, he silently returned to drinking.


    One mouthful.


    Two mouthfuls.


    Three mouthfuls.


    Four- eh?!


    Jeffery choked on the bottle, spitting out everything he had in his mouth before falling to the ground. Then, he got up, grabbed a lighter, and stung his fat hand with the steaming hot iron rims of the fire rings.


    Clenching his teeth in pain, he quickly picked up the report on the table and cross-referenced the contents with his memory out of fear he misheard the Queen. Invigorated, Jefferyughed like an idiot, almost breaking into tears.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "My good friend Leo! Haha! You''ve actually dragged Te''s into these muddy waters as well! What an absolute devil, are you afraid that the situation wasn''t chaotic enough already?! Haha!" Although this was technically bad news¡ª terrible news even, Jeffery couldn''t help butugh out loud.


    Inside though, he felt utterly disappointed that Queen Adeline couldn''t hold firmly onto Leonardo, allowing him to find a patron in Ts''s instead.


    Sigh¡­


    "Guess I''ll pay my old friend a visit and catch up," Jeffery took a sniff of his burnt hand and the powerful stench of alcohol wafting off his body, feeling awkward, "He has women and children by his side, I can''t go like this¡­"


    After muttering for a bit, Jeffery remembered that he had an assistant. "Kid, tell the maids that I want to be in a respectable and presentable shape within fifteen minutes! No wait, make them ten!"


    ¡­


    Not everyone had as good a reaction to this piece of ''bad'' news. However, patience is a virtue most businessmen enjoy, and other than shock and a bit of scorn, displeasure, and perhaps even fear; no one made any big moves.


    Very quickly, some of these people who were involved in much deeper waters than the simplend lordship of an energy-richnd received word that Leonardo''s only support on Arcadia would be his bit of connection to Te''s.


    The word ''only'' was emphasized greatly in those reports, allowing some of the restless hearts to grow easy. Even though this is a political business war, without the sufficient martial might, a few documents of paper are useless.


    Everyone is ying this game patiently, but everyone knows that to sit on the throne at the end of the day is one thing, and to actually keep that position after the game ended is another thing altogether.


    Hence, no matter how smart Leonardo is, it''s useless without the protection of at least one third-cycle saint in his ranks, and his strongest follower was reported to be a second-cycle elven saint, which is barely enough to keep up with this particr game.


    Thus, after a quick dusky sky of unrest, the undercurrents return to an absolute calm throughout the streets of Valdmor.


    This transformation from calmness to unrest and thereafter to calmness once again didn''t escape the observation of a woman with multicolored hair who stood on the terrace of an ordinary inn, situated in the outer regions of Valdmor.


    Leonardo always had the feeling that he mighte back to Valdmor, so he went ahead and paid the owner of this inn enough gold and silver to keep it reserved for five years. Natural, he wouldn''t ept the amodations arranged by Ingrid as he didn''t want the lurk-in vultures to decipher his rtionship with the organization.


    "Teacher is actually so smart when he decides to think instead of straight up killing people," Wendy muttered softly, talking to no other than the silver fox who also rested on the railings of the terrace with the fluffy tail swaying around.


    "It''s not his choice when tomunicate with words and when tomunicate with blood. In this world, the greater the disparity in power and influence, the less meaning there is tomunicating using words. However, the power and influence in this context is quite the intriguing, ambiguous term."


    "Power, first and foremost is your personal might. Second, your connections. Third, your wealth¡­ These parameters are what ultimately decides whethermunicating with words will suffice or not," Aria paused for a moment. Then, she snorted with a tone of disgust, "Of course, this is a world of cultivation, and although everyone can sit and talk things out, no matter how eloquent your mouth is, your fist would always be the most straightforward."


    Wendy remained silent for a moment before asking in a low voice, "Then, since the teacher is already so powerful in terms of both personal strength and connections, why isn''t he directly suppressing everyone?"


    Aria''s closed eyes slowly parted open, an ominous crimson glint shing by, "Because people are disgusting hypocrites who would rather keep their knives in their sleeves, and wait patiently to test the absolute bottom line of someone''s power. Your teacher wants to draw out their hands to see who is carrying a bouquet of flowers, and who is hiding their jagged knives."


    After a slight pause, Aria said, "Then blood can naturally flow like rivers, and he wouldn''t feel so bad, wouldn''t feel so guilty, and wouldn''t involve the innocent indiscriminately."


    Just as the two''s conversation arrived at this part, Aria spotted Jeffery in the distance.


    Looking from Jeffery who was practically bouncing in happiness and then back at a particr room with multiple sound istion barriers enveloping it, Aria actually felt a bit of schadenfreude.

 Chapter 138 A Chat To Catch Up

    ?It has been a while since Leonardo enjoyed the fleshbo of Juvia and Pandora. Regardless of how much they butt heads on normal days, once their lust and kinks kick in, they transform into a pair of ''good girl'' and ''good mommy''. Then, adding in Leonardo''s presence to bnce things out, especially with his improved physique, it gets quite lively in the bedroom.


    Precisely because she knew that there was a great chance of Wendy listening in on their immoral activities, Pandora was beyond shameful and embarrassed while addressing Juvia and Leonardo as ''mommy'' and ''daddy'' respectively, while the other two solicited some sense of twisted pleasure from her adorable reactions.


    She moaned and begged to decrease the intensity, but it only ever-so-increased for hours on end¡­ Juvia was in a very good mood today so she didn''t mind surrendering the initiative of the ultimate pleasure to Pandora while she satisfied herself with the caresses and kisses from Leonardo, her thighs mping down on Pandora''s cheeks as she straddled thetter''s face.


    It goes without saying that Pandora''s oral skills transcended the limits ofmon sense, aptlypensating for the urgent hunger burning within Juvia.


    In less than fifteen minutes, all three of them experienced a simultaneous euphoria as all types of secretions and bodily fluids sshed on the bed, the two women spasming with an expression that embodied lust and insanity in a perfect harmony.


    With the exception of Pandora who climaxed too many times to count, Juvia was still fully energetic, not to mention Leonardo who had tempered himself through an all-nighter sensual marathon.


    As they were engrossed in the taste of post-orgasms, the sound barrier formations around the room began to quake, and Aria''s teasing voice echoed inside the room, "An old friend of yours ising to visit, haha."


    Juvia who fixated herself in a doggy style, preparing to wee Leonardo inside her after tormenting Pandora for the past hours froze, while Pandora couldn''t help but have a smiling expression that gloated at the misfortune of her bully.


    "Mommy''s retribution surely arrived faster than expected, hehe¡­" As she mumbled those words, Pandora peacefully closed her eyes to sleep.


    Looking at Juvia who was caught betweenughter and tears, Leonardo chuckled before pping her plump buttocks, a bit of teasing in his tone as he said, "Don''t make such a face, it shouldn''t take that long."


    Ah~


    Juvia felt her folds clench, the stimtion from pain and pleasure intertwined making her drool for more as her eyes zed over with great reluctance. Eventually, she dropped prone on the bed, hugging a massive pillow while shouting her frustrations into the fabric, growing silent afterward.


    Leonardo helplessly shook his head and went into the small bathroom for a quick hot shower.


    ¡­


    In the waiting lobby downstairs, Jeffery sat in a reserved manner while sneaking nces at Wendy who stood by the open window, observing the night scenery outside.


    ? Since she didn''t speak, he didn''t say anything either, simply waiting patiently. A momentter, Leonardo descended the stairs dressed in a casual night robe, his long silver hair damp with hot water that trickled down his forehead.


    "Here I was wondering what took you so long, Jeff."


    Leonardo chuckled, he could see the endless fatigue behind Jeffery''s smile as he approached the man. As for Jeffrey, he deted in defeated rxation the moment he finally saw Leonardo once again, sighing.


    "You really have the cheek to say that after all that you''ve pulled? You even brought a behemoth like Te''s into this, not even the ruling powers are clear about their depths."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "That was just a simple trick, nothing worth mentioning," Leonardo shook his head and sat down on the sofa across from Jeffery, "So, what news do you have for me? The general situationes first."


    Leonardo then gestured for Wendy to bring over some fresh juice and fruits, as it was pretty obvious from Jeffery''s expression that he had been drinking too much recently.


    A momentter, there was a table filled with spiritual fruits and refreshments. Leonardo wasn''t in so much of a rush, so he watched silently as Jeffery washed down his throat one drink after the next, clearly having a parched throat from excessive alcohol and smoking.


    "Hm?" While waiting curiously, Leonardo extended his hand toward the cigar casing on the table. Six thick cigars were lined up neatly, and Leonardo felt a bit curious about how they''d taste.


    However, he also knew that they would leave a not-so-pleasant smell on him and a bad aftertaste in his mouth, so he wasn''t in a hurry to try them for today.


    "What? You didn''t try smoking before?" Jeffery asked, making his spections based on Leonardo''s intrigued expression.


    "Not really, I didn''t have the time for that nor do I have the desire now, I''m merely curious about how such a small cheap thing can grab the heart of a man when a man''s heart is logically an illogical thing to grasp." Leonardo shook his head with a sigh, "Sometimes it is those trivialities that make or break the bnce of the heart, you know? Isn''t it quite interesting?"


    "Are you a businessman or a psychotherapist?" Jeffery looked at this young man weirdly, stretching out a hand to snatch out one cigar from the metal case, lighting it with familiar ease before tucking its butt in between his moist lips.


    Inhaling deeply, Jeffery then deted his lungs, a puff of thick smoke billowing into the air.


    As Leonardo absentmindedly watched the body of smoke transform and morphed irregrly in the air, he thought to himself that a smoke-rted martial intent would be very cool, it would probably suit someone like Jeffery the best.


    "I''m done," A voice Leonardo hadn''t expected to hear anytime soon echoed in his head. Then, a massive bulk of information flushed into his soul from the soul pearl, his eyes growing hazy and unfocused.


    Jeffery simply assumed that Leonardo was quite amazed by the smoke. Hence, with a smug expression, he began to make out circles of smoke, a heart, a few arrows, and other irregr shapes.


    Wendy¡ª rather her co-soul seemed to have noticed something, immediately taking control of Wendy''s body to silently form a magic barrier around Leonardo to ensure Jeffery''s safety.


    A boom went inside Leonardo''s head as his sealed cultivation and martial intents rushed out from his soul pearl and flooded his once-dried cells like a flood, the irrigation of his worldly energy following a new cirction path from one cell to the next before connecting into a new, profound diagram inside his body.


    Another muffled boom followed, and a gust of formless wind discharged from Leonardo''s body, sending his robes and hair aflutter for a brief moment before calming down.


    By the time Jeffrey finished his shy demonstration, everything about Leonardo was back to normal, the entire process going unnoticed by the fatty engrossed in his unhealthy hobby.


    "Oh right, you wanted to get in on the current situation! Sigh, where do I start¡­" Jeffery noticed that he might have gone a bit too far with disying these meager skills, especially with Leonardo''s faint smile of amusement.


    Thus, he coughed awkwardly and proceeded to exin certain developments that took ce after the events everyonemonly refers to as the shattered heaven.

 Chapter 139 Smoke And Mirrors

    ?Jeffery took in a deep inhale of smoke. "The shareholders have already been determined after the final re-allocations when you left thest time. After those re-allocations of shares, everyone signed amitment document not to sell shares to a third party, but finding investors is also fine. However, the buying and selling of shares among the shareholders is also a possibility."


    "Since the minor forces of the three domains were embroiled in conflict for all this time, we didn''t have the time to sit and discuss selling or buying shares among one another, our focus being whether we could or couldn''t keep the region under the Human Domain''s control, but the shattering of the heavens above caused massive losses and civil unrest across the three domains, and most of those that suffered are the lower brackets of society."


    "Most of the minor lords from the Elven and Beastkin Domains retreated to take precautions and work on contingencies in the wake of this disaster, bringing this chaotic war to a stop. However, for some unknown reason, the shareholders are now in a race to find investors instead ofmitting to internal transactions. Worse yet, they''re finding investors in the elves and feudal lords from across the realms, lords who are not under the jurisdictions of the ruling powers or seven vassals, but are incredibly wealthy¡­"


    Leonardo joined his fists, interlocking his fingers as he rested his chin directly on the knuckles while leaning on the table. After thinking for a bit, he came to the conclusion that Lexus must have reached out to the feudal lords through the stationed Arcadian Churches across the realm, thereafter spreading propaganda that would easily brainwash themon people.


    He might have even conned people into contributing gold and silver in the name of faith, recycling that fortune through the feudal lords and converting it into investment money.


    Leonardo never expected that he''d counter the same old moneyundering scheme, causing him to chuckle inadvertently. Although he didn''t have much proof, he already instructed Ingrid to stealthily investigate.


    Although the wealth of gold and silver whening from the hands of pedestrians wouldn''t amount to much, even an ocean is made up of countless drops of water. In these times of civil unrest, and with the fear from such an apocalyptic scene that transcended the realms ofprehension to most of Arcadia''s popce, some might even offer up their closest of kin just to live, forget about a bit of gold and silver.


    Leonardo suddenly thought about the fictional character Robin Hood, bringing an even wider smile to his face.


    "Hey Leo, this is some serious business! Those investors are like bottomless pits, and if the margin of funds between the shareholders continues to expand, those who can''t keep up will have to center around a stable shareholder, banding together¡­." Jeffery felt aggrieved that Leonardo could still smile at this point.


    "Right now, the shareholders with the majority of the influence are some elven lord from House Lavender and a rich feudal lord with unknown origins, they''re supporting Mason and some vassal who happens to be under House Exodia."


    "Mhm?" Leonardo raised an eyebrow, "Why would two massive investors focus on House Exodia? I mean, it doesn''t make sense to make this detour."


    "Oh right, you didn''t know but Mason was demoted after the blunder with the silent energy rifles incident. King Ivar thereafter appointed one of his vassals to directly oversee the development of the business, while Mason ended up as an assistant. You can say that the two of them are in their own civil war for the favor of King Ivar."


    "So that''s how it is¡­" Although Leonardo said this, he was even more confused inside. It seems that Lexus'' n to push House Sylvia down the rift is already seeding, it could be considered as halfplete. However, if the shareholders split into two circles, selling their shares to House Exodia''s representatives¡­ No, something is very much off here.


    The thing is, Leonardo can''t figure out what went wrong.


    "Exactly," Jeffery nodded with a solemn expression, "Which is why I came here to sell you the shares of my House Sylvia. In exchange, all I''m asking for is a spot on the table when you make it to the top of this business warfare."


    Leonardo blinked, "Is this your intention foring here?" The moment Leonardo asked this question, his eyes widened, intention!


    That''s it!


    "Jeff! You''re saying that there are two circles that are growing at the moment, are you absolutely sure that everyone has joined these two circles? Did they sign anything legally binding, or did they simply express their intent to sell but are yet to do anything?"


    Jeffery was confused for a moment, but then he seemingly came to realize something, mumbling in disbelief, "You mean to say¡­ It''s all smoke and mirrors? But why would they do that to House Exodia?¡­"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Just answer me! No¡­ "


    Leonardo stood up, walking back and forth on the spot while holding his chin, mumbling, "Tell me everything about the shareholders and their interactions, interconnections, and if there''s anyone who explicitly expressed their support, ambiguously expressed their support or even those who didn''t express anything from start to end¡­"


    To the side, Wendy watched the scene unfold in a daze, not understanding anything in front of her. As for Aria, she rolled her eyes, "Seems like his CEO''s upational disease is taking over."


    "CEO? What''s that?" Wendy asked, intrigued by the weird-sounding disease, "Is it serious?"


    Aria looked up at this woman, mumbling silently to herself without responding, "You truly remind me of that brat Miko sometimes¡­"


    Then, she stretched and left the lobby, not nning to give herself a headache by listening to this conversation.


    ¡­


    Almost two hourster and during the twilight hours of the night, Leonardo finally returned to his bedroom, feeling quite refreshed with countless thoughts running through his head.


    If it weren''t for Jeffery''s sudden visit, he might have made yet another grave miscalction. If he guessed it right, Lexus isn''t nning to use Mason to throw off House Sylvia but to overthrow the entire governance of the three ruling powers all together.


    This might be a prelude to the biggest rebellion in Arcadian history.


    The moment Leonardo closed the door behind him, a dense odor of sweat and feminine secretions assaulted him, followed by a tall, bonelessly soft body that was radiating intense heat.


    Juvia directly threw herself into Leonardo''s chest, hugging his waist tightly while trembling, her cunt leaking juices all over the floor even as she stood there, panting heavily.


    "You''re burning hot¡­" Leonardo was dumbfounded, his hands lightlynding on Juvia''s quivering buttocks that were scarlet red and smeared in sweat.


    Ah~


    "I can''t... Can''t wait anymore..."


    Juvia trembled to the touch, her eyes practically begging for affection, too weak to barely speak coherently. Thus, she jumped and wrapped her thick thighs over Leonardo''s torso after shing open his robes, throwing her head back in ecstasy the moment she felt her insides pierced through by Leonardo who tacitly coordinated with her initiative.


    Then, the overly energetic couple began their entanglement of passion, scoring Leonardo another sleepless night that went to show the craziness of an elf in heat¡­

 Chapter 140 Repairing His Foundation

    ?When the next morning arrived, Leonardo left the inn by his lonesome and aimlessly went around Valdmor before arriving at the main building of Te''s. This was their headquarters and the building where Ingrid would usually spend her off-work hours in a personal courtyard. Furthermore, this is also a checkpoint leading to Ingrid''s underground cultivation chamber, Leonardo''s current destination.


    Middle-aged Rosamond greeted Leonardo by the entrance with a polite smile before leading him through the various halls in the building, ultimately escorting him down a long spiral staircase underground to a fairly massive, isted cultivation room. Then, he handed Leonardo a spatial ring that remained in Ingrid''s custody sincest night.


    "The Chairman hopes that this is enough essence energy crystals for you to spend for the next few months, gathering energy crystals in the middle realms is already difficult enough, let alone high-grade essence energy crystals."


    "Many thanks," Leonardo responded with a t smile. In front of these subordinates at least, he needed to show some gratitude and respect to Ingrid, although she was one of his future Six Twilight Servants.


    ¡­


    Inside the spacious cultivation chamber isted from the outside world within folds of formations, Leonardo sighed softly and poured his spiritual energy into the spatial ring before releasing the entirety of its contents. Waves of medium to high-grade essence energy crystals immediately filled the room from floor to ceiling, with the exception of a small space where Leonardo sat down lotus-style.


    ording to the notes left behind by the ck silhouette, Leonardo began to put together a general idea about the cultivation civilization. For example, the reason as to why the universalnguage in this region of the multiverse and the ster worlds under the jurisdiction of the Interster Supreme Court is the divine tongue has to do with the fact that their cultivation scriptures are fragmented inheritances written in the divine tongue.


    These inheritances stretch back to who knew how many years. They were fragmented, lost, found, and recycled who knew how many times across this long river of history?


    Without a doubt, if someone powerful enough and had the time to take on this thankless task to track down the origins of these cultivation scriptures that could be considered the ancestors of the countless techniques nowadays, their origins would undoubtedly link to the God Throne. At the very least, a few scriptures lost from some branch families might have spread across the myriad nes.


    This is why after the ck silhouette revised the Fourth Dimension Immortal Scripture, keeping its fundamental principles while reengineering the technique to amodate the Infernal Race''s innate talents instead of the God Race''s innate talents wasn''t particrly difficult.


    Leonardo closed his eyes and began to chant the familiar yet unfamiliar scripture that was no longer chanted in the divine tongue but the infernal tonnage, no longer an immortal-grade technique but something greater, something beyond his currentprehension.


    He could only rank it as an inheritance grade.


    A King''s inheritance.


    If he wanted to be punctual, he wouldbel it as a throne-grade cultivation scripture.


    ¡­


    Inside Leonardo''s body and sea of consciousness, these illusive chants that began to rumble between heaven and earth started circting and resonating throughout his cells, one after the other, ultimately connecting with his soul pearl that began to correspondingly revolve while maintaining stationery, its surface already a splitting image of Leonardo''s ck cells.


    Dull gray specks of light, boiling rivers of blood, streaking ink-ck lightning, all chaotically yet inexplicably contained within a dense cloud of abyss-like darkness.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo knew that the uneven proportions of the manifestation of each martial intent respectively indicated at his unstable foundation, irregr distribution of energy, and an excessive concentration ofwprehension or theck thereof from one intent to the next.


    Because his level was still so low it was actually insignificant in the eyes of the silhouette, he couldplement the gaps in Leonardo''s understanding ofw as long as thesews had yet to merge with his body.


    The realm of Rebirth is aplicated realm where only those whoprehend martial intents on the level of aw could reach, but it also represented a founding principle, a building block in one''s cultivation path that once achieved, it is impossible to mend, adjust, or even fix during instances of ws.


    However, the only thing the silhouette could help Leonardo with was to impart the wisdom of thew, and invest whatever energy it had into awakening the thunderforce intent to a point where it wouldn''t bring Leonardo down a spiraling path towards irrecoverable damage.


    As for the deficiency in energy distribution, this was something Leonardo had to find a solution for on his own, as well as the future expenditures to carry out his cultivation in a manner satisfactory to his four martial intents and their respective domains.


    Leonardo knew that this wasn''t a simple mathematical equation of fourfold the resources cultivators on his level required. However, on the flip side, the increase in his strength wouldn''t be as simple as merely fourfold the power either. Hence, he couldfort himself with a bit of sce in this predicament.


    As the chanting grew obscure and illusive, Leonardo''s body began to heat up as his millions of cells, much like the soul pearl, began to spin like a revolving star, their speed so fast they began to contract and their surface disyed signs of cracking, each cell starting to generate an invisible gravitational-like force field that blocked them from merging, while this sh began to produce rapid friction, increasing the temperature of Leonardo''s body.


    As his pores opened up, a burst of pressure eclipsed the entire cultivation chamber, squandering the countless essence energy crystals into pure rivers of energy that crashed down on Leonardo''s body.


    His body was akin to a vortex that suddenly erupted within a deep ocean floor, his revolving cells and soul pearl sucking this energy like a whale swallowing an entire ocean.


    Afortable warmth enveloped Leonardo''s body and mind as his millions of cells and soul pearl linked together into the image of a profound diagram, and once this cycle waspleted, a muffled bang shook Leonardo''s body and mind as the millions of cells and his soul pearl imploded simultaneously. However, the Infernal chants didn''t stop, nor did the influx of energy, as his once solitary cells and the soul pearl that were already encased within an invisible force field split like the birth of a world following the destruction of a star.


    Within the mist, a particrly sparkling pitch-ck, solid sphere was crazily revolving while absorbing energy. Around this ck sphere were three neb-like clusters of three colors; white, red, and an electric ck.


    These neb-like gaseous clusters gave Leonardo the sensation of the deste, bloodthirsty, and thunderforce domains respectively. The conflict between the external pre-generated force field and the fledgling internal forces field that began to take form around the ck sphere began to pressure the three neb-like clusters,pressing them into dense spherical shapes that began to inadvertently orbit the solid sphere.


    This didn''t happen only with Leonardo''s soul pearl, but this process simultaneously took ce with each and every cell within his body.


    As more energy flowed through his pores, these spherical clusters that were of varying sizes, irregr velocities, and imbnced rotation speeds in their respective orbits began to mysteriously synchronize, discharge, convert, and transfer energy to their neighbors until they began an identical trinity orbiting the proportionallyrger sphere.


    This marvelous phenomenon happened under Leonardo''s careful scrutiny, leaving him gasping for breath in awe, but also shocked to realize that he didn''t only squander every bit of his cultivation resources, but his cultivation base had actually dropped from level 61 to level 51, disying just how gravely damaged was his foundation and the irresponsible distribution of energy between his four martial domains...

 Chapter 141 Incomprehensible

    ?When the final cell''s transformation finished, a mysterious diagram took form within his body and mind, and a formless pressure exploded from the depths of his being, sting his white robes to bits much like the brittle dry crystals all around, ttening them into something iparable to dust and sand.


    As his long silver hair fluttered about, an absolute domain of abyssal coldness, bloodlust, destion, and streaks of ck lightning that seemed to swim in between the fabric of space-time like a roving dragon descended on the cultivation chamber.


    Leonardo slowly opened his eyes to reveal pitch-ck midnight darkness without a hint of warmth, it was the darkness within darkness. In that darkness, there wasn''t even a hint of a pupil, let alone an iris. However, there seemed to be three shallow spheres revolving in a circr pattern around the area where a pupil should have existed.


    A few secondster, Leonardo''s eyes began to ooze out ck blood, forcing him to close them tightly as the pressure of the absolute domain faded as though it was an illusion.


    "As expected, it isn''t as simple of a matter as a fourfold increase¡­" Leonardo whispered to himself as his chaotically gradually calmed down, descending to cascade his back like a gentle river¡­


    ¡­


    After a moment ofposing himself, Leonardo sighed.


    Looking around at the brittle powder that was the only indication of the fact that an ocean of essence energy crystals ever existed, his expression was extremely bitter.


    "This is even the reason why I should get my hands on that energy ore mine."


    A sinister smile crept on Leonardo''s face, "Anyway, since it was you guys who started ying foul first, don''t me me for being ruthless. However, I need to get used to the sudden drop in my cultivation, especially since it happened so abruptly that I didn''t even have the chance to consolidate my control over the previous realm before it dropped."


    Thinking that he had plenty of time to toy Lexus and his House Erudite to death in the following months, Leonardo wasn''t in any more of a rush.


    For the following three days and three nights, countless explosions and rumbling resounded from the closed-off cultivation chamber. Then, Leonardo left the room with a satisfied t smile, dressed in a long white coat embroidered in ck and gold, underneath it a tight white vest and smooth leather pants.


    After ascending through a spiraling staircase, he gave the stretch of darkness behind him a look before he flung his coat and went to look for Ingrid in her private courtyard.


    ¡­


    Ingrid''s hazel green eyes shed with a bit of doubt and concern, quickly ced down her brush that was wet in paint.


    "Your cultivation seems to have dropped considerably, what happened?" Thest time they met, Leonardo''s cultivation was at level 61, but now it dropped dramatically to level 51, confusing and rming her.


    Leonardo waved the matter off with a faint smile, "My foundation was actually quite unstable. Hence, fixing it came at this low price, but I would rather pay this bit of cultivation now instead of suffering in the future due to my negligence."


    "Is that so? Then that''s good, my lord," Ingrid let out a sigh of relief, and only now did she remember to bow respectfully before asking, "My agents have already confirmed the moneyundering operations carried secretly by the church, how do you n to counter them?"


    "What do you mean to counter them?" Leonardo gave Ingrid a weird look, approaching this beautiful woman who returned to her seat and was about to paint once again. Gently holding her pointed chin, he shed a sinister smile, "There are too many fish in this sea, and the church is doing a great job at spreading and pulling the. Then, all we have to do is y the role of the sharks."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "We obviously won''t take the money of the poor. While they contribute their faith to Arcadia, gold, and silver to the church, we''ll leave the faith and intercept the gold and silver to ourselves; gods don''t need these material benefits after all."


    After speaking, Leonardo flicked this powerful cultivator who could kill him with a single finger on the forehead, turning around to leave the room, leaving a stunned Ingrid with a pounding heart behind.


    Ingrid wasn''t a little girl and obviously wouldn''t feel flustered over this bit of skinship. However, this kind of a thing, if exposed¡­


    "Let me get this straight¡­ You want my agents to y the role of bandits?" Ingrid snapped out of her daze, softly kneading her forehead with a helpless expression.


    "Tsk tsk," Leonardo clicked his tongue softly, "Putting it like that makes us look like the viins here. Where Ie from, there is that fictional character; Robin Hood. An honest and upright person who steals from the rich to feed the poor, and history recorded his name as a hero of the people."


    "That''s what we are, heroes to the people." Leonardo chuckled, understanding the source of her concerns as he added, "I''ll dispatch Pandora with your people, no one would be able to detect their presence or catch a wind of their movements by then."


    Ingrid watched her lord''s fading back and released a bitter chuckle, curiously pinching her chin as her hazel eyes swirled with a touch of darkness. "Weird, although his cultivation obviously dropped, he gave off the feeling of bing even sharper and stronger than before."


    ¡­


    Leonardo didn''t want to roam the streets of Valdmor in such a luxurious getup, but he had no choice since he already ran out of casual clothing like white shirts, and he didn''t feel like asking Ingrid for new clothes either. However, everyone with a bit of power and influence in Valdmor was now aware of whom they could and couldn''t afford to offend.


    Hence, even if Leonardo was now walking around these streets without thepany of that beautiful elf protector or the frightening, petite assassin that their identities were brought up as the former Winter Sold and White Specter, everyone now realized that this harmless young man was precisely the business devil who flipped the entire domain into chaos overnight two years ago.


    This harmless young man who looked neen or twenty years old was precisely the rumored Foreign Prince Leonardo, making everyone from small gangs to big families entrenched in Valdmor to shudder while anticipating the inevitable chaos toe.


    Although they were oblivious to the undercurrents of the Human Domain and Elven Domain that were currently concentrated toward the Forbidden Domain, these local snakes have already developed an inhuman intuition that allowed them to smell the smoke gunpowder behind the curtains of mystery. Thus, Valdmor was already undergoing some subtle yet silent changes, and these minor changes were now itched deep within Leonardo''s observations as he aimlessly wandered around Valdmor for half a day.


    Then, he made a silent detour back to the inn situated in the outer regions of this ancient town, his behavior iprehensible to the onlookers from the shadows.


    Nheless, whether he had any hidden agenda or he was simply stretching his feet, only a few people could guess, and even fewer people cared. However, for those who didn''t care, Jeffery was definitely one of them, as his spirited and confident self entered a secret gathering between the energy ore mine shareholders, dropping one piece of bombshell information to them.


    House Sylvia sold their shares to House Grace''s Leonardo.


    That news instantly set the calm undercurrent into yet another bout of restless disorder, the most prominent and logical conclusion in these calcting minds was that House Sylvia and Te''s were using Leonardo as a bridge to establish rtions between the two behemoths.


    Those who didn''t know some things were confused, but those who did know were even more confused, feeling a wave of invisible pressure descending on the Forbidden Domain.

 Chapter 142 Nier’s Distress

    ?On that same night, Pandora left Valdmor unnoticed.


    On the following morning, Jeffery visited the inn and apanied Leonardo and Juvia into the inner regions of Valdmor.


    Back inside the inn, on the balcony, Wendy and Aria watched the group of three departing.


    "Something about him changed," Aria narrowed her eyes, talking to Wendy''s co-soul, as she knew that the true Wendy wouldn''t stand next to her so casually.


    As expected, Wendy''s brows locked together as she responded, "He should have switched his cultivation techniques. Still, he seems to have be more urgent for some reason, he''s not nning to spend aplete five years on Arcadia."


    Aria''s eyes shed. As expected, she thought to herself that the moment he learned of his true origins, he would conclude that House Hestia is too little of an existence to help him, or that he didn''t need help, to begin with.


    The only moral shackles keeping him bound to his agreement with Nier was the condition to find a cure for his mother, but that agreement is now invalid. However, he''s not acting as though he would abandon House Hestia altogether, which should be a good thing.


    Still, she began to ponder whether or not she should reveal some matters about herself, Nier, and his daughter before it was toote. After thinking about it for a while, she decided to simply consult her daughter and act based on that girl''s wishes.


    "Did he tell you something?" Aria suddenly asked Wendy, her eyes gleaming curiously.


    Wendy shook her head, then nodded slightly, then shook her head again with a sigh.


    "He mentioned something about making preparations and arranging for me to give something to the youngdy of House Hestia when we leave, he has a feeling that he wouldn''t be able to meet with her. As for the reason, I don''t know, he didn''t say anything."


    "Is that so?" Aria''s eyes shed with worry, could it be that bad? Although Leonardo didn''t mention anything about his true origins to anyone after epting the inheritance, he simply didn''t wish to involve them with the karma.


    The less they knew, the better. In case they did know, their fates would be intertwined with the existences of such dense karma, it wouldn''t be an impossibility for them to run into unfathomable powerhouses on a random stroll through the universe beyond the world barrier.


    The lower realms are a cluster of gxies ass cannot survive independently, the middle realms aren''t that dependent on gxies as they are somewhat self-sufficient, and the higher realms are a bleak empty void of intelligent life forms, rarely is there a or a gxy as those have long been extinct under the relentless hunting from divinities.


    The world barrier separates these three realms while simultaneously providing an environment to ward against the harmful energies of the universe, energies that are lingering shockwaves from powerful creatures that created chaotic storms and regions of death, and the world barrier serves as both ayer of protection and an indication of ownership.


    It functions as a mark of some sort, each cluster of realms within a world barrier is the territory of a powerful existence or a powerful organization that is best left unprovoked. In a sense, it could be considered someone''s backyard, pastor per se.


    If the owner of this backyard wanted him dead or alive, not even the strongest house within this ster world would be of any help, let alone a house that is facing decline.


    Of course, Aria didn''t know how grave Leonardo''s situation is or that he was not worried about a distant enemy but the current Interster Supreme Court. Thus, after a moment of brief silence, this little silver fox disappeared while leaving her ethereal voice behind.


    "Look after the kids, I need to arrange for some matters as well."


    ¡­


    The same scarlet sky and crimson earth, viscous rivers and high mountains, and at the center of it all a pool of dense blood that housed two naked figures.


    A petite young woman with long ck hair, crimson red eyes akin to lustrous rubies, and a skin riddled with scars.


    In her arms was an infant a few months shy of two years old, currently embracing a breast as big as its head if not bigger, feasting on the nutrients provided by her mother while her sparkling ck eyes looked up curiously.<novelnext></novelnext>


    That lifeless look with a spark of curiosity that oftentimes shed dull gray yet oftentimes shed bright crimson intrigued Nier. Of course, she never thought that her daughter had not two, but three innate martial intents, she merely assumed that the ck eyes were normal ordinary eyes.


    Thus, she was ecstatic at her daughter''s talent, actually grasping two innate martial intents while she was still an infant.


    Floating around them on the surface of the pool were portraits of a young man with short silver hair, pitch-ck eyes reminiscent of a depthless void, and a sharp handsome face almost crafted with perfection in mind.


    This was a beautiful silent image that was suddenly disturbed by a ripple in space, a tall woman in a crimson red pce dress walked in, her expression serious.


    However, when she saw the little baby with stalks of ck and white hair growing on her head, this woman''s face softened. However, when she saw the alternating ck, white, and crimson in those babies'' eyes, she couldn''t help but grow serious once more.


    "Mother, what is it?" Nier seemed to have noticed something off, she hurriedly asked with a frown.


    "I have something to tell you, something that is both good and bad¡­"


    As Rosaline didn''t know what Leonardo nned for the future or how long they had left, she decided to blurt out everything she knew from start to finish.


    Learning that her mother was actually apanying Leonardo in secret under the guise of secluded cultivation, Nier''s expression was very odd, caught betweenu and tears.


    However, when her mother exined that it was an anomaly for a mere mortal to impregnate a divinity, to begin with, Nier finally realized why she was absolutely shocked back then, but the pregnancy was such a serious matter to a woman of House Hestia that she didn''t even think too much about it back then, deciding to shelve it away in her mind.


    Almost an entire dayter did Rosaline finish exining everything to her daughter, particrly emphasizing on the matters regarding Eternus, and the consequences of investigating a neswalker, the conspiracy behind the fake Immoral Kingdoms, the realm of Rebirth, and the vast world.


    Although Nier was fascinated at first, when she learned that Leonardo was going to leave and possibly without even knowing her name, let alone seeing her, she felt infuriated and somewhat agonized.


    "He''s already my man! How can he act like I''m not already involved with his matters?!" Nier hissed, identally disturbing the peacefully feeding Aria who broke into a fit of crying.


    "Oh no," Nier''s expression changed, quick to appease her daughter.


    "It''s precisely because he wants good for you that he made this choice. Moreover, he is stuck with the mindset that the interaction between you two was nothing more than a business agreement; each one will help the other. However, now that you can''t possibly help him, but instead will be put in more danger, why should he take this risk?"


    Rosaline sighed while watching Nier doing her best to calm the baby down. Then, the more she watched, her brows furrowed before her heart shook.


    That''s it!


    "Daughter, I have an idea¡­"


    With an enchanting smile, Rosaline approaches her uncharacteristically anxious daughter. However, Rosaline knew that it couldn''t be helped as the women of House Hestia can take only one man their entire lives as a father to their children.


    No matter how many rtionships they have, if one of them marked the woman''s womb, it would instinctively reject the seeds of any other man; this was originally a mechanism in the bloodline to guarantee its purity one generation after the other.


    The distressed Nier was angry and jealous of her mother, but she knew that if it wasn''t for her mother secretly following Leonardo, she might not even get the chance to learn of his secret ns, let alone have the opportunity of stopping them.


    Even if they couldn''t stop or change his mind, there were other methods, and Rosaline seemed toe up with one.

 Chapter 143 Behind The Door

    ?"This is the same room we''ve held our meetings in for the past two years. However, I can''t help but feel like today''s room is very¡­ Different."


    "That man is attending the meeting today, of course, it will be different. I heard that he stirred up things in the Forbidden Domain, then the Human Domain, then the Elven Domain.Actually, the only ce free from his troubles is the Beastkin Domain, but that ce has always stayed out of trouble."


    "Doesn''t matter what trouble he stirred up, this is the world of business and not a world of martial power. Although Te''s are formidable, their influence is very shallow the further you are from the Forbidden Domain. As for House Sylvia? Tsk! The ruling powers can''t directly invest in thispetition lest they forfeit their rights to the Sovereign Ascension, putting them in the same prickle spot as us from the vassal kingdoms."


    "Exactly! Moreover, if my house obtains the winning lot of thisnd, I will directly migrate my people and shed away my status as a vassal, bing the lord of my own fiefdom, my own feudal territory, my own realm; I will also be king."


    "You mean the lord of your house will be king, you''re just a financial advisor."


    "I mean a king of my own financial empire! Stop acting dull and slow on purpose!"


    "Hahaha!"


    As more people young and old filed into the room, they gradually grew lively to the point where it almost seemed that they were no longer concerned about whether or not Leonardo would attend the meeting on this day.


    Little did they know that Leonardo was already here, sitting in a rather inconspicuous corner of the room, Jeffery seated across from him on a square table, and Juvia standing respectfully behind Leonardo while watching the scene unfold with interest.


    "People love talking behind someone''s back, but what I love most is standing right behind their backs instead, albeit silently¡­" As Leonardo spoke, he moved a chess piece on the table.


    However, there was no chess board, but a world map of the Human Domain and a sheet of paper with line after line of coordinates and diagrams of an hourss, each depicting a different time of the day.


    Jeffery was sweating profusely while seated, looking at the map that depicted numerous trade routes throughout the Human Domain, and Leonardo''s left hand that was holding a pin, intermittently recording down specific coordinates the moment hismunication bracelet shed, then proceeding with this ghost game of chess against a seemingly invisible opponent.


    However, Jeffery wasn''t an idiot and he could tell that all of these trade routes were connected to the Arcadian Church in one way or another, he simply didn''t understand why Leonardo would make ns involving a transcendental power dealing with faith and religious doctrine.


    Even more frightening was that their party of three entered through the main gate but it seemed that no one was the wiser as to their presence in this room. Many questions bombarded this fat middle-aged man''s head, but he found no answer to them.


    Crash!


    At this moment, a wine ss dropped to the ground, shattering to bits as one particrly lively, animated man in a business suit turned pale with fright, his finger pointing rigidly at Leonardo who was seated in the corner of the room.


    "Y-you¡­ When did you arrive?!" The man seemed to yell out, his shrill scream attracting everyone''s attention.


    Woosh!


    The sound of everyone immediately turning their heads, especially with the fluttering of their robes was quite dramatic. Leonardo''s eyes widened in absurd shock from the effect before chuckling lightly.


    "You all seemed quite entranced in talking behind my back, so I thought I might as well not disturb the celebratory atmosphere. Haha."


    Although Leonardo wasughing and smiling, his eyes were miles away from joy or happiness. At this moment, Juvia opened her eyes, her absolute domain of death enveloping everyone in this small room for but a split second, but that split second brought everyone to the face of death and back to the gates of life, drenching them in sweat.


    "Sir Leonard must be joking, haha¡­" An amiable old man stepped forward, a smile that was not a smile on his face as he tried to smooth things over.


    "Oh? Weren''t you guys discussing how this isn''t a battle of martial might? Should we put that theory to the test?" Leonardo looked at this old man who was definitely on the list of Lexus'' people, his expression suddenly brightening with a very sincere smile.


    The old manughed dryly, feeling awkward.


    They nned to kick both House Sylvia and Leonardo from this contest, but they never expected for Te''s to be dragged into the fray, and behind this madman nheless.


    "This old bag of bones can''t do that, Sir Leonardo¡­ Maybe back in my day when I was very energetic. Haha." The old man waved it off with a bitter smile.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Sigh¡­


    "What a pity. Hmm, how about a game of chess instead? Anyone who can beat me in this game of chess, I''ll act as though I heard and saw nothing, how about that?" Leon looked at the crowd with a faint smile.


    Juvia''s eyes shed withprehension, no wonder! He wants to fish out Lexus'' secret agents with this method!


    Juvia''s eyes had a touch of worship in them as she stared at Leonardo''s back, feeling shocked inside.


    "Come,e! Those who finished ying with me will stand on that side of the room, while those who didn''t can line up and wait for their turn. Please, I invite everyone to y, but I can''t allow you guys tomunicate with one another to cheat me in the game so some preventative measures are inevitable¡­" Leonardo chuckled, asking Juvia to erect three separate istion barriers for the game, the yers yet to y, and those who finished the game.


    Of course, everyone understood a different message from the barriers; their lives were now in Leonardo''s hands, and they had no choice but to y.


    Juvia understood Leonardo''s method now. Those who werepletely oblivious to the moneyundering will show a reaction not that far off from Jeffery''s astonishment and bewilderment. However, since Jeffery was aware of the friction between Lexus and Leonardo, he wouldn''t give the matter too much thought.


    The other guests were different, though.


    Those aware of the deep waters will have some drastically different expressions, and their soul fluctuations will grow rather chaotic out of fear, anxiety, and confusion. That will provide Leonardo with their identities, and he would be able to distinguish between puppets and masterminds.


    Moreover, this will also nt a seed of doubt in their collective hearts, straining their rtionships and secret dealings.


    Thus, Juvia watched with fervent anticipation as the games unfolded¡­


    ¡­


    Most of the guests called in sick or unwell after the game of chess thatsted an entire day, requesting to reschedule the meeting to another day of the week. Although some people were bewildered, some of the sharper businessmen could smell the gunpowder of a fishy conspiracy.


    They thought that Leonardo used the context of a chess game to strike private deals with those people. Although this was quite the wrong assumption, it didn''t necessarily mean that this was something Leonardo didn''t have in mind while organizing this game.


    Still, even Juvia was so focused on the ''substantial truth'' and overlooked the ''virtual truth''.


    Sometimes, when too many people are caught in a web of illusions, these illusions trante to undeniable truth over time.


    "That was beautifully done, master! Are you going to have them assassinated?" Juvia asked while walking with Leonardo back to the inn.


    Leonardo shook his head, "They don''t know that we know what they know, they''ll simply think that the person who yed before them dared sell out the coordinates of a specific trade route since I deliberately manipted the information. That way, if we actually act and kill people, it''ll only ruin the beautiful illusion."


    "I see!" Juvia understood, but she also didn''t fully understand. However, she would silently review the contents of the meetingter in her room to understand on her own rather than having Leonardo spoon-feed her the answers.


    They quickly arrived at the inn. Suddenly, Leonardo''s heart began to beat inexplicably, confusing him as he looked in the direction of a specific room.


    "You can go ahead first," Leonardo spoke to the confused Juvia before making his way upstairs, finding Aria standing next to a closed door with a knowing smile in her eyes.


    "What if I told you that I''m also from House Hestia, and that young woman you''ve met is my daughter¡­" Aria''s voice was soft, her words seemingly simple and to the point. However, these words left Leonardo''s heart beating wildly.


    Aria continued, "There is too much to say, but I guess what you need to understand most right now is that my daughter already considers you her only man in this life, and the answer as to why lies behind this door."


    After she finished talking, the little silver fox faded, a soft voice resounding from behind the door a momentter¡­


    "Will youe in and take a look?"

 Chapter 144 Bold Alterations

    ?Will youe in?


    Four words that didn''t seem one bit difficult, one question, and one wooden door that didn''t look more ordinary than usual, suddenly felt like a great chasm between two worlds for Leonardo.


    Intuition is a very curious thing. Just like how Leonardo could perceive imminent danger whenever he brought out the thought of returning to the higher realms, he could almost foresee that whaty behind that door was a product of his flesh and blood.


    This was something entirely different from his seed with Valeria as Nier had in her body the potential of reaching the Rebirth realm, the potential to fully fertilize his seed and awaken the thinnest traces of his Eternal Night Bloodline.


    He could tell that Valeria''s body wouldn''t have the sufficient energy and nutrients to fertilize even a normal life, let alone awaken the bloodline within his genes. Hence, her pregnancy would most likelyst from one to three years, and during this period, the World Tree in the Forest of Eternal Spring would focus on nurturing the seed, modifying the lifeform within Valeria into the perfect body of an Elf High Lord.


    In a sense, Leonardo was but a source for the foundation, Valeria functioned as a vessel¡ª a carrier, and the World Tree would do the rest. At most, however, the child''s potential would be limited to divinity, and his fate would end as an Arcadian Elf Sovereign in the future.


    His seed with Nier represented something else entirely.


    Although the trace of his bloodline was unbearably thin, it was still there and he could feel it, hence his current uncharacteristic reaction. Leonardo took a deep breath, a bitter smile on his lips as he muttered to himself.


    "Whatever¡­ Since there''s no going back, I might as well just go big."


    If there was anything about Leonardo, then just like when helping Wendy and her people; if he decided to do something then he wouldn''t just do it, he would go with an explosion.


    Thus, afterposing himself, he pushed the door open.


    ¡­


    Baby Aria suddenly found herself in a world unfamiliar.


    There was no scarlet sky or crimsonnds, not even the endless red rivers pouring into depthless bloody seas.


    Moreover, she could feel that this new environment was very bad and filthypared to the ce she was in.


    Moreover, and most importantly, she couldn''t sense her Mama anywhere close. Just as she was about to freak out and cry, her round eyesnded on that ordinary wooden door, stupefied.


    A baby''s intuition was always frightening, and just like Leonardo, she could tell that someone very important in her life was standing behind that door.


    Someone as important as Mama if not more. Thus, baby Aria who was on the verge of snapping into tears suddenly went quiet, and this change in mentality was of course noticed by mature Aria to the side.


    However, at this moment, Aria''s mind was upied with something else.


    What should she say when he inquires about this baby''s name? This powerful Immortal in her own rights felt flustered and embarrassed, she didn''t even mention to her daughter that she apanied Leonardo with the alias Aria, how would she tell this man?


    Click!


    At this moment though, the door opened.


    Mature Aria''s heart jumped.


    Baby Aria''s heart jumped.


    Leonardo''s heart, however, went absolutely calm as he met eyes with a pair of round and curious beads.<novelnext></novelnext>


    A faint smile graced his handsome, once indifferent face as he slowly entered the room, the wooden door silently closing behind him.


    There was no cheering, no excessive excitement, and no words shared between father and daughter. In fact, the entire scene seemed so anticlimactic it looked absurd in Aria''s eyes.


    Although there was a touch of warmth in Leonardo''s pitch-ck eyes, they maintained that stone-like lifeless expression for the most of it. However, in baby Aria''s worlview, that hint of warmth in the endless darkness was all that mattered, it was the focal point of her attraction and focus.


    Leonardo took a deep breath, closing his eyes to withold ayer of mist from transitioning into a mosit teardrop.


    His hands clenched.


    Leonardo approached the crimson cradle, picking up the baby wrapped in crimson robes with both her and that woman''s scent intertwined. That scent was like a soft pebble that rocked the calmke in his heart, a fragrance that seemed to carry some message of domineering longing and determination.


    It was this scent that had him recall something he overlooked for the longest time now, even though it was right before his eyes.


    It was the fact that he had inherited the bloodthirsty martial intent, which reflected the fact that on that night, that woman was also a virgin much like himself.


    That night, this daughter, and this scent seemed to trante into a promise of devotion that transcended space-time, a bond that wouldn''t be broken by the mere weight of a King''s karma. However, that was only if this mother-and-daughter pair had enough power at their disposal, and the sufficient time to nurture that power.


    "It is inevitable¡­"


    Leonardo whispered these words as he carried the baby, who instinctively reached out to touch his face all over as though to imprint this face into her heart and soul, her round eyes ever so curious.


    Then, her eyelids grew heavier by the second until she fell asleep.


    Leonardo rested the baby back in her cradle, his actions confusing Aria.


    "This baby¡­"


    "It''s unnecessary, don''t tell me her name, and don''t tell me your daughter''s name either. This ne''s level is too low, and the lines of destiny aren''t sturdy enough to handle my karma, hence House Hestia''s destiny should be in quite a disorder right now. This could be considered both good and bad; think of it like walking on a tightrope where one side his heaven and the other side hell."


    These words might sound confusing to some people, but Aria instantly linked them to the words spoken by that Fortunate Immortal. When she went back to the higher realms this time, she learned the shocking news of that person''s death and the withering of the Immortal Kingdom, the sudden event taking the higher realms in a storm of shock, followed by a storm of blood for that Kingdom Essence.


    If she didn''t know the truth behind the Kingdom Essence, then perhaps House Hestia would have been involved too. However, this is also good, now everyone will truly believe she was at a critical point of her seclusion.


    "This will at least buy you and your mother enough time to grow up, I will divert those people''s attention in the meantime," Leonardo spoke to this sleeping child, closing his eyes to tap into the endless ck sea that he now assumed to be his bloodline condensed into his sea of consciousness, somewhere no one could sense or probe.


    Then, two streams of dense ck blood poured out from his eye sockets, condensing into two drops of blood. Then, Leonardo lifted the baby''s eyelids, allowingthese drops to enter her eyes, the window to the soul.


    He also nned to conceal this bloodline along with the cultivation scripture he had just learned into her sea of consciousness, and it would periodically transform her body, awakening, and guiding her cultivation in the future.


    With his expression turning a bit pale, he sighed.


    "I guess this means that you can freelye and go from here to the higher realms?" Leonardo asked this question, his expression resolute. If this was the case, then some bold alterations to his ns could be made.


    "Indeed I can," Aria responded with a nod,zily lying down on the sofa to the side. She sighed, "I wanted to send you and my daughter into the Interster Supreme Institution''s Holy Lands of cultivation.."


    On that night, Leonardo and Aria discussed many, many things.

 Chapter 145 Interception

    ?"Nya~ I''m sleepy..." Near the high border walls of a massive border fortress, on the t peak of a high hill, a group of three ck-d women that were a mix of humans, elves, and beastkin gathered.


    At this moment, a crouching beastkin young woman with long fluffy ears was crouching on the edge of this hill, her golden iris misted over with haze as she yawned, revealing a set of razor-sharp white teeth. As she yawned, her hands that were akin to paws clenched, long grooves marring the ground in the wake of her silver ws, sparkling sparks and screeching noise emitted faintly.


    "You don''t want to mess up this operation, you better shape up!" An elf with long braided golden hair spoke up, her emerald green eyes scanning the fortress ahead. Then, her brows creased, "However, can we really cross the borders unnoticed? The security around feudal provinces is even tighter than national borders because you never know when a feudal lord feels like rebelling."


    "What are you scared of? We havedy White Specter on our side, Chairman said that not even ordinary High Saints could notice her presence, and even a respected Sovereign would have to focus their senses deliberately if they wanted to perceive her urate location."


    The human woman in the group added. However, even she could barely believe her own words.


    "Nya~ That''s because you guys never rely on your innate senses! With my hearing and sense of smell, what white specter? Not even an invisible specter can assassinate me... Nya, why are you looking at me like that?" While she was talking, this beastkin woman suddenly noticed how odd the expressions of her twopanions were, as though they were looking at a ghost.


    No...


    More like, they were looking at both an idiot and a ghost.


    Seemingly sensing something from their nce, she swallowed nervously as she turned around, her long fluffy ears fluttering with unease. As expected, the moment she turned around, a cold, solid, cylindrical muzzle tapped lightly against her t forehead.


    The down sight of this long muzzle was a white energy rifle held in the arm of a white-clothed petite woman with long silver hair and a pair of tranquil silver eyes. There was a faint, glow-like halo on her body that made her seem both real and fake.


    Then, this beastkin woman saw Pandora''s finger moving silently, pulling at the trigger of this energy rifle. In sequence, a white sphere of energy began to condense in the depths of the long barrel, seemingly on the verge of eruption.


    Cold sweat began to bead down this woman''s t forehead, her smile growing stiff and awkward.


    "If you''re still feeling sleepy, I can send you off."


    When these words sounded from the face of such a woman with a small build, innocent round face, and tranquil calm eyes, no one would associate it with killing. In fact, not even a hint of her killing intent, or any intent for better or worse could be sensed.


    Of course, Pandora had the best training partner to aplish this finite control over her psychological brainwaves, and that was obviously Leona with her frightening innate ability to pick up someone''s intent from their psychological fluctuations, these minute signals transmitted between the heart and mind before tranting into pure thoughts, and by extension, an intent.


    "I''m not sleepy anymore, nya! Hehe..." This yful woman chuckled awkwardly, her ears twitching in fright. Then, Pandora smiled faintly and lowered her energy rifle, the stifling atmosphere fading away with her smile.


    "Your attitude reminds me of a certain little fox. Only¡­ That fox has the qualifications to actzy whenever and wherever she wishes because she has the strength to do so. As for you little girls, life could be as long as a few dozen years or as short as the blink of an eye, it''ll all rest on your attitude."


    Pandora thought back to Aria and how she would always sleep around, either on Leonardo''s shoulders or Kieran''s head. She couldn''t help but sigh, thinking it truly must feel boring to be seated at the top, the boredom slowly whittling away your vignce and most basicbat habits.


    Pandora then looked over at the three girls and nodded her head, "At least you''re all saints, even if it''s only the first cycle. Follow me."


    The three girls were still digesting Pandora''s earlier words about how a life could be as long as a feeling decades or as short as the blink of an eye; this was a lesson taught to her through Mordred''s death in a moment of carelessness.


    Oftentimes, people would inadvertently rx after a great battle, much like how a calm and peaceful environment would lull them into a state of rxation.


    That would be the perfect opportunity for an assassin to strike.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Then, the party of three noticed that Pandora turned around and began walking into the air, heading directly toward the skies of the border fortress.


    Although shocked, the three girls quickly rushed into the sky, crying out for this White Specter assassin. Although worried and skeptical, their clear-cut orders were to fully cooperate, and they were also curious about how good were those godlike concealment abilities.


    "Unbelievable¡­" This was the thought in their minds as they flew directly over the border fortress.


    "Lady White Specter, can you really conceal yourself from the perception of a High Saint too?" The beastkin girl asked curiously.


    "Zofia!" The human girl jumped in fright, who would ask a powerful cultivator about their secrets so openly?


    Zofia pursed her lips, pouting thereafter.


    Pandora chuckled, finding this open personality simr to Leona''s, answering with a faint smile, "I infiltrated the Forest of Eternal Spring, poisoned their Eternal Spring Vein and the High Elf Lord. Other than my lord''s subordinates, you''re the only ones under this sky to learn of this."


    The three girls were stunned, immediately thinking back to when the High Elf Lord suddenly fell ill, then the supposed invasion from the other never urred.


    Zofia''s eyes gleamed with curiosity, "Can you go into details? I promise to keep the secret!"


    Pandora of course knew that these girls wouldn''t spill out these secrets as it would have been equivalent to betraying not only Leonardo but also Te''s. Furthermore, even if this matter became public, so what?


    The remaining High Elf Lord''s days could be counted in double-digit numbers.


    "If you girls satisfy me on this mission, I wouldn''t mind asking my lord for permission to share the information."


    Although the human and the elf girls were berating Zofia a moment earlier, they couldn''t help but feel excited as well. After all, their squad of three is a squad oriented towards things like espionage and assassinations, hence they weren''t so enthusiastic about this ''interception'' operation that was no different from an act of banditry.


    They only reluctantly agreed because of Pandora''s presence.


    Now, they had an even better reward awaiting them.


    Before they knew it, they already walked out through the other end of the border fortress under the eyes of the watchtowers and sentries guarding them. However, with the knowledge that not even the Nine Guardians, High Elf Lord, and the Elf Sovereign could detect this silver-haired woman''s traces, they weren''t so shocked anymore.


    ¡­


    A fleet of carriages with House Erudite''s emblem was traveling down an unpopted trade route between two feudal provinces, their destination a gray area that doesn''t fall under the jurisdiction of any noble house.


    The territories of the Human Domain were delegated into clear ck-and-white areas, the former representing feudalism while thetter representing imperial order. In between this chaos and order were gray areas dominated by the neutral factions, mostly used by the Arcadian Church and House Erudite.


    On this night, the tax and offerings from the two provinces and themon folk within we''re being transferred to the local Arcadian Church to perform a devout Saturday Tribute tomorrow morning¡­

 Chapter 146 Operation Robin Hood

    ?"Why would the Cardinal ask for so much gold and silver for our weekly tributes recently?.."


    "You ask me, but who should I ask?"


    "I thought you had a very good rtionship with the Cardinal?"


    "These are orders passed down from the Pope, and the Pope got these orders from the High Priest, and the High Priest got these orders from someone even more frightening. You tell me, again, who am I supposed to ask?"


    "No way! This much gold and silver could be considered a lot for a mere Cardinal, but now you''re telling me that a respected High Priest requested it? If you don''t want to tell me, then fine!"


    "Naive!"


    The irritated middle-aged man in white priest robes snapped, not bothering to correct his colleague about a simple yet foolish misunderstanding. If the High Priest wanted to pass down orders, would he single out their Arcadian Church out of the hundreds of houses of worship across the Human Domain?!


    Obviously, this bit of gold and silver isn''t much in the eyes of a High Priest, but what if you had ten times, a hundred times, or even a thousand times the amount?


    Let alone a High Priest, that''s enough gold and silver to stone a High Saint to death, metaphorically of course¡­


    This procession of fourteen carriages strapped to the rear of massive magical beasts crossed the silent night in the illumination of the three silver moons. As they were trudging ahead while conversing with one another, they noticed two silhouettes in the distance that were approaching them at a pace that wasn''t fast or slow, but their ck-fittingbat suits and masked faces already gave everyone some sort of a dangerous feeling. Then, they could sense a silently expanding domain¡ª two ovepping domains that locked them down.


    Although the hundred or so people could feel the danger, they weren''t scared.


    One of the carriages that had a sacred touch of elegance and dignity to its structure opened, and a dignified middle-aged woman in white priest robes that were decorated with golden scripture stepped out into the moonlit night, a muslin veil covering her face, revealing a pair of tranquil eyes.


    This woman took one step, crossing the insignificant bit of distance between her position and the front carriage, her delicate figure striking like a tall invisible wall that blocked both domains.


    The air seemed to buzz with the illusion of space twisting, but what was truly being twisted was thebined domain of two interlopers, almost deforming out of shape.


    The hundreds of people who were slightly trembling from the pressure suddenly went silent one after the other, gradually and ultimately, the only sound between heaven and earth was the iprehensible noise of two immaterial forces shing under the influence of mysticalws unknown to man.


    "Who sent you two? Tell me and I''ll make it so your end is a peaceful one."


    This woman''s voice was soft and gentle like running water, her powerful aura slowly merging into the cracks of the other party''s ovepping domain with practiced ease, seemingly intent on trapping them both for a session of interrogation that could be long but could also be short.


    "Do you really wish to know?"


    After finding themselves trapped in the other party''s powerful domain, feeling their bones quacking under the pressure, the elf that goes with the name Olivia finally spoke.


    "Don''t tell her anything!"


    The human girl, Meranda, struggled with difficulty spitting out four words. At this moment, the domainpressed and bound Meranda so tightly she could barely breathe, shock and disbelief filling both her and Olivia''s eyes.


    The corners of the woman''s eyes had the hint of a smile when she noticed the shock in those beautiful eyes. However, when she noticed that their focus wasn''t on her body but behind her, a bad feeling sent shivers down her spine.


    With a whirling sound, she turned around, her jaw cking in shock.


    The hundreds of personnel were still fine. However, that''s precisely what was wrong; she found the people behind her, she found the beasts and carriages, but everything was empty.


    The gold and silver were gone, and hundreds of her people were either seated on their coachmen benches or on the ground, sound asleep. Furious, her body whirled around to detain the captives of her domain¡ª former captives at this point, as both of them were simrly gone.


    The gold, silver, and two saints instantly disappeared on this woman in dignified priest robes, leaving her standing there nkly in a daze.


    Not too far away, Pandora led the three girls who wereughing uncontrobly, their waists bent while struggling to keep up.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Boss, why didn''t you kill that woman?" Zofia asked in a puzzled tone, thinking that leaving behind such a powerful witness was a bad idea.


    "You ask me, but who should I ask?" Pandora responded while crossing miles ahead with each step, the trio running behind her.


    Zofia stared nkly for a moment, quickly understanding that these must have been instructions from above.


    "But this way, the operation would be even harder to aplish as the difficulty snowballs¡­" Olivia swallowed nervously.


    "This is what makes things interesting, right? It''s my lord''s will against the so-called faith. When the people are at their lowest, they need a pir of faith. However, if this pir of faith can''t even protect themselves, let alone the masses."


    Pandora chuckled lightly.


    "You mean¡­ " Meranda probed.


    Although it was a very obvious attempt, Pandora didn''t mind.


    "I mean that the church will most likely keep these matters a secret from the public to maintain the blind faith, allowing them to continue collecting these taxes. However, if people start dying, this matter will be too big of an incident to conceal. Moreover, these people responsible for gathering money are our special goose thaty golden eggs; if they die, who will y the hypocritical priests that collect money from the poor and deliver it to our hands?"


    "We are not roaming the Human Domain with our identities as assassins, but as heroes who steal from the rich to feed the poor! This is Operation Robin Hood!"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    The three girls stared nkly for a moment. Then, they felt a bit of reverence toward Leonardo and his schemes, but they couldn''t help but burst outughing at the final segment of Pandora''s impassioned speech.


    What are ''heroes''?


    What is ''feeding the poor''?


    However, jokes aside, it was truly brilliant.


    The party then arrived at a dpidated building, and on the stone gate of this building were a few lines written in the Ancient Indian numeral values, something Leonardo taught to his immediate subordinates.


    These were coordinates left behind by Lucas, and the three girls were already used to seeing Pandora decoding these secret numbers with awe, wishing that their organization had this type of secret codenguage as well.


    "Wouldn''t leaking this information put your mole in danger? House Erudite would definitely question the suspicious point; how did we get news of the time and trade route coordinates?" Meranda popped a serious question.


    Pandora rolled her eyes, "If even a silly girl like you can think of something like that, how would my lord miss it? He already handled that matter, we only need to ransack as much gold and silver as we can before the first light of dawn."


    When she finished recording the information, Pandora would send the coordinates to Leonardo.


    "Alright girls, we have a very long night ahead of us¡­"


    Pandora sighed, running a horizontal cut along the coded numbers, basically confirming to Lucas who would visitter that this route''s supply was already ransacked.


    Then, the party of four faded silently into the night...


    This was destined to be a sleepless night for far too many people...

 Chapter 147 Promise Me On This Child’s Name

    ?"Don''t you want to go see her in the higher realms?..."


    The morning after Leonardo''s discussed his future ns with Aria, she looked at the sleeping child in his arms before asking gently.


    Leonardo shook his head, "If I''m not mistaken, the realm king already has my aura locked within his perception. The moment I leave the middle realms and enter the higher realms, they will act against me. Hence, the best course of action is to have you escort everyone else directly to House Hestia, while I will ascend on my own."


    "If I didn''t guess wrong, the Interster Supreme Court''s Holy Land for cultivation should be in this ne''s maind. You can press the Interster Supreme Court forpensation after they took me away, perhaps you can use thispensation to deal with those twelve families targeting your house. As for Wendy and Ingrid, I believe that Wendy''s co-soul has the means to make it to the ne''s maind after achieving divinity, so I''m not worried."


    Leonardo already exined that every ne has its core maind, this maind serves as the bridge connecting the multiple universes of the ne, and each universe has thousands of ster worlds; three thousand at minimum.


    Each ster world is a cohesive minor universe with its diverse andplex ecosystem of higher, middle, and lower realms and each of these realms is aplex ecosystem in and of itself.


    For example, the lower realms are further segregated into multiple gxies, each gxy is segregated into multiple star fields, each star field is segregated into multiple roaming celestial bodies, and star systems numbering in the billions.


    This is truly a vast world, and taking everything within it into one''s calctions proves quite the headache.


    "Leo?"


    "Mhm? Oh, I was lost in my own thoughts for a bit."


    "Papa¡­" A soft voice echoed from Leonardo''s chest, causing him to freeze over on the spot.


    Looking down, the baby was holding onto his index finger tightly while mumbling, but she was still asleep. He truly didn''t want to send her back.


    Aria''s eyes were smiling, "You''ve been holding her for like two hours now, aren''t you going to let me send her back?"


    Sigh¡­


    Leonardo reluctantly handed the girl over to Aria''s side, cing her into the cradle. After thinking about it for a moment, he kissed her t forehead with a smile and whispered, "Till next time."


    Then, after taking a deep breath, he stood up and left the room decisively so as to not hold Aria back from leaving.


    ¡­


    Space shuddered as Aria pushed the cradle into a spatial tear with its destination already predetermined.


    ¡­


    On the other end of the spatial tear, Rosaline opened her eyes before extending a hand into the portal, pulling back the cradle.


    Nier''s beating heart suddenly calmed down, having been worried that something would go wrong with the teleportation, regardless of how stable the passage was. The moment she saw her daughter safe and sound, she breathed out lightly before taking her to the chest.


    "What did Leo say?"


    After calming down, Nier''s eyebrows furrowed as she looked at her mother.


    Rosaline pursed her lips, "I get it, you''re jealous. However, I only have that one divine marite, so don''t think about it."


    Nier remained silent for a moment before shaking her head with a sigh, "Why didn''t you bring him with you then? With his potential, the entire probationary period is useless."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Rosaline chuckled wryly, "I did ask him toe, but he said that the Interster Supreme Court''s realm king has already locked onto him, they''re just waiting for him to leave the middle realms before taking action. I wanted to tell him your name, but let alone that, he wasn''t even willing to learn of his daughter''s name."


    She exined the entire karma-rted matter from start to end, eventually concluding with: "He mentioned that he will find out about your name when you two meet on the ne''s maind. Before then, the less he knew, the safer you two will be¡­ Rtively speaking."


    Nierughed out loud, unexpectedly smiling.


    "The irony, I wonder if he''s doing this out of spite for what happened in the Exiled Paradise?"


    The more she thought about it, although she knew that wasn''t the case, she couldn''t help but want tough.


    Although Rosaline didn''t know what exactly happened between them in that ce, she tacitly chose to not ask. Instead, she smoothly changed the subject, "We need to find a way and contact Maria Evernight on Earth, tell her about these developments. I''m afraid she might do something reckless if Leonardo didn''t make it back home after the ten-year promise."


    "Is it that serious?" Nier asked.


    "I don''t even wanna find out," Rosaline sighed. "If he does manage to escape their grasp, they most likely will focus on Earth, I have a feeling this won''t end in a good way if things reach that point. She will most likely ughter her way out of this ster world and hide elsewhere."


    "I''m not saying that she wouldn''t be able to handle the heat, I''m saying she would rather disappear than risk exposing some secrets. Then, there will be a good chance that they''lle after our house." Rosaline''s expression was rather serious as she said, "Which means that Leonardo will allow himself to be captured and tortured for at least a few years to buy us enough time, giving them the illusion that they have him in their grasp."


    Nier''s expression went pale, realization shing in her eyes.


    Rosaline nodded, "He ns to drag out as much time as possible until you make it to the ne''s maind. There, you can at least hide from the Interster Supreme Court''s forces. As for me, you don''t have to worry, I''ll at most stay behind while I send your daughter away with trustworthy people."


    "No!" Nier screamed out, her shout almost startling the baby awake if Rosaline didn''t envelop her in a soundproof barrier. Regardless, Nier''s crimson eyes turned even redder, tears rolling down that wless face.


    "You can''t stay behind all alone. They''ll vent their anger on you, I can''t even imagine what they''ll do." Nier''s body shook, "You can''t! I won''t ept it. Talk to Leo about it, I''m sure he must have a way."


    Rosaline smiled bitterly.


    With the mark of the Kingdom Essence, there is nowhere in this vast universe for her to hide from the Interster Supreme Court. However, she couldn''t tell her daughter that, so she took a deep breath, cupping her daughter''s stained cheeks in her dainty hands.


    "Fine, I''ll discuss it with him when the time is right. Anyway, the worst thing they can do to me is killing me as I wouldn''t allow them to capture me as a hostage. This body of mine is not good to give birth, and I''ll announce to the world that you got pregnant as well, this should lower the immediate attention we''re receiving. Oh right, those pests that dared invade your little, it seems like this seat will have to take a spin around the higher realms to send them another message."


    Nier still shook her head, her voice shaking, "You must promise me. Swear on this child''s name¡ª this child of mine and Leo''s name, that you will discuss this with Leo no matter what. Just don''t sit around waiting to die, I won''t forgive you if that happens."


    "Although I can''t do anything about him deliberately facing torture for the years toe, I can do something about your foolishness."


    Nier''s voice was resolute, albeit shaking.


    It wasn''t easy on Rosaline either. Hence, she bit her tender bottom lip and nodded her head seriously, "I swear on my name and this child''s name that I will exhaust every means and avenue avable to me. At least, till I breathe myst."


    Worst case scenario, she would have to do ''that'' ceremony. Hence, she had no problem making this promise.


    Nier smiled despite her tears, chuckling as she asked, "At least tell me he sent me something with you, else I would truly feel disheartened."


    Rosaline chuckled as well.

 Chapter 148 The Deadline

    ?For the uing week, Leonardo''s schedule was quite steady...


    From the inn to the cultivation chamber to a chat with Ingrid, then he would talk with Jeffery to remind the man to keep put in ce. As expected, the church didn''t dare release information to the public about the constant acts of banditry. Very soon, they would have to exhaust their personal wealth to appease the public by burning gold and silver.


    During the rituals of burning gold and silver, the church must have nned to burn half and maintain half of the overall donations. Even if they kept half, that would be a great ie whenbining the Human and Elven Domains into one entity. However, if they start burning their own money, things would get very problematic on Pandora''s end.


    Whenever there were secret carriages on specific trade routes, Leonardo would openly visit everyone remotely connected to Lexus by aimlessly roaming around Valdmor''s streets. Whenever there weren''t any transactions, Pandora would simply go on a solo mission to ransack the treasury of the church, which would oftentimes hold the collective wealth of the various investors involved with House Erudite.


    ? Pandora would even go out of her way to steal from Great Cathedrals in the seven vassal kingdoms, infuriating House Erudite.


    Everyone knows that under this heaven and above this earth, only one person is capable of aplishing such a thing.


    Leonardo''s subordinate; White Specter.


    However, knowing is only halfway through dealing with the problem. Without conclusive proof and witnesses, this is all but pointless. This stress began to pile up so greatly that some agents in Valdmor began to experience assassinations under the usations of selling information to Leonardo.


    No one could trust nobody, to the point where these businesses wouldn''t even leave their homes. However, that only made it more convenient for Leonardo to pay them ''personal'' visits at home, act as though some secret messages were exchanged, then leave. Gradually, he began to narrow down his targets of visit, which would trante to marking them as targets for the assassination.


    Ultimately, Leonardo gave them each a choice. Of course, he merely hinted towards his intentions; if you sell your shares to me, openly join my camp, no one would dare to target you. Then, he gave them all a time limit by stating that he would focus on cultivation for the uing three days.


    Everyone had the misconception that Leonardo can''t cultivate or disy his power. Hence, even though he was speaking honestly about his secluded cultivation, everyone understood it as a three days deadline, or they might be assassinated for leaking secrets they had no idea they even existed.


    ¡­


    Inside the isted cultivation chamber, Leonardo was patiently juggling a custom-made ser ball on his feet, heels, knees, chest, shoulders, and head.


    Yes, he was practicing his ser skills from his days as a normal teenager, and he was quite enthralled by the process.


    This ser ball was heavy, stic, and most importantly, durable.


    If one paid close attention to the ser ball, one would realize that it had been enveloped by Leonardo''s domain the entire time. Yes, he wasn''t positioning his body as the focal point of the domain, but rather the ser ball.


    Leonardo was in the process of creating his own martial technique as the forms of the moon, sun, stars, and void were already ineffective with his new cultivation technique, the new bnce between the four domains wouldn''t allow it to work.


    Although Leonardo makes for a great swordsman, he knows that the level of sword techniques in this corner of the universe is a waste of his current output potential, especially since this has no immediate danger threatening his life. After sharing all his cultivation techniques with Aria, at least the ones that weren''t exclusive to the Eternal Night Bloodline, he began to consider creating his own unique martial technique just like how he established a foundation for his current cultivation technique with the soul pearl.


    While the ball was in contact with Leonardo''s body, maintaining the domain was rather simple. However, the moment it broke contact with his skin, the domain would immediately dissipate.


    "Daily attempt 3,280; failure. Still, no need to be disheartened, my lord." To the side, Ingrid stood respectfully with a pleasant smile on her face, watching as the sweat-soaked Leonardo breathed heavily, his sweat pouring down that chiseled body, well-defined muscles and bear upper body, eventually puddling on the solid floor.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The excuse was that she was guiding Leonardo with his cultivation, while the truth was much simpler; she was performing a light massage to Leonardo''s muscles after every session to relieve the stress umted throughout his body due to the excessive channeling of his ever-alternating martial intents and their respective domains.


    Leonardo sighed, "The day Iplete this technique is the day I leave this. At a minimum, it could be a few months. At most, it could take a year or two."


    Leonardo knew that what he was trying to do was a very difficult task to aplish. However, that was precisely what made the experience thrilling.


    He approached a violet mat on the floor in the corner of the room, his worldly energy surging to rid his body of the sweat before resting on the mat, his stomach facing down as his arms folded beneath his chin.


    Ingrid chuckled as she approached Leonardo with a towel and a bottle of herbal lotion in her hands, dutifully applying the lotion along his spine before applying some to her hands. Then, after excusing herself, she began to massage this dreary body.


    "Do you have any advice?" Leonardo asked quietly while suppressing a groan of pleasure.


    Ingrid thought deeply and hard, but this was a conundrum she never considered in the past.


    "Could cultivators even manifest their domain beyond their natural body?" She muttered both to Leonardo and herself, while Leonardo also began to question this principle.


    If cultivators could extend their area of influence by the use of their domain, why can''t they conjure a domain that wasn''t directly connected to their bodies?


    While thinking like this, Leonardo felt like the answer was within his grasp yet at the same time it wasn''t, this was truly an annoying feeling.


    "My lord, just rx and let thingse naturally. You''ve been upied with this proxy war with Lexus this entire week, perhaps if you stop thinking about those irrelevant matters and focus solely on cultivation¡­"


    "That''s easy for you to say¡­" Leonardo muttered, his voice suddenly going silent¡ª too silent in fact. Then, he quickly sat up, muttering the word proxy to himself like a fool for a very, very long time.


    "My lord?¡­" Ingrid felt a bit worried that Leonardo might have taxed himself a bit too much.


    Did she say something inappropriate?


    "Ingrid¡­" Leonardo suddenly whispered, his eyes gleaming with a light unknown.


    "Yes, my lord?¡­" Ingrid responded with a not-so-confident tone, her expression odd.


    "You''re a genius!" Leonardo eximed, directly holding Ingrid by her cold cheeks and kissing her forehead. Then, he jumped to his feet, feeling refreshed.


    "You overpraise me, my lord. I have no idea what I said that could help you."


    Ingrid didn''t feel embarrassed as she understood this was simply a young man feeling too enthusiastic after failing about 4,000 times every day for almost an entire week. Of course, he would overreact.

 Chapter 149 The Final Stage

    ?"You''re a genius!" Leonardo eximed, directly holding Ingrid by her cold cheeks and kissing her forehead. Then, he jumped to his feet, feeling refreshed.


    "You overpraise me, my lord. I have no idea what I said that could help you."


    Ingrid didn''t feel embarrassed as she understood this was simply a young man feeling too enthusiastic after failing about 4,000 times every day for almost an entire week. Of course, he would overreact.


    ...


    Leonardoughed, "It''s alright! Actually, I''ve been biting off more than I could chew, that''s what held me back. I would need to at least reach the third cycle of sainthood, and grasp the motion of thews, then I should be able to follow this method and directly conjure my domain outside the focal point of my body. However, until then, the correct method to get ustomed to this process is creating my virtual reality and using that as a proxy for my practice."


    "Virtual reality? Proxy?" Ingrid somewhat understood, but she was still confused.


    "Exactly!" As Leonardo spoke, his deste domain expanded to envelop the room in a dull gray world. Then, Leonardo picked up the ser ball on the bridge of his right foot.


    Then, think ink-ck lightning serpents began to streak through the domain, ovepping with the destion. Under Ingrid''s eyes, the deste domain was firmly rooted in space while the lightning domain began to shrink andpress slowly.


    Leonardo''s eyes were sharp as he needed absolute focus to maintain the equilibrium between the two domains. If this was done between his deste domain and Eternal Night domain, it wouldn''t have gone so smoothly.


    About five minutester, the ser ball had transformed into a dense sphere of lightning on Leonardo''s foot. Then, with a deep breath, he bounced it off the bridge of his foot to start juggling.


    Once¡­


    The lightning didn''t disappear.


    Twice¡­


    Thrice¡­


    Only after the eleventh time, the lightning exploded, blowing up the ser ball into charred bits as Leonardo was flung tightly into a sidewall. However, despite the unsightly injury, Leonardo began tough out loud until he passed out from exhaustion¡­


    ¡­


    Leonardo woke up half a dayter in an artificial hot spring with various supplementary herbs thatpensate for energy exhaustion and counter mental and physical fatigue. He found himself submerged to his chest, and surprisingly, Juvia was apanying him in the hot spring, skinny dipping while hugging his right arm with a blissful expression on her delicate face.


    ''She must have been invited over by Ingrid,'' thought Leonard to himself. However, recalling that he grasped a clear direction to engineer his personal martial technique, although it couldn''t even be considered at the rough around the edges stage yet, he was sure that the rudimentary form of this technique would be an absolute heaven-shaking attack.


    He had enough knowledge from the ck silhouette to figure out that this technique''s rudimentary form could only be aplished when all four of the dense spheres were at a state of equilibrium, at least in density. Current, other than the Eternal Night martial intent that took solid form, the remaining three were gaseous masses, yet to condense into liquid and then solidify.


    Perhaps only once he achieved the Rebirth realm would that happen, and only once he achieved divinity would they transition from gas to liquid. Nheless, he was still happy with utilizing this technique with three out of four domains. Thus, his hand instantly moved to rouse Juvia awake by pinching her soft, pink nipple through the water.


    The elf woke up with a muffled, erotic moan, as her mouth was already under siege by a pair of particrly energetic lips, even the main infantry;mander tongue was dispatched for this siege and capture operation.


    However, this battle was senseless as the enemy Queen willingly surrendered herself to the invading army, which only aggravated themander intomitting vile, rough, and immoral acts that smeared this woman from the heavens of sensual pleasure to the hell of sadistic pleasure.


    Ingrid knew that Leonardo wouldn''t have a lot of energy from his overly enthusiastic self after this great sess, hence her call to request for Juvia''s presence. Sadly, the Winter Soldier would have to carry through this war without herrade-in-arms White Specter, and the invader was quite ruthless.


    He violently charged through her sacred fields, and explored the depths of her mountains and valleys, not even the hidden abyss in the rear continent was spared from the expedition; not an inch was left uncharted.


    Translucent rivers and viscous white rain drowned this Winter Soldier, the intensity of this battle thatsted from high noon to the brink of dawn left her senseless, helpless, and blissfully unconscious.


    ¡­


    "My lord, you look refreshed."


    Ingrid was paying attention to the storms of war that raged in the artificial hot springs courtyard, immediatelying over to greet Leonardo the moment he left the room, sweat, and steam coiling around his body.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardoughed, "Were you scared that I''ll eat you as well, so you called in for Juvia?"


    Ingrid bowed, "Of course not; if my lord desires, you can have this one anytime you wish and anywhere you want. However, I felt that my lord would rather do things rationally, and not out of a happy impulse."


    Then she added with a glimmer of bewilderment, "I wonder what has put my lord in such a good mood recently? You look like an entirely different person, but not in a bad way." She wasn''t merely changing the topic, but she was genuinely curious.


    Leonardo thought back to that little thing that called out to him subconsciously, an even brighter smile itched on his face despite how t and simple it looked on the surface.


    "Just something personal, you don''t need to worry about it." Leonardo waved his hand, reaching over for his new set of clothes. "Did anything happen outside while I was out of it?"


    "Yes, actually. Your methods are truly brilliant, a few investors urged their representatives to sell their shares to you, my lord. We had them sign the original draft, now you are a major shareholder with 42% of the shares, House Exodia with 12% which surprised many people, and another dark horse, a feudal lord who used to be a vassal kingdom''s House Lord, he holds the remaining 36% of the shares."


    Ingrid took a deep breath, "ording to our¡ª I mean your secret intelligence delivered by White Specter, this man renounced his status as a feudal lord and embraced the Arcadian Faith in secret long ago, it is but a matter of time before he deres to the world that he isn''t simply a rich lord, but a devout believer of the Arcadian Doctrine."


    Leonardo nodded his head.


    "You can recall Pandora and the girls now, they did great. The field now has shrunk to three champions; House Grace, House Exodia, and finally, a feudal lord. Haha, interesting."


    A faint smile surfaced on Leonardo''s face as he thought about the parties deeply involved.


    Te''s¡­


    House Sylvia¡­


    House Exodia¡­


    House Venus, who sold their lot with House Exodia¡­


    House Erudite¡­


    The Arcadian Church¡­


    The Elven Royal Family¡­


    "Ah well, the more the merrier, right?" Leonardo gave this mature woman with hazel eyes a wink before leaving the hallway, still feeling refreshed.


    ¡­


    Once news of the final allocation of shares and the respective shareholders was released publicly, all hell broke loose in the Forbidden Domain.


    The gunpowder that was constantly brewing finally erupted with a massive explosion, and everyone seemed to tacitly agree that the gentle phase of talking and negotiations was over.


    Let alone the public, even Jeffery couldn''t believe his eyes and ears.


    He knew that if Leonardo won, the Sovereign Ascension was guaranteed tond in the hands of House Sylvia.


    At this stage of the game, House Exodia, House Sylvia, and House Erudite would invest everything they could in their respective champions without any hesitation whatsoever.


    Leonardo even had the time to think that a loyal Game of Thrones fan would say:


    "Winter ising¡­"

 Chapter 150 Their Strength, My Strength

    ?Other than high mountains with signs of artificial cave dwellings deep within them, the territory of the energy vein had deep valleys and crackedndscapes. These were the scars of endless war and ughter for the forceful upation of thisnd, at least that was until Xavier andpany invaded Arcadia.


    To cope with the ruthless intervention, each faction involved decided to back down, save for the Elven and Beastkin Domains, who were led to continue fighting under the presence of either a debt of blood or in the name of honor and grace.


    Soon enough, the beastkin forces pulled back while the stronger tribes didn''t offer any hints of preparations for future retaliation. Of course, they didn''t think a retaliation was necessary since the beastkin who involved themselves with the struggles of the world without enough power had no one but themselves to me.


    If Xavier andpany descended on the Beastkin Domain, it would have been an entirely different story. Of course, if the Forbidden Domain also had a Sovereign watching over it, then entering this might have proved a bit too difficult.


    On this scorchedndscape of mountain chains, crimson dried blood, and the thick odor of death, Leonardo entered with Wendy following behind him.


    In this venture, the teacher-student pair would be more than enough, especially since only a few High Saints could threaten the current Wendy.


    "A few of them should try to assassinate me now that we left Valdmor," Leonardo tucked his palms away into his pants pockets, his long coat rustling with the wind, much like his long silver hair.


    "Will they really dare to do that, Teacher?" Wendy, d in a skin-tight whitebat uniform with a short cape just above beneath her rear shoulder bones, currently pressed down by her long multicolored hair, had her brows creased while following behind Leonardo.


    "Your cultivation increased too quickly so you didn''t have the time necessary to explore the full capabilities of having a martial intent, a domain, and spiritual strength. Try to keep your martial intent to a minimum, instead of supplementing your domain with your martial intent, try doing it with your spiritual strength." Leonardo looked back at this student of his whom he hadn''t really taught or guided through anything of substance. Still, she continued to respect him as her teacher even after obtaining such a powerful helper, making him feel embarrassed.


    He continued in a low voice, "That''s the correct way to scan your surroundings with your consciousness, at least until you are strong enough to detectws and actively avoid making contact with them, as thesews will confuse your senses. Anyone can sense these gaps in thew, thus they could upy the regions with the most active naturalws, preferably if they correspond to their martial intents be it acquired or innate, avoiding your perception."


    "I''ll try this immediately!"


    Wendy called back her chaotic spiritual strength and its obvious fluctuations. Then, she silently dispatched her domain first to sense for the faults inw.


    She realized that they were spots of high elemental density such as locations that perhaps served as a point of collision between very powerful saints in the past, leaving space unstable and the elements in chaos. Whenever her spiritual strength swept past that area earlier, it would distort her perception without her being aware of it.


    Now though, she could sense the discrepancy in the fabric of spatialws and the various elements, and this was the case for plenty more regions where the eye couldn''t see. Since thews of her domain were of a higher tier, she could easily pick up on these deficiencies, mend them, and allow her spiritual strength to flow unhindered.


    Suddenly, she began to notice the presence of people in stealth, though their figures didn''t sell out their age and gender, it was obvious that they were cultivators with a base minimum of level 45 and at most of the base level 58.


    "I found them!"


    Wendy''s eyes snapped open, joy rippling within their depths at how easily she found a few hidden assassins.


    "Alright then, what are you waiting for?"


    Leonardo chuckled lightly, giving this young woman a weird look.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Wendy stared nkly for a moment, responding, "They haven''t made a move yet, what if we''re not their targets?"


    Leonardo''s eyes grew sharp, "Just because they haven''t made a move yet, we can''t take the initiative? What logic is that? In apetition involving riches and cultivators, if they''re not your allies then they''re definitely your enemies. In a battle to the death, in any battle at all, always grasp the initiative."


    Leonardo then looked into the distance.


    "I don''t have the time to y by the rules of the textbook, I won''t wait for them to slowly expose their cards of psychological warfare, power is the most direct thing. If I''m not mistaken, those people are only here to scout, while the true forces are being rallied up outside Valdmor to be sent over with ns to upy the distributed territory."


    Wendy blinked, tilting her head, "Then, why didn''t you bring your army? I don''t think we had the time and resources to organize a troop¡­"


    Leonardo gave Wendy a weird, silent look.


    Wendy stared back nkly for a moment before gasping, "Teacher, you don''t mean¡­ Isn''t that a bit too much?"


    To have her, a level 64 saint who merged with the remnant incarnation of a celestial core, fight an armyposed entirely of mortals with a few vanguard saints¡­


    Although her level is technically two levels short of bing a certified High Saint, killing your ordinary third-cycle saints wasn''t particrly difficult for Wendy, especially with her ridiculous physical index of abilities.


    Herck of experience using domains and martial techniques ispensated by her close-quartersbat experience, augmented by her physical body which is the equivalent of a divine, only a Sovereign has the chance to make her stay behind if she wished to leave.


    "Don''t be naive; you''re not bullying the weak. Their strength lies in their numbers and connections, while my strength lies in you and my followers. Although those people haven''t personally attacked us, they most likely reported our whereabouts and destination." Leonardo then began to curiously inspect the terrain.


    "If I''m not wrong, we should be flooded by a sea of cultivators anytime soon. However, they should be limited to the forces under the influence of House Erudite, I don''t believe House Exodia would dare act against me with Aria present."


    King Austin, King Ivar, and Queen Adeline are the only outsiders aware of Aria''s presence in Arcadia, not even the realm king or the Sovereigns are capable of detecting her whereabouts.


    The celestial incarnations and Aria aren''t particrly cautious about the realm king, but they can''t ignore the behemoth behind him; Interster Supreme Court. Thus, while everyone might think that this is a three-way fight, it has always been a fight between Leonardo and Lexus.


    Whether King Ivar made a move or not will depend on the oue of this uing confrontation.


    "Do you understand now? Although they may look like they have yet to make a move against me, I can guarantee that they''ve already sent out reports to Valdmor about my current whereabouts, and those sanctimonious men of faith are most likely rushing to put their troops in order with their filthy, low life propaganda." After reaching the epicenter of the region, Leonardo sat down near a crack so deep he could see the energy veins below.


    He smiled.


    "This should be a good spot for cultivation, you handle the stray dogs that rush here. However manye, just kill them all. Sigh, if you killed those rats behind the mountains earlier, perhaps it wouldn''t escte to the point where you''d need to massacre an entire deluded army."

 Chapter 151 Judgment Day

    ?Valdmor is a very, very ancient town.


    It wouldn''t be too much of a surprise that there exist many old courtyards.


    Inconspicuous and dpidated even. Although they''ve survived the test of time until today, their walls would seem as though they were on the verge of copse due to ack of maintenance and renovations.


    These were buildings without anymercial or mary value, personal properties established and forgotten by the masses, left behind for the homeless and the wicked without a shelter to call home.


    In one of these dark corners in Valdmor, in a crowded space of huddled beggars and rotten corpses, a conspicuous man dressed in white and golden priest robes was reviewing a handwritten report brought back by one of these scums of society.


    The trash that no one would bother to look at while crossing the busy streets makes for the best agents if you pay them enough.


    A piece of bread and a cloth to ward off the cold in exchange for thergest underground intelligencework, how convenient is that?


    This priest smiled amiably before tossing out clusters of soft bread as though he was feeding a flock of birds at a crossroads. Then, those beggars who looked no different from skeletons with skin scrambled about, not even bothering to pick up the bread off the floor out of fear someone may snatch it away.


    They directly picked it up by their lips and teeth.


    As this priest watched these people bask in the blessings of his benevolence, he felt satisfied with himself. As his eyes swept the crowd, he noticed the figure of a not so bad looking girl who was too weak to scramble for the food with these older men and women. With a twisted smile, he beckoned for her to follow him into another room in the back.


    ¡­


    At the same time, the priest received his reports, a coded message was delivered to Juvia who was currently in the main building of Te''s, as refreshed as she was with that euphoric post-apocalyptic state of mind.


    After tranting the codes into themon divine tongue, she sent the report to Ingrid''s agents and Jeffery''s attendant. Then, this report made its way to many other factions.


    ¡­


    House Sylvia; Imperial Pce.


    Queen Adeline was in the middle of having her daily bath, a female attendant currently massaging her fair shoulders while orally relegating the report directly from themunication bracelet.


    Queen Adeline groaned lightly in exasperation, yet there was a sense of twisted mirth disyed by the beautiful arc by the corner of her rosy lips.


    "Good n, foolish execution. Sigh, faith is usually a very bright thing, though I don''t know why too much faith converts into a darkness that clouds the eyes of the believers¡­. Are their Gods lying to them or are they lying to themselves in the name of Gods?"


    It was unknown what Queen Adeline meant by her words. However, the attendant maid knew that this wasn''t a conversation she could partake in.


    ¡­


    Great Grace Republic; Grace Blood Parliament.


    Knock! Knock!


    Misaka was browning through the daily reports concerning the direction in which themon lives of the Great Grace Republic when a knock sounded at the door.


    "Lady Misaka, Secretary Azalea is here with another reporter concerning His Grace¡­" A respectful voice brimming with power echoed from behind the thick maple wood door.


    "Let her in," Misaka sighed, a hint of longing in her eyes as the door opened, allowing a ck-haired beauty with a pair of beautiful heterochromia eyes to walk in, closing the door behind her.


    Then, she rushed to the desk and ced the report in her hands on the stacks of documents, her cheeks flushed with worry and excitement.


    Misaka gave the report a look before letting out a sigh. "Truly foolish, they never learn. Ravine of Demise, Crouching Dragon Province, the War of Independence¡­ Do they have too many lives to throw away?"


    She could already see the oue of such a foolish endeavor, but she also understood why. Hence, she didn''t know whether tough or cry.


    "There''s no need to report the oue of this preordained massacre, let us celebrate ahead of time¡­"


    Azalea blushed at these words, but she didn''t move from her spot.


    Misaka reached out to grab at the soft cor of Azalea''s shirt, pulling the woman across the vast desk before locking lips and intertwining tongues. Just like that, she erected a sound barrier in the office and began to celebrate with her partner, hoping to mend the wounds of their unrequited love.


    ¡­


    House Exodia; Imperial Pce.<novelnext></novelnext>


    King Ivar sat on his high chair in the throne room, King Austin seated to his right side.


    They were both listening to the report that mysteriously made its way to their hands. At the bottom of the report was a very simple message.


    Actually, it was less of a message and more of a threat.


    "Every debt has a collector, you don''t want a certain someone toe to collect it personally."


    The message obviously spoke of the time when Queen Adeline represented their Human Domain, asking Leonardo to act¡ª more like the unfathomable senior behind him.


    Queen Adeline paid her debt with the foundation of the Great Grace Republic, while Leonardo had finally decided to cash in this debt with the Exodian Crown and Venus Crown by demanding their 12% of the shares.


    Only with this report in hand did King Ivar realize House Erudite''s scheme in the shadows, finally grasping the true backbone behind this mysterious feudal lord.


    However, so what?


    Knowing now makes no difference.


    Sigh¡­


    "What should we do now?" King Austin asked, his voice low.


    "What else can we do? Doesn''t matter who wins between Leonardo and House Erudite, the three ruling powers don''t have enough foundation to contend with Te''s or House Erudite in the Forbidden Domain, we can only wait."


    ¡­.


    From the dpidated building walked out a priest, though hisplex was ruddy, eyes zed, clothes ruffled, and a silly smile on his face while fixing the cors with golden rims of his robes.


    "Nothing beats a fresh and ripe fruit, howevercking in nutrients, it was delicious nheless¡­"


    The priest was unaware that a pair of golden-slitted pupils watched him from the shadows of a tilted wall.


    Zofia blinked her big and round eyes, curiosity glittering within as she eyed this priest''s crotch before looking back toward the courtyard. However, regardless of how curious she was, orders take priority.


    Thus, as the priest was starting to button up his robes from top to bottom, he suddenly felt the floor zooming in, confusing him.


    He wanted to put his hands up reflexively, only to realize he couldn''t feel his body, let alone his arms.


    Then, everything went dark.


    In that bleak alleyway, a human blood fountain that glowed with the radiance of faith erupted beautifully.


    "Nya~ I''ll just ask the boss about this thing about eating fresh fruits!"


    Only this whisper drowned out the sound of gushing blood, albeit momentarily.


    ¡­


    This wasn''t the only assassination incident that took ce in Valdmor at this hour. However, all of them happened in fairly deste, unpopted locations, away from the eyes and ears of the public.


    Ironically, judgment day descended upon the faithful, and the punishment is far from over.


    The only priests to make it out alive were perhaps those who had muddled their way into the army advancing in Leonardo''s direction, their eyes sparkling with zeal and a radiance of faith¡ª or perhaps was it greed?


    They marched toward a promise of independence, a promise of prosperity¡ª unbeknownst to them, a promise of death and despair.


    ¡­


    While Leonardo made his way underground to search for a spot deep enough to directly absorb the energy from the veins, he wasn''t particrly concerned with how many people House Erudite''s influence could muster.


    As for Wendy above, she stood in ce, eyes closed, reliving her moments of ughter behind the Sky Mountains, her temperament growing colder and colder by the passing seconds. Then, dust and debris kicked up into a raging torrent of clouds in the distance, so much so the earth beneath her feet began to tremble¡­

 Chapter 152 The Prominent Reverence In A Silent World

    ?The shaking of the ground started gradually, bit by bit increasing till pebbles and massive rocks began to tumble down the high mountains in the distance.


    Ovepping domains and fierce shouts rolled in like an apocalypse scene, the ardent fervor in the voice too prominent to overlook despite the chaos.


    Wendy''s lonesome figure seemed so weak and minuscule in the face of such a stampede of steel, to the point where one would think that running over her body would be more than enough to snuff out her little life.


    High in the skies and in the eight directions, powerful auras began to appear one by one, albeit there wasn''t a hint of malice in their presence.


    These saints were obviously spectators. With the scale of the erupting conflict, only saints are qualified to calmly watch, not particrly scared of losing their lives to the uing shockwaves.


    Friends and foes both gathered. For example, on a mountain peak not too far away, five figures were silently watching.


    Pandora, Juvia, Zofia, Olivia, and Meranda.


    These three secret agents of Te''s stood respectfully behind these two silver-haired women.


    Zofia the ever-curious cat stepped forward to intimately hug and sway Pandora''s right arm,ughing as she asked: "Boss, is that big sister going to be alright? Should we prepare to provide support?"


    Pandora furrowed her brow, not knowing how to answer this question.


    Juvia said, "We can only watch for now."


    Other than Leonardo, no one on this side of the Sky Mountains witnessed Wendy inbat, not even Aria, as the only time Wendy made a move in the past was while being under the control of her co-soul. Thus, Wendy''s pure and unadulteratedbat effectiveness remained a mystery for all.


    Everyone who came to spectate was surprised as there wasn''t any information on this saint by Leonardo''s side since she never made a move in the open, to the extent that everyone thought that she was just an empty flower vase, an attendant.


    Even Jeffery who was watching through a magical mirror with Queen Adeline''s powers felt shocked.


    This young woman who was serving him tea and snacks, always standing respectfully like a maid, was actually a powerful saint. He felt his world spin around him, thanking his lucky stars that he wasn''t swayed so much by her wild charm to the point where he did something he might have regretted.


    Of course, his self-restraint was attributed to his respect, fear, and reverence for Leonardo.


    "She''s making a move!"


    Zofia suddenly shouted in a low voice, her golden-slitted pupils trained on that tall and elegant figure dressed in white.


    ¡­


    Sigh¡­


    "Perhaps I should have really killed the few to save the many? Well,pared to the scale of an entire, this pitiful army could also be considered a few, I guess?"


    Wendy''s voice wasn''t that loud. However, it seemed to reach the sky above, the earth below, and the horizon across.


    This was because her cultivation base and domain unfurled simultaneously with her voice, the sound waves of her sybles riding the expanse of translucent worldly energy adherent to her spiritual strength rather than the preset ambient energy of the world, easily crossing distances unknown.


    She was merely trying topensate for the lost momentum of sound by the use of her spiritual strength in a simr manner to when she expanded her senses, never expecting for this to actually work. Thus, she was delighted inwardly, feeling that her actions were praiseworthy.


    The finite control over the domain, spiritual strength, and sound disyed by Wendy brought an expression of stern vignce to the eyes of many cultivators in the shadows, Juvia andpany being no exception.


    Juvia and Pandora knew that this woman must be a very powerful existence to be Leonardo''s student, but strength and skill were two entirely different concepts.<novelnext></novelnext>


    As the domain expanded, it easily overwhelmed the superimposed domains on the horizon, not even their chaotic shouts could block the seemingly gentle voice that dripped with apathy and pity as it nailed through their shocked minds.


    In that instant ofg in judgment, Wendy made her next move.


    She waved her hand in the air, wisps of multicolored energy, as fine threads of silk danced above her hand before she reached for the elegant short sword strapped to her waist. With a light tug, the sword left its scabbed, these interweaving multicolored strands of energy congregating along its body and spine, jutting out into the shape of a radiant longsword.


    Wendy then seemed to take one step, but it also looked like two, perhaps four, and it might have been six. However, a long trail of lifelike afterimages filled the sky, approaching the army in a semicircr siege like an advancing mirage of death.


    Silent and fleeting.


    "Attack!"


    The vanguard saints shouted, though their voices were lost without a trace, leaving them shocked and horrified as they instinctivelyughed a tsunami of powerful energy sts onto the string of afterimages indiscriminately.


    Boom!


    Thend, sky, and mountains shook with these violent vibrations, the countless Wendy phantoms exploding into opaque multicolored clouds that were particrly ring through the dust and debris.


    Just as they were hurriedly sweeping the battlefield with their senses, a brilliantly glowing multicolored sun blossomed in the heart of the army''s formation, the gentle rainbow rays suddenly bing a boiling hot stream of piercingser beams impaling the bodies of hundreds of cultivators.


    A clearance with a radius of half a mile suddenly formed in the heart of the army, drawing everyone''s attention while collecting some interest in the form of fearful gasps. Unknowingly though, streams of blood from the cut-down soldiers seeped through the ground, silently rushing in Leonardo''s direction as he sat on the smooth and t surface of a thick energy vein underground.


    These people had yet to react when the massive sun split into six even portions, reflecting the rotations of dawn, midday, and dusk in a cycle of yin and yang.


    With the principles of magic as a foundation, Wendy didn''t need a study sword to disy the powerful techniques from the Fourth Dimension Immortal Scripture.


    She silently raised her fair hand as the six even yet proportionally massive sectionspressed into six multicolored long swords, a dense aura of doom vibrating around their bodies, causing space to quake and time to dte.


    Thin ck cracks began to web their way through the superimposing domains, dark clouds rumbling with lightning starting to gather silently above the battlefield as an iparably majestic will descended to mend these cracks in space-time.


    Everyone was shocked with horror by the disy of such might, but the priests in the crowd immediately noticed the dark clouds and began to kowtow toward the sky with fear and worship, believing that their Goddess came to their rescue.


    Only when the number of priests dropping to their knees and foreheads on the ground substantially increased did everyone notice the weird phenomenon in the sky.


    In this seemingly silent and colorful world, there seemed to be an especially prominent color of pale blue flickering in and out like a meandering long dragon about to descend with a vengeful wrath to demolish all existence.


    However, not everyone felt fear, awe, and reverence.


    For example, Leonardo who had a smile on the corner of his lips.


    For example, Juvia and Pandora who had experienced much more than this.


    For example, Ingrid who walked out from Te''s main building dressed in a long ck dress, her raven ck hair cascading down her back like a river of ink, a ck umbre covering her face as she silently disappeared into the crowded streets.


    For example, Wendy who lowered her hand with an expression of cold indifference in her eyes.


    Her lips moved.


    "Die."

 Chapter 153 Golden Radiance And Black Flames

    ?"Die."


    This word that suppressed even the rumbling of the heavens shook the hearts of many, the six swords densely packed with iprehensible energy and martial intent locked the six directions as they exploded into the ground, six massive suns blooming like a multicolored nuclear explosions that washed away all sound and colors.


    In this silent world, the prominent color was no longer a pale blue, but a vast expanse of crimson sky and earth, as a dense stench of blood filled the atmosphere.


    It was one move that doomed the fate of thousands of mortal cultivators and hundreds of saints to the despairing afterlife.


    Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!


    Powerful explosions rocked the sky as the clouds sent down one streak of lightning after the next to strike thend, seemingly ripping this powerful silent domain into shreds, revealing a min-numbing, hair-raising, bone-chilling, heart-stopping scene.


    In the rain of lightning and thunder, Wendy''s multicolored hair waved about chaotically, her robes drenched in a stain of saint blood that was in the process of evaporating. However, the ground was a smooth fine surface of highly tempered sands to the point where this earth looked no different from a mirror.


    An army of believers and their followers were wiped off from this life with a single strike, but the various elements involved preceded everyone from understanding why it was so.


    They couldn''t tell that Wendy''s antimatter domain would actively devour worldly energy and convert it into her own, allowing her to channel the boiling energy of thousands into six swords that conveniently obliterated this army.


    Magicians were always and would always be weapons of mass destruction in open battlefields, especially when attacking with wide-area attacks. Thus, the more enemies there are, the better it would be for Wendy.


    Off in Valdmor, Aria couldn''t help but click her tongue as this type of ridiculously overpowered area control intent was no different from her Bloodthirsty Territory, only that the generalws of energy conversion were much moreplex and diverse than blood control.


    She didn''t have the confidence to say that in terms of destructiveness, Bloodthirsty Territory would win over the Antimatter Territory. However, there was one thing she could aplish with the Bloodthirsty Territory that she knew was impossible with the Antimatter Territory, which was to wrestle control over someone''s body by controlling their bloodstreams.


    She could tell that the antimatter intent would passively convert any energy it came into contact with, rendering the possibility of controlling the energy within the opponent impossible. Thus, in terms of destruction, even if the Antimatter Territory took one step ahead, it would still take two steps back in terms of practicality.


    After making this judgment clear in her head, Aria returned to sleep on Kieran''s head.


    ¡­


    "Unbridled abomination!"


    A loud shout that seemed to cut the heavens like a sword tore through the dark clouds and crumbling domain, striking into Wendy''s body with a boom, sending her body reeling back like a shooting star that smashed into the waist of a mountain in the distance.


    Boom!


    Rumble!


    The mountain cracked from base to peak, slowly shattering into segments as a light cough echoed from its depths. Then, Wendy shot out from the rubble, her blood-stained clothes slightly torn, her wild expression still calm as she wiped off a trickle of blood from her mouth.


    "A High Saint actually dares to sneak attack a third-cycle cultivator!"


    Zofia who was reeling in shock from Wendy''s power, wondered to herself that if the student was already this powerful, how strong would the teacher be?


    She could barely believe that Wendy was in her early twenties.


    Then, she heard Meranda spit hatefully whileining, feeling shocked and dizzy as she hurriedly covered this pitiful human''s mouth.


    "Do you want to die?! Even the boss and big sister Winter Soldier didn''t say anything, what are youining about?!"


    Meranda also seemed to realize something, Juvia, and Pandora was still calmly watching without any change in expression. Hence, she huffed in anger and decided to keep her mouth shut.


    As for Pandora and Juvia, they were watching the crack that used to house Leonardo, but it was already sealed shut from the battles. However, blood and lightning kept striking at the ground, and they knew that Leonardo was drawing this energy to cultivate.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Indeed.


    Leonardo''s bloodthirsty martial intent was unique as it didn''t simply require abundant energy to steadily grow, it also required abundant vitality and blood energy from equally powerful cultivators, lest the progression of the dense cluster of nebe representing the bloodthirsty martial intent wouldg behind, the imbnce causing a deviation in Leonardo''s cultivation.


    As for the ink-ck lightning, even though the energy from essence energy crystals and the natural worldly energy would help, the process would take too long as the density of the concentrated energy is simply too low in the middle realms.


    This leaves the deste martial intent and the innate eternal night martial intent. Since destion is a foundationalw that exists everywhere, it is actually the easiest to cultivate despite the ridiculous strength it provides. As for his innate martial intent, he could directly feed it from the ck sea in his sea of consciousness, albeit that is unnecessary as it had already reached a solid state.


    The blood and lightning were continuously flowing into Leonardo''s body, along with thick streams of essence energy directly absorbed from the energy veins, respectively nurturing the red, ck, and white nebs within.


    As for the chaos outside, he didn''t care.


    ¡­


    Cough! Cough!


    Wendy coughed lightly, adjusting her breathing and turbulent aura.


    Far in the distance, an old man dressed in golden priest robes seemed to teleport into the center of the former battlefield, his eyes shining with golden radiance.


    As his robes fluttered, the sky behind him parted and a sea of golden radiance began to shine through the clouds.


    "You even invoked the wrath of Goddess Arcadia with your sins! You don''t belong to this world, you must be a fiend brought to this world through acts that spheme the faith and dignity of our Goddess! To actually carry out such a ughter against the devout believers who were defenselessly carrying out acts of prayer and worship in the presence of Goddess Arcadia!"


    His aged voice boomed far and near, but Wendy was prepared this time.


    A thin film of antimatter intent wrapped around her body, passively converting this energy to stabilize the disorder of her worldly energy. In the past, she wouldn''t need to worry about constantly maintaining this exotic energy in a state of order, making herment that cultivators need to constantly worry about this double-edged sword flowing within them.


    Wendy knew that Leonardo needed some more time, but she hadn''t expected that the other party would directly dispatch a High Saint instead of sending batches of third-cycle saints.


    She didn''t know that her performance was too shocking and unconventional. Of course, that''s to be expected as she only witnessed battles on the scale of people like Leonardo and the incarnations of celestial bodies.


    She was just wondering why these people were too weak, actually dying to a single strike. Then, she remembered what Leonardo said when she asked whether the cultivators behind the Sky Mountains were as powerful as him.


    He said that there shouldn''t be anyone close to his power in the same cultivation realm, and now she understood why.


    She smiled faintly.


    "Scram!"


    Although her body was swaying, she was resolute as she knew her teacher wouldn''t allow her to die.


    "Impudent!"


    The old man shouted, but his shout suddenly stopped, caught in his throat as an aura of immense danger-filled his senses. Not just him, everyone could feel a dark, sinister, cold aura approaching from the distance.


    Even the dark clouds parted, revealing a lonesome silhouette walking in this direction, a sea of ck mes following behind her like a docile tide.


    A tall woman dressed in a long ck dress, her face and features hidden beneath a wide ck umbre, silently approached the battlefield.

 Chapter 154 When High Saints Fight

    ?"Oh my, even an old man like yourself dares trespass upon my lord''snds?"


    This woman''s voice was soft and charming. However, her words shocked everyone with the implications of these words.


    Since when did he have a terrifying High Saint as a subordinate? Didn''t the rumors say that his powerful backing


    The old man''s pupils dted and then contracted.


    With a slight of his hand, he crushed a golden piece of jade in the sleeves of his robes, but his expression didn''t betray the shock and horror in his eyes as he put on a brave front, sweeping an indifferent nce across Ingrid''s body.


    "You don''t have to use that brat''s name as an excuse, this is something beneath the level of a senior of your power," this old man looked at Ingrid who stood silently on the surface of a ck sea of tranquil mes. Sprouts of lotus flowers would merge from the mes, tongues of lotus petals scattering into the air like a burning ck garden.


    Although he couldn''t see her face underneath the umbre, he could almost feel her smile through the dense curtains of darkness. Indeed, a faint smile of ridicule crowned her beautiful features as she spoke lightly.


    "Scram."


    The old man''s eyes twitched, feeling the cold mockery in her this woman''s tone. No one dared utter a sound so as to not draw the ire of this infuriated High Saint.


    "Nya~ These people don''t put my Te''s in their eyes nya~¡­"


    A cheerful voice echoed from a nearby mountain peak, again shocking everyone present.


    The most shocked would be Pandora and Juvia who only came to notice the presence of an extra person standing next to them right now.


    "Ah!"


    If even Pandora and Juvia were surprised, the three girls who were intently focused on the fight almost fainted from fright.


    "D-director!"


    Only now did they see this beastkin woman with a touch of feral beauty. She seemed to be from the same beast bloodline as Zofia, only she was much, much more powerful.


    After their shout, space buzzed lightly as Wendy moved, immediately appearing in front of Pandora and Juvia, her expression solemn and cautious.


    "Haha! Don''t worry, we''re on the same side, let big sis handle that shameful old thing with one foot in the grave while using the other to kick the youngsters around," she then looked over at the woman under the umbre, feeling like she was quite familiar.


    Just as she looked a bit closer, the umbre twitched, and she felt as though a pair of murky, pitch-ck pools was staring back at her with a teasing smile, giving her the chills.


    Nya~ that big sis is scary!


    This female beastkin Director shuddered, deciding to focus on this old man instead.


    The old man also seemed to tacitly switch his opponent from that mysterious woman to the Director.


    "Director Sonya, that woman carried an unbridled, indiscriminate ughter that caused the sky to weep and the earth to shake! Someone must be held responsible, are you saying that this is how your Te''s does business? ughter the innocent and shield the fiends?"


    Ingrid stood there nkly for a moment after being ignored, nothing but her ck mes and the shower of lightning apanying her in the background. However, she didn''t feel offended nor did anyone feel like she was unqualified to get that old man''s attention.


    Everyone knew she was someonepletely beyond the league of ordinary High Saints, it was only natural for the old man to find someone else to vent his anger on.


    "You can''t fight the big sister so you choose to bully the little sister nya~? Do you think I''m easy to bully?"


    Sonya''s lovable and cheerful smile suddenly and mysteriously morphed into a malevolent expression, her thin whiskers melding into her pale cheeks as her skin split like three deep gashes across her side profile.


    Then, her ears and gray hair stood erect, veins riddling both her forearms as her nails grew like obsidian sharp ws.<novelnext></novelnext>


    There was simply too much energy within each w, even space began to distort around these stationary forces.


    "Let''s y!"


    Boom!


    Only after her voice crossed dozens of miles did everyone with high enough perception notice that both her voice and afterimage were locked in space-time, her body already shooting like a gray bullet toward the old man bathing in a sacred sea of golden radiance.


    The afterimagegged and shattered to pieces as the sound echoed through the mountain range. The next moment everyone reacted, this Director Sonya was crouching on the opposite mountain peak, a fresh long scar running across her face, taking her right eye and leaving behind a bloody hole radiating light.


    However, a creepy smile was on her face, an entire arm stuck between her teeth.


    Everyone can see the torn golden priest robes on that right arm, taking their attention away from the countless wounds riddling Director Sonya''s body. Judging from the scars, a serious exchange of about one thousand moves just happened, but the echoes of Sonya''s voice were still ringing in their ears.


    "This¡­ Is this the power of a High Saint?" Pandora couldn''t help but mutter absentmindedly. Then, thinking that she would reach that level of strength in the future and take one step further, her heart shook with a myriad of feelings.


    Wendy''s spine tingled, thinking back to that High Saint Swordsman who fought with Leonardo.


    Was their fight this intense? But the Teacher looked just fine¡­


    Wendy was unaware that the High Saint Swordsman held back as he was hoping to get Leonardo''s help to leave the Sky Mountains Domain, not to mention the suppression that limited him to almost 60% of his true power.


    Zofia, Meranda, and Olivia''s jaws dropped.


    They were yet to realize that the Director Sonya in front of them was a mere afterimage, but the fight had already reached its fervent peak.


    "You animal!" The old man shouted, his left arm pressing tightly on his right shoulder, blood gushing out like a fountain and spilling directly on the ground below.


    He was truly infuriated now!


    Although he managed to gouge out her right eye, that was because she didn''t even try to dodge, but rather weed his attack.


    The moment his fingers dug into her skull, she twisted her body and bit down his wrist, whilst her two hands intersected like sharp knives that hacked through his shoulders.


    Following the inertia from his strike and her retreating momentum, she plucked out his right arm by the root,pletely dislocating the joints.


    "Haha! Old man, you''re too rusty! Nya~¡­"


    "Why does it sound like he suffered a loss in this exchange?" Olivia and Meranda had the same question, but the human girl mustered up her courage to speak up.


    Zofia''s eyes were shining with reverence as she answered, "The beastkin of a feral bloodline don''t have w heavy reliance on their eyes. In fact, we are born blind because our senses are innately enhanced, meaning that the information perceived by our eyes is manyfold that of ordinary creatures. Hence, that influx of information is simply too much for our brains to process during our childhood, resulting in a temporary blindness."


    She continued, "In a sense; one eye, two eyes, or no eyes at all makes no difference to us, let alone the fact that on their level, a cultivator''s eye is the most useless aspect in determining winners and losers."


    Wendy nodded, her brows furrowed, "He might have been trying to pierce through her brain, it''s just that he didn''t expect her physique to be so powerful and her timing to also be that impable; she neutralized his force by twisting her body, cutting the energy flow to his arm, and utilizing the remnant shockwaves to make some distance between them."


    The three girls were shocked, gasping, "You could actually see it?!"


    Wendy didn''t respond, focusing on the fight ahead as the second round was about to start.


    From this cold attitude, Pandora and Juvia were positive that the one talking at the moment wasn''t Wendy but her co-soul. However, although the three girls didn''t know this, they weren''t offended.


    In fact, if anything, they felt grateful for the exnation.

 Chapter 155 Taking A Step Back

    ?Sonya ripped off the golden sleeves from the right arm and used them as thick cloth strips to bandage her right eye, a drop of thick red blood leaking down her chin and crimson fangs.


    "Nya~ howfortable! Hehe¡­"


    She then held the arm and used its fingers to point at the old man.


    "What to take next? Left arm? Right leg? Left eye? Or your head?¡­" There was a crazy glint in Sonya''s left goldeneye, the slitted pupils shimmering ominously.


    The old man was just about to make a move when his expression froze.


    He wasn''t abatant, he only dropped by because of their intelligence that mentioned the realm lord sending everyone who could disturb the current bnce of power on Arcadia, but he never expected Te''s people to be so unreasonable.


    "Director Sonya! Stop being unreasonable!!!"


    He shouted, eyes red, "My Arcadian church lost thousands of priests! They weren''t even fighting back, but they were cut down nheless! You all will give me an exnation today!"


    "I-¡­" He was about to continue talking when he noticed that Sonya was looking at him weirdly.


    "You don''t know? My Te''s have already killed every priest in Valdmor to thest. Sigh, you religiously transcendent perverts shouldn''t have descended to the mortal soil, your pure hearts are easily corrupted nya~¡­"


    Thinking back to some of the reports on her desk this morning, Sonya shuddered with disgust.


    The old man was truly speechless now. Then, with a spurt, he spat out a mouthful of blood from anger.


    This undertaking was supposed to be smooth and without anyone noticing, but their traces have been exposed somehow, leaving them with no choice but to rush their ns.


    Without a solid foundation that was established over at least a decade, they knew that forcing their ws into the secr world after thousands of years of independence would suffer from brutal retaliation, suppression, and resistance.


    But this is too much!


    "You''ve gone too far!"


    The old man exploded in anger, his skin cracking apart as his worldly energy ran rampant in his body.


    "Child, calm your anger," a soft, borderline divine voice sprinkled down from beyond the dark clouds like a shower of divine radiance, calming the turmoil in the old man''s heart.


    The shock was reced with joy as the old man looked up, shouting with a trembling voice, "Divine Emissary!"


    Divine Emissary? The rumored Envoy of Goddess Arcadia who carries the will of the Divine?


    Sonya looked up curiously, watching the dark clouds as they were slowly dyed crimson, the raging thunderstorm calming down as the shower of lightning ceased and began to retreat.


    Wendy furrowed her brows, looking past the crust of the earth and searching for Leonardo''s whereabouts, wondering whether this much tribtion lightning was enough or not to support his cultivation session. However, she couldn''t find any traces of movement or usual fluctuations underground.


    The only sce in this situation was the fact that she couldn''t feel the presence of the energy veins either, suggesting that their entire deposit of essence energy was absorbed by Leonardo.


    She was sure that even if this news got out though, no one would care, as the current state of things leans towards who gets to own thisnd and establish an independent power in the Forbidden Domain, a domain where all three major powers agreed to keep neutral about.


    Whoever could establish themselves independently in this domain as the sole major power would have endless material and human resources at their disposal.


    Compared to a mere energy vein, thetter truly paled inparison.


    ¡­


    The clouds parted to reveal a young man with long golden hair, golden eyes, and embroidered golden dragon robes.


    Behind him to the right stood a face way too familiar in Pandora and Juvia''s eyes; Lexus.


    What surprised them was that another man with short golden hair and baby blue eyes stood not too far next to Lexus as well, it was Lucas.


    However, from the tens of hundreds of spectators in the dark, only a few people actually noticed Lucas'' presence.


    These people were respectively Juvia, Pandora, Ingrid, Wendy, and her co-soul.


    Under the umbre, Ingrid''s eyes shed with an unknown light, feeling intrigued by this person whom she immediately recognized as the infamous Ghost Face.<novelnext></novelnext>


    To think that he made it so far as to stand behind the Divine Emissary today, she was truly surprised.


    The old man didn''t know how to respond to being called a child by someone who looked in the prime of his age, but it somehow felt natural and just. Thus, he reverently bowed his waist while hugging his right shoulder.


    When he bowed, he noticed that his blood on the ground was gone, but he didn''t give the matter too much thought and instead red at the woman who somebody, someway, made it to the epicenter of this region and stood there silently in a domain of docile ck mes.


    "Divine Emissary, that woman ims to be a subordinate of that wicked child Leonardo! His subordinates have walked from one inhumane massacre to the next ever since he stepped foot on this!" He howled to the sky, his red eyes actually jutting out with tears.


    "You shameless old thing!"


    Sonya raged, but her apprehension of the man in the skies stopped her from making a move.


    The man above furrowed his brows and looked down at this tranquil woman below the umbre, a trace of worry shing past his eyes.


    "Who are you?"


    He asked lightly.


    "My lord''s faithful servant."


    A voice responded faintly a momentter.


    ¡­


    "I see," he nodded lightly. Then, with a step, hended a few hundred feet away from the woman under the umbre, his movements gentle as he spoke calmly, "Summon your lord for me."


    The ck umbre twitched lightly. Then, the faint voice echoed, "You don''t qualify to have him cut his cultivation short just to talk."


    "Impudence! You dare spheme His Eminence the Divine Emissary?!"


    From the sky above, Lexus shouted in anger, his aura exploding exponentially. Earlier, Leonardo knew that Lexus was at least a saint, but he didn''t know the extent of the man''s power.


    Now, Lexus'' aura easily cycled from the lower levels of sainthood all the way to the third cycle, level 62. Apparently, he also held reservations about Leonardo''s background in the past, hence sealing his cultivation all this time.


    Only now did he dare release the seal and expose his fangs as the Divine Emissary was present.


    The Divine Emissary''s heart skipped a beat, his body exploding into a radiant wave of golden light that quickly appeared in front of Lexus, extending a hand that seemed to cover the sky.


    Boom!


    Space shook as the sleeves of his golden dragon robes tore open, a thin crack of blood running down his arm. Then, everyone saw a small ck lotus petal burrowing into the protective membrane of golden radiance on this Divine Emissary''s hand, and it almost seemed like the tiny insignificant pearl would prate deep into his bones within moments.


    With a soft, inaudible roar, he flung this petal into the sky.


    Everyone watched it leave a streak of pitch-ck light in its wake, the strong ones perceiving it to be a long crack in the fabrics of space-time. Then, with an explosion, a massive canopy of ck mes filled the sky above, quickly dissolving between heaven and earth.


    The old man''s tattered golden robes were suddenly drenched in a cold sweat as he stared nkly into the sky above¡­


    "You people have overstayed your wee, please leave my lord''s territory as I am truly reluctant to spill blood on such an auspicious day," Ingrid''s faint voice sounded in the eerie silence.


    The Divine Emissary took a deep breath before saying, "I will be waiting for him in Valdmor then."


    These words were nothing short of taking a step back to avoid a catastrophic fight, though he then added, "What is your name?"


    There was silence for a while before the faint voice answered, "Oh my, I guess telling you wouldn''t displease my lord. My name is Ingrid."


    The Divine Emissary nodded heavily. Then, he brought Lucas and Lexus with him, disappearing.


    No one noticed the trace of disappointment in Lucas'' eyes as he had truly believed he would get to meet Leonardo on this day, but it seemed like it wasn''t fated to happen.


    No one expected that the Divine Emissary would suddenly retreat without a fight after blocking one blow from the woman under the umbre, having everyone specte about her power.


    No one knew that the one most shocked about this power was Ingrid herself, as the chosen sessor of Te''s weren''t allowed to leave the isted dimension until the chosen one appeared. Realizing the extent of her power, she was actually scared of killing everyone here if they fought; friends of foes¡­

 Chapter 156 Two Years Later

    ?At some point in time, Leonardo''s body which was in a state of deep meditation began to mysteriously burrow deeper and deeper into the ground, fascinatingly sinking into the thick energy veins as though he was a drop of water trickling down a bamboo pole.


    In the beginning, he was paying particr attention to the developments outside, that was until Ingrid made an appearance, allowing him topletely shut off his perception of the outside world and continually draw in the essence energy from heaven and earth, the energy veins, the lightning in the sky, and the blood of countless experts.


    Before realizing it, the ground continued to swallow his body deeper and deeper into a crystallized world of sparkling essence crystal roots that stretched like the meridians of the human body.


    The only thing Leonardo could think of was that this ce had too much energy, but he never would have expected this ce to be the concentration of the Forbidden Domain''s energy that is simr to the Ascension tforms scattered across the Human, Elven, and Beastkin Domains.


    No one knew that this was the damaged energy vein from the War of Dominion, and although it didn''t have enough energy or connection to Arcadia''s will to produce a half-step divinity, solidifying a sub-dimension, Arcadia''s will still believed that this amount of energy should suffice as a token of thanks to Leonardo.


    Hence, the reason no one could sense Leonardo or the energy vein''s energy was twofold. First, Leonardo''s energy was overwhelmed by the fluctuations of the energy vein. Second, the energy of the vein was being channeled inwardly and not externally, subverting the previously omnidirectional waves and pouring them directly into his body.


    Since the Divine Emissary could no longer sense the presence of energy from underground, he decisively decided that it wasn''t worth exposing the depths of his strength, and it would make for a better choice to simply negotiate coexistence between them and Leonardo, even if they had to work under his name in the Forbidden Domain.


    In a sense, that young man won''t stay here forever, and once he''s gone, second ce will instead be first ce.


    Everyone eventually left, leaving Leonardo all to himself in the depths of the earth, surrounded by a crystalline world of glimmering essence energy that flooded his body and mind, steadily and evenly increasing his cultivation.


    Leonardo didn''t blindly increase his cultivation, he instead tried various methods, forms, andbinations to superimpose his multiple martial intents through various simtions within his soul pearl, relying on deducing and studying the conflicting yetpleting force fields released from every neb through their gradual process of growth.


    While his thoughts shuffled through endless calctions, he began to subconsciously tap into his eternal night bloodline''s innate martial intent once every few thousand simtions, this instant suddenly changing his point of view as his perception would suddenly lose all color, except for his target of focus where it would instead maintain a pitch-ck color.


    This object of focus would then split into multiple shadows of a lesser shade, albeit each of these shadows is dark to a varying degree on a vast spectrum of darkness, most of them waning till they fade away, a select few that could be considered evesting.


    At first, Leonardo treated these instances as moments of suddenprehension where various indexes of velocity, rotation speed, and trajectory are grasped by him in order toplete a sessful merger. However, not too longter when these instances became too frequent, he immediately came to the realization that this was the product of his innate martial intent derived from his bloodline.


    As though struck by a bolt ofprehension, he thought back to Eternus'' time-rted martial intent and Kieran''s perception-rted martial intent, making him feel like his innate martial intent was an enhanced hybrid of the two.


    Only, what her perceived was the multitude of timelines, like the possible butterfly effects brought about by an action in the present timeline, and the future trajectory brought about by the specific parameters perceived through his optical sensors.


    The sudden realization aroused Leonardo awake from his meditation, drenched in a cold sweat. Then, fierce hunger wracked his stomach so much he felt his intestines twisting, realizing that his body had been keeping together relying solely on the nourishment of vital essence energy of heaven and earth this entire time.


    ¡­


    Leonardo didn''t know, but two years in the outside world had already passed.


    Many things happened in these two years.


    Wendy became a High Saint.


    Juvia became a High Saint.


    Pandora also became a High Saint.


    However, all of those silent and hidden achievements paled inparison to another great event.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The Arcadian Church''s people kidnapped Kieran and Leona with the intent to ckmail Leonardo into handing over the legal rights to the energy mines mountain range.


    The news had yet to circte through Arcadia when every establishment under House Erudite, every Arcadian Church, and everyone with a trace of Erudite bloodline and a faint strand of faith martial intent within their bodies were ughtered overnight.


    No one knew who sold out the coordinates for the hidden secret locations of House Erudite and the Arcadian Church. However, no one needed to bother looking for them anymore.


    Moreover, the corpse of the Divine Emissary was hung on the gates of Valdmor with his eyes gouged out, limbs severed, and a cross of blood carved on his chest so deep one could see the scene from his back.


    No one dared pull down that corpse.


    It simply rotted.


    Aria was genuinely furious by those despicable acts of kidnapping children.


    On that day, Zofia, Olivia, and Merandamitted joint suicide to atone for their negligence, and Pandora descended into silent depression.


    She wasn''t even in the mood to argue with Juvia, let alone leave the inn.


    If it wasn''t for Aria reminding her that her life was no longer her own but belonged to Leonardo, only then was she convinced to keep on living. However, everyone could tell that something within her had broken.


    Only, everyone was also wondering where Leonardo had gone off to for these two years.


    ¡­


    Leonardo found himself in a dark natural cave at the waist of a ck stone mountain, confused as to what brought him here when he was supposed to be cultivating underground. Then, he stood up slowly, only, his actions seemed to carry too much power, directly sting him through the ceiling, piercing all the way to the mountain peak and into the clouds.


    Dust and stone riddled his tattered robes, his shoulder-length white hair already growing past his waist as his chaotic energy radiated over his body, the fluctuations in a total mess.


    Sensing the fluctuations of his energy, Leonardo was shocked to find his cultivation at the peak of level 68.


    Thetter half of the third cycle, the realm of High Saint.


    He was bbergasted since he didn''t feel his cells contract and exploded, hence he lost track of his cultivation base. Only now did he realize that due to the mutation of his cells and the unique cultivation method, the major four cycles of mortal, saint, divine, and immortal ascension could only be differentiated based on the state of the four neb-like spheres and their respective force fields.


    It goes without saying that the finite control he strived to achieve in the past cultivation session would help him control the fluctuations of his cultivation base much better. With a shift of his thoughts, his soul pearl twitched lightly, and his High Saint fluctuations suddenly dropped to level 51.


    With that confirmed, Leonardo smiled faintly and sent his consciousness into themunication bracelet after taking it out from his spatial ring.


    Then, a flood of messages that almost fried his mind shook his consciousness.


    At the same time hismunication bracelet went online, Valdmor began to buzz again.

 Chapter 157 Sleep

    ?Thousands of messages sted into Leonardo''s mind, stunning him silly. The next moment he opened his eyes with some rity, a silver-white fox had already torn through space and kicked him into the same crack, then rushed back in.


    For someone like her, sweeping the Forbidden Domain with her senses to locate Leonardo''s exact position was as easy as breathing. The only reason she didn''t do this earlier was an apprehension of identally disturbing his cultivation if he was in some deep state of meditation that is.


    ¡­


    Thud!


    Leonardo dropped on his back,ying t on an artificial grasnd under a sparkling white ceiling. He could hear so many people shouting by his side, from the youngest Leona to the oldest, Juvia.


    He didn''t hear Pandora''s voice, but he didn''t give it too much thought.


    He sat up and opened his eyes, the pitch-ck all-epassing darkness within catching everyone by surprise. Leonardo could see countless timeline trajectories from each and every person present, some of them even intersecting to produce a great number of future timeline trajectories.


    When his eyesnded on Aria, there were so many trajectories that he was momentarily blinded; as in his entire vision was ck, the densest of ck, making hime to realize that this innate martial intent wouldn''t work on someone vastly stronger than himself.


    He closed his eyes tightly, sorting out his thoughts before shaking his head and letting out a sigh. Then, he touched his stomach while muttering in a voice that wasn''t loud or quiet, "I''m hungry¡­"


    Leona who was a beautiful youngdy almost fourteen years old now, about as tall as Pandora, couldn''t hold it in anymore and directly plunged into Leonardo''s chest, clutching at his tattered robes while soaking his skin in rivulets of salty, bitter tears.


    Leonardo was shocked and surprised, hugging her frail shoulders that were trembling uncontrobly while giving everyone else a puzzled look, his eyes returning to their usual ck, lifeless luster.


    "What''s wrong?" Leonardo also noticed that something was very off at the moment. Hence, his brows furrowed as he asked, "Was I gone for too long? What happened?"


    Juvia sighed, "You''ve been missing for two years, my lord. A lot happened, too much to spill in a few sentences."


    She rubbed her temples, "Long story short, the one who needs the most constion right now is Pandora, it''s best if she opens up on her own¡­"


    "It''s my fault! My fault! My fault! My fault! Uwa!"


    Leona felt her heart tear apart at the mention of Pandora, crying even louder, her voice albeit ordinary, it stabbed into everyone''s hearts like sharp des.


    Leonardo''s eyes flickered with confusion as Leona''s body went trembling out of control in his arms. He began to console and pat her back gently, he was honestly too hungry to think coherently, and he was utilizing every ounce of energy he had left to not pass out there and then from fatigue and hunger.


    However, it was pointless, Leona simply continued to weep away and wallow in sel-me. Out of desperation, Leonardo waved a hand to unsheath Wendy''s short sword from her waist, and without any hesitation, he stabbed it to the base into his right thigh, having the pain stimte him a bit.


    "Papa!" Leona jumped in shock, even more tears rolling down her red cheeks, thinking that Leonardo did this because of her actions. She even misspoke, calling him ''Papa'' directly instead of ''Godfather''.


    However, Leonardo simply brought her head back into his chest with the other hand while whispering, "It''s fine, I was feeling confused and sleepy so I had to wake up somehow¡­ Come, let''s go find Pandora."


    Anyone in this room was strong enough to stop Leonardo frommitting self-harm, but they also knew that he was still in a muddled state of mind after being dormant for two years doing nothing but cultivation.


    They didn''t know that he was actively going through millions of calctions per second for the most of the final few months of his cultivation, bringing his mind even worse fatigue. However, they could see it in his eyes; how exhausted he must be feeling.


    Leonardo tossed the bloody sword aside with a ng, picked up the crying Leona who was now sobbing silently and asked everyone for directions about Pandora''s current sleeping chambers in this vast Te''s establishment.


    He didn''t know why they weren''t in the usual inn, but he didn''t give it much thought either. As for the thousands of messages, he simply ignored them, allowing the spiritual fluctuations to simply dissipate from his consciousness.


    ¡­


    Pandora rarely interacted with anyone after she helplessly watched Zofia, Olivia, and Merandamit suicide while banging their heads on the stone pavements of the inn, their faces washed with dirt, blood, and tears.


    She understood their guilt as on that day, it was them who apanied Leona and Kieran to y around Valdmor.<novelnext></novelnext>


    If she was responsible for the kidnapping, if anything happened to the two kids, would havemitted suicide to atone as well.


    The thing is, the two kids were fine.


    Even if the three girls didn''t know, everyone else knew that Aria was constantly keeping an eye on them because she knew how important they were to Leonardo.


    No one had the time to exin this to the three girls before guilt ultimately ate away their convictions to carry on with living. If she knew, she would have told them earlier that there was a powerful expert always watching the kids from the dark.


    She felt guilt, always feeling as though the blood of those innocent and naive assassins was on her two hands.


    While she was silently lying on the massive bed, she heard the door to her room open, prompting her to take a look.


    Her silver eyes were almost immediately wet and blurry, about to break into tears.


    "Daddy¡­" she choked. She had too many things to say but didn''t know where to start, she couldn''t say that she had failed her subordinates and could only watch helplessly as they killed themselves.


    No matter how great of an assassin she is, saving lives is the one thing an assassin doesn''t know how to do, let alone console people who wish for death.


    The four of them on that day were like fools, simplymunicating through helpless tears and meaningless apologies, but the result was the same.


    She felt utterly terrible inside.


    Leonardo showed her a weak smile and gestured with his finger to keep quiet, his wound in the thigh already healed.


    "Talking is pointless, I know you''re tired, I''m also tired."


    He sighed.


    He ced Leona down with a peck on the forehead before directly climbing onto Pandora''s bed and hugging her delicate, trembling body that felt so cold and fragile.


    Pandora''s eyes were so blurry she didn''t even see Leona at first, the darkness in the room seemingly dully her senses.


    Pandora stiffened, lying there in a daze as she took in this familiar yet unfamiliar scent, heard that calm yet powerful heartbeat, unable to help but press both her little palms on this broad chest.


    Then, she began to silently weep until she no longer had the strength to shed tears anymore, quickly following in Leonardo''s footsteps and falling asleep.


    Leona who watched from the side didn''t know what to do as guilt also tore at her little heart. Only, she also wanted to hug Leonardo to sleep after the two years separation. Thus, she ultimately climbed into the bed and hugged his back, quickly falling asleep as well.


    Leonardo was just as bad when it came to constions. Only, he truly felt very tired both mentally and physically, and the only solution to this fatigue, in his opinion, was a good night sleep.


    He didn''t know what type of turmoil or chaos ran rampant in Pandora''s heart, but he could see it in her eyes.


    She was also tired.


    Too tired.


    Hence, when people are tired, the best solution is still rest.


    It is still sleep.

 Chapter 158 End (I)

    ?Although Valdmor was buzzing with activity, fear, and spection, Leonardo didn''t care about that as he had already considered Arcadia to be a chapter of his life that met its conclusion.


    The next morning when he woke up, he gathered his family and followers in a spacious dining hall.


    He sat at the head of the table, Leona standing right next to his left side while hugging his arm. As for Pandora, she tossed away all reservations and sat silently on hisp, her head lowered.


    After this morning meal thatbined over three daily meals into one, Leonardo finally had the time to listen to everything that happened in the past two years of his seclusion. Only, he didn''t have much of a reaction other than letting out a soft sigh.


    "Let me get this straight, you wish to stay behind and run an underground assassination organization together with Lucas, simply to target the believers of the Arcadian Faith that might rise after I left?"


    Leonardo stroked Pandora''s silver hair gently, smiling as if she didn''t dare look him in the eye while making such a request. Still, Leonardo didn''t mind and simply lifted his head to look at Ingrid, "Arrange for Pandora to inherit all of my shares in the energy ore mountain range, that''s the least I can help her with."


    Ingrid seemed to have expected this, bowing her head. Then, she suddenly thought of something else and asked, "What about the shares of my Te''s, what to do with them?"


    Leonardo thought for a bit and responded, "Just give them to Lucas, and then announce to the world that Ghost Face will be inheriting this organization. Even if they wanted to assassinate him, they''d have to go past his innate martial intent, to begin with."


    Leonardo''s arrangements were simple.


    With Lucas'' ability, the support from the Great Grace Republic, the future High Elf Lord, and the resources in hand from bing Te''s Chairman, controlling Arcadia is but a matter of time.


    Even if his potential was limited to level 50, Lucas would always be safe as no one would even recognize him, let alone deliberately target him. Honestly, even Leonardo couldn''t judge whether this was a curse or a blessing.


    "Wendy," Leonardo then turned his head to this student of his, but his eyes were a bit different from looking at a student. Wendy''s eyes shudder lightly, she blinked once, and looked back at Leonardo calmly.


    This was the co-soul.


    "Do you need anything?" She furrowed her brows.


    "Yeah," Leonardo nodded his head, "I want you to take Ingrid,Juvia, Kieran, and Leona, Aris will transport you guys to House Hestia in the higher realms. Approximately one year from now, Aria will send Ingrid and her daughter to the Core Maind of this ne, but they will be exempt from enrollment to the Interster Supreme Institution. I want you to make use of that event to break into Earth."


    "You have my unique method of concealing your cultivation so the wouldn''t suffer from your energy fluctuations. Search for my mother; Maria Evernight, and hand her the children."


    Leonardo didn''t say it, but Aria could guess that he implicated his daughter with Nier as well. When Maria learned of his situation, she might make her way to the Core Maind as well, but that''s a matter too far to guess at.


    Wendy nodded seriously, as only she and the children who didn''t start to cultivate yet could safely make it in and out of the without destroying it. At most, everyone will simply reunite somewhere in the Core Maind due to their interlinked karma.


    "It is best if Juvia stayed behind on Arcadia as well," Aria said at this moment, her crimson eyes trained on Leonardo''s body. She added, "I can''t guarantee her safety if she follows me back, House Hestia will meet its tribtion sooner orter, and I won''t be able to protect her while facing at least twelve Immortals."


    Leonardo''s brows furrowed, "Will you be able to make it out alive?"


    Everyone remained silent after Leonardo''s question.


    Aria stared back into Leonardo''s lifeless eyes for a moment before she sighed, recalling that one promise as she asked, "I might have a way, but it''s a gamble. However, I need to talk to you alone."


    Leonardo nodded without hesitation.


    He wouldn''t allow the grandmother of his daughter to die if he could do anything to prevent it from happening. Only, this gamble Aria spoke of seemed to be something she came up with on the spot.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I''ll go ahead and transport everyone to the higher realms first," Aria also nodded her small head before looking at everyone in the room.


    "Wait a moment please," Ingrid interrupted, sending a few messages with hermunication bracelet before fetching out a contract, marking it with her blood signature a momentter. After reviewing the contents of the contract, she nodded to herself with a faint smile.


    "I''m ready," she handed the contract over to Pandora, "Lucas only needs to sign this paper and everything will be set. I leave this organization in your capable hands."


    Pandora''s shoulders trembled lightly as she received the contact.


    Juvis sighed with a bitter smile, "Seems like my fate isn''t getting me to the higher realms," she shrugged, "Whatever, I was simply trying to escape the gloom of my stupid uncle, but now I can kill him with the snap of a wrist, staying with this stupid girl isn''t that bad either."


    Ingrid merely smiled faintly without saying anything, she knew that Pandora and Juvia had quite the history together, a prettyplicated rtionship.


    Juvia then looked at Leonardo, eyes sparkling.


    "Master, why don''t we go at it onest time in that ce before you leave?" This sentence may sound cryptic to everyone around, but both Leonardo and Pandora immediately guessed at Juvia''s intentions.


    Leonardo could feel Pandora''s fist clench on his white coat, so he nodded with a faint smile.


    "Alright then, let''s get going," Aria rolled her eyes, shing the void with her w to open a tall portal that reflected a crimson world of blood.


    After bidding their farewell, and an adorable crying session from Leona, everyone left.


    Kieran hesitated for a moment as he held onto a wooden tform with a beautiful figurine on top, but he ultimately decided to keep it on himself lest his Godfather lost it during some incident.


    He was already a young man, almost eighteen years old. Thus, he was intelligent enough to pick up some clues from the atmosphere, only that his nature is the taciturn silent type.


    When everyone passed through, Leonardo patted Pandora while looking at Juvia, "You two can go ahead first, I''ll follow soon after."


    He wanted to have some alone time with Aria, and the two silver-haired beauties understood clearly, hence they both nodded and disappeared from this verdant in-doors courtyard.


    ¡­


    "What do you need me to do?" Leonardo gave Aria a look, a faint smile on his face.


    Aria narrowed her eyes slightly, "I want to try merging the concepts of the soul pearl, celestial incarnations, and co-soul. However, I''m not sure if this will work, I''m not sure if the seal in your sea of consciousness might obliterate my soul, and I''m not sure if this will have a negative impact on your cultivation in the future."


    Leonardo understood. However, it is precisely just like she said, the oue is quite uncertain and unpredictable. Still, he nodded his head with a calm expression before opening his sea of consciousness and the ck gate into his soul.


    Aria could also sense the changes. Hence, without any hesitation, she concentrated her split will into a streak of crimson light that left the divine marite and rushed into Leonardo''s mind''s eye, heading straight for the soul pearl.


    Aria was shocked to see the gigantic ck sphere and the neb-like clusters revolving around it. Then, she felt as though something locked onto her strand of will, and the calm ck sea beneath her began to ebb and flow with an ominous rhythm.


    ''I''m dead!''


    She thought in horror.

 Chapter 159 End (II)

    ?Pfft!


    Leonardo spat a mouthful of blood, his closed eyes snapping open to reveal an expansive darkness with ck blood trickling down his cheeks. Nheless, a faint smile graced his lips.


    ¡­


    Pfft!


    In the higher realms, Rosaline opened her eyes with a paleplexion, blood trickling down the corner of her mouth as her crimson eyes shed with horror.


    She felt the will to exterminate all life pulsing from the depths of the ck ocean. However, just as she thought she was done for, soul about to be obliterated, a suction force not unlike a gravitational pull snatched her strand of will into the depths of a boiling crimson neb, quickly splitting into a smaller dense sphere that rotated along with the other three.


    She didn''t know that Leonardo pushed his innate martial intent to the limit, calcting through thousands upon thousands of timelines for a path of survival, eventually adding her strand of will to the orbit of his soul pearl, allowing it to orbit the bloodthirsty neb.


    However, even though she didn''t know about that, when she felt a trace of Leonardo''s will in the suction force, she allowed him to control her without resisting. That feeling of being under someone else''s control, for some reason, sent her heart beating wildly.


    She quickly shook her head clear of these thoughts and inspected her body. Then, she smiled bitterly to herself, almost 40% of her soul was sucked dry, cutting the efficacy of her domain in half.


    After adjusting her breathing, she quickly tore through the spatial dimensions and jumped into the sub-dimension where Nier and Aria were resting.


    Then, she saw Nier consoling Leona who was still crying while Ingrid was entranced by the sleeping Aria. As for Kieran, both he and Wendy were silently walking around this sealed dimension, curiously inspecting the ce.


    No one noticed her arrival.


    She smiled at this scene while hiding herself in the folded space, silently wishing Leonardo good luck as a resolute expression surfaced in her crimson eyes. Then, she took a step back and disappeared.


    She was only worried that the meeting between Leonardo''s adoptive children, his blood daughter, and their mother would end up in a disaster. However, she was probably overthinking it as logically speaking, the three children had the blood of the same Infernal Race running through their veins.


    ¡­


    On that day, news about the new Te''s Chairman being the infamous Ghost Face and that the simrly infamous White Specter and Winter Soldier will stay behind to inherit Leonardo''s Arcadian Legacy shook Valdmor, the Forbidden Domain, and Arcadia as a whole.


    Only, no one took a moment to consider the unfathomable influence Leonardo left on Arcadia in his wake, mostly because no one knew of the entire civilization currently growing steadily behind the Sky Mountains.


    As for Leonardo, Juvia, Pandora, and Lucas, no one knew where they went during this period as no one had expected Leonardo toe back after two years of absence. Simrly, no one could be sure that he wasn''t deliberately keeping low-key to bait out another organization that is tired of living into making a move on his people.


    When Leonardo arrived by theke that seemed both familiar and unfamiliar, observing the waterfall that also seemed familiar yet unfamiliar, he caught a glimpse of Juvia and Pandora through the corner of his eyes.


    Only this time, it wasn''t only Juvia who knelt down naked, but Pandora apanied her in doing the same.


    Only this time, the two weren''t trembling in fear, but in excitement and arousal.


    Only this time, Leonardo wasn''t so apathetic, but he directly stripped off and apanied the two women for a sensual marathon thatsted for three days and three nights, pouring his energy into them until they both achieved their divine constitutions, allowing them to naturally achieve the half-step divinity realm in the future.


    In these middle realms, unless they''ve encountered a celestial incarnation or the realm lord, no one would be their match.


    With that out of his system, Leonardo left the artificial cave where Pandora and Juvia rested in each other''s embrace, leaving behind a set of his clothes, a note, and a spatial ring.


    Then, he brought out the teleportation talisman with a faint smile on his face.


    His cultivation and fluctuations suddenly grew dim and weak, every bit of energy within his cells drawn into his soul pearl before it went behind the ck gate, floating above the ck sea.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Only when his body seemed void of cultivation whatsoever did he crush the talisman, allowing the force to pull him into the wormhole connecting to the higher realms.


    ¡­


    An untold distance away in the Interster Supreme Court''s Temple, the middle-aged man opened his starry eyes, muttering something to himself before crushing a piece of jade.


    ¡­


    In a chaotic region of folded space and twisted sub-dimensions, a decently tranquil zone suddenly pulsed as twelve indistinct silhouettes appeared. One couldn''t even judge whether or not they were humanoid, let alone their race, gender, and age.


    "Your security measures are getting even more ridiculous! What the fuck man?!" The same person who alwaysined, albeit his voice now sounded vastly different, spoke up.


    However, no one bothered with him this time. Instead, the other eleven waited patiently for the person who summoned them to speak up.


    "The House Lord made some arrangements with the Interster Supreme Court''s people after some incentives. They had also contacted House Hestia and offered sufficientpensation in the form of free licensed passage to the Core Maind in exchange for that Leonardo Evernight."


    Everyone was silent for a moment before an unfamiliar voice with an unfamiliar tone spoke up, "This is going to ruin our preparations in the sect, how are we supposed to corner Lady Nier now? New disciples of the institution can''t leave the Holy Land beforepleting the mandatory three years of service in the army."


    "It can''t be helped, the Great Jin Dynasty is pressing the Judicial Sector, and the Judicial Sector is pressuring the Holy Land for talented cultivators. I heard about the matter with Lord Hestia-¡­"


    "Shut up! If you want to die, don''t involve us! Dogs only bark when the mastermands it, if you don''t even know how to be a dog, you shouldn''t have signed up for this assignment." The mysterious voice spoke coldly, interrupting the flow of the conversation.


    "My House Lord said that we naturally don''t need to worry about this. Even if that Hestia girl can run around the Core Maind, she doesn''t have the cultivation methods necessary to survive, let alone sufficient resources and knowledge to cultivate. Moreover, it''s not like House Hestia is the main dish, it could only be considered an appetizer at best."


    "No matter how far she runs, if we can take House Lord Rosaline as captive, she will naturallye to find us."


    ¡­


    While the alliance representatives of the twelve houses were discussing, Leonardo crossed the wormhole andnded in the familiar main lobby of the small house where he had his first experience with a woman, although his memory of that moment could be considered fragmented at best.


    He could smell a dense odor of blood, sighing to himself that what ought toe would trulye.


    Boom!


    A heavy aura descended from above, striking against Leonardo''s chest as the entire house and the asteroid beneath it exploded to bits.


    Thirteen powerful auras simr to Nier''s boundless aura locked down space-time.


    Leonardo looked up to see Xavier standing behind a masked individual in space, a faint smile of ridicule on his face.


    Leonardo could feel his consciousness gradually sink, so he smiled back with ridicule before closing his eyes, withdrawing his soul and consciousness into the ck gate before its doors shut with a heavy thud.


    Xavier and the other masked men had a bad feeling as they hadn''t expected Leonardo toe by himself with no one for them to take as a hostage, let alone the fact that he had shut down his own consciousness.


    "Hmph!" One of the masked men spoke up, "So what if he shut himself down? If we want to investigate his memories, no one can stop us! Take him back to the underground prison where we keep ''that'' person, make sure no one finds out about it, this person is definitely an outsider."


    What he meant by an outsider was a neswalker, but no one would dare say this word in the presence of an actual neswalker.


    The twelve men nodded, quickly escorting the unconscious Leonardo away.

 Chapter 160 Junior Brother

    ?Chains rattled noisily inside a very dim and humid underground cave system.


    Two men were walking side by side without saying a word, their figures enshrouded underneathyers of ck cloth, only their callus hands visible through the wide sleeves of their uniforms.


    One of them was locking his rigid fingers in long strands of silver-white hair, dragging the figure of a naked young man through the shallow waters and dusty ground as they made their way into the depths of the tunnels.


    The further they traveled, the more evident a faint sound of the whip striking through the air and muffled groans intermixed with crazyughter vibrated in their ears, but they nheless trudged forward silently.


    Very quickly they arrived inside an open underground space where they found a group of simrly dressed silent men and another naked man with long ck hair.


    The man was hung upside down, a metallic iron hook piercing his ankles as a de obsidian chain bound him to the ceiling. The length of the chain was calcted so meticulously, leaving half the man''s face submerged in water, leaving his chin and mouth outside to breathe.


    This man sometimes shouted, sometimesughed, and sometimes returned to shouting even louder. Anyone who saw this would assume that this man went mad from torture.


    As his body writhed around, blood from his split open back and rib cage bones that were snapped apart to jut out into twelve spikes. Countless wriggling worms were gnawing away at the bones and flesh within his body, but the speed was so excruciatingly slow that his minimal self-recovery abilities kept his body from deteriorating to a critical point.


    From the front, a heavily spiked whip glistening with poisonshed out at his chest, abdomen, and face without rest.


    Even the man striking with the whip had the skin on his hand torn open from the endless striking. Still, whenever his hands were too numb to continue, someone else would take his ce.


    "Count yourself viscous! Haha! You really think your methods are something, keeping me locked up for who knows how many millennia!"


    The manughed and screamed incoherently.


    "The sooner you talk, the less you suffer. Your people obviously don''t care about you anymore, otherwise, they''d have longe to save you."


    Whack!


    Whack!


    Whack!


    As the man in ck spoke, his whip danced and split the naked man''s cheek open, digging deep into his bones.


    The naked man shuddered violently and spat a mouthful of blood, then continued tough crazily.


    "My junior brother will being soon, then let''s see if you can stop us from leaving! Haha!"


    Whack!


    Pfft!


    Whack!


    Pfft!


    "Junior brother this and that, you''ve been screaming the same sentence over and over for the past twenty years, where is that junior brother?!"


    Whack!


    Pfft!


    "Haha! Just wait¡ª Pfft! Haha! Haha! Haha!"


    ¡­


    Ssh!


    Suddenly, two men entered the room, one of them tossing a young man who was unconscious into the mud, water, and blood on the ground, grunting coldly as though he said something.


    "Another one?" The man holding the whip stopped, furrowing his brows to ask.


    The other two men to the side and even the other naked man looked this way, confusion in their eyes. Suddenly, Leonardo''s body twitched slightly as he could feel a district and familiar yet unfamiliar aura, something that caused the ck sea behind the ck gate to ripple softly.


    Then, an almost imperceptible spiritual fluctuation rippled out from Leonardo''s mind''s eye, seemingly triggering a mechanism hidden deep within the other naked man''s mind eye, causing hisughter to abruptlyg. Then, heughed even louder.


    "Haha! HAHA! HAHAHAHA! Finally! FINALLY!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    As heughed and screamed, his body began shaking uncontrobly, his once-red blood slowly turning ck as his skin cracked and bones splintered.


    "Devil blood?" The men in ck spoke simultaneously, their tones grave.


    "I knew they were a group of devils! They hid themselves too damn well! Do they want to rebuild the Lost Dynasty?! Too naive!"


    These weird conversations rushed into Leonardo''s ears the moment his consciousness surfaced against his will, confusing him. Then, he saw the man who wasughing while simultaneously breaking down, a sudden wave of inexplicable grief washing his heart.


    The man''s lips silently moved as heughed crazily, mouthing the words you''vee, little brother. Take care.


    Then, the man''s heart beat and beat out of control before exploding in his chest, a ssh of ck blood staining Leonardo''s confused face.


    "How can hemit suicide?! We didn''t extort any valuable information from him yet! Fuck! Chain this kid up before he shuts himself down for me!"


    A loud, mind-buzzing voice boomed in the room. Then, everyone felt the entire underground cave system shaking.


    First, everyone attributed the shaking to the powerful voice of the divinity. However, they quickly realized that something was wrong, that was precisely because an old man suddenly appeared in their midst.


    "Rebirth experts have locked onto this location, hurriedly evacuate!"


    The old man shouted sternly, a pair of ephemeral eyes surfacing from the void behind him, the third eye being a dense core not unlike that of a sparkling star, brimming with life.


    "Hehe, you''re a step toote, old man¡­" A soft voice that sent chills down everyone''s spine echoed in the underground cave, its source a young boy who didn''t look older than fourteen years old.


    This child had short ck hair, inky eyes, and a wicked smile as dark as his long thick coat. The old man didn''t have time to turn around before he felt a small hand piercing his back, stabbing his heart, and thrusting its way all the way through his chest to his head, sting his brain into bits and pieces.


    Blood sshed everywhere as the eyes in the void dimmed and the core seemed as though it was about to explode.


    "Run!"


    One of the men in ck shouted. However, he suddenly realized that he couldn''t move a muscle.


    Whoosh!


    The sound of something cutting through the air echoed. Then, the man''s body, much like hispanions and that unstable core in the sky, crumbled into hundreds of tiny fragments that were evenly diced apart, more blood sshing about.


    The kid then gestured with his hand as a ck sword cut whizzed in the air before hovering behind him, not a speck of blood could be seen on the cold edge.


    "You must be the guy Lord Sin talked about. Haha, you''re very good. Ah, my name is too ugly so you can call simply address me as junior brother. For now, we need to leave quickly before they dispatch somepetent experts."


    Leonardo was still confused about these developments, and his body felt too weak to move. Hence, even as he felt a formless energy wrap around his body and carry him through the air, he had no chance of resisting whatsoever.


    The kid then jumped on the surface of his sword as it expanded enough to host Leonardo''s stiff body as well, quickly shooting out through the deep hole in the ceiling that led to the outside world through a deep mountain.


    The moment they left the formations of the underground cave systems, Leonardo felt waves of heavy energypressing his body from all sides, his vision filled with radiations of multiple colors that almost blinded him and fried his brain with the endless information his brain attempted to perceive.


    The kid simplyughed at Leonardo''s diforted expression, lifting two fingers with a dense concentration of blue ether on their tip.


    "Disintegrate!"


    He shouted in a low voice, tossing this small sphere of energy into the direction of the deep hole.


    ¡­


    A thin blue streak of light pierced the clouds and descended into the cave systems. Then, a silent white sphere of boiling energy expanded like a dome, when it disappeared, so did the cave systems and everything that was left behind.


    Only two ovepping M characters were left in the center of the crater.


    A few momentster when a few old men dressed in red uniforms appeared above the scene, one of them couldn''t help but sigh and shake his head.


    "Was it necessary to provoke Memento Mori? What''s scarier than a mighty Dynasty is a group of mighty cultivators with nothing to lose¡­"


    Ultimately, no one responded to this old man¡­

 Chapter 161 Unexpected Mutation

    ?On the flying sword, the junior brother gave Leonardo a translucent white pill with a smile.


    "This is a minor ether rejuvenation pill, it will help you familiarize yourself with the ether in the atmosphere. In the Core Maind, regr worldly energy is nearly nonexistent, and your body will treat the unfamiliar ether energy as a virus, instinctively rejecting it. This is the cause of your difort and nausea."


    This junior brother who looked younger than Leona in Leonardo''s eyes pinched open Leonardo''s mouth and popped the medicinal pill into his mouth. Sighing in amazement, "If you had the body of an ordinary saint, with your cultivation sealed, you''d have died long ago."


    Leonardo felt a warm stream of energy dissolve inside his mouth, the feeling prompting him to unseal his energy from the soul pearl and irrigate it throughout his body like a great flood in a stormy season.


    Usually, this unrestrained flood of energy would have been enough to shake and perhaps copse an entire mountain in a middle-realm, but it barely produced a gust of air around Leonardo''s frame.


    "I know you must have a lot of questions, but I don''t know much. I can only say that it is some prophecy that caught Lord Sin''s attention, and we had to sacrifice a brother to see it through."


    Although the kid was smiling, Leonardo could sense the deep air of mncholy.


    "I know this isn''t your fault, but some of the brothers and sisters are very narro-minded, hence why your situation has been kept a core secret even in the gang. For now, we have arranged a new identity for you as a humble shopkeeper in a small town."


    "From now on, you''re shopkeeper Shi Yunhei, you better keep low-key until someone from the ganges to find you. However, if you can climb the ranks in an above-board manner, that would be even better."


    He then tossed a rectangr piece of jade to Leonardo.


    "Everything you need to know about the Luan Dynasty, our current destination, is stored there. I rmend you to stay put until you achieve divinity."


    Leonardo didn''t have the energy to speak yet, so he simply listened with rapt attention. With a simple scan of his consciousness, the amount of information within the jade stunned him.


    He would need months to digest this much information.


    The kid looked at Leonardo''s expression, seemingly understanding his plight as he chuckled and exined, "We have a long way to cross from the Jin Dynasty to the Luan Dynasty, we have to continually go through teleportation formations for the next year at least."


    Leonardo had many questions, but his body was in the process of adjusting to the ether, his entire system undergoing some sort of a remodeling process pursuing adaptation. Thus, he simply closed his eyes and entered a meditative state of mind, continuing to absorb the medicinal properties of the minor ether rejuvenation pill.


    Leonardo hoped that his sudden breakout wouldn''t negatively impact the others as they made their way into the Core Maind. However, he was simply unaware that with the time dtion, Nier and her peers had already gone through the entrance ceremony and made it inside the Core Maind.


    Currently, Nier and Ingrid were roaming this vast Core Maind on their own, thetter having advanced to a divinity long ago.


    ¡­


    House Hestia''s Immortal Kingdom.


    Other than the sound of running streams of blood that echoed in the void far and near, the entire continent was very silent. Let alone the Crimson Blood Pce, not even the seventy-two continents attached to the main dimension seemed to have a trace of life left.


    The thirty-six divinities of the branch families were nowhere to be seen, only a woman in a long crimson dress stood on the peak of the pce with a waterfall of blood that poured through the void and into a deep ocean below the castle was behind her.


    "Since you''vee, you can stop hiding already."


    Her cold voice caused the space to quake and the multiple sub-dimensions within to shake.


    "Haha, you seem quite lonely, Lady Hestia, what happened to your people?"


    A cryptic voice responded as one cloaked and masked figure appeared one after another, their identities unrecognizable.


    "Dignified Immortals don''t even dare reveal their faces, howughable! You came to bully a woman when the man isn''t home, but I reckon you''ll be disappointed." Rosalineughed coldly.


    "If it weren''t for the curse in your Hestia''s Bloodline, every widow of your house would''ve had a second chance for another man to shelter them. s, your bloodline is quite unique¡­" Another voice sighed inmentation.


    "What a pity, I guess even the heavens don''t want your bloodline to conquer the world. Don''t hold it against us, we got our own difficulties, but orders are orders¡­ Sigh, if only that little girl Nier was more obedient."


    "Haha! I knew it! Those bastards from the Interster Supreme Court wanted my House Hestia''s martial intent, but we never publicly announce our daughters unless they''ve lost their virginity and had their womb branded. Thus, they trapped my husband and son, just to prevent them from carrying out the rituals!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Impudent! Lady Hestia, don''t you dare nder the Interster Supreme Court, you are used of sheltering a neswalker! That''s a capital crime! You better tell us the location of your daughter immediately!"


    Someone else snapped, his veins throbbing.


    "Haha! Report to the dogs above you that Nier''s womb had been marked! She already gave birth to that neswalker''s child, I wonder if they''ll still consider her whereabouts after finding out about this piece of information?"


    Boom!


    Space buzzed as a massive hand tore through the void and pped into the Immortal Kingdom.


    The entire Crimson Pce began to shake as Rosaline''s figure exploded into a mist of blood.


    "Mhm?! Damn it! This was a clone!"


    "She actually split her soul and fused it with this clone to deceive us, her true body will have no more than 20% of its power now, trace her soul to the source!" A furious voice reverberated across the empty void.


    The twelve Immortals hurriedly unleashed their domains. However, they couldn''t find any trace of that remnant soul.


    "We can''t find it!" One of them shouted out loud. Then, hismunication bracelet that had ninerge pearls shed, the message within shocking him.


    "She''s attacking our headquarters!"


    This man didn''t even care about the reaction of everyone else, tearing the void and rushing back while cursing. Even if she had 20% of her power, that is more than enough to absolutely obliterate everyone within their territories.


    Almost two hourster, the Crimson Pce grew dim and began to fracture, the Immortal Kingdom of House Hestia copsing.


    Then, space tore open again as more than twenty men arrived, watching the copsing Immortal Kingdom with grave expressions.


    "Fuck! She actually dared kill herself?! Fuck! House Hestia!"


    A roar that shook the upper realms caused the world barrier to tremble, foreshadowing the anger contained within.


    They lost Maria Evernight''s traces on Earth while their forces met a mysterious wipeout!


    Memento Mori abducted Leonardo from the underground prison!


    Nier''s womb is already branded!


    And now, Rosalinemitted suicide after destroying three Immortal Kingdoms!


    Intolerable!


    ¡­


    While the Immortals from the Interster Supreme Court in the ster world were on a rampage of wrath, Leonardo who just stepped out from a teleportation formation with that junior brother and flew across the skies, suddenly closed his eyes in meditation.


    The moment Rosaline''s clone and real body got destroyed, the mark she left behind within Leonardo''s soul pearl began to flicker, prompting Leonardo to open his sea of consciousness.


    Just like that, two crimson streaks of light one dimmer than thest, unnoticed by even the junior brother, rushed into Leonardo''s mind. Then, they immediately melded into the tiny neb revolving around the bloodthirsty neb.


    At this moment, a fascinating mutation happened as the neb molded into a shining crimson pearl with the phantom of an infant embryo within, only for the bloodthirsty neb to automatically absorb this pearl into its depths.


    Then, a portion of the bloodthirsty neb began to automatically draw in the ether to nourish this embryo, shocking Leonardo. He could sense that when Rosaline attempted to guide the remnant soul to form an incarnation, the bloodthirsty martial intent automatically triggered the bloodthirsty armament, resonating with the soul incarnation before this mutation happened.


    Although shocked with worry, Leonardo could feel that Rosaline wasn''t resisting the least, allowing him to at least rx...

 Chapter 162 Lush Skirts Plains Province, Greenheart City, 7th District

    ?When the shock subsided, inspiration and enlightenment suddenly struck Leonardo''s mind as an absolutely ridiculous idea popped in his head.


    The ck shadow from the obelisk already taught Leonardo how to extract the lifelongbat experiences of First Dizmason Eternus, and the first-lifetime experience was invested into Ingrid as the First Twilight, should he give Rosaline the lifelong experience of the Second Dizmason Eternus?


    Leonardo made a split-second decision on the spot, deciding that since the mutation had already urred and her life was now linked to his, he might as well go big.


    Thus, the silent ck sea began to boil and roil over as countless fragmented images of endless ughter shed through the deep waters, quickly gathering into apressed ck pill with a terrifying will of extermination. Leonardo''s innate martial intent was pushed to the limits as he calcted thousands of future avenues, searching for a possible merging path.


    Rosaline had long surrendered control over her soul and will to Leonardo, hence he didn''t receive any bacsh from reading the timelines of her karma.


    With a thought, the ck pill shot into his soul pearl, phasing through the bloodthirsty neb and merging into the pulsing embryo.


    The miniature infant within the small core went silent for a moment. Then, its entire body started osciting with a sh of ck that began to burrow deep into what resembled skin.


    The pearl began to spin faster, prompting the bloodthirsty neb to increase its rotation speed, and like a domino effect, the other nebs and the ck sphere they orbited also began to spin faster. The pores on Leonardo''s skin expanded as the speed at which he drew in ether almost doubled, over half of which poured directly into the embryo.


    Very quickly, the embryo''s situation stabilized, the flickering ck skin reverting back to a milky white luster.


    ¡­


    "Mhm? Can your body handle that much ether? I rmend absorbing it slowly." The junior brother noticed the irregr fluctuations, kindly reminding Leonardo.


    Leonardo opened his eyes slightly with a faint smile.


    "I''m fine, this is barely manageable¡­" As he spoke, a strand of worldly energy began to spiral out from his index finger. Only he knew that no matter how much ether his body absorbed now, he was distributing it between Rosaline and himself in a 9:1 ratio.


    He couldn''t help but smile faintly as he had inadvertently scoured through the woman''s memories when her soul surrendered to his control, not knowing whether tough or cry upon finding out that she named her granddaughter after the name he chose for her in the middle realms.


    He also found out that Nier and Ingrid had already made it into the Core Maind, and the Interster Supreme Court was hunting them down.


    Afaint deep blue color could be seen within the formless invisible flow of spiraling worldly energy, disying Leonardo''s current progress of converting his energy. This blue quintessence will slowly push Leonardo''s cultivation into the divine realm, achieving divinity and creating his own sub-dimension.


    "Here you go," when the flying sword stopped next, junior brother tossed Leonardo a silver spatial ring. "The earlier teleportation formations aren''t guarded because they cross vast distances outside the region of provincial borders. As for the next few teleportations, we will need to go through the teleportation halls of the Luan Dynasty, and I can''t let you go into the halls naked."


    Leonardo suddenly remembered that he was naked,ughing bitterly.


    "If I withdraw the protection of my ether from your body, you''ll undoubtedly die. Hence, just tidy yourself up with some casual clothes, for now, you can shower and all once we make it to your residence."


    Leonardo nodded, quick to put on his clothes while asking curiously, "Just how massive is the surface area of the Core Maind? I''m getting dizzy from all these teleportations."


    "Even I don''t know," junior brother chuckled bitterly, "The amount of uncharted territory, even after millions of years, could only be measured in the units of light years. To put things into perspective, some of therger cities have a surface area equivalent to the surface area of one or two middle-realms of a ster worldbined."


    "However!" Junior brother quickly waved his hand, "The amount of people capable of cultivation is also dismal. Most of the ether is being concentrated into those great sects and dynasties. Of course, this allows themon people to live happily, but on the flip side, it cripples their path to cultivation. Unless you risk your life and leave the provincial protective formations, happen to join a sect, or have enough fortune to gather ether rejuvenation pills, you''re almost never guaranteed to achieve rebirth."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Leonardo''s gaping mouth suddenly rxed with a sigh of relief.


    "Heavens are fair after all," this was all Leonardo could say in response to that.


    Junior brother simply smiled faintly without saying anything. However, his eyes said that he didn''t believe in the concept of fairness.


    ¡­


    There was plenty of traffic inside the teleportation hall, despite how deserted the outside area seemed. It only took Leonardo a moment to understand why.


    People who walk into the teleportation hall from an ether-rich environment were mostly people above the rebirth realm, but most cultivators on that level are monopolized by sects and dynasties. As for everyone below that level, they could only go from one teleportation hall to the next.


    rebirth realm cultivators and above seemed to receive preferential treatment as a staff member dressed in a white uniform with the emblem of a bluebird illustrated by water, wind, and snow stepped forward to greet them.


    "How can I help you, esteemed guests?"


    The staff member smiled faintly with practice courtesy. Although, he was shocked to see such a young rebirth cultivator who didn''t look much older than fourteen or fifteen years old.


    Junior brother smiled amicably, "We wish to teleport to the Lush Skirts ins Province if possible, only the two of us."


    The staff member nodded. "Do you have any identification certificates with you?"He turned to face Leonardo and asked politely.


    Leonardo didn''t say anything as he was positive that the junior brother took this into consideration.


    "I am a hired bodyguard and won''t be prolonging my stay within the borders of the Luan Dynasty. As for my client here, these are his certificates." Junior brother handed over a t translucent card that seemed to be crafted from a fine mineral simr to diamonds.


    The staff member checked the card and smiled, "A universal identification card, I see. Oh, your client didn''t imnt his spiritual imprint in the card, it would be very difficult to locate it in the unfortunate event of losing it."


    The staff member handed the card over to Leonardo with a kind smile, "Sir Shi, I hope you enjoy your stay in my Luan Dynasty. As for the bodyguard, please leave a temporary spiritual imprint on the teleportation formation, you will have a limited seven business days toplete your affairs."


    Leonardo and junior brother nodded, each proceeding to ce their spiritual imprints on the identity certificate and teleportation formation respectively before crossing over to the Lush Skirts ins Province.


    ¡­


    The teleportation hall is connected to many branch teleportation halls located across the various provinces and the cities within. Small towns and viges were practically nonexistent, you would either live in a small or arge city.


    Nheless, the cities are further split into districts, and the teleportation hall where Leonardo ended up was in the 7th District of Greenheart City, a medium-sized city with a decent poption of a dozen billion people.


    "This is where we part ways, I was merely worried that something might ur during the teleportation, but the channel was stable enough. Your certificate holds enough information about the coordinates to your house, and the spatial ring has plenty of raw ether crystals to get yourself together."


    The moment junior brother finished talking, he turned around and re-entered the teleportation hall, leaving Leonardo to his own devices.

 Chapter 163 Swindling A Smart Employee

    ?A young uncle in his early twenties with in white clothes, waist-length silver hair, moreover bare feet walked along the wide sidewalks of one of many opulent, marble-sculptured streets while ignoring the weird looks directed at him.


    He was holding a small booklet containing thews, regtions, and codes of conduct in the city. The first step to avoiding making trouble was naturally having preconceived knowledge of what to do and what not to do.


    Flight is permitted individually and on flying mounts, whereas flying treasures such as carriages and chariots, or anything of mechanical nature is restricted by a flight certificate.


    It is not too rare for chariots to sh in the sky, the resulting shockwaves to the readers harming the innocent below. Thus, the skies are a restricted area.


    Boom!


    "Ah! My eyes!"


    A loud explosion sted in the sky, chaotic energy waves intermixed with high ether radiations rippled from the sky, most people immediately going blind as ether carried too much visual information that couldn''t be digested by normal brains.


    Of course, protective gear such as lenses, sunsses, and visors was amonmodity, most people withholding their use would either be very poor or simply too strong.


    Leonardo looked up to see two massive vessels reminiscent of pirate ships crashing into one another, various blue waves of energy exploding consecutively as massive shards of metal and wooden nks descended like falling stars.


    His pupils rippled and dted, filling up his eyespletely ck as he focused his martial intent on the descending shards, immediately calcting that their trajectory didn''t ce him into any immediate threats.


    As he was curiously tracing the trajectories, his eyesnded on a level 16 woman with the aesthetics of a bookworm nerd. She was hugging a stack of massive books, her round face confused while looking all around in a panic.


    This is but a natural reaction for everyone on this street was in a panic. However, the unnatural thing was that she wore massive, round, frameless spectacles.


    Those weren''t protective sses with anti-radiation filters, but ordinary lenses for short eyesight and reading. What intrigued Leonardo was that this woman was behaving as though she was certain of her death, not panicking like a headless chicken, but a trace of regret and reluctance was in her eyes amidst the panic.


    Boom!


    A massive metal b smashed down on her head


    Only, when she shut her eyes awaiting death, even though she shouldn''t have been aware of the timing of impact, she felt a powerful gust of wind smashing into her fragile figure and sending her stumbling back a few steps.


    A young uncle with long silver hair stood in front of her while raising one hand that blocked the massive metal b, and this uncle was now looking at her with a faint smile and a trace of curiosity.


    "How did you know?"


    He asked her directly.


    "Eh? Know what?"


    She responded in a timid voice, understanding the concept of the required strength needed to stop something sorge and fast with one hand.


    "You looked like you were resigned to your death, how did you know that you were going to die?" Leonardo ced down the heavy b with a deep thud, though it barely left a mark on the wide sidewalk.


    "Oh that, it was simple¡­" The woman breathed out in relief, thinking this uncle asked her a silly question.<novelnext></novelnext>


    She pointed at a newspaper on the pile of books, "This page highlights the scheduled flight routes and the designated airships with flight permits for today, I was on my way to report that the models of the two vessels are too far apart, and the speed of one of them willpensate for the dyed departure time, effortlessly catching up and overtaking the other vessel¡­ Only, my house is too far, and I didn''t expect to be caught in sudden traffic when the collision happened."


    "Judging from the base model, altitude, wind resistance, impact force prior, during, and after the collision¡­ If we take in the pure mass of the vessels and the cargo based on the statistics of both tradepanies, it is easy to calcte how much of the aftershocks will be consumed by these parameters, and whatever is left will propel the shards from a free fall state into indiscriminate projectiles."


    "Moreover, it is easy to determine which areas are beingpressed with energy by simply looking around, you can see people struggling to get up or move, presumably since there isn''t anything blocking the ether radiations from reaching their bodies. On the flip side, if you happen to feel like there weren''t any ether radiations pressing on your body, that could only mean somethingrge and durable enough is blocking them. Still, that could also only mean that whatevering your way isn''t intangible energy but imminent death¡­"


    "Uncle is powerful and you have probably built some resistance to ether, your body gradually treating ether in the environment as something natural. However, too weak people like us, ether in the atmosphere is something unnatural; too unnatural it might as well be deadly¡­" The woman took a deep breath, patting her chest. "It''s a pity, no one believed me when I said a crash will definitely happen, so many people died¡­"


    Leonardo stared nkly at this woman who was on the verge of breaking into tears.


    He had always prided himself on being smart, but he might need to take a few hundred steps back and allow this woman to take the pedestal instead. Just because she didn''t feel any abnormal ether fluctuations in her immediate surroundings, she was certain that she''d die.


    Even if she tried to run away, with her strength, no matter how far she was from the point of impact, she judged that the falling object was massive enough to engulf her in the radius of shockwaves, sting her to death. Thus, she simply stood there in a panic awaiting death.


    Were mortals even perceptive of ether? How does her brain even work?


    This woman was to his shoulders in height, a bit chubby in the face, with shoulder-length green hair, and a pair of spirited hazel eyes.


    She wasn''t exceptionally beautiful but not ordinary either. Sure, as a level 16, no one would even pay her any mind in a sea of people. However, the processing speed of her brain was a bit too much wasn''t it?


    "What do you do for a living?" Leonardo suddenly asked, which was somewhat rude given her current mental state of grief.


    Like, thousands of people just died, and she was ming herself for having the ability to stop it but failing to do so. Thus, she stared nkly for a bit before regaining her senses, "I¡­ I used to teach physics and research ancient texts about magic theories, but the donations to the school were cut short to support other practical research facilities, so I am now jobless¡­"


    Her voice then became a soft whisper, "¡­ Kinda homeless too¡­"


    She was living in her researchboratory to cut up on spending funds, so it couldn''t be helped. Just now, she spent most of her savings to rush to the teleportation hall and report the looming disaster, she never expected to make itte though.


    Thinking about it, she felt like crying bitterly.


    "Come work for me, then." Leonardo smiled faintly, as he didn''t care about her weak strength, her brain was irreceable.


    The woman was stunned.


    She looked him up and down, doubtfully asking, "Don''t you look broke and homeless too?¡­"


    Leonardo''s lips twitched, and he sighed, "I had some rough days outside, but I''m not homeless! I am actually a shopkeeper with my own house and property, you can work for me and I''ll fund your magic theory research¡­"


    Leonardo looked around and whispered to her ears, "Actually, I know a real magician, she taught me a little bit about magic theory too¡­ You know, I can help you gain one or two enlightenments."


    The woman gasped in disbelief...

 Chapter 164 Vast Sky Avenue

    Although the woman gasped, she was still on guard as she extended a hand, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone, "Uncle, at least provide some identity certificate for me."


    Leonardo rolled his eyes and tossed out his crystal card.


    The woman caught the card and gasped, "A one-star SCC, you are indeed a resident with private property¡­"


    Soulscript Crystal Cards, also known as SCCs, are universal identification certificates granted to pedestrians or civilians who pay annual taxes with the identities ofndlords, their rankings from one to nine stars depending on their contributions to their respective nationalities who issued the SCC.


    "Alright, but how can you prove that you know a real magician? Magic is a lost art throughout the entire ne, that is recorded in every article and history book to the point where the lost knowledge is a public opinion. I''m not the only person wasting resources on studying the theory of magic."


    "I can''t possibly discuss this matter with you in the streets. Moreover, this ce will soon be flooded by the city guards, so we better not tarry around for too long. Moreover, I still need to convert my raw ether into azure luan currency, find a suitable shopfront to invest in, hire servants, shop for necessities¡­" Leonardo furrowed his brows and began to toss out the objectives on his to-do list.


    The woman listened seriously, fixing herrge spectacles while nodding.


    "That is indeed a lot to do. Alright, we don''t have all day so we should get going to Vast Sky Avenue, which is the closest marketce to your address, we should be able to find everything you need there."


    Then, she pushed her books into Leonardo''s embrace and stood there with her arms spread horizontally, a serious expression on her round face.


    Leonardo gave her a weird look while holding the books, "What are you doing?"


    She responded seriously, "You obviously can fly, you should carry me."


    Leonardo blinked. Then, heughed while storing away her books in his spatial ring. Then, he picked her up by the waist and took her into the air.


    ¡­


    Vast Sky Avenue.


    Each district within the city has its popr business-oriented avenues, and the 7th District has the remarkable Vast Sky Avenue where the sky''s the limit for the opportunists.


    Shopping centers, museums, auction houses, tradepanies, and a few branches of the Azure Luan Bank serve as the lifeline to the dynasty''s economic and financial development.


    All business-oriented avenues restrict flight in any shape or form, as everyone who goes in and out is required to go through an inspection to leave behind a temporary spiritual imprint.


    Permanent residence within a business avenue is afforded only to business owners and entrepreneurs with grand investments. As for those without any, Vast Sky Avenue will charge a perpetual monthly tax until the business in question gains sufficient revenue topensate for the resources spent on maintenance.


    Leonardo and the woman who went by the name Merlinnded not too far from the flight-restricted zone across the massive gates leading into Vast Sky Avenue, watching as thousands of people clustered together while advancing through the entrance gate or leaving through the exit.


    "The formation will automatically brand your spiritual fluctuations and when you leave, the guards will approach you to pay the tax fee depending on the amount of time you spent inside. However, since you have a one-star SCC, you can link it to an ount in the Azure Luan Bank, and the fees will be automatically deducted from your ount upon entry and exit."


    Merlin fixed her whiteboratory dress and began walking in a certain direction, "I don''t have money or a bank ount, so I will register my spiritual fluctuations under your name as an employee. Of course, this is something you''ll have to do for every employee as a basic incentive, but you can also adjust tiers and monthly expenses for each employee that will limit their time lest they take advantage of you."


    Leonardo followed while browsing through the booklet from earlier, nodding with a faint smile.


    "How about this incentive then, your expenses will be unlimited, and you don''t need to worry about any consequences or repercussions from overstaying your wee in Vast Sky Avenue."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Merlin''s figure whirled as she rushed back in front of Leonardo, "Uncle, are you having a fever or something?"


    Leonardo looked at this woman who was clearly older than him yet called him uncle, but he didn''t mind since technically, his mental age should be a few decades old.


    "If you don''t want it then you don''t want it, I was going to create a private ount and a business ount, link your spiritual fluctuations to the business ount, but you do look reluctant to ept if."


    Leonardo shrugged his shoulders and started walking in the direction of the entrance gate, shaking his head.


    "Who said I don''t want to?! This is your loss!" Merlin quickly chased after this uncle who appeared out of nowhere to change her entire life.


    Whether it was for better or worse, she would have to gamble with it.


    ¡­


    Half a dayter, Leonardo and Merlin walked out from the Azure Luan Bank, the former with a faint smile on his face as he inspected his SCC that had the stamp of the dynasty''s currency on its back, thetter staring nkly at a tinum card with the stamp of the dynasty''s currency filling up its front, feeling her spiritual fluctuations within.


    Of course, the highest clearance is a diamond card, but the bank ultimately used Leonardo''s SCC as a substitute for the diamond card.


    "You''re now my official assistant shopkeeper, you better not ck off, understood?" Leonardo stretchedzily.


    Merlin mumbled, "I can''t believe I''m holding onto 100,000 credits right now¡­ This is too much for someone like me¡­"


    When Leonardo deposited the raw ether crystals to be converted into credits, the amount of raw ether crystals shocked her. Of course, pure ether crystals are iparable to raw ether, because no one can go around the energy loss when purifying the ether, resulting in the natural loss of almost 70% of the energy within.


    With the dismal conversion rate, a value of 0.001 currency credits equates to 1 raw ether fragment. (100:1)


    While on the other hand, the value of 0.0001 raw ether fragment equates to 1 pure ether fragment. (1000:1)


    Each fragment is the size of a fingernail, extremely small.


    Observing her expression, Leonardo decided not to tell her that he had 900,000 credits in his ount, instead flicking her forehead to grab her attention once more.


    "Mhm?" Merlin snapped out of her daze, recalling what Leonardo had just said as she tilted her head, "You haven''t even found a shopfront yet, let alone a shop for me to assist in managing. Moreover, I''m not sure if our funds are sufficient to buy a shopfront¡­"


    Leonardo shook his head, "I''m not buying anything. I will either rent or invest in a shopfront with potential. In the future when I have enough liquid assets, I will naturally buy my own shop here."


    Leonardo touched his chin and began walking ahead, holding the small booklet with his other hand to continue reading. Merlin seemed to understand the difference between investing and buying, and she quickly followed after him.


    "What kind of business are you going to invest in?"


    Merlin asked when she caught up, her voice loud enough for Leonardo to hear but not to a point where it could be considered disturbing to the surrounding crowd.

 Chapter 165 Martial Script Pavilion

    "That''s a good question," Leonardo nodded his head and said, "I will obviously look for a ce rted to cultivation techniques and treasure appraisals."


    When Leonardo scoured Rosaline''s memories, an unexpected coincidence was that he could also browse through the memories of the second Dizmason Eternus when she inherited his legacy, and now he had a ton of knowledge regardingbat-oriented martial techniques. He could infer from and create new techniques by relying on his innate martial intent, advertise them in an auction, and then gather traffic to the shop in which he invested.


    He could also rely on his innate martial intent to appraise treasures whether they were authentic or cheap counterfeits as a side job. All in all, he already constructed a framework on how to establish himself in this business avenue.


    "The Martial Script Pavilion¡­"


    Leonardo entered a fairly crowded street in the Vast Sky Avenue, this street had many shop fronts with a martial background.


    medicine stores, treasure forging stores, alchemy stores, formation array masters, rune inscription masters, appraisal masters, and there were even small stands upied by elders from sects who are recruiting for talents or exchanging resources for their sects.


    In short, this short street of towering buildings and vast courtyards was rich with the air of cultivation. However, since most of the poption in the Greenheart City 7th District wasn''t interested in cultivation due to the hardships of this path, the street was the ideal spot to scout for a suitable investment opportunity.


    On their way here, Leonardo paused by a few fashion stores to sort out his appearance into something presentable, his change in appearance brought an undeniable transformation to his temperament now that he didn''t give off the first impression of being a beggar.


    Clean leather pants matching his white modern high shine boots, a tripleyered upper garment of undershirt, vest, and a long sleeve cotton sweater all packed under a long silver coat with golden embroidery patterns.


    His waist-length silver hair was let loose smoothly, though a nigh-imperceptible spiritual force thrummed through each strand of hair, maintaining a glossy and tidy appearance unruffled by wind or motion.


    He looked so much younger in Merlin''s eyes that she found it difficult to bring herself to keep calling him uncle under these circumstances, ultimately calling him by his alias Yunhei directly after a bit of Leonardo''s persuasion.


    Regardless, at least in public, she would address him as Sir Shi or Shopkeeper Shi.


    (Author note: I settled with Shi Yunhei as an alias with the inspiration of Shi = Lion from the nickname Leo, Yun = Clouds, Hei = ck. If you want a rough trantion of the alias, there you have it!)<novelnext></novelnext>


    "The treaty between the martial and secr world in the Core Maind allows for minimal corporations and interactions between the Major Sects and the various Dynasties, though the range of these activities is limited. For example, it is against the treaty for sects to actively recruit citizens, but advertising the notion of recruitment by publicizing a designated time and location for recruitment in the wilderness is fine. That way, those who truly wish to leave the struggles of the secr world and join the martial world will have a fair chance to do so." Metlin was reading directly from a guide booklet, as she was just as curious about the history between the two factions.


    She then added her own thoughts with furrowed brows, "Although both the secr and martial worlds have a set of irond rules and regtions, thetter is much more flexible and straightforward while the former is an endless entanglement of hidden schemes in the dark. I think this is the critical reason as to why the funding for my research in the magic theory field was cut short, the dynasty would be more concerned about something that could provide immediate benefits to its army, and the magic theory would instead prove beneficial to a sect in the martial world."


    As she finally realized this, Merlin closed the booklet and sighed.


    "Don''t think about it too much, you can actually study the magic theory under the guise of studying runic inscriptions, the fundamentals of both professions are intimately familiar, let''s go check a few relevant stores," Leonardo advised her with a faint smile as he pulled her in the direction of a massive building with the logo of a scroll and a divine feather dipped in liquified energy.


    "Runic inscriptions?" Merlin looked at Leonardo with a puzzled expression.


    She was but a mortal with a few dozen years to her lifespan, and she spent over a decade studying physics and the theory of magic, hence she was absolutely clueless to various aspects of the martial and secr worlds.


    Leonardo nodded, checking around for any potential eavesdropping outsiders before whispering to Merlin in a low voice, "The principle behind the martial theory is toprehend thews of the world in order to derive the concept of establishing newws, ultimately ovepping the originalws in the form of domains, personal dimensions, and ultimately creating a new world. As for the principles behind the magic theory, they lie in the ability to interact with thesews directly, fine-tune them, or even directly influence them to bring about an influence on the world structure as we know it. Hence, their long incantations are their means to establish a connection with thesews, and interrupting an incantation will sever this connection, resulting in a bacsh."


    Leonardo furrowed his brows, "Correspondingly, the longer and more profound an incantation is, the stronger it would be. Inscription Masters seize and or replicate thews in the natural world, tranting them into runes that could be embedded into weapons or tools as a medium to harness the power of the world without going through the hassle of long incantations. However, this profession is just an inspiration from the original magic theory, hence the inscriptions are limited to things like speed enchantments, defense enchantments, and other effects."


    "Although the effects are minute, this minute difference in attributes is very crucial in a battle between experts, and it is especially significant to the armed troops of a dynasty. Thus, if you want to progress further in your research on magic theory, you might wanna start with reverse engineering inscriptions."


    Leonardo then pulled back from near Merlin''s ear, giving her a wink.


    Merlin''s eyes brightened with excitement.


    "If I knew, I would have studied this topic instead of fundamental physics," Merlin''s excitement suddenly dimmed as she remembered how half her life was wasted in the wrong direction.

 Chapter 166 Alchemy Association

    However, she bit her lip and thought nothing of it, finding outte is better than not finding out at all. Thus, she gave Leonardo a bow to conceal the emotions in her eyes.


    Leonardo could understand her feelings, but there was nothing he could do about it as he wasn''t omnipotent. With a faint smile, he said, "How about you go ahead and explore the Runic Inscriptions building for now? Look for shops in dire need of investors, don''t bother about the funds. As for me, I''ll take a spin around the Martial Script Pavilion''s other shops."


    Merlin thought that Leonardo was being considerate and giving her enough alone time to readjust her mental state, so she didn''t say much and nodded before entering the massive building.


    As for Leonardo, he turned his head and looked up at another building in the distance.


    That building had a massive logo of herbs and medicine cauldrons surrounded by mes. Although he wasn''t that confident in finding something that could improve Merlin''s constitution, asking around wouldn''t hurt.


    ¡­


    The medicine building was split into seven floors.


    The first floor was an exhibition floor disying a variety of pills and medicinal ingredients, as well as a number of medicinal cauldrons and alchemy mes.


    As for the remaining six floors, they were respectfully designated to host renowned alchemists and physicians from the second, third, fourth, and fifth tiers respectively.


    Second-tier pills equate to saint grade, third-tier pills equate to divine grade, fourth-tier pills equate to immortal grade, while the fifth-tier pills equate to the rebirth grade.


    That totals up the floors from the second to the fifth floor, leaving the sixth and seventh floors for the esteemed guests with personal requests of a great value. However, not many people visit those floors as the peak of the poption''s cultivation in secr dynasties grinds to a stop upon achieving divinity, let alone rebirth experts or stronger cultivators.


    Estimating that he needed at most a fourth-tier immortal pill to grant Merlin an immortal physique, Leonardo made his way directly to the fourth floor.


    Leonardo crossed a teleportation formation directly to the fourth floor, as each floor from the second and above was its own independent sub-dimension.


    When Leonardo didn''t expect this floor to be an open green in with an assortment of houses like a small vige. The arrangement was quite disorderly as the humble structures each with an exotic herbal garden filled the space.


    There were old and fairly young men as well as women each tending to their own herbs, cultivating thend, or simply meditating while making weird hand gestures.


    Leonardo didn''t know if there was anyone who would attend to him for assistance, but even after waiting for a few minutes, no one reacted to his presence. Eventually, Leonardo went directly to the first house in the open ins, feeling as though he went through an invisible curtain the moment he stepped onto the clear pavement.


    "Mhm?" The old man who was meticulously arranging the herbs seemed to have finally noticed Leonardo''s presence, lifting his head to check out this handsome young man.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Young man, how can I help you?" The old man stood up, his in white robes swaying gently. Leonardo felt as though his every move and action were under this old man''s watch, feeling a bit rmed.


    "Senior, is this your domain?" Leonardo thought back to the feeling of walking through something earlier, suddenly having this weird thought.


    The old manughed gently and began to stroke his long beard, "Haha, indeed it is. This is how we alchemists grow our herbs by converting the vital energy of our star cores into the world, allowing us to hasten the growth cycle of herbs that would otherwise require thousands upon thousands of nurturing to grow."


    The old man had a proud expression on his face as he reveled in Leonardo''s astonishment. Then, he remembered that this young man must havee here with a purpose, inquiring, "Did youe here looking for someone to refine a pill? My skills are so-so, but this old man''s fee is considered extremely good."


    Leonardo nodded his head with a faint smile, "I was wondering if there is any medicine for upgrading someone''s innate talent? Anything to remodel a mortal constitution into an immortal one¡­"


    The old man nodded his head as he listened, his brows furrowed. However, when he heard thest part, his slender fingers trembled as he let out a sigh.


    He then looked at the herbs on the ground, shaking his head.


    "Young man, do you see these nted herbs? With their innate potential, this kind of growth and vitality should have been an impossibility," he then began to stroke his beard lightly while muttering softly, "The same thing applies to those with an innate mortal talent."


    "With the suitable soil, fertilizer, and conditions, boosting these herbs to make up for their deficiency is possible. However, to make them grow at such a rapid pace, we alchemists ultimately need to¡­" The old man didn''t finish his sentence.


    Leonardo''s eyes shed as he muttered, "You need to pay the price with your own vital energy¡­"


    "Exactly," the old man looked at Leonardo, "The same principle applies to cultivators. I can give you medicine and pills to improve a mortal''s talent into that of a saint, it would be risky however possible to reach the third cycle, you''d be pushing it to reach High Saint, and asking for death if you think about divine talent, let alone immortal."


    He sighed, "However, other than finding miraculous medicines like the Dew of Life, Angel''s Tears, and Flower of Rebirth, the only way to fundamentally transform someone''s talking is for a rebirth realm cultivator or higher topensate for their deficiencies by investing their own energy, essence, and spirit¡­"


    "Only rebirth cultivators with no path forward would cut off their cultivation to nurture a disciple with this method, no riches or fortune would convince a mentally healthy rebirth cultivator to go through that process."


    Leonardo frowned deeply. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Where can I find those miraculous medicines? What tier are they?"


    The old man gave Leonardo a weird look, "Those are at least fifth tier, the mature ones are sixth tier that appears once every ten thousand years, and the conditions of their natural birth are extremely harsh. However, to the Great Sects and the Great Dynasties, a fifth or sixth tier medicine isn''t that rare, but a medicine''s value isn''t fixed to its tier but its purpose." The old man kneaded his temples with a bitter sigh, "You can submit a request to the Alchemy Association on the sixth floor, they will notify you if they catch wind of these medicines or if they were to appear in an auction house. Other than that, young man, no one can really help you."

 Chapter 167 Star Missions System

    Leonardo touched his chin while thinking, "Can you concoct a pill that could preserve youth and extend lifespan instead? We can take things one step at a time¡­"


    Leo realized that Merlin still had at least seventy to eighty years of life, there was no reason to be in a rush.


    "That''s more reasonable," the old man also nodded. He liked flexible clients the most.


    "Prolonging lifespan will have side effects that would prove counterproductive in the future, those medicines are better left alone until someone is really old, or are unable to make any further breakthrough in cultivation. As for youth preservation, I can concoct a third-tier Frost Nether Nectar pill, the usage is quite simple; dissolve the pill inside clear water and let the person soak in it for a prolonged period of time."


    As the old man spoke, he began to rummage through his medicinal herbs for the suitable ingredients, humming lightly to himself as he did.


    "How much would it cost for this Frost Nether Nectar pill?" Leonardo moved out of the old man''s path and allowed him to continue plucking herbs.


    "This type of pill isn''t expensive, around 20,000 credits would do. Of course, you can pay in raw ether fragments as well." Responded the old man as his spiritual force enveloped the medicinal ingredients.


    Then, violet mes emerged from the void and engulfed the stalk of herbs before descending into a medicinal cauldron to the side. Various inscriptions on the cauldron''s surface lit up as worldly energy rushed into the cauldron, quickly making good work of the medicinal ingredients inside.


    Within no time at all, a row of nine translucent shining pills was ejected from apartment to the side of the cauldron, flowing smoothly into a fist-sized bottle in the old man''s hands.


    "There you go, the haul is pretty good this time."


    Leonardo smiled, he didn''t know whether these pills were exceptionally good or not as he didn''t dabble in alchemy. Nheless, their cold aura gave him a good feeling, so he didn''t think too much about it.


    "I''ll transfer the credits to your card directly." Leonardo stored the pills away before taking out his SCC which was now linked to his personal bank ount through his spiritual imprint.


    "A one-star SCC?" The old man''s eyebrows jumped in surprise, even more so when he saw the diamond Azure Luan Bank stamp on the back of the card, muttering something inaudible to himself.


    Then, he smiled, "Actually, consider these pills a gesture of goodwill from this old man, how about it?"


    The old man mped down on Leonardo''s hand, returning the card back to him.


    Leonardo stared nkly for a moment, his tone a bit weird, "What''s with the sudden change in attitude? Are you trying to sell me a favor?"


    The old manughed.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Why would I do that? This old man might bete in his years, but I have a good eye for young talent." The old man pointed at the one-star mark and the diamond stamp, saying, "You''re so young, you have an immortal constitution, but you''re not like those stubborn martial fools who only think with their strength; I can tell that you have aspirations to climb both the martial and official ranks."


    Leonardo''s gaze focused, clear killing intent overflowing from his cold gaze.


    "Young man, don''t overthink things! I didn''t intentionally investigate your body, it can''t be helped when you walked right into my domain!" The old man jumped in shock from that dense killing intent, quickly waving his hands.


    "At first, I assumed you might be some disciple who left the sect for experience, but those sects won''t allow their disciples to take official posts in the secr world, and there is no way for the royal court to dispatch someone of your talent all the way here to Lush Skirts ins Province, this could only mean you''re a disciple of some wandering hermit."


    "To tell the truth, I''m also tired of these rules and restrictions. Hence, if you make it to a three-star title in the future and establish a manor, or a six-star title and receive an estate from the dynasty, this old man is willing to work for you instead."


    The old man hurriedly exined himself.


    He wasn''t afraid of Leonardo per se, but he didn''t want to offend a potentially powerful organization behind him. It is no easy task to allow such a talented cultivator to muddle his way into an official post, hence the old man''s apprehensions.


    The hostility in Leonardo''s eyes dropped significantly, he calmed down.


    He was too careless, actually entering the domain of a rebirth realm cultivator without considering the potential consequences. However, this was his first time hearing of the designated official ranks associated with the star count on the SCC.


    Junior brother only asked him to climb the official ranks through contributions to the dynasty, but he never mentioned anything about the procedures to climb the ranks.


    "How can I go about making contributions exactly?" Leonardo furrowed his brows and asked.


    The old man sighed in relief.


    He cleared his throat and said, "You can check the missions board in the City Magistrate''s Manor in the Central District, they submit tasks passed down from the court to help the citizens with contributions. Those without stars to their names mustplete one hundred tasks on unranked missions to get their one-star contribution, and the cycle continues the more you climb."


    "Of course, you can also dispatch subordinates to register orplete missions under your name since you already have an SCC, but the higher the ranking of the mission, the harder it bes. Moreover, these missionse without a reward, at least without a tangible reward as the only guaranteed rewards are connections with the nobility and a higher status, which could be used for both good and bad depending on your personality."


    Since they were within the old man''s domain, he didn''t have any misgivings about telling Leonardo all these things. However, these weren''t secrets either, only that a bit of the old man''s opinion was sprinkled on the exnation.


    "That sounds like a hassle¡­" Thinking aboutpleting hundreds of missions of freebor, Leonardo immediately shut down any notions of climbing the ranks of nobility.

 Chapter 168 Muddy Waters

    "That''s what you think, but some people desire these connections and intangible authority, so they don''t mind gathering parties of rouge cultivators and paying them toplete these missions. To some, this may look like a losing trade, how much fortune are you willing to spit out to hire people? Never mind the fact that you''ll have to pay and pay for hundreds of times, oftentimes the missions would even end up in failure, the issue lies in whether or not you''ll find willing parties¡­" The old man began to gesture back and forth with his hands, sounding as though he had personally wasted a fortune on this method in the past.


    The old man noticed the strange atmosphere and coughed, "Anyway, just know that if you fail five missions, not necessarily consecutively, your contributions within the same rank will reset as a penalty. Don''t ask why, these are the regtions. Moreover, if you achieve six stars, you can also post a personal mission and a corresponding reward on the missions board, which will be distributed throughout the province. When you reach nine stars, it will be passed down to an additional two provinces¡­"


    "Enough! I don''t need to know all of this right now," Leonardo cut the old man off, kneading his forehead in annoyance at this load of information.


    Regardless, he thanked the old man for the information and left his domain, returning to the teleportation formation. However, inwardly he wondered if he could request the assistance of those people from Memento Mori toplete a few missions, though he estimated that to be a fool''s dream.


    He wondered if Merlin found anyone who meets the requirements in the Runic Inscriptions Association as he entered the teleportation formation to leave the fourth floor.


    ¡­


    Leonardo walked down the busy streets while ying with a pair of silver bracelets. Unlike themunication bracelets of the ster world which utilize spiritual beads to propel spiritual fluctuations through space-time with the ethereal dimension as a medium, these bracelets incorporate runic inscriptions for the same purpose.


    However, this model at least looked much more pleasing to the eye, and the durability of the bracelet could be enhanced depending on the materials used in the forging process, allowing for more flexibility in the fine-tuning and designs.


    Leonardo decided to find highly durable materials in the future and submit a request to a forging master and an inscription master to create a few exquisite bracelets for himself and the people by his side. As he approached the Runic Inscriptions Association building, he noticed a slightmotion in front of the building, causing him to lift an eyebrow.


    Who dared create trouble in Vast Sky Avenue, and in the Martial Script Pavilion''s street nheless?


    ¡­


    In front of the Runic Inscriptions Association building, it was actually Merlin who had a deep frown on her face. Behind her to one side was a hunched-back old man, a beautiful and reserved woman tending to his sudden fit of coughing with worry weighing down her otherwise wless countenance.


    However, a closer look would reveal an almost imperceptible rosy handprint on her cheek, but it melded so well with her natural blush that one would need a second look to see it.


    Nheless, the rims of her eyes were dry and clear, proposing that even when abused, she wasn''t the type of a woman to cry in helpless grief.


    Merlin didn''t know how to handle this situation, as she had finally found a suitable shopfront, but it seemed that this store''s feet were entrenched in deep, worrisome waters.


    The woman then red across the sidewalk at a man who had his body half turned away, a cigar in his mouth while a tall man next to him was currently fixing his wrist.


    "What a damn hard cheek you have, I almost want to file aint and ask forpensation over my numb right hand," the bodyguard snickered derisively. "Boss Ray offered to invest in but a meager 60% of your shop, yet you refused his kindness even though you''re on the verge of bankruptcy. However, some random bitch swaggers in to invest in what was it? 20%? You immediately start wagging your tails! Do you want to die?!"


    "Who we want to be our shareholders is our own business! If you want to be the shopkeeper, you can wait until Vast Sky Avenue revokes our lease to the shop, then you can directly buy it!" The woman hissed through her teeth, refusing to sell.<novelnext></novelnext>


    If they lost 60% of the shares, they might as well be fired from the shop by next month and end up on the streets. She wasn''t oblivious to these hostile takeover tactics, and the sudden funding from an investor with goodwill wasn''t something she could afford to skip.


    Only, she hadn''t expected these people to have been keeping an eye on her grandfather''s shop from the shadows¡­


    The bodyguard was inwardly impatient.


    He has been trying to drag that woman in whiteboratory robes into the waters by indirectly and directly cursing her, hoping to fish for an excuse to smack that beautiful face, but she simply stood there without saying a word.


    Even when he pped that female shopkeeper, there wasn''t as much as a single response, let alone any acts of heroism.


    The bodyguard sneered, sneaking a nce at the woman in white only to find her chatting with a handsome young man who appeared all of a sudden, leaving him speechless for words.


    Then, he grew infuriated and walked over with gaping steps.


    ¡­


    "What''s up?"


    Leonardo approached Merlin from the side and spoke, his eyes trained on themotion ahead for a split minute and he already could guess what happened.


    "Sir, this¡­" Merlin briefly exined the situation.


    Apparently, she offered to invest in 20% of the shop that had been passed down generation after generation in this family, and she even offered up to 200,000 credits to make up for the stagnation in their business for the past year.


    If a shop''s revenue was in the red and they couldn''t pay the designated taxes, they wouldn''t only lose the shop but be forced into freebor to make up for their debts and interest. Thus, Merlin''s offer was too good to be true, making the other party hesitant about epting.


    s, they were hesitating for a bit too long, allowing this guy and his men to arrive on time to cause trouble. Since the money and investment were Leonardo''s, she didn''t know what to do in this situation.


    Systematically speaking, she should dash off this shop. However, this was the only shop meeting the criteria set by Leonardo.


    "Oh, so it''s just another hostile takeover?" Leonardo touched his chin for a moment before recalling something and handing over the silvermunication bracelet to Merlin. "Equip this on, I noticed that you didn''t have one either earlier so I bought two."


    "Oh, thanks." Merlin received the silver bracelet and equipped it on her left wrist. At this moment, the tall bodyguard arrived with a twisted expression clouded with rage.

 Chapter 169 Stepping Up

    "Why aren''t you saying anything, bitch? Why aren''t you leaving already, huh?! Could it be that you''re still nning to invest in this shop?!"


    As long as he didn''t strike first, instead pressing on their nerves and baiting them tomit any actions that could be emotionally interpreted as an attempted assault, he would strike back ruthlessly.


    Leonardo gave this big guy a look and sighed, "This is a bit troublesome, I need to keep lowkey¡­" He muttered to himself with a frown, ignoring the obvious taunting.


    Luckily, Merlin wasn''t like most women who were too sentimental to make a clear-cut judgment while detached from emotion. Otherwise, she might have long ended up with a brilliant handprint across her face.


    As a businessman, Leonardo also knew how to exploit loopholes in regtions and corner a shop into bankruptcy before forcing a takeover, and he could assess the situation from the clear gazes of pity and disdain from the various shopkeepers around.


    Although he didn''t know the reason behind the takeover or the full story and details, he could make a rough estimate of how long this takeover n had been undergoing, especially from the impatience disyed by this bodyguard who wanted to y the crocodile.


    Drag them into the water then rip them to shreds before they could mount any counterattack.


    "Don''t drag other people into this! Even if we were forced into freebor, we would never sell the shop to you! Even after bribing all these shopkeepers, even after exhausting all your resources to make us sell, we will never!"


    The woman spat on the floor, disgusted.


    "Is that so? Haha!" The bodyguard suddenly crackedughing, checking up on this seemingly virtuous and conservative woman. Although thick robes concealed her figure, anyone could make a general estimate of how beautiful she might be.


    He vulgarly clutched at his crotch, his tongue swaying in the wind as he snickered, "Boss Ray has just the right freebor for a woman like you¡ª the mines have beencking in some ''gentle'' working force to motivate the exhausted brothers and ves there, boss Ray simply needs to pull some strings and you''ll make the best cheerleader underground."


    The woman''s body trembled visibly, but she still clenched her teeth and red back, unrelenting.


    The old man coughed softly by her side, weakly caressing her tender white hand, shaking his head.


    Then, he spoke in a low and resolute voice, "I hereby disown you from this family, and I hereby permanently expel you from this shop as a minor shareholder, you will take possession of my old house as remuneration¡­"


    He barely finished talking before going through another violent fit of coughing.


    "Grandpa! What are you saying?!" The woman snapped, her hard and unrelenting expression breaking into distraught tears in a heartbeat from that ruthless decree.


    The bodyguard''s face twisted into something nonhuman.


    The old man showed a shallow smile, weakly saying, "Like this, even the Vast Sky Avenuemittee of regtions can''t do anything to you, let alone those people. As long as you don''t break thew, no one can touch you¡­"


    The old man spoke and coughed. Then, he looked over at Merlin.


    "This old man and this unfilial woman dragged you into so much trouble, hopefully, you won''t hold it against her in the future. She''s usually very bright, I don''t know what had gotten into her all of a sudden¡­"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "No! What are you doing?! We still have three months left! We can earn the money if you let me work on the inscriptions!" The woman stood up and screamed at her own two feet, feeling exasperated.


    "Hahaha! You? Do you want to work on runic inscriptions?! Is this some kind of a twisted joke?! Haha!" The bodyguard started adding fuel to the fire.


    "Your old man had long since lost his ability to concentrate his spiritual energy, incapable of subduing thews even within his own domain, let alone inscribing runes on durable materials! All of your employees left for a better environment, you have nothing left! Now, you want to tell me that a tender girl like you suddenly learned runic inscriptions? If you really could inscribe runes, your business wouldn''t have deteriorated to such an extent!"


    "You!" The woman snapped.


    "Elizabeth!" The old man snapped as well, albeit with a touch of unnatural redness to his muddled face. "Listen to this old man on this matter, go and work for that woman instead!"


    He turned his eyes to Merlin who was watching silently from the side, not having noticed Leonardo''s presence.


    Although the old man only said one sentence, his hand clenched tightly around Elizabeth''s wrist, hoping to convey his meaning. The old man knew that everything he had in his mind about runic inscriptions was already embedded deeply into this granddaughter of his.


    Even if they lost the shop temporarily now, so what?


    As long as his granddaughter could grow up unobstructed,ing back to the Vast Sky Avenue wouldn''t be an issue at all.


    The business world is simply that ruthless.


    "We can''t let them win no matter what¡­"


    The old man pleaded weakly.


    The woman''s body was trembling from head to toe in helpless anger, but there was nothing she could do at this point. At most, she could only be a burden to this grandfather who secretly taught her everything, as though he saw a day like thising.


    Everyone said this old man had already run out of oil, grew muddle-headed, and was unable to discern good from bad.


    But she knew that he was doing all of that to leave her a path of retreat at such a critical moment.


    "Do you think this is over just because you said it was?!" Roared the bodyguard angrily, pointing and cursing vulgarities.


    Elizabeth was about to yell back from sheer anger when a man dressed in avish white set of clothes, hands tucked away into the pockets of his coat, silently appeared between herself and that bodyguard with a faint smile on his face.


    "Can you not threaten my employees right under my nose? Thank you."

 Chapter 170 Leaving The Scene

    Merlin sighed, also moving forward with a white handkerchief to help wipe away the translucent tears rolling down that woman''s face.


    Elizabeth was stunned silly by the sudden development, she didn''t even notice Merlin wiping away at her face.


    "Your employee?!" The bodyguard was at first stunned, then he bellowed in rage, "Are you looking to fucking die?! Mind your own business!"


    Boss Ray, who was smoking in the distance, frowned.


    He did not know how his bodyguard would disregard this person''s entric movement technique, immediately shooting off his mouth like that instead.


    As for Leonardo, he sighed before pulling out something from his inner pocket. Though in reality, he pulled it out from his spatial ring, this was merely a slight convenience to conceal the presence of the ring.


    Just a force of habit.


    When everyone saw clearly that he pulled a translucent crystal card with a star diagram on the front, within the star was a glittering number 1, the scene momentarily went silent.


    This was an indication of a civilian with merit and contributions to the dynasty, as well as an indication of some civil privileges such as a private tax-free property in a city, a private business, and the right to buy, sell, and trade in servants, in other words; ves.


    Most people can only conduct business in business-oriented streets or districts, Vast Sky Avenue being a prime example. Therefore, even those with authority and rights to open shop would rather invest in Vast Sky Avenue instead as this space represented traffic and prosperity.


    Leonardo was no different. However, it seemed that other nobles or civilians with contributions elevated the stage of conflict andpetition from who has the most sessful shop to who owns more shares as a minor or major shareholder, executing any means necessary fair or foul to snowball their influence in the Vast Sky Avenue.


    This malpractice of business wasn''t anything new to Leonardo. He could join the game and utterly steamroll hispetitors, but he was told to keep lowkey for now so he might as well actively withdraw from Vast Sky Avenue for now.


    The bodyguard was at a loss for words in the presence of this SCC, even boss Ray was a bit surprised that a civilian of merit would personally walk into the streets instead of leaving the business to his subordinates.


    "Indeed," Leonardo nodded to the bodyguard''s foremost question, "My employee, though she''s on a probationary period. Under thews and regtions of the Magistrate Manor, I can verbally take in a probationary employee under the circumstances of theirck of a current job, and by taking their verbal consent into testimony."


    Leonardo then turned his head to the stunned Elizabeth and asked faintly, "If you work for me, you''ll at least be able to salvage your grandfather''s debt and spare him the heavybor in histe years. As for the shop¡­ Sometimes, there is more to life than holding onto something, because you also need to learn about letting go, even if to earn it back in the future."


    The old man coughed, shaking as he sat there on the ground.


    "This Sir is right, Elizabeth. Just, just let go¡­ Listen to this old man¡­" The old man''s eyelids seemed to grow heavy, his breathing softer.


    He was obviously at his limit.


    Leonardo continued, "You can work for three months as your probationary period. After that, if you want to quit, take your sry, and start anew with your grandfather, I won''t stop you."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Sir¡­ This old man no longer has any grandchildren¡­"


    He seemed to heavily emphasize the fact that he had already disowned Elizabeth, even as he was about to faint from exhaustion. Still, a smile of relief was on his face as he swayed back, about to fall.


    Elizabeth screamed out in rm, but Leonardo already crouched beside the old man and picked thetter up on his back. Then, he lightly stood up.


    "Wait right there!" The bodyguard who was hesitating on what to do suddenly brought his resolve together and stepped out, blocking Leonardo''s way. He looked down on this handsome young man who seemed to have grownrger in his eyes, emitting an invisible pressure. "You don''t wish to be involved in this shady business. Leave, but keep the old man and that woman behind."


    Leonardo blinked and sighed, "If you don''t step away from my path I''ll take it as a forceful detainment, attempted abduction, and an actionmitted with malicious intent. As you can see, that woman is no longer involved with your business as she is now my employee. This old man is in dire need of medical treatment lest he died on the streets¡­ Do you want him to die so badly?"


    The bodyguard''s expression darkened as he spoke in a heavy and deep voice, "I don''t recall that woman giving you any vocal consent to work under you. Moreover, these two have been in the red for so long, do you think they can simply waltz their way out of Vast Sky Avenue?"


    What the bodyguard meant was precisely the entrance tax fee transaction overseen by the Azure Luan Bank; this tax fee is considered as a direct debt to the dynasty.


    Elizabeth flinched as this was the main reason why she felt conflicted at the moment. However, Leonardo simply chuckled lightly, "I will obviously pay for it, she will simply work overtime to pay me back in the future."


    "Do you even know how much debt they''re in?!" The bodyguard roared down Leonardo''s face, almost grabbing him by the cor.


    "If you don''t put a leash on this dog anytime soon, even I can''t guarantee his life," Leonardo''s voice dropped to an all-time low whisper, but miraculously, everyone in the street heard it.


    Not only that, but the killing intent and bloodlust gave this bodyguard and boss Ray the illusion that they''ve been transitioned into an open battlefield packed with dense corpses that weighed down on their feet, leaving them rooted to the ground.


    It was but a brief sh, but the bodyguard''s knees buckled under some mysterious influence as he dropped on his rear, quivering in fear.


    Leonardo''s smile was as faint as ever, giving the confused Elizabeth a look before gesturing at Merlin.


    Merlin understood and whispered something to Elizabeth, allowing the woman to snap out of her daze.


    Then, she bowed to Merlin and said, "Please take care of me in the future, Assistant Shopkeeper!"


    Merlin wasn''t that clear on reading the emotions in people''s voices and eyes, so she simply nodded her head with a satisfied smile at having a subordinate who used to dabble in runic inscriptions.


    Her thoughts were simple; now she could cross-reference her magic theory studies with Elizabeth''s runic inscriptions studies, hopefully finding a breakthrough in the theory of magic within a short period of a few years.

 Chapter 171 Twelve Maids

    Just like that, under everyone''s confused eyes, Leonardo andpany left the scene, leaving behind a bodyguard seemingly paralyzed from fear and a silent Ray who stared at Leonardo''s back with a hint of gloom in his eyes.


    From start to finish, he didn''t say anything or make a move. However, he understood that this one-star civilian was also a cultivator, a very formidable saint cultivator at that.


    ¡­


    Elizabeth and Merlin followed behind Leonardo who was carrying the old man on his back, all three of them were silently advancing towards the exit gates of the Vast Sky Avenue.


    Elizabeth had her head lowered, her ck hair descending like ruffled bangs to cover her eyes behind a dark curtain of hair and shadows. As for Merlin, her hazel eyes were sparkling with myriad thoughts about how to incorporate inspirations into her studies.


    Soon, they arrived in front of the massive gates and were caught over by the regtionsmittee.


    The moment the party of four phased through the transparent screen of light within the gate, a faint red flicker surrounded Elizabeth and the old man, drawing the attention of the regtionsmittee guards.


    "You there, please stop!"


    A crisp shout echoed from a distance small pavilion as a middle-aged woman radiating powerful energy fluctuations gestured to Leonardo and the rest, calling them over.


    Leonardo didn''t dally, immediately heading over. Behind him, Merlin tapped Elizabeth''s shoulder lightly and gestured for her to follow after Leonardo.


    The woman furrowed her brows, "Unconcerned parties may leave the site, I only need those two!" The woman pointed at Elizabeth and the old man who was slowly waking up from themotion.


    Leonardo didn''t mind and disyed his SCC before the misunderstandings snowball out of hand. He didn''t want another cliche moment about going back and forth with the guards out of self-confidence.


    In a gentle voice, he exined, "I have exploited my authority to hire them as probationary employees. For the following three months, I will be responsible for clearing their immediate debts as their superior."


    The middle-aged woman''s frown softened while she inspected the SCC. She then looked up at Leonardo and spoke in aparatively gentler tone, "So it is Shopkeeper Shi, do you have their verbal testimony?"


    Leonardo sighed in relief that themittee members weren''t corrupted, and this woman seemed to be quite direct and straightforward when it came to handling her affairs.


    Leonardo gestured toward Elizabeth who quickly voiced her consent. As for the old man, he was in no condition to ry his testimony, but it didn''t look like a kidnapping incident and the old man seemed to be in dire need of medical attention. Hence, the woman transitioned to the debt collecting procedures, inspecting the current debt and tax based on the spiritual fluctuations.


    After going through some calctions on a small gadget that looked simr to a portable phone.


    "Hmm. I see you''ve been in the red for a few months now, and if we calcte the interest rates without the revenue interest, the overall debt is 643,000 credits. However, that could be rounded down to 640,000 due to your status as a one-star civilian if you pay the total amount up front."


    Both Leonardo and Merlin were shocked, but thetter''s shock was even more animated as her mouth hung up, speechless for words.<novelnext></novelnext>


    She never expected that a few months of interest would snowball to over half a million credits in debt, and that was only for two people. If their shop had a full staff instead, the mere numbers sent her dizzy with fright.


    Leonardo however, didn''t react so greatly but merely disyed a faint surprise in his eyes. Then, he smiled faintly and gestured for her to deduct the money from his private ount directly.


    "Alright, one moment¡­ There, your current bnce is 260,000 credits, the transaction has been registered in the database." The woman returned Leonardo''s card while asking if he needed anything else.


    Leonardo nodded, "Transfer 160,000 credits to an employee name card under her name," Leonardo then pointed at Elizabeth. "In the future, her tax fees for entry and exit from Vast Sky Avenue should be deducted directly from that card instead."


    Elizabeth was too ashamed to lift her head and talk, as she didn''t want to bicker with her boss in front of the public eye and damage his reputation. Hence, she could only lower her head further as her eyes misted over.


    "Understood," this wasn''t something difficult as the regtionsmittee had a clear signature of every temporary and permanent residence to Vast Sky Avenue, and linking their spiritual fluctuations to a name card was a simple manner. Within moments, a subordinate came over and handed the woman a name card, and she proceeded to hand it to Elizabeth.


    "This card is only operational within Vast Sky Avenue, as the credit inside is a virtual currency, the actual money will be deposited directly into our treasury. This is also to say that we offer no refunds."


    Elizabeth really didn''t know how to express her gratitude as the card in front of her felt so heavy and scorching hot to the point she didn''t dare reach out to grab it. Leonardo sighed, gesturing at Merlin who understood and immediately took the care, forcing it into Elizabeth''s shaking hands.


    Pearl-like tears rolled down Elizabeth''s cheeks as she clutched the card, but her lowered head and ck bangs concealed the look of determination in her eyes.


    Leonardo seemingly didn''t notice as he spoke, "Merlin, you can go recruit some maids and servants, then return to my private house. As for me, I''ll take them home first, this old man needs rest urgently."


    ¡­


    Leonardo brought the old man and Elizabeth to his private house in the 7th District, 28th St.


    The house had three floors, a stable for mounts, an open courtyard, an outdoor swimming pool, and a massive front gate.


    The infrastructure of the house closely resembled a mix of Western and Eastern traditional architecture, it was very pleasing to the eye.


    The trip home was silent.


    The party hired one of the fastest mounts, so a bit of silence along the way wasn''t entirely a bad thing. Moreover, Leonardo understood that someone with Elizabeth''s temperament would feel rather uneasy under these circumstances.


    When they stepped through the gates, Leonardo finally broke the awkward silence, "You don''t need to feel so pressured to repay me. Trust me, I''m not the kind to take a loss, you can rest assured that I''ll work you to the bones¡­ In the shop, of course, I won''t take advantage of you."


    Elizabeth was about to respond when a row of twelve delicate young girls who didn''t look older than fifteen rushed out from the house in a neat formation and bowed their heads.

 Chapter 172 Junior Brothers Arrangements

    All of them were dressed in immacte ck maid outfits, even their hairstyles were the same flowing river with white rose ribbons entwined within. Each maid was cuter than thest, their eyes sparkling like clear ponds with lotus-like ck eyes.


    In unison, they greeted, "Wee home, Master!"


    Before Leonardo could even respond, the one to the extreme left stepped forward and knelt on one knee, "Master Junior Brother arranged for us to wee you,"


    The moment Leonardo heard thest sentence, his confusion was quelled greatly. However, this really wasn''t the appropriate time for twelve young girls to pop out.


    Nevertheless, recalling how strong Junior Brother was, coupled with how young he looked, Leonardo probingly swept the twelve young maidens with his spiritual sense, shocked to find that other than their immortal constitution talents, he couldn''t sense their cultivation.


    Moreover, he was sure that he could only probe their talents because they allowed him to. As for cultivation, it was probably because his cultivation was insufficient and most of his energy and spirit were currently nurturing Rosaline, greatly limiting his activities.


    Leonardo coughed lightly, "Since it was Junior Brother who sent you, you can call me brother Shi, no need to be so formal¡­ For now, a group of you can apany Elizabeth and this old man to a guest room each, while one of you can stay behind to help me understand the situation."


    The house was a high-end establishment, and on the third floor, a massive library upied almost half the floor while neighboring a study office room. At this moment, Leonardo was seated behind his desk in the study while looking at this tender young Maiden in front of him.


    The Maiden bowed, "We are ves brought up by Master Junior Brother and the Memento Mori Brotherhood. Because Master Leonardo is still too weak to look after himself, we are a private squad tasked with protecting and assisting in your training."


    "Immortal talent ves?" Leonardo blinked his eyes in bewilderment. By now, he understood that each of the twelve Maidens was a divinity, and if nothing went wrong and things followed the natural pace since their worldly energy had been rejuvenated by ether already, they would most likely make it to level 95 and start forming their rebirth core; star core, in less than ten years.


    And in less than a hundred years of bitter cultivation, going from level 95 to a full cycle of 100 shouldn''t be a problem either,pleting their rebirth. That goes to say that even with immortal talent, without lucky opportunities and energy-dense treasures, their speed in cultivation, once they reach the divine realm, would be excruciatingly slow.


    The Maiden bowed again, her voice apathetic while exining, "We are tools to the remnants of the Lost Dynasty that had been subjected to collective invasion from the other three dynasties; Luan, Jin, and Dong. It was Grandmaster Sin and his six disciples who took action in the throes of war to help one talented heir of every grand noble house to escape, kidnapping women of great talent from the other three dynasties while on the run."


    "For thousands of years, the Memento Mori Brotherhood of the original six disciples kept disturbing the peace of the Core Maind, it is unknown how far their ws stretched into the light and dark of this world. However, they always abduct women of high talent as breeding tools to produce high-quality ves that are sold to the ck market and evil sects, we are simply a byproduct of that practice, Master Leonardo."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Hence, please don''t treat us kindly as the blood of your predestined enemies runs through our veins. We have been mechanically trained to obey, and our small stature is a side effect of the binding restrictions on our essence, spirits, and bloodlines that prevents our natural growth to reach the rebirth realm. Only if you allow it would the restriction be removed in the future, but I highly rmend you not to remove the restrictions unless you attain enough power to subdue us regardless of whether such restrictions existed or not."


    ¡­


    Leonardo wondered if Grandmaster Sin intended to take him as the 7th disciple, but he immediately rid himself of that idea. If that were the case, there would be no need to go through all this trouble, not to mention that Leonardo understood his karma best.


    With the enmity between Memento Mori and the Three Dynasties, they might have simply calcted karma, inevitably finding out about the enmity between Leonardo and the Jin Dynasty, only for his karma to bring about a bacsh to their prophet or whoever. Following that line of thought, Leonardo was no more than an investment and a gamble.


    However, Leonardo didn''t mind.


    "What is the situation on the Core Maind exactly? The power distribution of the upper echelons, I don''t care about the second-rate powers at this moment." Leonardo looked back at this bowing Maiden who knew how many centuries older than him.


    "The upper echelons of the Core Maind''s strength reside in the hands of the Three Dynasties, Three Great Sect, Three Great Pavilions, and one Supreme Temple¡­ The Supreme Temple stands aloof from the conflicts between the sects and dynasties, they only preside over the trade andmerce between those great powers to maintain a delicate bnce that wouldn''t wring out the peace in the Core Maind due to excessive greed."


    The Maiden hesitated for a moment and added, "I believe that this superficial knowledge is enough for now, as any more and it would disturb the Master''s ability to make clear judgments in the future, especially regarding some very sensitive matters. However, if you wish, I can go into further detail¡­"


    Leonardo thought for a moment and waved his hand, "No need, I have something in mind right now. Dispatch ten Maidens to the Magistrate Manor toplete missions under my name. Within one month, I want each of them toplete ten missions and tell them to take on the missions they''re absolutely confident inpleting, I don''t have time for failure."


    "As you wish, Master," the Maiden bowed before morphing into a cluster of ck smoke that slipped through the cracks in the door''s frame, silently leaving the room.


    Leonardo blinked, "That''s a wonderful movement technique¡­ Sigh, I really need to work on my technique catalog. I only have one decent technique to my name at this moment, but it could only prove reliable once I made it to the rebirth realm. Moreover, with Rosaline''s activity, I can''t focus my domain enough to conjure that attack anytime soon."


    After giving the matter some thought, Leonardo decided he might as well leave the city and take advantage of Rosaline''s mutation to speed up his cultivation. Under normal circumstances, a saint going into the uncharted wilderness is nothing but suicide, but Rosaline''s pressure in his soul pearl gave him confidence.

 Chapter 173 Archery

    While other saints can only scramble for ether fragments to bitterly increase their cultivation due to the severeck of quintessential ether; the substance left behind after the destruction of a mature celestial body, achieving divinity in the Core Maind is actually much more arduous than in a normal ster world.


    Leonardo thought that it was no wonder why major powers would protect the livelihood ofs that had achieved maturity, they probably harvested their quintessential ether in the dark. He couldn''t help but worry about Arcadia''s future, but then again he realized that it would take at least a few thousand years for the will to mature and by then, everyone he cared about would have already aged enough to die a natural death. Thus, he calmed down.


    However, he also knew that Wendy''s co-soul treated Arcadia as a daughter, and it was very possible that Wendy would go back to the ster world in the event of someone targeting Arcadia.


    Leonardo left his house with that headache in mind, not caring that the Maiden in ck was quietly following behind him since there was at least one Maiden left in the house to receive Merlin and the menial servants.


    As for the Maiden, she didn''t ask anything, but puzzlement grew even denser in her eyes as she noticed Leonardo''s destination based on the movement pattern¡­


    The teleportation hall?


    At first, she assumed that Leonardo wanted to handle some business in a different district, but when they went from the branch teleportation hall to the main teleportation hall, her expression went pale.


    Since they were in public, she didn''t refer to Leonardo by his true name. Instead, she spoke in a soft yet worried voice, "Master Shi, this¡­"


    She was a divinity with ether in her system, she could withstand the violent ether fluctuations in the uncharted wilderness. However, Leonardo was still a saint.


    A High Saint, but a saint regardless.


    Going outside was nothing short of suicidal, but the restrictions prevented her from acting against her Master''s instructions no matter how grave the orders were. Unless her senses determined that he was in a critical state of life and death, she wouldn''t be able to act.


    "Don''t worry, I can handle things just fine. However, you''ll have to keep whatever you''re about to witness confidential." Leonardo could guess her worries, and although he didn''t really care whether what he was about to do proved logical or not, he at least felt like saying this would allude her to having a bit more faith in him.


    As expected, hearing that this was a matter rted to some secret of Leonardo''s, the Maiden instead calmed down and felt somewhat ted to be trusted with one of his secrets on the very first day.


    "Understood!"


    She took a deep breath and clutched at the hems of her long ck skirt while following into the great teleportation circle behind Leonardo¡­


    Only after going through the teleportation hall did Leonardo realize that these twelve Maidens didn''t have names, and they were registered as ves with a sequence code under his identity as Shopkeeper Shi.


    Of course, although having twelve divinities as ves would raise a few eyebrows, the Magistrate Manor didn''t seem to care one bit about it. Perhaps to them, there was no difference between saints and divinities, all of them together were a group of smaller and bigger ants.


    Moreover, there was nothing money couldn''t buy nowadays in the ck market, and it wasn''t usual for rich households to groom their own ves into divine tier cultivation, although most people thought of it as squandering resources.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The Maidens were named from 001 to 012 respectively, with the one following him being Maiden 001, or M1 for a nickname. Eventually, Leonardo didn''t bother giving them names as he never attached importance to such meaningless trifles.


    As for how to differentiate them? That was easy, as Leonardo found a ck ''001'' tattoo on her nape under her flowing ck hair.


    The teleportation location into the uncharted wilderness was random, but the Lush Skirts ins Province lived to its name with the endlessly stretching verdant ins encircled by towering mountains.


    The two happened to drop from a crack in space that opened directly at the foot of one of these mountains, surrounded by a forest of thick and tall trees with deep green canopies.


    The moment theynded, a thin film of energy surfaced on Maiden 001''s body, but the ether in the environment shackled her from expanding a domain to help Leonardo resist.


    She could only expand her spiritual sense as it didn''t conflict with the attributes of the ether, but that power can''t freely interact with matter, rendering it ineffective for forming a protective domain.


    Just as she was in a panic, a loud bang sounded as Leonardo didn''t only contend against the ether, but he actively began absorbing it into his cells and transferring over 99% of the overall energy directly into his soul pearl, allowing Rosaline''s embryo to greedily suck this energy clean.


    As for the remaining 1%, it began to gradually interact and convert the worldly energy within his cells, allowing the colorless energy circling from his cells into his body to gain a faint touch of pale blue.


    Maiden 001 watched in disbelief as the violent torrents of ether surrounding Leonardo gradually stabilized into a calm tempo. However, although it could be considered calm, it was nheless a volume that threatened to blow someone up from excessive energy.


    As for Leonardo, he noticed that whatever remnant ether he diverted towards his own cultivation wasn''t sufficient to actuallyplete either major or minor cycles, but Rosaline''s embryo was like a bottomless pit drawing in energy.


    He assumed that this will keep up until her cultivation was restored and she achieved rebirth. Other than that, he could also temporarily stop his cultivation and focus on converting his energy, ultimately having sufficient resistance to split the ether between himself and Rosaline 50/50.


    Thinking about that, Leonardo stopped cultivating and allowed the remnants of ether to sublimate his worldly energy instead. In a moment, he opened his eyes and let out a breath.


    "Okay, let''s go," Leonardo smiled faintly at the Maiden.


    "Go where?" The Maiden asked in confusion.


    Leonardo blinked, "Anywhere with monsters or something simr. I don''t have any martial techniques on me, so I was nning to make do with the ones you know for now."


    The Maiden hesitated for a bit and said, "My martial techniques are designed for archery, are you good with archery?"

 Chapter 174 A Powerful Technique

    The Maiden hesitated for a bit and said, "My martial techniques are designed for archery, are you good with archery?"


    As she spoke, she summoned a longbow from her spatial ring, her other hand leaking out ck smoke that condensed into a solid long arrow.


    "The twelve of us are split into two groups; long-range assault and close-range assault. I also happen to be the leader of the long-range, with Maiden 002 leading the close-range. If my techniques aren''t suitable, perhaps Maiden 002 can be of much more significance¡­" The Maiden had a bitter, helpless expression.


    Leonardo thought for a moment and decided that his personal martial technique was inspired by ser, and taking aim and striking a target by relying on one''s center of gravity and one foot should prove harder than using a bow and arrow, especially since he wouldn''t have the leisure time to take post and lurk in the shadows.


    Since he wanted to utilize his innate martial intent in conjunction with his ser skills to track down, calcte, and even lock down on perfect shots, he might as well hone his skills with archery.


    By now, he realized that what he saw wasn''t limited to mere timelines, but threads of karma that interact with thews of causality.


    "I have several martial intents so I''m quite versatile, we can start with a long-range for now." Leonardo immediately made up his mind.


    "Alright, I will pass over the technique to you. This is a technique to harness arrows with power proportional to your martial intent, so it doesn''t have a preset grade. However, there are subdivisions in the technique on how to control the arrows in a meticulous manner."


    As she spoke, the arrow split into three arrows of uneven lengths and dimensions, and she then arranged them along the thin string with the longest upying the bottom level, the medium arrow right above it, and the shorter arrow stacked even further above.


    From the looks of it, all three arrowheads were symmetrically aligned, but it was clear that this was a visual misperception.


    Maiden 001 spun her bow while simultaneously releasing the arrows.


    A silent ripple spread through the air as the three arrows wereunched.


    Each of them seemed to pulse with a mysterious force field that forced them to form a revolving vortex as they shot like a single arrow, yet the power generated at the focal point of concentration was obviously more than a simple threefold increase.


    Then, the arrows silently pierced the mountain rocks and continued to borrow their way through unhindered until they went out of sight.


    Leonardo whistled softly, as even he would have trouble trying to damage the natural environment in the Core Maind, let alone doing something like that.


    "If it was only one arrow at a time," as she spoke, she formed yet another arrow and shot at the mountain rock without any hesitation. However, it bounced off the hard surface with a bang, quickly dissipating into ck smoke.


    This arrow had the same volume of energy as the former, yet the difference was so huge.


    She sighed, "This is nothing, some of the official members in the brotherhood can actually split their arrows into nine, and those nine would merge back into one arrow when shot¡­ The power behind that is iprehensible."


    Leonardo was about to say something when she continued with a dazed expression, "I also heard that the archer of the six disciples can instantly create nine arrows, then each of them would thereafter split into nine, then all eighty-one arrows would merge into a single arrow back again; all within the span of time it takes to fully draw the bowstring and release¡­ I can''t even fathom the power of such an arrow¡­"


    Leonardo opened his mouth to say something, but he immediately shook his head and smiled bitterly.


    Here he thought his technique was something great, but he knew he couldn''t endlessly multiply and merge his energy spheres. However, he also thought that with the calctive abilities of his innate martial intent, reaching the level of that archer should not be impossible.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Although we can''t use our domains yet, these long-ranged techniques rely on the purews attached to our intent which doesn''t conflict with the chaotic ether. Hence, you can train in the technique at your own pace¡­"


    Maiden 001 transferred the technique and cirction method to Leonardo''s mind, saying, "My technique is limited to only three arrows, thepleted one isn''t something I qualify to learn but this should be enough to satisfy you for a long time¡­ Master?"


    She noticed that Leonardo had entered a state akin to enlightenment, feeling shocked. She didn''t know that Leonardo was using his innate martial intent to the maximum, performing countless virtual deductions in his head about operating his thunderforce in conjunction with the archery technique.


    Even with only three arrows, the core principles of the technique were still there, and Leonardo was positive that within a few months to a year of secluded cultivation, he could easily deduce the full technique. The thing is, he didn''t have up to a full year of time to spend on deducing a technique.


    He would rather take inspiration from these principles and further improve his personal technique when he achieved rebirth, perhaps creating a technique that could be passed down to saints and divinities in stages as well.


    Just as the Maiden was mumbling to herself, Leonardo opened his eyes as a sparkle of ink-ck lightning snaked across his pupils.


    With a raise of his palm, lightning surged excitedly as it danced above his hand, quickly shrinking into the shape of an unstable arrow that seemed like it was about to copse onto itself.


    A few secondster, the arrow consolidated.


    "Too slow," Leonardo furrowed his brows as despite the destructive power contained within this arrow, he spent too much time creating it, not to mention the ruckus caused by the rioting fluctuations beat the purpose of archery.


    The Maiden''s eyes went from inconceivable shock to unfathomable respect and reverence, as from her perspective, Leonardo could enter and leave an enlightened state of mind as easily as lifting a hand.


    This was beyond inconceivable, it was borderline insane!


    "You''re wrong, Master! This was already iparably fast, you''re a cultivation genius¡­" She wanted to know which saints out there can ignore the overwhelming ether rushing into their bodies and have the spare time to cultivate. Moreover, enter an enlightened state within seconds, and voluntarily at that.


    Were these the secrets her Master wanted her to keep to herself?


    Thinking about how she would be the only Maiden of the twelve to safeguard these secrets, she suddenly felt her position elevated greatly.


    In their squad of twelve, the Maidens with odd numbers were long-ranged while those with even numbers were close-ranged. Although she had overall authority, it wasn''t as though she couldmand the close-range unit as she wished; they''d rather listen to Maiden 002.


    Leonardo smiled faintly at this youngdy, not saying anything.


    She didn''t know the burden he carried on his shoulders as the heir to a Throne, he was positive that she wouldn''t understand even if he went out of his way to exin it. Thus, he chuckled before dissipating the thunderforce arrow.


    "Alright, let us go find some living targets for some practical and convenient practice."


    Leonardo turned around and started walking deeper into the forest, circling around the base of the mountain instead of climbing up.


    Maiden 001 bowed her head before rushing to Leonardo''s side, respectfully maintaining a distance of an arm''s length between them as she followed.

 Chapter 175 Faithful Servants

    While Leonardo and Maiden 001 took to their cultivation in the uncharted wilderness, a group of ten tender young girls in ck maid dresses made it in front of the Magistrate Manor in the Central District.


    "This is our first mission assigned directly by Master Shi, don''t mess things up, understand?"


    A girl with the number 013 imprinted on her nape spoke up, her tone t yet absolutely serious.


    The other girls immediately nodded.


    "Understood!"


    Except for Maidens 001 and 002, no one else knew of Leonardo''s real name, as these two were the respective unit leaders of the long-ranged and close-ranged units. Thus, even if by mistake, the remaining ten wouldn''t divulge Leonardo''s identity in public.


    The mission board in front of the Magistrate Manor covered an entire street in its width and was as tall as a building in height. Standing in front of the board, even from a few hundred steps away, anyone would feel a psychic domain enveloping them.


    By simply using their consciousness, they could enter the ethereal space within the board and choose missions ording to their clearance levels.


    The ten Maidens had their spiritual fluctuations registered as ves to Shi Yunhei, and their consciousness was immediately transferred to the space of the one-star missions hall.


    Hundreds of thousands of small motes of light were within the space, each representing a clump of information highlighting the mission, the client, and the estimated time ofpletion.


    These missions were confidential, and the moment one of them was epted, a new mission in the queue would immediately rece it. Furthermore, not even the client would know which party epted their mission until the task waspleted, preventing civil strife that would ultimately harm the interest of neither the client nor the employee, but the Luan Dynasty indirectly.


    One by one, they each epted a suitable mission and left with ardent determination in their eyes.


    For them, although their Master didn''t set a time limit forpleting their 100 missions quota, they wanted toplete it ASAP, efficiently, and smoothly.


    ¡­


    Merlin stepped out from avish white carriage with a row of male and female servants behind her, an old and stern butler with a fit build despite his age taking the lead.


    This butler gave Merlin a salute and said, "Thank you for employing service from my Faithful Servant Association, I assure you that you won''t regret this decision, Lady Merlin,"


    Merlin stared nkly for a bit before responding, "You''re not working for me, your client is Shopkeeper Shi, I''m simply another employee."


    The stern butler furrowed his brows.


    "ording to the forum you filled in our headquarters, you should be the Assistant Shopkeeper. Then, in the absence of the Master, the highest authority will be delegated to your hands, making my greetings just and proper."


    Merlin rolled her eyes, feeling a bit helpless.


    She wasn''t that great with people, and she was quite impatient to discuss interests with Elizabeth. Thus, she turned around and walked in through the front gates of the house.


    The moment she stepped in, she felt a divine power lock onto her position. The next moment, space shuddered as a tender-looking young woman with long ck hair, a white ribbon, and a pair of cold pitch-ck eyes appeared.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The maid outfit on her body was quite evident, but that was the least of Merlin''s worries at the moment.


    "Master isn''t avable at the moment, what do you want?" The tender girl spoke out while blocking Merlin and the fleet of servants from entering the house, having them wait on the stone pavement in the front yard.


    Merlin frowned, "I am Merlin, didn''t Sir Shi tell you anything about me?"


    The young woman furrowed her brows in contemtion, thinking that if the Master was expecting people, why wasn''t she notified beforehand?


    Merlin was about to pull out hermunication bracelet with Leonardo''s spiritual signature imprinted within to prove her identity, but Elizabeth was already looking through the second floor''s window when the carriage arrived, and she had already exited through the front door of the house by now.


    She rushed over while breathing heavily, "Assistant Shopkeeper Merlin isn''t lying, I can testify!"


    The young woman in a ck maid outfit looked back at Elizabeth and nodded lightly. Then, she looked back at the group of level 10 mortals, raising an eyebrow.


    "These are?"


    Merlin''s raised left hand returned to her side as she exined, "Shopkeeper Shi asked me to hire servants for the menial tasks in the house; cooking, cleaning, maintenance, gardening, and simr tasks. These people are employees from the Faithful Servant Association from Vast Sky Avenue,"


    Although the butler was a mere level 10, he could recognize a powerhouse the moment he saw one. Thus, he humbly bowed his head, "This humble butler will be in the head maid''s care,"


    The remaining servants also bowed respectfully.


    The young woman''s lips twitched, but she didn''t correct the misunderstanding. Since 001 isn''t here, I guess this makes me the one in charge, right?


    This young woman remembered the logic this butler spoke of earlier, and she suddenly found him more pleasing to the eye. Thus, she nodded her head, kinda enjoying the feeling of having such humble and obedient subordinates beneath her.


    "Alright then, you can follow me and see to your tasks in the house," she decided that she might as well ept the responsibility of being the head maid, and although she could directly phase through space as the provincial formations simted the ambiance of a middle-realm, she didn''t want to leave these servants like lost children behind her.


    The butler was d to follow. He wanted to bow again to Merlin, but the woman was no longer around. Then again, Merlin was a level 16 so if she wanted to leave unnoticed by a level 10, especially since the individual in question was focused on something else, it wasn''t a difficult task.


    Merlin took Elizabeth to the shop in the rear courtyard, entering through the shop''s back door as the front door was on the other end of the courtyard facing a public street.


    The two then went downstairs to an underground spacious floor that should have functioned as a storage room. However, since they decided to run the shop as an inscription store, they didn''t need this much space, allowing Merlin to dump all of her research materials from a spatial ring into the room.


    A set of tables, a magical board, a few gadgets for calcting elemental resonance and spiritual fluctuations, a portable wardrobe, magical scrolls, and quills from special magical beast feathers.


    She actually spent about 90,000 credits from her 100,000 credits allowance on these materials from the Runic Inscriptions Association and Forging Association when she realized that she shouldn''t be too stingy with money.


    Obviously, Shopkeeper Shi seemed very rich.

 Chapter 176 Mysterious Fog

    Moreover, since they no longer had ns to stay in Vast Sky Avenue, she didn''t need to worry about the daily tax fees of Vast Sky Avenue anymore, at least for the time being.


    "This is¡­" Elizabeth looked at all these expensive and sparkling materials, especially the inscription tools, feeling dumbfounded.


    How much money did these materials cost? Were the Shopkeeper and Assistant Shopkeeper truly this rich?


    Both of them didn''t know that Leonardo only had less than 100,000 credits left, but even if they did, that would still be a shocking amount of credit for them.


    "Dear Elizabeth, don''t space out¡ª can you arrange the materials for the runic inscriptions? I bought conductive quills, sturdy materials from all types of ore and jade, precious stones, and special ether-infused ink. Please write down your notes and personal insights, I will write down mine concerning the magic theory on the magical board, then we can cross-reference our material and start the research!"


    Merlin was too excited, her hazel eyes glimmering under those round sses.


    "Magic theory? I thought magic is a lost myth?" Elizabeth was shocked, her stunned expression exceedingly adorable. However, Merlin didn''t swing that way so she wasn''t concerned with cuteness at the moment.


    "Of course it''s real! Shopkeeper Shi gave me precious pointers, he even has a friend with an ancient magician heritage!" If it was before Leonardo pointed her in the direction of inscriptions, she might have been skeptical as well.


    However, after personally investigating the runic inscriptions from the point of view of reverse engineering into pure magic theory, with her abundant experience and excessive research, she immediately realized she was wrong for all these years.


    With some help from Elizabeth, she canpensate for those lost years and more, that dim light at the end of the tunnel had actually expanded into a marvelous, divine enlightenment.


    She was so excited she was about to cry.


    Elizabeth was worried about Merlin''s current state of mind and hurriedly jumped into action, vocally entuating her support to bring Merlin back into focus.


    "Alright! Alright! Stay focused with me and go do your thing, I will busy myself here," Elizabeth removed the outermost piece of her dress, revealing a long skirt and a long sleeve linen garment below. Then, she hurriedly put on a wideboratory coat to cover her excessively curvaceous body from embarrassment.


    Merlin was momentarily stunned by the physic-defying, ridiculous curves under Elizabeth''s conservative clothing, almost losing all confidence in her own charm as a woman.


    Leonardo and the Maiden walked for half a day when they suddenly entered a misty, foggy region. At first, the two of them didn''t think much of it. However, the deeper they went, they realized that their spiritual senses were being gradually suppressed.


    By the time the pair realized that they were already lost in the misty fog that seemed as shallow as ever, yet it was also endless in all directions.


    Leonardo furrowed his brows, he then reached out his hand and held the young woman''s hand, just a precaution in case they were separated inadvertently by the fog that seemed to dull one''s sense of distance and direction.


    He could instinctively feel that this fog was artificial and not something natural, but it also felt natural at the same time.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The Maiden was shocked as Leonardo suddenly grabbed her little hand. However, she quickly realized that it was a precaution. Nheless, she felt a little embarrassed as it seemed like two siblings or a father and daughter taking a stroll in the heart of nature.


    Only, this nature was a bit too bleak and deste to enjoy.


    "Do you have any idea about what''s going on?" Leonardo asked the moment his spiritual sense waspletely suppressed, making him feel as though he was walking in circles.


    The Maiden shook her head, furrowing her brows, "I haven''t experienced something like this in the past, we might have entered the territory of a natural treasure or a magical beast. In any case, with my shadow miasma martial intent, I have this vague feeling that this is something rted to a natural treasure very helpful to my cultivation¡­"


    The Maiden suddenly realized something and hurriedly bowed her head to kneel on the ground, "Master! I didn''t lead you here on purpose, I swear on my soul I have no clue what this ce is¡­"


    Her words were caught in her mouth, astounded. She realized that the instant she let go of Leonardo''s hand to kneel in apology, she could no longer see him even though he was but a few steps away.


    Her heart dropped.


    What now? What will the Master think? She had the urge to cry in despair.


    ¡­


    Leonardo was also stunned.


    He never bothered entertaining the idea that this Maiden brought him here on purpose, much less bothered with demanding an apology. Furthermore, she was a divinity, and if she wished to slip out from his grasp, he had no way of stopping her.


    Looking around at the swirling misty fog, Leonardo kneaded his forehead in frustration as he sighed. "Well, whatever¡­"


    Leonardo tucked his hands away in the pockets of his white coat before picking a random direction and walking away, not too worried about 001''s safety.


    Since she instinctively felt drawn to this ce, it was but a matter of time before she found the natural treasure, the question was whether or not she had the fortune of iming it.


    Leonardo understood his King''s Karma well, as it would indirectly influence the karma of those close to him following the will of the Infernal Throne, just to give them a bit of power to help him in the future.


    In a sense, those close to him were destined to be tools for his conquest, and it depended on their individual capabilities whether or not the opportunities provided to them were to be grasped or if they would perish.


    Thinking that there would be no difference whatsoever no matter if he decided to walk around or simply sat in ce, Leonardo decided to just take a position in a lotus style and continue drawing the ether to nurture his worldly energy and Rosaline, whilst his entire calctive focus of the innate martial intent began to deduce the possibilities of merging the nihilistic essence of the deste martial intent and merge them with his thunderforce, nning to be a bit more creative with the powerful archery technique.

 Chapter 177 Sudden Change

    "Master!¡­"


    Swoosh!


    "Master!¡­"


    Swoosh!


    "Master!¡­"


    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!


    Maiden 001 was like a ck, solidified ray of smoke as she rushed aimlessly in all directions while shouting. However, since she couldn''t expand her domain or her spiritual sense, she had no means of overwhelming the misty fog, and it seemed that this fog wasn''t a viable medium to carry sound waves. In fact, she had this weird sensation that the sound waves were absorbed a few steps after leaving her body.


    That was mainly because whenever she yelled out, only the fog within a few dozen steps would fluctuate ever-so-slightly, and that was it.


    She felt very anxious.


    Unable to fly either, she was simply rushing about in the mist, shouting her lungs out.


    Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip!


    As she was running, she suddenly heard the sound of tapping water, immediatelying to a grinding stop. Then, she looked down to find herself stepping on white flower petals on the surface of a body of shallow water, but much like the petals, her feet wouldn''t sink past the surface.


    "Shallow water?"


    Maiden 001 scrutinized the water carefully, she then bent over to pick up one of the petals. However, the moment this petal left the surface of the shallow water, it quickly began to sublimate from a solid to a gaseous state, skipping the liquid stage.


    This sudden transformation caught the Maiden by surprise, but she quickly realized that some mist began to leak through the shallow water, quickly solidifying into another white petal that weighed down on the shallow water.


    She was stunned.


    This was simr to how she condensed her smoke into arrows, but anyone could tell that her arrows were a clump of smoke held together by ayer of dense spiritual strength reinforced by the properties of ether and her martial intent.


    However, if she didn''t see the transformation from solid to gaseous and vice versa in front of her eyes, she wouldn''t havee to suspect that these flower petals were condensed from mist and fog.


    Or rather, the fog in this region was originally white petals that drifted from theke over countless years?


    Her eyes glowed with astonishment, hurriedly rushing into the depths of this shallow water.


    However, what both Leonardo and Maiden 001 overlooked was that if even they got lost in the fog, so would other people too. At the moment, this region of white, misty fog was swarming with rogue cultivators, be it in groups or individually.


    The moment this curtain of fog was lifted, a curtain of carnage would inevitably follow¡­


    Puff!


    Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip!


    Puff!


    Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip!<novelnext></novelnext>


    Puff!


    Maiden 001 was dashing across the shallow water''s surface with a bow in hand, volley after volley of arrows in pairs or trios shot out from her bowstring.


    Around her from all sides were solid white tentacles connected directly to the surface of the shallow water, but their durability wasn''t as great as to block her arrows. Nheless, since these tentacles were directly connected to the water, they never dissipated entirely but were only subjected to enough force capable of hindering their movements¡­


    Sweat poured down her forehead as her long ck hair whipped about in the air, countless ck arrows shooting omnidirectionally with unprecedented uracy.


    A tentacle shot from a tricky angle and snaked around her right leg, and thigh, and eventually swirled around her thin waist and bound tightly, blocking her from evading another tentacle that shot towards her other leg.


    Without hesitation, she reverse gripped the bow and swung the bowstring across her leg, ripping the long skirt apart, along with the tentacle.


    Blood sttered as a few inches deep wound cut into her flesh, but she quickly performed a backflip to evade being locked in ce once more.


    She suddenly heard an air-ripping sound and instinctively spun like a lotus on the water, her eyes growing focused as she withdrew her longbow, encased her feet in thinyers of ck miasma smoke, and focused her attention on the vibrations in the air.


    In an instant, she dodged over a dozen projectiles with one tearing apart the fabric on her right shoulder. However, she immediately trained her eyes across the path of this one projectile as though she intentionally allowed it to strike her.


    She was shocked to find another woman across theke.


    She was tall, had a head of long silver hair, and crimson eyes. Sharp nails crowned her delicate fingers, but most conspicuous of all was her absurdly pale skin and a pair of pristine white canines not unlike a vampire''s fangs.


    Well, Maiden 001 was pretty sure they didn''t only resemble a vampire''s, but they should belong to one.


    The tall woman wore a sleeveless short dress, transparent fabric flowed like a curtain of moonlight to barely conceal her milky thighs. On her arms, however, long gashes of blood trickled down from the elbows to her forearm, this blood quickly dissolving into mist upon contact with the humid air.


    The red, bloody mist swirled around this woman like instrumental strings, whipping apart the white tentacles with absurd uracy while intermittently sting hails of condensed blood projectiles at Maiden 001.


    Both women were using a smoke subcategory of martial intent. However, one of them relied on blood, and anyone can tell that the woman''s cultivation heavily relied on increasing the density of her blood in volume. As for the other, she had to make a delicate bnce between her energy and martial intent, using the former to fuel thetter.


    Nheless, Maiden 001''s offensive capabilitiesy in her bow and arrows, obviously a disadvantage in mid-range battles.


    Thus, upon sensing danger, she immediately gave up on using offense as defense, instead adopting a passive position the moment she encountered an interloper.


    However, this encounter finally shook her heart as she realized what she had overlooked; she wasn''t the only one with smoke subcategory martial intent in this world¡­


    The other woman also arrived at a simr conclusion the moment she stepped into thiske of shallow water, but she didn''t expect her sneak attack to fail miserably.


    Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip!


    Both women were bleeding, their blood blossoming like crimson roses on the shallow waters, but neither of them noticed anything wrong with the fact that the moment their blood touched the water''s surface, each drop drifted about individually, resembling pure pearls.


    In the haze of this smoke, as more blood poured into the water, it seemed as though the shallow water was examining each droplet.


    However, the two didn''t have time to focus on that as the screen of fog covering theke suddenly ruptured from multiple directions as four peoplended on the shallow waters, instantly freezing in caution.


    As for why that happened, it was because everyone heard them, which was an irregr experience at this point in time¡­

 Chapter 178 A Silhouette Of Smoke

    As though in a tacit agreement, the moment the four new entries were distracted by the sudden development, the vampire woman switched targets from Maiden 001 and attacked the two who appeared behind Maiden 001.


    As for Maiden 001, she immediately drew her longbow and shot two consecutive arrows that brushed past the woman''s temples on either side, striking at the two behind her.


    The four that made it here were three men and a woman, but all of them wore almost identical dark red uniforms.


    Perhaps the only conspicuous difference was the woman with a ck scarf around her neck, but that wasn''t at all necessary at the moment.


    From their sudden shock and bewilderment to assessing the situation, the four immediately made concise and timely countermeasures to either block or dodge.


    Behind Maiden 001, the woman''s long scarf suddenly twisted into a snake that sprayed a venomous mist that almost instantly corroded the blood projectiles. However, two projectiles were quick enough to sh her waist and cheek, sending blood sshing into the water.


    As for the other man, he drew two short des from a strap on his thighs, excessive yet transparent mist discharging from his skin to cover his immediate surroundings as though it was a mini domain.


    The moment the projectiles pierced through theyers of mist, his des seemed to have eyes of their own as they cut beautifully through the air, decimating these projectiles without a harm done to his body.


    The moment he sheathed his des, only then did the sound of ripping through air st into the area.


    The vampire''s crimson eyes shed with a hint of trepidation at this disy, knowing that this man, in a scenario where no one could utilize their domains, was the most dangerous.


    The two behind the vampire woman weren''t as lucky, though.


    The ridiculous spinning force of Maiden 001''s arrows actually caused them to split in two each the moment they were within striking range of those two''s swords, and before they realized it, both of them had an arrow piercing each eye socket respectively, sting their brains out.


    There was a powerful st of air as blood and brain matter sshed everywhere, followed by the sound of two plops and two out of the four were dead.


    When everyone was stunned by this archery, including the vampire woman, Maiden 001 quickly retreated into a position forcing the group into a triangle of three factions.


    Then, everyone''s senses and muscles went tense in hyper-sensitive mode.


    Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip!


    The sound of blood dripping into the water resonated clearly in everyone''s ears this time, as it seemed like the sound wave''s interference weakened. Then, everyone simultaneously looked beneath their feet at the source of this sound, sending shivers down their spines.


    Blood was being constantly drawn onto the white petals, and these white petals began to gravitate toward one another very quickly, shing and fusing as a body of mist began to form at a speed visible to the naked eye.


    Although this was a power triangle before, it now became a power square as the blood from the vampire woman, the ck scarf woman, the two men, and Maiden 001 congregated to form a beating heart on the shallow water at the bottom of the silhouette''s feet.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Then, this humanoid silhouette of smoke picked up the heart and ced it in its chest, only to be wrapped by smoke once again.


    Then, faint bloody wisps of blood began to seep through the curtains of smoke surrounding the shallow waters, rushing into the humanoid silhouette.


    Everyone was shocked as the vibrant essence in the bloodstream proved that this was the blood from creatures, or even people who had just died recently.


    This abundance of blood essence flowed endlessly into the shallow, weak-looking heart as the mysterious energy in the shallow water helped convert the blood from a liquid to a solid, while the smoke also went from gaseous to solid.


    However, no one of the three parties dared to make a move as no one was willing to pave the path to the others as a scapegoat. However, they also knew that they couldn''t simply stare dumbly as this creature began to take form under their noses.


    The vampire woman and Maiden 001 exchanged a look, and these two women''s thoughts seemed to coincide once more as they moved simultaneously.


    Everyone here seemed to be an expert in their own rights and must have experienced plenty of battles, and they knew how to put their priorities into order. Thus, the man and the woman with the scarf exchanged a look and took one step back each, indicating that they had no ns of ambushing the mid-range and long-rangebats from probing the opponent.


    The only reason Maiden 001 made thispromise was that she was worried something might happen to Leonardo while he was aimlessly roaming the foggy mist, while the vampire woman was purely interested in the heart of blood.


    ¡­


    While Maiden 001 was worried about Leonardo''s current situation, he was still in the same position since he decided not to move around carelessly. Nheless, he could also sense the subtle changes to the fog based on the movement of ether in the environment.


    However, the change wasn''t to the point of rming him awake from his meditation.


    That was until Rosaline''s embryo grew a bit restless and pulsed out with a mysterious wave that caused Leonardo''s heart to skip a beat, it was as though this embryo was trying tomunicate with him.


    The moment Leonardo''s eyes snapped open, they were a pair of deep crimson pools swirling with a dense thirst for blood.


    Leonardo was shocked as these eyes gave him a familiar yet unfamiliar feeling, as though they were his eyes yet at the same time, they weren''t. At the same time, he was shocked as other than the endless stretch of fog, he could see numerous threads of blood flowing in a certain direction, and a voice deep in his mind seemed to urge him into following the blood strings.


    Leonardo instantly connected this to Rosaline''s dormant soul and the bloodthirsty martial intent, once again shocked by this martial intent.


    It could actually ignore thews of this domain and pierce its illusions, but Leonardo immediately contributed this to the phenomenon of dense blood essence and the fact that Rosaline''s former cultivation ced her way above the power of divinity. Moreover, his bloodthirsty martial intent was iparable to Rosaline''s, not to mention her inheritance wasn''t the bloodthirsty armament but the bloodthirsty territory.


    When he thought about that, Leonardo was no longer shocked but instead felt it was only natural. Now, he seemed to realize that Rosaline''s embryo didn''t only need ether, but perhaps it needed massive volumes of blood, at least divinity blood, to officially revive.


    With that in mind, he stood up and dusted himself before making his way over in the direction of the congregation.

 Chapter 179 Pitiful

    "This is bad," said the woman in a ck scarf. Although the silhouette of smoke wasn''t yetplete and solid, that also meant that physical attacks, such as the long-ranged arrows, were useless¡­


    It simply stood there motionless, barely moving enough to avoid being struck at the heart by these probing attacks.


    "At least we know that the heart is a fatal weakness, and its mobility is crippled during these few moments," the man next to her answered with his brows lightly knit together. Then, his eyes focused on Maiden 001 instead, "This archer is dangerous, since when did the province have such a divinity?"


    "I''m not sure either, it is possible that she''s someone from a different province," answered the woman after a slight pause. However, she also realized the issue, "It''s impossible for a solo divinity to cross from one province to the next as it is too expensive for one, and they can''t fly, so it is also impossible to circumvent the dangers lurking within the uncharted wilderness¡­"


    The woman realized that this divinity should either be native to this province or be supported by a powerful organization within or outside the region. If it was the former, then she did too well concealing her talents from the hidden spies of the city, barring her existence from spreading to the other cities in the province.


    If it was thetter, then what kind of ns did such an organization have for the Lush Skirts ins Province? This is definitely something to be investigated. However, she also knew that it had been too long of a time since theyst reported home, so the first thing they need to do is investigate whether or not the cities around this region had registered new divinity entries, and they would narrow down the scope of their search from there.


    Maiden 001 didn''t know the origins of the man and woman in dark red uniforms nor did she care at the moment as her heart was burning with anxiety over Leonardo, could it be that he died?


    If he did die, her life as well as the lives of the other eleven are as good as over in the most heinous of ways, but she would obviously receive the most severe of punishments. She had no time to bother with the weird looks the man and woman were giving her, but the vampire woman was astute and clear-headed enough to notice the subtle changes in the eyes of Maiden 001 and the other two.


    As time went on, the vampire woman''s performance became more and more discrete and inconspicuous as her firepower seemed negligible inparison to Maiden 001 who began to dominate the long-ranged field, but she had lowered the output of her attacks in a way so subtle it seemed to indicate that Maiden 001 was simply increasing the intensity of her attacks too quickly.


    Other than the vampire, only the Maiden knew how this pattern would deceive the other two into thinking that she had spent too much of her energy, allowing them to focus their firepower against the vampire when the cooperation breaks up and they drop the pretense of working together.


    The vampire woman''s inventions were simple, she was taking a step back now to advance and engage with the other twoter, allowing Maiden 001 to take a step back and support with her archery.


    It was weird how the two strangers came to such a subtle tacit agreement despite this being their first time meeting one another. Nheless, this would ultimately boil down to a battle between two long-rangedbatants and two close-rangebatants, the only question being whether or not they survived the encounter with this silhouette.


    The moment they wanted to retreat from the probing blows, the shallow waters below their feet began to bubble as countless tentacles shot from the surface, their target being the pair dressed in dark red uniforms.


    Both Maiden 001 and the vampire were wondering about these tentacles of solidified smoke for a while now, not understanding why they kept dormant for so long. Now, they wouldn''t be so naive as to think these were the same tentacles as before.


    As expected, when the man drew out his two des and hacked at the tentaclesing at him, although he managed to sever them each in half, the dissipated halves morphed into small projectiles that wereunched at the man by a powerful swing from the solidified tentacles, almost catching him off guard.


    "Be careful!"


    The woman to the side noticed this abnormality and shouted in warning. However, it was a bit toote.


    The man underestimated the tentacles just a bit and so he didn''t use his technique, and although he managed to block most of the projectiles, a few of them phased through a curtain of smoke and stabbed into his arms and torso, sshing his blood onto the shallow waters.


    The moment his bloodnded on the water, his expression changed greatly as he was the only person who hadn''t bled yet, but this was no longer the case.


    Both Maiden 001 and the vampire hurriedly retreated, and be it intentionally or otherwise, both of them stood together to form a locked power triangle with the other pair and the humanoid silhouette of smoke.


    The tentacles, projectiles, and faint mist in the air suddenly faded as though it was all but an illusion, albeit everyone present knew that it was not.


    "I was careless," the man furrowed his brows as he observed the smoke retreating into the body of that silhouette, the volume and density almost equating to the body of a living, breathing creature.


    Everyone was certain that if they were tounch arrows now, they wouldn''t merely phase through the silhouette but it might as well simply catch them in its bare hands.


    He then continued, "This should be the phenomenon of a natural treasure achieving sentience and self-cultivation after gaining its own spirituality, and it is now utilizing the blood essence of powerful cultivators to construct a body."<novelnext></novelnext>


    The woman nodded, then shook her head. "Pity¡­ The ideal situation would be for it to cultivate enough to reach level 95, but it barely met the threshold of level 90, a peak divinity. I suppose this sudden transformation is what instinctively drew us nearby as cultivators with smoke subcategory martial intent."


    The man smiled bitterly as he didn''t know whether to pity himself or the natural treasure, as let alone the fact that they didn''t have a single High Divinity near level 88, but even their base powers as divinities were suppressed.


    They should have thought about this suppression of power earlier. If he guessed correctly, this shallowke should be the treasure''s¡ª rather the creature''s personal domain¡­


    "A pity indeed¡­"


    A deep, almost cryptic voice echoed in the air.


    All four divinities snapped in attention to look at the silhouette that at some point in time grew three meters tall, a body of robust muscle and a face devoid of any features¡ªsimply nk.


    The silhouette was currently adjusting to this new body.


    Flexing his arms, shrugging his shoulders, lightly hopping in ce, and clenching his fists tightly.


    "Ah, this feeling¡­"


    The silhouette muttered but it was unclear as to how since it didn''t have a mouth to speak from. Nheless, this was the least of everyone''s worries at the moment as they began to feel tense.


    The silhouette then split open his own chest to reveal a beating heart, dark red with wisps of smoke intertwined along its surface. Then, the fresh blood from the man in dark red rushed directly into the heart, giving it, even more, texture and depth of power.


    "Haha! You pitiful bunch thought you could use me to further grow your powers¡­ How pitiful¡­"


    The voice echoed again. This time, anyone could tell that this disembodied voice was conveyed through the domain, a simple broadcast of the will, though it wasn''t harmful to those within the domain.


    Nheless, this is a true predicament they found themselves in.


    "Hm?" The voice suddenly stoppedughing and looked in a certain direction, an indistinct silhouette was currently approaching through the foggy mist, but there shouldn''t have been anyone alive at this point in time.


    Everyone seemed to have noticed this too, turning their heads to look in confusion. From the energy fluctuations, this should be the energy of a High Saint?¡­


    But, how could that be?


    "Truly pitiful¡­"


    A voice dripping with immeasurable destion and a thirst for blood prated the fog. What''s more, although the power fluctuations were absurdly weak, a kind of will that exceeded that of divinity, yet wasn''t borderline rebirth yet, merged into the voice¡­


    The man in dark red furrowed his brows, this being his first time encountering such a situation.


    "Energy and essence of a High Saint, yet the will is somehow bordering the realm of rebirth¡­ Is that even possible?" The man was in disbelief.


    Can someone truly cultivate an independent martial intent to the rebirth realm while their energy and essencegged beginning?


    Forget the four divinities, even the creature was shocked into speechless anger at the moment.

 Chapter 180 Just Like That

    While everyone was shocked, it was Maiden 001 who was the one affected the most by this voice. The restlessness in her heart finally calmed down, but she then recalled their current situation.


    Even if Leonardo''s will reached that height, it was useless as his spiritual strength wouldn''t be strong enough to smoothly control it, possibly inflicting self-harm even.


    If he pushed himself, the damage might prove irreparable.


    "Master, hurry up and leave!" Maiden 001''s anxious, high-pitched, yet tender shout echoed.


    This was the first time she spoke in the presence of everyone present, leaving the vampire woman as the only individual at the scene who had yet to open her mouth.


    "Your master?" The woman with a ck scarf raised her brows, did her master possess the body of a High Saint toe to rescue her? That would exin a lot then.


    Of course, everyone else would have arrived at a simr conclusion, but Leonardo didn''t care for these little things as he tore open the fog surrounding the shallow water and stepped in.


    Other than a ck cloak that concealed his figure and features, there was a conspicuous long, bloody halberd in his hand.


    Moreover, a pair of malevolent crimson eyes sparkled in the darkness of his lowered hood, apparently not intending to reveal his identity to the people present.


    Only the vampire woman and the humanoid creature noticed the peculiarities of that halberd¡ª it was actually condensed from pure blood essence that gave off a simr feeling and fluctuations to the creature''s heart.


    "You stole my blood essence!" The creature roared with anger, finally understanding why the volume of blood essence was inadequate to push the final barrier to level 91, it was this bastard''s doing!


    "Is that so?" Leonardo responded in a faint tone, not overly worried about the domain of a High Divinity after personally experiencing the power of a rebirth realm cultivator.


    Moreover, it was Rosaline who was using her remnant will as a conduit for his bloodthirsty and deste martial intents at the moment, although this came at the cost of prolonging her dormant slumber in the future.


    Nheless, if it was to obtain the blood essence of a level 90 High Divinity, this price was all too worth it.


    As for controlling someone''s blood essence? That was a joke whenpared with the bloodthirsty territory, let alone the fact that a pseudo-rebirth realm was behind it.


    Even as Leonardo spoke, the bloodthirsty domain exploded from his body, immediately epassing the entireke of shallow water even as he stood on its borders, not precisely on the surface.


    Then, the ripples began to riddle the surface of this once-calm body of water, and the four suddenly felt as though the shackles on their powers shattered, shocking them to the core.


    "Run!"


    The man in a dark red uniform didn''t even hesitate to turn around, his energy exploding as he dashed away. Although flight was impossible, running away wasn''t.


    Moreover, he could foresee a sh of epic proportions¡ª no, practically a one-sided ughter, and he didn''t wish to be silenced before reporting the news of a pseudo-rebirth making an appearance in the region.


    The woman next to him also didn''t hesitate to dash away, her thoughts in line with the man.


    Leonardo noticed that both of them wore simr uniforms, but he knew that his time was limited as Rosaline wouldn''t be able to keep up with exerting her will, thus he simply ignored them.


    The air began to quake as the two invisible domains shed, while Maiden 001 was shocked, recalling how Leonardo mentioned having multiple martial intents.


    She knew that this martial intent didn''t belong to any of Memento Mori''s rebirth realm cultivators, meaning that this was purely Leonardo''s power, which was the reason behind her shock.


    As for the vampire woman, her crimson eyes glowed with an unknown glimmer as she focused on Leonardo''s body, carefully sensing the profoundws of his domain.


    It seemed as though the longer she spent in this domain, the higher theprehension of her martial intent which was both smoke and blood subcategory.


    "Master¡­ This creature is dangerous," Maiden 001 knew that this woman wouldn''t warn Leonardo for whatever reason, but she also didn''t know why she didn''t leave this ce.


    Leonardo didn''t respond as his actions were mostly dominated by Rosaline at the moment, and he couldn''t afford a distraction.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The creature didn''t know the limitations on the body of a saint in case the will of a pseudo-rebirth possessed them, hence why he was so careful. As for the other two who ran away, they didn''t know that this wasn''t a possession of a cultivator who was nearby, so they assumed that leaving now is better than offending a potential future rebirth cultivator.


    "I''ve been so careful to avoid being noticed by a rebirth master for thousands of years, my instincts quickly evolved into intelligence, and my intelligence grew to the point of sentience, I''ve killed thousands of saints and hundreds of divinities, WHY NOW OF ALL TIMES?!"


    The creature was thoroughly enraged to be caught at this moment, as it could feel the heart inside its chest beating out of rhythm.


    If the process wasplete, then perhaps it would prove difficult for Rosaline to control the blood essence. However, the merger was yet to bepleted and hence, it wasn''t difficult nor was it easy for her to wrestle control over the blood essence.


    The shallow water began to bubble more and more as strings of blood began to seep out from the seemingly not-so-far depths, connecting into a long bridge stretching to all corners of theke as though a spiderweb.


    Leonardo and Rosaline weren''t so naive as to step on the water, as it would provide the creature with a medium to interact with Leonardo''s blood remotely.


    The Maiden and the vampire woman were at first confused. Then, realization dawned upon them and they hurriedly stepped on the blood steps, feeling that their instinctive anxiety lessened greatly.


    "That''s how it was¡­" The vampire woman finally spoke, but she was merely muttering to herself.


    "It''s useless," Maiden 001 shook her head, "Even if we knew, the only things we can materialize are based on smoke, and using smoke on this body of water is no different from providing that thing with more firepower. If it could use the shallow waters as a means to turn gas into solid, I don''t think it would be difficult for it to do the opposite."


    Although Maiden 001 wasn''t too smart, everyone had an area of expertise. When she calmed down, she began to rationalize things and think clearly.


    The vampire woman focused on two subcategories of martial intents, while Maiden 001 focused on only one. Thus, systematically speaking, the humanoid creature was more suitable for the vampire woman and not Maiden 001.


    However, that also made the vampire woman the best meal and vessel for the creature to take over. Just as Maiden 001 thought like this, the creature also pointed it out.


    "Stop! Let''s make a deal! You can take your follower and leave, I only want this woman!"


    The creature was too uncertain, especially since it didn''t see much of this world. Moreover, its domain was cracking, so the voice sounded even more cryptic and harsh, albeit understandable.


    As it spoke, it pointed a finger at the vampire woman, who had just now came to the same conclusion as Maiden 001.


    Her expression turned cold, the intrigue in her eyes overwritten by unconcealed apprehension while she observed Leonardo''s reaction.


    Just as the vampire woman was worried, over half of the blood steps exploded into dense blood mist thatpletely replicated Leonardo''s presence, making one feel as though Leonardo was all epassing.


    It was like you were at the bottom of the ocean, and due to the pressure, you knew that your only path to survival was by obliterating this entire ocean.


    The humanoid creature instinctively turned to look back as it feared a sneak attack from the nks or behind, but it never would have expected that Leonardo shot through straightforwardly in a linear path, the halberd drawing a beautiful arc as it stabbed through its back.


    This was supposed to be a strike to the chest as Rosaline was very interested in testing the might of the bloodthirsty armament and the bloodthirsty territory whenbined, but she never expected this creature to give up his back to her voluntarily.


    From the excessive propulsion speed with the help from the bloodthirsty domain, Leonardo''s physical speed exceeded the limits of what his body could withstand, and countless tiny cracks riddled his skin and bones.


    At this state, one ful power strike from the creature could blow his skeleton to oblivion. Luckily, the creature overestimated Leonardo''s current state as it naturally didn''t understand thews of the equivalent exchange.


    With a burst of dense white mist, a loud shriek resonated in the skies as the halberd devoured the dark red heart whole, the bloodthirsty martial intent quickly retreating into Leonardo''s cells, and from there on it concentrated on the bloodthirsty neb.


    A crystal bead surrounded by 91 petals that seemed to transition from white gaseous mist to soft flower petalsnded in Leonardo''s palm.


    Only, one of the 91 petals seemed too transparent and fragile whenpared with the remaining petals.


    "Just like that?" The vampire woman asked in shock.

 Chapter 181 Zaylee

    They knew that the only reason they could survive this long against a High Divinity was its wide distribution of the misty white fog. Although that fog seemed redundant, it was the only buffer allowing this creature to openly expand a domain in the uncharted wilderness.


    However, even 20% of its powers with a domain would be enough topletely dominate their party of four, let alone get killed in one strike by a possessed High Saint.


    This was too absurd, but it indeed did happen.


    Leonardo quickly stored away the natural treasure which he didn''t recognize and looked far into the dissipating misty fog.


    "The fog is about to clear up, I''m not sure how many hundreds if not thousands of cultivators are stuck in this maze, things might get a bit too lively," although Leonardo was worried about his injuries, he couldn''t just start meditating and healing in the presence of a stranger.


    He could tell she was a powerful divinity just like Maiden 001, but that was all there is to it.


    He didn''t know her motives and whether she was a friend or foe.


    As for the vampire woman, she furrowed her brows.


    However, she then quickly rxed her stiff expression and smiled faintly, "How about I invite you two back to my ce? It''s not very far from here,"


    Only now did Leonardo turn his head to look at this woman closely, but his eyes were already back to their normal, lifeless ck. Hence, there was nothing to be seen in the shades of his hoodie.


    Honestly, he was very ufortable with these clothes, but he didn''t wish to expose his identity to humans. However, this woman was clearly a vampire, and she most likely was the descendant of some vampire household hidden away in a closed pocket dimension.


    The question is, why should they trust her?


    The woman quickly said, "You don''t have to follow me all the way back, we can simply find a hidden underground cave for you to rest and tend to your wounds while your follower and I protect you from the outside."


    She didn''t want to assume that Maiden 001 was Leonardo''s disciple because their methods were vastly different, and their interactions didn''t portray the image of a master and disciple. Moreover, she wasn''t certain whether this Maiden 001 was talking to the pseudo-rebirth through this man as her master or if it was something else.


    Leonardo didn''t know much about this woman''s character so he turned to look at the Maiden instead, feeling like getting her opinion would be more suitable.


    Maiden 001 hesitated for a bit before saying, "I trust her somewhat¡­ She gave me a feeling of mutual reliance."


    Maiden 001 didn''t mention the natural treasure and neither did the woman.


    Leonardo had no intentions of talking about it either so he nodded silently before removing the ck cloak, allowing his long silver hair to flow like water, and revealing a set of white clothes underneath.


    The cracks on his skin had long since disappeared, leaving behind only his internal injuries to deal with. The woman was a little bit surprised by the color of Leonardo''s hair, and coupled with his crimson eyes from earlier, she doubted whether or not he was also a vampire.


    A momentter though, sheughed to herself and realized how silly the idea was. "Let''s go then, I can already grasp a sense of direction."


    Maiden 001 didn''t follow after the woman but instead dashed to stand behind Leonardo. One would usually walk in front of the person they wish to protect, but Maiden 001 was an archer, it made no difference to her be it standing behind or in front of Leonardo


    As for the vampire woman, she maintained a distance of over twenty steps ahead. Since no one could use a domain, this distance was fair for both parties.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The moment they entered the fog, they immediately caught up to the changes as a rough outline of thendscape in the distance could be seen clearly.


    "What''s your name?" Leonardo suddenly realized that neither party introduced themselves, feeling a bit speechless as he continued, "I am Shi Yuhhei, you can simply call me Yunhei. As for her, you can call her Maiden 001, or simply Maiden."


    The vampire woman didn''t think that Leonardo would actually introduce himself, smiling faintly. "Alright, I will call you Yunhei and Maiden, you can address me as Zaylee."


    ¡­


    "Why did you stop?"


    The woman with a ck scarf suddenly asked the man behind her. His face was shocked and confused, and the expression was so lively it was infectious.


    The man took a deep breath before looking back.


    "The creature was already killed, we barely ran away for a little over half a minute," he responded to her in a grave tone. "You don''t need to ask how I found out, you can simply look around on your own."


    The woman was about to talk but then she went silent. Looking around with less panic and more focus, she also grasped the minute difference. Although the fog was as ever-present as earlier, they could see the distant outlines of towering mountains and trees.


    She was shocked.


    "Doesn''t matter. Now that we have a sense of direction, we should hurry back to Greenheart City and report to our Lord."


    The woman nodded her head and rushed together with the man, their hearts heavy with concern and apprehension.


    They had been roaming the uncharted wilderness for a few years and had met many inexplicable things. However, top that list would be the frequent presence of vampire cultivators and now a potential rebirth cultivator.


    Although each city had a number of rebirth cultivators looking after it, that doesn''t mean they could easily overlook a rebirth cultivator who is adamant to cause trouble.


    ¡­


    When the fog began to dissipate, many people lost within the region began to notice the sudden change.


    Those who were on the brink of mental copse immediately rejoiced and left the region without any hesitation, while those with a bit of calm realized that someone might have found the source of this fog, and that this fog must have been artificially dispelled.


    If that were the case, the only way to dispel a natural phenomenon like this was to extract the natural treasure responsible for it.


    With a bit of intelligence and greed, everyone began to send messages and contact their friends andpanies, deciding to lock down the outer regions of the fog.


    The natural treasure would naturally be located in the center of the phenomenon, allowing many cultivators and mercenaries groups to narrow down their area of search as they advanced to the center.


    Just as Leonardo expected, within half a day, explosions and powerful auras swept through the forest and mountain ranges, and the fights were getting closer and closer to the original spot of the shallow waters domain.

 Chapter 182 Bloodline Crisis

    Almost one monthter.


    In a dimly lit cave underground.


    Leonardo and the Maiden sat in one corner of the cave. Thetter had many medicines and pills to treat wounds in her storage ring but they weren''t of a high grade.


    At most, they were peak third-tier or low fourth-tier pills. However, just because they weren''t of high efficiency on a divinity like her, that didn''t mean they weren''t helpful to Leonardo.


    So she thought, but only Leonardo knew that his physique was already stronger than an ordinary High Saint, otherwise the inertia force from Rosaline''s attack would have shattered his bones to bits and pieces.


    Leonardo silently took the pills and began to digest them while circting his worldly energy. For the moment, he didn''t dare draw in ether from the environment lest the flow of energy drew the attention of some unwanted cultivators outside.


    Neither Maiden 001 nor Zaylee were the talkative types so they patiently waited on Leonardo to finish with his recuperation.


    On this day, Leonardo coughed lightly and with a soft crackling noise, he stretched his limbs as scabs of skin fell off his body.


    He then stood up.


    "How long has it been?" Leonardo asked, seemingly talking to himself while looking at the nted tunnel leading outside.


    "About 27 days since we entered this underground cave. As for our time roaming the uncharted wilderness¡­" Maiden 001 bit her bottom lip with a frown, "It''s inestimable¡­"


    "I see," Leonardo held the tip of his chin, muttering something before looking up at the vampire woman who sat silently to the side, "I have yet to thank you for finding me a ce, Zaylee."


    "Don''t mention it, Yunhei," Zaylee smiled faintly, but her eyes revealed otherwise. After a bit of hesitation, she decided to take the initiative, "That blood control¡­"


    Just as he thought, she didn''t do it out of the goodness in her heart. Nheless, Leonardo still yed dumb and answered with a faint smile, "It''s not a subcategory martial intent, but a primaryw."


    "Primaryw¡­" Zaylee muttered to herself with a lowered head, contemting. Leonardo also realized that in the ster world earlier, House Hestia''s bloodthirsty was probably one of a few primaryw martial intents which exined why the Interster Supreme Court would act against them.


    Although Leonardo didn''t have enough power now, he was sure that once he reached rebirth or pseudo-rebirth, he would cross all the way to the Jin Dynasty and join up with the Memento Mori to slowly wreak havoc across the dynasty.


    He was sure that the Interster Supreme Court wasn''t having it easy at the moment, and he felt thankful for that. Like this, they wouldn''t have the time to chase after Wendy, Ingrid, and Nier.


    Leonardo suddenly had an absurd thought that his rtionships with women were rather odd, too odd actually.


    Wendy was his student, but he didn''t know how to feel about the co-soul.


    Ingrid is supposedly one of his Six Twilights, but what position would she hold in his heart? He remembered how Pandora behaved after Zofia and the restmitted suicide, how would he feel if Ingrid died?


    Other than some difort, perhaps nothing else.


    That''s not a good mindset at all, Leonardo thought to himself.


    What about Nier? Having never experienced love, Leonardo wasn''t sure of his feelings toward this woman. However, she was the mother to his child, and feelings aside, he would always cherish and protect her.


    "Will youe to visit our Sanguis Castle?" Zaylee suddenly stood up and asked, her expression serious.


    Leonardo gave her a weird look, but then he remembered that old man from the Alchemy Association and shook his head. "I can''t for the moment, I have some other things to do,"


    Leonardo would never enter a ce he suspected to be someone''s domain, especially a rebirth realm cultivator.<novelnext></novelnext>


    That old man didn''t even bother examining Leonardo''s body and he could already see through a few of the secrets hidden in Leonardo''s body. Even if they couldn''t pry all his secrets with a casual nce, Leonardo didn''t wish to risk it.


    "If you''re worried about the n lord, he wouldn''t dare to do anything to someone protected by a rebirth realm cultivator," Zaylee tried to persuade, her tone gentle.


    "Are you an idiot?" Leonardo couldn''t be bothered with ying dumb anymore, "So what if he doesn''t kill me? What value does a dead man hold to him or your entire vampire race? If I''m not wrong, you should be someone from a branch diluted bloodline, hence the segmentation of your martial intent into subcategories."


    Zaylee was speechless by the sudden shift in tone, looking up at this young man once again.


    His smile was nowhere to be seen, his lifeless eyes seemingly peering through her mind and heart all the same.


    He casually leaned on the damp surface of the inner walls of this cave, but a barely distinct film of worldly energy coated his body.


    Zaylee sighed, "I''m not from a branch family, but I''m not that far off either. There are but a few pure vampires left in our hidden dimension, but on the flip side, the ones with diluted bloodlines have much more freedom to roam the outside world," She went silent for a moment and continued in a downcast voice, "Our mission is simple, to find a path of survival, and I was caught by your martial intent. However, you''re right, although I can guarantee you wouldn''t be killed, that''s the most I can guarantee."


    She was too excited and overlooked how desperate her n was. Moreover, a new martial intent doesn''t mean that they could be saved.


    Leonardo thought for a moment and said, "Does your hidden dimension have a lot of blood essence?"


    This hidden dimension reminded Leonardo of House Hestia''s Crimson Castle, prompting him to ask. If that were the case, it might be worth it to pay that ce a visit in the future.


    "We used to have 108 blood essence pools. However, that was in the ancient times when we had 108 n lords, and now we have only 3 pools remaining and all of them are supporting the current n lord," Zaylee''s tone was a bit distant and despondent as she spoke.


    Leonardo was dazed for a moment. How would a n fall to such an extent? He couldn''t help but ask, "What is the reason behind that?"


    Zaylee sighed and sat down, "It started when many of the followers and branch families began to get closer to the main bloodline, and thousands of years of intermarriage between pure and diluted bloodlines."


    "ording to the customs and teachings of our ancestors, when a n member is dying, they would be returned to the blood essence pool to provide for theter generations. However, it could be said that the intermarriage was a slow-acting poison that diluted almost all of our blood essence pools, except for three n lords who remained adamant."


    "Who would have thought that when the 105 blood essence pools were diluted, a war would erupt and the 108 Sanguine Castles of the n would go from intermarriage to a bloody inner strife, with only three castles sealing down the mountains to shun the war away. By the time the war ended, the pollution spread to the remaining three pure blood essence pools."


    "To persevere theirter generations, two of the n lords returned to the blood essence pool, and the final n lord is currently sustaining himself with the remaining pure pools, but they are slowly being diluted by the atmosphere of the hidden dimension. As for people like me with subcategory martial intent, we have to shoulder the responsibility for the war, roaming the uncharted wilderness for a solution¡­"


    After briefly exining the situation, Zaylee sighed.


    Leonardo''s brows locked together as he silently thought to himself and asked, "Are the other 105 blood essence pools still there?"


    Zaylee nodded, "They are, but the martial intent inherited in the mixed bloodlines is still acting up, meaning we can''t use them to nurture anymore pure blood young n lords¡­"


    Leonardo''s eyes lit up. However, he quickly pushed the thought away as it was too dangerous. He slowly opened his mouth and said, "Although I can''t help you directly, I know someone who can¡­"


    "Are you talking about that pseudo-rebirth senior? Can they really help?" Zaylee immediately interrupted Leonardo from talking, her tone anxious.


    Leonardo blinked. In a sense, Rosaline can indeed help, but he could also help if he was strong enough.


    He wouldn''t dare enter their hidden dimension with his current strength, but he was also sure that the only thing that could help them was the bloodthirsty territory.


    The bloodthirsty armament would indiscriminately devour blood, but the bloodthirsty territory is all about control. Until the next time Rosaline wakes up from her slumber and digesting the current blood essence, it wouldn''t be suitable to force her into making a move.

 Chapter 183 Arrow Assassination

    "I am indeed talking about her. However, we have some other ns to take care of at the moment, so your matters need to wait," Leonardo smiled faintly and answered.


    "Can you at least tell me how you''d help? Just in case¡­" Zaylee spoke awkwardly.


    Leonardo waved his hand, "I understand that you want to view your options. If I bring her to make a move, I can guarantee that she will purify your 105 diluted blood essence pools. However, she will take all the irrelevant blood essence for her own cultivation."


    Thinking about thousands of years worth of umted blood essence, even Leonardo felt envious. That much blood is probably enough for ten sets of bloodthirsty armaments, let alone constructing an incarnation.


    "What?!" Zaylee was stunned into shattering her temperament into pieces, almost rushing to grab Leonardo''s arm. However, the moment her muscles twitched lightly, she felt like she was locked onto by a hawk''s eye.


    That sense of danger due to apse in concentration was like ice-cold water on her head, forcing her to keep calm. Little did she know that Leonardo was equally excited on Rosaline''s behalf, but he couldn''t speak up or act out on impulse.


    "With that much blood essence, I''m sure she can achieve a breakthrough into rebirth while leaving behind the pure blood essence to nurture future young lords in the hundreds. That way, both sides profit happily¡­"


    Leonardo continued before Zaylee could speak, "However, there is no guarantee that your lord isn''t so desperate as to hold me, hostage. Even though that is something stupid to do, don''t forget that people are only reasonable to deal with and easy to talk to when there is enough power to deter them from doing something stupid."


    Zaylee opened her mouth, then sighed. "What to do now? I can''t possibly follow you back to a human city, I would be in danger."


    Leonardo also frowned as he couldn''t just stay in the uncharted wilderness nor would he hand over Rosaline''s embryo for Zaylee to bring it back.


    "There is still a way," Maiden 001 spoke up at this point, "If you can take her to the Greenheart City as a captured ve, they will only check whether or not she has any restrictions ced on her soul. If there aren''t any, she won''t be allowed in."


    Zaylee''s expression went stiff, what kind of a solution is that?


    Leonardo''s eyebrows locked together, causing Zaylee''s heart to skip a beat as she didn''t want Leonardo to propose that idea.


    "Did you two hear that?"


    Luckily, he seemed to be contemting something else.


    The Maiden''s focus was on Zaylee, while Zaylee''s focus was on Leonardo. Moreover, no one could extend a domain, almost crippling their situational awareness.


    Only Leonardo who was used to going around with such absurd restrictions on his power could perceive the irregr noise.


    The two women went silent for a moment to focus on their senses. A momentter, they could also hear some noise produced by hard weapons shing.


    "It''s a fight, directly above our hiding spot too." Zaylee estimated through the noise, the Maiden nodded her head, seemingly of a simr opinion.


    The trio didn''t expect their luck to be so bad as to get caught up in the crossfire of two divinities. If the entire underground cave copsed on them, getting buried alive would be the least of their worries.


    "We can only proactively join the battle to ambush one and quickly finish up the second. However, without a spiritual sense, we can''t determine the position of these two, we need to take a look up close." Leonardo broke the silence as he spoke firmly.


    The cave rumbled again as bits of debris began to fall off the ceiling. Seeing this, the trio knew that had no time to waste anymore.


    ¡­


    Nature is a veryplicated thing.


    For example, there you have two divinities fighting in full swing, yet the environmental damage caused by their sh is barely noticeable to the observing eye.


    Other than some shaking trees, falling leaves, and violent wind ripples in the air, nothing indicates that two beings capable of uprooting countries were smashing fist to fist in this corner of the forest.


    However, nature is nature, and man is a man.


    If these wind ripples were to barely breeze by Leonardo, there wouldn''t be any young businessmen anymore. Likewise, the same result would follow if the cave were to copse on the trio.


    The two divinities didn''t know they were fighting on aparatively hollow ground, but of course, they wouldn''t know.


    Leonardo, Maiden 001, and Zaylee slowly and silently made their way through the underground tunnels and climbed out from a stone hill in the distance. Hidden under the arched stone, the party of threey prone while observing the battle in the distance.


    Explosive waves, raging mes, and swords of ice and snow entangled into a colorful vortex as the two divinities resembled two beams of blue and crimson while exchanging blows within a limited radius of a few hundred meters.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Thousands of afterimages filled the space as ether grew restless.


    Maiden 001 and Zaylee frowned, thetter saying in a heavy tone, "It''s difficult to lock onto them without a domain, especially with such high speed."


    Maiden 001 didn''t speak, but she kept watching intently for an opportunity.


    As for Leonardo, his eyes didn''t narrow. Instead, his pupils slowly inted to the borders of his irises, and further, his innate marital intent focused on the two ahead.


    Suddenly, the world in his view went still gray with a dense ck concentrated into two spheres constantly shing. Although he couldn''t calcte the past and future routes of these ck spheres, nor could he differentiate between them, at least he wasn''t confused by afterimages anymore.


    The longer he watched, the easier it was to grasp the pattern and tempo of their battle. When two extremely close powers shed, they would inevitably fall into a stalemate.


    If one grasped the stalemate correctly, it was no different to an archer from stationary targets. However, even if he knew that, Leonardo''s power is simply too low to injure any of the two.


    However, that was enough.


    "Can your arrow shadow mine?" Leonardo suddenly spoke up, drawing the attention of the two women.


    They gasped in horror from what they witnessed as Leonardo''s eyes were pitch ck with some ck substance oozing out from his eye sockets.


    "Master¡­ You¡­" Maiden 001''s heart almost jumped through her throat, but Leonardo''s calmy interrupted her by repeating the question.


    Although she was still concerned and confused, she still answered with the affirmative.


    Leonardo nodded, his eyes trained on the fight, "We only have this one chance, so I''ll be using a normal arrow that outlines a path for yours. I did my calctions based on your example shot with an estimation of your peak power per arrow, be prepared."


    Maiden 001 bit her bottom lip and nodded, taking a deep breath before pulling out a longbow and crouching on one knee.


    Leonardo did the same as he pulled out a standard bow and a wooden arrow, "My arrow will be incredibly slow and wouldn''t prove lethal so he wouldn''t sense any killing intent, and your focus would be on the epicenter of my arrow''s base so he wouldn''t feel your killing intent either. Hence, this is a one-time shot, don''t hesitate."


    Leonardo didn''t have the time to exin as using his martial intent on a divinity was beyond his limits at the moment, let alone two. If he could spare the energy to use a powerful arrow, he wouldn''t request help from Maiden 001.


    However, he would only have enough power tounch this normal arrow, and the killing blow would have to rest with the Maiden.


    "What about me?" Zaylee asked, her tone as though desperate to at least help a little.


    "Just be prepared to ambush the one to survive," Leonardo''s response was concise and straightforward.


    ¡­


    A few hundred meters away, the two divinities were in full throttle at each other.


    "What kind of an idiot would leave their injured sister behind while exploring an uncharted wilderness! You fool! You''re acting as though I had a taste when that slut ruptured her meridians on her own ord!"


    As the man spoke, a fist engulfed in mes swung from a weird, almost unpredictable angle to jab at the other man''s exposed torso.


    Ayer of frosty mist coagted into a vortex of cold air, forming a thin barrier in front of the fist, followed by the folded arm that blocked the remnant force.


    Then, by utilizing the inertia from the punch, the infuriated divinity spun in a roundhouse kick that smashed down his opponent''s neck, bringing his face into the ground.


    "You fucking animal!"


    Boom!


    The impact force with the vtile me and ice seemed to trigger an explosion underground, sting the thin rocky surface into bits as the ground crumbled inwardly.


    This unexpected copse caught the two by surprise as one of them wasunched into the air and the other was buried in the rubble beneath.

 Chapter 184 Law Essence Fragment

    It never urred to the two divinities that the ground underneath them would suddenly explode like that. As for Maiden 001 and Zaylee, they didn''t think that Leonardo ounted for this copse in his calctions.


    Nheless, Maiden 001 didn''t care much as her entire focus was on Leonardo''s arrow. When the stones and rubble shot into the sky along with that divinity, Leonardo released his arrow.


    Fire swirled in the ground.


    It was so intense that if the party of three didn''t move out earlier, Leonardo would have melted away even if the Maiden and Zaylee escaped.


    However, as angry as he was, the man in mes was stunned by the scene in the sky above, forgetting his anger and humiliation.


    As the other divinity brought his hands up to gather a javelin of condensed ice, cold killing intent in his eyes, a bad feeling enveloped his heart as sweat trickled down his forehead.


    However, he couldn''t exactly pinpoint this source of danger. Just as he was about to turn around for a sneak attack, a stone the size of an adult man''s head in front of him exploded into bits, a ck streak of light piercing at his chest without the slightest bit of killing intent.


    His eyes constricted as he hurriedly pped his hands on the arrow with the force of biting frost. However, the spinning force of the arrow shattered his protective membrane and stabbed into his chest unhindered.


    Only now did he look into the distance as the screen of stone fell off, revealing the archer in the distance.


    Only, that archer looks just as shocked as he was.


    What was so shocking?


    The man thought as his body exploded into a mist of frost, flesh, and blood.


    Why wouldn''t she be shocked?


    The man didn''t notice the shocked Zaylee as his eyes instinctively followed the arrow''s path to the archer who shot it, feeling regret that he couldn''t get revenge on that vile animal.


    Then, a powerful essence wind swept by and scattered his remnants in a splurge of blood. However, Zaylee quickly acted as her crimson eyes turned frosty and she dashed out from the hiding spot.


    As for the man with mes, he was still immersed in the shock from that silent arrow that appeared out of nowhere and sted his adversary to bits.


    His energy cirction faltered a bit in the shock and fear that another arrow might descend on him without notice. However, he was overthinking things as Leonardo couldn''t possibly calcte for both divinities with his current power.


    Just as he witnessed the man exploding into bits of blood, he groaned in pain and dropped heavily to his knees.


    His hands were twitching as the bow dropped to the ground, and he clutched at his forehead with veins bulging around his eye sockets as though the blood vessels were about to burst out.


    "Master¡­" Maiden 001 just now snapped out of her shock and noticed Leonardo''s current state, her expression pale in fright.


    "Idiot!"


    A familiar yet unfamiliar voice echoed as a young boy appeared out of thin air and pped the back of Leonardo''s head, causing thetter''s mind to buzz lightly.


    Zaylee was about to reach for the other divinity when the clouds above parted, a streak of ck sword light descending and shing around the divinity''s body over a thousand times in the blink of an eye, shocking her to stand in ce.


    She watched as the divinity was minced into pixels and disintegrated like brittle granite smashed by refined steel. She was barely halfway there when she heard that berating tone and the following attack, her body growing stiff as she looked back at the third person who appeared out of nowhere.


    The flying sword returned to his side, hovering there like a possessed spirit.


    A rebirth realm cultivator!


    Zaylee screamed in shock, albeit in her mind.


    She thought Leonardo''s backing was a pseudo-rebirth realm cultivator, but this was an actual rebirth realm.


    The young boy was dressed in a long ck garb with the symbol of two ovepping M characters on his back, both characters resembling a ssh of blood and not a stroke of a practiced hand.


    She was all too familiar with that mark that terrorized every organization since the fall of the Lost Dynasty.


    She would never have expected that the two she met actually belonged to that infamous gang, finally understanding that ridiculous archery of the Maiden''s.


    Leonardo felt his heaache, then buzz for a moment, and everything calmed down.


    Sweat poured down his forehead as he breathed easy, shaking his head.


    "Don''t you know the consequences of over-exerting your martial intent? Are you looking to die?!" Although Junior Brother said this, he was also shocked inside by the meticulous calctions of Leonardo''s martial intent.<novelnext></novelnext>


    If he was lurking in the shadows and trying to sneak attack someone on a higher realm than him while that person was caught in an intense stalemate with someone of a simr power level, the sess rate is less than 10%.


    Yet, this little High Saint actually did it.


    More shocking was the fact that one of his martial intents was bordering the rebirth realm, and it was a ughter-rted martial intent.


    Just how many did he kill to achieve that?


    Junior Brother knows that no pseudo-rebirth had possessed Leonardo, at least that''s what he thought. If that were the case, he would be the first to sense it.


    He knew that Grandmaster Sin looked favorably upon this Leonardo kid, but he didn''t expect his talents to be so exaggerated.


    Leonardo kneaded his forehead and chuckled dryly, "At most, I''d have gone unconscious for a few days. I''m already used to that."


    Junior Brother was speechless, who would get used to being knocked unconscious in a ce like the uncharted wilderness.


    Then, seemingly thinking about something, he looked from Maiden 001 to Zaylee and asked in a weird tone, "You trust these two that much?"


    He was thinking that Leonardo would be absurdly stupid to put his fate in the hands of a stranger and a subordinate, especially in this ce swarming with divinities.


    "Never mind that, this ce is being locked down right now and your chances of escaping are practically zero. In fact, a few High Divinities are closing in from the eight directions, yet you have the mind toy around unconscious?" Junior Brother sighed in resignation.


    "Is it that serious?" Leonardo was shocked.


    "That natural treasure you have has enoughw to help someone condense a star core and achieve rebirth, you tell me if it''s that serious," Junior Brother rolled his eyes.


    "That treasure is called a Law Essence Fragment, a naturally formed thread ofw nurtured by a natural formation for hundreds of thousands of years. The fog wasn''t a product of its domain, quite the opposite in fact. You can say that the natural domain of fog assisted in the creation of the natural formation to nurture the treasure, hence the connection between the two."


    Junior brother shook his head, "The aura of an Essence Law Fragment is very tempting to those High Saints, even if the martial intent they cultivate doesn''t corrte to thew in question." Junior Brother waved his hand, pulling out the white orb from Leonardo''s storage ring while studying it, "Didn''t you ever wonder why there are 100 levels before achieving rebirth? If you don''t ount for the mortal 20 levels, you''d realize that 80 levels are peak, and the level thereafter is achieving rebirth. That''s a total of 81, just like the petals on this natural treasure."


    Even though Junior Brother said this, the 81st petal was obviously iplete, meaning that the natural treasure was crippled halfway from achieving its rebirth.


    Regardless, the purewprehension within is enough for a High Divinity to construct a framework for their star core from level 91 to 95, and perhaps 98.


    With a little bit of talent, achieving rebirth wouldn''t be that hard.


    "What are your ns for this little thing?" Junior Brother yed around with the Law Essence Fragment. Clearly, he had no intention of taking it to himself.


    "I''ll keep it around for now," Although Leonardo didn''t mind giving it to Maiden 001, he didn''t like having subordinates much stronger than himself.


    It simply felt ufortable.


    Junior Brother nodded and tossed it back. Then, he gestured with his chin to Zaylee, "What about the vampire woman? Don''t tell me you were serious about helping the vampire n?"


    Zaylee''s body trembled slightly while Leonardo frowned.


    "Why can''t I help?"


    He asked in a somewhat heavy tone.


    Junior Brother was speechless, mainly because he knew that Leonardo had no pseudo-rebirth behind him, and making this promise now could only mean that Leonardo was waiting to achieve rebirth by himself.


    "I am willing to leave your imprint in my mind!"


    Zaylee suddenly spoke up before Junior Brother could speak, thinking that he didn''t trust her.


    If her vampire n had the support of Memento Mori, she wouldn''t mind bing Leonardo''s servant temporarily.


    Junior Brother was speechless as he watched this vampire kneeling in front of Leonardo, wondering if he should fix the misunderstanding.


    With a weird tone, he tried to give her a subtle hint, "Do you think achieving rebirth is that simple? Let alone pseudo-rebirth¡­"


    Zaylee thought that Junior Brother meant that it would take thousands of years for the person behind Leonardo to finally achieve rebirth, quickly saying, "My vampire n has nowhere to go, waiting a few thousand years is fine."

 Chapter 185 Junior Brother’s Mission

    Greenheart City.


    A newly appointed one-star civilian waspleting star missions across the various districts in the city like crazy.


    Within three months, 100 one-star missions werepleted, 100 two-star missions werepleted, and another 100 three-star missions werepleted.


    However, that civilian didn''te to the Magistrate Manor to validate his status and get the promotion to a four-star Soulscript Crystal Card holder, officially bing a lower-ss noble in the city.


    Although no one could get ess to the details of the missions cleared by Leonardo''s maids, the disy board would advertise the aplishments under his name for every 100pleted missions. Thus, everyone in the city now realized that a person called Shi Yunhei was on his way to climbing the official ranks.


    If he could reach the seven-star rank, he would easily get a position in the Magistrate Manor.


    Nine-stars and he would be a low-ranking provincial official.


    Even the slightest bit of provincial-level influence was substantial to someone from a city, let alone a mere shopkeeper.


    Moreover, people also wondered how could he afford to constantly hire a team of efficient cultivators for these missions, while some suspected that this Shopkeeper Shi was supported from the shadows.


    Most of the people concerned were seven-star and eight-star rank officials who hold District Director seats of power, especially the 7th District Director, as he didn''t wish for his seat to be handed over to this Shopkeeper Shi.


    Many people tried to visit Leonardo''s private house but the butler denied them entry with the excuse that the house wasn''t epting visitors, gifts, or invitations.


    Many people wanted to either connect with or harm Leonardo due to his sudden rise. Perhaps, most people simply wanted to know if they could hire the people Leonardo used for his star missions.


    Nheless, there were also those who didn''t care because the difference between three-star and four-star missions was too great, let alone from six-star to seven-star missions.


    ¡­


    Of course, Leonardo didn''t know about these developments nor did he care. At this moment, he was contemting whether or not he should ept Zaylee in because he knew that figuratively speaking, her words hold no weight in the grand scheme of things.


    "Let''s discuss this matterter," Leonardo waved his hand and looked over at Junior Brother, "Did you stay behind to protect me or something?"


    Junior Brother rolled his eyes, "Protecting you is simply a matter of convenience. However, my true purpose here is to annihte a hidden sect that provides secret intelligence to the Jin Dynasty¡­ Hm, since you''re already here, you can use their cleansing pond to fully convert your ether and advance to divinity."


    Leonardo didn''t expect Junior Brother to help him achieve divinity just like that. Although, it probably isn''t going toe cheaply.


    As expected, Junior Brother continued, "I will handle their rebirth cultivators, you and the little girls will have to handle the normal sect members along with my team. Although they might take care of you three, don''t rely on them too much."


    Leonardo interrupted with a frown, "If it''s a hidden sect, it most likely has more than one rebirth cultivator¡­ Can you handle it? Oh yeah¡ª do you have theplete arrow technique?"


    Junior Brother gave Leonardo a weird look, "Do you mean the Ninth Inception Arrow? No, I don''t. I''m a sword cultivator, why would I waste my time on archery? Furthermore, you''re overestimating rebirth realm cultivators too much; a rebirth realm is also the zero realm, it basically gives someone the basic human rights to survive in the wilderness."


    As Junior Brother waved his hand to grow the flying sword into a three-meter-long tform, he jumped on the hilt and continued, "Rebirth realm cultivators are split into zero rebirth and star rebirth. The former is when you create the star core, but it is no different from a standard beast core at best¡ª you can even consider it a dantian. As for thetter, the star rebirth realm, that realm is split into the four cycles of essence melding, singrity, inception, and finally Star Lord. I am a Star Lord, a bonafide peak rebirth realm cultivator."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Hearing this, Leonardo thought back to Eternus'' departing words and asked Junior Brother, "I''m curious, what is a World King?"


    Junior Brother who climbed on the flying sword almost fell off, giving Leonardo another weird look, "You really are bold to ask about something like that, aren''t you? Don''t casually talk about a World King, perhaps you can ask someone like Grandmaster Sin about it, anyone else would either be confused or kill you on the spot."


    With that said, Junior Brother waved his hand and brought Zaylee who didn''t dare raise her head in his presence, and Maiden 001 together with Leonardo on the flying sword. Then, the sword shot into the clouds in ayer of sword light.


    ¡­


    Beast w Sect is one of many hidden sects in the Core Maind, and these sects number in the hundreds of thousands deep within the uncharted wilderness.


    Although they''re called hidden sects, that''s only because they don''t lean towards neither the martial nor secr worlds of the Core Continent but barely survive in the cracks.


    There are many ancient ruins and grand protective formations established by the ancient ancestors who perished under the sands of time. The people left, yet the heritage remains behind.


    Solo cultivators who stumble upon these fortunes often start their own sects that flourish from a small gang to a great family, and after so many years, a group of divinities establish a sect in the ruins while maintaining secret rtions with the outside world for resources and sustenance.


    It is also from these hidden sects that people hire divinities and rebirth realm cultivators toplete star missions, but it is said that they only ept four-star missions and higher as apparently, the low-ss nobilities cannot afford their prices.


    When Leonardo first learned of the origins of these hidden sects, his first thought was to go on a journey of locating simr ancient ruins and searching for treasures.


    He then crossed that thought off because let alone his current High Saint, not even a High Divinity can afford to run around the uncharted wilderness with the limitations on their spiritual senses.


    Perhaps once he achieved rebirth and molded his essence he might go around the uncharted wilderness for a spin. As for the Ninth Inception Arrow, he would have to depend on his innate martial intent to derive the nine original arrows.


    "We''ve arrived," Junior Brother said, shaking Leonardo awake from his contemtion.


    Looking down, all Leonardo could see was a barren mountain range that seemed otherwise too bleak.


    "Where is it?"


    Leonardo looked around and asked, a bit confused.


    "It''s a natural illusion formation," it was Zaylee who piped up and spoke, "The sect is most likely hidden behind the natural illusion formation, the entrance to my n''s hidden dimension is also concealed underyers of artificial and natural formations."


    "So that''s it!" Leonardo finally realized that the term hidden wasn''t a simple figure of speech, but these ces were truly hidden.


    "It makes one wonder how people would find their way through these formations to find the ancient ruins," Leonardo rubbed his chin with interest.


    Junior Brother exined, "These formations are faulted and their energygs behind sometimes, creating openings that if you were lucky enough to be around by chance, you can easily get in."


    In a sense, it was a matter of fate.

 Chapter 186 Beast Claw Sect

    Grand caves and ancient pavilions decorated the hundreds of mountains under the natural illusion formation. Looking from above, these mountains resembled feral beasts wing at one another while contesting over which beast would upy the central mountain.


    As the central mountain was grand and steady, multiple gashes riddled the skirt and waist of this mountain, but the gashes dimmed out nearing the peak, and an invisible pressure pressed down to prevent people from climbing to the top.


    There were seventy-two w marks on the skirt of the mountain, and thirty-six w marks around its waist, and some ancient texts mention that the mountain peak had a stone tablet with nine w marks.


    The text also mentioned that those nine w marks were left behind by the same God Beast, carved by three strikes, each strike leaving behind three marks.


    The first strike barely scratched three feet into the stone tablet, the second strike barely scratched six feet deep, and the third andst strike went nine feet deep.


    Since the stone tablet was nine feet thick, it was possible to see through the other side.


    It was also mentioned that the stone tablet had the mysterious ability to absorb the power of each strike.


    However, since thest strike of the God Beast tore through to the other side, the remnant power of that w spilled out and covered the mountain peak, disallowing any other beast from reaching the peak.


    The Ancient God Beast sect was founded with the heritage of the ferociousw contained within the beast w pressure, but it was also said that the members of this ancient sect sphemed the God Beast by iming it was the pet of their first ancestor, provoking the remnant will to exterminate them all.


    Countless yearster, the pressure formed a natural illusion formation of barren mountains ravaged by the ferocious essence of energy.


    Junior Brother andpany came to the entrance to this illusion formation where they met up with three level 88 divinities, clearly, they were no ordinary High Divinities either.


    As a level 68 High Saint, Leonardo was naturally ufortable with their heavy presence in such close proximity.


    They were two men and one woman, all of them dressed in deep gray garbs simr to Junior Brother''s with the ovepping M characters on their backs.


    They also wore ck face masks with ovepping light gray M characters on the forehead.


    Junior Brother passed a simr mask to Leonardo and said, "You might wanna put this on, you don''t want anyone to find out that you''re a Memento Mori guy."


    "Alright," Leonardo didn''t hesitate and put the mask on his face. Of course, he didn''t wish for his identity as a Memento Mori member to be exposed.


    The moment he put the mask on, a ck ripple of energy washed over his body. Very quickly, his hair and clothes turned pitch ck as the ovepping M characters appeared on his back.


    Length grunted with a bit of difort, but he knew that it was childish toin about the color of his clothes.


    Maiden 001 seemed to already be prepared as she received a mask from one of the three and put it on without hesitation.


    "The little vampire girl doesn''t need a mask, she''s already a public enemy just like us anyway," Junior Brother said, but everyone else knew this was a mere excuse.


    Memento Mori doesn''t simply hand out their things to strangers. This also meant that if Leonardo and Maiden 001''s identities were exposed, she would be the first and only suspect.


    It wouldn''t be that difficult for Memento Mori to find the hidden vampire n and wipe it out of existence then.


    Zaylee understood this point and kept silent, she would simply prove herself with actions.


    ¡­<novelnext></novelnext>


    In ordance with the marks left behind by the ancient beasts, the Beast w sect had thirty-six grand elders and seventy-two elders.


    This was something irrelevant to the cultivation level but it was strictly determined by individualprehension.


    Anyone who could reach the skirts of the mountain without going insane from the ferocious martial intent is qualified as a sect elder while those who can climb to the mountain''s waist are qualified as grand elders.


    Other than the elders and grand elders, the sect had a group of grand protectors determined based on the cultivation level.


    The grand protectors were always in secluded cultivation while elders handled the matters between the sect and the two factions outside; the martial world and the secr world.


    At this moment, the seventy-two elders responsible for the secr world affairs gathered in one of the great halls to discuss their recent interactions with the great officials of the Lush Skirts ins Province.


    Other than the elders, there were three people dressed inyers of ck that obscured their figures and faces while blocking their spiritual sense.


    These three simply stood to the side while waiting for their turn at the table of discussion.


    "I received a flying sword message from Greenheart City inquiring whether our outer sect disciples are helping the rise of a new official. If yes, they demand we stop harming the interests of ''some'' people¡­ While if no, they are offering to hire our disciples to keep watch for anyonepleting four-star missions near Greenheart City for the next two decades." A middle-aged High Divinity elder spoke up, his brows furrowed while crossing his arms.


    Another elder hummed for a moment while knocking on the armrest of his chair, "I got the news that a great official is behind this request. Not only that, but he ryed his intentions to multiple hidden sects the past few days, clearly feeling threatened."


    Everyone immediately understood what the elder meant. If they refused while other hidden sects agreed, they might be framed as the sect helping in the shadows, and that great figure would find it to be too easy manipting the other hidden sects into destroying them.


    An elder sneered, "Those city great figures look down on our hidden sects too much! Do they really think we''re scared of them?! What can they do to us on our home ground?!"


    Someone immediately countered with a sigh, "You might not fear them, but if they coerce the other officials against hiring our sect members, we will lose out on a lot of resources and ether fragments."


    That elder was lost for words.


    "There''s also this other question everyone seemed to overlook," an aged elder in the corner spoke up, his heavy eyelids twitching a bit.


    "What would that be?"


    The other elders looked at this old man in confusion.


    "It''s clear that our hidden sect isn''t responsible for supporting that rising official, and I''m confident that the other hidden sects won''t make this foolish mistake of supporting a new official to disturb the delicate rtionship between the hidden sects and the secr factions¡­"


    Everyone came to a sudden enlightenment.


    If even the great figures in the city couldn''t see through this mysterious official, wouldn''t that mean¡­


    The elders suddenly felt hot and suffocated, as though caught in someone''s scheme to be used.


    "That great figure wants to use our power to probe the background of that official. Clearly, we can''t simply be used, but we can''t ignore this predicament either¡­" The old man coughed lightly and continued.

 Chapter 187 Beastlike Mindsets

    The meeting hall was quiet for about a few seconds. Then, one of the three men in the dark corner stepped up and spoke with a hoarse voice, "How about we coborate temporarily on this matter?"


    When this man broke the silence, an elder to the side also piped up, "Coborating? How are we supposed to do that?" That same elder stood up and flung his sleeves with a snort, "You want us to coborate with the Jin Dynasty under the nose of the Luan Dynasty? Do you think we''re tired of living or something?"


    "Haha," a burst of boisterousughter echoed from above the hall. Still, it also seemed like the sound was next to their ears, and the feeling was shared among everyone, "The insects from the Interster Supreme Court actually stretched their ws into the Luan Dynasty, you are truly bold¡­"


    ¡­


    Just a few seconds ago, the three High Divinities with Junior Brother finished cracking a tunnel in the natural formation with the help of Junior Brother''s pure ether.


    The moment the formation cracked, Junior Brother shot into the mountain range like a sharp sword, sting the outer sect members at the entrance into minced meat before they could even react.


    The three High Divinities each exploded with their powerful sword intent domains the moment they stepped into the sect''s protective formation, with Zaylee and the Maiden following behind.


    The former rushed with the High Divinities while Maiden 001 stayed behind with Leonardo who was calmly walking into the sect through the bloodied gates.


    He also heard Junior Brother''sughter andments, and the explosions of powerful auras thereafter. The sect immediately descended into pandemonium, everyone was screaming and running around in haste to activate the various formations.


    ? However, they realized that a few formation-crippling talismans merged into the formations, disturbing the flow of energy and preventing them from activating the offensive capabilities.


    When they realized this, darkness and sharp sword energy had already epassed the outer sect, tens of mountains, and the pavilions stationed within exploding with a ferocious martial intent as mortal, saint, and divine cultivators swarmed Leonardo andpany like a sea of ants.


    Seeing all these people, Leonardo realized that using a bow and arrow in this chaotic battle would be akin to seeking death, let alone the fact that he doesn''t have any weapons.


    His bloodthirsty armament was currently crippled, his sword was confiscated by the Interster Supreme Court, and his archery technique wasn''t practical to use at this moment.


    Helpless, he could only take a step while shrouded in the concealment essence of nihility, disappearing the moment their group was drowned in the sea of people.


    Leonardo''s sudden disappearance shocked Maiden 001 greatly, let alone the outer sect members of the Beast w sect. However, they couldn''t care less about it as the murderous maid revered her grip on the bow, ck mist exploding from her body in thick torrents as heads began to fly into the sky.


    Leonardo skillfully made his way through the chaos and blood to the skirt of an ordinary mountain.


    There were hundreds of simr mountains, nothing special about it. The moment Leonardo appeared at the foot of this mountain, a startled cry rang out.


    "What are you doing here?!"


    Leonardo turned his head, a female cultivator just descended the spiral stairway leading up the mountain, her saint aura a bit unstable. Clearly, she just achieved sainthood on the mountain peak.


    "Did youprehend the ferocious martial intent up there?" Leonardo looked past the female cultivator and into the distant stairway. His eyes lit up.


    He didn''t care about the ferocious martial intent as he didn''t believe it was that powerful, what he cared more about was the martial technique heritage.


    It was a martial technique that didn''t require any weapons whatsoever, something very suitable for the current battle situation.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The female cultivator who was startled suddenly came back to her senses, a ferocious light that didn''t fear death, as though instinctual aggression that would rather break than bend filled her heart.


    She didn''t answer Leonardo. Instead, she rushed at him directly whileshing out with her hand as though to tear open the space in front of her.


    A massive w of worldly energy formed above Leonardo the moment her domain enveloped him. That w seemed to materialize by sucking in the worldly energy within her domain, only to smash down on Leonardo''s proportionally smaller body.


    Leonardo barely spared the massive w a nce before everything seemed to pause.


    The female cultivator, her domain, the w, even energy, and sound seemed to pause for the moment.


    Her expression was as ferocious and fearless as before while Leonardo ignored the w above his head and walked towards her. Of course, she was confined within Leonardo''s domain, unable to move.


    Within a few steps, Leonardo unhurriedly reached for the woman and grabbed her head. It almost seemed like he was patting a girl for doing a good job. Only, this wasn''t a pat on the head as Leonardo''s fingers mped down on her cranium and pulled.


    Blood sshed out as everything returned to normal. In fact, the only difference was that the female cultivator''s head was plucked off by Leonardo, causing her body to wobble left and right before falling on the ground.


    Leonardo looked into the dead yet ferocious eyes of this female cultivator with a frown.


    They almost don''t look human at all after her marital intent erupted, they looked more like a beast than humans as they tossed away all notions of rationality. This intent, no matter how one looked at it, wasn''t something the human mind could tolerate.


    A pulse of destion rippled from Leonardo''s palm and the head turned into rotten flesh that crumbled away like dust.


    "The mental pressure from these w marks can actually fracture one''s mind to this extent?" Leonardo looked up at the mountainside riddled with deep gashes with a bit of interest.


    His body leaned forward and rushed onto the stairway without hesitation as he wasn''t bothered one bit by the mental pressure of the remnant martial intent in the outer regions of the sect.


    The mountain range stretches for hundreds of kilometers and that was only the outer regions of the sect, let alone the inner and core regions. Although the fighting there must be intense and disciples must be rushing their way here, Leonardo knew that approaching that battlefield was nothing short of a death wish.


    The outer sect members are mortals and newly ascended saints, they were nothing more than chicken to be ughtered for the three High Divinities, Zaylee, and Maiden 001.


    Thus, Leonardo decided to rush to the mountain peak andprehend the basic w technique while he still had the time.


    No matter how many saints and mortals crowd the outer regions, it is a simple matter of exploding his destion domain in full capacity and all of them would be killed in mere moments. Thus, he was in no rush to join the fight before finding a reliable martial technique.


    With that in mind, Leonardo would bait everyte disciple he met on his way to the peak into attacking him first to study their technique and martial intent, but what disappointed him was that they were all the same.


    Fearless to the point of insanity.


    It couldn''t even be described as bravery anymore, they were foolishly throwing their lives away.

 Chapter 188 Ancient Battlefield

    Torn flesh and hot blood drenched Maiden 001 as she shuttled through the crowd. Then, this blood would draw over to Zaylee and spread like a hail of bullets, sting through the countless disciples in bulk.


    Although it was a race against time, no one from the three High Divinities wanted to spend their energy on massive area attacks as they were waiting on the High Divinity elders.


    In a situation where the sect was under attack, these elders would put priority on protecting the treasury, libraries, and core disciples.


    Thus, no one was stupid enough to think destroying a sect was such an easy matter. In fact, everyone knew that the survival or destruction of the sect rested on the shoulders of the eight protectors and sect master.


    Let alone the fact that the rebirth cultivators are fighting hundreds of kilometers away, and above the clouds nheless. Therefore, while the disciples were practically throwing their lives away fighting like crazed animals, Memento Mori and Zaylee kept their killing efficiency at a moderate pace.


    At least, that''s what the three separate battlefields believed as Zaylee and them had yet to release their domains. After all, the domains of a few pitiful saints were useless against divinities.


    As for Leonardo, he was already standing in front of a tall mountainside with a deep w mark that stretched a few elongated meters.


    There were four gashes in total, unlike the three gashes in the ancient history of the main mountain peak. However, this mark did indeed exude the faint pressure of an ancient will that transcended space-time, lingering deep into the mountain.


    Any saint that has reached their second cultivation cycle can easily withstand this pressure. However, someone without a domain could easily be overwhelmed, which exins why those disciples looked crazy. Moreover, Leonardo could also feel a tangible presence that pressed down on his body.


    Although this pressure could be blocked with the use of a domain, Leonardo allowed it to weigh down on himself without resistance.


    "Mhm? This is actually useful to temper the body and mind¡­" Leonardo muttered in surprise. If this pressure didn''t break someone''s mind, it would greatly benefit them.


    However, if that were the case, why would these people simply go crazy instead of tempering their minds? Could it be that there''s something wrong with the martial intent?


    Leonardo closed his eyes as that was the only exnation he could think of. However, he wasn''t here toprehend that martial intent, he was here toprehend the technique.


    As for why the disciples didn''t use this pressure to temper the mind and body, Leonardo didn''t care. If he wanted to temper his mind and body, he would rather go to the seventy-two marks at the base of the main mountain, the thirty-six marks at the waist, or the three marks at the peak.


    Of course, going there as a High Saint is nothing short of seeking death. Thus, Leonardo decided that he might as well pass by the sect in the future once he achieved High Divinity instead.


    The moment he closed his eyes and extended his innate domain, the scene of a huge, blue wolf slumbering on a stone teau appeared in his mind.


    This wolf then opened his eyes slowly, a hint of tranquil indifference shing within. Then, as though it could see Leonardo looking directly into its eyes, the massive wolf''s body twitched.


    Leonardo felt as though the wolf extended a w to the sky and smashed down, but the movement was too fast for him to see clearly. However, four condensed des of vtile wind whirled through the air and rushed at him.


    The moment they reached him, his eyes snapped open.


    Sweat drenched his clothes.


    Without realizing it, a torrent of barely noticeable wind des surrounded his body. Although his clothes weren''t torn, he could feel his skin split apart under the sharp winds even though his long coat seemed absolutely fine.


    "I don''t have a wind-rted martial intent though¡­" Leonardo breathed in and muttered, shaking his head.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Magical beasts and humans are different. The technique doesn''t necessarily require wind, regr worldly energy would do fine as a substitute. However, the power of the technique would be much greater with a suitable attribute like wind due to thepression, sharpness, and speed.


    If this was practiced by fire, water, smoke, blood, or anything that doesn''t conform to the ability, speed, sharpness, and versatility of wind¡­ The overall performance of the technique would drop.


    However, these attributes can be melded into the natural worldly energy, it simply requires time, study, and practice. Sadly, the ferocious martial intent wouldn''t allow most disciples to sit around and rationalize, it is quite the feat to replicate the technique with worldly energy, to begin with.


    Taking a deep breath, Leonardo closed his eyes again and reached out with his right hand, immediately shrinking his domain into a massive paw of worldly energy.


    This domain didn''t have any of his martial intents, just a simple domain controlled by his spiritual energy. This paw then began to morph into a symmetrical w print to that on the mountainside before pressing down to fill the deep gashes.


    ¡­


    Boom!


    An explosion went inside Leonardo''s head as his sea of consciousness buzzed with another scene.


    This scene was of the same massive wolf, but the tranquility in its eyes was long reced by a ferocious killing intent.


    Another scene showed the wolf fighting with a massive viper that coiled around the mountain.


    Another scene shed, showing the wolf as it tore into the neck of this viper and ripped it off with a spray of green blood that washed down the mountain and onto the body of a much smaller wolf.


    Then, this wolf raised its paw and smashed down with an unprecedented ferocity that sted the viper into a mist of blood, the remnant force carving deep gashes into the mountain beneath.


    The scene ended.


    ¡­


    "So that''s it¡­" Leonardo muttered to himself.


    He now believed that this mountain range wasn''t the ruins of an ancient sect but an ancient battlefield, and the only reason he could glimpse that history was because of his innate martial intent that could peer into the karma.


    Since these creatures had long since died, their karma wouldn''t inflict much damage on Leonardo''s mind, a few scenes would be just fine.


    He even had this thought that these marks on the outer regions of the mountain range weren''t left behind intentionally but inadvertently due to the fighting, and the ferocious martial intent is nothing but an ill heart demon, a trail for the heart that festers and draws the irrational evil.


    That wolf would usually use wind, but it was so furious that it actually condensed its ferocity into a killing blow instead.


    Although Leonardo learned the basics of the technique, he wasn''t happy one bit. If anything, he felt sympathetic and a little sad for that mother wolf, especially after bing a father himself¡­

 Chapter 189 Rushing To The Inner Sect

    While Leonardo sat in a lotus style in front of the deep w mark toprehend the technique, thousands of bodies had long gone cold in the outer sect region.


    Zaylee quickly retreated next to Maiden 001 and whispered, "The divinities have arrived, where is Yunhei?"


    Just as she said this, tens of stacked domains pressed down on the chaotic battlefield. The ferocious intent in these domains immediately crippled the remaining outer sect disciples into vegetative states, causing them to drop like withering weeds on the ground.


    Clearly, the important disciples have been evacuated to a secure location while the rest were nothing but disposable goods.


    "You really are bold. Just three High Divinities and a rebirth cultivator yet you want to destroy my Beast w sect?"


    "Oh? They brought a vampiress together with them too."


    "I want to see what''s so great about the infamous Memento Mori gang today, just a few rats who crawled from the shambles of a dynasty."


    Apanying the elders were three men in ck who didn''t speak, but their dense energy was conveyed through the domains as well. Out of everyone present, they were the only High Divinities as the remaining High Divinity elders were encircling Junior Brother together with the sect protectors.


    Although they didn''t speak, they looked down on these ignorant elders who talk big for a mere hidden sect. It might seem that the three men came to help the elders, but in fact, they merely wanted an excuse to distance themselves from the Memento Mori rebirth cultivator.


    Xiu!


    Splurge!


    That same elder barelypleted his sentence before a pitch-ck arrow wedged deep into his forehead, sting through his domain and protective membrane as though they were an illusion.


    "Braindead filth," Maiden 001 spoke coldly, her bowstring yet to stop vibrating. She still couldn''t believe that such fools who looked down on Memento Mori still existed.


    Clearly, that fool has yet to open his eyes and see the world.


    "You-¡­"


    Splurge!


    Another elder was about to rage. However, four sharp ws of condensed worldly energy struck him from behind, slicing off both his arms and splitting the remnants of his body into three disproportional segments that hurriedly fell from the sky.


    "Too noisy."


    This w came silently and without a warning, not even the High Divinities were able to sense it until it was toote.


    Everyone instinctively turned in the same direction and a young man in a long ck coat and a face mask appeared in their line of sight.


    That was the source of the voice.


    He was seated in a lotus position in front of a deep w mark, obviously trying toprehend something.


    Zaylee andpany were stunned to see Leonardo ignoring the fight just to study the heritage of a sect on the brink of annihtion.


    Even Leonardo was a bit surprised by how simple yet fatal this technique was. The application couldn''t be simpler, it onlyes at the cost of crippling the user''s domain for a brief moment to condense the necessary energy.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Infusing a suitable martial intent would help greatly but it wasn''t a critical factor. Leonardo fused both concealment and death essence into his attack just then, hence why it struck home without anyone being the wiser.


    However, everyone around here was someone who had a fair share of battle experience. Thus, after a moment of being stunned, three elders split from the main group and rushed at Leonardo.


    All three of them were divinities, while the only three high divinities rushed to engage the three sword cultivators that arrived together with Junior Brother.


    Zaylee stayed in her position while Maiden 001 quickly retreated a few hundred meters.


    One of them had mid-range to a close-range capability while the other preferred long-range fighting.


    Leonardo didn''t feel like bringing the fight to the mark left behind by the wolf and thus he jumped off the mountainside. Since he wasn''t trying to be secretive anymore, he didn''t need to worry about disturbing the flow of energy through levitation.


    He quickly glided to the base of the mountain.


    When he felt the stacked domains of three divinities pressing down on him, Leonardo immediately pushed back with his deste domain. As long as they couldn''t lock down on him with their domain, the uracy of the beast w technique would drop by more than half.


    It sounded as though tangible disks ground against each other and Leonardo''s domain almost immediately cracked open. Although his intent was of a higherw, regardless of how much he understood thesews, it wasn''t that effective against a domain in sync with thews.


    "Hm? You can actually struggle against us three?" One of the divinities spoke with a sliver of surprise.


    Shameless! Leonardo cursed inwardly, not having expected three divinities to join up against a saint. Nheless, that moment of the sh was all he needed as when the four domains cracked ever so slightly, he disappeared with the use of nihility.


    The moment he disappeared, Leonardo quickly moved to the edge of his domain before retracting it and proceeded to rush further into the depths of the sect.


    "Little rat!"


    The three divinities were enraged as they began to w aimlessly without a few hundred meters radius of Leonardo''s previous position.


    Explosions rocked thend as it began to crack. However, the three of thembined couldn''t find Leonardo no matter what they did.


    "Don''t bother with that ant! Come here and help!"


    A high divinity shouted in irritation.


    A massive sword projection hacked down but this high divinity smashed it away with a w. However, the shattered sword fragments morphed into countless smaller swords that rushed at this high divinity from all directions.


    He couldn''t help but shrink his domain and condense it around his body, blocking these miniature swords. This was merely a probing blow for both parties, and the next stage would be when they got a little serious about started using their weapons and martial techniques toplement their domains and martial intent.


    The three divinities grit their teeth and rushed back to help, blocking Maiden 001 and Zaylee from quickly finishing up their fights to go look for Leonardo.


    Leonardo knew that the ipatibility between his domain and thews in the Core Maind had to do with theck of ether in his worldly energy. If all of it was converted into pure ether, things might have been a bit different.


    With his current domain, a few moments of struggling was the best result he could hope for against a divinity, much less if he wanted to join the battlefield of high divinities.


    He quickly scaled the distance from the outer sect area to the inner sect area in a matter of minutes while rushing at full speed. He wanted to find the resources or opportunity to achieve divinity as quickly as possible lest he encountered a bored divinity.

 Chapter 190 Domineering Junior Brother

    In the depths of the sect, Junior Brother was standing on his flying sword while surrounded from eight directions by eight rebirth realm cultivators.


    Furthermore, each of the protectors was surrounded by eight elders in their respective eight directions.


    Junior Brother could tell that he was currently locked in some sort of an eight-trigram formation, but he wasn''t worried as the formation didn''t have any coherent elements in cirction.


    Such formations are formidable when supplemented by two, four, or eight elements. However, the ferocious martial intent is attributeless, and it doesn''t even have any subcategory martial intents that could call upon the powers of the elements.


    Such a martial intent won''t take someone very far on the path of cultivation as the realms after rebirth require a deep understanding of worldws and the elements entwined within to create a life star.


    "You all know that this is futile, right?" Junior Brother spoke slowly while raising his right hand.


    He didn''t even expand his domain but his hand seemed to bend and distort light as it weaved around it, slowly fusing with the dense ether from Junior Brother''s hand into a massive sword brimming with an exuberant and destructive force that seemed to draw in all the chaotic elements within hundreds of kilometers.


    "Are your preparations done?" Junior Brother asked faintly, having given them enough time to establish their formation and gather up their energy. In his opinion, if he didn''t give them any chance of fighting back, everyone would think that Memento Mori was so easily bullied.


    "Why is Memento Mori attacking us? The hidden sects are neutral powers who don''t offend anyone!" After the formation was constructed, a rebirth realm protector stood out to speak.


    "Neutral? Don''t make meugh! What about those Jin Dynasty insects that escaped? If we don''t wipe your sect off this maind to show our stance, who will give my Memento Mori face? The Jin Dynasty thought they could act against us in the shadows once, now everyone thinks we''re blind." Junior Brother shook his head while clicking his tongue.


    Junior Brother''s clothes began to flutter haphazardly in the wake of the sword''s power. To him, eight or eighty rebirth cultivators of the level of a hidden sect didn''t matter much. Of course, there were some things he didn''t exin to Leonardo about the difference in martial intentws.


    For example, the powerful beings in the great sects don''t bother with the path of these hidden sects as the path of a subsidiary martial intent was a severed one. The core molding stage of the rebirth realm differs from one cultivator to the next depending on the foundation of their martial intent.


    The ferocious martial intent is more of a state of mind than aprehensivew.


    Since it wasn''t aprehensivew, itcks the attributes to interact with otherws.


    Since it can''t interact with otherws from an equal standpoint, it can only be controlled byws and not vice versa.


    If one can''tmand thews and fuse them into their star core, the molding process won''t bepleted, severing their path to the next stage, the singrity.


    As long as they couldn''tmand thews topress their star cores into a point of singrity, they can''t proceed to the third stage which is the realm of inception. From nothing, from the interactions of thesews and the chaotic elements therein, one can birth order and flourish a genuine star core.


    Self-sustaining and self-sufficient.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Once this star core is perfected, one can be a star lord.


    Junior Brother''s cultivation at this moment is a star lord.


    His path of the sword is a sword thatmands thew and bends both chaos and order to its will. He can control any subsidiaryw to his heart''s desire. In a sense, the domain of a star lord is akin to an independent space just like the immortal kingdoms of the so-called immortals in the ster worlds.


    However, while those kingdoms need the presence of a stable ster world to survive, a star lord''s domain doesn''t need any of that.


    Of course, the people from the hidden sects foolishly pursue this severed path with some lukewarm aspirations to prove the world wrong. They believe themselves infallible, they believe themselves to be a threat, and they believe that their retaliation would be enough to make a great sect or a great organization like Memento Mori bleed if they went all out.


    Little did they know that if their existence could truly grow into a threat one day, the great sects would have long since erased them from the maind. Perhaps, only Leonardo truly believed that the martial intent left behind by the ancient battle was powerful, but not everyone had the ability to pry into the strings of karma and witness those mountain-shaking battles that forever since changed the terrain of thesends.


    The protectors red at the group of elders upon hearing these words.


    "What does he mean by that?!" A protector yelled out, his expression looking dark. The protectors usually keep in seclusion and only leave when the sect is encountering a crisis, For example, today.


    They didn''t think that the reason this sect was caught in this cmity was a simple crossfire between Memento Mori and the Jin Dynasty.


    The protectors weren''t stupid. Since Memento Mori dered war on the Jin Dynasty, it proves that they pulled out their forces from the Jin Dynasty and instead concentrated their troops in the Dong Dynasty and the Luan Dynasty.


    Although the Jin Dynasty can''t act out in open hostility in thends of the other two dynasties, they could entice the local forces into acting up against Memento Mori from the shadows. As for the Dong Dynasty and Luan Dynasty, they would obviously take a neutral stance and watch the tigers fight it out on the mountain.


    Since not even the two great dynasties dared to intervene in this mess, what would a measly hidden sect hope to aplish by fishing for benefits in these murky waters?


    The elders lowered their heads as they didn''t expect the people from Memento Mori to catch their sect red-handed. Indeed, the hidden sects began to look down on Memento Mori too much since the brotherhood remained silent for far too long.


    "Don''t worry too much, your Beast w sect won''t be the only example." Junior Brother spoke coldly, a sneer in his tone.


    Since he waspressing his domain around his body, they couldn''t possibly feel the terrifying energy fluctuations revolving around his sword. If they did, they wouldn''t even bother putting up an ounce of resistance.


    He wanted them to taste true despair to realize the depths of their foolishness. Hence, he waited patiently for them to act first, then he would strike back like a sh of thunder¡­

 Chapter 191 Underground Tunnels

    "What the¡­?"


    As Leonardo dashed toward the inner regions of the sect, he felt the air pressure increase and his eyes followed the wind flow. In the distance, a sword that stretched 10km into the sky appeared in his line of sight, stunning the young man.


    He could tell that this was Junior Brother making a move, but he didn''t know that the kid was so ridiculously overpowered. First that arrow technique and now this sword strike.


    p¨¤§ád¨¢-¨¾?¦Í¨º¦É.§ã¨®§® Just from looking at the sword, Leonardo could sense the densely packedws, it was akin to looking at a star in the sky, so close yet so far.


    Then he saw eight massive ws descending from eight different mountains to smash into the sword.


    Everything looked so slow but Leonardo knew that this was a misconception, an afterimage, an optical illusion. Then, a dense dome of blinding light expanded outwards from the epicenter of the sh, quickly approaching the stunned Leonardo.


    It was so fast that It left Leonardo with no chance of turning around and running away, turning his expression pale with fright. In the past, he wouldn''t be so reluctant to die as he had a false impression that his mother Maria was also going to die. Thus, it could be said that the Leonardo from the past who had that lifeless look in his eyes was someone who already gave up living.


    Now things were different.


    Technically, now he has a wife and a daughter.


    His mother isn''t going to die anytime soon, not to mention his disciple and adopted children.


    Almost instinctively, a domain of destructive ck lightning roiled around Leonardo before itpressed into a fist-sized sphere. Leonardo depleted all of his worldly energy into this condensed ball of ck lightning without a second thought then smashed it below his feet.


    BOOM!


    Cracks webbed along the dusty ground as shattered rocks tossed about everywhere.


    The ground copsed like a gaping maw as Leonardo fell into the ditch, the dome of absolute destruction sweeping past his location barely a momentter.


    The ground all around Leonardo almostpressed under the pressure as the copse escted, bs of stone smashing into his back.


    Pfft!


    Leonardo spat blood and inhaled sharply, feeling his bones cracking. The underground structure of the sect seemed hollowed out in some locations, the residual force of the previous sh propelling Leonardo all the way into the depths.


    Dense pure ether could be felt through these hollow channels, barely enough to keep Leonardo with a sliver of consciousness as he tossed some medicinal pills in his mouth.


    With a muffled thud, Leonardo finallynded on hard ground, panting heavily as a puddle of blood seeped through his ck clothes. He knew that it must have been the force of that sh to utterly destroy the underground tunnels and his attack was merely a bit of a helping hand.


    "What kind of power is that?" Leonardo climbed up to his feet in a bit of a daze. The more he saw, the less confident he was with his own techniques.


    He naively thought himself to be unrivaled and almost got himself killed on multiple asions. He shivered a bit, shaking his head and following down the path of the pure ether.


    Junior Brother mentioned something about cleansing ponds with dense ether energy, he had a feeling that these things must be underground. As he was walking, Leonardo felt yet another tremor in the underground tunnels, cracks umting on the walls as the ground beneath Leonardo''s feet began to shake uncontrobly, causing him to wobble about on his way forward.


    "Now what?!" Leonardo almost cursed, oblivious to the fact that this was the finishing blow that sealed the fate of an entire sect.


    Still, even if he knew, he wouldn''t care.


    That''s because a flood of pure ether rushed through the tunnels after the explosion. If no one knew better, they would think that Junior Brother was deliberately helping Leonardo find a path to the cleansing ponds.


    It was only natural for these ponds to be in the inner regions of the sect because a divinity with cleansed worldly energy would have a better sub-dimension with a sturdy structure founded by ether.


    As for cultivation resources after achieving divinity, raw ether fragments and pure ether fragments would do just fine.


    Almost fifteen minutester, Leonardo arrived at a crystalline pond of clear and transparent liquid. At the bottom of the pond, a surface area of glistening deep blue raw ether fragments were imbedded into the floor like an assortment of stars.


    Since each raw ether fragment was the size of a fingernail, Leonardo estimated that tens of thousands of fragments should be iid beneath the water surface, and these fragments channel the energy from the ether veins beneath the mountain range to continually cleanse the pond.


    Without even thinking about it, Leonardo dropped head-first into the water with a ssh that sent water and blood sttering everywhere.


    A cool sensation tickled Leonardo''s skin as he began to circte his energy based on the nameless technique passed down by the silhouette he met on Arcadia.


    His pores opened up, and he almost groaned out in pleasure from the sensation as the pure energy rushed into his body indiscriminately. Of course, the majority of this energy rushed into Rosaline''s embryo, quickly replenishing and rejuvenating her essence.


    This was a familiar sensation to when he consumed the ether rejuvenation pill, making Leonardo wonder about the tier of that pill.


    Very quickly though, he tossed these thoughts to the back of his head as he curled up in the bottom of the pond, dense ether washing his pores, flesh, meridians, blood, bones, and cells clean.


    Three whirlpools appeared within the nebs of Leonardo''s deste martial intent, thunderforce martial intent, and bloodthirsty martial intent, with the final whirlpool hosting Rosaline''s embryo at its center.


    These whirlpools sucked Leonardo''s body dry from whatever worldly energy he had left after exhausting it with the lightning orb, stranding him like an empty shell without a pulse of energy. Then, dense ether that had been cleansed through the formation rushed into Leonardo''s body and into these whirlpools, most of it nourishing Rosaline whilst the remnants were circted back to Leonardo''s cells.


    As prior mentioned during Leonardo''s cultivation session in the Sky Mountains Domain, when all of his cells collectively absorb enough energy to break past their natural capacity and reform anew, his cultivation would progress a level further.


    After the mutation, it could be said that the multiple nebs in his cells would draw in energy and then explode, causing the cells to explode in a chain reaction.


    Muffled explosions echoed throughout Leonardo''s body until he finally advanced to level 69¡­


    An unknown amount of timeter, these explosions sounded once more as he advanced to level 70¡­


    His cells were now at the peak of their capacity, and the next step was to connect all of his cells and spiritual energy to connect with a spatial node between the corporeal and ethereal dimensions, refining a sub-dimension of his own.

 Chapter 192 Achiving Divinity

    It was unknown how much time has passing but the raw ether fragments had all but dried up and cracked while the water in the pond grew murky and viscous.


    The wounds on Leonardo''s body healed up at this moment, and his cells were filled to the brim with energy as though about to burst out at any moment.


    His spiritual force began to diffuse from his sea of consciousness and chain up to the millions of cells in a systematic multicoloredwork of red, white, and two different shades of ck.


    Inside his sea of consciousness, Rosaline''s embryo had long since detached from the bloodthirsty neb and left the soul pearl, currently digesting the huge amount of pure ether nourishing her soul that began to show signs of awakening.


    At this moment Rosaline only needed massive volumes of blood essence to construct a solid enough body to undergo the rebirth tribtion.


    As more of his spiritual energy began to leave his sea of consciousness, Leonardo began to feel and observe the energies within these cells from a closer perspective. It was this energy that would be used as a propelling force tounch his consciousness through the dimensions to locate a suitable spatial node for his sub-dimension.


    Depending on the energy someone had in their body, they could determine the range their consonant would travel to search for a better node.


    Choosing a sub-dimension is a very critical process as this sub-dimension will soon be evolving into a star core for the cultivator. Therger and sturdier it was, the better.


    Of course, refining a sub-dimension will require a lot of energy. Hence, those with divine constitutions although capable of refining a sub-dimension, it would be of the lowest grade, capacity, and growth potential.


    If there was one thing Leonardo considered good about the ridiculous amount of resources his cultivation required, it would be the apanying benefits such as this one time when ites to finding a spatial node for the sub-dimension.


    He didn''t know how many thousands of ether fragments he had wasted just to two levels from 68 to 70, which was absurd in and of itself.


    Nheless, this energy would be exhausted to propel his consciousness into the border dimensions between the ethereal and corporeal. Hence, the more there was to exhaust, the better.


    As he began to crazily circte and burn his worldly energy, Leonardo could feel his body heating up gradually as the cells within spun at absurd speeds, the energy diffused from within umting into the spiritual energy that stretched to every corner of his body.


    Although it was impossible for Leonardo to tear space, it wasn''t impossible to use the connection between the spirit and energy as a medium tounch his consciousness through as long as he found the connecting link.


    Thus, almost in no time at all, Leonardo found a weak enough link to concentrate his consciousness like a needle and with a muffled bang and a buzz in his head, the scenes around Leonardo grew hazy.


    As his consciousness drifted into a dark space filled with thousands of twinkling light dots, he swept his spiritual sense over them and realized these were spatial nodes; gateways to sealed-off sub-dimensions.


    Finding these sub-dimensions wasn''t a particrly hard thing.


    Many powerful organizations and people like to use sub-dimensions as their private seclusion space, a prison, and private or public halls, but these sub-dimensions didn''t have any growth potential as they didn''t have anyws to speak of.


    No life or death.


    No yin and yang.


    No five primary or eight secondary elements.


    Leonardo wanted to find a closed sub-dimension as close as it could get to thews of the real world. At the very least, it needed to have the basic life and death. As for the elements, he would slowly find suitable treasures to refine into the sub-dimension.


    Natural treasures of the five elements were rare, but they weren''t impossible to find.


    Any fifth-tier or sixth-tier could be refined as a foundation for the sub-dimension. Still, as always, Leonardo felt like if he had to do something, he might as well go big.


    Therefore, he began to sweep with his spiritual sense while running his innate martial intent to find a sub-dimension mostpatible with himself while alsopatible with thews of life and death, yin and yang, and the various elements.


    He had at least three primaryws with him, he wouldn''t worry about refining some sub-dimension with elementalws and life and death affinity.


    Leonardo''s intuition quickly guided him higher and higher, deeper and deeper, further and further away from the clusters of light dots.


    It could have been a minute but it could have been hours. In fact, it could have been days since Leonardo''s sense of time was distorted in this environment, and his focus was entirely fixated on following the intuition of the Eternal Night''s martial intent.


    Soon though, Leonardo began to feel like his energy was running out, and he wouldn''t have enough to exhaust in order to keep propelling his consciousness further into this weird space.


    If that happened, let alone refining a sub-dimension, he wouldn''t even have the energy necessary to mark the spatial node for future refinement.


    He had to either continue or give up and return to the closest spatial node and mark his spiritual imprint.


    He began to hesitate, and even though he wasn''t moving forward anymore, his energy was being spent nheless whether he decided to go forward or backward.


    It couldn''t be that far anyway, right? Moreover, I can''t guarantee that I''ll be able to make it back to a suitable sub-dimension if I start retreating now¡­


    Leonardo grits his teeth and decides to gamble with it.


    Done with the hesitation, he shot forward like a ray of light, his consciousness no different from a small needle as it burned more and more energy while rushing into this nk space of emptiness.


    ¡­


    "Mhm?" Junior Brother who was idly waiting outside the inner regions of the sect under the shade of a pavilion furrowed his brows, muttering something to himself.


    Then, he turned to the rest of the group and spoke, "Give me all of your raw ether fragments, and include everything we stashed away from the sect."


    The rest of the group was startled, did anything happen to Leonardo while advancing to divinity?


    Maiden 001 was the first to toss her storage ring over while Zaylee tossed her storage ring at almost the same time.


    Junior Brother gave Zaylee a deep look before nodding with approval. Then, he swept his hand and took the remaining three storage rings, and disappeared, not exining anything.


    Still, Maiden 001 and Zaylee were visibly anxious.


    ¡­


    Junior Brother arrived next to Leonardo who was in the center of a parched pond with cracks all over the ground, dust from ether fragments that had already crumbled away strewn all over the ce.


    Leonardo''s energy was on itsst lick of vitality and on the verge of disappearing, leaving Junior Brother speechless.


    With a wave of his hand, a small hill of raw ether fragments surrounded Leonardo. However, Junior Brother soon realized that Leonardo wasn''t even running his cultivation technique, how is he supposed to cultivate and replenish his energy?


    Just as he was contemting things, a sense of danger washed over his senses.


    Without a second of hesitation, Junior Brother gathered the raw ether fragments and dashed away.


    As he did so, he caught the group of people he left behind a moment ago.


    All they felt was a blur, and the next moment, they were over a 1000km away from the natural formation.


    Junior Brother was sweating cold while panting, feeling as though he had escaped certain death.

 Chapter 193 Karma Exposed

    Just as Leonardo was feeling desperate because he couldn''t replenish his energy anymore, his heart clenched as a resounding heartbeat echoed in his sea of consciousness.


    The sound of the heartbeat didn''t travel outside of his body, but it rushed along the connection between his spirit and energy, following the needle condensed from his sea of consciousness in the blink of an eye.


    This heartbeat quickly and in no time at all followed behind the strand of Leonardo''s consciousness, soul, and energy that was stagnant in the empty space.


    As shocked as he was by this development, a powerful propelling forceunched him at a speed iprehensible to his cognitive abilities.


    The only thing Leonardo was certain of was that the trajectory of his travel didn''t deviate from the direction of his intuition.


    Just as Leonardo was about to lose his consciousness from the ridiculous speed, he saw a sh of light.


    The moment he saw it, the sh of light was at the border of his vision. The moment his mind registered the information though, he was already rushing through this white light and into an unknown sub-dimension hended.


    It was a fragmented world with pieces ofnd floating everywhere.


    Not only that, but even though Leonardo could feel a trace of countlessws in the atmosphere, all of them were fragmented.


    It could be said that this was the mostplete yet most iplete sub-dimension to ever exist.


    If Leonardo wanted to refine this sub-dimension, he would first need toprehend the fragmentedws and fix them, then he could consider refining this sub-dimension.


    The moment he arrived at the core of the sub-dimension, Leonardo was absolutely stunned.


    In the designated loca for the core of the star, he found a massive, awfully familiar ck obelisk that towered for hundreds of kilometers.


    This was a fragment of the Infernal Throne!


    Before he could even snap out of his shock, the needle condensed from his consciousness, spirit, and energy rushed into the fragment and a stinging pain assaulted Leonardo''s mind.


    He didn''t even get a choice in the matter and his spiritual mark was engraved to the core of this fragmented sub-dimension, his vision quickly growing dark the very next moment.


    What Leonardo didn''t know was that although the Internal Throne concealed this sub-dimension very well, his actions on this day rippled through the other nes with a throne, most importantly the nes that had their karma inexplicably entwined with the Infernal Throne.


    For example, the Celestial Throne and the God Throne.


    Luckily, with the concealment of the Infernal Throne, God yer, and the diluted karma across the differing timelines, it would take an inestimable amount of time to narrow down on Leonardo''s position.


    ¡­


    "Junior Brother, what''s wrong?"


    All of this happened within an instant, and by now, Maiden 001 snapped back to her senses and hurriedly asked Junior Brother anxiously.


    Junior Brother shook his head, "I don''t know, I just felt a sense of¡­"


    He wanted to say a sense of danger, but he couldn''t tell what it was exactly. Of course, he had no idea he was almost inflected with the karma of the king, and without a suitable inheritance, getting inflicted with this karma was no different from meeting certain death.


    He wanted to say a sense of danger, but that feeling quickly disappeared the moment he left the natural formation.


    After some serious deliberation, he told everyone to stay on guard as his body shed once more, entering the formation again. This time, however; there wasn''t a sense of danger anymore.


    Junior Brother quickly arrived at the location of the cleansing pond, finding Leonardo seated in a lotus position seemingly asleep, but his aura was incredibly weak and fluctuating.


    After some hesitation, Junior Brother tossed a hill of raw ether fragments again, but he was ready to dash away at any moment if he were to notice something was off.


    Whoosh!


    Luckily, this time, the energy from the raw ether fragments vibrated and began to rush into Leonardo''s body.


    Leonardo felt as though he was absurdly parched for nutrients. The moment he marked the sub-dimension, he knew that he no longer had to store energy in his cells, but the energy would instead be stored in the sub-dimension.


    Whatever that remained of his energy was used as a medium to transfer the millions of miniature nebs in his cells into one embodiment of a system in the depths of the throne fragment.


    At this moment, his cells were reverting back to ordinary cells, while the embryonic form of a star core began to take shape in the heart of the sub-dimension.


    Still, this thing needed energy, and massive quantities of energy at that. However, this was something that Leonardo desperatelycked at the moment.


    It was at this instance that Junior Brother arrived and tossed a hill of raw ether fragments, rejuvenating Leonardo''s hope. Almost instinctively, his cultivation method ran crazily.


    The moment Junior Brother realized that Leonardo was absorbing ether just fine, he waved his hand and crushed the raw ether fragments to bits, all of the energy rushing at Leonardo like a flood.


    It was akin to a whale inhaling water as Leonardo''s long silver hair began to crazily flutter in all directions, vitality quickly returning to his bleak-looking body.


    Junior Brother tossed more and more raw ether fragments, crushed them, and tossed in even more.


    Very quickly, his expression changed, looking very odd. All of this energy, yet Leonardo hadn''t stabilized his cultivation realm at level 71.


    Junior Brother''s expression began to sink as he watched the raw ether fragments turn to dust in the tens of thousands. This was the fortune of an entire sect for the love of gods!


    Leonardo''s attention was focused on his sub-dimension at this moment. As more energy rushed into the core of the sub-dimension, the three massive nebs and the massive ck sphere they revolved around, their respective force fields began to expand throughout the sub-dimension.


    The more energy they absorbed, the sturdier and further these force fields expanded. As they did, the fragmentedws were quickly subdued and tamed under their influence, no longer chaotically crashing while mutually destroying one another.


    Of course, subduing thews and fixing thews were twopletely separate matters. At most, subduing thews would allow Leonardo to carefully and patiently study them in the future, and only uponprehending thesews could heplete and fix them.


    "Mhm?" Leonardo felt something was off, so he quickly focused on the fragment from the throne.


    He scanned it over and over, quickly realizing what happened.


    The ck sphere that represented his innate martial intent seemed to be resonating with the fragment and slowly but surely refining it. Although the change was subtle, almost negligible, Leonardo could still feel it through his innate martial intent.


    Although he wanted to feel happy about it, he couldn''t really bring himself to feel happy when he remembered how massive this fragment was¡­


    Helpless, he could only continue to meditate and expand the various force fields until they enveloped the entire sub-dimension before concluding his cultivation.


    ¡­


    Leonardo''s fluctuating energy finally stabilized at level 71 and he opened his eyes, and although they were pitch-ck, a sliver of vitality and joy could be seen with.


    Leonardo quickly noticed Junior Brother who was staring speechlessly at him as though he were a freak.

 Chapter 194 Return

    Later that day, Junior Brother escorted Leonardo, Maiden 001, and Zaylee to the teleportation hall on the border of the provincial protective formation.


    Junior Brother gave Leonardo some constructive pointers in regards to cultivation as a divinity.


    Although this realm only had 20 levels, each of these levels was very crucial for the future construction of a star core.


    "I will be going to visit a few more hidden sects. In the meantime, don''t rush withpleting four-star missions as your rate of promotion is already rming fast, you''ll easily draw the displeasure of the higher ranking officials this way." Junior Brother reminded Leonardo in front of the teleportation hall.


    He added, "When ites to your sub-dimension, make sure you don''t reveal the position of the spatial node to anyone else. If they found it and destroyed the node, or worse,pletely destroyed the sub-dimension; you can say goodbye to your future cultivation path."


    "No worries, I wouldn''t be that careless," Leonardo assured Junior Brother with a faint smile. In fact, he knew more than anyone else how crucial it was to maintain the position of that particr sub-dimension a secret.


    Furthermore, he didn''t have time to bother with the promotions because after achieving divinity, he could sense an ethereal connection with Ingrid, but he was positive that this sensation was only on his part and she wouldn''t be able to sense him.


    He could also guess that the only reason he could sense her position was her presence in the same space as himself. In a sense, if either of them were to enter a sub-dimension, from such a vast distance, he wouldn''t be able to feel her position.


    Leonardo''s n was to visit the vampire n and help Rosaline achieve rebirth before roaming the Core Maind to find Ingrid and Nier.


    Thinking about that woman, aplicated light shed in Leonardo''s eyes as he sighed, inadvertently thinking about his mother, Aria, Leona, and Kieran.


    Just where would he find them now?


    "Are you okay?" Junior Brother''s voice sounded next to Leonardo''s ear, rming him awake.


    "Oh¡ª yeah¡­ I''m fine, just lost in thoughts."


    Leonardo awkwardly chuckled before patting Junior Brother''s shoulder as though he was genuinelymunicating with a younger child. "Make sure to keep safe, alright?"


    A vein on Junior Brother forehead''s throbbed, wanting to p Leonardo dead with one palm. However, he calmed himself down and stepped out, disappearing.


    As for Leonardo, he maintained that posture of patting someone''s shoulder even a moment after Junior Brother left. Clearly, his mind was still upied with something else entirely.


    "Ahem, master¡­" Maiden 001 spoke up with an unnatural expression.


    Zaylee to the side was struggling to keep in herughter.


    "Oh yeah," Leonardo quickly gathered his thoughts after a light cough. Then, he waved his hand and tossed out the Law Essence Fragment of the natural treasure to the Maiden. "You can refin this in your sub-dimension, it''s useless to me. This natural treasure refined countlessws, it should be enough to achieve rebirth in the future, but I can''t tell how far in the rebirth realm you will go."


    Maiden 001 was ecstatic, quickly forgetting the awkwardness from earlier.


    "Thank you master!" She quickly stored the treasure away.


    His attention soon shifted to Zaylee, "I will handle some matters in the Greenheart City, then we can pay your vampire n a visit. I think I can help, but I''ll have to ask for some raw ether fragments in exchange¡­ Preferably pure ether fragments."


    "As long as you can help, payment is no problem at all!" Zaylee quickly said, excitement bubbling in her eyes.


    She was positive that her vampire n didn''tck any raw or pure ether fragments that had been umted over the countless years of istion. If all Leonardo required in exchange for cleansing the blood essence pools was some ether fragments, she could most certainly convince the n lord.


    After getting his thoughts together, Leonardo entered the teleportation hall together with Maiden 001 and Zaylee.


    ¡­


    Greenheart City, 7th District, the Shi Manor.


    In the ground floor''s dining hall of the main building, Merlin and Elizabeth sat on a long dining table.


    The butler and Maiden 002 stood by the door, while the remaining maidens were nowhere to be seen, at least not in this room.


    The room was awfully silent with both women seated by the table though they weren''t eating. Actually, Elizabeth had her eyes closed while muttering a few iprehensible chants while Merlin yed around with the cutlery.


    Suddenly, themunication bracelet on Merlin''s hand shed, Leonardo''s voice echoing in her head a momentter.


    The bracelet on Maiden 002''s hand shed as well, a message from Maiden 001 sounding in her head as well.


    They both received word that Leonardo was waiting outside the main gate to the manor, thus they hurriedly stood up to go outside and wee him back.


    "Howe no one is outside?" Leonardo waited by the front gate to the manor, a little confused.


    If he remembered correctly, there should have been a staff of servants and the eleven maids left behind, not to mention Merlin and Elizabeth, yet there wasn''t a soul in sight.


    Maiden 002 was confused as well, furrowing her brows, "Something might have happened, we can only wait and see what happens¡­"


    As they spoke, the figure of Maiden 002 blurred into existence in front of their party, the heavy iron gates creaking open to allow Leonardo andpany entry.


    "What happened?"


    Leonardo inquired with a tilt of his head while making his way inside, feeling that something was off.


    "Shopkeeper!" Maiden 002 was about to respond, but Merlin''s voice called out from the distance.


    Leonardo looked over at the pair of hazel eyes andrge round sses on a young yet serious face. Her longb coat flung behind in the air as she rushed forward, hands tucked away in the pockets of her robes.


    Merlin arrived in front of Leonardo, poking at his chest with her finger whileining, "We ran out of research funds! Furthermore, no ons ising to buy from our shop anymore! Did you make trouble with anyone before leaving? It almost feels like we-¡­"


    "Okay okay!" Leonardo waved his hand to cut her off, kneading his forehead with the other hand while looking down the main street. From the distance, avish white carriage was quickly approaching.


    In no time at all, it parked in front of the Shi Manor.


    A butler in white servant uniform and a middle-aged man quickly descended from the carriage, though their movements didn''t seem hurried at all.


    This face was all too familiar to Leonardo as he was that boss Ray who attempted the hostile takeover to acquire the old man''s shop in the Runic Inscriptions Association building on Vast Sky Avenue.


    "Oh my, you''re even quicker than my house''s servants to greet me¡­ Aren''t you a bit too enthusiastic?" Leonardo raised an eyebrow as he looked at his boss Ray from head to toe.


    "Raymond is fine," the middle-aged man fished out a cigar from the pocket of his ck tuxedo, lit it up, and heaved in a heavy drag with his eyes narrowed.


    Leonardo stared nkly for a moment before cracki up in a chime ofughter, which seemed all too unnatural in the eyes of Zaylee and Maiden 001.


    He can alsough?


    The two stared in wonder.


    After achieving divinity, something about him seemed to change, and drastically at that.


    They didn''t know that while stagnant in the bleak space, Leonardo had the chance to think through on many things. These thoughts are the main drive behind the change in his mindset.

 Chapter 195 Madeline And Victoria

    Raymond ignored the sarcastic taunts and continued to say, "I am here to extend an invitation on behalf of my House Lordto congratte Shopkeeper Shi for his pending promotion to a four-star citizen, my House Lord is also very curious about your future ns."


    Raymond extended a white enclosure to Leonardo, though he didn''t bother to remove the cigar from his mouth even as he spoke.


    Leonardo looked down at the white envelope but didn''t receive it. Instead, it was the butler in ck who just arrived with Elizabeth who reached out to take the envelope and tuck it away in his vest.


    "I will make sure to deliver your invitation to my Lord given an opportune moment," the butler replied in an incipient tone.


    Leonardoughed again, praising this butler in his heart.


    Then, he reached out with his strong arm to circle around Maiden 001''s waist, snatching her away into his embrace while giving Raymond the side eye.


    "My future ns are to enjoy thepany of my dutiful maid. As for whatever follows¡­" Leonardo trailed off mid-sentence, seemingly lost in thoughts.


    Maiden 001''s body went stiff and rigid, but she quickly calmed down and without an ounce of resistance, leaned back into Leonardo''s strong arms. If not for her cascading hair, one would notice the shade of red spreading from her ears to her neck.


    Other than Elizabeth who could be considered a very conservative woman, blushing a deep red while looking away, no one else seemed overly bothered by the disy of affection.


    Raymond stared long and hard at his empty hand that used to hold the envelope. Then, he gave the butler a curious once over before chuckling.


    "My House Lord will probably wait for your arrival to his banquet anyway. If you made it then good, and if you didn''t¡­ Well, too bad."


    Raymond wasn''t going to stand here and get humiliated for the sake of some giggles. Thus, he made hisst remarks and climbed back into the carriage.


    The butler in white red at Leonardo''s butler, his expression menacing. Then, he climbed right after Raymond and told the coachman to get going.


    Leonardo seemed to not have paid attention to Raymond at all, his eyes closed while embracing Maiden 001 so tightly it almost felt like he wished to blend her body into his.


    Leonardo was actually using her body to vent a bit of his desires as her figure and personality quite resembled Pandora''s, they were both archers too.


    Well, Pandora no longer acted like an archer but more of a mid-range and close-range assassin. Regardless, it had been very long since Leonardo tasted the pleasure of the flesh, and he couldn''t find a better way to celebrate achieving divinity than this.


    "It''s about time you get a suitable name," Leonardo bent over and whispered to Maiden 001''s ear, his breath warm and heavy as he continued in a voice audible only to them two, "How about Madeline?"


    Maiden 001''s body shivered lightly, but she immediately consented with a soft whimper of approval. In fact, her mind was nk at this moment, not knowing how to respond.


    Elizabeth couldn''t hold it anymore and ran back into the manor, one could see steam rolling out from her head and ears.


    Merlin tapped her feet in impatience, apparently still waiting for a solution to the funding issue.


    Looking at her expression, Leonardo chuckled bitterly and said, "I know, I know¡­" He then tossed over a storage ring. "Just go exchange those for some currency, there should be about 3,000 raw ether fragments in there, enough to you about 300,000 credits."


    Merlin caught the storage ring and in her fervent excitement, she didn''t even report the issues that gued the shop for the past few months ever since Leonardo left, immediately heading outside to Vast Sky Avenue to exchange for currency.


    Leonardo then looked at the only one left, the close-quartersbat unitmander, Maiden 002.


    After a bit of thought, he said, "You should be Maiden 002, right?"


    Maiden 002 nodded and kneeled on one knee, her expression stern and awaitingmands.


    She must have assumed that Leonardo would take her the same way he took herrade.


    Leonardo shook his head and said, "Since I had Madeline apany me on my first trip, you can prepare yourself to follow me upon my following departure¡­ Hm, how about I give you a name as well? How does Victoria sound like?"


    The Maiden''s eyes practically glowed with glee at reviving a name, as though it was something very precious to her. She quickly suppressed her excitement and nodded her head heavily.


    A trace of disappointment appeared in Madeline''s eyes as she tugged on the sleeves of Leonardo''s long, white cloak.


    Leonardo understood her feelings but he would rather leave behind someone with the potential to achieve rebirth to anchor the manor. If he took the strongest person with him and couldn''t make it back in a short period of time, it would endanger Merlin and Elizabeth, not to mention he was still searching for a medicine to prolong Merlin''s life.


    If he found something and returned to find she was gone, he might erase the entire Greenheart City from the Lush Skirt ins Province.


    "You should take Zaylee¡ª oh yeah, this is Zaylee, you can already tell that she''s a vampire. She will fill you in on the details pertaining to our future ns."


    Leonardo gestured with his chin toward Zaylee who was waiting patiently to the side. Then, he picked up Madeline, stepping out and fading from his spot with the erratic footwork of his movement technique in conjunction with nihilism.


    "Master achieved divinity?!"


    Victoria gasped, having been sure that Leonardo was but a high saint when hest left Greenheart City.


    ¡­


    Madeline felt dizzy as the sky and earth spun in her vision. The next moment, she felt her body light as a feather, floating yet falling at the same time, the bewildering misconceptioning to a finale as shended on a massive fluffy bed.


    Waves of red curtains swayed and covered the bed like a towering canopy. Just as she was confused, a tingling sensation as though thousands of tiny electric worms crawled all over her skin assaulted her body.


    ck lightning crackled as her ck maid clothes were shredded into oblivion, leaving her gasping in shock in the wake of this bizarre way of stripping down.


    Before she even collected her breath, a warm body towered her delicate figure, pressing her down into the messy bed sheets as a pair of masculine lips silenced her charging whimpers.


    She instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around a frame of sturdy shoulders, feeling her pink nipples budding, her handful of breasts deforming under the pressure of a broad chest.


    Only now did hergging thoughts catch up to the sensations wreaking havoc across her body, gasping in a daze as a string of translucent saliva bridged her luscious lips to Leonardo''s.


    She absentmindedly touched down on her mouth and trailed her eyes from Leonardo''s lips to his passionate gaze.


    She then swallowed nervously, realizing that an arduous night awaited her. Nheless, her heart throbbed with anticipation of what was toe.

 Chapter 196 Political Web

    A refreshed Leonardo in a white tux and long sleek hair alighted from avish carriage in front of the CityMagistrate Manor.


    It was only this morning that he realized what Raymond meant by the pending promotion.


    Bing a four-star citizen wasn''t usually something big, but that''s when taking the entire province into the equation. For a ce like Greenheart City, and the various districts within nheless, the government sector had little space to offer for those pursuing higher authority.


    The legitionmittee had its own department in a separate small building behind the City Magistrate Manor, and that was Leonardo''s current destination.


    "I thought the manor might look grander than this¡­"


    Leonardo looked up at the manor that didn''t seem muchrger than the white house back on Earth, thinking that it didn''t exactly live up to the grandeur and authority it held.


    Someone to the side heard Leonardo and chuckled with a reply, "You wouldn''t say that if you knew that every room inside is a sub-dimension. I mean, even ces like the Alchemy Association have a total of five sub-dimensions in their building, you tell me if it matches the grandeur now."


    Leonardo was a bit shocked, "How many rooms are there inside then?"


    He knew how difficult it was to find sub-dimensions with stablews, let alone the resources required to maintain the stable space of these sub-dimensions.


    Of course, some sub-dimensions are the size of a regr room, some are very spacious, and rarely does one find a sub-dimension the size of an entire building of a floor to designate as a room.


    Typically, people get only one chance of finding a sub-dimension with the size of a massive plot ofnd, and that''s when they''re undergoing the ascension from sainthood to divinity.


    Even Rosaline and with the support of the ster world, when she achieved immortality in the ster world, she pulled a total of three sub-dimensions into her immortal kingdom.


    "Ah¡ª haha, I don''t really know how many rooms they have, I just know that all of them are separate sub-dimensions. Then again, that''s really scary. What if all of them were destabilized and exploded? The entire city will be a thing of the past¡­" The man shuddered just by thinking about it.


    Leonardoughed as well andforted, "You don''t have to worry about that, the copse will transition inwardly unless someone deliberately redirects the force to the outside."


    "Is that so?" The man mumbled to himself in a bit of relief, giving this massive building a skeptical look before turning back to Leonardo as he had something else on his mind to say. However, he realized that this handsome buddy was already gone.


    The man blinked, "I was talking to a powerful cultivator¡­"


    This man didn''t expect the random guy he spoke to on the roadside to be a powerful cultivator, he would definitely brag about it to his friends in the bar tonight for some drinks.


    "Hm, I should think about how to exaggerate things but make them seem realistic too¡­" The man touched his chin with interest, already forgetting his ns for the rest of the day.


    ¡­


    Leonardo moved through minor transportation formations that shuttled him around the vast area, eventually ending up standing on a transportation circle leading into a long white corridor.


    Two knights with the auras of high saints stood to either side of the transportation tform, but Leonardo knew that they were here only for the maintenance of the tform as the actual guards wouldn''t reveal themselves so tantly, much less stand directly in the most vulnerable position in case of a hostile infiltration.


    The two knights didn''t speak or move a muscle, and Leonardo didn''t bother entertaining them either. Instead, he stepped off the tform and made quick yet light steps down the corridor as he curiously examined the various formations inscribed on the walls.


    With a bloom of white light, he knew he phased into a sub-dimension.


    Looking around, it was a small square with various single-floor buildings, about nine of them.


    Each building had a grand starry diagram above it, clearly indicating the number of stars required to receive service.


    From one star to nine, the higher the number of stars, the lessmotion there was in front of the building.


    Leonardo''s eyesnded almost immediately on the three stars building, his destination for today.


    Since his servantspleted the 100 mission quota for the three-star missions, he required a stamp of approval from the post and the apanying application to receive the four-star Soul Script Card; also known as SSC.


    ¡­


    "How can I help you?" Asked a receptionist who had a cold expression on her otherwise beautiful face.


    She didn''t even bother smiling, clearly, the years spent on this monotone job scarred her personality.


    Leonardo didn''t mind that as he could rte to the feeling of finding yourself in a deep emotionless ditch without the motivation to struggle out of it. At times like these, inner determination isn''t enough, as one would require an external stimulus.


    In Leonardo''s case, it was his daughter.


    Hence, he smiled faintly at this beautiful woman and spoke in a tone that was awkward, yet warm and empathetic all the same.


    "I would like to fill out an application to promote my contribution status from a three-star citizen to a four-star citizen." As he spoke, Leonardo handed over his SSC, leveling his sight to maintain eye contact.


    Even back on Earth, the beautiful woman behind the counter would sit in a lower position than the client. Other than exposing the stretch of the female''s cleavage and satisfying the ego of some people who like to look down on others, Leonardo couldn''t find any practical reasons behind this practice.


    Of course, in the cultivation faction, the person with the higher status would take a seat whilst the counterpart must stand up. Regardless, even as they sit, their seated position would be very high and elevated.


    The same practice could be found in the royal court or the throne room of kings and emperors.


    These thoughts shed through Leonardo''s mind in a split second, his eyes zing unfocused for but a brief moment that went unnoticed by the woman. If anything, she noticed that Leonardo''s eyes were fixated on her own, not deviating the slightest to rove around her tightly bound chest despite them bulging as though about to rip the uniform apart.


    Lightly clearing her throat, she received the SCC from Leonardo''s hand and nodded, not speaking a word.


    As for whether her thoughts wandered somewhere, her body didn''t indicate it and Leonardo didn''t dare to pry into the matter, especially since he could feel the impatience of the man right behind him.


    Although he couldn''t sweep with his spiritual sense, he assumed the man must be impatient as the repetitive tapping on the floor was quite distinct.


    The woman must have noticed it as well hence the practiced urgency of her movements while processing the paperwork.


    "Shi Yunhe."


    For reasons unknown yet perhaps known only to herself, she muttered the name aloud on her thin lips before stamping hard on the application papers.


    "Will you please hurry up already? How long are you two gonna keep flirting for?" A voice dripping with displeasure and disgust sounded from behind Leonardo, eliciting a frown from the young man.


    He of course ignored it, but the woman''s body trembled slightly as though she recognized this voice.


    Seeing her reaction, Leonardo realized that it wasn''t that this man was deployed by some local lord to make things difficult for him, inadvertently catching the innocent woman in the web of political conflict.


    Instead, it was the opposite.


    He was the innocent party caught in a web of political conflict.

 Chapter 197 Blaire

    "ire! Are you engaging in scandalous activities with clients again?"


    A crisp and cold voice echoed from the service window to the side, intentionally reverberating throughout the hall as though to attract the attention of everyone present.


    "Young man, this woman is like a venomous snake, always trying to ensnare clients with her beauty, daring to make an attempt on the Young Master of Lord Oliver''s Estate," the man behind Leonardo tapped his shoulder with a firm grip, giving him the eye signal.


    Leonardo wanted tough.


    This man was tantly threatening him to y along.


    Someone with a private estate in a district must be a four-star official at the least, and five-star at most. This man probably didn''t hear Leonardo''s conversation with ire a moment ago, otherwise, he woulde to realize he was threatening a four-star citizen.


    The man continued, "Don''t worry about anything, young man. As long as youe clean with how she tried to seduce you, our men will immediately apany her from hereand provide you with a decentpensation for your wasted time."


    The scene was quickly drawing in the attention of the crowd, leaving Leonardo speechless.


    The woman barely spoke, muttering only his name.


    Wait¡­


    Leonardo''s eyes widened in shock as he looked back at this woman once more. Of course, the moment she muttered his name, these people reacted.


    She must have known that they were listening, or at least, they were listening to her side of the conversation by lip reading or something simr.


    The moment she realized that he would be a certified four-star citizen, she decided she might as well drag him into this mess.


    As expected, there was a trace of an apologetic plea in her otherwise panic-filled eyes as she returned Leonardo''s nce.


    "I''ve been duped big this time¡­" Leonardo kneaded his forehead, sighing with exasperation.


    He couldn''t besmirch his name with the usation ofmitting to a case of tant seduction on the same day he received his certifications of promotion.


    People would easily associate that with bribing his way to the upper echelons of the local authority. With that in mind, Leonardo shook his head and sighed.


    "You know, even if I wanted a woman, would I waste my time on an ordinary woman struggling to make a living?" The moment he finished talking, his powerful level 71 aura exploded to envelop the entire hall.


    Although harmless, the message was clear.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á-¨¾?¦Í¨º|¡¤§ã¨®§® I am a divinity. Let alone a pitiful non-cultivator, not even a mortal can handle his energy radiations if they were to take him.


    Leonardo bitterly recalled when Nier took the initiative.


    She was a divinity back then while he was a pitiful level 10 mortal, he was instantly knocked out upon entering her body.


    The man was lost for words, not knowing how to respond. However, his expression quickly darkened and he asked, "Are you sure?"


    Leonardo stared nkly for a moment, how should he respond to this?


    "Of course I am sure! Courting this woman is no different from carrying out a premeditated murder case," Leonardo wanted to p this man dead with one hand.


    "What''s going on?" A knight that radiated powerful energy waves entered the hall, frowning while inspecting the situation. He wondered if anyone dared tantly fight in this ce, that would be a new level of stupidity.


    Although a lot of people felt likeughing at Leonardo''s remarks, no one dared be disrespectful to a state knight. His powerful aura was secondary, the fact that this man had the City Magistrate Manor behind him was the true power.


    The knight immediately focused on the source of the powerful aura; Leonardo.


    Leonardo smiled and saluted the knight with impable etiquette, exining calmly, "I was caught in the struggle of a few pests so I had to disy my stance in such an overbearing manner, my Shi Estate will dly offer an apology letter and an exnation to the City Magistrate Manor by the end of the day."


    Although Leonardo knew he was publicly pping the Oliver Estate in the face right now, he honestly didn''t care. He was about to be appointed an Estate himself, the only thing left to do was to receive the certificated deed to and in the 7th District.


    With his new status as a Landlord, he wasn''t in the mood to y with these pitiful struggles. He could almost imagine the sequence of events leading to this moment in his head.


    Some brat wanted the beautiful girl in an honest and aboveboard manner, which she rejected, and he began to toy with her life and make it difficult ever since.


    "Is that so?" The knight clearly liked Leonardo''s attitude. Leonardo had a very powerful aura, yet he was so respectful.


    "It''s my fault, respected knight!" ire immediately stood up and bowed deeply, "Today happened to be the day of my resignation, and I was very interested to work in Lord Shi''s Estate, but recently I had these rumors about me which implicated my Lord and caused an inconvenience¡­"


    "You slut!"


    The man to the side finally couldn''t take this woman''s games anymore and snapped, pointing a trembling finger at her.


    Since when did she even mention resigning?


    Working for Lord Shi too?!


    The hell?!


    ire recoiled back with a pale face, crouching down while covering her head, "I''m sorry¡­"


    "Indolence!"


    The knight could barely believe his ears, this bastard actually dared yell out such vulgarities and usations to the employees of the Magistrate Manor.


    Is that to say that the Magistrate Manor is hiring sluts now?!


    The man just realized the gravity of his words, but ire already beat him to it and spoke up, "I don''t wish to inconvenience the Magistrate Manor with my ruined reputation, hence I forwarded my resignation letter, I hope that respected knight would allow me to leave with Lord Shi¡­"


    The man almost spat blood from anger, while Leonardo didn''t know whether tough or cry.


    The knight didn''t know how to respond either, he gave Leonardo an inquisitive look.


    Leonardo kneaded his forehead and sighed.


    "Yeah, I offered her a job, but then this man right here began using her of something like seducing people, ensnaring men, venomous snake, or something like that," Leonardo pointed at the man who had a red face throbbing with anger.


    With this excuse, the knight had some grounds to stand on, immediately wanting to move and to take action. However, Leonardo had yet to finish talking.


    "Actually, I have my work contract ready right here," Leonardo took out a paper and a quill, leaning on a nearby counter to write.


    "Party Bmits to a lifelong of exclusive servitude to Party A, effective for as long as party A deems the service of party B necessary, including but not limited to excessive physicalbor¡­"


    Once he was done, Leonardo stamped his spiritual seal under the signature bar for Party A, handing the contract over to ire with a faint smile.


    "If you want to work for me, just put your blood or spiritual signature there as party B, we can have the respected knight as a witness and submit a copy of the contract to the Magistrate Manor on our way back."

 Chapter 198 Landlord Shi

    Leonardo left the three-star building with a faint smile on his face, ire following behind him with an unnatural expression that slowly went from rigid to helpless, then cold.


    She had no choice in the matter but to agree otherwise she could be used of tantly disregarding the authority of the Magistrate Manor. If she denied signing the contract just a moment after advertising her consent to work for Leonardo, that man from the Oliver Estate doesn''t need to do anything, the knight would be the first to apprehend her.


    While on his way out, Leonardo paused for a bit and gave ire a look, and said, "You''re too smart for your own good. Hm, if I were to open a brothel with you as the courtesan, I wonder how much would the Young Master of the Oliver Estate pay to monopolize you?"


    ire''s body shook, her cold expression breaking into a ttering, pitiful smile as she hurriedly caught up to Leonardo and bowed. "I''m sorry for using you out of the blue like that, I was really on edge and couldn''t afford to be caught by them¡­"


    "Do I seem so bored as to meddle with your business? I''ve been trying to keep it under the radar, but now you''re forcing my hand, sigh¡­ Since that already happened, I might as well start making some substantial connections." Leonardo''s meaning was clear, these rich second generations love to unt their power and wealth.


    Whatever they couldn''t get their hands on, they would desire it even more.


    Since he would most likely be targeted by the Oliver Estate people, he would need to enter the political arena to have a chance of retaliation.


    It would have been fine if he didn''t enter the political arena as that would be giving enough face to Raymond''s master, especially after ruining that man''s ns for a hostile takeover.


    Someone who could plot a hostile takeover in a ce like the Vast Sky Avenue definitely wasn''t a simple character, and Leonardo could only guess at the extent of his or their connections behind the scenes.


    ''Seems like I''ll have to dy my visit to the vampire n for a while¡­'' Leonardo kneaded his forehead.


    The people from the 7th District wouldn''t take the initiative to cause trouble if Leonardo didn''t make a move to jeopardize theirmon interests. However, the Oliver Estate is different, as Leonardo had indeed taken the initiative to p them in the face.


    ire''s face went pale.


    As for Leonardo, he was already deep in thought while heading toward the four-star building.


    He definitely wouldn''t believe that the issuey in the Young Master''s desire for ire, even though that might be one of the reasons.


    She must have something on her body or in her head, something that wouldn''t allow the Oliver Estate to rest easy unless she was in their custody.


    But what can a non-cultivator woman have on her and is it something worth starting a conflict between two estates of the city?


    As a Landlord, Leonardo now must deal with agriculture and economics of hisnd, tax fees, job petitions, security, health, education, and many other things that revolve around the general welfare of his tenants.


    That means he would need to establish connections with the various manors and estates around the 7th district, and perhaps extend further to the neighboring districts.


    If a local Overlord from the 7th district and Oliver Estate from an external district began to put some pressure on Leonardo''s business and various endeavors, life would be too difficult for the people he nned to leave behind.


    With these thoughts weighing on his heart, Leonardo entered the four-star building and calmly waited in line for an audience in one of the closed office rooms on the spacious ground floor.


    Very quickly it was Leonardo''s turn, with ire silently standing behind him, the expression in her eyes somewhat at a loss.


    "How can I help you?" Another beautiful woman, though this one seemed much more cheerful and weing, less absentminded.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á-¨¾?¦Í¨º|¡¤§ã¨®§® Leonardo handed over his documents and responded, "I am here to finish up the promotion procedures and conclude my appointment as a Landlord to an Estate."


    The woman looked through the papers very quickly and nodded, smiling faintly, "So it is Lord Shi, just one moment¡­ Hm, what official department do you wish to start in if I may ask?"


    Leonardo responded without hesitation, "I would like a position in the Magic Theory Department, I will handle the expenditures for research and materials on the ount of maintaining first-hand legal rights to all research results and responses."


    The woman blinked, "Are you sure? If it''s about cultivation, I would rmend branching out by doing office work rted to something more practical to the Luan Dynasty as a whole, your progression in theter years might be a bit smoother."


    Leonardo chuckled, thinking that this woman was naive.


    Every lifeline with potential gains was already monopolized by those officials, and if he wanted to contest with them over it, things might take years or decades to establish a firm foundation.


    Moreover, he only needed Merlin and Elizabeth toe up with the simplified magic theorem and he would do the calctions with his innate martial intent, speeding up the research for a more practical achievement.


    They should get satisfactory results within a short amount of time and create new inscriptions that would incorporate spells of a higher level and magnitude.


    Since he couldn''t fight other people for their lifelines, he would simply create his own, and perhaps this might one day be the most renowned magic theory branch across the dynasty.


    "Yes, I am sure," Leonardo responded a momentter.


    "Alright¡­ Hm, I have to remind you that your status as a Landlord doesn''t mean you have full ownership of thend or the people in it, your position is more like a middleman between the people and the Magistrate Manor. However, any new innovations that youe up with during your research will be rightfully yours, I only hope you understand that these innovations shouldn''t make their way into the hands of the wrong people¡­"


    "If I were to sell then to party B and then they sold it to party C, I am in no shape, or form responsible for that," Leonardo quickly interjected.


    The woman smiled, "Of course, we are not that unreasonable," Leonardo wasn''t sure if she would have said this if he didn''t take the initiative to remind her, but he didn''t mind at all.


    In no time at all, the paperwork was over and the female employee handed over Leonardo''s SCC that now had the number ''4'' imprinted within the star symbol.


    Like this, his status in the city had risen to an Estate Landlord, but he wasn''t feeling joy from this.


    Leonardo flicked his fingers and brought out a sealed envelope from his storage ring, staring intently at the invitation as he muttered under his breath, "I guess paying them a visit wouldn''t hurt¡­"


    He then turned his head and gave ire a look, "Let''s go, I have a banquet to attend."


    Just as they were about to leave, the knight to the side said, "You can''t attend public events while dressed in the staff uniform of the Magistrate Manor, please leave the uniform behind."


    ire froze for a moment, as her change of clothes was left behind in the staff rooms, but she knew that Leonardo wouldn''t wait for her as she went back to change.


    Furthermore, she was just a regr non-cultivator, she couldn''t afford a storage ring, nor did she have any connections with anyone wealthy enough to give her one.


    Her face flushed red as she clutched at her uniform, not wanting to go through this kind of humiliation in this ce.


    Leonardo sighed, feeling that these problems from the Oliver Estate had to practice these lowly tricks.


    Are they trying to make use of the rules to separate him from ire? He waved his long coat to cover her body while a slightly more violent wave of worldly energy distorted the air around ire, preventing anyone from having any clear vision unless they actively probed with their spiritual sense.


    "Make it quick," Leonardo''s voice echoed by ire''s ears inside the distortion.


    The knight furrowed his brows, but ultimately he said nothing.


    Although he could offer some help and be biased, that was all within the boundaries of the rules.


    If he went overboard, it would definitely backfire and may result in very serious repercussions.


    The Magistrate Manor''s Disciplinary Committee is very strict with rewards and punishments, and they wouldn''t give face to a meager Oliver Estate, much less an ordinary knight.


    He could only say that he tried, but this Lord Shi wasn''t a simple character either.


    "I''m done," ire''s voice sounded, and Leonardo retrieved the screen made from worldly energy.


    The scene went awfully silent as everyone''s eyesnded on ire''s body.


    The humiliation almost had her breaking into tears as she clutched the long cloak even tighter around her figure, but that only caused the eyes of some people to heat up even more.


    Bang!


    Blood sttered as those with heated gazes had their eyes burst out in a ssh of blood, but the blood that sttered gathered by Leonardo''s fingertips as he growled. "Are you tired of living? You dare disrespect this Lord?!"

 Chapter 199 Disciplinary Committee

    "You dare attack in this ce?!" The knight roared, shocked and angry.


    Everyone was stunned, looking down at the men who were rolling and writing on the ground while screaming in pain, those who didn''t brazenly eye out ire''s embarrassing figure felt absolutely lucky.


    A powerful aura suddenly locked down the area, weighing down on everyone''s hearts.


    In the corner not that far away, an old man who was sweeping the floor suddenly sighed, shaking his head while muttering something to himself. While almost everyone felt pressured to the point of being unable to breathe by this aura, the old man continued to sweep the floor as though this had nothing to do with him.


    ire almost fell to her knees, but Leonardo took a step forward to protect her from suffering any kind of humiliation. He didn''t know whether or not this had anything to do with finding the second fragment of the broken throne, but the change in Leonardo''s temperament was even more evident.


    He wouldn''t tolerate anyone disrespecting him even if done via proxy, and thus he acted almost by pure instinct. Only a bit of rationality stopped him from blowing their heads open right there and then.


    Leonardo''s vision blurred as a middle-aged man in embroidered uniform suddenly stepped out from thin air, the aura of a rebirth realm cultivator, though only at the molding core stage, suffused the area.


    Leonardo''s pupils dted as he immediately sealed up his connection to his sub-dimension with a denseyer of destion, making it seem as though he was yet to seed in establishing a stable connection to a sub-dimension if someone were to probe his cultivation.


    Still, Leonardo worried too much as if it weren''t for the heartbeat from the ck heart, not even the consciousness of a Star Lord cultivator could reach that far in the space between the corporeal and ethereal nes.


    There was the medal of a bncing scale pinned on the man''s right shoulder, a ck and white star on each scale respectively.


    This was the medal of the Disciplinary Committee, they seem to have been rmed by Leonardo''s actions.


    "Please follow me back to the Disciplinary Committee," although the man asked politely, his tone was cold, anyone could tell that he wasn''t going to take no for an answer.


    Something about this man''s gaze infuriated Leonardo even more.


    Since when did he fall to the point where even an ordinary non-cultivator female could drag him down to her schemes?


    He had long been suppressing this annoyance.


    Moreover, he had publicly dered that ire was no longer a free woman, she was his property, yet these idiots dare disrespect him by foolishly enjoying her humiliation.


    "From which hole did you crawl out from now? I''ve given you enough face by not killing these garbage employees who can''t keep their eyes where they belong, what thing is your Disciplinary Committee?"


    The middle-aged man didn''t seem very angry. In fact, there was a bit of a pity in his eyes as he nonchntly waved his hand.


    Ssh!


    With a crunching noise, over twenty people who were rolling on the ground were squashed like meat pancakes, their blood, flesh, and bones weaving in the air.


    The man then spoke in his trademark cold voice, "Although they have disgraced the dignity of the Magistrate Manor and are deserving of death, it is not up to you to judge their sins, much less punish them. Hence, I''ll invite you once more, or else¡­"


    Leonardo was a bit surprised that this man straight up killed everyone involved and the scene descended into silence.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á-¨¾?¦Í¨º|¡¤§ã¨®§® No one dared say a word, though their hearts were racing.


    The man from the Oliver Estate specifically felt like this was an interesting turn of events, thinking that as long as Leonardo was escorted away, taking care of that ire girl wouldn''t be that difficult.


    ire seemed to have the same train of thought as she clutched on Leonardo''s back subconsciously, already scared to be either left behind or casually killed like the other group of people.


    As for Leonardo, although this was a snap decision of his due to a re of his subconscious temperament of a dignified king, his thoughts were clear and he decided to go all out with the act.


    Thus, he summoned a tier 4 ck bow from his storage ring and pointed it directly at the rebirth realm cultivator who was a few hundred meters away.


    The man arched a brow, his face frosting over with unbraided killing intent as Leonardo''s acts were no different from raising a weapon against his Disciplinary Committee, and by extension, the Magistrate Manor.


    Cold gasps resounded as the people who were stunned into silence a moment ago quickly began to distance themselves from this sudden turn of events, some even praising Leonardo for being an absolute lunatic in their hearts.


    Leonardo didn''t care about any of that and instead waved his right hand in the air.


    ck lightning crackled as a trace of heaven retribution radiated from the lightning, these minute waves were perceived by only the rebirth realm cultivator as every rebirth cultivator had to go through the heavenly retribution to initiate the construction of an inner world in the form of a star core.


    Just as the man was surprised that someone could grasp thews of heavenly retribution, his facial expression that was as cold as ice cracked ufortably as the tongues of lightning formed into three arrows.


    Following this, each of the three arrows split into a group of three, totaling to nine arrows.


    Then, the nine arrows lined up on the bowstring, slowly fusing into one another. Of course, slowly from the perspective of the rebirth realm cultivator as he could have interpreted the motion a thousand times over by now, but everything seemed smooth like flowing water in the eyes of those on standby.


    To the side, the old man''s turbid eyes shed with a bit of unease as he recognized the origins of this archery technique, but the man from the Disciplinary Committee had also recognized the infamous Ninth Inception Arrow, it was his job to recognize it.


    Of course, he wouldn''t let Leonardoplete the technique lest its aura rmed more people than necessary, hence his domain exploded and extinguished Leonardo''s worldly energy from manifesting outside his body.


    At the same time, a shroud of light stunned everyone''s eyes and by the time they saw what was going on, Leonardo and ire were gone together with that man. Furthermore, a voice saying that no one is permitted to leave till further notice resounded in their heads along with a feeling of space being locked.


    Not evenmunication bracelets could be utilized to connect with the outside world now, making everyone feel weird and uneasy.


    No one was an idiot here and they all knew that the rebirth realm cultivator could have killed Leonardo within moments if he truly wished to punish him ordingly. However, Leonardo was instead brought back, which could only hint at Leonardo''s background as something that even the Disciplinary Committee can''t casually wave off.


    ¡­


    "Instant transposition?"


    Leonardo spoke after a moment of disorientation, finding himself in a closed off room of nk walls and a simple desk in front.


    The man from earlier was standing respectfully next to the empty desk, his expression somewhat grave. As for ire, she was nowhere to be found, but Leonardo didn''t worry about her.


    No one would be stupid enough to actually kill her after what he did back there.


    Leonardo frowned as there weren''t any other chairs in the room other than the high chair behind the desk. However, he remained silent and waited patiently.

 Chapter 200 Bait

    With the man not talking, Leonardo obviously wouldn''t say anything either.


    In any case, he wasn''t afraid.


    Worst case scenario, they would kick him out of the city, which would inevitably disappoint Junior Brother, but it can''t be helped as Leonardo wasn''t about to keep bowing his head and silently endure any more nonsense.


    The door to the room creaked open as another middle-aged man walked in. However, this man was dressed in in cotton clothes that stood in sharp contrast with the embroidered uniform of the Disciplinary Committee knights.


    The two men exchanged a look and a nod before the one who was waiting in the room all this while dismissed himself and left.


    Leonardo observed this exchange with some interest in his eyes, but that was about it. Then, he crossed his arms to his chest and leaned against the nearby wall very casually.


    "Supposedly your name is Shi Yunhei, escorted here by a rebirth realm cultivator on your first day and you happen to have a total of twelve ve divinities¡­ Moreover, you brought back a vampire ve divinity thest time you went outside¡­" The man was talking as though reasonably from a document while making his way over to the desk.


    He then satfortably on the chair and continued, "It just so coincidentally happens that the timeline of your leave and return coincides with the timing of an unfortunate eradication of a few hidden sects near the borders of the Lush Skirt ins Province¡­ Though, I''m pretty sure you''re already aware of this, right?"


    Leonardo didn''t even look at the man, his head dropping as though in deep contemtion¡ª or perhaps even sleeping while ignoring the conversation altogether.


    The man snorted, "The Jin Dynasty acted against your Memento Mori first and thus no one is helping them or the people enticed into getting involved. However, if the brotherhood behind you has any designs on my Luan Dynasty as well, don''t think that you''re so powerful to the point where not even the three dynasties can do anything about it."


    "What has this got to do with Memento Mori?" Leonardo''s expression was as confused as it could get, and he continued, "Those pitiful tricks from the Oliver Essence couldn''t get through even me, don''t tell me that you couldn''t see through this circus show as well? Now that would truly be a disappointment."


    The man snorted, "Of course, I''ve seen through it, I just want to know if Memento Mori is nning to use this incident as a pretext to get involved in the matters of my Greenheart City¡ª I wouldn''t even be surprised if that ire girl was a mole nted by Memento Mori just to stage this farce."


    Leonardo was somewhat at a loss for words as he couldn''t possibly speak for whether ire was or wasn''t someone connected to Memento Mori.


    He knew that some agents have infiltrated the city for sure, but those people wouldn''t make contact with him this soon. At least, that''s what he thought.


    Seeing that Leonardo furrowed his brows and sank into contemtion, the man seemed to realize that not even Leonardo was clear on ire''s background, and the young man must have started to question whether or not this was staged by Memento Mori.


    "What do you n to do now then?" Leonardo asked after breathing in easily, as he wasn''t worried about things he couldn''t control.


    "We have forwarded this situation to the Provincial Minister Manor, as the City Magistrate Manor couldn''t make a light decision on matters concerning the brotherhood. Then, they came up with a final verdict to make an exceptional promotion, but¡­"


    The man trailed off.


    "But?" Leonardo''s frown deepened, he knew this promotion wasn''t about to be anything good.


    "You will be stationed in the remnants of one of the recently destroyed hidden sects as their territory is technically located within the Luan Dynasty''s jurisdictions. From there, you will be given lordship over thend and you will oversee its development as the situation dictates¡­ Consider it a gift from the province, and hopefully, both parties can take a step back and not involve the city in further conflict."


    Leonardoughed, "So you''re basically kicking me out from Greenheart City with a pat on the back, is that it?"


    What bullshit promotion is this? This is practically exile but they put the term in a beautiful dress.


    What can he do in and without a poption?<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    And without a defensive formation? After all, the ruined natural formations cannot be fixed back again.


    And without trade routes, agriculture, or protection.


    How is this considered taking a step back?


    "Listen to me," the man coughed and cleared his throat, "We will provide you with the formation masters to erect a defensive formation when you''re ready to move out, and we will also provide three years'' worth of provisions enough for 20,000 people. On the other hand, you must cut off all connections with Greenheart City within three years."


    Leonardo''s expression turned a bit odd at these conditions that could be considered very favorable actually. However, he quickly understood the gist of it, they wanted to use him as bait to lure in Memento Mori higher-ups, as thend under his name will no longer be the Luan Dynasty''s in three years.


    When that happens, the Jin Dynasty and some of the nearby hidden sects can openly make a move.


    The thing about Memento Mori is that after the destruction of the Lost Dynasty, they never had a stable base of operations¡ª they always worked in the shadows.


    But Leonardo''s situation was different.


    Giving him thend was basically shackling down Memento Mori.


    They also weren''t worried that the entirety of Memento Mori would migrate over as that was way too impractical. Even if they did, such big movements couldn''t be concealed and would be easily intercepted.


    No wonder the offer sounded too good to be true, but Leonardo indeed desired his ownnd and territory to govern and expand, and it was very difficult to establish a state on the Core Maind.


    Moreover, he still had Rosaline and the vampire n who were hidden from the world for so long behind him, he didn''t necessarily need immediate assistance from Memento Mori as long as he could hold on with the current power.


    With that in mind, Leonardo quickly agreed, "Alright, we can take a step back each."


    "Huh?" The man was a bit taken aback as he hadn''t expected Leonardo who seemed to have noticed something was off to readily agree, this gave him a somewhat bad feeling.


    This has gone too smoothly, hadn''t it?


    "Is there anything else I should know about?" Leonardo raised his eyebrows.


    "Ah no¡ª not really. Just let me know which location would you like to upy¡­" The man responded unnaturally.


    Leonardo responded without hesitation once again, "The Beast w sect''s mountain range will be the core of a territory with 4,600 sq.km surface area as mywful property."


    "Are you insane?!" The man stood up from his seat in shock.


    That was twice the surface area of a standard mortal country, let alone a city. Even though the standards for establishing a territory weren''t those of the secr world in a ce frolicking with cultivators, that was still a sizable portion ofnd.


    That muchnd is enough to squeeze in over 700,000 people, what was he nning to do with that much empty space?!'' The man almost cursed as he thought to himself. ''No wonder things seemed to proceed overly smoothly earlier.''

 Chapter 201 Three Years Plan

    The discussion went back and forth¡ª it was tough but it was worth it for Leonardo as he finally obtained a piece ofnd to call his own.


    In mere moments, the documents and the Luan Dynasty''s stamp seal signed Leonardo''s ownership of a 3,000 sq.km surface area with the Beast w mountain range at its center.


    Leonardo left the Disciplinary Committee Estate quite satisfied, yet it could be said that the mere act of being escorted into the estate and leaving on the same day, intact at that, was enough to deter and offset many of the conspiracies aimed his way.


    Even though the matters of the ''deal'' between Memento Mori and Greenheart City with Leonardo as the spokesperson didn''t go public, Leonardo thought he might as well start his preparations early.


    ire gaped in naked disbelief at Leonardo who waltzed his way into the main streets in front of the Magistrate Manor as though the earlier episode was of little to no concern at all.


    "They let you walk out just like that?" ire couldn''t help but ask, all the while clutching the heavy white cloak tighter around her curvaceous body.


    Leonardo''s right hand snaked through the air and bound ire''s neck in a viscous grip that swept her feet off the ground and hung her in the air, face a purple shade from fear andck of air.


    "What is your story?" The young man didn''t care for how beautiful this woman was as he needed to set her attitude on the right track¡ª he has yet to punish her for dragging him down a spiraling mess that almost wrenched his ns.


    The life of a pitiful non-cultivator wasn''t worth that much in his eyes, certainly not valuable enough to postpone reviving Rosaline and or roaming the Core Maind in search of those who truly mattered to him.


    "I¡­ "


    ire frantically tapped away at Leonardo''s forearm with a hint of a plea in her eyes, though she knew her current worth and value in the eyes of someone who didn''t ce the Magistrate Manor in his eyes.


    Power came in shapes and forms, some are tangible while others are like the passing breeze that was both cold, and sharp, yet also detached.


    Omnipresent however invisible.


    Could be felt yet never grasped.


    This was an apt description of the power this man held or perhaps had in store, awaiting the opportune moment of release¡ª it was her foolishness that cracked the jar of mystery prematurely, and it wouldn''t be surprising if the price paid in the atonement was her little life.


    The cloak wrapping her body almost fell to the ground as she grappled away at his strong arm, but shame was the least of her worries as things stand. However, Leonardo wasn''t in the habit of putting his property on exhibition for themon man to enjoy.


    Thus, he wrapped ire with his worldly energy and strung her along while taking off to the sky, rocketing in the direction of his Shi Manor.


    He would instruct Victoria back home to squeeze her dry from any and all information before determining whether she was valuable to him or not, and in the meantime, he would pay this cordial invitation to the social banquet a bit of his attention.


    Leonardo didn''t know that the pair of uniformed operators he met back then in the shallow waters pond served the same Lord as Raymond, and the reason behind that invitation is precisely that Lord''s suspicion.


    However, with the events of this day under the surveince of the Magistrate Manor, that Lord''s ns would ordingly shift from soft probing to establishing friendly rtions.


    ¡­


    "This is?¡­" Merlin asked, though her tone was a world of disinterest, emphasized by her act of lowering her head to browse through Leonardo''s recorded notes on the magic theory the moment she finished her question.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    Leonardo knew that this woman didn''t care one bit about anything irrelevant to physics or magic, so he didn''t bother answering. Instead, he swept his spiritual sense from the underground workshop and into the manor outside, quickly locating Victoria and Madeline discussing with Zaylee in a room upstairs.


    He quickly sent a mental message summoning the three over, also requesting for a set of clothes with simr proportions to Elizabeth''s.


    Quite the odd request but Madeline nhelessplied, the three divinities appearing in the room within a matter of seconds.


    Leonardo pointed at ire, "She has some secrets enough to prompt a private estate into making a move, I want you to dig out everything she knows by the dawn of the following day."


    "Yes Master," Victoria quickly stepped out, reaching a hand to grab for ire who couldn''t even resist much less protest as the two disappeared in a gust of wind.


    Leonardo nodded his head and nced over at Madeline, the one supposedly staying behind to oversee the Shi Manor in his absence, and spoke, "There has been a slight change to the ns. Don''t worry about the shop or the estate, make preparations to leave Greenheart City in short order, we might move out upon my return from the vampire n."


    "I understand," she responded in the affirmative.


    Merlin raised her head in surprise, her beautiful brows furrowed into a smooth knit, "Since when did you decide to leave?"


    If Leonardo left, that would indefinitely suspend her source of research material for studying magic theory, not to mention that her lifespan wasn''t getting any longer.


    Who knew if she might encounter anyone withparable knowledge to Leonardo''s in this short lifetime of hers? Thus, only now did she actually, and reluctantly, draw away from her documents and give Leonardo a serious look.


    "You can tag along if you want¡ª I actually would prefer it if you follow us anyway." Leonardo smiled faintly at this youngdy who was in her early twenties.


    He added, "After I handle some matters, I will join your efforts in researching how to improve the synchronization between runic inscriptions and magic theory¡ª but I''ll have toplete a few tasks as my mind wouldn''t be at ease otherwise."


    Leonardo also wanted to see if Rosaline could leave behind a condensed pill of blood essence to transform Merlin''s body in an unorthodox manner.


    If Rosaline could reconstruct Merlin''s body from the bone marrow, it wouldn''t be that difficult for the woman to achieve divinity. Although her path in cultivation would be severed after that realm, it would still provide her with a few centuries of life, and perhaps a millennia.


    Who can say that they wouldn''t find a way to further prolong her life span within a thousand years? That''s at least better than a few decades of life.


    Leonardo suddenly had an outrageous thought; if Rosaline rebuilt her body, wouldn''t she be a virgin then? He quickly rattled the idea out of his head, cursing himself for being a beast.


    Merlin actually contemted the idea for a bit and inquired, "How long will you be gone for?"


    Leonardo pondered for a bit and answered, "From one to three years, but I''ll definitely make it back before three years as that''s the deadline before we have to leave Greenheart City."


    Leonardo proceeded to exin his agreement with the Magistrate Manor, and that he needed to leave quickly and prepare to oversee the construction and groundwork for his territory in the uing three years.


    When everything is finished, he woulde back to pick them up.

 Chapter 202 Lord Frederick

    The Azure Estate was a renowned five-star estate in the 7th district.


    Especially their Azure Lane, amercial street with numerous business outlets contracted directly or indirectly to Lord Frederick.


    It could be said that if the Vast Sky Avenue didn''t exist, Frederick''s Azure Lane would have be a mainstream economical center of the 7th district.


    Including but not limited to products of daily necessities, as the shopfronts included products as tempting to cultivators as they were to non-cultivars across the district.


    This was Leonardo''s first time walking through the Azure Lane, quite obviously. His down-to-earth demeanor as he strode down the streets in his in white clothes, sleek silver hair, and intrigued gaze that swept through not only the people but the shops in which they spent their time drew a bit of attention.


    Some were good while some were bad, and some bordered the realms of ambiguity, others borderline nonchnt.


    After all, this was amercial street with all colors of people and personalities going back and forth on a daily basis.


    If there was anything that Azure Lane had while the Vast Sky Avenuecked, that would be entertainment establishments such as the ck market auction houses and famous brothels.


    There was nothing you couldn''t buy in the ck market, only things you couldn''t afford, including various inhumane practices such as illegal prostitution, trading in human organs, and quite literally anything as long as you could put a price tag on it.


    These are little episodes in the dark that not many people are privy about, as even the District Director Manor would turn a blind eye to these activities as long as you''ve met two criteria.


    First, you need suitable connections.


    Second, you can''t get caught, at least not by the general public.


    The moment you check-pass these two points, you''re ready to go absolutely bananas with whatever you wish, desire, and aspire for.


    "Lord Shi," while Leonardo was walking through these festive streets in preparation for the banquet, a familiar face stepped up to greet him with a faint smile.


    "If it isn''t Raymond," Leonardo smiled in response, having expected the eyes of the Frederick Estate to have spotted him long ago, he just hadn''t anticipated to be intercepted so quickly while cruising the streets.


    "My Lord sent me to be your tour guide, just in case you needed it, Lord Shi," Raymond smoothly withdrew to stand behind Leonardo as though it was natural.


    Leonardo chuckled, more like a watchman than a guide, but he didn''t feel like calling this out and instead said, "I''m here to meet Lord Frederick actually, I was aimlessly wandering around hoping for someone toe fetch me up as quickly as possible."


    "Is that so?" Raymond was a bit surprised as he hadn''t expected Leonardo to skip the banquet etiquette and directly request an audience with the Estate Landlord, but Lord Frederick said toply with any of Leonardo''s demands as long as they didn''t infringe upon some forbidden secrets.


    Thus, after being surprised for a brief moment, Raymond nodded his head and began to lead the way, "This way please."


    As the two walked off, Raymond offered a cigar to Leonardo but thetter refused, he hadn''t picked up on the habit of smoking while on Earth and he wouldn''t pick it up now.


    While walking silently, Leonardo was secretly utilizing his innate martial intent to continually stimte the Ninth Inception Arrow technique and his personally created technique now dubbed the Ster Compression technique periodically, as the principles behind both techniques were fundamentally simr.


    It must be said that the polite and servile side to Raymond somewhat put Leonardo at a loss, as he was far morefortable with the cold and somewhat arrogant Raymond from back then.


    Very quickly the two arrived at avish manor at least thrice the size of Leonardo''s, signs of renovations throughout the years apparent by the disproportionate tiles and paintings on the walls.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    Rows of servants could be seen going about everywhere in a hurry as they prepared the garden, exterior courtyards, attached pavilions, and outdoor pools for the uing banquet.


    Pretty young girls in revealing clothes and light footsteps were also spotted practicing a dance that seemed both elegant and erotically pleasing.


    This is what one would call extravagance, Leonardo thought to himself as hepared the meeting on the summit of the Sylvian Kingdom back in Arcadia¡ª the standards were too far apart.


    "Would you like to watch a dance?" Raymond caught a glimpse of Leonardo staring at the dancers, dropping this question.


    "Let us proceed, I''m a busy man¡ª not to mention I arrived invited, otherwise I wouldn''t possibly squeeze time in my schedule just to watch a few delicate maidens dancing," Leonardo responded with a smile, though his eyes kept on sweeping the ce.


    Suddenly, he saw two familiar figures leading a group of uniformed guards, the striking red coat of arms reminding Leonardo of a very deep impression.


    In particr, the woman with a snake coiled around her neck, its tail plunging into the smooth ravine of a crevice below her cleavage.


    Nheless, Leonardo''s nce didn''t pause whatsoever, and continued to roam about as though he saw nothing, not a hint of an emotional fluctuation registered on his face.


    Internally, however, he scoffed with understanding. Many things could now be exined, and perhaps if he wasn''t taken into custody and released on the same day, this trip to the Frederick Estate might have be a thorny one.


    ¡­


    Lord Frederick was a callous middle-aged man who resembled an earnest hardworking farmer rather than a sessful businessman.


    From his heavy beard, silver-rimmed sses, and hairy arms emphasized by his rolled-up cotton sleeves¡ª anyone''s first thought would be that this man was a very kind and approachable uncle.


    He was currently stroking his beard while looking down at a detailed sand map of the Lush Skirt ins Province, specifically the regions near Greenheart City.


    Leonardo was standing on the other end of the table, a long stick in his hand as he marked the territory surrounding the Beast w mountain range.


    Frederick said with a hum, "Are you saying that in three years'' time, this will be ckrain County¡ª your personal county?"


    "This is indeed the case and I have the credentials here," Leonardo brought up a few documents from his storage ring.


    Of course, these documents weren''t signed by name, but they were instead a seal of blood and a spiritual mark.


    The trademark blue bird of the Luan Dynasty was stamped down on the documents, highlighting the script of terms and conditions, much more context than the simplified verbal summary provided by Leonardo.


    Frederick''s eyes sparkled as he picked up the documents, pacing back and forth while reading intensively, nodding his head repeatedly.


    "Unbelievable, to think you''ve been granted a state¡ª not a fiefdom under the Crown, but an independent state with constructivews¡­"


    Frederick sat back in his leather seat behind the desk, lightly knocking his fingers on the wooden surface as his thoughts shuffled. "I suppose this might be a confidential document, albeit the only party that could be affected negatively if this spreads is the dynasty, hence you''re not concerned about secrecy¡­ Hm, I''m listening, you said something about a business interaction?"


    "Yup," Leonardo joined the table by taking a seat across from Frederick as he continued, "I want a direct supply chain to your ck market clients."

 Chapter 203 Into The Wilderness, Again

    "You want in on the ck market business?" Frederick rubbed his chin, not replying immediately for a while.


    Eventually, though, he shook his head while muttering, "It''s not easy¡­"


    Frederick''s brows were knitted, a groan of indecisiveness bubbling in his throat as though to urge Leonardo on something.


    "You misunderstood me, haha," Leonardo quickly leaned forward with a chuckle, pulling back his credentials into the storage ring before intecing his fingers by joining his palms, saying, "I want you to open a ck market branch in my territory. For now, I don''t n on opening ckrain City to the general public; it can start off as amercial hub¡ª a social exchange between cultivators without any discrimination of race or background."


    Leonardo then painted the picture of a city with low quantities of poption but high-quality cultivators, a resting area for the solo adventurers who roam the uncharted wilderness.


    He nned to use the provisions supplied by Greenheart City as amodity to invite cultivators looking to restock their necessities as expeditions into the uncharted wilderness usually take weeks or even months if not years, and having sufficient rations is a must for all cultivators.


    The constant depletion of energy as they ward off the erosion of raw ether in the environment is one of the main reasons why cultivators below the rebirth realm often return to cities or protected areas to filter out or refine the raw energy that seeped into their bodies while exploring, lest these heterogeneous energies contaminate their cultivation, negatively influencing the worldly essence that is circted between themselves and their sub-dimensions.


    "Didn''t you say you wanted to start a country or something? What happened to all that?" Frederick was a little surprised and suspicious.


    Leonardo rolled his eyes, sighing, "I would need more than poption and economy to build a country, I need military strength. Without the military strength to consolidate my position, three years from now, everything else will disappear like fleeting clouds."


    Leonardo was hinting that in three years, the Luan Dynasty intends to wash their hands clean from any rtionship with him, exining both the dangers and opportunities beneath the surface of this gracious gift.


    Frederick wasn''t stupid and he immediately understood¡ª if ckrain City became a general hub for wandering cultivators, targeting the city would be akin to targeting some people''s livelihood.


    Cities and hidden sects with protective formations usually had very strict diplomas and stringent security measures preventing a lot of criminals on the run or cultivators who met some opportunities and fortunes from returning to these public zones.


    Since the Luan Dynasty went so far as to give Leonardond, it only meant that he had the backing of a powerful organization, but these powerful organizations usually keep a tight lock on their rebirth realm cultivators and wouldn''t dispatch them so easily, especially not to ward off little divinities from causing trouble.


    Hence, allowing everyone to profit equally simply by offering a ce of rest that doesn''t bother with anyone''s business or origins will provide ckrain City with an intangible protective talisman under the guise ofmon benefit.


    A protective formation isn''t something you can take away by force, it has one person as the main administrator and a few below that person as vice administrators, but only the former can decide when or if the formation will be activated or deactivated.


    Of course, such a ce is like a godsend to factions operating in the ck market business, and Leonardo was showing Frederick great favor by taking the initiative in proposing this business transaction that might very well propel Frederick to the peak of the industry in the region.


    "Alright then, what do you want in exchange?" Frederick immediately calmed down and processed the situation, such a fatty meat pie definitely didn''te around easily.


    Leonardo smiled brilliantly.


    ¡­


    A few hourster, Leonardo left the Frederick Estate.


    It was already nearing the break of dawn, silver rays of light lining the eastern sky.


    As fascinating as it was to simply stand by the roadside and observe, Leonardo was in a hurry and thus could only suck in a breath of the fresh air for reminiscing, quickly turning around and fading into the foggy vapors of morning dew.


    ¡­


    Zaylee and Victoria were already waiting outside the Shi Manor by the time Leonardo arrived, eliciting a chuckle from the young man.


    "Quite impatient aren''t you?"<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    Zaylee''s expression had a tinge of embarrassment as she cleared her throat. No duh, she was obviously impatient to revitalize her n that had been in silent slumber for way too long a period.


    As for Victoria, she was simply dead bored from staying behind in this bleak manor for the past few months¡ª she was dying for some action, quite fitting for her style of life as a close-rangebatant.


    Her fists were already clenched tight in anticipation, the tension apparent on her taut skin and firm muscles. Nheless, she quickly recalled what truly mattered and said, "I''ve stored everything that ire confessed to on this info chip, please take a look, Master."


    She then handed a finger-sized crystal chip that resembled a USB drive, faint spiritual fluctuations pulsing on its surface.


    Leonardo didn''t immediately take a look but stored it away instead, too many things required his attention at the moment, and a mere secret of the Oliver Estate wasn''t enough to warrant his immediate attention.


    "Let us set off then, Zaylee can set the appropriate coordinates in the teleportation hall. Although that service would be much more expensive than a random teleportation, we don''t have the luxury of time to waste exploring the uncharted wilderness likest time."


    There was a sh of disappointment in Victoria''s eyes, pursing her thin lips for a moment before collecting herself.


    What was there to feel disappointed about? Master seems very anxious about something, I shouldn''t feel discouraged over something so minor and inconsequential.


    Victoria quickly shook her head and stepped out, following Leonardo and Zaylee who quickly disappeared into the clouds above the 7th district.


    Very quickly, theynded in front of the main teleportation hall, not bothering with the fees of using the branch teleportation hall located in the 7th district as their individual speed rendered such detours redundant.


    "You''re leaving again yet so soon, Lord Shi?"


    The personnel responsible for the teleportation was the same employee who received Leonardo upon his return a few days ago, clearly surprised by how frequent was Leonardo''s departure from the city and into the wilderness.


    "This time I had some loose ends to tie up, hence why I returned to the city in the first ce," Leonardo casually said with a faint smile, though what he said wasn''t particrly wrong.


    The employee in the blue uniform seemed to have understood as he nodded with a smile, quickly transitioning the conversation to proper business and setting up the desired spatial coordinates as devised by Zaylee, but Leonardo was the one to input them into the teleportation apparatus.


    With that matter dealt with, the three of them entered the teleportation circle and with a sh, their figures disappeared.


    ¡­


    Leonardo, Victoria, and Zaylee stumbled out of thin air andnded in a crusty long canyon on the edge of a spaciousnd of absolute dystopia.


    "Is this a natural formation too?"


    Leonardo looked around, intrigued by the various negative thoughts trying to infringe upon his psyche.


    Victoria frowned as a sharp aura swirled around her body, immediately feeling lighter and clea-headed.


    Zaylee nodded, "There is a great formation hidden within a natural formation, I will need to find the correct nodes and trigger them in the correct sequence to enter the hidden dimension."


    Zaylee didn''t mention that the sequence of the nodes is ever-changing and only those with the vampire bloodline can retrace the correct sequence based on bloodline intuition.


    Even if she said that, it wouldn''t make much of a difference anyway.

 Chapter 204 Meeting The Vampire Clan Lord

    "Identify yourselves!"


    A loud shout sted into Leonardo''s face when he, Zaylee, and Victoria suddenly appeared on an elevated altar stationed at the peak of a barren, red mountain.


    Seven elderly men with long silver hair and crimson eyes housing vertical pupils bore down on them with a heavy aura of peak divinities.


    "Elders, I am Zaylee from the 83rd branch family," Zaylee quickly stepped forward and slit her wrist, a drop of lustrous blood that diffused a martial intent resonating with the smudged clots of ruby on the dry mountain path.


    "So it is that child Zay, why did you return so early?"


    Asked one of the female elders, though her tone didn''t care a hint of warmth¡ª it was more urately defined as derision and rebuke.


    Zaylee didn''t seem to mind as she bowed, "I came to report in regards to my task¡ª I''ve found someone who might be able to rid our blood essence pools from the contamination derived from the mixed bloodlines¡­"


    Buzz!


    The elders had yet to react when an authoritative voice transcended space and echoed above the altar, "Bring the guests over to my residence."


    The elders who were shocked and dubious immediately reacted, bowing in the direction of the voice, "Of course, n lord!"


    Of course, this quick response from the rebirth realm cultivator was due to Leonardo specifically isting out his bloodthirsty martial intent while conserving the fluctuations of the heavenly retribution lightning, deste, and eternal night martial intent.


    Looking all around, Leonardo had the urge to immediately devour every drop of blood essence this hidden dimension had to offer to progress his bloodthirsty armament, as it had already incorporated the powers of his four martial intents under the influence of his former cultivation technique; Fourth Dimension Immortal Scripture.


    It was only that the bloodthirsty armament was at too low of a level to withstand the might of the heavenly retribution and his innate martial intent at once, destabilizing the bloodthirsty armament''s full body armor form.


    If he could absorb all of this blood essence that wound in rivers and pooled into 108 separate points of concentration, that wouldn''t be a problem anymore.


    Sadly, only the bloodthirsty territory offered a meticulous enough area of control over blood to segregate the polluted blood essence from the original bloodline, not to mention that Rosaline was in urgent need of this much blood essence to rebuild her body.


    Leonardo could only watch but not touch, causing his heart to bleed with remorse and empty desire.


    "Let''s go," Leonardo nodded at Zaylee and Victoria before following in the trail of the seven elders who led the way with reverence and anticipation on their faces, indicating just how difficult it was to meet with the n lord nowadays as he struggled to maintain his bloodline from regression in the absence of a pure-blood essence pool.


    ¡­


    Blood Warlock Siegfried was the current n lord of the vampire n, and he was currently pacing back and forth in his imperial study in the Warlock Castle, muttering excitedly to himself.


    "It''s definitely the aura of the Blood Sovereign, albeit very diluted, I''m certain of it¡­" The n lord was very certain of the feeling that martial intent provided him with, especially since he was a very erudite man in recent years.


    After all, he couldn''t leave the hidden dimension nor could he cultivate in the blood essence pool, he had little to pass the time other than browsing through ancient tomes of past history, especially the chronicles of the Three Progenitors and Seven Sovereigns.


    How could he not get excited? But he was also confused about how someone from that lineage¡ª no matter how diluted, arrived at such a far corner of the multiverse like the Core Maind.


    If Leonardo had a nce at these ancient records , he would finally understand why the Interster Supreme Court went through so much effort to lock down on a virgin female from House Hestia, to the point of plotting against the pure blood males such as the house lord and his son.


    However, even without knowing why, he wouldn''t just stand by and allow them to bully the mother of his child and her family without retaliation.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Soon, he smiled faintly as the door to the study parted open, Leonardo and the other two walking through with Zaylee taking the lead to kneel piously in front of the n lord.


    "Good child, you did well! You did well! Haha," a formless ripple of energy picked up Zaylee gently, a look of excitement on her face.


    However deep inside, she was a bit shocked as this power¡ª although mysterious, was leagues below the impression she received from Junior Brother, and that person wasn''t even one of the higher-ups of the brotherhood, at least ording to him and Leonardo.


    With that thought, she shuddered out of fear that the n lord might do something unfavorable to Leonardo, hence she quickly sent a mental message to the n lord about Junior Brother.


    She didn''t mention anything about Memento Mori, only saying that Leonardoes from a very mysterious and powerful organization and that there was a star lord rebirth realm cultivator together with him when they first met.


    This message stunned the n lord into getting rid of every conspiracy he had in mind.


    Meanwhile, Leonardo was conversing with Rosaline''s embryo which had already awakened.


    "How positive are you about this?"


    "I''m very positive I can take control of this hidden dimension and immediately refine it as a star core the moment I make my breakthrough¡ª I already need to find myself a sub-dimension to advance my cultivation, and this ce is just perfect for me."


    "Won''t this rebirth realm cultivator feel anything off about it?"


    "You''re underestimating my bloodthirsty territory a bit too much, aren''t you? This hidden dimension is kept together based on the 108 blood essence pools and since they''re already polluted, thews are on the verge of fragmentation. I can simultaneously connect with them while I draw out the pollution, so by the time I cleansed the blood essence pools, this hidden dimension would be no different from my personal domain."


    Leonardo felt d, as he didn''t think for one second that the n lord would be so easy to talk with, as he immediately noticed the weird light in the man''s eyes.


    After receiving Zaylee''s message, Siegfried''s attitude immediately shifted as he approached Leonardo and patted his shoulders, "You must be the helper Zaylee talked about, aren''t you? Haha,e,e and have a seat!"


    He enthusiastically led Leonardo to afortable andvish chair before going around the heavy desk, taking a seat himself whilst gesturing for Zaylee to hurry and bring over some wine.


    "How do you n to help my n? What do you want in exchange?" Siegfried immediately cut to the chase, his face the mask of anxiety as his hands clenched on the surface of the table.


    This anxiety was authentic, as the hidden dimension was the lifeline of their vampire n¡ª his lifeline.


    Leonardo''s eyebrows raised, but since the other party was as straightforward, he didn''t need to hold back and said, "I need ether fragments, be it pure or raw ones¡ª a lot at that. As long as I have ether fragment at hand, I can continuously purify the blood essence pools."


    Leonardo painted an image that as long as he had to run his martial intent to refine the blood essence pools, he would require the exhaustion of an equivalent amount of his worldly energy.


    Hence, the more ether fragments he had, the better the results.


    Of course, this was a lie.


    Nheless, Leonardo required an astounding amount of resources to revitalize his sub-dimension and fix the fragmentedws, and he couldn''t be so shameless as to request these resources from the Memento Mori brotherhood.


    Since this vampire lord stretched out his neck, Leonardo wouldn''t be polite about slicing it clean.


    With that thought in mind, Leonardo smiled brightly.

 Chapter 205 Bottom Of The Blood Lake

    Three days of preparationster.


    In the most secure ce of the vampire n''s hidden dimension underground, ake of blood covered a vast surface area inside a hollow cave structure.


    The scene of 108 rivers of blood pouring into theke from the ceiling like high waterfalls greatly impacted Leonardo who stood at the edge of thiske together with the Blood Warlord Siegfried.


    "I used to iste thest three blood essence pools from recycling through the bloodlineke as it had been contaminated as well, hence the limited amount of blood essence in the only pools that could be considered pure¡ª at least whenpared with the remaining blood essence pools," Siegfried spoke in a calm tone, but anyone could see the helplessness in his eyes as reflected through his clenched fists and hoarse voice.


    He sighed, "The underground energy veins function like natural meridians to the body of this hidden dimension, recycling the blood through these walls and pumping them into the 108 mountain peaks outside where a blood essence pool is stationed in an ancient castle. Just by looking at the blood, you can tell the difference in purity between most of them."


    He then looked at Leonardo, continuing, "We''ve erected a tform at the center of theke¡ª deep in the bottom where the polluted blood would congregate the moment we run the formation. We have also constructed ether fragment pirs for your convenience, absorb as much as you can¡ª as long as you can cleanse our blood essenceke."


    "Ether fragments pirs?" Leonardo was shocked, each ether fragment is the size of a fingernail be it the raw or pure fragments, that''s their size asmodities.


    An ether fragments pir is a construct at least fifteen meters tall covering a surface area of twenty square meters¡ª one can imagine the number of ether fragmentspressed together in order to shape something like that.


    Should be in the hundreds of thousands and yet, more than one of these awaited Leonardo at the bottom of theke to cultivate.


    "What is there to be surprised about? This is the fortune left behind in the wake of one n lord perishing after the next¡ª they can''t take their wealth with them to the grave after all." Siegfried spoke calmly, as though exining both to Leonardo and himself.


    Leonardo went silent for a while, he understood that the n lord was basically informing him that there were 108 ether fragments pirs below, but this was all the umted fortune of their vampire n over the years.


    "You can leave it to me," Leonardo spoke heavily, but he knew deep down that cleansing these pools was a done deal already, the only question in his mind was about how to efficiently burn away this energy while operating his innate martial intent, whether it was worth it to derive and fix thews of his sub-dimension or continue to derive the rest of the Ninth Inception Arrow technique.


    ''Wait a minute¡ª I should probably just do it that way¡­'' Leonardo''s eyes glowed as he almost turned a blind eye to a fascinating idea. Although the bloodthirsty armament had the bloodthirsty martial intent as a base foundation, he almost forgot that it had already been integrated into his former immortal scripture that was now revised into a new cultivation method, meaning he could focus on both tasks of mending thews of the sub-dimension while reconstructing the bloodthirsty armament.


    ''I need to find the time to work on my priorities productively, I can''t keep biting more than I can chew¡­'' Leonardo realized that at this pace, he would enter the rebirth realm without a concrete foundation or an arsenal of skills he could truly call his own.


    Most people had one martial intent while he had four¡ª although this allowed him more flexibility and versatility, it also burdened him with so many unexplored paths and possibilities that he didn''t have the time to browse through.


    Since his current cultivation method was devised on the foundation of the Fourth Dimension Immortal Scripture, and that had in turn been inexplicably ingrained into the bloodthirsty armament, he might as well return to that point in his cultivation.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    In a sense, both his eternal night marital intent and the bloodthirsty armament constructed a delicate bnce between the fourprehensive intents, one in the form of aary system and the other in the form of battle armor.


    If he had to choose, he would rather iste the soul pearl and utilize it to construct the core of his sub-dimension while he brought up the bloodthirsty armament to the outside, especially since he recalled a specific detail¡ª his bloodthirsty armament already deviated from the original and could sustain itself by consuming blood essence energy among other things.


    "Are you alright?" Siegfried saw Leonardo''s eyes zing over as though unfocused, he couldn''t help but ring a question next to the young man''s ears.


    "Mhm? Oh yeah¡­ I''ll get going," Leonardo left behind his clothes and the storage ring as his body shed, reaching the center of theke''s surface in a few movements before he directly sshed in, blood swirling around his body as the bloodthirsty martial intent began growing restless.


    Feeling the change, Leonardo smiled faintly and elerated to the pinnacle of his speed¡ª yet it barely caused ripples to the dense concentration of blood all around.


    If he wasn''t already a divinity, he doubted whether or not he would ever reach the bottom of thiske. Luckily, with a bit of help from Rosaline, the pressure around his body lessened considerably and within three hours he reached the bottom.


    A massive formation with the ether fragments pirs as the nodes greeted Leonardo as hended on a huge, circr tform.


    The moment he stepped foot on it, the tform and the altar connected to it shook, the stagnant blood starting to slowly circte around, and the pressure instantly grew many folds.


    Feeling as though his body was about to twist apart, Leonardo immediately focused his mind as the mind''s eye appeared on his forehead and split open, ejecting a round soul pearl simr yet different to Juvia''s original soul seed.


    This small pearl contained the essence of Leonardo''sws in terms of bloodthirsty, desperate, heavenly retribution, and eternal night.


    The dense swirling neb of blood within the pearl grew restless for a moment as a thread of soul was ejected all the while dense blood essence congregated around it¡ª Leonardo could feel the presence of Rosaline''s soul within this pulse of blood essence.


    The remnant soul engulfed drifted to the center of the tform as the pressure around Leonardo dropped considerably¡ª seemingly drawn by a mysterious force as a powerful spiritual sense spread out to manually operate the bloodthirsty martial intent, giving Leonardo the illusion that something had subtly changed even though he couldn''t tell exactly what it was.


    Nheless, Leonardo couldn''t be distracted at this point as he made consecutive hand seals.


    A rumbling echoed at the bottom of theke as the ether fragments'' pirs glittered with illuminating blue light, flooding into the soul pearl like crazy.


    A faint sutra in the infernal tongue echoed as Leonardo pointed at the soul pear with his hands¡­

 Chapter 206 Reconstructing The Sub-Dimension

    Buzz!


    Leonardo directed the energy into opening a channel between the corporeal and ethereal spaces, following his connection to the sub-dimension as a minute crack in space formed for a split second.


    This crack wouldn''t fit a finger, much less a person. However, it was more than sufficient to thrust the soul pearl into, which was precisely what Leonardo intended to do.


    With a light shout, he pushed the soul pearl through, immediately feeling as though a portion of his soul had been forcibly torn off, blood spilling from his nose, eyes, ears, and mouth with a violent fit of coughing.


    The sudden tug on his spirit shook his sea of consciousness so hard that the fabricated illusion of a nk sea of consciousness crumbled apart, a ck sea flooding in through the cracked gate in a stampede of tsunamis.


    Although this seemed like an impending crisis, in actuality, each ssh of ck water seemed to mend a crack in Leonardo''s consciousness and very attentively at that, quickly patching up the bacsh from isting his soul pearl¡ª especially since a thread of his soul was residing within.


    However, that moment of danger quickly passed as the soul pearl sessfully made it into the sub-dimension, descending like a shooting star to merge into the fragment of the Infernal Throne, and very seamlessly at that.


    The entire sub-dimension shook as the core of this dimension, namely the ck orb condensed from the eternal night martial intent, and the revolving nebs around it were drawn into the boundaries of the soul pearl.


    As expected, a physical substance as the core of the sub-dimension was a better option than having four swirling masses of energyplement one another while sustaining the sun-dimension from copse.


    With a portion of his soul now residing within the sub-dimension, it would be much easier to connect instead of using worldly energy as a medium to establish the same connection, and it could even be done in ways undetected by rebirth realm cultivators.


    After all, while the worldly energy would leave obvious traces in the borders between the physical and ethereal nes, the soul purely interacts through the ethereal, a realm beyond the capabilities of rebirth realm cultivators¡ª not even a star lord can dabble in thews of the ethereal yet.


    Leonardo wasn''t paying attention to his own condition or the sea of consciousness at the moment as his spiritual sense swept out with the soul pearl as a medium, immediately permeating through the sub-dimension as he began to imprint a clear image of the ce in his mind.


    Thest time when he left a spiritual mark in the sub-dimension, he couldn''t get a clear look at the ce since his energy was already exhausted. This time, however, he had the sufficient energy and means to mend some of the fragmentedws while simultaneously inspecting the current conditions.


    Blue rays of ether that were redirected from the ether pirs rushed into the sub-dimension,pensating for the deprivation of worldly energy that spanned for thousands of kilometers of deprivation.


    Floatingnd masses, broken mountains, crackedndscapes, everything floating aimlessly in a stretch of darkness within the boundaries of this sub-dimension.


    The sheer imbnce ofws wreaked havoc as some parts of the sub-dimension were warm, some were cold, some were moist, and some were beyond dry.


    Tangible threads of ethershed out at everything in the vicinity indiscriminately, explosions rocking the sub-dimension as Leonardo brought everything except for the throne fragment to utter demolition.


    Since everything was deprived of worldly energy and ether, the constructs were as brittle as rotten wood¡ª the slightest exposure to a ripple of energy was enough to utterly destroy them.


    Even gravity was destabilized by these explosions as the fragmentedws did little to maintain the world order, Leonardo''s spiritual energy manipting the ether to wrestle control over the floatingnds, bringing them down after their destruction.


    In no time at all, the only thing intact was the towering fragment of the throne, erected like a divine pir¡ª albeit a ck one.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    With a rumble, ether swept out and began to draw the rubble and debris from all over the ce to construct a newndmass with the pir at its center, stationed in the middle of the sub-dimension.


    A tnd that stretched toward the four extremities of north, east, south, and west. Then, the remnants of rubble and dust galvanized towards the pir and piled up into a mountain that reached the border of the sub-dimension in height, immediately spreading into consecutive mountains thereafter, erecting a splendid mountain range.


    Threads of energy spread from the tallest mountain, forming an intricate undergroundwork that spread to the four directions while pumping ether into thend, giving it some vitality and spirituality.


    The previously fragmentedws at a constant sh were also drawn into the soul pearl, for now, Leonardo''s innate martial intent going at full throttle to deduct, derive, supplement, and fix thesews.


    To Leonardo''s surprise, the fragmentedws were pertaining to chaos and creation¡ª life and death, the sixteen elements of chaos, time and space, and many more.


    [Author Note: the 16 elements of chaos from DnD lore are: fire, water, wind, earth, vacuum, ash, dust, salt, lightning, steam, minerals, radiance, ice, smoke, ooze, and magma.]


    The unfortunate thing was no matter how high Leonardo''s understanding of thesews grew, he couldn''t incorporate them into his techniques unless they had a direct affinity with a martial intent he cultivated.


    He might be able tomand thesews while within his sub-dimension or domain once he achieved rebirth¡ª but that was only limited to the domain. Furthermore, fixing thesews is a must if he wanted to achieve rebirth, and he truly had no idea how many thousands upon thousands of years it would have consumed of his time if he didn''t have the eternal night martial intent.


    The idea truly gave him the shivers.


    Luckily, he didn''t need to actively focus on fixing thesews as he had split a portion of his martial intents and soul when forming his soul pearl, it could be even considered a second body of consciousness, working on thesews.


    The only drawback here is that he could no longer multitask while roaming the uncharted wilderness, and he would need to obediently enter seclusion and focus whenever he needed to go about deducting and or creating new techniques.


    What astounded Leonardo was the affinity between the deste martial intent and thews of chaos¡ª especially time.


    But thinking about it, this made sense judging by the nature of the Exiled Paradise¡ª Leonardo even suspected that it wasn''t a mere pocket dimension but an independent or perhaps a fragmented ne that somehow ended up in a Ster World.


    With the continuous channeling of ether thanks to Leonardo''s efforts of connecting the ether formation to the soul pearl prior to thrusting it into the sub-dimension, some traces of vitality and durability finally surfaced in the dimension.


    It slowly began to take the shape of a sturdy maind, but itcked aesthetics like a clear sky, verdant trees, rivers and seas¡ª and most importantly life.


    But that has to wait until the rebirth realm where the dimension receives the baptism from the heavenly retribution, attaining the recognition of universalws.


    After making sure everything was running smoothly, Leonardo slowly withdrew his main conciseness and allowed the soul pearl to take control while he nned to finally perfect his bloodthirsty armament.


    Even though he would need to change its name afterward¡ª perhaps naming it the Regal Armament would do it some justice.

 Chapter 207 Blood Purification

    An unknown amount of timeter, Leonardo opened his eyes that didn''t have a trace of color with the exception of ck.


    A depthless ck of no beginning nor end, a reflection of Leonardo''s sea of consciousness that was a rolling dark sea at the moment. These were but a few waves that escaped the ancient gate due to the momentary instability and cracks in Leonardo''s spirit, seamlessly integrating into his primary consciousness after his secondary consciousness split apart and joined the soul pearl.


    Try as he might, Leonardo could no longer revert to having a pair of inconspicuous eyes¡ª he could only condense his deste martial intent into two inverted dull gray triangles in the center of that all-epassing darkness¡ª merely a bid of diluting the aura of his infernal bloodline.


    After making that conjunction about the Exiled Paradise, he assumed that if anything could muddle the aura of his bloodline, it would be the deste martial intent derived from that weird space.


    It was a frightening set of eyes, with the triangles slowly yet perpetually spinning. Leonardo turned his head in Rosaline''s direction, the embryo had expanded considerably as swirls of ck and red danced about its surface, asionally viewing the nude figure of huddled up beauty within.


    Long ck hair that fell to her buttocks, pale white skin, and a dense miasma of blood essence entangled with a bleak, dark, and sinister aura of absolute coldness.


    "She''s slowly transforming into the Second Twilight," Leonardo muttered to himself as he spotted a few silver strands of white hair emerging from her cranium, deeply concealed in the river of darkness.


    "She must have inherited a sliver of my infernal bloodline after being nourished by so much blood essence with my body as the medium," Leonardo touched his chin and whispered thoughtfully.


    After checking things on Rosaline''s end and making sure everything was going smoothly with the refinement of blood essence, Leonardo made a few hand seals as eight energy streams that had been pouring into the spot where the soul pearl disappeared split from the original flow, directly rushing into Leonardo''s body instead.


    While the secondary consciousness was deriving and fixing thews all the whilepleting the technique ofpressing the independent domains into explosive projectiles¡ª that would be one of his fatal techniques upon achieving rebirth and the sooner he aplished it, the better.


    As for the little bit of ether, he drew to himself¡ª that wasn''t for his cultivation but for the gradual development of the mutated bloodthirsty armament¡ª an amalgamation of his foundations into a regal armament.


    Just like that. Leonardo stood silently to one corner of the tform as ether rushed into his body and blended into the fluctuatingws of his martial intents, weaving about his body while Rosaline floated in another corner, cold darkness and blood swirling about her.


    While tentacle-like vacuum tubes stretched from the huge embryo and stabbed into the floor of the tform, the substantial martial intents around Leonardo also began to manifest physically, starting with his very first manifestation¡ª the halberd.


    With a thought, a sliver of pure blood essence in theke was drawn over and entwined with the original yet transparent halberd that stood three meters in length.


    A body of deep crimson, symmetrical dull gray des akin to crescent moons nked a long and sharp de at the crown. There seemed to be some great synergy in y as the threads of ck lightning surfaced from Leonardo''s skin, almost immediately drawing out destion essence and blood essence from the halberd to engulf Leonardo in an embryo of energy just like Rosaline.


    Under the guidance of his deliberate mediation and innate martial intent, as well as the chanting of his new cultivation method in the infernal tongue, the streams of ether seamlessly blended into the embryo of intertwining intents.


    ¡­


    "Keep on monitoring the changes to the other 105 blood essence pools, don''t worry about the three main castles. If anything, they should show the least signs of purification as the contamination levels didn''t strike that high," Warlock Siegfriedmented from the peak of his castle, standing by the edge of a balcony that allowed him to view the majority of the hidden dimension.


    From his point of view, it had already been two weeks since Leonardo went to the bottom of theke and the initiation of the formationwork underground.


    In at most a few more minutes the first cycle of blood from theke would overflow to the blood essence pools and Siegfried wanted immediate results.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Thus as he spoke, his voice echoed almost in every corner of the regions popted by vampires, but he truly didn''t need to do this as the other nsmen were just as on edge as he.


    Zaylee was currently in a mansion erected on the mountainside of the 83rd peak.


    As a branch family under the descendants of the 83rd n lord, it was only natural for her family to upy a spot on this mountain, anxiously looking up at the castaways above and the stream of trickling blood rivering down from blood essence pool in the attempt of revitalizing the blood essence energy in the air.


    As always, this blood was diluted and had a pungent odor but they had to flush out the old blood if they wanted to recycle fresh and purified blood from theke in the depths of the hidden dimension.


    Zaylee''s parents and the elders of her n were also present, nervously observing the slowly trickling stream of blood.


    Not only them, but many branch families and even the remnants of the main bloodline families of the original n lords were also on edge while surrounding either the towering mountains or the sacred grounds of the blood essence pools within the fortified castles.


    "It''sing!"


    A cry of rm anonymously erupted from 105 different directions, causing the red clouds in the skies to twist and churn while the mountains rumbled.


    After a moment of dormancy, it was as though volcanoes erupted as fountains of blood blossomed in the blood essence pools inside every castle, a dense bloodline resonance was immediately felt by the various elders surrounding the immediate vicinity of the pools.


    This sense of resonance quickly began to permeate each castle respectively, some elderly were unable to control themselves¡ª immediately kneeling down and thrusting their heads into the gushing pool as though they were crazed animals in a desert finally finding water.


    No oneughed at them, however.


    Some were visibly trembling, some shed tears, and some had their faces flushed so much red they eventually fainted from excitement.


    The ones who were excited the most were obviously Zaylee and her family¡ª as the credit for all of this would partiallynd on Zaylee as she had invited help to the hidden dimension.


    In the highest castle on the balcony of his imperial study, Siegfried clenched his fists yet his face didn''t betray a hint of emotion as an elder stood behind him, shaking while reporting thetest developments.


    "This is merely the first wave of purification, it remains unknown whether or not he can refine the umted pollution of hundreds of thousands of years yet," Siegfried''s words were like ice dousing the excitement of the elder, immediately having hime back to reality.


    "My lord is right, he is but one man after all¡­" The elder muttered seemingly to himself.


    "That''s right," Siegfried nodded, Leonardo is only one person and his abilities are limited.


    Unless¡­


    Siegfried''s eyes glimmered with an unknown light as his eyes turned to the ancient books that seemed like they were about to crumble into dust at any given moment.

 Chapter 208 Blood Matriarch

    Drastic changes took ce in the vampire n''s hidden dimension as days rolled into weeks and months, and very quickly one year went by and the next quickly followed.


    From shock to tion and to further shock the vampire nsman observed in stupefaction the dull streams of blood gradually turned lustrous crimson, pure to a borderline holy level in their eyes, to the extent where the radiations from the blood essence pools had afflicted the atmosphere, an overcast crimson sky that began to shower with blood.


    Not only did the ground swallow these droplets of blood as nourishment but even the people below the sky weed the change with open arms, fervent to the extent of prostrating and praying to an obscure God even they didn''t know existed.


    These minute yet subtle details hadn''t escaped the eyes of Siegfried and although he felt that something had definitely changed¡ª it was only his intuition speaking yet even that was dulled to his senses.


    It was the same sky, same mountains and rivers, same dimension, and the same blood flowing through his veins and the earth below¡ª yet something somehow felt different.


    It was a frightening sensation.


    ¡­


    Of course, this sensation originated from Rosaline who had already emerged from the embryo with a new body not too long ago¡ª barely a few months.


    Rosaline erected two thrones of blood on the tform, their massive size almost upying the altar.


    She moved Leonardo, who was in a state of suspended animation with chaotic energies all around his body, to the main throne and seated herself on the subsidiary throne.


    Utilizing the information Leonardo left in her mind, she performed hand seals to split another eight ether streams of energy that rushed into her throne and by extension, her body.


    She was currently spreading her bloodthirsty territory through the tform, the altar, the undergroundwork, and the entire hidden dimension to slowly refine it into her private sub-dimension¡ª propelling her past the core moulding of mergingws and substance, immediately achieving singrity.


    From level 91 to 100, through the process of reconstructing a body ofws, cultivators are ultimately capable of fusing the sub-dimension into their bodies during the process of construction.


    The moulding of the core refers to blending the sub-dimension seamlessly into the body of the cultivator, allowing thews of both parties to interact and supplement one another.


    As for the singrity realm, it corresponds to the perfect fusion thereafter¡ª the sudden change in the hidden dimension is a result of Rosaline slowly moulding thews of the dimension into her body and vice versa with the blood essenceke as a medium, but her innate martial intent afforded her such leverage in a mannerpletely hidden from the perception of Siegfried, who could only grasp a vague sense of unease.


    Rosaline''s eyes shed with a twinkle of mirth as she observed Leonardo within the entwined energies before flipping her palm open, a faint lotus of ck mes blooming on her palm¡ª but it didn''t radiate warmth.


    Rather, there was a mysterious feeling of absolute cold that could freeze one''s essence and soul.


    Her crimson eyes sparkled in wonder, quickly dispelling these thoughts as she closed her eyes, her long hair a mix of white and ck as it rested on her shoulder during her silent meditation.


    "You''ve really surprised me, little Leo," a smile that softened her cold features fleeted past her expression, but it was so faint it might have been an illusion.


    Time carried on unhurriedly while Leonardo''s sub-dimension was slowly getting on the right track.


    As of yet, his technique ofpressing his various domains disyed itself bypressing the deste domain into a clear moon that floated high in the sky, the eternal night extending like a ck tapestry that wrapped around the sub-dimension from all corners.


    After achieving divinity and for the past two years, Leonardo''s split soul was constantly at work, investing worldly energy and ether into the sub-dimension while mending the fragmentedws in preparation for that final step from level 90 to level 91.


    From level 71 to high divinity, it was all but an umtion of energy and in Leonardo''s case¡ª an umtion of ether.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    To reach high divinity he needed sufficiently powerfulws that are self-sustained and self-sufficient, which was obviously something he didn''tck.


    Thus, the next bottleneck facing Leonardo was the hurdle from level 90 to level 91, destroying and reconstructing his body ofws. However, to raise the affinity between his body and the sub-dimension to perfection, he can''t advance to level 91 without understanding all thews contained within this space.


    For example, say he fixed 9 out of 10ws and constructed his body based on thesews, then he happened to fix thestw in the sub-dimension, the inconsistency between vessel and dimension would block Leonardo from achieving perfect singrity¡ª forever barring his cultivation path.


    It could be said that other than raising his cultivation level from 71 to 74for the past two years and a few months, the only progress that Leonardo made was in mending the fragmentedws¡ª at least the simplisticws of nature that didn''t include things like life, death, and time.


    The life and deathws would naturally be mended based on Leonardo''s experience during his rebirth tribtion, while the rest of the fragmentedws that have already been fixed up were currently blending smoothly into the maind.


    Other than the obvious absence of sun, everything else seemed perfectly natural.


    From mountains to seas and rivers, trees and gardens, and even the high moon in the sky.


    However, everything seemed monotonous and artificial if inspected on a deeper level, especially with the evidentck of living organisms¡ª not even bacteria could be spotted.


    An omnipresent consciousness seemed to monitor every corner of the dimension at all times, continuously infusing ether to mend thews.


    Suddenly, the ether that was being slowly infused had a sudden change, the flow which was akin to a gentle drizzle transformed into a stormy, torrential rain.


    ¡­


    Rosaline opened her eyes, noticing that the ether pirs connected to Leonardo''s sub-dimension, and his body began to rumble, massive volumes of ether quickly rushing into both points of transfer.


    Understanding the situation, she also tossed away her reservations and made a few hand seals, the eight pirs connected to her throne started to thump powerfully as well, initiating the final phase of refining this vast dimension while Leonardo''s cultivation level began to skyrocket.


    ¡­


    "What is going on?!"


    Elders charged into the sky one after the other, feeling a substantial will of consciousness spreading to cover the entire hidden dimension, this consciousness seemed to have a powerful coercive effect on their bloodline¡ª a sense of fear that surfaced from their very bloodlines.


    How could they know that they''ve been willingly allowing Rosaline to infiltrate their bloodlines through the blood essence pool?


    The more vampires cleansed their bloodlines, the deeper levels of control would Rosaline have on them. In a sense, within her rebirth rank domain, even though it had yet to mature¡ª even Siegfried was no match for her.


    As the sky and earth rumbled, a projection of Rosaline on her throne appeared in the clouds above, causing everyone''s hearts to beat rapidly.


    The unique temperament she developed as thedy of House Hestia, looking down on the poption of vampires while a crimson phoenix dress akin to the color of blood hugged her figure.


    Just as Rosaline was about to coerce everyone into submission, Siegfried shot into the sky and gave her a humble, subservient bow, and spoke with a voice rich in emotion, "This one greets the Blood Matriarch!"


    Rosaline''s mouthgged partially open as the words she nned to say next didn''t leave her lips, shocked and confused. However, the vampire nsmen who saw their n lord bow immediately followed behind him¡ª their thoughts were simple to the extreme.

 Chapter 209 Blackrain City

    After so much time, the original name of the beast w''s sect mountain range was forgotten, reced by the simple name of the beast w mountains, inductive of the former sect.


    Now, this mountain rangey in the backdrop of the under-construction ckrain City as per Leonardo''s instructions and the blueprint he submitted to the Magistrate Manor of Greenheart City days before he disappeared from public sight.


    Under the supervision of the eight maidens when excluding Madeline who remained behind to look after Elizabeth and Merlin while they continued their extensive studies about incorporating magic theory and runic inscriptions into magical scrolls.


    For thest few years, the two aplished a few experiments and prototypes of magic scrolls. These prototypes could be considered half sessful as they have yet to fix the problem of storing energy in the scrolls in a way where the energy isn''t passively circting.


    Runic inscriptions will automatically activate once injected with worldly energy¡ª they don''t conform with any affixed levels of energy reservation, while the concept behind magic scrolls is to conserve an active spell inside the runes with the possibility of triggering the spell with the injection of someone''s focus.


    Even regr humans have a bit of psychic fluctuations that could be directed or projected with enough focus, no matter how little their effects are.


    This is the difference between runic inscriptions and magic scrolls, as the former relies on worldly energy rendering it useless to the general poption, while thetter relies on brainwaves and physics fluctuations, but the key lies in finding a method of preserving the energy in the runes themselves.


    Without an understanding ofws, it is nigh-impossible to aplish this task, restricting the bare minimum of creating these magic scrolls to a superficial understanding of magic theory and a grasp of thew in question.


    Both of these criteria are things neither Elizabeth nor Merlin could circumvent, frustrating the two into long nights of extensive and desperate studies¡ª not even noticing the years fly by.


    As for Madeline, she was fusing thew essence fragment into her sub-dimension, blending thews of life and death contained within thew fragment while reinforcing thews of smoke and the five basic elements of her dimension.


    Thew essence fragment was birthed from the natural world and contained a sliver of its five elements as secondaryws while the mainw was that of smoke, helping Madeline establish her foundation for the future moulding and singrity realms of rebirth, hence she wasn''t at all impatient to move out of the Shi Manor either.


    The butlers from the Faithful Servant Association were of course sent back with sufficient rumination to their services, especially since they were sent back while their contract was yet to meet its due time.


    ¡­


    Leonardo didn''t know much about the arrangements of his people be it in the Shi Manor or the beast w mountain range¡ª now within the territory of ckrain County.


    He just knew that it was about time for the public deration of the establishment of ckrain County on the provincial map as an independent Monarchy, but the public announcement was carried out using Leonardo''s real name and not the alias.


    The alias was just a measure of protection to prevent the Jin Dynasty from politically suppressing Leonardo as he was trying to blend into the court affairs of the Luan Dynasty.


    However, since that cover was blown up already due to many reasons, concealing Leonardo''s presence in this region of the dynasty would prove redundant.


    "Do you think Leonardo is the same guy who crossed paths with us that day? I mean, the timing clicks if you ask me," while patting the snake in her bosom, this woman in a dark red uniform asked the swordsman beside her.


    Apparently, this woman''s name is Reia, and the swordsman to her side was called Damian.


    Although Frederick was positive of his conjectures, he didn''t bother exining his thoughts to his underlings and thus, these two could only judge based on their own discretion.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "I don''t know and honestly, I don''t care," Damian sat nearby in the shade of a military tent while observing the guardse and go, constructing underground tunnels and setting up escape routes, smuggling channels, and even some secure halls and a massive building. He continued, "Our job is to coordinate the ck market with the people from ckrain, everything else can wait."


    He then looked around at the hundreds of divinities already shuttling through the designated area for ckrain City, even though it was a city the size of an ordinary district for now, the number of interested divinities and saints would be mind-boggling once everything was prepared.


    "You''re no fun at all! Hm, I guess we will find out in no time¡ª especially since it wouldn''t be that smooth to upy such arge piece ofnd if you don''t have the power to protect it from the greedy bastards." With a smile, Reia stroked the bald head of her little snake, eliciting a hiss from the little guy.


    What Reia meant to say was obvious, even though no one would want to destroy this ce, they could still pressure Leonardo into sharing profits with them and establish some kind of a council or a group of upper echelons.


    "As I said, all we have to care about is the ck market, nothing more or less." Damian knew her character¡ª if she took a liking to that Leonardo, she would go off-beat and do things she shouldn''t.


    "I don''t think we need to wait for that long," said Reia as she looked into the distance and across the vast clearance of clearnd.


    To establish a city, obviously, they had to clear up the trees and level the majority of the hills and rocky terrain, hence why Reia could immediately spot three peopleing from the distance, though she wasn''t the only one who noticed.


    A lot of people did.


    By now, Leonardo''s features weren''t a secret due to the announcement, and the eyesight of divinities is very potent. Thus, when Leonardo, Rosaline, and Victory appeared from the distance, they were greeted by the sight of hundreds of divinities running around like mortals.


    As long as the formation wasn''t erected to simte the environment of a or a ster world, divinities can''t fly yet.


    After Rosaline refined the hidden dimension and underwent her rebirth tribtion inside it, the vampire n people had no choice but to leave the and reside within the natural formation much like an ordinarily hidden sect.


    However, she left behind the blood essenceke and pools as she didn''t need them, and Siegfried could temper his bloodline and derive thews within in order to progress with his cultivation as well.


    All in all, Leonardo could be said to have an entire race under hismand when the need arises, and hopefully, it wouldn''t be soon.


    "These people have ill intent, master," Victoria said as she furrowed her brows, feeling the malicious gazes from everyone around.


    She knew that as long as no rebirth realm cultivator made a move, her master would be invincible, especially since she found out he already became a high divinity.


    Still, that didn''t mean she enjoyed it when people gave her master such looks, and she desperately wanted to prove she was no lesser than Madeline.


    Woosh!


    The wind blew past as three groups of divinities rushed to block Leonardo''s path, each of them having varying expressions foretelling their stances.

 Chapter 210 The First Dispute

    "You guys seem awfully excited."


    Leonardo said with a chuckle, the deste martial intentpletely isting his aura. As for Rosaline¡ª well, no one can sense her aura if she wished to conceal it, unless they had a higher cultivation level than her singrity realm.


    "Why of course, little brother," a scarcely dressed woman to Leonardo''s left side spoke up, chuckling as she did while tapping her cheek with a delicate finger, "You must be the one in charge of this new republic, aren''t you?"


    "Haha, Sara, we have yet to vote things out," this woman barely finished her words as a man right across from her position stepped up, an amicable smile on his face, "Furthermore, looking after such arge piece ofnd is very taxing¡ª I''m afraid young brother wouldn''t be able to handle the stress¡­ Sigh¡­"


    Leonardo raised an eyebrow, amazed.


    Still, he said nothing and merely stood there as one person after the next stepped up, seemingly sprawled up in his favor, to a point where they''d had started designating and self-appointing roles of management to themselves.


    In no time at all, they''ve established the ckrain Council of Seven, split the territory each council''s spokesperson is responsible for, and the tax rates¡ª and the discussion went on.


    Leonardo tacitly removed his presence from their senses slowly, erected a simple chair, sat down, and had Victoria give him a massage to the shoulders as he watched with intrigue as the ''Seven'' members of the ckrain Council went so far as to start discussing their individual gains and losses.


    Reia and Damian in the distance were speechless.


    Not just them, pretty much every divinity didn''t know whether tough or cry as they observed Leonardo''s eyelids growing heavier, his head drooping as though about to fall asleep any given moment now.


    "That settles it then," an old man nodded in satisfaction as he held up a parchment with seven different signatures and a nk space for one more signature, obviously very pleased with the negotiations.


    Then, the seven people, three of whom were group leaders and four solo yet powerful cultivators looked in Leonardo''s direction as though finally remembering him.


    They were at first stunned to see him like that, then quickly they realized how everyone around gave them a weird expression, some even struggling to notugh out loud.


    The old man''s expression went rigid red with shame and anger before he forcefully bit down on his inner cheek, heaving a deep breath before giving the remaining six a look.


    They were doing as bad as he if not worse, which greatlyforted him.


    He somehow managed to chuckle and approach Leonardo with the parchment in hand, "Little brother, we only need your signature here and it''s all over with, you can rx and let us old people handle your job for you¡­"


    Leonardo seemingly didn''t hear anything, his lips parting ever so slightly, a faint snore echoing out far and near.


    Rosaline covered her delicate lips and chuckled, her chest rustling like waves that almost drew the eyes of countless men from their sockets.


    "Mm? Eh? Yeah no, erm¡­ What happened?"


    Leonardo ''stretched'' and ''yawned'' as he straightened up his posture, leaving the chair to flex his muscles.


    Reia was the first to burst outughing, her sentiment quickly echoing across the remaining divinities like an infectious disease.


    The seven council members had dark expressions, but the old man quickly acted and brought up the piece of parchment to Leonardo while a thin needle to extract blood apanied it. "Just sign in blood, little brother."


    "Oh? Must it be in blood?" Leonardo raised an eyebrow again, a bit surprised.


    "Indeed it must be so, haha," the old man responded.


    "Alright, so be it then," Leonardo nodded his head and reached out with his hand.


    "Just like that?!"


    People observing were shocked, not expecting Leonardo to cave in so simply, but some thought it was only natural.


    At least that was their first reaction until an explosive aura burst from Leonardo''s body, followed by a massive bloody halberd crackling with ck lightning and a sense of times long gone.


    Before anyone could react, this great halberd swung down like the descending crescent moon seeking shelter behind the great mountains beyond.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Some people saw one halberd, some saw two, some saw three, four, and even six¡ª but they''ve all split like solid afterimages then seamlessly merged together, from start to end, in a fluid motion.


    This scene was oddly familiar to the principles behind the Ninth Inception Arrow technique, but it also carried a touch of the twelve lunar changes inherited from Leonardo''s former swordy.


    This blend of past and present that seemed to strike the future caught everyone catching their breath in shock¡ª the old man''s face yet to register an expression betraying shock and horror as the halberd struck home before his wicked smile had receded.


    Boom!


    Darkness swept in an arc of lightning that splintered the ground despite the dense ether concentrated within, all standing testimony to the amount of power multiple high-tier martial intents infused into a single attack could cause.


    A few meters deep crevice that stretched for as far as the eye could see, splitting the clearance into two uneven portions ofnd as tongues of ck lightning crackled like the hands of the dead, slowly dissipating into the world, following in the tracks of the old man who had long since evaporated under the merciless onught of both the heavenly retribution and essence of destion.


    No one was in the mood tough anymore.


    Let alone them, even Leonardo was stunned by his power scale, not having expected the might to have been amplified to such an extreme.


    "Oh no, little Leo¡ª you didn''t leave behind a single drop of blood for the contract," Rosaline gasped, covering her little mouth.


    "Oh yeah, right right right¡­ My bad¡­" Leonardo swung the heavy halberd on his shoulder, looking at the remaining six ''councilors'' with a somewhat difficult expression.


    "Have you got anything else that requires a blood signature?"


    By now, everyone could tell that Leonardo was a high divinity¡ª a very powerful one at that.


    Thus, unless a rebirth realm cultivator personally made a move, no fighting was worth it.


    "Haha, no need, no need," that woman called Sara immediately raised her hands, waving them while ''inadvertently'' exposing even more skin. Her smile was obviously forced as perspirations coated her forehead.


    Leonardo raised the halberd again, his strength began to umte rapidly, "Oh no, I really think some contracts must be signed now since you guys have already mentioned it."


    Sara''s smile faded as her expression frosted over, her awkwardness withering away as her stance shifted, cold blood lust emanating from her body. "Don''t think you can toss your weight around just because you''ve got a bit of strength¡ª you''re still only one man no matter how powerful of a divinity you are."


    She obviously understood Leonardo''s meaning¡ª he was threatening them to submit to him or face extermination.


    Needless to say, although everyone was shocked by Leonardo''s power, that merely qualified him to make some rules and keep his position as the lord of thisnd, at least for now.


    However, if he wanted to act against them right off the bat, he needed to think twice about it.


    "Oh really?"


    Leonardo smiled, a hint of a teasing expression in his eyes. Perhaps, only Reia and Damian knew that behind Leonardo was a potential rebirth realm cultivator hence he wouldn''t be afraid.


    Only, they didn''t know whether or not that expert would make an appearance if a fight broke out.


    "Yes. Really."


    Sara didn''t reply, it was another woman in ck who did, stepping towards the remaining four divinities and the surrounding subordinates.


    Everyone''s eyes grew focused, wanting to view the oue.


    Leonardo''s smile was brilliant and his reply was even more so.


    "Then die."


    And the halberd swung down.

 Chapter 211 County Or A Fledgling Kingdom?

    How to better exin the events of that day?


    You know, the typical arrogant trash-talking, public anger, and the meaningless banter targeting Leonardo in vain attempts of probing for his bottom line.


    One thing they didn''t expect was that Leonardo didn''t entertain the standard build of momentum where they gradually and roughly grasp his bottom line. Instead, it was Rosaline who revealed her status as a rebirth realm cultivator¡ªignoring pleas and cries of forgiveness, she washed the clearance clean with blood.


    After that bloody culling, no one seemed opposed to Leonardo establishing a monarchy in his ckrain Fiefdom, but it was unknown whether this silent eptance was a prelude to something of greater significance.


    Every rebirth realm cultivator was a tactical resource in any organization and wouldn''t be dispatched so easily as they would normally be responsible for governing areas of utmost importance.


    An unknown rebirth realm cultivator making an appearance is definitely something that would make waves across the province, especially since there weren''t any records of rebirth realm cultivators crossing over the borders in the recent three years.


    That is to say, the possibility of hidden rebirth realm cultivators in the shadows of this small province was rather high¡ªthat is something to dread.


    This might even draw out one or two Magistrates into making an appearance personally to investigate Rosaline''s situation and history¡ªrebirth realm cultivators don''t simply pop out of thin air.


    Right?


    However, that was the least of Leonardo''s worries as he approached the region of the former beast w sect, Rosaline and Victoria following behind him while curiously inspecting the ce.


    Not about anyone had the permit to ess the mountain range behind the designated clearance area of the future city, but Leonardo had the credentials required to go past the security measures overlooked by a rebirth realm cultivator dispatched by the City Magistrate Manor.


    It was curious as to why this cultivator didn''t make a move when Leonardo was ganged up on by those divinities¡ªwas it beneath them to make a move against divinities or were they waiting to probe out Leonardo''s power?


    At the end of the day, it didn''t really matter much to Leonardo as these little tricks pose no threat whatsoever to Leonardo.


    "Mm? This ce is quite interesting¡ªI sense the remnant auras of powerful creatures," Rosaline flipped her eyes across the distant mountains, her brows raised. "Many of them at that."


    "Good eye," air distorted and rippled, a mature woman stepped out from the depths of the mountain range, giving Rosaline a curious look. "This used to be a battlefield of ancient beasts¡ªsome say that a god beast made an appearance as well, but no one can prove that notion."


    Rosaline heard this woman speak but acted as though she didn''t, curiously inspecting the w marks on the mountains until her visionnded on a massive mountain in the center¡ªeven her vision proved incapable of reaching the peak.


    A sting of pain caused her crimson eyes to flicker as she snapped them shut from a sudden rush of pain.


    "Even the spiritual sense of a star lord can''t probe past the mountain''s waist¡ªI advise you not to try anymore," this woman saw through Rosaline''s attempt to scout the main mountain peak, advising kindly with a hint of concern. "At least, one must understand the intent left behind by that mythical god beast."


    Rosaline held her forehead, sighing. "I''m alright," she whispered a reply. "It''s really interesting."


    ''I do have my ns for this ce, of course.'' Leonardo''s eyes glimmered with anticipation as he inspected the vast stretch of what could be considered an ancient inheritance.


    No matter how overbearing these intents are, he was absolutely certain they wouldn''t do much of bacsh, especially with the throne fragment anchoring his sub-dimension.


    "Victoria," Leonardo''s thoughts raced and he quickly turned to the maiden, "Go back and fetch Merlin, Elizabeth and her grandfather, and Madeline¡­"


    Leonardo needed to finish up a few unsettled knots with the girls before starting his preparations to include the ancient battlefield in his sub-dimension¡ªhe nned to temper hisws to the extreme under the pressures of these ancient beings.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This might take a lot of time and hence, he wanted to hand Merlin over to Rosaline for obvious reasons¡ª it would be great if the ''Blood Monarch'' could help out.


    In the worst-case scenario, Leonardo would utilize the ck market channels and search for tier 5 or tier 6 natural treasures.


    "As you wish," Victoria bowed her head, a trace of disappointment in her eyes. Of course, Leonardo caught up to that, chuckling. "I''ll ask you to relieve my stresster tonight, if you''re willing."


    Almost three years of stiff cultivation dulled Leonardo''s senses to the limits, and he desired the pleasures of the flesh to satisfy his vanity.


    Victoria had obviously been feeling a bit dissatisfied that he had graced Madeline with more ''intimate'' attention, especially giving her some precious cultivation resources to perfect her sub-dimension into a functional dimension in preparations for core moulding and singrity thereafter.


    Rosaline to the side rolled her eyes, almost moving up to chide Leonardo then and there if it weren''t for the presence of another rebirth realm cultivator.


    As for the mature woman, she felt embarrassed being exposed to such shameless conversations. Nheless, it was her job to oversee the transfer of permission to the eye of the formation, and she couldn''t leave before confirming the credentials involved.


    As for Victoria, her face flushed red and she quickly rushed off, not even looking back at the group¡ªeliciting augh from Leonardo.


    After Victoria left, Leonardo and Rosaline followed the mature woman into the depths of the mountain range and in half a day''s time of procedures, the transfer of control was already concluded.


    For some reason, Leonardo passed down the handling of the formation to Rosaline, confusing the other woman. Still, this wasn''t her domain of concern and thus she didn''t bother inquiring about it.


    ¡­


    Not many people had the chance to meet the City Magistrate face to face. However, those who did would be surprised to find that he stayed in a normal room and not a sub-dimension of his own.


    A screen of water unfurled in front of this man with a robust stature, brown locks of hair, and a scar that didn''t ruin his face but quite the opposite¡ªit added a bit of charm to his character.


    The water screen seemed foggy and distorted¡ªthe person on the other side was unclear.


    "An unknown rebirth realm cultivator? Have your men identified her current stage?" asked the voice in the mirror.


    The Magistrate shook his head. "She''s definitely above zero, but it''s undetermined whether she''s at the moulding or singrity stages." his fingers lightly tapped a fine to his side.


    "She''s definitely not the person responsible for eradicating the hidden sects then," muttered the voice in the mirror, "That one is at least an inception stage who can force thews of a perfect world to submission."


    "What should our stance be then?"


    The City Magistrate might be the pinnacle of authority in a city, but he was far from that when taking the county in mind, let alone the entire province.


    The way to act in the presence of a fledgling county is something decided by those officials of provincial rankings, much like the person behind the screen of water.


    The voice was silent for a moment. Then, a voice slowly drifted over, "Maintain a neutral business rtionship with them as a show of goodwill and an investment¡ª I have a premonition that this fledgling kingdom will shift the secr and martial factions in the near future."


    The Magistrate was confused¡ªif they could grow to that extent, would the world let them be?

 Chapter 212 Black Market In Blackrain

    Frederick sat in his private study, rubbing his forehead while groaning out in discontent at thetest record to havended in his hands.


    Reia and Damian stood in front of Frederick, their expressions a bit awkward.


    "So he kicked everyone out of his city after itspletion and announced that the formation would be on lockdown for the next few years to at least a decade?" Frederick felt an oing headache trying to process the situation.


    Why would he advertise the establishment of amon hubbub for solo cultivators and a ck market if he were going to shut off all outsiders on the day ofpletion?


    Frederick''s eyes widened as he cursed under his breath.


    Reia might be weak, but she was quite the clever one and she had also brought up this point to Damian on the way¡ªboth of them eventually came to one conclusion.


    He was using the fake news as both a deterrent and means of protection¡ªbut why would he need that if he had a rebirth realm cultivator in his camp?


    Obviously, he spent thest three years finding that support, while all these cultivators were used as a front¡ªa protective talisman that bought him the time needed.


    Now with a rebirth realm cultivator in the house, those people are redundant.


    If it weren''t for the contract between Frederick and Leonardo, he would have been duped as well. Thus, he couldn''t help butugh to himself.


    Reia spoke up just then, "My lord, since we have a contract of ownership to a piece ofnd in the city then why were we chased out too?"


    She was genuinely confused about this.


    Yes, he ate his words after dering to the whole world¡ªbut which cultivator keeps to their words nowadays? It was all for benefits unless tied down by a contract.


    Frederick tapped the smooth desk that refreshed one''s senses with a smell of nature and said, "Our contract stiptes that the distribution of thend would ur on the day of opening the city''s gates¡­" Frederick sighed.


    Reia''s eyes widened, feeling the urge to curse.


    "He fooled me, that brat," Frederickughed, "He gave the illusion of being in a rush to establish the city and seek protection from the solo and wandering cultivators, but it was all a sham to have me build that ck market for him.


    "Now, all he has to do is procrastinate till wee forward and offer more benefits¡ªthe city doesn''t need to open its gates today, this year, or this century even. He can even drop the whole city project altogether and build a simple auction with the prepared venue and an underground ck market, especially since people from the ck market are already aware of this ce and they''d definitely flood him with their deals¡­"


    Unknowingly, Frederick was wiping his own forehead with a napkin while talking. As for Reia who prided herself in being smart, her back was already drenched cold.


    Frederick has yet to tell them that Leonardo mapped all of this out within the span of a day ever since he noticed the dynasty''s ploy and the shady dealings of the Azure Lane.


    However, he truly didn''t think much of this slight trick, it was something he valued as much as a non-cultivator using sleight of hand to y the magician.


    Frederick was confused about one thing, what was Leonardo''s goal in doing all of this?


    ¡­


    "Are you sure these are your conditions?" A man cloaked in ck was currently seated in the ruins of what seemed like a meeting hall in its golden days.


    "My conditions are very clear¡ª I want a seat in the organization as the one responsible for ck market dealings in this region with ess to the informationwork. In exchange, you will have a permanent slot of residence or business in any location of your choosing throughout the county."


    In front of this man in ck was, of course, Leonardo. The two had been going back and forth with terms and conditions of allowing the ck market into ckrain''s territory through proper channels.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The man furrowed his eyebrows, "Make it three spots, I''ll consider it then." He tapped the stone table, each word of his slow and heavy.


    Leonardo raised his eyebrows, touching his chin a momentter as he sank into thoughts. Then, he sighed and tossed over a parchment with many ingredients listed on its surface, "Two spots and the protection of our rebirth realm cultivator. In exchange, you''ll help me gather these materials within five years."


    Leonardo''s eyes shed¡ªhe intended to give all of his knowledge in regards to magic and its profundities to Merlin to keep her upied.


    She was already approaching her mid-thirties and bordering her forties. If it weren''t for the preservation of medicines, her face might already be full of wrinkles due to overwhelming herself with hours of research driven by fear of dying without aplishing anything.


    Although she didn''t say it, Leonardo and anyone with a high enough spiritual sense could feel her desperation. Thus, before finding a solution for her predicament, Leonardo couldn''t just seclude himself in cultivation to attack the zero rebirth and star core realms yet.


    He nned to incorporate the mountain range and his sub-dimension into the star core, which means it would take a lot of time simply tame the leftover remnants of consciousness since the ancient war.


    The man across from Leonardo nced over the materials on the parchment, a lot of them were exotic and rare materials of a very high tier.


    Leonardo intentionally mixed up the materials that Merlin required with many more, not forgetting to add a portion for Elizabeth as well since she was very crucial¡ªnot to the research but to Merlin.


    "I agree to these conditions if you allow us to station a ck market in your future capital¡ªthat''s our bottom line."


    Leonardo suddenly woke up from his deep thoughts, realizing that the man in front was struggling for a while with making a decision but eventually folded to the lucrative terms.


    Leonardo pped his hands, "Great!"


    The two of them immediately got into signing the contract and the follow-up details, sessfully solving the economical department for ckrain¡ªalbeit through improper channels.


    Leonardo didn''t care about that though, the clean channels will definitely be filtered out from the connections to the ck market, and everything will naturally happen in due time.


    Furthermore, time is the only thing Leonardo wasn''tcking at the moment, especially since he could feel Ingrid doing just fine.


    The moment he achieved rebirth he would go fetch the two.


    Thinking about how he would deal with Nier after finding her, a smirk adorned his lips.


    ¡­


    Leonardo silently made his way into an underground chamber in the outer regions of the mountain range¡ªthese are the locations his advancement wouldn''t affect much under Rosaline''s protection.


    He found Merlin and Elizabeth carrying boxes from one corner of the room to the next, smudges of dirt on their whiteboratory coats and perspiration moistening their foreheads.


    With a chuckle, he drew their attention.


    Merlin''s eyes sparkled, "You''re finally here to help out?"


    Seeing the fatigue in her eyes, Leonardo wasn''t in the mood to joke around anymore and shrugged, reaching for aboratory coat nearby instead of offering a verbal reply.


    "Where did your search for truth lead you thus far?"


    Leonardo asked, approaching the messy desk with hundreds of papers¡ªall depictingplex diagrams and notes¡­

 Chapter 213 Advising Merlin And Elizabeth

    "Mm¡­ You girls have aplished a lot while I was away," Leonardo swept his eyes across the numerous papers, the white triangles in his eyes spinning slowly the more he read. "Energy perseverance? I see, I see¡­"


    It didn''t take long for Leonardo to finish going through years of documents and research¡ªhis speed at all didn''t surprise the two girls as he was a cultivator, unlike them who could only do things by the book.


    It should be said that their mental fortitude was indeed exceptional, or should he call it that their pursuit of knowledge was too staunch? They didn''t even react to the change in Leonardo''s eyes.


    Well, Elizabeth was too conservative to look Leonardo in the eyes while Merlin was, as Leonardo spected, too bothered to even consider the changes in his person.


    Thud!


    Merlin dropped a heavy stack of papers, scrolls, and books on the studyboratory table next to Leonardo¡ªthe fragrance of her sweat and natural odor tickling his senses while she leaned closer and began to highlight the points of confusion in her theorem.


    "We''ve tried all kinds of materials typically used for runic inscriptions¡ªat least those of which we were able to mend into foldable scrolls. This undoubtedly lowered the quality of the magic scrolls as it correspondingly decreased the volume and magnitude of energy we could store within¡ªour issue right now isn''t about imnting energy but keeping it dormant until the user proactively activates it."


    Leonardo quickly snapped out of his impure thoughts as influenced by Merlin''s focus and determination. She spat a dozen or soplicated forms, all containing variations of magic theory, maindws of physics, inferences from runic inscriptions, and some experimental results of interactions betweenws derived from cultivators and the world.


    Leonardo was absolutely astounded by these research results and he couldn''t help but let out a chuckle, though his smile was that of gratification and praise.


    "I understand," said he as his hand reached out towards a prototype magic scroll with iplete runic inscriptions, ripples of fragmented worldly energy, and psychic powers lingering about its surface. "I have a Goddaughter whose specialty is to perceive these psychic waves¡ªbut the limits of her perception are beyond the minds of just non-cultivators, it could be said that I''ve grasped a bit of how her martial intent works fundamentally¡­"


    Leonardo muttered as the triangles in his eyes spun even faster, all knowledge pertaining to runic inscriptions that Elizabeth used as a guideline in teaching Merlin flowing in his mind whilst his innate ability began to deduce a form ofbining the psychic waves and inscriptions.


    Since worldly energy can''t seal the magic spells due to its nature of passively triggering interactions, perhaps bncing it out with the neutral force of the human brain as an istion mechanism would work just fine.


    As his thoughts spun while he observed the papers and the prototype, Leonardo moved to a nearby board and picked up a piece of white jade infused with worldly energy.


    He wanted to imbue his understanding into the words he wrote to makeprehending the principles theory much easier for Merlin and Elizabeth.


    Just like that, Leonardo spent the following hours writing and disposing of diagrams on the wide ckboard, depicting a tool simr to the inscription quill but had a set of inscriptions carved into the structure, allowing for the infusion of worldly energy from apartment designed to host ether fragments and a rune designed to draw in someone''s psychic powers.


    The distribution of energy would be set to a 9:1 ratio, with a film of physics energy imnted first whenever the tool was used to inscribe, leaving the worldly energyst.


    This way, any external psychic wave could terminate the dormant force, allowing the energy to rush into the original spell and activate under the excitation of worldws contained within the unadulterated worldly energy.


    The theory looked very simple but it would be very difficult to put things into practice¡­ Hell, the 9:1 ratio was just a conservative estimate but no one truly knows the actual ratio just yet or what it represents.


    Leonardo as well as Merlin and Elizabeth knew this, but the two girls were still bbergasted by the idea of using something that was so simple like the human mind''s psychic waves in such an ingenious manner.


    Leonardo didn''t think this was ingenious however as intelligence and focus were crucial criteria to every magician¡ªit represented their foundation.


    The triangles in his eyes slowly stopped spinning at high speeds, Leonardo''s solemn expression breaking down into a faint smile as he turned around to the girls with a light sigh. "This should be the umtion of my entire understanding behind the magic theory, hopefully, this can satisfy you girls?"


    Elizabeth felt flustered and lowered her head, tugging at Merlin''s long sleeves to respond instead.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Merlin snapped out from her trance, eyes sparkling as she muttered to herself iprehensibly. Then, she rushed forward and began pushing Leonardo out of theboratory while sounding absolutely hysterical.


    "Fine! Fine! This is enough! Enough! You can leave now, bye!"


    m!


    Leonardo stood in front of theboratory room, stunned.


    A momentter, however, heughed bitterly and left, unaware that Merlin was glued to the door, tears rolling down her flushed red face¡ªunknown if it was excitement or something else.


    ¡­


    It was already so deep into the night, and Leonardo silently made it into his private courtyard at the foot of the mountain where heprehended his initial mastery of the beast w technique.


    As he entered the room, he was stunned for a bit and then quickly realized what was going on¡ªhe did tell her to satisfy his urges at night.


    That''s right, Victoria sat on the bed, dressed in her ck maiden outfit with a lowered head, and a hint of pink could be seen stretching from her ears to her neck.


    She felt a pair of pitch-ck eyes staring at her intently, growing fuzzy and anxious at the same time as she clutched the hems of her skirt.


    "Did I keep you waiting too long?"


    Leonardo took light steps as he arrived in front of this usually staunch and fierce woman, picking up her chin under his right thumb, ayer of destion washing across her figure without an ounce of retaliation on her part.


    Then, she felt the constraints on her skin thin out as a gentle breeze tickled her nude figure¡ªshe didn''t need to think twice to realize her nudity at the moment.


    However, this was even the more reason for her flush to extend from her face to her entire body, a tingling sensation in her lower abdomen, prompting her thighs to squeeze firmly, disying alluring muscles and power.


    "I didn''t wait that long¡ª¡­" she started, but was rudely interrupted by a sensation ambiguous to her mind.


    Strong lips sealed her mouth shut as a meandering tongue set out to explore her oral cavity while entangling with the lump of pink flesh within, immediately taking it hostage in a smooth and quick retreat.


    This was the beginning of yet another conquest of the mind and body on Leonardo''s end, but there was little to no resistance at all as everything progressed smoothly.


    Victoria''s physique wasparable if not superior to Wendy''s even as thetter continually refined her body. Hence, even as Leonardo breached the gates to an uncharted, warm, and tight space; she had plenty of energy to asionally retaliate.


    Night never seemed so short and day never felt shorter


    ¡ªthe conqueststed for three days and three nights¡­

 Chapter 214 Rebirth Tribulation

    Victoria woke up from a deep slumber, her skin flushed red from the passion while her legs felt numb. She realized that as the sunlight sprinkled into the room, she was all alone on the massive bed¡ªall signs of the previous activities through day and night wiped clean from both her body and the sheets.


    ¡­


    Leonardo stretched his body as he walked through the tall mountains, immense pressure weighing down on his body as he advanced toward the depths of this ancient battlefield.


    A region that only rebirth realm cultivators dared tread into stretched infinitely in front of him, but he didn''t bother hesitating and continued with one step at a time, each step carrying him tens of kilometers ahead.


    The massive protective formation allowed for the pressure to greatly reduce¡ªthough notpletely, it was to a bearable extent.


    The more he advanced, the lesser evident was the white triangle in his eyes, the lesser the presence of his multiple martial intents as he isted his innate domain to slowly stretch out.


    "This is where I''ll have my rebirth tribtion," muttered Leonardo as ck tears streamed down his otherwise indifferent face the further in he progressed.


    Shadows of mythical beings of all sizes asionally shed through the distorted domain of his eternal night martial intent, an aura of time''s long gone interacted with his boundless karma.


    Karma and fate are curious things; to take on someone''s karma is to inherit the good and bad of their past and present, mending it into your future.


    It could be said that karma followed the principles of equivalent exchange¡ªhe might be about to take in their powers, but he would also take their burdens.


    Whatever it was that caused the downfall of these god beasts in the core maind, whatever bad blood or history they had, just like how he took the burden of the Infernal Throne on his shoulders and tread the path or re-establishing the six infernal nes; he would need to seek the remnant descendants of these ancient beasts and shelter them, and eradicate their enemies.


    Even if he didn''t find the mysterious existence behind the downfall of these beasts, that mysterious existence will still find him to snuff out the danger within Leonardo and the potential rise of god beasts.


    Leonardo found it an appealing idea to have god beasts take habitat in his small world in the future¡ªhow marvelous would that be?


    It was with these thoughts that Leonardo stopped in the center of the mountain range on a medium-sized peak¡ªhe could view the entire mountain range in all directions, the borders of which a vast stretch of greenery in three directions, the fourth a vast clearance meant for the ckrain city.


    "Very soon," Leonardo muttered while immersing himself in his thoughts, a probing sensation rippling through space to feel the presence of Rosaline nearby and Ingrid very, very far away.


    The signal was very dim and illusory, but it was still there.


    She was still in the same region as hisst probing attempt, clearly adhering to his instructions andying low in wait.


    That was good, he wouldn''t want to run around the maind looking for them just as depicted in many dramatic novels on Earth.


    From high divinity to zero rebirth¡ªthe process didn''t require much ether but had to do with the alignment ofws as they descended together with the sub-dimension trapped between the corporeal and ethereal nes into the corporeal ne, fusing into the cultivator''s domain, body, essence, and spirit.


    Without hesitation, Leonardo began to release his slumbering domains one after the other, their stacks ovepping and enshrouding the entire mountain range slowly yet gradually.


    The sky dimmed as clouds from seemingly nowhere and everywhere began to congregate high above¡ªthews of heaven passively rejecting the advent of a sub-dimension as it pushed past the borders of space to enter this world.


    Leonardo could feel the clouds pressure heavily against his domain like falling mountains, cracks webbing the surface of it.


    Every time the domain is about to crack open, the second domain would follow not to substitute for the deficiencies but to reinforce, establishing yet a new and more resilient domain.


    If the clouds of the tribtion tore apart his domain and allowed thews of the world to flood in, they would immediately reject the advent of the sub-dimension and one needn''t exin Leonardo''s end if this situation was toe about.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Disembodied chants in the ancient infernal tongue began to echo within the borders of Leonardo''s domain, and with the guide of his innate martial intent and its domain, the remaining domains began to blend beautifully into an intricate stubbornly thwarting the intrusion of the tribtion clouds.


    ¡­


    "What''s that?!"


    Far from the borders of ckrain City, the divinities that have yet to leave and the rebirth realm cultivator dispatched by the Magistrate Manor looked in the direction of the beast w mountain range, bbergasted.


    "Someone is going through their rebirth tribtion!"


    People quickly realized the situation for what it was, thinking that a high divinity was bold enough to attempt this dangerous step.


    If one''s martial intent and domain weren''t strong enough, the tribtion clouds would steamroll both them and their pitiful domains in no time, leaving nothing behind but a crippled fool at best while leaving absolutely nothing behind at worst.


    This hurdle that is both a chance and a curse to divinities stumped many aspiring cultivators¡ªthis was a great divide between powers and a shifting point in one''s destiny.


    Rosaline passed it easily as the sub-dimension she made into her personal dimension was already prepared for her, immersed in thews of this world for millions of years.


    Leonardo on the other hand¡ªhe had to pull down an external, borderline alien sub-dimension into a xenophobic, jealous, andwfully hostile environment.


    This was never meant to be easy.


    Just as everyone was waiting to watch a good show, their expressions changed.


    "Hey¡­ Aren''t the clouds growing too dense and too wide?"


    "Now that you''ve mentioned it, they''re indeed expanding rapidly, that''s twice the size of a standard tribtion already, yet that domain has yet to budge."


    "Idiot! Is it time to admire?! I mean that if we don''t hurry back already, we will get caught up too!"


    Many people also noticed this, and unless they were in a rebirth realm or had the help of a rebirth realm, they started dashing away frantically while cursing.


    Unfortunately, a lot of them were too close and hence ended up consumed by the aura of the tribtion, thin streaks of lightning shooting down like divine judgment to snipe off at the fleeing divinities like ants.


    Leonardo''s expression was serious as he could sense that his sub-dimension was facing some trouble¡ªit was very far from this ce''s spatial nodes and even though it was shuttling through space at the speed of light, it would still take some time to appear.


    While all of this was happening, the tribtion clouds kept piling up as thunderstorms rumbled in the sky, pressing heavily against his domain.


    His eyes opened to the extreme as ck blood spilled out, the eternal night martial intent almost substantiated into physical form as ck streams of light began to dance across the surface of his domain, continually mending, fixing, and perfecting the fusion of four domains into a solid dome.


    Leonardo always knew that the technique of merging all of his domains into one woulde helpful the moment he advanced to the rebirth realm¡ªit was a solid intuition that came to fruition at this moment.


    Hence, he didn''t hold back as his deductions and calctions spun like crazy in his mind.


    Luckily he had a split soul in the form of a soul pearl that focused on guiding the sub-dimension through the space nodes¡ªhe wouldn''t have been able to focus on both ends at the same time if it weren''t for that.

 Chapter 215 Already Done?

    When the phenomenon reached a certain extent, someone finally muttered shakily, "This is no longer a heavenly tribtion, it''s a retribution!"


    Dark clouds engulfed the entire mountain range at this point and no one could pry past them to spectate the ongoing tribtion. Moreover, they could hear the crackling thunderstorms in the belly of each cloud, about to descend like the advent of a pandemonium.


    This much power brewing in the dark cast a spell of despair on everyone present at the scene, making them feel stifled. At this point, everyone realized that the high divinity undergoing the zero rebirth must be Leonardo¡ªotherwise Rosaline and a group of women wouldn''t be standing to the side, with abundant worry in their eyes.


    Rosaline''s had to keep a protective domain around the group as their strength wasn''t up to par, let alone two non-cultivators in their midst.


    News about this tribtion was quickly sent back through the proper channels to both interested and irrelevant parties¡ªthe oue of such divulgence remains unknown.


    While all of this happened, things were getting even more hectic within the dome of the tribtion.


    Thews from the sub-dimension were already starting to surface on Leonardo''s body in myriad phenomena; sometimes cold and sometimes hot; sometimes radiant and sometimes dark; sometimes dusty and sometimes ash; all thews seemed to sh.


    Leonardo''s skin began to splinter but that was not all, he could feel the mental barrier of his sea of consciousness together with the spirit bend as well.


    As a medium ofw, his body was about to disintegrate and disperse throughout the region of his domain, assisting in the assimtion of the foreign sub-dimension and the native forces to the core maind.


    Leonardo quickly began to lose sensation throughout his entire body¡ªthere wasn''t any pain, it was all numb.


    A faint indistinct heartbeat thumped in his deep consciousness moments before his mind and spirit blended into the world, a faint voice echoing in his mind.


    "Cold mes of vengeance thrumming from my heart; thumping through my veins; what are exalted gods but pitiful victims in my hands?!"


    Thump!


    A faint ck ripple of energy spread from Leonardo''s body the moment it dissolved into threads ofw, leaving behind a levitating ck heart that thews wound around yet didn''t dare touch or approach.


    This ck wave didn''t only propel Leonardo''s consciousness to proliferate the entire mountain range unhindered by the suppression of the naturalws, but everything seemed to progress too smoothly instead.


    While this happened, unbeknownst to Leonardo, the entire mountain range became a gray area in the perception of everyone who was directly or indirectly paying attention to this region.


    Star lords and those above them didn''t need to be physically present to pry into the situation of the rebirth tribtion¡ªit was unknown whether or not they even cared about it.


    However, for an entire batch of the naturalws to suddenly go incognito in their perception, although the ripple caused by this wasn''t something people in the star realm could fully perceive orprehend¡ªthat''s precisely what made it so intriguing.


    Leonardo didn''t know that his advancement was about to maize the attention of the secr world martial factions to his fledgling kingdom¡ªbut he wouldn''t care either way.


    He knew that whenever he received help from his King''s Karma, there would be a price to pay, and not always would there be someone to help out.


    For example, thest time the ck heart intervened, if he wasn''t careful, everyone around him would have been exterminated by the Interster Supreme Court; Rosaline had even died once and Earth was destroyed.


    Thus, even if he didn''t know what repercussions this might cause, he was mentally prepared.


    He was currently immersed in a great feeling of standing as an overseer or perhaps an overlord. That mysterious push of energy seemed verypatible with his innate martial intent, driving his fluidity ofmanding andprehending the fragmentedws greatly.


    He had assumed it might take a few years for him to mend thesews after drawing the sub-dimension into his domain¡ªhe didn''t want to finish his tribtion before he perfected thews even if he had to go through the tribtion for years toe.


    The ck heart, however, instantly solved this problem.


    All of thesews seemed docile while the spatial nodes smoothed connected¡ªwhether it was due to the split soul or the throne fragment, Leonardo didn''t know.


    Nheless, the sub-dimension and the four intertwined domains smoothly ovepped while the dark retribution clouds past the domain grew even stronger, as though infuriated that Leonardo isted them outside.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    It was like tantly kidnapping the precious children of the heavenlyws and brainwashing them into servitude.


    Once Leonardo''s consciousness spread to anchor all eight directions including the four extremities, the entire mountain range shuddered¡ªeven the main mountain seemed to go silent and inconspicuous under the energy waves from the ck heart.


    Even as Leonardo tried to probe the heart with his mind; it was fruitless.


    He could only feel a sea¡ªan ocean of ck blood tossing and turning inside the heart, nothing more.


    Crack!


    Space shuddered and blurred as two worlds seemed to ovep, images of the familiar yet unfamiliar sub-dimension began to sh by on asion.


    Thews of the two worlds began to sh and fuse, supplementing each other whileplementing strengths and weaknesses.


    These were the foundationalws that will soon construct Leonardo''s new body and hence, the entire process was solemn and delicate, especially when Leonardo''s consciousness began to wane and dim during the assimtion.


    This was thest process of the first phase; death.


    Leonardo was about to experience death and blend into the natural world as one only to experience rebirth and be one and whole with his domain.


    If the domain was breached at this delicate moment¡ªa cultivator can forget about ever experiencing a rebirth in this lifetime. Thus, unless absolutely confident, no one would dare take this step.


    Leonardo was different¡ªthe four domains had already been fused into a sturdy fortress, not to mention reinforced by a mysterious energy that even Leonardo couldn''t understand despite being its source.


    Time trickled by but no one was impatient, this was rebirth and it would take a lot of time.


    No one anticipated it to end anytime soon and thus, many people began to depart from this location as they didn''t really care.


    Half a yearter, only those who truly cared, be it for good or bad reasons, stood far from the edge of the domain.


    Rumble!


    Thend shook as the domain began to shrink considerably, drawing everyone''s attention.


    "Done already?"


    The rebirth realm from the Magistrate Manor was surprised, expecting it to take at least a year and at most five or six years judging by the records left behind by Memento Mori''s rebirth realm cultivators.


    "Is there a problem?"


    Rosaline asked from a distance, furrowing her brows.


    "Not a problem per se¡­" the woman felt a bit awkward, how could she exin this?


    She thought for a moment and said, "The rebirth realm could be said to be a foundational step for everyone who seeks higher realms and typically, the duration of the tribtion reflects the number ofws someone grasped and whether or not theypletely fused with thesews¡­"


    She felt weird that someone with Rosaline''s strength didn''t know about these things but she exined them nheless.


    Now that Rosaline thought about it, she did spend three years understanding and mending thews of the vampire n''s dimension, not to mention it was verypatible with her, to begin with yet it consumed so much time.


    Seeing as a sh of understanding appeared in Rosaline''s eyes, the woman didn''t say anything anymore as she assumed that Rosaline''s worry for Leonardo momentarily clouded her judgment.

 Chapter 216 Winter Fall Pavilion

    The ck dome of no depth began to graduallypress in size. From the natural limit of a rebirth cultivator''s domain and smaller it got.


    Wherever the dome retreated, patches of charrednd and cracked earth were revealed.


    The crust of the earth split open, and fire andva spewed out like dragons. It was a harrowing scene as waterfalls of pandemonium hailed from the ground and rained on all sides, only to be smitten into smithereens by the erratic lightning from high above.


    The heavenly retribution seemed to urge the dome on and on topress and reveal the one within, a person that must die on this day.


    Half a year spent on constructing a body ofw was too little amount of time, many people watching from afar had already passed Leonardo a death sentence as there is no way in hell a body ofw constructed in haste could withstand the wrath of these heavens.


    "His domain is quiterge¡ª it should take half a day for it topletelypress I reckon," said a rebirth realm cultivator dressed in ck. An air of malice eroded his temperament, eluding to his mysterious background as someone from the ck market. These people were dark and entric, their goal was wealth and power by whatever means maye at them.


    That is to say, they never intended to have their prospects at the mercy of the ckrain Monarchy, they rather dispatch a rebirth realm of their own.


    Only, it was quite the hassle to transfer one over, especially with the lockdown on rebirth cultivators deposed by the Luan Dynasty. The Jin and Dong Dynasties must be enjoying the show as the undercurrents began to affect the surface area of the secr factions.


    "It might not take that long," a soft, chime-like voice imputed, drawing everyone''s attention to the sky.


    A woman in a blue gown stood high on the back of a Cloud Crane, also known as the cloud chaser. This was a 6th-tier magical beast the equivalent of a rebirth realm cultivator at the peak of forming a star core¡ª it could evenpare to those in the process of moulding the core into their body ofw.


    "Someone from a great sect!"


    Eximed the man from the ck market. As for the woman, she didn''t seem to hear as her beautiful eyes narrowed, seemingly attempting to pry into this ck shell of a domain but to no avail.


    She wasn''t the only new arrival as many flying beasts began to gather in the sky, each carrying an individual of varying outfits.


    The woman from the Luan Dynasty furrowed her brows, "Are people from the martial faction intending to get involved with our secr affairs?"


    She was obliged to voice out her question as this matter was wholly unprecedented.


    She didn''t expect the reclusive great sects to suddenly show up, not to mention that there were at least a few more months of protection offered to the ckrain County by the Luan Dynasty, making this territory an extension of the dynasty.


    "Your secr affairs? Haha," condescendingughter fell from the sky.


    "Don''t make meugh any more than I can handle; everyone knows that thisnd now belongs to Memento Mori, a gray organization without roots in either of the two factions. Let that brat decide for himself whether this is a matter concerning the marital or the secr factions. For all I knew, he chose the location of a hidden sect to establish a base of operations."


    There was an overwhelming number of cultivators from the martial faction, namely great sects, in the area. That wasn''t to say that the secr factionscked their own powerful cultivators¡ª those cultivators are more often than not tied down by their responsibilities and duties to the throne, incapable of making a move as they wish.


    When someone hears the ratio of seven great sects and three dynasties, they tend to carry the misconception that thetter has fewer experts.


    If the area of influence under each dynasty didn''t stretch them thin with the overload of territories and instead focused on a reclusive region, each dynasty would be as strong if not stronger than three or four sectsbined.


    Above all that, however, resides the Divine Temple, a power with enough deterrence to keep the chips in the bnce between the two factions.


    And in the cracks of these subtle rtionships, organizations like Memento Mori thrive under thebel of gray factions.


    As more and more people pulled up, a loud crack sounded¡ª as though space shattered.


    The dome crumbled into fragments as a massive shadow of a ck halberd tore it apart and proceeded to part the tribtion clouds in the sky.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A massive clearance of a vast blue sky appeared across the horizon.


    The sky wept.


    Thend broke.


    The Sound lost all meaning.


    A man emerged. d in ck. Stripes of white and patterns of red. Long, void-ck tapestry hung on his shoulders, a fluttering ck sky.


    As starless as it was moonless.


    A pair of eyes overflowing with cold malice; sentiment withheld by a pair of slowly rotating triangles.


    The domain twisted into an irregr shape before copsing into a spinning sphere in his left hand, swiftly assimting into what would soon be mentioned throughout the ages as the regal armament.


    The tribtion clouds seemed silent. They seemed mad yet confused. They didn''t bear down with lightning or thunder as to be expected, they patiently waited as he merged the figments of darkness into his body and weapon.


    Leonardo slowly lifted his head and looked up at the quivering clouds, his body shuddering with unbound power ever-so-slightly.


    He didn''t care for the quibbles between the martial and secr factions as of yet.


    Unbound power thrummed within him; anxious for a release.


    Long silver hair whipped about haphazardly as the long halberd swung counterclockwise, an illusion of majesty filling the sky and earth as the shadow of a great halberd covered the horizon, as vast as the tribtion clouds if not greater.


    "Sever Karma,"


    Leonardo whispered as he swung down, yet it didn''t appear as though he did anything at all.


    The shadow of the halberd shed in and out of existence. Three lightning bolts struck down, each resounding with a p to deafen the ears. Coincidently or otherwise, three halberds one ck, one white, and thest red suddenly emerged from the void and struck the lightning bolts head-on.


    Boom!


    sts of air swept the once historical mountain range, carryingva into torrential tsunamis wreaking havoc across the realm.


    "Bind!"


    The woman on the cloud crane spoke, her aura unfolding as a heavy domain pressed down, immediately shunning the aftermath of that exchange; whatever remain after crossing several hundred miles of chaotic regions.


    A sh of surprise surfaced in her otherwise expressionless blue eyes. She was clearer than most on the power residing within the aftershocks, even if her actions seemed redundant.


    "You women from the Winter Fall Pavilion really love to show off; no one here is afraid of some pity shockwaves," a man on another flying mount jeered, feeling disgusted.


    When the divinities apanied by their seniors heard his words, their expressions of awe and reverence stiffened, quickly returning to an indifferent calm.


    The woman didn''t respond, she instead flew down with the cloud crane next to Rosaline''s group, a bit of interest in her eyes as she eyed up thetter''s figure and beauty.

 Chapter 217 A Bit Of Conflict

    Leonardo could feel every fiber of his being buzzing with joy as the decimated lightning rushed through the halberd and into his body. Thesepletedws conformed with his, giving them a pulse of virtual life per se.


    He felt no pain from lightning as it only enhanced his thunderforce intent, but that didn''t mean it was of no benefit. On the contrary, other than a pain buffer, Leonardo didn''t allow his thunderforce to feed on the heavenly retribution lightning as it was a necessity to mould his core into his body and reform it anew with theprehendedws and the heavenlyws as a foundation.


    Like a blossoming flower, Leonardo''s domain expanded once more and covered the area of mayhem, putting the mes on thend to rest as a scene of mountains and rivers unfolded.


    Leonardo''s domain represented the eighteen elements in addition to time, space, and chaos. Although he couldn''t offensively make use of thesews, a subdivision attribute derived from their essence could augment his skills and battle techniques nheless.


    A bright moon hung in the sky of his domain as the world ironically lost color and life began to wane like theing of autumn in the heart of spring.


    More lightning rained down and before they struck thendscape, a halberd''s shadow would emerge from space and sh with the bolts.


    It was three halberds at first, then six, then nine, and they kept on multiplying.


    Crimson shadows, white shadows, ck shadows, and some even intersecting and weaving into joined colors, most of them crimson and white.


    Even Victoria and Madeline could see the resemnce this had to the Ninth Inception Arrow technique at this point, let alone the seasoned rebirth realm cultivators.


    "He''s actually using the heavenly retribution to practice a new technique?!"


    A lot of people noticed Leonardo''s aim from the tribtion. It was a known fact that someone''s domain was an extension of their body and hence, unfolding a domain during tribtion was like giving the heavens a bigger target to strike at.


    Watching as patches of green were sted into charred bits under the shower of thunder dumbfounded the crown.


    "Idiot," the woman from Winter Fall Pavilion furrowed her brows. "He''s destroying his own foundations."


    Swoosh!


    Seven swords of blood circled around the woman, pointing at her throat from all the critical angles, and an even denser formation of pikes and spears pinned down her mount. Before she realized it, she was surrounded by a swamp of dense blood with no escape, a sensation as though hundreds of eyes were all around her, passing her with a death sentence.


    "Better watch your tone, little girl."


    The world of blood disappeared, retracting into Rosaline''s pores as her crimson eyes stared dead fixedly at this woman. The cloud crane felt its blood run cold, as though about to disobey the bodily instinct and discharge from every hole on its body in subservience to Rosaline.


    From this distance, Rosaline could suck both the mount and its master dry from blood with but a thought. A fight wasn''t even necessary.


    Even though Rosaline looked much younger than the woman on the crane, no one cared about that at the moment. In fact, even if she imed to be of their forefather''s generation, no one would care. This was too weird.


    "Are you a vampire?"


    Two more rebirth realm cultivators of the singrity realm descended, cing Rosaline in a triangle. To their knowledge, blood maniption was a forbidden martial intent exclusive to vampires, but vampires had silver hair and crimson eyes.


    Rosaline checked for crimson eyes, but her hair was pitch-ck, much like her dress.


    "Are you people mad?" Snarled the woman from the Luan Dynasty. "Is your intelligence department filled with ipetent fools? That brat Leonardo is associated with House Hestia, a vassal of the Jin Dynasty''s Interster Supreme Court¡ª their martial intent has something to do with blood maniption too."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Hah! Are you listening to yourself? The vassals of a vassal, furthermore from a ster world; a pastoral environment to groom livestock! You''re telling me a rebirth cultivator spawned from there? A singrity realm at that?"


    The woman was stumped for words as she also came to a sudden realization.


    "Still," she continued to argue, "the vampires have been cursed due to their foolishness, they only have one rebirth realm cultivator left and he is stuck at the peak of moulding; his blood is too impure to achieve singrity with his star core."


    Her argument was also sound; everyone was aware of the current situation in the vampire n. Thus, they were at an impasse.


    "If you want to fight; just get it over with."


    Rosaline was impatient, not to mention that if it weren''t for Leonardo, she would have long stormed her way into the Jin Dynasty and started a massacre of rage and vengeance for her fallen nsmen by now.


    "You''re quite bold, aren''t you?" The man who jeered at the Winter Fall Pavilion woman spoke again, his eyes sparkling with interest; not lust, pure interest.


    "There isn''t anything that we of the Memento Mori Brotherhood dare not do, and time stands as the best witness to it all," Madeline, the clear-headed and the recognized Miaden 001 spoke up at this point, bow in hand despite her pitiful cultivation base.


    She wasn''t afraid that a rebirth cultivator may bully her as she had the entire organization behind her back.


    "Hey girl; don''t confuse right and wrong. That woman was the first to attack someone from the martial faction. You can''t bully people like that."


    "That woman insulted Young Master Leonardo, she''s lucky we didn''t have at her tongue and hold her entire sect responsible," Madeline responded, unconcerned.


    "All of this for that kid? He is just a fresh rebirth realm cultivator; it is his blessing that so many singrity realms are watching his ascension, to begin with."


    "Wrong, it is your nine lives of fortune to witness little Leo ascending," Rosaline cut in, snorting.


    "You wench," the young man''s face went dark, but an elder who stood next to him on the flying mount stopped him.


    He understood the mattress of hierarchy in great organizations too well. For example, the son of the sect leader, even if he was an infant, would hold a higher position than a singrity realm cultivator. The same for the secr world.


    "What do you mean by the young master, little girl?" The old man asked politely, an amicable smile on his face.


    Madeline snorted, replying not out of fear but to prevent things from escting due to the other party''s ignorance. "Grandmaster Sin personally dispatched Junior Brother to arrange for Young Master Leonardo to join the Memento Mori Brotherhood. Tell me, is insulting him not akin to pping Grandmaster Sin in the face? Can a mere Grand Sect handle something like this?"


    "This woman is the only person close enough to the young master, to call him directly by name without his difort," she then pointed at Rosaline, continuing with a faint smile. "Do you find it odd for her to strike in his name?"


    The old man stopped listening to the moment he heard the mention of Grandmaster Sin, chaos shuffling in his head. He felt too dizzy. The first generation disciples of Grandmaster Sin; each with an unfathomable power.


    Junior Brother was from the second generation batch and he was already a star lord, less need to be said about the first generation and the one who nurtured them all.


    Thinking like this, the old man''s bones wobbled under his skin.

 Chapter 218 Core Moulding

    Coughed the old man gently.


    "Youngsters are prone to express themselves without thinking in the presence of their peers," he said with a faint smile on his face. Thest thing he needed was for a youngster from his sect to invoke trouble with a gathering of madmen.


    After dropping that sentence, he dragged the youth away and ascended into the sky.


    At most, the little tidbit of information about how high Leonardo''s status was in the eyes of Grandmaster Sin was a worthy exchange for this bit of humiliation. The other party who joined the triangle, a pair of middle-aged cultivators a man and a woman, exchanged a look and decided to withdraw as well.


    Now, it was only that woman from the Winter Fall Pavilion who stood in a standoff against Rosaline, who had a smile of derision on her face. "Are you going to apologize yet or must I have at your tongue?"


    The woman furrowed her brows with displeasure. However, after weighing her options, she smiled despite her anger. "I''m sorry; I misspoke just then."


    She could feel numerous eyes bearing down on her back, most of which held unkind intentions. She made sure to stealthily mark down the aura of each gaze and remember it in her heart; she will slowly hunt down these idiots who don''t know any better.


    She can''t act up now and embarrass herself more than need be. Thus, she beat down the curiosity in her heart and the impulse to question Rosaline, ascending back into the sky.


    Rosaline snorted, but she didn''t press on anymore. She knew that it was only so much influence from Memento Mori she could borrow, it was unwise to overstep her boundaries even if in Leonardo''s name.


    As a former n leader, she knew how to be flexible when the need arises.


    Her eyes glowed with splendor as she cast her gaze into the distance, a domain of utter destruction epassed hundreds upon hundreds of miles. In the center of it, all was Leonardo, draped in a fit of crimson ck with a halberd twice his size orbiting his immediate vicinity.


    From the mountains,nds, rivers, and seas; shadows of this weapon shed in and out of space, striking the lightning bolts descending without rhyme or reason to obliterate whatever stood in his domain.


    Many people thought that the destruction brought by the lightning was an irrevocable wound to the foundation.


    They didn''t know that as these currents of lightning charged and overflowed underground they formed an intricatework like the meridians of the human body. They chained up and linked to the core of it all, a pulsing ck heart that was surprisingly stationed in the area designated for the core of the sub-dimension.


    There was no star core, only a dormant ck heart, as still as though it was dead.


    In fact, this wasn''t much of a surprise as many superior races start to deviate in their path of cultivation upon arriving at the rebirth realm. For the Infernals of Eternal Night, the ck heart is their signature manifestation of a star core which wouldter evolve into a world core.


    His dimension would now have a heart, meridian channels, and a neuron system to boot. It almost felt like he was creating a life form, but he quite liked the idea.


    Thinking about it, his split soul which resided within the dimension could also fuse into this creation¡­


    He wouldn''t dare carry on with these thoughts.


    Leonardo breathed deep and heavy, reaching out with a hand to grab that orbiting halberd by its long shaft, feeling it like an extension of his body, weightless and shapeless in his grasp.


    He knew however that this thing contained unimaginable power ofws weaved into a spell of destruction were it to be unleashed without restraints. Then, he looked around at the supposedly dangerous heavenly retribution as tongues of lightning attempted to reach his immediate vicinity to no avail.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    At first, the lightning could make it very close to his body. Then, it could barely cross half the distance through the domain, and its reach kept shrinking.


    It had gotten to a point where Leonardo''s subconscious thought would strike based on premonition with his innate martial intent as a foundation, striking the space where lightning was about to descend preceding the fact.


    "Tsk, is this what you call a genius?"


    The middle-aged woman, one of the two cultivators who resembled a striking pair, spoke up after clicking her tongue. She and her partner were watching silently from start to end how the Ninth Inception Arrow technique was incorporated into a new battle technique unheard of in the past.


    This domain would be a nightmare to encounter inrge-scale battles, especially with that crowd control potential. If he could use this technique with and without the presence of a domain in the future¡­ She didn''t even dare think further down that line.


    The man by her side thought for a moment and said, "He''s not even trying to pass this tribtion¡­ If we can call it a tribtion at this point. Hmm, I heard he has a martial intent that is verypatible with the heavenly lightning, that must be true."


    "Should we try and establish a good rtionship with him then? It seems that Grandmaster Sin values him greatly, I doubt it''s only due to his potential," she replied with a mix of questions and doubts, not knowing how to proceed.


    "No rush," the man shook his head, "the ones who ought to feel antsy at the moment are the Jin Dynasty''s people, they''re most likely putting some diplomatic pressure on the Luan Dynasty as we speak, while the Dong Dynasty is probably enjoying the show."


    It was too early to start choosing sides, especially since conflicting interests had already been mapped out.


    At the moment, the Jins and the Brotherhood are exchanging active blows while the Luan is busy trying to maximize damage control, it could be said that they were in a passive position maintaining a delicate bnce in open court and the unspoken rules of the core maind.


    It had to be said that their move of washing their hands clean from Leonardo as soon as possible whilepensating him with privatend to develop was a wise move.


    Beautiful move.


    The clouds quickly cleared up as what everyone considered a meaningless tribtion faded away.


    Leonardo''s domain, thendscape of mountains and seas, and everything in between dimmed out into an illusory image, slowly retracting into his body. Everyone assumed that the star core was crystalizing, but the fact of the matter was that his entire heart was being consumed and reced.


    However, this ck heart manifested as a star core substitute¡ª an independent dimension per se.


    Whatever aura it pulsed with would be contained perfectly within Leonardo''s body ofw, diluted by the essence of destion. Like this, his activities wouldn''t stand out as a beacon in the dark for the God ne, or any other Throne ne for that matter, not until all seven fragments were gathered.


    Out of which, Leonardo had possession of two, the second yet to have its potential excavated.


    Swoosh!


    The moment Leonardonded in the space of ruin, yet to inspect his body and the beast ws left behind after the war as they now resided within his sub-dimension, many people had already rushed over to surround him.

 Chapter 219 Between The Secular And Martial Factions (2 In 1)

    Thest to arrive was Rosaline in thepany of Merlin, Elizabeth, Victoria, and Madeline. However, they were the least bothered with formalities of the bunch andnded the closest to Leonardo¡ª Rosaline in particr hugged his arm with an enchanting smile.


    "How was it?" She asked, resting her slender finger on his chest, unknowingly averting her gaze from the pitch-darkness that was his eyes. She was too ustomed to sticking close to Leonardo after her episodes as Aria, it all felt too natural for her.


    Leonardo too, felt this to be quite natural as he habitually reached out to pat her head, drawing an unnoticeable mirth in her narrowed, crimson eyes.


    Inwardly, she apologetically stuck out her tongue at her daughter for shamelessly flirting with thetter''s man in broad daylight. However, she also had her boundaries that she would never cross; her husband who she had yet to get any news of.


    She can be many things except unfaithful.


    Even if her rtionship was an arranged one without no feelings whatsoever, she owed the man of her children at least that bit of faith until his fate was no longer a mystery.


    She felt awful that seven parts of her wanted the man dead, two parts wanted him alive, yet forever gone, and one part wanted his return. There was no love lost between them, but some thighs are just inexplicable.


    To everyone else however, it seemed as though Rosaline was unting her status in Leonardo''s heart as though to emphasize that if she wanted, she could go wild in his name and he wouldn''t find faults with her afterward.


    This was the legendary skill, might even call it the w of overthinking that many humans had despite their age and wisdom. It was truly a pity that some things are inherent to the human mind despite years of progression.


    "Young Master Leonardo, a pleasure to meet you," the young man from earlier advanced after receiving a nod from the old man behind him.


    He was quite handsome with standard short ck hair and blue eyes, fair skin, and an impable demeanor. His robes had the insignia of three swords wedged into a tall shield, a crack extending from the core of the shield in three separate directions.


    Leonardo didn''t know what power faction or sect this insignia belonged to, but he had all the time in the world to slowly look into these things.


    He smiled in kind and replied. "Guests, as you can see, I have just finished my tribtion and I need to stabilize my core after the moulding; hopefully you can understand. In the meantime, everyone can wait in the serene ambiance of Greenheart City while I and my subordinates make quick work to tidy up the ce and build a hospitable environment to receive everyone openly and cordially."


    Leonardo wanted to extract thetent ferocious intent left in the w marks and fuse them into his new halberd technique before extracting the mountains and arranging them once again into the terrain, taking advantage of his immense calctive mind frame to build a pce like no other¡ª one that spans over hundreds of miles and wrestles the clouds in heights.


    This thing would undoubtedly take time if it weren''t for his and Rosaline''s high cultivation base. Hearing him say that, the crowd had nothing else to say as they needed to give him that much face.


    Not to mention, even if he wanted to receive them now, should they really be left stranded in the wilderness while discussing matters? That didn''t make any sense.


    "I offended your grace with my silly words earlier, young master." The woman from the Wind Fall Pavilion took this chance to speak up. "Allow this girl to stay behind and help with construction, please."


    She would rather stay behind than leave with these people after that insightful disy. Furthermore, she was worried Rosaline might speak ill of her to Leonardo and hence, she might as well take the initiative to bring the matter while offering freebor aspensation.


    Leonardo gave Rosaline a confused look as she clung to his arm, while thetter merely rolled her eyes with thinned-out lips, not intending to pursue the matter.


    "If you want," Leonardo thought for a moment and responded, "I guess you can be of some help, I''m afraid my cultivation base can''t keep up with therge-scale reconstruction about to take ce. However, just know that you will have to willingly enter my domainter, are you fine with that?"


    Willingly entering the domain of someone else was like handing them a knife and turning your back on them. It was no simple matter, very few would go through with it.


    Not to mention, she would be as good as naked in his perception; no secrets kept whatsoever. This, for a woman, was too critical of a matter.


    Leonardo had to make things clear in the open lest people nder him in the future.


    With so many people standing witness, this won''t backfire on himter on.


    The woman''s expression obviously faltered for a brief moment before the sound of teeth being clenched echoed in everyone''s ears. They didn''t me her; a tough decision to make. She eventually nodded.


    Leonardo was both surprised and curious as to what could she have possibly said that drove her to such extremes; was it really so serious of a matter?


    Whatever, a helping hand would make things much easier, and building a sturdy pce infused by thews of two singrity realm cultivators in addition to his all-epassingws was perfect, to say the least.


    He even nned topress the ether veins underground into a byproduct of his original technique; the soul pearl, and watch the developments of this territory over the years. It might even awaken a guardian spirit on the level of tier 6 or tier 7 natural treasure.


    Everyone else quickly departed, led by the reluctant rebirth realm cultivator from the City Magistrate Manor back into Greenheart City. The group had a particr interest in visiting Leonardo''s former residence in the 7th district.


    Those who chose to stay behind, particrly the survivors from the divinities from regrs to high divinities, Reia and Damian included, stayed behind to observe the spectacle as mountains shifted and rivers flowed into existence out of nowhere, fascinated by what they''d witnessed.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Not everyone had the opportunity to witness how the natural world reacts to the intrusion of matter from a rebirth cultivator''s private dimension and they''d be damned as fools to depart with this chance.


    Madeline and the rest stayed within the protective range of the formation of ckrain City the entire time. Although the city had yet to be built, the foundations for the formation were still there and the city was simply one of the nodes. In fact, Leonardo nned to expand his base of operations now that both he and Rosaline made it into the ranks of rebirth realm cultivators.


    It wouldn''t be difficult to hire wandering cultivators and establish the foundation for a rising power if he did things with moderation and didn''t harm the interests of anyone of importance. The visit from the representatives of the great sects was a good opportunity as they abide by rules restricting their interactions with the secr world in the territories of the three dynasties, but such things were of no significance to Leonardo whatsoever.


    It could be said that the great sects would find a very good business partner in Leonardo, but they too knew not to take things too far.


    He didn''t know much about the Wind Fall Pavilion, but since it had a pavilion suffix in the name, it must be something rted to the auxiliary professions in the cultivation world be it runic inscriptions, alchemy, or artifact forging.


    Whichever it was, this would be a good start.


    For almost an entire month, thend didn''t cease its shaking as mountains tumbled and copsed only to be reenacted once again. Leonardo''s precise calctions amazed the two women as they pulverized, shed, cut, smelted, and connected bs of stone and pirs of marble and precious stones into constructing great halls, pces, corridors, courtyards, gardens, waterfalls, ponds, and they were even capable of creating ss and various alloys under Leonardo''s instructions.


    The way matter interacted and transformed from one state to another and eventually went through a fundamental transformation seemed to contain hidden truths and principles, the entire experience benefitted the woman, greatly at that.


    During their interactions, Leonardo learned her name; Aurora.


    Another pleasant surprise was that the Wind Fall Pavilion was a forging hall which exined why she was confident to promptly help with the construction. She had to admit, the innovative means by which Leonardo practically forged matter without the use of orthodox forging methods aspired her, something he called chemistry to her reference.


    One monthter, the three of them stood on the back of the cloud crane.


    The two women stood to the side while Leonardo satfortably, holding his chin as he admired the construction below. A total of nine great halls and three grand pces with a clear river winding between, mounted by ayer of translucent hardened ss littered with small runic inscriptions matched perfectly based on Leonardo''s understanding and calctions.


    The walls were sparkling white with crimson red, vein-like patterns crawling all over them. Of the three grand pces, one stood conspicuously high, onyx ck in structure while exuding the pressure only those who frequented the old mountain range would recognize¡ª the pressure from the three w marks left behind by the ancient God Beast.


    The stone with the markings was erected at the peak of the staircase leading into the pce; only those who have achieved a cultivation base at the peak of core moulding by Leonardo''s standards can ascend the staircase and enter his private grand pce.


    Of course, for people like Aurora and Rosaline, this entire thing was redundant.


    Who would dare barge into the living quarters of Leonardo after thest disy?


    Nheless, Leonardo has his goals. Although he didn''t say it, he was continually tempering his body ofws with this pressure ording to the methods he learned in the Sky Mountains Region back on Arcadia, nning to have his physique durable enough to withstand the pressure without relying on energy; ether or otherwise.


    "Are you nning to host a meeting in one of the great halls or the grand pces?"


    Aurora inspected the nine halls and three pces that stood like ancient beasts, feeling pleased with herself to have taken part in the creation of such a magnificent scene. This cecked dense and pure ether in the ambiance, otherwise, it would have looked no different from the peaks of a great sect.


    "You can invite them to the fourth great hall, I n to make it into an auction house in the future so it''d be best to get ustomed to it as early as possible." Leonardo touched his chin for a bit and answered.


    "What do you n to auction?" Aurora asked, a bit curious. Luckily, Rosaline didn''t try to sour the rtionship between Leonardo and the Winter Fall Pavilion throughout this month of operating together.


    Leonardo smiled brightly, "What else would I have to offer other than plots ofnd? I will have to forward my ns a bit. With ck Rain City to the east, I will construct three grand cities in the remaining cardinal directions and auction out the position of the city lord; they will answer directly to the Evernight Crown while withholding autonomy over the development of the cities."


    He knew that the great sects wanted to find him for business opportunities but he wasn''t about to get a headache over whom he should please and offend.


    Furthermore, providing the highest bidder with a private city would quickly expose the powerful and wealthy sects, at least those of them who liked to unt their power. Leonardo estimates that the lowkey powers would rather settle with buying an estate or two in one of the cities just to grab a position in the secr world.


    It''s not that the dynasties didn''t want to meddle in the affairs of the great sects or vice versa, it was only that the ancient treaty governed by the Divine Temple restricted them greatly.


    Aurora was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond.


    Indeed, the most valuable thing Leonardo could offer to the great sects at the moment wasnd in the secr world. Although the Martial Script Pavilions in every secr city were a profitable business, the policy of each city restricts the flow of traffic. When you would include the political struggles, the great sects are actually suffering from a great loss.


    If they could govern their own secr domains, things would be different.


    Leonardo''s new territory offered them just that.

 Chapter 220 Three Techniques

    Leonardo entrusted Rosaline and Aurora with apanying the guests to the fourth great hall while he stepped off the Cloud Crane andnded in front of the staircase to his personal grand pce. Boundless pressure covered the long staircase as a sense of ferocity enveloped the steps.


    Leonardo ascended the staircase with a light thud, dressed in white daoist robes.


    As his long silver hair fluttered about, he finally had the chance to review the gains of rushing through from high divinity to zero rebirth and all the way to core moulding; Leonardo basically stormed from level 88 all the way to level 100 during his long tribtion period, all the while he utilized the overclocked innate martial intent to not only mend the fragmentedws from the second throne fragment''s dimension but also deriving the essence of the Ninth Inception Arrow Technique and applying it into his personal arsenal of skills.


    Heplied everything about his four martial intents and various techniques into three solid, ultimate skills for himself. First, a scene that dumbfounded everyone watching from the distance; countless halberds wreathed in crackling ck lightning as they shed in and out of existence to strike at his opponents.


    Second, with the perfection of his domains at the rebirth realm, he also perfected his control over them to an extent where he could concentrate all four of them into a lethal force in the incarnation of a sphere. This technique was great for long-range yet target-focused destructive power, unlike the wide-range crowd control skill mentioned above.


    As for the third, unsurprisingly, it would be the beast w technique from the ancient battlefield mountain range¡ª Leonardo made sure toprehend the intent, and the three strikes that were left behind on the main mountain during its moments of weakness.


    The intent was lofty and indifferent, yet absurdly powerful.


    It was an upsetting fact that Leonardo didn''t get to experience any borate vision from the lingering intent, but he was positive these marks were left behind by the strongest of the known God Beasts; a dragon, and a very young one at that.


    As he progressed further ahead and since he no longer needed to monitor every corner of the mountain range for construction purposes, Leonardo drew back his domain into his body, exposing a clear view of the Evernight Imperial Pce and its subsidiary pces and grand halls to the people outside.


    Currently, only the ckrain City in the east was fairly popted with solo cultivators that migrated over through the past months; their numbers were in the thousands.


    Although everyone could see the mountains shifting through theyer of haze due to the domain, their vision wasn''t as crystal clear as the rebirth realm cultivators in their midst. It was to be expected as the domain of a rebirth realm cultivator could be considered its own small world with a world barrier.


    As Leonardo''s domain retreated gradually, the magnificent scene in the backdrop of the approaching Cloud Crane permitted everyone below in the distance to appreciate the handiwork of three rebirth realm cultivators for an entire month.


    The people from the grand sects, eleven in total, were the first to receive messages while they rested inside the nearby Greenheart City, rushing over quickly. Not only them, but a diplomatic delegate representing the Luan Dynasty left the City Magistrate Manor as well.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Rosaline and Aurora traveled for a few minutes before they dropped in front of the entrance to ckrain City, even though the city didn''t have much to offer from sights or architecture yet.


    The divinities and high divinities approached carefully as they had yet to ovee the fear of this ruthless blood cultivator.


    Before Rosaline could say anything, Aurora also stepped forward with a calm expression and stated, "My Wind Fall Pavilion will provide flying ships to ferry people below the divine realm to the cities constructed within range of the protective formation; this is your chance to migrate your families, friends, and loved ones over if you''re willing to engage in hardbor to finish building up the city."


    Hua!


    The divine cultivators gasped collectively as they hadn''t expected to grasp such a good bargain out of the blue. The three dynasties didn''t obstruct normal people from leaving the protective range of the provincial formations allocated across the prefectures; each dynasty had a prefecture in one of the cardinal directions respectively while these prefectures split into provincial regions.


    The poption of each dynasty was incalcble, to say the least; perhaps in the billions of lives. The royal family wouldn''t put a leash on these people as they have their own ster worlds to manage, allowing these people much desired ''freedom'' of choice. It wasn''t difficult to leave the jurisdiction of a dynasty, it wasing back that proved difficult.


    Many people were unsatisfied with the living conditions of a world engulfed in political warfare. For example, Elizabeth and her grandfather, a couple of inconsequential peers in a sea of dissatisfied people.


    "Senior, is there a limit to the number of people you''re willing to take in?"


    A bold person spoke up from the crowd, but the crowd immediately split up to reveal the one who spoke, causing him to be a little embarrassed. Nheless, the man raised his head high despite the unease in his eyes.


    Aurora didn''t answer. She chose to nce at Rosaline for this question.


    Rosaline rolled her eyes as she understood that Wind Fall Pavilion wasn''t helping Leonardo with this move but they were also helping themselves. Non-cultivators and weak cultivators, in small numbers, were indeed inconsequential. However, take them in hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions; that''s the foundation of a nation.


    "Don''t worry," Rosaline waved her hand. "Young Master Leo doesn''t n to stop with just this city in the east, but he will build a city in each of the cardinal directions respectively while this region on the map will no longer resume as the ckrain County but the Evernight County."

 Chapter 221 Where Theres People, Chaos Ensues

    In the Shi Manor of the 7th district in Greenheart City, in the meeting hall, a group of people in daoist robes sat in a half circle while chatting briefly with one another.


    At the head of the circle sat Madeline who returned to apany the guests while also tasked with renting a flying boat to bring Elizabeth''s old man and ire, the young woman who almostnded Leonardo in a bind with the Oliver Estate Lord with her petty schemes. Up to this point, Madeline had no clue whatsoever why Leonardo kept this woman around, but she knew better than to ask for details.


    At this moment, themunication bracelet on her left hand shed¡ª same with themunication bracelets on the hands of the various elders and young men in the hall.


    The room suddenly went quiet as everyone examined the contents of their messages while the content was fairly simr; Leonardo, Rosaline, and Aurora finished with the construction of the pce on the mountain range.


    "Let''s get going and get this hassle over with," snorted a young man, one of the three who circled Rosalinest month. He was a little sour over the fact he was threatened by a woman¡ª especially when he was positive about his advantage in the confrontation.


    "Don''t be impulsive," the elder by his side hurried to whisper, giving the rest of the cultivators a look. Everyone here represented a specific force from the martial faction; the four pavilions included.


    A total of twelve great sects dispatched representatives.


    Even though the old man had no clue as to why they were sent to feel things out and were ordered to establish connections with this upstart force, just like any other old cultivator, he assumed this force was a sign of Memento Mori climbing to the surface while the sects wanted to use this wave as a springboard into the struggles of the secr world.


    The three dynasties are already too powerful to control from the shadows or deposit a puppet ruler while everyone saw the ending of the Lost Dynasty when it attempted to reach its ws too far into the ruling seats of the other three dynasties.


    Since this Evernight Crown was supported by Memento Mori from the shadows, they could forget about controlling Leonardo, forcing them to focus on diplomatic rtions instead. Not to mention, this young man Leonardo was allegedly hand-picked by Grandmaster Sin.


    The old man didn''t wish for the impulsive actions of this proud junior to burn all bridges.


    The young man snorted, his high divinity aura flooding the room.


    The air buzzed while the old man and ire who stood confused behind Madeline swayed, blood trickling down their lips.


    Bang!


    Madeline''s aura also exploded¡ª she wasn''t that far from achieving the peak of her realm and starting the zero rebirth process of constructing a star core. Although both her cultivation and that young man were at the high divinity threshold, she had the augmentation of a natural treasure''sw essence fragment on her side, almost causing the young man''s aura to bacsh on him.


    Pfft!


    The young man staggered back, his long ck hair sted into disarray while his eyes reddened.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You dare?!"


    He shouted, about to lunge forward at this young girl dressed in a main outfit. He didn''t understand why a maid could share a seat of equal level to himself or how would a maid be at the level of a high divinity¡ª enough to thrash him into stepping back. However, he understood the look of scorn in the eyes of his peers very well.


    "Those are my words, you imbecile," Madeline furrowed her brows, and before anyone could snap out of their shock, a ck longbow was held firmly in her grasp as wisps of smoke condensed into six arrows lined up in pairs, each pair merging as three arrows rested on the bowstring with heavy tension.


    No one had anticipated that Madeline would snap out for the sake of two non-cultivators, and before they knew it, the fight had almost escted into a moment of life and death.


    Whoosh!


    The old man stepped out and appeared between Madeline and his sect junior, his tranquil aura like a flickering me as it swayed and dispelled the auras of both parties.


    He coughed awkwardly, "This¡­ Please calm down, the both of you¡­"


    He only chose to speak as he had recognized the archery technique, something that the others had also picked up. They felt a bit baffled that Leonardo left behind a high divinity from the brotherhood to look after these two non-cultivators, they didn''t know that Madeline simply stayed behind to focus on her cultivation.


    "People from the Violet Mountain Sect are always so impulsive, it really drags the dignity of us grand sects through the mud," a young man with an erudite air around him snorted, unfolding a fan with the insignia of a magical quill on its fabric.


    The young man''s expression went white from anger as he suddenlyughed, not even bothering to conceal his disgust. "Sounds riching from such a pretentious prick such as yourself, especially since your four pavilions had to leave a woman behind to appease someone; I wonder how that''s going about¡­"


    The Eight Mountains and Four Pavilions of the Twelve Great Sects are always at odds internally, just like how the Three Dynasties are at odds. Where there are people, there are interests and differences.


    They simply needed a bit of a stimulus and chaos ensues.


    The Core Maind is vast, and years of conflictsrge and small slowly shaped up the territories of every faction on its surface. However, when something new popped into the picture, something for the various powers to contest over, these small and hidden conflicts would slowly but surely fester to the surface.


    Leonardo expected as much and he was prepared, but Madeline was confused and baffled by the sudden turn of events. Speechless, she watched the argument blow out of proportion as words that made even Madeline blush in shame were spat out to the open.


    "Enough!"

 Chapter 222 A World Where Everyone Are Equals

    The old man, annoyed as he was, shouted once more as an oppressive aura silenced the meeting hall. No other elder spoke up against his usage of power to suppress their juniors as they were somewhat annoyed as well.


    Then, theirmunication bracelets shed once more, drawing their attention elsewhere. A momentter, some people showed expressions of shock, some had expressions of contemtion, some had expressions of derision, and some had expressions of mortification.


    "Thatss Aurora pulled the wool over our eyes. I don''t understand the motives behind her actions, but there''s definitely something fishy about it."


    "Since he ns to construct three additional cities to the first, it only makes sense to recruit people. However, I wonder if Aurora stands to gain anything from helping out or if she has some insider information we know nothing about."


    The elders shifted their attention to the man with long white robes and the insignia of a forging hammer in the clouds, wind currents could be seen carrying the hammer about, almost naturally at that.


    He was the second elder from the pavilion. Only, he didn''t apany Aurora on her flying mount but arrived separately. Everyone nced at hismunication bracelet, but he simply stroked his beard andughed.


    "Junior sister didn''t mention anything to little old me, you can either do as she did or go about your business empty-handed."


    The other elders nced at each other for a moment.


    "Renting a flying ship to ferry people from here to the location of the Evernight County shouldn''t pose any issues¡ª we can afford it."


    "Indeed it doesn''t cost much, I vote we make simr announcements and start off with ferrying people from Greenheart City; spread the information through our shopfronts in the Martial Script pavilion since we can''t use the advertising features of the star missions board."


    "What if our disciples also leave?"


    "Humph! What if they leave? What if they don''t leave? If they want us to stay, they can always offer us more favorable terms and exposure to traffic."


    "Indeed¡­ I''ve already investigated the situation; that Azure Estate Lord Frederik almost monopolized the profits from the Vast Sky Avenu, his influence in this city had stretched to the point where he might start poaching our disciples into his Azure Lane sooner thanter."


    "It''s decided then, spread the word that our pavilions will help ferry the ambitious to a newnd; we will prepare rations and shelter for them if they wish to prosper with their lives anew."


    "Dream on! Spread the word that our eight mountains are also on the move to ferry people to a safe haven in the uncharted wilderness; we will even provide the talented of them with cultivation scriptures and techniques to fend off for themselves in the wild!"


    ¡­


    Half a dayter, behemoths of flying ships not only from Greenheart City but the neighboring cities of the Lush Skirt ins Province could be seen crossing the ether-abundant skies of the uncharted wilderness, their direction the newly established Evernight County.


    The migration efforts were suppressed to the regions of this province under the interference of the Luan Dynasty''s provincial-level officials, but the flood of young and hot blood was massive nheless.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As word spread out, more and more cultivators caught wind of it and began their migration to the promise of a new era. Non-cultivators, mortals, and saints flocked into the range of the protective formation and began to help out with building ckrain City as per the blueprint.


    Leonardo already had sufficient rations to feed 100,000 people for three years and he didn''t n to act stingy with them.


    The scene instantly exploded while the elders from the pavilion who were responsible for formations somehow caught wind of the uing auction for the City Lord position of the cities north, south, and west of the Obsidian Castle and the merit system fornd deeds, and just like the Wind Fall Pavilion, they put more efforts and decided to take it upon themselves to construct a makeshift regional formation covering the entirety of Leonardo''s territory to cleanse the ether in the environment.


    Of course, the mountain range where the Obsidian Pce resides was an exempted area.


    Why wouldn''t Leonardo desire ether in his cultivation grounds? Rosaline promised both pavilions a private estate in each of the four cities regardless of whom ended up as the eventual City Lord, satisfying the two greatly. As for the other sects who did nothing but ferry people over and hoped to fish for merits, Rosaline had nothing to say to them except for; that was your own decision, no one forced you to.


    "Your young master is crazy," Auroramented lightly as she stood on the back of her Cloud Crane with Rosaline. "Who has the time to study human psychology other than those old monsters? I would rather contemte my cultivation path¡­ Sigh."


    Rosaline rolled her eyes. "He used to be the CEO of some worldwide business group in a of non-cultivators. Putting strength aside; humans are still humans."


    "What''s a CEO?"


    "Chief Executive Officer; something like the position of a Grand Elder in your sects¡ª under one person yet above everyone else."


    "I see¡­ The Grand Elder isn''t omnipotent though¡­"


    "They have something like a board of directors for that as well. Trust me, everything we have here; they have too. The only difference is that we can cultivate and they can''t, they''re all equal. Hence, they have nothing else to do other than study one another and the world around them if they want to reach the top."


    Aurora went silent, deep in thought. She imagined a world where everyone was equal in strength and how would she cope with it? However, try as she might, she couldn''t bring herself to imagine such a world.


    Since the great sects and three dynasties restrict one another, doesn''t that ce them in the same environment in which Leonardo thrived on his home?


    A game of power and schemes?


    The more she thought about it, the more she felt like she was pulled into a mess of politics despite this being her first entry to the secr world from the martial world.


    Aurora shuddered, wondering about Leonardo''s goal from all of this.

 Chapter 223 Test Of Strength

    Only three dayster when themotion calmed down and the twelve sects dispatched enough disciples to maintain order in the city, as though it was their city already, did Rosaline lead the representatives toward the mountain range and into the fourth grand hall.


    Leonardo was already waiting on the high seat decorated in gold and obsidian, leaving thirteen seats extending to his left and right in a semi-circle. Silently, Rosaline went over and stood behind Leonardo to his right side while the elders paused at the arrangements of the seats.


    The seat to Leonardo''s left was already upied by a man wrapped in ck clothes from head to toe. He sat there, silent as a winter night in the deste wilderness.


    While he waited, a pale yet slender finger tapped the dark red armrest.


    The elders paused, not knowing how to handle this matter. Rosaline stifled augh, her stiff expression almost crumbling. There was one seat per representative, but except for the Wind Fall Pavilion, every other sect brought either their young sect lord or young pavilion lord on this outing. Hence, with only one seat per sect, they had to choose between the young lord or the rebirth realm elders.


    If the elders sat down, they would ce their young lords on the level of a servant or an attendant. They could remain standing while their young lords sat down, but they were the ones handling the negotiations which means they would have to discuss with a seated Leonardo, a fresh rebirth realm cultivator while standing.


    They also wanted to scramble for benefits from Leonardo and hence they can''t break cordiality by demanding more seats from the host, as he was clearly leaving his subordinate, a rebirth realm cultivator in the singrity realm, to stand behind him.


    Aurora felt a chill down her spine as she felt great about the young paviliondy being who she was; an introverted cultivation freak. The discussion about tomence would surely be a lengthy one, no rebirth realm cultivator would endure standing humbly to one side for many hours. While the elders were stumped for what to do, their juniors swaggered into the hall like they owned the ce, and their eyes lit up upon seeing the dazzlingly luxurious seats, so much that they rushed for the best spot without sparing their elders a nce.


    "Maids, bring in more seats!" Leonardo smiled faintly at the disy and waved his hand. "Please, elders..."


    Leonardo''s voice barely faded when eleven young girls in maid outfits, disying the auras of divinities, rushed into the hall and ced one extra seat next to the seated young cultivators, lining them up in pairs.


    "Haha, Young Master Leonardo is most considerate." The old man from Violet Mountainughed dryly before he sat next to his young lord. However, his heart dropped at the disy of the juniors. He silently cursed inside, nning to report in detail to the sect masterter.


    He then lifted his head to inspect this ''Leonardo'' while the other elders echoed his sentiment. The man looked very young and not a trace of energy could be felt from his person. It wasn''t a case of a cultivation realm being too high, there was a mysterious energy at y that devoured the old man''s spiritual sense despite his attempts at probing.


    Long silver hair and a pair of pitch-ck eyes, save for the slowly spinning white triangles within. This was a never-before-scene pair of eyes, leaving the old man pondering about the source or perhaps the cultivation technique.


    Casual white daoist robes embroidered with ck and crimson patterns, silk cloths for footwear, wide sleeves, and long straps of white bandages coiled around his fists from forearms to the wrists. All of these thoughts and observations shuttled through the old man''s head in the frame of a split second, his hollowughter slowly fading in the backdrop to ease the tension in the wake of the junior sect leaders.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "First, allow this old man to congratte the young master for passing his tribtion." After a pause, the old man sped his fists and said, "This old man won''t beat around the bush; our sects want to establish a rtionship with your territory-- have you heard about the Martial Script Pavilion?"


    "I have," Leonardo muttered a response.


    "Great!" sighed the old man, "this is very simple then; name a price for a plot ofnd and our sects will try our best to satisfy the requirements. This will benefit both parties in the long run--..."


    The old man was talking when Leonardo suddenly raised his hand to speak. A bit dissatisfied, the old man nheless allowed Leonardo the chance to speak


    "This is actually the reason I gathered everyone here today," Leonardo paused for a moment, his eyes scanning the elders. "I appreciate the care provided to my territory by the Wind Fall Pavilion and the Constetion Terrace Pavilion, I decided to award both sects with an exclusive business estate in each of the four cities bordering my mountain range in the future.


    "I have also given my word to the ck market organization that I won''t discriminate against them and thanks to their widework of advertising and promising potential to aid me in the future, the City Lord Manor of the ckrain City will be relegated to the ck market with a fixed annual tribute to be discussedter..."


    "You mean..." the old man mumbled in disbelief as thoughts raced about in his mind. The young lords didn''t think much though, one of them was quick to jump the gun and exim, "Nonsense! Our sects helped as well; where do you think the swarms of the poption came from?! What would a group of peddlers know about managing a city?"


    Whoosh!


    Eerie wind with a hint of cold killing intent swept the hall, causing everyone''s expression to change as one of the elders waved a hand.


    Bang!


    The air buzzed with explosions as the forces dwindled down, and the young lords covered up their faces involuntarily.Next to Leonardo, a pair of incredulous eyes watched as the chaotic forces that drew close to Leonardo were obliterated into oblivion silently and without a trace.


    This pair of eyes shuddered when Leonardo''s calm yet smiling gaze wandered over. It was as though an adult had seen through the little tricks of a naughty child but wasn''t angry about it.

 Chapter 224 Auction

    The cultivator from the ck market was obviously using the "outburst" as an excuse to test out Leonardo''s power. After all, who would send a short-tempered cultivator to conduct negotiations? That would be the true blunder.


    Feeling that the little trick was exposed, this cultivator in ck coughed awkwardly and returned a sharp gaze to the young man from the Violet Mountain sect.


    A young man from the Constetion Terrace Pavilion felt delighted about the fat pie his sect obtained and snorted in derision. "Just because your Violet Moutain is perceived as the top sect of the eight mountains, this doesn''t mean you can run your mouth carelessly."


    The Eight Mountains are separated from the weakest to the strongest ording to the colors white, red, orange, yellow, emerald, blue, and violet. The weakest of the seven doesn''t fall within the rankings, and these rankings are determined via apetition between the juniors of each star cycle''s generation.


    Of course, the four pavilions don''t involve themselves with thesepetitions as their paths are one-dimensional, save for the alchemy which split into a pill concoction pavilion and a physician pavilion, even though they originate from the same dao of alchemy.


    Thus, even though the Violet Mountain Sect was ahead of the rest during the generation of the current star cycle, the juniors from the four pavilions didn''t care one bit.


    "Riching from you; what did you bribe that upstart with?!"


    The young master from the top sect wasn''t convinced, and his temper started getting the better of him. The old man felt cold to his feet, thinking that this entire negotiation was a blunder.


    The cultivator from the ck market was also sweating as Leonardo''s gaze had yet to shift elsewhere, but he could finally rx as Leonardo''s eyes slowly moved over to the clown show in his great hall.


    "If you think you can afford to bribe me, I''ll give you a chance," Leonardo''s voice wasn''t loud, but it drew everyone''s attention as he waved over three framed and decorated contracts inscribed on magical, ether-infused paper. "I have with me three deeds to the estates of the City Lord Manor to the cities west, south, and north of my Obsidian Castle respectively; I am offering them for a private open auction right this moment¡­ Only, keep in mind that you''re betting with the annual tribute."


    The young man was about to retort but his words got caught in his throat. Just as he was about to make a rude remark, Leonardo continued, "If you be the city lord, you will have the authority to charge for taxes from the residents of your city, wouldn''t that be great?"


    At Leonardo''s words and his faint smile, the young man''s eyes lit up. As for the young man and the elders from the four pavilions, especially the two who hadn''t obtained anynds yet, their expressions went dim.


    If the eight mountains were thendlords, they would definitely charge heavy taxes from the four pavilions. However, the four pavilions didn''t focus on management like the ordinary sects and wouldn''t know how to operate a city, even if the flow of traffic would eventually lie in their hands. This way, neither party can take advantage of one another, forcing them to suppress each other while also looking out for the other party''s benefits lest they draw spite to themselves. They wanted to pressure Leonardo, but he beat them to it by using their hot-blooded young masters against one another.


    This wouldn''t have worked if Leonardo didn''t get a clear grasp on the personalities of their young masters, but these idiots had to disregard the rebirth realm elders by their side from the very beginning, disying that at the end of the day, their status was enough to speak on behalf of the sect if Leonardo had to choose between the elders or the young masters.


    "What do we use for bets?"


    Since they have lost the initiative, the old man decided to stop ying smart and try that another time when they weren''t burdened by children. For now, he would rather proceed smoothly than allow Leonardo to pull a wedge between the elders and the young masters by purposefully steering the conversation in that direction.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Leonardo was a bit surprised that the old man didn''t object, he was nning to tease the proud young master of the strongest sect when someone attempted to discuss terms, but the old man skipped all of that.


    With a sigh, Leonardo touched his chin lightly as he sank into thought.


    "Can my Wind Fall Pavilion join the betting as well?" Aurora suddenly asked, this question was on the mind of the old man from the Constetion Terrace as well, he simply had no idea how to ask.


    "Aren''t you being a bit too greedy here?!"


    It was someone from a different mountain great sect who spoke up this time, feeling like the Wind Fall Pavilion was reaching too far with its ws. However, how could Leonardo, the auctioneer, miss such an opportunity to simte them?


    "Of course, you can," he nodded firmly. "Why would I stop you?"


    The young man was about to fume again, but an old hand settled on his shoulder.


    Turning his head, he noticed his elder lightly shaking his head.


    At the end of the day, this turned into apetition between the twelve great sects instead of a joint effort to suppress Leonardo. Of course, if Leonardo didn''t have the support of Memento Mori behind him, there was no way in hell these elders would sit around and y mind games with the kid.


    "Great," Aurora smiled faintly.


    "Tsk! Slut," murmured the young man from the Violet Mountian Sect, incensed. He could swear that this woman from the Wind Fall Pavilion slept with Leonardo or something to be provided such biased treatment.


    Whisper as he might, everyone here was a master; what was said wasn''t left unheard.


    Aurora shuddered with rage, but she didn''t act out as the words of a woman in this situation are useless. Only Leonardo, with his status and strength, can deny these usations. However, Leonardo didn''t care enough about these childish trifles to speak up, he directly skipped over to the auction''s currency and dered.


    "The standard currency is pure ether fragments and/or resources of simr value to thest bid; I will only ept resources from tier 6 and above, preferablyw essence crystals as well."

 Chapter 225 A Capable Lord

    Ether crystals, especially the pure ones, were the stable currency of liquid assets to stabilize the economy of Leonardo''s territory. As for treasures and resources, these were for Leonardo to establish a force of high divinities from the Memento Mori maids, while hopefully pushing Victoria and Madeline to achieve their zero rebirth.


    After both of them reach level 91, Leonardo''s follow-up worry was finding a method for Merlin to start cultivating. Merlin had consumed the face-preserving pills already and she wouldn''t age anytime soon, but her vitality was dwindling nheless.


    "What''s the starting bid?"


    Leonardo''s thoughts were interrupted by the impatient young master of the Violet Mountain Sect, flicking his purple sleeves dismissively as clear signs of anger had yet to dissipate from his face.


    He was a little annoyed that this young man kept unting his stupidity around and hence, he chose to teach him a lesson. "Does it even matter? However, now that you''ve mentioned it; everyone can insert their price into a piece of information chip, I''ll choose the highest bid and conclude the first round of the auction while setting that wager as the minimum bid for the follow-up two rounds."


    The young man was stunned, the same went for the other young masters and their elders. They didn''t even get the chance to think things over as Leonardo tossed over twelve finer-sized chips inscribed with small arrays.


    "Are you serious?"


    The old man couldn''t help but ask after exchanging a few nces with the other elders around. As it seems, this old man was their spokesperson in public as the twelve sects would rather maintain their image as a solid front to outsiders.


    "This is a fair method to determine a base price for the bid; let''s just say I''m generous as the sect that does manage to win this round would have scored itself a cheap victory," Leonardo responded with a smile. "What? Don''t tell me that no one wants a city anymore?"


    Everyone had a helpless look on their faces while they cursed in their hearts. It must feel great when you''re in a seat of power during negotiations, they thought. Although everyone wanted to bid a low bet, they also felt anxious someone might actually bid somewhat higher than their bets. Moreover, they needed to keep in mind that the price mighte back to bite them if they ced too high of a bid and earned the ire of the other eleven sects in the auction fornd.


    Each city would berge enough to host from 500,000 to 800,000 people, andfortably at that. To sects, human resources were very important, especially trade onnd. Thus, having their personal channels from the sect to the maind with Leonardo''s territory as a buffer zone would greatly benefit the sects.


    They shared subtle nces with one another and nodded silently. At this moment, even the four pavilions had somber expressions while pondering deep and hard on how much wealth they''d be willing to offer up. If the Constetion Terrace Pavilion saw this oneing, they''d have held back on the arrays and offered them as part of the bidding process, but it was toote now.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    About twenty slow minutester, the elders heaved a collective sigh of resignation after consulting with their young sect masters and came up with a decision. Then, everyone engraved the insignia of their respective sects on the chips and shot them back to Leonardo.


    He didn''t keep them waiting for long as he swept his mind through the chips in quick session, his eyes betraying to emotions whatsoever despite the wealth each chip represented.Everyone held their breath and waited for the announcement of the results.


    Being the straightforward businessman he was, Leonardo opened his eyes a momentter with a faint smile and said, "The first City Lord Estate goes to the Heaven''s Remedy Pavilion,their terms go as follows; 200,000 pure ether fragments and 500,000 raw ether fragments, bringing the minimal bid to 300,000 pure ether fragments. In addition, they offered valuable tier 6 and tier 7 resources and dispatched a tier 7 physician to work as the Imperial Physician to the Evernight Crown."


    Although Leonardo said this, he wasn''t thatfortable leaving such a powerful expert in the heart of his territory even if he was an Imperial Physician. However, he couldn''t turn his back on the Dew of Life offered up with the tier 6 resources as this would be very helpful not only to Merlin but also to Juvia and Pandora who were left behind in Arcadia.


    Tier 5 equates to the Zero Rebirth realm, from level 91 to 100. Tier 6 equates to the Core Molding realm. Tier 7 equates to the Singrity realm. Tier 8 equates to the Inception realm. Tier 9 equates to the Star Lord realm.


    Such an expert is both too good and too dangerous to leave behind, but Leonardo had long since nned to leave Rosaline here while he went alone to explore the Core Maind to regroup with Ingrid and Nier. Thus, he only gave the matter some thought and decided to go with it.


    "What would a bunch of doctors know about managing a city?" someone sneered.


    Unsurprisingly, it was someone from the eight mountains, clearly unresigned even though the base price of 300,000 pure ether fragments wasn''t too high of a number for their sects to pay annually. Everyone knew that the key wasn''t in paying ether but to provide something Leonardo desired urgently, the ether fragments were only an extra.


    From the looks of it, Leonardo was tempted either by the free physician or the natural treasures included with the bets.


    "We can always find a capable Vice City Lord to handle matters," responded the young master from Heaven''s Remedy Pavilion, which earned a nod of approval from his elder. "A capable lord can always relegate the tasks to a capable subject."


    Noticing his elder nod with approval, the young man felt a bit proud and quickly added to his earlier sentence. However, this time, the elder''s expression was quite strange as he seemed deep in thought, casting a stealthy nce at Leonardo who sat in the center while ''handing'' out positions as City Lords.

 Chapter 226 Black Markets Pawns

    ?


    The young man didn''t know why the sudden shift in the atmosphere after heid out that statement, but the wise and experienced elders saw through it too clearly.


    This statement was like a rude awakening. In hindsight, they have willingly allowed themselves to be Leonardo''s selected subjects. Nheless, this was no longer a motion that could be stopped or counterattacked, they can only lie low and slowly proliferate their influence in the cities.


    Leonardo made an error here by surrounding himself on all fronts with these sects and forces, but he had no choice in the matter as the only way to prevent the Jin Dynasty from outright obliterating his territory at the moment was to lease it out for behemoths on the same level. With this, he could buy enough time to head over to the Jin Dynasty and strike them in their base, especially since they have the coordinates for him to return to that ster world.


    With that thought in mind, the elders no longer had the mood to dally about in Leonardo''s presence and the birds shot out like rapid fire. Even the young masters, as overbearing as they were, felt the change. Thus, they kept silent to themselves while the elders did the bidding without consulting.


    Eventually, it was the Violet Mountian Sect and the Golden Pill Pavilion that obtained the credentials for a seat of power as respective city lords.


    The rivalry between the Golden Pill Pavilion and Heaven''s Remedy Pavilion was so much that the former didn''t wish to lose out and pay taxes to their rival, while the other sects didn''t have enough wealth to contend with the nominal strongest sect of the Eight Mountains. For now, the cities were also named after the respective sects with Heaven''s Remedy City to the north, Pill City to the south, and Violet Mountian City to the west. The sole exception was ckrain City to the east.


    Everyone quickly left the meeting hall to report back to their sects while Leonardo and the cultivator from the ck market remained seated next to one another.


    Leonardo''s eyes flickered, thinking that there wasn''t much to be desired from the ck market at this point since the Heaven''s Remedy Pavilion solved his problems for him. He lied to the sects about giving the City Lord Estate to the ck market as the only thing they asked for in the previous negotiations was a guarantee of safety.


    Leonardo more than just delivered in terms of providing safety.


    "What can your ck market offer me?"


    Leonardo broke the silence with a question, his tone faint.


    "Information," a hoarse voice responded a momentter. "You already have one of our secret agents in custody, though I''m pretty positive you have your own guesses."


    Leonardo nodded, one name in his head; ire.


    She seemed to have connections to the ck market. It was from her that he learned of Lord Fredrick''s involvement with the ck market and the location of some other hideouts pinpointed throughout Greenheart City.


    Since the ck market agents could dispatch personnel to the City Magistrate Manor, this reflects heavily on their influence and power. It''s not that Memento Mori couldn''t do the same, they simplycked the resources and manpower as a deste organization that survived the culling of the Lost Dynasty.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Their members were too strong, albeit too few, and stretched thin with no solid foothold on the maind.


    "Are you saying I can get this information without joining the ck market? Info is indeed valuable, but no amount of intelligence warrants an entire city in exchange¡­ Moreover, the resources provided to me by the pavilions are more than sufficient to overlook our previous transaction, even while I am generous enough to provide you with a safe location to open a ck market."


    "We can pay with ether fragments, but the treasures and resources we have are things that cannot see the light of day lest it brings disaster to you. Hmm, we can also provide information on the Lost Dynasty, especially locations of ancient ruins with many secrets. I''m pretty sure the people behind you are very interested¡­"


    Leonardo''s eyes shed as he said, "Continue¡­"


    The cultivator cleared his throat. "Our ck market is a coalition of various lords and officials of high status, it is fair to say that many ancient families are involved in the ck market and they made it so that their descendants, and the ones after them, are involved in the business.


    "Ourwork extends to the three dynasties and they used to extend to the fourth dynasty as well, the Lost Dynasty. Many of the activities in the Lost Dynasty have the shadows of our machinations and not all of the surviving members of that dynasty are under Memento Mori''s control. For example, ire is someone with a mixed bloodline; the bloodline of a noble house of that era runs through her veins.


    "Memento Mori banded together after the catastrophe but our agents were mingling with the great figures of the Lost Dynasty from way back, we have some valuable information and ancient records that not even Grandmaster Sin is aware of, pardon me when I say this is no shameless boasting."


    Leonardo rubbed his chin, a bit intrigued.


    Memento Mori may be a few thousand years old, and its core members are even much older than that, but their individual focus wasn''t keen on a specific goal until it was toote. As for the people behind this ck market, they truly stretched far back to tens or even hundreds of thousands of years.


    Their power was in their numbers and their inexplicable link to the skeletons of each faction. Even now, they tried to sneak one of their agents into Leonardo''s house in the guise of ire. If Leonardo wasn''t in a particrly impatient bad mood on that day, ire might have gone from a captive to a maid in his house.


    This thought gave Leonardo the chills.


    What about Elizabeth? Was she also a mole designed to lure Leonardo in by using Merlin as a proxy? His eyes suddenly flickered with a cold and sharp light. The cultivator to the side didn''t notice this, and their conversation carriedte into the night afterward...


    Eventually, both parties came to a satisfactory deal that provided the ck market with a Vice City Lord position in ckrain City, but that was the most Leonardo could relent in exchange for the resources and information they offered.

 Chapter 227 Jin Dynasty

    ?


    Jin Dynasty.


    While almost everyrge faction from the great sects and three dynasties had their hands in the business of rearing cultivators and resources in the ster worlds of the main ne, it was the Jin Dynasty that took things to the extreme.


    With thousands of ster worlds pooling resources into the dynasty, they were able to establish military schools not unlike actual sects with the excuse of training their young soldiers. No dynasty would conscript millions of citizens into the army, especially citizens of the Core Maind.


    However, human trafficking from the ster worlds to the Core Maind wasn''t an issue, albeit the transfer costs were very expensive. Oftentimes, the gains don''t make up for the losses.


    Nheless, with this practice persisting for millions of years since the founding of the Jin Dynasty, the scales slowly began to shift as the early investments are now paying off.


    The Jin Dynasty might not have the strongest lineup when ites to powerhouses of the Star Lord realm and higher, but they surely have the strongest army when ites to both quality and quantity.


    With the resources from the Jin Dynasty, those trapped in ster worlds could unearth their potential, with some hidden gems in the rough awaiting harvest. For example, House Hestia and their innate martial intent, something the Jin Dynasty had been dying to get their hands on.


    Just when they finally were about to get their hands on a virgin female of House Hestia''s main bloodline, Leonardo entered the picture.


    As pensation'' for the trouble of taking Leonardo from House Hestia, the Interster Supreme Court of the Jin Dynasty allowed Nier to enter the maind without any affiliations to a sect.


    They thought she wouldn''t get far from their surveince as they had eyes and ears literally in every city, but they surely wouldn''t expect that Ingrid had a wealth of knowledge in the fields of alchemy and medicine, enough to survive in the uncharted wilderness while concealing their tracks.


    With both women being high divinities on the cusp of achieving zero rebirth, as long as they were careful, they would be safe.


    Of course, safety also meant fewer interactions with outsiders, and that further trantes into fewer resources. Other than the wild spiritual herbs, the only natural resource avable to them was the chaotic ether in the environment, hence the process of cleansing their bodies and undergoing the baptism of ether was a process that consumed a lot of time, exining their staggering cultivation that would remain stuck at the 4th tier.


    (Author Note: I will hint at the cultivation levels with tiers from now on for all professions and creatures.


    A brief reminder, the 5th tier is zero rebirth, the 6th tier is core molding, the 7th tier is singrity, the 8th tier is inception, and the 9th tier is star lord.)


    ¡­


    As a 6th tier cultivator, apanied by the 7th tier cultivator from the ck Market against thetter''s will, it took Leonardo but a few months to cross from the Luan Dynasty to the Jin Dynasty.


    On the way and after consolidating their alliance, Leonardo finally got to learn of the identity of the 7th tier cultivator. Honestly, he wasn''t surprised at this point when the person under the heavy disguise turned out to be a female cultivator.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Long ck hair and fair pale skin, narrow golden eyes, and soft cherry lips. She went by the name Emily, a native of the Jin Dynasty though her ancestry dates back to the Lost Dynasty.


    Leonardo came to learn that the ck Market was founded as a small trade hub settlement in the center of four towns. These were records millions of years old, depicting the rise of the human poption in the Core Maind and four ruling dynasties.


    It only makes sense that the ws of this dark organization are entrenched deeply into the systems of these behemoths, but it also signifies that the survival of this organization was rooted in the prosperity of these dynasties.


    A true rtionship of love and hate.


    This also meant that although this organization seemed harmonious on the outside, the conflict between the internal factions was just as intense as the struggle for the throne between the crown prince and his siblings.


    Emily was frustrated that Leonardo stuck close to her on the trip back to the Jin Dynasty; only two people were aware of his departure while everyone else thought he was busy consolidating his realm for the uing retaliation from the Jin Dynasty.


    These two were Rosaline and Emily.


    Try as she might, fast as she could, Emily had no way of leaving Leonardo behind as she streaked across the alternating sky from dusk till dawn; his speed was iprehensible.


    Leonardo''s movement technique was built on the Fourth Dimension Immortal Scripture, the same as his sword technique.


    Although his cultivation scripture was modified to better suit his path to the Infernal Throne, the movement and sword techniques derived from the scripture were too good to waste.


    While he didn''t have time to progress from the twelve changes of the moon stance to the six changes of the sr stance, nor did he have the time in the past to progress his movement technique from the lunar phasing and sr eclipses, the rebirth realm was aprehensive breakthrough for Leonardo.


    The sword technique and movement technique each had fouryers respectively, and Leonardo maximized hisprehension in both aspects. If he was still going by the original scripture and achieved rebirth,pleting all three aspects to the pinnacle, he might havebined all three into a new cultivation scripture for the rebirth realm with the help of his innate martial intent. The four stances of lunar, sr, ster, and void.


    With the attributes of void attached to his movement technique, supplemented by his thunderforce, he easily caught up with Emily. For the past few months, a streak of white light and a string of ck lightning crossed the skies of the Luan Dynasty and into the borders of the Jin Dynasty through a secret channel of the ck Market.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    The two descended on a mountain peak concealed by thick clouds as Emily gritted her teeth and red at Leonardo; how she wished to strike him dead then and there.

 Chapter 228 5th Tier Technique

    ?


    "There! The Jin Dynasty, happy? You can leave me alone now."


    Emily was very anxious that Leonardo might follow her around, especially into the heart of her designated fiefdom and military territory when she was supposed to have been in secluded cultivation.


    The Jin Dynasty advocated military might and thus, the exterior borders weren''t popted by standard cities but by military fiefdoms that regrly wage secr warfare against one another. It could be said that every noble house had one or two great generals in the arts of war in their midst.


    "Why are you so anxious?" Leonardo gave her a leveled nce, his pitch-ck eyes with the swirling white triangles were ever so tranquil.


    "You had an affair with the Holy Maiden of the Interster Supreme Court and eloped together, this news was fanned across the entire dynasty; you tell me if sticking by your side would do any good than bad in this ce," Emily responded, exasperated.


    This was Leonardo''s first time hearing the excuse the Imperial Family used to hunt both him and Nier down, he was baffled by their shamelessness. Of course, it was also reported that he was colluding with Memento Mori, though he could understand why they concealed the fact of his involvement in their roster.


    Leonardo rolled his eyes. "Why else would I be stuck here with you? Don''t tell me you people from the ck Market don''t have any techniques to change your appearance."


    Emily''s brows creased together. "It''s not that easy to change your appearance and aura, even with our techniques."


    "So what?" Leonardo faced far into the Jin Dynasty, arms crossed to his chest. "With my current power, as long as I wish to hide my cultivation, not even a Tier-9 cultivator can see through it."


    "What shameless boasting¡ª¡­" Emily instinctively rebutted, but her expression quickly stiffened when Leonardo''s aura faded from her perception.


    She spread her spiritual sense like a tide, causing the clouds in the sky to part like curtains while the wind howled furiously, but she couldn''t detect anything from Leonardo. A mysterious power entrenched deep into his energy, essence, and spirit.


    She was about to say that being perfectly concealed from the perception of someone powerful might as well be a bad thing in and of itself, but she quickly swallowed her words as the vitality of a normal person began to pulse through Leonardo''s body.


    It was the vitality of a level 40 moral no mistake.


    Using the deste martial intent in tandem with the bloodthirsty martial intent, it was very easy for Leonardo to mimic the pressure of a peak Tier-1 cultivator, especially since the difference between Tier-1 and Tier-2y in thetter''s ability to harness spiritual energy outside their bodies.


    "What do you think?" Leonardo had a faint smile as his vitality fluctuated and eventually stabilized in the current realm. If he wasn''t standing at the peak of a mountain in the uncharted wilderness, no one would take him for a powerful rebirth realm cultivator.


    The only person who coulde even close to Leonardo''s art of concealment is Pandora.


    Emily remained silent for a while before she snorted and tossed a ck chip over, faint spiritual fluctuations pulsing on the small runic inscriptions.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Leonardo inspected it and was a little surprised; this was a 5th tier appearance-changing technique.


    Emily snorted and said, "Do you think any masquerading technique will work on those who went through their rebirth? Here I was starting to think you''re smart or something."


    Emily knew that this wasn''t a matter of intelligence but rather perspective-wisemon sense, as Leonardo''s mindset had yet to follow up with the advancement of his realm.


    Thinking about it, without proper guidance, he might easily expose himself as the traditions and customs of the Jin Dynasty were quite ''unique''.


    ncing over at Leonardo who shrugged with a helpless expression as the threads ofw began to leak from his star core and into his flesh, following the 5th tier technique, Emily''s brows creased in contemtion.


    In a few minutes, Leonardo''s skin began to twitch like the ebb and flow of sea tides, his fair white skin adopting a faint bronzeplexion while the darkest of ck slowly bled into his long white hair.


    He closed his eyes and whence he opened them again, they were a pair of clear honey-brown irises situated in an innocent sparkle of white.


    The threads ofws quickly retreated into Leonardo''s star core¡ª more urately his ck heart that was slowly transforming into an ordinary red mass of flesh. This masquerading technique was quite thorough.


    Leonardo presumed that it had an extra chapter revolving around utilizing threads ofw to alter someone''s aura, allowing him to assume that the current Emily wasn''t the real one.


    To get through her disguise, he would have toprehend and decode her originw; the foundation, or her star core. No one in their sane mind would expose the originw to another person, leaving the option of brute force.


    However, can he really brute force his way into her sub-dimension to fetch the star core? If things reached such extremes, her masquerading technique wouldn''t even matter anymore.


    Not to mention that when fighting broke out, no technique would be able to conceal the nature of her techniques and aura.


    While these thoughts shed through his mind, Emily opened her mouth and said, "It''s forbidden to share the chapter rted to changing the aura. However, since you have your own methods, I can be at ease taking you to my territory and teaching you themon sense and traditions of this dynasty."


    Leonardo''s head whipped over in surprise. Nheless, she shook his head. "I came here in a rush to find my ''abducted'' Holy Maiden of the Interster Supreme Court, they should be stranded somewhere in the Jin Dynasty''s uncharted wilderness."


    Emily rolled her eyes. "We know that much, we''ve been concealing their tracks from the Jin Dynasty for the past few years ever since Memento Mori dered open hostility with the Jin Dynasty for your sake."


    Leonardo blinked.

 Chapter 229 Attendant Ye

    ?


    "Don''t give me that look." Emily sighed and turned her back to Leonardo¡­ After a pause, she said, "If you lose your mind and start killing your way into the Jin Dynasty this early, you''ll be dragging everyone into the mess. Honestly, it is in everyone''smon interest that two behemoths on this maind keep away from each other. If anything, they would like to keep the mess between the juniors."


    "Am I not a junior?"


    "Well¡­ You are a junior. However, ording to secret intelligence, you''re far too important; at least to Grandmaster Sin. If that old man moved personally, sigh¡­" Emily shook her head. "Let''s get going, I''ll keep you around in my military base for a few days to do some reading."


    Since Leonardo is now a supposed Tier 1 cultivator, Emily wrapped him up with her energy sphere like Junior Brother did on the first encounter, shooting into the clear sky with sessive sonic booms.


    ¡­


    The Seven Stars Province of the Jin Dynasty borders the stretch of uncharted wilderness that marks the buffer zone between the Luan Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty.


    With a total of seven military sectors holding the line, each with their respective Tier 7 cultivator holding the fort, it is nigh impossible for ordinary rebirth realm cultivators to sneak into this mighty empire.


    Emily is one of these cultivators and her responsibilityy with the Qing Sector of the seven military sectors. This is an example of why rebirth realm cultivators are valued as strategic resources, and if any of them were to make a move, they would leave an opening to their enemies.


    Emily showed Leonardo great trust by bringing him all the way back to her home base and exposing her identity as the Commanding General to one of the Seven Stars Sectors.


    The structure of the base looked very simr to that of a sect with an outer, inner, and core area. Emily''s speed was far from Leonardo''s limits and thus he could easily glimpse the overall situation of the sector as the two flew in through the protective formations and headed into the deepest parts of the sector.


    There were millions upon millions of soldiers squeezed together and unlike the poption of Greenheart City, there wasn''t a single non-cultivator here. It could be said that the early investment of the Jin Dynasty paid off and if any secr war was to erupt, the most likely winner would be this dynasty.


    This of course would be the case if the other two dynasties didn''t have their own trump cards to y. For example, the Luan Dynasty is focusing on enhancing their standard equipment with runic inscriptions and advanced research, Leonardo has no clue as to how far their research had expanded. However, if they had started this investment back in the day just like the Jin Dynasty, it should be frightening.


    What would millions of years of research give birth to?


    As he was thinking, Emily entered a secluded area in a verdant bamboo groove with small artificial mountains and a clear stream of water running between the rockeries. Passing by the small artificial mountain, Leonardo realized that every bamboo shoot, piece of stone, and stream of water passing on the ground had a specific purpose.


    He paid particr attention to these details after spending a month with Aurora in constructing his personal pces. As expected, they soon walked through a thinyer of resistance as Emily waved amander token with the Jin character embedded into the surface. Then, they two entered a sub-dimension obscured in winter frost.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Pretty cold," Leonardo spoke, even though he wasn''t really affected by the cold. As he walked around, he noticed that the ce was quite bleak and empty.


    "This is just a simple weather array; an indication to visitors that I am in closed-door cultivation and won''t receive anyone," Emily exined after giving Leonardo a sidelong nce, holding her token in the air as she injected her ether into it to control the arrays in the sub-dimension.


    Smoothly, the gloomy clouds began to churn into a whirlpool that sucked the frost and snow from the vastnd, revealing a stretch of green meadows and an elegant building in the distance. The pagoda stood seven floors tall with side courtyards each house a three-storey tall building.


    "Let''s go," she said lightly, taking one step toward the pagoda. As she advanced, her pitch-ck hair melted into sparkling blonde while the pale cold skin embraced a hint of warmth; a natural glow per se.


    In a flurry of colors, the indistinct silhouette shot into the first floor of the pagoda as a bronze medallion was left in the air, falling into Leonardo''s hands.


    The medallion had the words ''Military Advisor Candidate'' inscribed onto its surface. If anything, the purpose of this item was self-exnatory. Just as Leonardo was contemting whether to follow Emily into the higher floors of the pagoda or enter one of the side buildings, the one to his left snapped its gates open as a young man in schrly attire stepped out, stretching.


    This man quickly spotted Leonardo as thetter stood nkly with the medallion in hand, looking as lost as one could get.


    Whoosh!


    "Hello," said the man with a spring-warm smile as he reached out for the medallion.


    If Leonardo wished to stop this man from taking it, not a hundred of him could steal it from his palm. However, Leonardo saw that it wasn''t necessary as no one would dare act rashly in the dominion of a Tier 7 cultivator.


    The man flipped the medallion in a friendly manner to spot the characters ''Ye'' engraved on the backside, to which the man nodded and said, "I see, you must be Attendant Ye."


    The man tossed the medallion back to Leonardo. "You''re quite lucky, to have been noticed as a talent among the millions of young blood outside¡­ Hm, judging by your clothes, you must be new."


    This man circled Leonardo once and twice while nodding his head asionally.

 Chapter 230 Optical Illusion

    ?


    "Ah¡ª yes¡­ yes I''m new," Leonardo nodded his head, looking a bit overwhelmed as his fingers snuck into the pockets of his robes. "I was told I''ll be learning the basics once I got here."


    "Of course, you will," the man nodded his head enthusiastically. "Follow me to the library, I''ll rmend you a few books to grasp an outlook on the situation while you grasp for a bit ofmon information. Although this is a nation of military prowess, we value good talents and good brains just as much."


    The man didn''t seem like he was about to introduce himself anytime soon.


    As he turned around and vanished from sight, Leonardo shook his head helplessly and followed at a speed appropriate to someone of his level. He tried to recollect the true face of Emily, but he quickly realized that it was an impossible task since he had nothing but his optical observatory skills to rely on, not to mention she had her back facing his direction.


    From the perspective of a rebirth realm cultivator, the buildings were very close and their sizes were quite moderate. However, to a Tier 1 cultivator, the distance was immense. Furthermore, Leonardo had to force himself into looking exhausted, sweating all over and gasping for breath periodically.


    Every now and then he would stumble into the ground, legs shaking, and muscles twitching. However, he would always stand up, get a grip, and continue on his march toward the building pointed out by the schr.


    The schr was looking through a window from the third floor of the building next to the pagoda. In fact, every floor was its own small sub-dimension, and it wasn''t easy to construct a formation allowing someone to look from the dimension to the outside world, hence this window allowed people to observe the outside world but those on the other end wouldn''t know.


    At least, the schr believed that much as he smiled faintly to himself.


    What''s so good about thisd? Did the Commanding General notice him as soon as she left her secluded cultivation? Impossible¡­ He must have been sent here specifically by someone on the same level as our Commanding General, she wouldn''t promptly leave her seclusion otherwise.


    The more he thought about it, the more it made sense yet at the same time, the more nonsensical it seemed.


    Whatever! He shook his head.


    It is nigh impossible toe to the correct spections when you''re observing the game from the board, let alone when you''re beneath it. Everyone has their own perspective and corresponding ''bigger'' picture, and it would prove counterproductive for someone on his level to specte the minds of these great characters.


    Since his task at hand is to supervise this Attendant Ye and polish his mind to the art of war and the political scheme of the Jin Dynasty''s internal and external affairs, he would focus on doing just that for the moment.


    Ah! Commanding General¡­ Are you about to make your move?"


    He thought to himself while watching the youth stumbling his way over from the distance. If he inferred correctly and this youth was amon chess piece dispatched by someone on the Commanding Gneral''s level, then by epting him, she must be dering her intention of cooperation with whichever existence sat behind this ''Attendant Ye''.


    Whoosh!


    Whoosh!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Whoosh!


    As Leonardo ran across the even terrain, a few cultivators began to file into the hidden dimension from behind him. Most of them were Tier 3 saints, but there would be one or two Tier 4 divinities among them as everyone rushed into either the two buildings or the pagoda in the center.


    Hua!


    Hua!


    "Hey, you''re a new face!" he was suddenly stopped in his tracks by two people, a young man and a young woman in a butler and maid uniforms respectively. They were one pair of the asionally fleeting Tier 4 cultivators; they stopped after shooting past Leonardo and backtracked in his direction.


    "I just arrived," responded Leonardo to the young butler. "I will start soon as an attendant¡­"


    As Leonardo spoke, he shed his bronze medallion to the couple, eliciting a soft gasp from the young maid and a nod of understanding from the young butler.


    "It might take you a few days from here to the library at your pace, do you want some help?" asked the young butler. In his opinion, although the rank of an attendant is very low, especially with a bronze medallion, these people have bright futures waiting for them.


    If an attendant did well enough and was promoted to the rank of Military Advisor, they would have the chance to interact with the upper echelons of the Qing Sector, they might even get a chance to join meetings held by the Commanding General of the Qing Army.


    The Qing Family is one of the seven prominent families in the Seven Stars Province.


    It had been many years since an attendant appeared in the Qing Sector. Thus, this butler had reasons to believe that the young attendant must have something special about him; establishing this rtionship early on wouldn''t be so bad.


    "A few days?!"


    An expression of astonishment filled Leonardo''s face as he did a double take on the buildings in the distance¡ª they looked far, but not that far.


    "Hehe," chuckled the young woman. "This is just an optical illusion that makes you think the distance isn''t that far. In fact, it''s not a rare asion for some clueless soldiers to run themselves to death with the false impression of getting closer to the Commanding General''s Pagoda."


    Leonardo stumbled back two steps, his expression a work of art to look at.


    The young woman covered her cherry lips whileughing. Then, she shook her head and pointed at the young man, introducing, "This brother here is called Gal, you can call me Sivan. As you can tell, we''re servants, so you might have to look after us in the future if you get somewhere."

 Chapter 231 Military Advisor

    ?


    Leonardo took a moment to observe these two. They looked ordinary at best. Of course, whenpared to cultivators on their level they seemed ordinary, but any cultivator would stand out as very handsome or astounding beautiful when ced in a crowd of non-cultivators.


    Well, thinking back to Eelizabeth''s otherworldly beauty in a world of non-cultivators, Leonardo began to wonder whether the two girls had sessfullyrefined the 5th-tier treasures and improved their constitutions in order to start cultivating.


    By the time he met Merlin and Elizabeth next, their cultivation must have allowed their natural charm to skyrocket. Sivan blinked her watery eyes and looked into Leonardo''s honey-brown optics, awaiting a response from the youngd.


    Laughing awkwardly, Leonardo rubbed the back of his head. "You can call me Attendant Ye¡­ Brother Gal, sister Sivan."


    "Good brother!"


    "Good brother!"


    Gal touched down on Leonardo''s shoulder while Sivan pped her hands in excitement. To advisors, their cultivation realm didn''t matter as their wisdom reflected their value, not their strength. No one expected them to run off to the frontlines; they were your orthodox armchair generals who support the frontlines from the rear of the battlefield.


    Having established a rtionship with a potential future advisor, the two servants were beyond exhrated. With kind smiles, they enveloped Leonardo with their quintessential essence that had a pale sliver of ether and carried him along, rushing in the direction of the pagoda.


    Leonardo allowed himself to be carried away as he feigned anxiousness due to the ''incredible'' speed, eliciting a charming giggle from Sivan. In their opinion, they had done Attendant Ye a great favor today as not every Tier 1 cultivator had the chance of being escorted personally by a Tier 3 cultivator, let alone two of them.


    In about twenty minutes of flying and chatting, the party of three finallynded by the three massive structures. As theynded, Leonardo realized that even if he snapped his neck by looking up, he wouldn''t see the end of either buildings nking the pagoda, let alone the pagoda itself.


    Appearing to have expected this oue, Gal smiled faintly to the side and kindly exined, "As I''ve mentioned already, you were observing from an optical illusion; you can call it a natural formation¡­


    "The sizes of these structures may seemrge in your eyes, but to great figures on the level of our Commanding General, this outer shell is meaningless since the rooms inside are independent dimensions."


    Gal exined with zeal as he gestured.


    A nineyered pagoda with nine independent dimensions, two buildings each housing three independent dimensions respectively; all fifteen are organized inside yet another independent dimension.


    This entire spectacle might sound simple to the mind and ears, but Gal continued to emphasize that this isn''t something any rebirth realm cultivator can achieve. Legends say that the ancestors of the seven families in the Seven Stars Province worked hand in hand to establish these hidden dimensions when the nine sectors were established near the boundaries of the Jin Dynasty.


    Even though these seven families were located in an isted region from the corner of the dynasty, their influence in the Imperial Court is as prevalent as the influence of the great provincial level and prefecture-level officials centered near the capital.


    "You''re finally here," a yawn came from the front door to the library. Then, the figure of the young schr with long flowing, ck hair and simple white robes appeared in everyone''s vision.


    "Military Advisor!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Gal and Sivan were shocked, and they hurriedly saluted with respect. Especially Sivan, she acted as though she was caught by her superior while cking on duties. The Military Advisor waved it off with a faint smile, speaking gently.


    "I see that you have already met with Attendant Ye, Sivan. That''s good, you can take him around the library''s first and second floors for the following few days; make sure he grasps the general situation."


    "I understand!" Sivan nodded her head, quickly grabbing Leonardo by the sleeves of his robe and rushing into the library. She was shocked that the Military Advisor would personally wee this Attendant Ye into the library.


    On their way here, Gal and Sivan exined to Leonardo about three people he must not offend no matter what. The Left Wing and Right Wing Advisors respectively and their supervisor, the Military Advisor. These three are people without names or backgrounds to speak of as they had all been erased.


    It could be said that they had no present, past, or future except for their strategic value to the Qing Sector. The Left Wing and Right Wing are present at almost every meeting for a military campaign, and the person who personally nurtured them is no other than the Military Advisor.


    Of course, twenty minutes wasn''t a lot of time and the two didn''t speak much to Leonardo, but even if they had plenty of time they wouldn''t dare talk openly and carelessly in this domain.


    They informed Leonardo of the spections that the Left Wing and Right Wing were Tier 5 cultivators respectively while the Military Advisor is supposedly a Tier 6.


    Sivan was counting her lucky stars while reflecting on every word she said and the gestures she did while talking on her way here, convincing herself that she hadn''t said anything out of line.


    After deep and careful consideration, Sivan heaved a sigh of relief and patted her tight chest bound by the maid outfit.


    "I''m safe," she murmured to herself.


    Crack!


    Sivan froze, realizing that she was so anxious she might have applied a little bit too much force in her grip while leading Leonardo away. She hurried to withdraw her hand in fright and looked down at Leonardo''s wrist which twisted out of shape.


    Clearly, she broke him.


    Leonardo gave this woman a weird look, caught betweenughter and tears. It wasn''t easy to feign a dislocation in his wrist, let alone have his bones break without drawing the attention of the Military Advisor.


    "Attendant Ye! I''m sorry, I¡­" Sivan almost started crying, but her words got stuck in her throat when Leonardo flicked his wrist, and with another crack, the dislocated bones reconnected.


    "Good as new, sister Sivan," he waved his hand casually with a faint smile.

 Chapter 232 Brilliant Commanding General

    ?


    Sivan still felt a little guilty; she knew that although Tier 1 cultivators were much stronger than ordinary humans, their pain tolerance was about the same.


    Furthermore, this young attendant was someone sheltered from the wind and rain, his talent didn''ty in his strength but in his head. Thus, she thought that Leonardo was putting on a brave front to keep her from feeling bad, which touched her heart.


    Leonardo didn''t think that deeply about it though.


    He truly didn''t feel any pain from something as simple as a dislocated wrist, not to mention that he did it to himself intentionally. If he didn''t, it would draw suspicion from the Military Advisor; what kind of a Tier 1 cultivator could shrug off the strong grip of a Tier 3 cultivator? As expected, the spiritual sense that focused on Leonardo and Sivan suddenly vanished into thin air.


    "Sister Si¡ª¡­"


    "Just call me Sivan from now on! Don''t be so polite with me." Sivan interrupted Leonardo with a polite yet embarrassed smile, still feeling a little guilty.


    Leonardo blinked. "Alright. Sivan, where should I start reading?"


    "Oh right¡­ This way, Attendant Ye," hearing the question, Sivan immediately remembered the task passed down by the Military Advisor. Thus, with a turn of her heels, she skipped away with light steps into the front gate of the first floor''s sub-dimension.


    Leonardo calmly followed inside.


    A vast stretch of clouds, reminiscent of the folklore versions of what heaven would have looked like if it existed. Clever white doves flew in neat formations all around, and looking closely, each dove had a multicolored chip attached to its tiny talons.


    "These birds are a species of magical beasts with mediocre intelligence. However, they are incredibly sensitive to the heart and mental fluctuations, and anyone who enters the library with ill intentions or an ill conscience; say they were trespassing without permission and are quite anxious to leave, won''t be capable of drawing these birds to them."


    As Sivan spoke, she extended her fair hand with a gentle smile, slowly stretching out her spiritual sense tomunicate with the flocks of birds all around.


    Miraculously, she only needed to supplement her mental interference with the names of a few articles of interest. For example, she mentioned various subjects from history, troop allocations, warfare diplomacy, ancient families, and simr subjects that couldn''t be considered too high level or too low level of clearance.


    Then, tens of birds came flying over from a distance.


    Sensing the environment carefully, Leonardo noticed that these birds were emitting faint spiritual fluctuations tomunicate with one another and casting a wide, far-reaching to spread Sivan''s message all across the sub-dimension. From hundreds of thousands of avians far and near, only a handful of them responded and flocked over, resting on Sivan''s hand, arm, and shoulders.


    Those that didn''t find a suitable spot on her body simply circled her body with their pure ck eyes looking this way.


    "You can''t detach the chips from these magical beasts lest they send a distress signal to theirpanions. They have a weird connection between them, like a delicate. Thus, even if you tried to kill one before the others get a notice, they''ll immediately feel it; consider it like a huge formation where an insignificant node suddenly went dim, they will definitely notice it and scatter in rm."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Sivan exined as she gestured for Leonardo to step forward and reach with his spiritual sense into the chip in order to read the contents. Anyone with a poor concealment technique wouldn''t have been able to disguise their spiritual sense from its original power, but Leonardo''s martial intent was inherited from a mystical power that transcended thews of a ne, let alone a sub-dimension and a few magical beasts.


    A tendril of his spiritual sense reached into the chip.


    Sivan nodded when she saw how the birds didn''t react negatively to Leonardo''s spiritual sense. At least, this proved that he had no ill intentions in mind.


    This ability had Leonardo think back to his adopted daughter, Leona. Then, he also thought back to Kieran and that Eternus fellow, wondering where he went and what ns he had in mind for the future.


    The chip Leonardo inspected had the introduction phrase Millennium Records of Warfare. It exined the recent developments and general movements of the Seven Sectors, especially in rtion to the Qing Sector.


    There was no mention of the Commanding General or the Military Advisor for the past one thousand years. As it seems, the decision-making was left to the Left Wing Advisor and the Right Wing Advisor.


    Surprisingly, the Qing Sector had the least territory in the province out of the Seven Sectors. Although the territory kept expanding, by the same margin, it would also contract.


    ¦Ñ¦Á§ád¦Á---n?¦Ía| §ãom For the past one thousand years, the core territory didn''t change much at all; only the other six sectors had undergone some noticeable changes in ownership ofnds and fields.


    Although disguised, Leonardo''s spiritual sense was still on the level of Tier 6. In moments, he managed to organize the critical events across one thousand years and neatly frame an image of the big picture in his mind, calcting gains and losses.


    "Very clever!" Leonardo praised.


    "I know," smiled Sivan. "Like this, outsiders can forget about collecting vital intelligence from our Qing Sector, this is all the arrangement of our Commanding General!"


    Leonardo chuckled, not bothering to exin. However, what he admired was that this so-called vital intelligence Sivan spoke of was actually stored away on this first floor, it only needed someone powerful enough to carefully analyze the encrypted information.


    However, if someone that powerful truly did invade, they wouldn''t have the time to search the first and second floors; they would strike like lightning and rattle the third floor of the library while pressured for time, leaving behind the valuable intelligence.


    As for the spies of little power, they would be anxious in attempting to reach the higher floors through merits and overlook the bottom floors.


    They would even work harder than the loyalists in the sector, but their contributions and anxiety would simply mark them out as suspicious infiltrators.


    This is quite a brilliant fishing!

 Chapter 233 Invited By The Commanding General

    ?


    In his schr attire, the Military Advisor calmly made his way through the bottom floors of the pagoda, stopping below the staircase and advancing to the 4th floor, not daring to proceed further.


    From the looks of it, he didn''t seem afraid but rather reluctant to climb the staircase unauthorized. As he looked up into the upper floors obscured in mist and clouds that shifted about despite theck of wind, this young schr sighed to himself and bowed reverently.


    "It has been seven days already," a voice borderline ethereal descended from the higher floors,ced with azy undertone that would melt the bones of many young men were they not prepared.


    "Attendant Ye hadn''t budged from the first level of the library ever since he was led inside by that maid, Your Eminence,"responded the Military Advisor. "I can''t recklessly investigate with my spiritual sense, it might rm the magical avians."


    Leonardo hadn''t moved at all after entering the first floor of the library, and he had been shuffling through the information chips consistently. However, from the perspective of everyone else, he was merely sweeping them once to skim through them before advancing to the following chip.


    Although this would provide him with an outline, this kind of behavior wasn''t suitable for a future advisor. Even Sivan, who apanied him for three days as per her duty, felt like this wasn''t right.


    "Do you think he noticed something?"


    Thezy voice of the Commanding General sounded after a brief silence, though there wasn''t a hint of discontent in her tone, there was a bit of curiosity.


    To say she had no selfish motives in bringing Leonardo to her sector after his disy during the private auction would be a lie. In fact, she quite admired his brains, but she had no estimate of his capabilities.


    The Military Advisor paused for a moment and shook his head. "I''m not sure. His actions surely elude one into thinking so, but at the same time, they testify against it¡­ If he did notice the peculiarity, that''s the more reason he should stay put, but that doesn''t mean he could see through the jigsaw puzzle you constructed merely by skimming through. I don''t believe a Tier 1 cultivator has that ability."


    There was no response from the higher floors. The Commanding General was lost in thoughts, it seems. As for the Military Advisor, he left himself an opening in his response by answering positively and negatively at the same time, while cing Leonardo''s cultivation base as a criterion for his answer.


    Only the Commanding General would be aware of this new attendant''s background and hence his advice was as follows: it wasn''t impossible for him to put the jigsaw together if his cultivation was high enough.


    "Hm¡­ I understand," after a bit of silence, thatzy voice sounded again.


    p¦Ánd¦Á---no¦Í?1,§ão§® "Do you have any instructions, Your Ememenince?"


    "Gather the Left Wing and Right Wing and the high-ranking officers, it''s about time our Qing Sector joined the fray."


    The Military Advisor was shocked, albeit not too much. He had already guessed as much from the arrival of this mysterious attendant, but he hadn''t expected the Commanding General to move so quickly. Nheless, he was mentally prepared and didn''tg behind with his thoughts.


    "As you wish!"


    He bowed and turned around to leave. Just then, thezy voice echoed behind him once more. "Don''t bother involving Attendant Ye with the meeting, have hime meet me directly."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The Military Advisor''s steps faltered for a split second, but he voiced out an affirmation with respect before fading into the lower floors.


    ¡­


    Something bizarre took ce on the bottom floor of the library for the past few days.


    In the sea of clouds, a young man in fresh schrly attire with a bronze medallion hung by his waist sat lotus style, motionless. If he wasn''t surrounded by a thousand avians, he would be surrounded by hundreds of them.


    It was an intricate as though his mere presence was a limitedmodity for these magical avians to contest. After he learned the method tomunicate with the birds from Sivan, Leonardo improvised and braved the technique with tidbits of modifications, creating a path for these avians to follow as they darted all around him.


    While these birdsmitted to this pattern, tendrils of spiritual threads extended from Leonardo''s mind and shed through the information slips in a blink. At first, the execution was crude and Leonardo was stuck reading one chip at a time.


    As he progressed, however, he was now capable of viewing tens and hundreds with a thought, and his brain easily proceeded with this information. In a little over a week, he was sure to have browsed through every piece of information this ce had to offer, even as he noticed somecking corners.


    "These must be avable on the second floor of the library," murmured Leonardo.


    "Attendant Ye!"


    His medallion blinked as Sivan''s voice echoed in his mind. Intrigued, Leonardo connected to the medallion and responded with amon signal of inquiry.


    "Please leave the library building, you''ve been summoned by Her Eminence, the Commanding General!"


    Sivan''s voice was very anxious with a sliver of worry and excitement. She was worried that Leonardo might have offended the highest chain ofmand by spending an entire week upying the first level of the library, while she was excited to have the opportunity of stepping foot into the Commander''s Pagoda.


    "I''m on my way."


    Leonardo''s response shocked Sivan. At the very least, theck of enthusiasm in his voice caught her off guard. Then again, a fresh Tier 1 cultivator wouldn''t know how terrifying a Tier 7 existence was, hence she attributed this tant disregard to the young man''s ignorance.


    The moment Leonardo left the library, he was greeted by Sivan who was pacing circles in front of the building, nails between her teeth, suffering from an unreasonable assault.


    "Let''s go!" Sivan dragged him by the sleeve of his robes, this time careful not to dislocate his bones by ident.

 Chapter 234 Emilys Pointers

    ?


    "Why so serious?"


    Leonardo couldn''t help but voice out an exmation toned with his exasperation while being strung along at a speed no regr Tier 1 cultivator could handle. In fact, Sivan was very annoyed that she couldn''t go any faster than this at the moment.


    "The upper echelon of the Qing Sector is in a meeting right now," Sivan pointed in the distance at the other building next to the Commander''s Pagoda. ording to Sivan and Gal, that is the location where all war efforts rted discussions and meetings are carried out.


    The first floor is for meetings held by either the Left Wing Advisor or the Right Wing Advisor, and sometimes both of them would be present¡­ The second floor is designated for the Military Advisor to hold his meetings, and the third floor corresponds to a meeting hosted by the Commanding General herself.


    At this moment and ording to Gal, the second floor has been upied to the brim. This means that the sector is nning to move out in full force, as both the left and right factions are about to be involved under the leadership of the Military Advisor.


    It was at a time like this that the Commanding General called for this new attendant. At first, Sivan and Gal were somewhat disappointed that their new friend and investment got exempted from the meeting, but who would have guessed that he was exempted because the Commanding General wished to speak to him in person?


    Anxious and excited, all the while rattling on with her spections, Sivan dragged Leonardo to the front gate of the pagoda with a flushed face. She, a mere maid, was about to step foot into the legendary pagoda where the Commanding General spent her days.


    She was about to walk on the same floor as Her Eminence.


    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® "Sivan¡­ You need to calm down!" Leonardo shouted in a low voice by the maid''s ear the moment she paused to admire the spectacr structure of the pagoda.


    Sivan realized that she was making a fool out of herself due to excessive excitement and bit her tongue. A faint trail of blood leaked by the corner of her lips as some rity took over her mind, hurriedly helping the woman calm down through a bit of pain.


    Leonardo shook his head and fetched a white napkin from his storage ring before wiping clean the corner of Sivan''s mouth. Then, he flicked her forehead with a hint of reprimand in his eyes, and even though it wasn''t painful at all, Sivan put on a wronged expression as she watched Leonardo step into the first floor of the pagoda.


    Grumbling, she followed in his footsteps with the excuse of showing this new attendant the way inside.


    Leonardo stopped bothering with this zealous woman the moment he entered the pagoda, not caring whether she followed him inside or not. After all, how difficult was it to find your way in a building of this scale to someone on his level of cultivation?


    "Ascend to the fourth floor," Emily''s voice sounded next to Leonardo''s ear while he advanced toward the staircase. As for Sivan, she wasn''t nning to take one step forward after officially entering the pagoda; having set foot inside was satisfying enough to this young maid, hence she quickly left after bowing deeply.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Silly girl," Leonardo shook his head with a bitter smile, though he didn''t voice out his thoughts while he ascended one floor at a time.


    The pagoda was dense with pure ether. Oddly enough, as Tier 1 cultivators had yet to introduce any form of external energy into their bodies, both pure and chaotic ether didn''t pose any lethal threat to them. Perhaps this was a profound lesson from heaven, putting the highest and the lowest of this world on equal grounds.


    Almost in no time at all since there weren''t any ''outsiders'' here, Leonardo scaled the floors of the pagoda and reached the staircase to the fourth level.


    "I assume you''ve seen through my little trick," Emily''szy voice, apanied by light footsteps, echoed from above. Looking up, Leonardo spotted the elegant figure of a woman dressed in white military clothes, long golden hair, and a smooth face mask stepping lightly on the staircase.


    A mask like this wouldn''t stop Leonardo from probing past it to glimpse at Emily''s face, but he wasn''t so low on emotional intelligence as to bypass this symbolic gesture. Since the woman didn''t feel like revealing her true face, he had no interest or drive to go against her wishes.


    "It doesn''t count as me seeing through it when you put both the exam and the answers sheet in my face," Leonardo shrugged, sighing. "If I was an enemy though, I''d have fallen for this so-called little trick of yours; provided I was in a race against time in a war."


    Emily smiled faintly behind her mask, as evident by the contractions of the skin near the corners of her eyes.


    As for Leonardo, he shook his head and continued, "Unfortunately, although I may be clever, I''ve never been someone for the arts of war. In my opinion, if I managed to get through the enemy''s defenses and infiltrate the heart of their territory, I''d be more concerned with collective lives rather than waste time collecting intelligence¡­ If anything, I might as well tten the entire library to the ground."


    Emily''s smile behind her mask froze, she then shook her head. "That might work when you have overwhelming strength and one enemy to worry about, but if you''re just one beast in a jungle full of conniving wolves, you wouldn''t get the chance to breathe essay after a brutal fight, let alone heal your wounds."


    Her point was also valid.


    Now that Leonardo had a territory to worry about if the high-caliber firepower was to run out ofmission due to a reckless fight with one enemy, the others would take the chance to trap and kill him once and for all, then proceed to devour his assets. Even if he wanted to hide, his people and castle aren''t going anywhere.


    Some would rather turn a blind eye to the death of their people ande back at ater date for revenge, but the truly wise move is to stay away from such situations, to begin with. Thus, unless someone could overwhelm their enemies with power, Leonardo''s approach was anything but smart and efficient.

 Chapter 235 Goal: Prefecture-Level Family

    ?


    Leonardo fell silent for a while as he recalled how his conversation with Lucas went back on Arcadia.


    Back then, he was willing to drive the conflict in the heart of his city, wash its streets with blood and bones, and he wouldn''t bat an eyelid about it.


    Back then, he truly didn''t care about coteral damage as he was confident about two things. First, he could always leave that ce with no strings attached. Second, no one would dare kill him or his immediate family, as in his adopted children.


    The more he thought about it, the more he realized that despite growing stronger, he was also growing weaker in some sense of the word.


    "I brought you with me because, despite your inexperience, you''re far too clever. I will provide you the stage to hone your craft, while you repay me with the fruits of yourbor," Emily smiled.


    There''s a fine line between wisdom and intelligence. Although this young man was highly intelligent, his wisdom is fairlycking¡­


    She said, "From my personal estimate, I figured that you''re used to manipting others from a seat of power. You''ve never experienced what it''s like to have something or someone on the line, you''ve never experienced the dilemma of having to choose between two choices, none of which is necessarily good. If I could see that much, so would those old sect elders, and they''ll quicklye to understand your character like reading a book."


    Leonardo shrugged. "As I said, I''m a businessman, not a war strategist. Give me a smallpany with an investment fund, and within ten years, I can dominate the economic market of a nation. Give me a troop of soldiers tomand, and I will most likely leave them behind and charge on my own."


    Although smart, Leonardo knew that the market was predictable because it had its guidelines and bottom lines that tend to the care of the consumers. As for war, too many aspects were involved from themon people to the royal court of a nation.


    War always involves life and death and a cycle of destruction; one blood vendetta after another. Furthermore, in times of peace, no wise emperor would keep a sharp de by their side.


    Thinking about this, Leonardo''s eyes shed as he asked, "Don''t tell me¡ª Are the Seven Sectors in constant internal strife so that the imperial family doesn''t pick you off one at a time? I mean, if your Seven Sectors are that powerful, the imperial family wouldn''t feel at ease unless the armies are distracted one way or another..."


    e¦Áglesn?¦Íel Emily was shocked, but she quickly covered it up with a silver chuckle, not responding with either the affirmative or the negative. Nheless, she was frightened by how quickly his mind worked.


    True, no matter how much time passed, the seven families and their respective sectors are mutually restricting one another to avoid drawing the imperial family''s attention. If one of the six families was about to copse, the imperial family can use that momentum to deal a heavy blow to the remaining six and unite the seven armies under the imperial banner.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, just because no family of the seven would drive another to the brink of despair, that doesn''t mean there were no conflicts of interest, it was simply a question of how to squeeze the most while leaving the family in question with enough juice to ward off the imperial family.


    Just as she was recovering from her shock, Leonardo pped his hands in realization and eximed. "With the imperial family and Memento Mori at each other''s throats, your seven families have the chance to expand beyond the borders of mutual bnce; the Jin Dynasty wouldn''t have the manpower to suppress both external and internal enemies. I understand now! Ouch!"


    Leonardo suddenly touched his forehead after Emily flicked it with a loud bang.


    Of course, this force didn''t really hurt him, it was just a symbolic cry of pain that could be described as yful at most. Although Leonardo wasn''t particr about military tactics andmanding soldiers onnd, his brain was frightening when it came to political schemes.


    Emily crossed her arms to her chest and huffed. "You talk too much!"


    She hated it but Leonardo was right; the seven families were taking advantage of Memento Mori''s movements to escape the shackles of the Jin Dynasty. She hadn''t expected a few words on her part, words of criticism at that, to suddenly shed enlightenment on this young man.


    "Since you understand, it''s meaningless for me to exin any further," Emily shook her head in exasperation. "I''m notcking when ites to military might as the Qing Sector was cycling between expanding and retreating. Hence, our reserves of veteran soldiers are way beyond those of the other six. However, expanding doesn''t happen only on the battlefield, but also in the royal court where words are the swords of those diplomatic bastards.


    "I want to openly wage war on the other six families and unite them under my family''s banner while covertly drawing in their allies and supporters from the royal court. That way, even when the imperial family has breath to spare on the developments from this province, my family would have already entrenched itself in the system as a prefecture-level family."


    Leonardo raised an eyebrow, "You want me to help you go from a provincial-level family to a prefecture-level family? Aren''t you thinking too highly of me? Furthermore, what''s in it for me?"


    If it was only these political mind games, a few incentives here and a couple of assassinations there, while also roping in the right supporters while putting a show of power to the right opposing factions would quickly solve the problem. However, they would at first need to subdue some of the six families of the Seven Stars Province from all scenes; political, economic, and military.


    The military scene was the most urgent, followed by economics, and eventually... Politics. Emilia was this bold only because she roped Leonardo, who wasn''t only a powerhouse but also a devious young man.


    He was very curious about what would this girl offer in exchange for his services.

 Chapter 236 Deadlock

    ?


    Emily also knew that she was asking for far too much help from Leonardo. However, their agents in the ck Market provided information that beautified his capabilities in political warfare and human psychology to the heavens above.


    Furthermore, to think that someone from a rural that wasn''t introduced to cultivation ever since its inception had such illustrious achievements defiedmon sense. Unfortunately, their agents wouldn''t be able to dig up information about the since it was allegedly self-destructed by Maria Evernight in her bid to escape the clutches of the Interster Supreme Court.


    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® Thetest intelligence reported that Leonardo''s first disciple, Wendy, apanied Maria Evernight and left the ster world, and disappeared into the void beyond the world barrier. The more she thought about this young man''s origins, the more perplexed she felt. Nheless, she smiled at the teasing expression in Leonardo''s eyes.


    She said, "How about we leave the tab open for now? When the timees, you can ask me for something in return, as long as it is within my capabilities. After all, this is a deal between you and myself; I am requesting your help within your capabilities."


    Leonardo hummed a soft response in acknowledgment. "Alright, I''ll take you up on that offer¡ª don''t shrink from the responsibilityter, provided that your capabilities will extend to your subordinates, of course."


    Leonardo didn''t need the help of a Tier 7cultivator as their individual power was useless to him. However, if he were to help her rise and get himself a promise from someone influential in a prefecture-level family, that would make his efforts worth it.


    Emily understood this point too. Hence, she rolled her eyes and responded, "Naturally¡­ I wouldn''t take advantage of your brain power. Do we have a deal now?"


    Her tone was quite eager as she asked.


    "You have yourself a deal," Leonardo nodded, his honey-brown eyes twinkling with infinite calctions.


    "Good!" pped Emily. "Let''s go and join them in their meeting, see how things are progressing, and gain some understanding of the overall situation."


    Emily waved her sleeve to engulf Leonardo within her domain. Then, she parted theyers of formations and space within the sub-dimension and strolled her way inside with thetter strung along. Leonardo didn''t resist one bit.


    ¡­


    On the second floor of the War Conference building, the generals and their lieutenant generals, first and second, in addition to the left-wing, right-wing, and military advisors gathered up in a wide hall.


    On the massive sand table that depicted the stretch ofnd also known as the Seven Stars Province, the surface area was clearly dissected into seven regions, each marked with a specific noble emblem.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The area under the emblem of the Qing Family upied the least surface area of the overall province. A fewrge-sized cities and even less medium-sized cities, and the small-sized cities needn''t even be mentioned despite theirrge numbers.


    Obviously, the terrain provided to the Qing Family was borderline inhabitable with theck of trade routes, favorable weather, and high risks of encountering beast tides from the uncharted wilderness, constantly wearing down the protective formations surrounding the cities.


    The meeting had been going on for a while now as Leonardo and Emily hid in the shadows, listening. Leonardo suspected that out of everyone present, only the military advisor picked up on their sudden intrusion a while ago.


    Everyone in the room was listening to the left-wing advisor and the right-wing advisor discussing the prospects of detion and intion respectively. At this moment, the left-wing advisor pointed at the sand table and borated.


    He said, "Our position as it is, squeezed between House Xia, House Freya, and House Levi leaves our lines stretched thin; we can''t afford an all-out war with either of these families as their covert and open interactions indicate a subtle alliance between the three families. In my opinion, they must have already picked up on our cycle of intion and detion; they''ll be prepared for the uing intion."


    Many of the high-ranking officers nodded their heads in agreement with his sentiment. If their tactic has been seen through, it is only natural for the other families to tighten the around House Qing and force the military to exhaust the resources that have been umted secretly over thest few decades of warfare.


    However, the right-wing advisor had something else to say. From his point of view, if they were to exhaust their military umtion no matter what, the best option would be to invest this power in zing a path of survival.


    He argued back and said, "It doesn''t matter if they picked it up or not, we can''t carry two cycles of detion lest we lose valuable resources, trade routes, and rtively safe hunting zones for the locals of our cities. If we shrink back our territory anymore, we will inevitably infringe on the territories of hidden sects, we have no choice but to push forward on the weak link in their alliance and gamble that the other two won''t push us too much."


    Once again, the high-ranking officials nodded their heads in agreement. The left-wing advisor''s call to detion and the right-wing advisor''s call to intion both had their pros and cons, but no one dared speak their mind without input from the mentor of these two; the military advisor.


    These officers had one job, to carry out the strategies delegated by the advisors and bring the military campaign to sess. Their expertisey in the open fields, not behindvish desks with quills and papers.


    The two advisors were locked in a heated argument with their intelligent eyes, neither willing to back down from the respective opinions, not after they''d have umted decades of experience with their strategies.


    Both men were confident. Moreover, both men knew that this uing military campaign wasn''t like any other; this was the real deal. The first wanted to retreat and counterattack like a gust of wind, the other wanted to take the initiative and strike like a bolt of lightning.


    As they both hit a deadlock with their eloquent speech, they turned their eyes toward their mentor, the military advisor.

 Chapter 237 Attendant Yes Debut

    ?


    "Sigh, you two built a box around your minds which has, unfortunately,trapped your thoughts¡­" the military advisormented with a sigh after watching the show from start to finish.


    The other two were baffled, and their expressions betrayed their confusion.


    The military advisor continued, "The detion and intion tactics worked out for the past one thousand years for two reasons. First, the other six houses allowed it to work. Second, the area we upy doesn''t leave much for the other six families to desire¡­"


    "What?!"


    Collective gasps of shock echoed in the hall. Then, a trace of surprise flickered in the eyes of the military advisor as he perceived not only the Commanding General nodding her head but also Leonardo who stood by her side.


    After thinking for a moment, the military advisor stood up and bowed in the direction of the void while speaking, "Your Eminence, we had you witness something quite unsavory. I''m ashamed of my teachings."


    Whoosh!


    Everyone stood up to their feet in a heartbeat and bowed in the same direction.It didn''t matter to them whether they sensed it or not. Since the military advisor, the strongest person in the room said so, he must have noticed it.


    Of course, if Emily wanted to conceal her presence from him, she could. However, she felt like it was unnecessary.


    As everyone bowed and called out respectfully, space parted as though it was a curtain, and two figures stepped out. Everyone was a bit surprised to see Leonardo standing behind the Commanding General, then they picked up on his bronze medallion.


    The military advisor smiled. "It is great of you to join us, Your Eminence, and Attendant Ye."


    Emily nodded her head and walked over to the head seat in the hall, directly above the military advisor''s seat to the right. As for Leonardo, for theck of better seats and due to his current persona, he walked right up to Emily''s seat and stood behind her.


    His posture was like, even though he was an attendant, he was Emily''s attendant and not someone anyone can boss around.


    Astonishment and jealousy flickered in the eyes of the left-wing and right-wing advisors, thinking that the Commanding General was nurturing the military advisor''s sessor.


    The military advisor didn''t care. Instead, he bowed once again and said, "Your Eminence, can I ask to hear Attendant Ye''s thoughts on what I just said?"


    The astonishment and jealousy in the eyes of the two quickly morphed into skepticism. However, the military advisor continued, "I assume Attendant Ye had caught up on the matters of our current situation, do you mind sharing a few words?"


    Leonardo didn''t immediately respond, but Emily nodded her head and voiced out her consent to the matter.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Helpless, Leonardo cleared his throat.


    He said, "The overall structure of power distribution across the Core Maind was set in stone since the dawn of the Three Dynasties, Eight Mountains, Four Pavilions, and Divine Temple. For so long, the board was a tranquilke¡­


    "That is until conflict sparked between the Jin Dynasty and Memento Mori, heralding the era of change as two behemoths on this maind fight it out. In the past, no one had anticipated such a shift in powers, hence, the other six houses had no worries that the Qing Family might act out.


    "The imperial family of the Jin Dynasty is keeping an eye on your seven families for an opportunity to strike, but their attention will most likely shift to their war with the brotherhood. The purpose of the intion and detion tactics was two-fold, to put a show ofcking the ambition to the other six families and the imperial family.


    "If the Qing Sector expanded its territory too much, the imperial family would surely act. Thus, the other six families tacitly agreed to this tactic as they figured we won''t dare hold onto thesends for too long. However, with the imperial family distracted, acquiring thesends would allow us to springboard our armies intonds of more favorable terrain, something the other six families can''t tolerate, especially the ones to suffer immediately from the expansion; these three."


    As Leonardo finished talking, he pointed at the emblems of House Xia, House Freya, and House Levi.


    He continued, "As for detion, our back is to the buffer zone between two dynasties and we are trapped between three houses from all directions. It might sound insulting, but these three houses are using us as a buffer zone between their ranks; a chip to bnce the scale of their powers. They don''t need ournds per se, they simply need the Qing Sector to exist."


    Leonardo felt his mouth going dry. This time, Emily couldn''t conceal the shock in her eyes. She didn''t spot Leonardo nodding his head behind her a while ago, but even if she did, she''d still be shocked.


    The entire hall was silent for a long, long moment.


    p! p! p!


    The silence was broken as the military advisor snapped out of his daze. At first, he thought the Commanding General provided this exnation to this new attendant, but he quickly noticed the shock in the depths of her eyes. Thus, he couldn''t help but p his hands in praise!


    "Exactly!" he nodded his head. "My two students have been too focused on the Seven Stars Province for the past one thousand years, to the point they''ve grown numb and oblivious to the changes on the greater board, hence theirck of insight on things."


    After waking up from their daze, the other high-ranking officials also joined the apuding, pping their hands in zeal.It didn''t matter to them how low this kid''s cultivation was, his brain alone won their utmost appreciation.


    Leonardo shrugged, he didn''t care much since unlike them, his vision wasn''t limited to the changes in a mere province, prefecture, or even a dynasty.


    "I guess it''s about time I introduce my new attendant to everyone," Emily''s ethereal voice sounded in this hall, crisp and clear, for the first time in a sentence ever since she made her entrance. "This is Attendant Ye, you''ve all witnessed his wits."


    The hall sunk into silence as Emily continued, "We will discard the intion and detion tactics. From henceforth, we will act ording to a new n proposed by Attendant Ye, thereafter revised by the military advisor."

 Chapter 238 Leaving The Sub-Dimension

    ?


    After Emily introduced Leonardo to the upper echelons of her Qing Sector, under the disbelieving gaze of everyone, she allowed him to upy her seat of power as she left the great all.


    This action of hers served a two-fold purpose.


    First, she wanted everyone to know that despite being an attendant, in her eyes, he had a higher position than everyone present; the military advisor included.


    Second, this was a subtle apology for having Leonardo stand behind her this entire time, let alone the way the military advisor coerced him to speak up by using Emily''s name as a medium.


    With him seated above, this was a clear remark to the military advisor to watch his position and not to give instructions to Leonardo, be it openly or covertly.


    The military advisor didn''t care much and smiled it off. However, his students thought of it otherwise.


    They eyed Leonardo with rancor in their eyes, but they too knew how to separate the general interest of the Qing family and their personal grievances.


    Yes, they were distracted from the bigger picture once, but that didn''t mean they were any less intelligent than Leonardo; they simply had their eyes focused elsewhere.


    The conference carried on for three days and nights.


    Maids asionally entered the hall to provide beverages and spiritual fruits. When Sivan first saw Leonardo in the Commanding General''s seat of power, she almost dropped the tes and screamed her lungs out.


    Luckily, she got her wits together and gathered herself up, but the shock and excitement bubbled in her eyes for a full day and night. Of course, she spilled the beans to Gal as soon as possible, and the pair of maid and butler celebrated all night long while bragging about their ''close rtionship with Attendant Ye.


    Sivan had the cheek to say she was so close to Attendant Ye, they had no problem at all holding hands. Of course, no one believed her.


    Even she wouldn''t believe herself.


    ¡­


    As the conference came to a closure, Leonardo had just left the building when the left-wing and right-wing advisors caught up to him.


    The former started, "How positive are you about this thing actually working out?"


    This was actually the question on both of their minds.


    Leonardo smiled and responded, "If I went personally? It''s a guaranteed sess. As for you two¡­"


    He didn''t finish his words, deliberatelyparing himself with the two as though to rub salt to injury.


    This had a greater effect since Leonardo had just proved how his vision far surpassed these two, despite his ''lower'' cultivation base.


    "Of course," he continued, "if you guys can go up and beyond my standard expectations on this mission, I''ll drink three cups of apology to the both of you in front of Her Eminence."


    The two who were fuming suddenly paused, their eyes zing hot.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Like, absolutely sure?!"


    Both of them were intelligent young men, but they were desperate to fix their image in the eyes of the Commanding General. Thus, the significance of this promise to them was far greater than its face value.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You have my word on it!"


    Leonardo responded in the affirmative, his gaze firm.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    The two didn''t even bother returning to the library''s upper floors and directly rushed outside the dimension, nning to carry out Leonardo''s arrangements as fast as possible.


    Leonardo shook his head and was about to take a step outside when the air shuddered, two figures shed from the void.


    With augh, Gal pped Leonardo''s shoulder without any strength at all and said, "Good brother! Why didn''t you tell me about your supreme status? Were you trying to act humble?!"


    "You have no idea!" Sivan interjected, "You should have seen how everyone was listening attentively to big Brother Ye, he was so dashing!"


    Leonardo stumbled forward two steps and chuckled awkwardly, not knowing how to respond exactly.


    "You didn''t ask, what do you mean by acting humble?"


    He rubbed his shoulder with a mischievously pained expression, but he said, "You''re much gentler than Sivan, honestly¡­"


    Sivan blushed in shame, smacking Leonardo on the back of the head as she barked, "I told you that was an ident! I was just too surprised that the military advisor, my boss, would suddenly make an appearance!"


    "Yeah yeah¡­ Do you hear that? Just an ident," Leonardo lifted his arm and spoke to his wrist with a solemn expression. Watching him, Sivan puffed her cheeks skulkingly while Gal cracked up,ughing even more.


    Afterughing for a while, Gal spoke up, "Our friends don''t believe that we have a good rtionship with you. Thus, they requested we invite you to the local bar in the north district of the camp¡­ Are you avable tonight?"


    Sivan''s eyes glowed as well, looking expectantly at Leonardo. Thetter thought for a moment and nodded his head.


    He said, "Sure, my body is stiff all over from that hard chair, and my throat is all dry from talking so much¡­"


    Sivan chuckled, having recalled the military advisor saying something about smart people being those who are deft atmunicating with their eyes and bodynguage.


    "The smarter they get, the less they talk. If one day they had to talk a lot, then the longer they talk, the more it reflects on how stupid their counterpart in the conversation was¡­"


    The more she thought about it, the more she realized that Leonardo was calling those high-ranking officials idiots. Thus, she couldn''t help but chuckle.


    Gal thought she wasughing with a sense of schadenfreude, giving the maid a re that urged her not to make fun of serious matters.


    Sivan rolled her eyes and said, "Fine! You wouldn''t understand it anyway, I''ll have my throat parched exining it to a muscle head like you."


    With thisment, it took Gal a minute to realize why she was chuckling, his expression drawing a long face.


    He said, "Let''s get going then, flight is prohibited in the military base, the only exception is the sub-dimension. Furthermore, we can''t go too fast lest it harms Brother Ye''s body."


    "Right! Right!"


    Sivan nodded, snapping her finger to envelope Leonardo within her domain. Then, she stuck out her tongue at Gal, and with a st of air, she shot into the distance.

 Chapter 239 Maid Cosplay

    ?


    Buzz!


    Space shuddered as Leonardo stepped out from the dimensional barrier formation following Sivan and Gal. The two were very excited, as they hadn''t expected their investment of goodwill to pay back in less than a month.


    Gal seemed to recall something and said, "You need to conceal your identity as an attendant, this is a regtion in the militaryw to avoid sabotage, assassinations, and attempts at bribery."


    Leonardo hadn''t thought much about that at first. However, after thinking about it, he understood and removed his bronze medallion, storing it away in his storage ring.


    "Should I have a change of clothes too?" Leonardo asked, tugging at his white robes.


    "No need," Gal shook his head. "Servants are obligated to put on their official uniforms on duty and inside the dimension, but they have the liberty of choice when ites to outdoor clothing. Especially for people of your status, there isn''t a designated uniform lest it exposes your status and identity."


    "Yeah," Sivan added. "Don''t worry about it, everyone will treat you as a fellow servant outside the sub-dimension. The only downfall is that you can''t use your status to get out of trouble, so you better be careful not to offend some hot-tempered musclhead. Despite our strength, a servant has less status than soldiers with high merits, the squadron captains are very protective."


    She paused for a moment, but it was Gal who spoke up from this part and said, "You don''t have to be too careful though, everyone now ''knows'' that the military advisor, a Tier 6 cultivator, looks favorably upon Sivan. The military advisor is someone who knows too many secrets and thus he is forbidden from leaving the sub-dimension, but no one dares look down on his influence. Since he doesn''t leave the formation, let alone the fact no one knows his background or name, unting your rtionship with him is okay."


    Leonardo nodded, even though he wasn''t that worried. At most, he could silently kill anyone who proves to be an eyesore with his deste martial intent. A touch is all it takes for him to nt a silent time bomb in their bodies and before they could go around causing trouble, they''d drop dead.


    ¡­


    The military base provided transportation services since the flight was banned. Thus, by the evening of the same day, the trio arrived at the northern district of the outer regions.


    As borated previously, the military camps of the Jin Dynasty adopted the infrastructure of martial sects with outer, inner, and core regions. In the Qing Sector, the sub-dimension was its core region where the upper echelons and their servants could enter and exit freely.


    Entertainment and transportation of goods are conducted in the outer regions near the borders of the military camp, with the northern district being the most popted section during nighttime. Bars, restaurants, night markets, nightclubs, and even red light centers are avable on these streets. Of course, the services aren''t provided by soldiers, but rather, young and vivacious women from the cities under the jurisdiction of the Qing family.


    "This is the bar," Sivan and Gal escorted Leonardo to a three-story building with a massive sign depicting a woman pole-dancing while embracing the slim handle of a tall, one-shot ss.


    Ruckus andughter erupted from the bar, not to mention the loud yet foulnguage and noises of ss shattering and the thudding resonance of fists smashing into flesh.


    asionally, crisp shouts of young women could be heard and before the mind wanders in the false direction, these shouts transition into charmingughters and coy chirping.


    For a moment, Leonardo almost confused this military base with something else.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Surprised?" Gal stabbed Leonardo with an elbow,ughing while at it. "Don''t forget that this military base is thousands of years old; the millions of soldiers here weren''t conscripted, most of them were born and raised here, never to leave the base be it in life or death. Thus, these establishments are vital for the morale and stability of these soldiers, especially when no one can guarantee to live past tomorrow''s sunset."


    "Go home, you''re drunk!"


    Hua!


    Crash! A robust body was flung out the front gate as it rattled, as though about to copse from the momentum. Just as Gal finished his remarks, the man fell on the ground by their feet,ughing to himself as alcohol drenched his bare, hairy chest.


    Leonardo was about to feel sympathetic when he witnessed this scene, choosing to keep his words to himself while Sivan burst into a giggle, taking the lead into the bar with a charming smile.


    Gal shook his head and sighed, "Forget it, let''s go in!"


    "After you," Leonardo gestured with a sarcastic bow as heughed and followed the two inside. Very quickly, they arrived at the second floor which housed a wrestling ring, a bar counter, a betting venue, and an open area for guests.


    The open area was upied with plenty of maids and butlers in casual uniforms, and the girls immediately shouted while waving their hands in an attempt to draw the group''s attention.


    Most of these girls had already provided Leonardo with services during the conference and hence they immediately recognized him, screaming their lungs out.


    Leonardo gave the ce a look and was shocked at what he saw, but he quickly subdued the expression in his eyes and followed Gal.


    Thetter wrapped his arm around Leonardo''s neck like true brothers andughed while swaggering his way over. Sivan wasn''t one to lose out either, hugging Leonardo''s arm on the other side as she joined the two in their march.


    Leonardo knew these two were taking advantage of him, but he felt helpless in the whole situation. At least, they were open about it, not trying to y smart with hidden motives.


    The young girls and guys were shocked that Gal and Sivan hadn''t been boasting, feeling envious and happy for the two, all the while calcting how to gain a thing or two from this connection.


    As for Leonardo, the moment he arrived in the open area, he gave a wry smile to a particr maid with long, pitch-ck hair and pale white skin.


    She was also looking his way in her tight maid uniform, a teasing light in her eyes.

 Chapter 240 Martial Intent Sharing

    ?


    "That''s sister Emily," Sivan followed Leonardo''s gaze and quietly mumbled into his ear. "She''s usually very reclusive and anti-social, I didn''t think she would also join to meet our Attendant Ye."


    Leonardo had the urge tough. As expected, Emily wasn''t her real name, not to mention when she withdrew the shadows concealing her figure back then, she adopted the face of a maid.


    Despite Sivan''s words, anyone could see the envy in her eyes, the same envy reflected in the other maids'' eyes. It couldn''t be helped as Emily was far too beautiful for a maid, and she was also a Tier 3 cultivator just like them.


    Leonardo had never thought about it before but it suddenly dawned upon him that while divinities were supreme rulers and high elders in ces like Arcadia, the ster worlds, and the hidden sects¡­ They were mere servants and soldiers in the Jin Dynasty, and perhaps the same goes for the other two dynasties.


    "Got it," Leonardo nodded. The other maids and servants didn''t have the guts to get involved with a hot shot like Leonardo now, they could only gossip to themselves in the distance, learning from Gal and Sivan that they should call him Diz in the outside world.


    Only Leonardo knew this was adopted from the name Dizmason, allegedly the warrior from House Eternus that was supposed to descend on his infant body, but was sealed into the ck sea of his consciousness instead. For now, two of the seven lifetimes of Dizmason were extracted by Leonardo and imparted to Ingrid and Rosaline respectively, with five refined recollections to spare.


    It could be said that within the same realm, Ingrid and Rosaline would find no match whatsoever, save for Leonardo himself as he holds dominion over their lives the moment they''ve epted the seeds of inheritance and the burden of the karma involved.


    "Ladies," a hoarse voice intruded on Leonardo''s thoughts as he turned his head and noticed a group of brawny, topless soldiers creeping their way over. They leaned their bodies against the railing separating the open area from the wrestling ring as their eyes glittered.


    Their leader was a tall man of considerable looks and fierce scars, the most prominent was a sh from his corbone to the center of his chest, as though someone had attempted to cleave the man in half but narrowly failed with the endeavor.


    Recalling Gal''s advice, Leonardo didn''t even bother turning his head to look at the encroaching trouble.


    With a light shake of his head, he shuttled his way through the crowd of maids and leanedfortably against the railing by Emily''s side.


    "What a surprise," he mused, eyes half-squinted. He hadn''t expected this woman to be mingling together with the lower bracket of the military camp as a maid on her days off. Then again, he presumed this might be an upational disease that haunted these people from the ck Market.


    Emily cracked a faint smile and didn''t respond, tugging at the sweater that covered her slim shoulders and wrapping the maid outfit, her dark eyes scanning Leonardo from head to toe. "Never thought that the arrogant and haughty you knew how to mingle with low-borns either."


    If she didn''t know any better, she''d have taken Leonardo as someone raised by the curriculum of her ck Market. The two of them hit it off with a light conversation while exchanging some crucial information in a cryptic tone.


    Leonardo carried his gaze deeper ind with a faint smile as he said, "It''s good that you''re here, we need to help those little boys handle their negotiations."


    Emily raised an eyebrow, amused. "Are you telling me what to do?"


    Leonardo chuckled dryly and said, "I was nning to make the trip personally, but on second thought, I think we''d have a better chance at persuading those old fellows if you tag along."


    "You don''t think they have what it takes to seal the deal?"


    "More or less. Usually, those who seek out an external party for aid are one of two¡­ They''re weak and desperate for shelter or strong yet don''t bother exposing their power. If we decided to seek an alliance with the initiative before meeting a deadlock situation, the other forces might take us as a force with hidden power." Leonardo exined while touching his chin, and his exnation sounded reasonable.


    Emily''s eyes sparkled, "You''re nning to give them the illusion that we have this power, subtly changing their attitude from the top to the bottom?"


    Emily finally understood some of Leonardo''s true motives for proposing this deal. However, she was somewhat confused about how to proceed forward.


    A disy of strength with two rebirth realm cultivators wasn''t really a disy of strength unless she had the power to overwhelm the Commanding General in a fair battle. If the two sectors were topete in numbers, this will no longer be a contest between the two sectors but will draw the attention of everyone else.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Leonardo continued, "I was nning to go with the identity of your secret little attendant that you''ve nurtured, but this identity leaves too many loopholes and could be troublesome¡­ Since you''re here, you can do the fighting while I handle everything else."


    The two were about to continue their conversation when the ruckus in the background started getting louder and louder, to the extent that it bordered a chaotic mix of shouts and curses.


    Neither Leonardo nor Emily had the patience to handle the squabbles of these ants. With an annoyed expression at being interrupted, Emily grunted coldly as a wave of mental pressure descended on the bar.


    Like the flip of a page, the ruckus was swatted away by a wave of silence as everyone in the bar stumbled to the ground, eyes zed over. The subtle resonance of music in the background was all that was left of the previous lively scene.


    Leonardo sighed and shook his head.


    He knew those guys must have been drawn over by Emily''s beauty and tried their best to make a scene and guilt-trap this beauty by bullying the servants and maids. s, this wasn''t some story where they left an impression on the heroine by triggering her anger; they were lucky she didn''t outright tten them to dust, especially with the brewing tension in the dynasty weighing on her mind.


    Emily didn''t have the heart to listen to Leonardo''s exnation anymore as she waved her hand and said candidly, "Wait for me while I change my get up, I can''t go outside like this."


    ¡­


    Leonardo floated above the military base high in the clouds as he faced ind, his white robe fluttering in the wind with a white mask condensed from destion essence covering his face. He didn''t change his appearance from the Attendant Ye disguise as no outsiders would recognize him anyway.


    Suddenly, space twisted by his side as a drop-dead gorgeousdy with flowing golden hair and a white mask stepped out. She leveled her gaze on Leonardo''s mask and was a little surprised, this mask didn''t simply block her senses but outright devoured and corroded them like a dreadful gue.


    "We can''t outnumber him and call it a victory, he wouldn''t be convinced and will undoubtedly start drawing in allies thinking that two houses are cornering his house," Emily expressed her concerns.


    "You alone will be more than enough, just put this on and fight to your heart''s content," Leonardo didn''t mind her doubts and tossed over a ck mask that morphed and twisted like an irregr streak of light.


    Emily was suspicious and didn''t touch the thing.


    Leonardo gave her a calm look that didn''t take no for an answer, merely exining, "This has a trace of my innate martial intent, just imbue it to your mask and trigger it for a momentary boost during the fight."


    "You''re letting me in on your martial intent¡ª wait¡­ you have an innate martial intent?!" Emily was shocked to know this fact, as an innate martial intent signified a noble bloodline. She was absolutely certain that there was no such bloodline in the lower realms of a ster world; the possibility was below negative.


    This is both a clue and confirmation that Leonardo''s origins didn''te from the ster world, let alone the lower realms of that world. Her thoughts shifted quickly and curiosity gnawed at her heart.


    After some consideration, she attached the streak of light on her mask as it transformed into runic scripts in the ancient infernal tongue, looking like intricate inscriptions so profound that even Emily failed toprehend them.


    "What''s the duration of this boost?"


    She suddenly asked curiously, as it was unheard of for someone to willingly transfer aprehension of martial intent to someone else. She didn''t know that ever since Leonardo''s split soul joined with his main soul, sharing a martial intent was the least of his abilities.


    Leonardo thought for a bit and responded in a t tone, full of confidence, "A few seconds shouldn''t be a problem, it''s plenty of time for you to finish off the fight too."

 Chapter 241 Five Second Spar

    ?


    Shock resided in Emily''s eyes, albeit not in a positive light.


    She felt skeptical about Leonardo''s boasting. She asked about the duration in corrtion to the temporary measure intending to test what kind of a martial intent was Leonardo''s innate ability.


    Innate martial intents were beyond thews dictated by a ne. Thus, they were exalted as profound and mysterious. However, no matter how exalted they were, these were just rumors and word of mouth.


    Leonardo could tell how disappointed Emily was and couldn''t help but shrug and say, "It''s for your own good; your body hadn''t been augmented with the necessary bloodline to wield this power and it would only do you harm if you used it extensively. In the best-case scenario, your brain would crumble under the pressure¡­ Ah¡ª whatever¡­ Just wait and you''ll understand on your own."


    Emily''s lips thinned behind her mask, even a mask couldn''t hide the displeasure in her expression.


    "Fine," she snorted coldly, picking a direction and shooting off like a falling star yet there was no theatrics such as a sonic boom, rattling wind, and space quacking.


    As Leonardo understood how valuable stealth was in this operation, he also shot silently after Emily not relying on speed but rather a movement technique.


    Wherever his spiritual domain reached, he could take a step into the void and walk out from the other end.


    Emily was ever so annoyed to see Leonardo walkingnguidly by her side, even though she understood while she was taxing her ether essence, thetter was likewise taxing his spiritual essence.


    With the stars in their backdrop, the two quickly crossed over the Xia Sector and kept moving toward the power responsible for keeping a bnce check on the former, the Renhuang Sector.


    ¡­


    The Renhuang Sector was a boiling hubbub as of recently as they had received the delegates from the ever-silent Qing Sector. The two military bases had a line of three houses between them and hence, their track history ofmunication was rather bleak.


    Not many houses had the ''ideal'' geographical disadvantage like House Qing, cing them in a tightly knitted formation between three houses, respectively speaking the Xias, Freyas, and Levis.


    The foot soldiers might be unaware of the chaotic situation that riddled the alliance of seven ancient families, but they could still smell the gunpowder in the air due to their years and years of honing a soldier''s instincts.


    The outer area of the sector had an inkling, the inner area of the sector was discussing in hushed whispers, and the core area of the sector was boiling over with discussions within the confines of the hidden dimensions.


    This was a hidden dimension of mountains and rivers, each mountain housing an array ofvish pavilions, unlike the modern architecture of solid buildings and towering pagodas.


    In a particrly conspicuous pavilion due to the powerful auras twisting space from within and out sat a group of formidable great figures.


    On his high throne, the Commanding General of the Renhuang Sector sat with a devastating waterfall in his backdrop, but the crashing tides and violent currents of this waterfall seemed awfully docile and quiet, not a hint of sound could prate the invisible wall of his presence.


    There was no aura about him whatsoever, but thews in the dimension seemed rather apprehensive, taking the initiative to bend and twist reality into favorable terms for hisfort. A silver longsword stabbed into the ground by his right side, a few inches away from his resting arm.


    This man sat quietly as he watched the left-wing advisor who wore a silver mask discussing back and forth with the officials of the military. This was a man who acknowledged strength above all else but had a fleet of formidable minds working under him.


    From their speech, he understood the cunning nature of the Qing Sector and had tolerated their existence as an extra pawn on this chessboard.He hadn''t expected the Qing Sector to seek an alliance with his Renhuang Sector, and quite honestly, he didn''t care.


    Roxfield had always been and will forever be a man of few words and fewer actions, but his actions would have an evesting impression on his peers of the same era. This particr trait about the mighty swordsman is what drew Leonardo''s attention to this military base.


    He knew that no matter how eloquent the advisors beneath this man were, in his eyes, mortals would forever be mortals. Anyone below the rebirth realm in the eyes of such experts was mortal.


    As he silently watched the left-wing advisor wax beautifully the image of a powerful alliance between strength and intelligence, with thetter provided by the Qing Sector, he almost lost his patience and waved the meeting off with a hand.


    He didn''t care how intelligent a soldier was, he only valued strength and loyalty. Furthermore, he understood the more intelligent someone was and that the further they understood the bigger picture, the more their hearts would waver. Stupid men had the brave heart to own up to their stupid decisions while smarter mencked the drive.


    They had that sense of self-confidence to always find themselves a way out, even at the cost of treason and treachery.


    Just as he was about to wave his hand, a pulse irked at his spiritual sense, altering him ever-so-slightly.


    The pulse of two powerful auras rippled in the skies of his military base, and he stood up in response.


    He took his sword in hand, hoisted it on his waist, draped over his thick military cape, and stepped out into thin air.


    Moments after he disappeared, everyone turned to nce at their Commanding General who was seated above with some suspicion in their eyes.


    "Your Eminence¡­" someone started talking, but at this time, the afterimage of the seated Roxfield crumbled away and dissipated.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Everyone gasped collectively while the left-wing advisor''s expression darkened, feeling as though he had screwed up this task.


    With a silent boom, air quacked on a mountaintop in the rear regions of the Renhuang Sector, and a tall man of robust features walked out from the void and stood in a locked triangle formation with two young figures, their faces concealed behind intricate masks.


    ¡­


    Roxfield''s aura which resembles a tumultuous ocean suddenly stalled, a glint of hostility in his dark eyes as he leveled a gaze toward Emily.


    Even as he did so, he swept a cautious nce at Leonardo who stood silently to the side as though he was but a bystander. The caution in the man''s eyes didn''t escape Emily''s perception, giving her a silent shock.


    She was no warrior andcked the instinct of one, but she wasn''t stupid. She understood that concept very well and she suddenly felt irritated that Roxfield sensed greater danger from Leonardo than he had from her, a peer from the same era.


    "Lord Renhuang," Emily started with a faint allure in her tone, the soft white dress she wore fluttering in the wind that caressed this mountaintop.


    "Lady Qing," Roxfield responded after withdrawing his gaze from Leonardo.


    "What is the meaning of this?"


    He asked heavily, thinking that she was about to shed pretense and ambush him. However, he was confident he couldy Emily to waste while blocking the other young man from wreaking havoc in his military base while calling for support from the other sectors.


    He might be strong but he wasn''t an idiot.


    He understood when he was overpowered and when he was in a position of power quite clearly.


    "We are here to extend an olive branch to Your Eminence, Lord Renhuang¡­ Join us in an alliance to overturn this province," even as Emily was about to take the soft approach, Leonardo spoke up from behind his mask in a t tone.


    Emily''s heart dropped.


    As expected, Roxfield''s aura grew intensely sharper as space within his immediate surroundings began to twist and churn under the influence of his battle intent.


    Who in this world would dare im to extend an olive branch to him?


    His Renhuang Sector was one of the three core forces tying down the imperial family from sweeping clean the alliance of seven families.


    Not even His Majesty would dare talk down to him in such a manner, let alone a brat who had just achieved rebirth. Indeed, Leonardo''s aura signified a Tier 5 cultivator in Roxfield''s perception.


    Leonardo pretended to be overwhelmed by the aura as he struggled to say, "None of you understands the true power of Her Eminence Lady Qing!"


    Boom!


    A wave of ether essence crashed down on Leonardo.


    Boom!


    Emily stood in front of Leonardo and with a wave of her sleeve, the energy dispersed. Like every higher power in the ck Market, Emily enjoyed dual martial intents, one in the light and one in the shadows.


    "If you don''t believe it, Your Eminence Lord Renhuang¡­ How about a five-second spar?"


    Leonardo steadied himself from the ''overwhelming'' presence and proposed, panting heavily as he did so.


    Emily''s eyes twitched, but she didn''t speak.


    She knew she wasn''t powerful in a direct sh, but she understood that this proposal was practically a fight between Leonardo andRoxfield. In fact, it was a fight between the former''s martial intent and thetter''s wealth ofbat experience.


    "What are the stakes?"


    Lord Renhuang kept his silence for a moment after failing to probe Leonardo''s depth, then he posed a question.

 Chapter 242 Five Seconds Of Omniscience

    ?


    Separated by about one hundred paces, Roxfield and Emily stood in high tension. Obviously, the Commanding Generals of their respective sectors decided to settle their conflict in a five-second spar that would put their battle experience to the test.


    The rules were simple.


    They would rush at one another, sh for five seconds, and separate. Both of them held dull wooden swords. Leonardo stood on a distant mountain peak behind Roxfield, but the man wasn''t worried one bit about a sneak attack.


    As for Emily, tension gripped her heart as she grasped the handle of the wooden sword, a swirl of shimmering ether instilled into the wooden frame, granting it a scintiting vibe of blue.


    Roxfield''s robust energy concentrated into hisrge frame at a steady pace before whirling down the long wooden sword, reinforcing the substance just enough to cleave through the hardest of rocks and sturdiest of metals.


    "I''m really curious about what gave you the courage to challenge me in a frontal sh¡ª I who have roamed the secr and martial worlds for years upon years¡­"


    Roxfield stated softly as he took a stance, a web of fissures spreading from beneath his feet even as he spoke calmly, an unrivaled aura surging to the sky and churning the clouds of restless, chaotic ether.


    Emily''s eyes flickered as her line of sight brushed past the Commanding General''s shoulders andced into a brief eye contact with Leonardo''s honey-brown eyes. She was baffled by Leonardo''s calm as if she were to lose, the first condition of the bet was Leonardo''s life; all three of them swore a sacred pact to this end.


    No matter how prestigious Leonardo''s position was in Memento Mori, if he didn''tply with the oath, his cultivation path would end here¡ª today. Did he trust her that much? Or did he trust his martial intent?


    Noticing the conflicting feelings in Emily''s eyes, Leonardo felt exasperated. He couldn''t exin his martial intent or its name to thess as the karma would mark her fate, drawing her into an even greater mess than a simple contest for a seat at the provincial level of power.


    After thinking about it, he took out an information chip and carved something into it within his spiritual sense. Then, he shouted from a distance, "Mydy, I advised a special tactic for you!"


    Hearing about a special tactic even at this moment, Roxfield snorted in derision. As expected, the smart people are always looking to use their brains to solve their imminent doom.


    Whatever, though. In the face of absolute strength, no amount of finesse or intelligence can save you.


    With that in mind, he didn''t intercept the iing chip even as it whizzed past his head and settled into Emily''s fair palm, even as perplexion riddled her eyes.


    "Take your time," Roxfield snorted, his stance firm as a resting mountain. "No matter how you go about it, we will inevitably sh; five seconds is more than enough time for me toy a cleverdy to waste."


    "Is that so?" Leonardo''s voice drifted from afar, riling the seasoned veteran''s ire as he wished to hack the young attendant to death then and there. Even as that transpired, Emily sank her senses into the chip as a flood of information rushed into her head, leaving her staring nkly into space for a fraction of a second.


    Bang!


    The information chip self-destructed in her hand, crumbling into bits and pieces even as confusion clouded her mind and heart. She couldn''t make out the contents of the chip¡ª it seemed tooplicated for her mind and too taxing on her superficial knowledge of handling the sword.


    Yes; this was definitely information about the sword¡ª yet try as she might, she couldn''t grasp a thing other than an indistinguishable fight hacking with a long sword twelve times.


    "Enough!"


    Roxfield''s aura suddenly exploded.


    As impatient as he was, his temper snapped off, jolting Emily awake from her state of confusion just as the former tilted forward, about to change.


    Emily''s pupils dted as she chose to off with it and flood her spiritual sense into the runes on her mask, even as she gripped her sword tightly and rushed to sh with the iing promise of violence.


    Silently, the two sted through the sound barrier like two elongated phantoms that distorted space-time, two shimmers of pale blue ether representing the wooden swords traced beautiful arcs in the air and joined into a blossoming sphere of absolute destruction.


    What was the concept of five seconds to a normal person? Absolutely nothing.


    To a powerhouse of their level, though? It meant the world; it meant life and death; it meant honor and disgrace; it meant a dividing chasm between strong and weak.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    ng! ng! ng! ng!


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    A st of concentrated air leveled the mountaintop into a t ground as the two Commanding Generals disengaged. Then, a staggering phantomnded somewhat gracefully next to Leonardo and without a word, rushed off into the distance.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "See ya!"


    Leonardo waved his hand in salute to the study back view of Roxfield who stood motionless at the center of the st radius, quickly turning his head and rushing after Emily.


    Roxfield of House Renhuang, a fearsome Commanding General, stood rooted in his spot as disbelief colored his fierce eyes.


    Rip! Rip! Rip!


    The sound of ripped clothing followed twelve times as the Commanding General looked down at his chest, only to find a blossoming lotus of twelve petals carved into his military uniform, directly above his heart.


    Twelve times¡­


    If this was a real life and death battle, he would have been killed twelve times in five seconds!


    This felt too surreal! Too unbelievable!


    "What a scaryss," Roxfield muttered as cold sweat drenched his forehead. Then, excitement pulsed in his blood at the ingenious sword technique disyed in the battle, nking him out for a moment before he startedughing to his heart''s content, hisughter shaking the sky and mountains; it even reached the far Renhuang Sector.


    ¡­


    Very far away on a deserted mountain, Emily dropped from the sky with a heavy thud. Following that, Leonardo''s figure stepped out through the void in anguid manner and removed his silver mask, allowing his hair to flow freely as he chuckled to himself. "If you didn''t have any sword techniques, you have informed me earlier¡­ Phew, that was a close one."


    Even as he spoke, Emily didn''t respond.


    Her body began to shudder uncontrobly as she crouched down and clutched at her pretty little head, a searing headache threatening to split her mind apart as ck blood trickled down from her eyes, through the mask, and onto the ground.


    The entire exchange of five seconds reyed in her mind; this was an otherworldly experience.


    Even as she rushed at Roxfield with her heart in her throat, a wonderful sensation enveloped her mind and senses as the world lost all color, isting Roxfield in her perception. Then, thousands of phantoms depicting Roxfield''s movements in infinite variations clicked in her mind; it was as though an omniscient god whispered the secrets of the past, present, and future to her mind.


    Things that she shouldn''t have peered into.


    Everything about Roxfield flooded her mind in one calctive deduction after the next, narrowing down the infinite possibilities into a finite, observable motion. Then, the sword technique she couldn''tprehend suddenly became a lucid thought that blended perfectly with her form, as though second nature.


    Everything after that was a piece of nk paper in her mind and before she knew it, she was parrying, reflecting, dodging, and striking at the same time.


    These were the longest yet shortest five seconds in her lifetime. She now realized why Leonardo limited this martial intent to a short five seconds.


    Even then, she felt like one more second of that overwhelming sensation where everything all around her split from a uniform one-directional trajectory into infinite possibilities would have roasted her mind. She felt frightened.


    Blurgh!


    Emily lifted her mask and spew vomit from her pale lips for a few moments as the bout of dizziness finally dissipated from her system.


    Taking a deep breath, she gathered herself and put the mask back on, slowly standing up as rity returned to her eyes along with the overwhelming shock.


    ¡­


    Renhuang Sector, Core Area.


    The left-wing general had a dark and depressed expression as he walked down the mountain path descending from the magnificent pavilion with a waterfall in the backdrop. He couldn''t for the love of him understand why they refused to ally with his Qing Sector no matter what he said or depicted of a bright future.


    "These musclehead brutes!"


    He cursed under his breath, the mask on his face serving its purpose by concealing the gloom that took over. Even as he contemted his next step in the negotiations despite hisck of confidence, a robustughter that shook heaven and earth reverberated throughout the sub-dimension, sting most of its residents from maids and servants to the ground.


    "Guests from the Qing Sector, why the rush?! Hahaha!"

 Chapter 243 Lotus Of Heaven And Earth

    ?


    The same mountain, same waterfall, same pavilion, and the same people. However, the atmosphere was a bit different.


    The left-wing advisor was still trying to cope with the changes, just like the many generals and their lieutenants on his side. As for Roxfield, he sat on his high chair in a new set of regal clothes, his aura restrained so much that even the noise of the crashing waterfall washed over the pavilion.


    This was a clear sign of presenting the attitude of joining the discussion, as he hadn''t isted himself from the world or the people below.


    "I''m curious," Roxfield turned his gaze toward the left-wing advisor.


    The man immediately stood up and bowed at the waist, though his figure and movement didn''t betray his anxiousness.


    He said, "How can I indulge you, Your Eminence?"


    Roxfield tapped his armchair gently and asked, "How many of you are there? Like, the smart guys."


    Roxfield had never been one to care about these details as these were matters under the jurisdiction of his subjects. However, he was a little intrigued now after the encounter with Emily and Leonardo.


    The left-wing advisor was a bit surprised, but he nheless answered, "Her Eminence has three loyal advisors and¡­ One personal attendant¡­"


    The left-wing advisor hesitated a bit before he remembered Leonardo''s words during the war conference. Leonardo''s instructions were simple, and they were but a few words.


    "When the winds change, don''t hide anything."


    The left-wing advisor immediately understood that whenever the Commanding General of the Renhuang Sector changed his mind, he shouldn''t hide anything since the man valued loyalty above all else in an alliance. Thus, after some deliberation, he added Leonardo to his answer even though thetter wasn''t particrly an ''Advisor'' yet.


    Of course, Roxfield noticed the hesitation and was even more intrigued, raising an eyebrow. "Is there anything special about that attendant?"


    The left-wing advisor kept silent for a while as he struggled with his ego. Eventually, he gritted his teeth and said, "He''s¡­ very smart; I reckon that Her Eminence had personally raised him secretly."


    Roxfield''s eyes shed as he said, "borate!"


    Anyone could tell that the Commanding General wasn''t angry but rather very interested. As for the other generals, they weren''t smart people and they were more used to following orders from their Commanding General and acting ordingly with the changes on an open battlefield.


    "It all started two weeks ago¡­" The left-wing advisor felt disgusted inside since he lost the bet. It was a simple bet; if he could convince the Renhuang Sector to follow the alliance terms before the Commanding General left the meeting, he would have won.


    He had been going on and on for almost two hours yet the Commanding General barely had a change in expression. Thus, since his methods failed, he will follow the instructions ording to the bet and not conceal anything.


    Hearing that this so-called Attendant Ye was a Tier 1 cultivator, the generals and lieutenants scoffed scornfully. As for Roxfield, his eyes shed but he didn''t say anything.


    He secretly felt proud about his keen vision as he had swept through Leonardo''s concealment at a nce, immediately figuring out he was a Tier 5 attempting to hide his cultivation. ''Smarts could only get you so far¡­ hmph!''


    Nheless, even if he was at the bottom of the pyramid for rebirth realm cultivators, he was still better than the lowly mortals. Then, the left-wing advisor eloquently exined in detail how this Attendant Ye delegated potential allies and enemies of the Qing Sector and how to deal with each of them depending on the Commanding General''s temperament.


    Then, he exined how this Attendant Ye inferred the temperament of each Commanding General based on how they advanced and retreated in the past one thousand years, shocking everyone speechless.


    There was a limit to how much information a human brain could process in two weeks, no?


    Everyone assumed that despite joining the ranks of the Qing Sector in thest two weeks, the Commanding General of the aforementioned sector must have been updating this Attendant Ye regrly while nurturing him.


    Only Emily herself knew that this was false.


    Moreover, only Emily had a clear view of how terrifying the calctive abilities of Leonardo''s mind are, especially at this moment as she stood face to face with the man himself on a chilly mountain peak.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Leonardo was giving her his back view while she cleaned up her face and wore the mask once more, she then leaned over to pick up the wooden sword that was riddled with chips and holes.


    There were thousands of them. If it weren''t for the remnant ether infused into the sword, it would have long crumbled away into dust. Emily gently traced her palm along the t edges of this sword as she infused even more ether into the wood, solidifying its structure.


    "What''s the name of that sword technique?" Emily asked in a faint voice. Try as she might to recall the technique, the memories were quickly fading from her mind like a trickling stream from a high cliff.


    Touching this sword, her muscle memory felt like it could replicate the technique, but her mind and the specific channeling and distribution of energy were hazy; she figured she could at most bring one-tenth of the technique''s power based on muscle memory alone.


    "Lotus of Heaven and Earth," Leonardo responded after a moment of silence. Then, he shook his head and added, "You shouldn''t worry too much about this technique, not even a Tier 9 cultivator is capable of fully mastering it, let alone a mere Tier 7."


    Emily''s eyes went sharp. "I aplished it once, I can do it again!"


    Leonardoughed.


    Hearing hisughter, Emily felt indignant and spoke calmly, "Let''s discuss our terms again; I want that sword technique¡­ Name your price."


    "You really don''t get it, do you? Do you honestly think it would have been possible to execute those twelve strikes based on your constitution? The fact you can''t remember is an indication that your brain couldn''t keep up with the process¡­ You only pulled it off because your martial intent is speed oriented; possibly it''s something rted to kic energy."


    Even as he spoke, Leonardo projected a thread of ether from his hand and started drawing a diagram in the air; it was a replica of the miniature lotus of twelve petals executed by Emily.


    She was excited to see the image as it stroked at her memory, it was a distinct feeling of having something elusive at the tip of one''s fingers.


    Leonardo didn''t tell her that this was the core technique created by Dizmason Eternus during his second life, or that he had mastered it due to Rosaline''s soul transferring everything she learned from the inheritance into his mind.


    Thinking that he was supposed to gain not one but seven of these ultimate techniques based on Dizmason Eternus'' seven lifetimes of constant ughter, even Leonardo was tempted. However, he shook his head nheless and exined.


    "Twelve strikes and your brain was on the verge of copsing¡­ What if I told you the technique had a total of one hundred and eight strikes? The Lotus of Heaven and Earth has the Heaven Chapter of thirty-six strikes and the Earth Chapter of seventy-two strikes. I only gave you the rudimentary twelve strikes from the Earth Chapter, yet look at your condition¡­"


    Even as Leonardo spoke, dense threads of ether rushed from his finger and began to fuse into the diagram as it expanded in size, and the number of petals mounted.


    From twelve open petals to an overall seventy-two.


    Then, the petals began to rotate and miraculously draw the ether to the center of the lotus, constructing one closed petal at a time till there were thirty-six in total, huddled up as though protecting a precious stamen within.


    Emily was at a loss for words as she watched this whole thing unfold. She knew that this technique wasn''t something from the Memento Mori from the moment she first executed it. If it were, the world would have long submitted to the ruling of the brotherhood.


    She knew she was too weak to execute the attack once more based on the sensation from earlier, but she hadn''t expected the powerful strike to be a rudimentary, introductory technique.


    Her face instantly went pale as she gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, I don''t care¡­ Teach me the rudimentary strikes¡ª that''s all I ask for."


    Even observing the diagram formed from simple ether threads gave her a headache, let alone the actual technique. Nheless, she also understood that if she can''t replicate the technique in the future, she would be at a great disadvantage in many battles.


    Leonardo was right; her martial intent was rted to potential energy and kic energy and her specialty was speed. However, this was an attributecking martial intent and thus there weren''t many options when it came tobat techniques.


    Furthermore, she couldn''t possibly rely on her secondary martial intent as it would expose her identity as someone rted to the ck Market.


    Her family didn''t have techniques above the 5th tier that suited her martial intent and she couldn''t afford 7th tier techniques from the ck Market.

 Chapter 244 Three Houses

    ?


    Leonardo looked at the serious Emily and cracked a smile, saying, "I''ll give you three strikes to go back to the Qing Sector and practice for now, we can discuss the specificster."


    "Just three?!"


    Emily''s eyes widened as she heaved and panted, not believing her ears. What was she supposed to do with only three strikes?


    Leonardo shook his head, exasperated as he exined patiently, "Are you supposed to be saying that after experiencing it firshand? Each strike has eighty-one variations of parrying, deflecting, shing, and piercing. They''re called Nine by Nine variations¡­ As in, each strike has nine levels of mastery and you can only use the three strikes in sync if your mastery over the variations keeps up.


    "If you master two levels of the first two strikes and only one level of the third strike, you can only release the power of the first level no matter how much you try. In a sense, the twelve strikes you just executed were limited to the first level, the only level usible for execution in the absence of energy to supplement the technique."


    Leonardo then pointed at the sword and had Emily reflect on one matter; why would there be thousands of chips on the sword if they were only twelve strikes? The variations make use of the entire sword''s body in coordination with the practitioner.


    Emily was dumbfounded.


    She asked, "Can''t you just transfer the technique to my mind? I won''t put any defenses against your entry to my sea of consciousness."


    She didn''t have the time or patience to go through all that. However, Leonardo shook his head and refused immediately. If she couldn''t go through these fundamentals on her own, her physique and mind wouldn''t keep upter on while she practiced the remaining nine strikes.


    Only Rosaline, who had her entire body rebuilt from the soul outward with the inheritance of the Second Twilight, can execute the technique smoothly as though she was breathing. Of course, another reason why Leonardo wouldn''t give her the full twelve strikes now was to control thisdy from the ck Market.


    Anyone can be addicted to power, and she was no exception. The more she practiced this technique, the more she would understand how destructive it can be, especially whenbined with her ridiculous speed.


    After futile attempts of convincing Leonardo to give her more than three strikes, Emily finally sumbed to the fact of how pointless it was.


    "Fine, fine! I get it, three it is. Nheless, you need to tell me what must I do for the following nine strikes," Emily sighed in her heart, feeling disappointed.


    If she had the twelve strikes, she would fear no one under the 9th-tier, as this absolute power was beyond merews and techniques.


    From the 5th-tier to the 9th-tier, it wasn''t a matter of cultivating energy but nurturingws and assimting thesews into the seed of a miniature world, a small star that could amodate life and evolution within one''s body.


    The closer they are to perfecting the body ofw, bing the lord of all life andws within their respective stat cores, and initiating the evolution and upgrade following the inception realm, they be star lords.


    Hence, during this transition period, the powerful cultivators don''t care much about ether fragments but they value moments of enlightenment in regard to their corew even more. However, the creation of a new star indeed requires tremendous amounts of energy, which propels these powerful cultivators to horde and umte wealth while anticipating that momentous breakthrough.


    The more Emily thought about Leonardo''s innate martial intent, the more horrified she became.


    She now understood why his process of understanding and assimtion ofws was so fast; it wasn''t because hisws were too few or too weak, but because his mind was too powerful.


    Yet, with all that power ofprehension and processing, Leonardo had spent three yearspleting the process.


    "Give me the sword," Leonardo stretched his hand over to Emily, not answering her previous inquiries since even he didn''t really know what to ask for.


    At the moment, keeping her strung along and under control was the best thing he could ask for.


    Emily snorted and tossed the wooden sword over.


    Leonardo grasped the sword as his pupils contracted and then began to dte, expanding till his eyes reflected nothing but pitch-ck darkness.


    Sharp currents of pale blue ether crept into the body of the sword as Leonardo shed at one of his fingers, a drop of crimson bloodnding on the body of the sword as it trickled down to the handguard.


    As the drop of blood raced down the t surface and under the scrutiny of Leonardo''s eyes, the ether on the sword transitioned into fine threads, splitting into three runes, each rune inscribed with nine characters of the ancient infernal tongue with a hint of dark energy lingering within, quickly infecting the pale blue ether into pitch-ck energy that assimted into the drop of blood.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The crimson drop quickly turned ck and split into thousands of threads that traced the thousands of chips and cuts on the sword''s body, blending into the wooden structure seamlessly through a simple application of basicws. Any rebirth realm cultivator with a basic understanding ofws can aplish this feat.


    However, this also enhanced the body of the wooden sword with the vitality and energy of a 6th-tier cultivator, and not an ordinary one.


    "Infuse your spiritual sense into the sword," Leonardo said lightly, even as spiritual energy poured from his third eye into the sword.


    Emily didn''t hesitate to push her spiritual energy to the limit as her spiritual sense flooded into the sword through the thousands of chips and blended into the world within Leonardo''s drop of blood.


    What Emily witnessed within that drop of blood shocked her; a small sr system of three martial intents revolving peacefully in an orbit around a ck hole. However, the vision shed by too quickly and before she knew it, her spiritual sense was cut off, isted, and merged into the drop of blood at an equal ratio with Leonardo''s spiritual sense.


    Bang!


    A wave of spiritual force pulsed from the sword as its earthly texture adopted a ck color. Then, the ck shrank into thousands of lines crisscrossing the previous locations of chips, giving the wooden sword a strange appearance.


    "Phew!"


    Leonardo breathed easy as his eyes slowly reverted back to honey-brown, tossing the sword back at Emily as he said, "The three strikes and Nine by Nine variations are contained within, and only when you master the variations of all three strikes and execute them sessfully would the nextyer unlock for you to study. If you try to force your way into it, the sword will self-destruct and you''ll have only yourself to me."


    Leonardo didn''t want Emily to overestimate herself and try to mix up thebinations and try ying the genius with the Nine by Nine variations, lest she kills herself with the bacsh. Emily thinned her lips while holding the sword, not saying anything.


    "Where are you going now?"


    Only then did she recall how Leonardo mentioned something about having her return to the Qing Sector, indicating that he wouldn''t follow.


    Leonardo faced a certain direction and spoke softly, "The right-wing advisor would definitely fail his negotiations, so I''ll pay the Levi Sector a visit and negotiate a little with their Commanding General."


    Emily''s eyes shed with a hint of worry as she hurried to say, "Are you using them to suppress me? Don''t worry, I won''t betray your trust, you don''t have to take such precautions."


    Leonardo rolled his eyes. "You worry too much; I''m helping you, not myself."


    Leonardo didn''t wait for her to respond as he took a step and vanished into the void, his movement technique was as elusive as always.


    Emily stomped her feet on the ground in frustration.


    Bang! The entire mountain shook, on the verge of copse.


    Then, Emily gave the wooden sword itched in ck lines a look and pursed her lips, thinking that it was worth it after all. This sword was marked by her spirituality and its secrets could only be explored by her senses, credit to Leonardo''s sliver of deste martial intent.


    "Fine! I''ll see how you secure an ally for me from the Levi Sector¡­" Emily muttered under her breath and took a step, disappearing in the direction of the Qing Sector.


    ¡­


    The Levi Sector and the Xia Sector nked the Qing Sector from the right and left wings respectively, making the Freya Sector thergest obstacle between the Qing Sector and the ind. Any direct trade routes from the Qing Sector ind would have to go through the Freya Sector''s customs.


    Thus, House Xia and House Levi didn''t have much to gain from suppressing House Qing, but the heavy taxes imposed on the caravans importing and exporting from the territory of House Qing are split between the two houses as payment.


    These extra payments then fill the pockets of the hidden sects as payment for patrolling the uncharted wilderness andpleting missions for the two houses.


    In a sense, House Qing had been risking the lives of their soldiers exploring the buffer zone between the two dynasties only to fill the pockets of the hidden sects and allow the soldiers of the other two houses to rx and live a cozy life¡­

 Chapter 245 Just A Chat

    ?


    As Leonardo approached the Levi Sector through the uncharted wilderness, he quickly noticed the high activities of hidden sects in the area.


    He felt it to be expected as most liquid assets that flowed into the pockets of these hidden sects were the extra tax revenue from the Qing Sector''s trade routes.


    If Leonardo wanted to sneak into a ce that didn''t have a 9th-tier cultivator, no one could really stop him.


    Thus, no one noticed that a 6th-tier young cultivator in casual white clothes and a silver mask slipped through the defensive arrays of the outer region, and inner region, and eventually followed a fleet of servants into the core region.


    Having discarded the disguise of Attendant Ye, his white hair flowed freely behind his back as his pitch-ck eyes stood in contrast with his soft, impable white skin.


    Even while Leonardo knew that this ce was potentially under the control of a powerful 7th-tier cultivator, Leonardo didn''t care. He shed high into the skies of the sub-dimension, settling down in the midst of the stirring clouds.


    After he made himselffortable, he released a hint of his 6th-tier aura in a discreet manner, allowing only the 7th-tier cultivator in the depths of the sub-dimension to sense it.


    Unlike the isted, almost barren architecture of the Qing Sector''s core region and the mountains and pavilions of the Renhuang Sector''s core region, the Levi Sector''s core region was a bustling modern metropolis.


    Not too secretive like the Qing nor too strict like the Renhuang, many small cities and towering buildings were established in the core region. The dealings with the Freya Sector brought them a lot of wealth as reflected in their opulent structures and rxed flow of not only soldiers but also cultivators from hidden sects.


    Leonardo wasn''t the least bit surprised that these cultivators could huddle their way into the core region after thousands of years of business.


    In one of the mansions deep into the central city, a group of middle-aged cultivators gathered.


    Among them were three 5th-tier cultivators, two 6th-tier cultivators, and a few 4th-tier servants who tended to their needs.


    One of the 6th-tier cultivators was in a military outfit while the other was dressed in taoist robes, clearly, thetter was from a hidden sect.


    "Have you found the girl yet?" asked the man in a military uniform with the badge of a lieutenant on his left shoulder, his brows locked into a tight frown.


    The cultivator responded in confusion. "What girl?"


    Then, seemingly recalling something, he cried out, "Oh! The Holy Maiden of the Interster Supreme Court?"


    The lieutenant waved his hand dismissively. "What Holy Maiden? That''s just a ruse executed by the imperial family. She''s a wanted criminal, their only grip on that vermin from the lower realms."


    "Yeah yeah," the cultivator rolled his eyes. "Our hands are tied, they''ve somehow ended up in the buffer area between the two dynasties. Let alone the fact we can''t get there without trespassing into the territory of your rivals, but we''ve also encountered a lot of troublestely trying to maintain order on our turf, much less have the manpower to stretch our range of activity."


    The lieutenant furrowed his brows. "The war is about to erupt once more, we can always make use of the chaos and sneak a few squads behind the enemy lines to capture the woman. Even though we have some conflicting interests with the imperial family, it''s always a good thing to leave a way out.Not just us, but some of the other houses have the same thing in mind¡­"


    In the study room of the same mansion, a young woman in handsome military garb stood by the window, though her spiritual sense tuned in on the conversation carried out by the group. This young woman was another cultivator from Emily''s generation and her name is Sierra of House Levi, the Commanding General of the sector.


    As she carefully listened with a cup of wine swirling in her hand, something seemed to catch her attention as her beautiful eyes of sparkling ivory pierced through the walls and space alike, observing the young man high in the clouds.


    "Hm?"


    Her spiritual sense mmed into his silver mask only to drown therein, as though sinking into a gateway of no return. Behind the mask, a pair of pitch-ck eyes with a pair of swirling white triangles reflected her intrigued gaze, further astonishing her.


    At first, she assumed this was another cultivator escorting the hidden sects delegates. However, that look in his eyes seemed to match with a particr piece of intelligence, resulting in a drastic twisting of her expression before it settled into calmness once again.


    "Whatever¡­" Sierra washed her throat with wine before resting the ss gently on the desk. Then, with a sigh, she bundled up her loose hair into a high bun, picked up her sword from the side, and stepped out of the mansion as though it didn''t exist.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡­


    Leonardo had just gotten himselffortable when space shuddered and a woman no less prettier than Emily stepped out, her eyes cold as she watched this wanted man from the Memento Mori.


    "Is this a nned-out assault? How many of you are here? How is the situation outside?"


    Her first thought was that the Memento Mori managed to break into the sector after finding out about their involvement with the hidden sects, especially since the brotherhood had been wreaking havoc all across the realm by hunting down hidden bases of the court and hidden sects all the same. She also thought that the outside was already a bloodbath, while theck of information might be because of some array that separated both sides.


    Leonardo gave the woman a confused look. "What do you mean? I''m all by myself here." His head tilted to one side even as he spoke.


    Sierra didn''t believe it at first. With a frosty glint in her eyes, she spread her spiritual senses past the array of the dimension¡ª to her surprise, there wasn''t any hindrance whatsoever.


    She scanned the entire sector with her senses and found everything to be running smoothly.


    "Am I in some kind of an illusion?" she could barely believe what her senses are telling her.


    Leonardo was shocked, "How did you find out?!"


    "I knew it!" Sierra''s eyes sharped as she shed out with swords conjured from her spiritual sense, only to find them whizzing away without an iota of resistance. Just as she was shocked, Leonardo couldn''t hold it in anymore and startedughing, hugging his stomach while at it.


    Sierra was confused for a split second before it dawned upon her; she was tricked.


    She immediately felt ashamed and enraged! Though, who would me her for being cautious with the brotherhood running rampant? Also, why would the most wanted man of the Jin Dynasty pay a visit to one of the prestigious families in charge of an entire province?


    "I just want to talk, no need to be so pedantic about it," Leonardo shook his head, not having expected this woman to think too much into things. He said, "I know you know of my identity; you can''t keep me here if I wish to leave. At most, we would have a fight that would cause the dimension to copse and damage the sector''s foundation. Sure, you might injure me and I would also injure you, but that would only benefit other fishermen."


    "You''re quite bold," Sierra lifted an eyebrow before she visibly rxed. In fact, she was simply worried that Leonardo found out about their n to hunt down his supposed partner in elopement, hence it wasn''t far-fetched for him to rain down his wrath on the Levi Sector.


    From the looks of it, however, this young man was clueless, and clueless he was.


    With that thought in mind, she cast an istion barrier around the perimeter as she asked without a hint of her previous anger. "Aren''t you worried I might have reported your presence to Interster Supreme Court?"


    "Why should I be worried?" Leonardo rolled his eyes. "Instead, you should be worried this ce might turn into a battlefield of three fronts; the Seven Sectors, the Jin Dynasty, and Memento Mori¡­ Everyone knows how the Jin Dynasty''s imperial family thought themselves smart by capturing a brother; look at the results."


    Just as Leonardo said, no one wanted to be caught in the crossfire of two behemoths for no good reason. Every faction in the dynasty might seem ''cooperative'' with the Interster Supreme Court on the surface, but no one was an idiot.


    Unbeknownst to Sierra, as her nerves were in a mess and before she locked down the region, Leonardo tossed out an invisible de of spiritual force guided by his spiritual sense into the mansion far away.


    That spiritual force traced to one of the 5th-tier cultivators in the mansion at an impable speed and shot into his third eye, right between the eyebrows. Just as he was about to say something, a headache assaulted his mind but faded in a sh.


    Although somewhat confused, he shook his head and continued to listen as the lieutenant and the cultivator discussed.


    ¡­


    In the Commanding General''s Pagoda of the Qing Sector, Emily had just entered the fifth floor and was about to make her way to the sixth when her spiritual sense jerked a little, her eyes dazed as a subtle sensation of branding someone''s soul surfaced in her mind.

 Chapter 246 Chaos At The Levi Sector

    ?


    Sierra put on a mask of calm after isting the region of their conversation. Then, she apanied Leonardo to take a seat on the clouds with her sword resting horizontally on herp.


    She asked half-heartedly. "What do you wish to talk about?"


    Leonardo acted as though he hadn''t noticed the peculiarities as he said casually, "I''m going to attack the hidden sects in the uncharted wilderness under your jurisdiction, I hope you won''t interfere in the grudge between my Memento Mori and those sects"


    "You''re telling me to stand aside and watch my allies get smashed to pieces?" Sierra narrowed her beautiful eyes, the glint of ivory within sparkling dangerously. "I have an envoy from the hidden sects in my mansion as we speak; discussing a long-term alliance."


    Leonardo smiled. "I''ll be done before your discussionse to an end. By then, you won''t be discussing an alliance but a pact of protection¡­ I am quite positive that the hidden sects would pay you handsomely for protection fees."


    Sierra tapped away on the scabbard of her sword, somewhat tempted by the offer. This was a woman who pursued profits above all else, her loyalty didn''t particrly line with either the secr or martial worlds per se.


    She hesitated¡­


    Leonardo wanted to speak some persuasive words to the woman but he wasn''t about to expose the extent of his information about the families, dynasties, and hidden sects. He was certain that Sierra was tossing around the idea and potential gains at this moment.


    Sierra thought to herself that if these hidden sects started relying on her family for protection, the extra tax revenue would flow into her personal pocket.


    That was a lot of money.


    Furthermore, as Leonardo pointed out, the discussions weren''t over yet¡ª these things tend to take some time. However, what worried her most was the chance of Leonardo strikingter, and by that time when the envoy made it back to his sect and shared the idea of hunting Leonardo''s woman in teams, this conspiracy would find its way to the young man''s ears.


    Thus, after weighing her options, she said, "You have less than a day to act; I can''t block the passage of information, albeit I can dy it for half a day."


    She was saying that in half a day, regardless of the oue, she would have to dispatch troops to offer help¡ª symbolically even.


    "Half a day?" Leonardo muttered to himself and asked. "Where is the closest hidden sect, then? I should be able to wreak havoc in one or two sects in half a day."


    Sierra''s eyes twitched a little, not understanding why he would expect her to give out that information.


    "You can treat it as returning me a favor," as though seeing through her thoughts, Leonardo hurried to express.


    "What favor? Don''t get ahead of yourself¡­ Now that you''ve mentioned it, I''m doing you a favor by not reporting directly to the Interster Supreme Court. Don''t tell me that I''m saving my own skin; as long as my rebirth realm cultivators are safe, I can always gather up any number of soldiers as I wish. Furthermore, the Interster Supreme Court pays handsomely for any clues regarding your whereabouts¡­"


    Sierra instantly flipped the scale.


    She added, "Everyone thinks you''re in seclusion in the Evernight Capital, hence the stable situation in ckrain City, Heaven''s Remedy City, Pill City, and Violet Mountain City. By stable, I mean some minor conflicts here and there, but you and I both know that each faction is holding to its own as they race to industrialize their respective cities¡­ When they have enough time on their hands, they will start to feel out for their Lord Evernight, but that lord happens to be here."


    Sierra was rather confident that Leonardo didn''t wish to blow up his cover as it would surely draw chaos to his Evernight Capital, the Obsidian Castle, and the vast mountain range that was akin to a massive metropolis framework at this point in time.


    Leonardo kept to his silence for a bit as a hint of coldness surfaced in his eyes. Then, he let out a sigh and shook his head.


    Sierra grasped this as a hint of her victory at grasping his weakness, smiling as she said, "That''s right. You owe me a favor, not the other way around¡­ Hey, what are you doing?"


    Halfway through her speech, Sierra noticed that Leonardo was in the motion of getting up on his feet. She felt something was wrong and thus, she hurried to ask with a hint of anxiousness in her voice.


    "Just go ahead and report my whereabouts if you want, it seems like our small chat hase to an unpleasant end."


    Leonardo waved her off impatiently, intending to leave.


    "You want to leave that easily?" Sierra''s eyes sharpened, her aura erupting to mp down this region of space together with her domain, superimposed by the presence of the sub-dimension.


    "As I said; no one can stop me from leaving, and you do owe me a favor."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Just as Sierra was about to strike at Leonardo with the shackles of the sub-dimension and her domain, Leonardo''s four martial intents exploded with one domain after another.


    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Four domains of supremews superimposed, sting a crack into Sierra''s domain as theirbined volume of power was beyond the woman''s expectations. With a crack, she was sted a few miles away due to the sudden outburst of power, her expression ugly.


    Roar!


    Leonardo''s domains twisted andpressed into an intangible form of three ws as an extension of his right arm, its mere presence twisting the fragile space of the sub-dimension all around. A reverberating growl not unlike that of a dragon echoed in the sky like a p of thunder, drawing everyone''s attention to a nerve-wracking scene.


    They saw a man dressed in casual white clothes and a silver mask strike at the void with a hand, tearing it open as though a torrent of water had split into multiple tributaries, revealing the sky beyond the sky.


    Just as Sierra was dumbfounded, Leonardo''s voice echoed in the sub-dimension crisp and clear, "As agreed, I won''t touch a single solider of your Levi Sector, but the hidden sects will suffer!"


    Bang!


    The sub-dimension automatically recovered and sealed itself, drawing on the energy from the formations to stabilize the space. Tearing open the space of the Core Maind may be difficult, but a sub-dimension was different. This was a private pocket space operating under the maintenance of mankind and not thews of heaven and earth.


    "Damn it!"


    Sierra cursed, realizing that she was set up and besmirched with suspicions there and then. Even as she contemted the situation, an explosion sted her mansion apart in the distance as she heard one of her close aides yelling, "You dare spheme Her Eminence?!"


    Bang!


    "The hell?!"


    The 5th-tier cultivator who was as confused as everyone else, while distracted by observing the 6th-tier envoy and lieutenant, was suddenly attacked by one of the 5th-tier soldiers in the room.


    He didn''t even remember opening his mouth, let alone bad mouth Commanding General Sierra¡ª why was he attacked all of a sudden?


    Even as he thought so while sting through one mansion after the next, the envoy from the hidden sects thought differently. He was a man of many schemes and plots who had risen from the lowest position in his sect to his current status through trails of blood and fire; he immediately figured that this was a plot targeting his hidden sects, orchestrated by the Levi Secor!


    The 5th-tier soldier didn''t know why he suddenly acted, but he was sure he heard the cultivator mention something about having the grand elders of the sect press down that bitch Sierra and teach her how to respect true power. All he could see was red, and he immediately struck the dazed cultivator where it hurt with full power, almost sting thetter into a mist of blood.


    "Cowards!"


    The envoy''s aura also erupted, feeling like he was in a crisis of life and death, immediately striking at the man right across the table. Sierra saw all of this happen, but her concerns were about something else entirely as she gritted her teeth and left the sub-dimension.


    She was positive that no matter what, things won''t escte to a matter of life and death between those five. Thus, without thinking about it much, she decided to chase after Leonardo and incarcerate the young man lest things spiral out of control.


    Little did she know that since things have already fallen apart, Leonardo wouldn''t settle with a simple skirmish, not with a ticking time bomb resting within the 5th-tier soldier''s sea of consciousness.


    ¡­


    With a cold smile underneath his mask and ck lightning crackling about his body, Leonardo sted his way through one protective array after the next. These arrays were resilient against iing threats, but they were barely capable of holding someone down from rushing outside.


    Even as he approached the uncharted wilderness by shuttling through the void with his movement technique in conjecture with his speed as a 6th-tier cultivator, Leonardo felt like he wasn''t fast enough.


    The moment Sierra rushed out of the Levi Sector, all she could spot was a ck bolt of lightning fading in and out of the void as it headed deeper into the uncharted wilderness. Her heart sank.

 Chapter 247 Stirring Trouble

    ?


    Explosions riddled the uncharted wilderness as Leonardo''s spiritual sense envelops the area, locking down on the positions of flying ships, carriages, and cultivators from different sects while they actively roamed the area.


    Most of them were in the 4th-tier, and very few 5th-tier cultivators spread in a all around the area to keep the disciples safe from harm and report back during instances of danger.


    As the heavy aura of a 6th-tier powerhouse descended upon them, they immediately paled.


    Distress signals were immediately sent back to their respective sects, while they gritted their teeth and decided to take it upon themselves to buy time.


    "All disciples evacuate back to the sect! Immediately!"


    "Quick! We''re under attack!"


    Even as they spoke, something horrifying took ce.


    Leonardo paused in the center area of all the disciples, his white hair pping gently with both hands sped behind his back.


    He didn''t even need his mask anymore, not that it proved helpful to begin with. Thus, he removed the mask as it dissolved back into deste essence energy that rushed into Leonardo''s body.


    "Aren''t you guys looking for my woman to lure me out? Well, here I am¡­"


    Leonardo''s cold, disembodied voice pushed the chaotic ether away as it weighed heavily on the ears of hundreds of disciples even as they scrambled about.


    "Don''t you dare!"


    A furious shout reached Leonardo from the four directions as the auras of 5th-tier cultivators hurtled in his direction. Not caring one bit about it, Leonardo stomped the air with his lightning-wreathed foot as the heavenly retribution thunderforce domain unfolded, washing the world in ck streaks of erratic lightning.


    Rumble! The carriages, flying ships, and disciples were as fragile as paper when confronted with Leonardo''s domain. This was outright bullying, and the sect elders in the distance knew that they couldn''t save their disciples who were too close to Leonardo''s domain.


    In but a few seconds, this region of the uncharted wilderness was no different from a forbiddennd of sure death. A few seconds may seem too little of a time, but it really was so.


    Boom!


    Air exploded as four 5th-tier sect elders anchored down Leonardo''s four directions. Their faces were fuming with anger, and around this time, Sierra finally caught up and stood high above the battlefield.


    Her expression immediately went dark as she surveyed the area of mass destruction¡ª the surface area wasn''t any different from the overall surface area of her sector''s outer regions. That is to say, if Leonardo wanted to, millions of her family''s private troops would be no more than dust, all within seconds.


    This was the frightening power of elemental-oriented martial intent and domains, especially fire and lightning. However, not many can take these rudimentary elements to the heights of naturalws.


    Not due to theirplexity but the opposite¡ª they were too simple. In fact, they were so simple it proved almost impossible to figure out the profundities rted tows within them.


    Mastery over one element to the degree ofw meansprehending its rtionship with the other elements of nature, how they interact and influence one another, and how they coexist in a perpetual cycle of destruction and construction¡ª these things seem simple.


    Obviously, fire evaporates water. Just as so, water extinguishes fire. However, that doesn''t mean that each element has eliminated the other.


    More urately, each element would push its counterpart toward evolution and change. Scientists derived this as aw; one can never destroy energy, albeit they could in some ways influence it to change its structure.


    This change in structure is the so-called profoundness of the five elements, a criterion to elevate the martial intent into the realm of rebirth.


    However, who out there would im to have mastery over two or more elements? Let alone the five elements, people struggle to bnce cultivating anything remotely rted to one another, let alone a bundle of martial intents of conflicting nature.


    Truly, profundityy in simplicity.


    If Sierra knew that Leonardo brought his sub-dimension to the perfection ofws by gathering the naturalws and elements to a bnce while achieving rebirth, one can imagine the shock.


    The four sect elders also noticed Sierra''s arrival as she had done little to conceal her actions, bringing shock, fear, and anger to the four of them.


    Stalling a 6th-tier was already difficult enough, let alone when a 7th-tier was dispatched on the field.


    Even as she was about to speak, hermunication bracelet shed urgently, blinking furiously.


    Irritated, she nced into the contents of the urgent message and her expression changed, her aura growing cold. She only had two 5th-tier deputy generals under her, a 6th-tier general, and the rest of the cultivators were lieutenants responsible for various divisions in the army.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Emily left the official positions of her army to normal cultivators below the 5th-rank while keeping those of high power closer to her as military advisors. In her opinion, higher realms equate to higher brain capacity and when this potential was excavated to the limits, the rewards would prove much greater than having one or two extra fighters.


    Sierra thought differently, though.


    The high-endbat power functions as both a motivation and a deterrent, but she had just received news of a subordinate''s death in the heat of the battle. Things were quickly escting out of control in the core region¡ª she didn''t have the time to waste on saving these idiots.


    "Your Eminence! What is the meaning of this?! Our sects and your sector are supposed to be allies!"


    Since Sierra didn''t strike immediately, the four elders thought it might be because she wasn''t here to help Leonardo but the opposite. Thinking about it, she was someone from the Jin Dynasty, after all, it only made sense she would strike Leonardo where he stood.


    "Idiots," Leonardo shot at the elder with a pitying gaze. "I would hurry to evacuate from this location if I were you¡ª your sects won''t survive the iing storm."


    Leonardo''s appearance would surely draw the imperial family''s attention to this region, and the secret dealings between House Freya, House Xia, and House Levi with the hidden sects would sooner thantere to light.


    The tax revenue belongs to the imperial family, and no matter how corrupt the system was in blocking the information from reaching the capital due to the far distance, things were about to change.


    Leonardo had somehow managed toe out from the core region of the Levi Sector in broad daylight, striking at the cultivators from the hidden sects.


    Meanwhile, the cultivators from the hidden sects had somehow erupted into open conflict in the heart of a military base. Although a private base, it was built on the soil of the Jin Dynasty.


    The Jin Dynasty might hold back and tolerate Memento Mori, but it wouldn''t allow any random Tom, Dick, and Harry to step on its toes.


    Of course, the anxious elders had no idea about any of this. At least, Sierra who had a full picture of the situation coulde up to a few conclusions much faster than them. With a pale face, she ignored the imploring gazes of the four elders and rushed back to her sector; a house cleansing was imminent.


    "Your Eminence!"


    "Commanding General!"


    "Oh please, stop wasting your breath¡­" Leonardo waved a hand that caused the area to shudder as his four domains superimposed to lock down the region.


    The four immediately felt as though invisible chains bound their limbs and energy in ce. Even though they were technically weaker than Leonardo who was in the 6th-tier, this disparity in power was frightening nheless.


    What the hell?! The elders were shocked witless.


    Leonardo could even break free from the domain of a 7th-tier powerhouse, let alone capture weaklings nurtured in the hidden sects with imperfect foundations andcking techniques.


    If the hidden sects had any valuable inheritance, the Eight Mountains would have been the first force on the move to ''collect'' these inheritances.


    "Our High Elders are on the move! Don''t do anything reckless, Leonardo! Do you really want to fight against us to the bitter end?!"


    Leonardo was amused, shaking his head. "Your High Elders are 6th-tier cultivators at most, do you really think I''m scared of them?"


    The four were speechless and felt like shouting something along the lines of: ''You''re a 6th-tire at best, too!''


    However, they held their anger in and didn''t refute it.


    Any second gained is a chance at living. If the High Elders of their four hidden sects joined forces, they could superimpose their four domains and counterbnce Leonardo''s ridiculous domain.


    These elders never heard of anyone who brought four martial intents into the rebirth realm; this was borderline insane. Thus, they understood that Leonardo wasn''t someone they could mess around with.


    "Oh? You, little guys, are buying time¡­ I would love to oblige with your games but¡­ Sigh, I''m a busy man."


    Leonardo didn''t care if four elders superimposed their domains to lock him down as he was pretty confident he could escape due to how ''special'' his martial intent, destion, was.


    Even as he spoke, a pitch-ck halberd riddled with crimson and white inscriptions appeared in his right hand. Its three meters length dwarfed Leonardo''s figure while ck lightning crackled furiously along its crescent des.


    The four elders immediately went pale while sweating hard.

 Chapter 248 Vs. High Elders

    ?


    "Hold your hand!"


    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Just as Leonardo was about to finish off the four, his domain shook with the interference from an iing strike of superimposed domains belonging to four 6th-tier cultivators.


    The trapped elders immediately broke free and shouted, "Escape!"


    Through the cracks of Leonardo''s unstable domain, the trapped elders zigzagged their way to the rear of the formation, each hiding behind the High Elder of their respective sects. Once again, Leonardo''s four directions were blocked¡ª only this time the enemies were a little bit troublesome.


    "You guys run pretty fast! It''s almost like you''ve been on edgetely," Leonardomented lightly, not having expected the four High Elders to arrive so quickly.


    Since he couldn''t kill the four 5th-tier cultivators, he wasn''t able to deal a harsh blow to these sects or the people behind them, whoever they were.


    "You''d wish you have the ability to run even faster than us in a little bit," smiled one of the four High Elders amiably, his linen clothes barely concealing his puffed muscles, a broad sword restingfortably in his callous hand.


    It was a sharp contrast between that kind of expression and a body riddled with scars of fierce battles, further entuated by that massive sword. Sharp sword Qi covered his immediate surroundings like wind des ready to tear reality open, building up on the edge of his sword for a frightening strike.


    Leonardo only spared this High Elder a nce before his eyes locked onto the other three in chronicle order following clockwise motion. A refined middle-aged man with a flute to his lips, an old man with a sand gourd strapped to his waist, and eventually a middle-aged woman with plumes of ever-shape-shifting crimson smoke all around her body.


    "Do you have the ability to send me running, though?"


    Leonardo smiled faintly as his domain cracked and crumbled bit by bit under the pressure of theirbined domains. Even as that happened, Leonardo didn''t feel pressured to escape yet¡ª in fact, he was somewhat thrilled to engage inbat after so long.


    He may be smart, deceiving, and a businessman through and through¡ª but is a cultivator too. Once he entered the God nes, no wits or business mindset would help him brave through the dangers. Only his personal power would help him¡ª why else was Dizmason Eternus so feared despite his bloodline originating from a branch family to the Infernals?


    The answer was quite simple! Power! Undisputable power to destroy all!


    Thus, while the four thought they might impact Leonardo''s state of mind by ganging up eight vs. one, they instead stroked his fighting spirit.


    "Since this domain is pretty useless," Leonardo reached a finger, almost tapping at is fragile domain that seemed on the verge of copse at any moment now. With a poke of his finger, it was as though this was the final nail to the coffin, his domain shattered like ss and retreated into his body.


    Bang!


    Leonardo''s body quivered and his hair pped wildly in the chaotic ambiance of colliding domains. None of the four expected Leonardo to take the initiative to shatter his own domain, catching them off rhythm as their superimposed synchronizations went off-beat for a split second.


    A valuable split second!


    Leonardo didn''t waste time as his body slithered through the cracks and toward the High Elder with the great sword on his back, a punch seething through space for a solid, far-from-intimate impact to the High Elder''s square forehead.


    Boom! The chaotic ether waspressed into a visible pale blue wave as it rippled off from the epicenter of collision, and the High Elder sted a few miles away even as his expression of befuddled shock never unregistered from his face. This man was thest to react to the sudden crumbling of Leonardo''s domain, and yours truly hadn''t missed the opportunity.


    With a steaming fist, Leonardo paused in mid-air while contemting the sensation of striking yet another who seemed like a body refiner.


    "Refining the body with sword Qi?" Leonardo was a little surprised as he observed the split wound on his knuckles. When that punchnded, a burst of sharp sword Qi erupted from the High Elder''s skin, almost cutting bone-deep into Leonardo''s fist.


    Leonardo''s body had been refined to the extremes of what anyone below the rebirth realm could achieve¡ª even if his rebirthed body was yet to undergo any substantial refinement, it wasn''t something anyone can casually inflict harm to.


    Hu!


    The sound of an elegant flute struck at Leonardo from behind, the musical notesbined with crimson plumes of smoke as they took the form of menacing little nails as they sailed through space. As expected, the only person capable of close-rangebat was that High Elder with a great sword, while the other three could only opt to suppress Leonardo from a distance. He wasn''t very worried though, anything could be dealt with if considered carefully.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Even as he turned his head to face the new attack, the sky suddenly went dim. Caught aback, Leonardo looked back to spot a massive projection of a ck greatsword that obscured the sky while descending with the might of a mountain.


    "Now!"


    With that shout, the four domains once again formed a web that incapacitated Leonardo''s movement for a moment.


    "Fuck!"


    Bang!


    The great projection struck home as it sted Leonardo''s back heavily, shooting thetter deep into the soil of the uncharted wilderness. The earth and sky rumbled as a wave of earth, dust, and stone washed the trees all around Leonardo within a few miles radius to oblivion.


    Through the curtain of rubble, high in the sky, the figure of the High Elder with a great sword resting on his shoulder and a soft crack in his forehead appeared."You had that oneing, bastard."


    He was annoyed to have been sneak attacked by a young twig of a cultivator. Even if he was some brat from Memento Mori, that didn''t make the process any less humiliating.


    "It''s not over yet!" Shouted the middle-aged man with the flute, his notes reaching a screeching climax as the music twisted the chaotic ether into tangible chains that skewered the cloud of rubble on the ground.


    "Indeed," added the woman masked behind the ever-twisting crimson plumes, and with a wave of her hand, the crimson petals congregated into a twisting funnel directly above Leonardo''s position of descent, swirling like crazy as the tornado absorbed the chaotic ether, and sharp musical notes within a few miles in preparation to st it all on top of Leonardo''s body.


    "Is he still down there?" Asked the High Elder with the great sword as his eyes rested on the body of the old man with a gourd of sand strapped to the waist.


    "He should be," answered the old man. Looking closer, a fine string of sand leaked from his gourd into the soil below, presumably the entire patch of uncharted wilderness was already under the watchful senses of this old man.


    The four regr elders watched in anticipation as their High Elders easily handled Leonardo who was one second away from doing away with their lives a few moments ago. They felt proud, excited, and somewhat awkward.


    "What a joke!"


    Leonardo''s voice echoed from the bottom of the funnel, like a p of thunder.


    Space and ether twisted, followed by the sound of domains creaking under tremendous pressure. A hint of darkness swelled within the epicenter of sand, musical notes, and crimson plumes. Lightning crackled, its menacing presence growing by the second in hopes of shattering the world, hopes, and delusions of the High Elders.


    A promise of total destruction.


    "Not good!" Yelled the woman who was moments away frompleting the crimson funnel¡ª a st of pure ck thunderforce climbed to the sky, piercing the funnel even as it struggled to maintain its shape. A wave of violent ether rippled through the four superimposed domains as though they were paper, revealing a man d in ck armor while holding a three-meter-tall halberd in hand.


    The ck armor seemed iplete as its substance twisted about to cover Leonardo''s body in a skin-tight gear, a long ck cape, and squiring runes of crimson and white crawling all around his body.


    The High Elder with a great sword took a few steps back, each step sounding with a boom that shook the clouds. As for the other three, they were hurtled a few hundred paces away as they struggled to bnce themselves.


    "Too noisy," Leonardo''s figure had somehow vanished from the bottom of the hole, creeping behind the refined middle-aged man who held the flute, a cold glint in his pitch-ck eyes. So far, Leonardo hadn''t used his deste martial intent, eternal night martial intent, or bloodthirsty martial intent.


    He was fighting with pure thunderforce martial intent and physical might.


    Crackle! Boom!


    The halberd pierced through the middle-aged man''s back and protruded right through his chest, charred bits of flesh and blood spattered about even as dark currents of lightning encapsted his body.


    Horror riddled his face as the following explosion was a result of destructive lightning rushing into his star core, detonating it all together.

 Chapter 249 The Return

    ?


    "Why the long faces?" Leonardo peeked from behind the flute master''s back with a faint smile, the halberd piercing through thetter''s body as its frame crackled with lightning.


    Blood trickled down the poor man''s chin and on the ck weapon, sizzling into vapor within a split second of touch. The flute master coughed, hisplexion growing paler by the second as his eyes reflected a look that gave up on living.


    His aura grew chaotic and unstable as a sign of imminent self-destruction by detonating his star core. What does the detonation of a small star imply? Leonardo didn''t want to find out nor did the other three.


    "Break some distance!"


    "Move away!"


    "Why bother?" Leonardo''s voice joined the conversation as the halberd buzzed uncontrobly, and even with the man hung on its helm, Leonardo spun about and tossed it like a javelin. It was like a river of lightning stretching for miles while threatening to twist space from the velocity and power.


    Boom! The man''s star core and his body with it exploded.


    A violent wind and musical notes, sharp as des, and an unbearable heat swept the region. Even though everyone was miles away already, they had to cover up themselves to block some of the residual aftershocks lest they''d be blown away off bnce. No one wanted to be tossed off bnce in such a heated battle.


    When the dust settled once again, everyone learned their lesson about how sly and elusive Leonardo''s movement technique was. If the domains were unstable, it would prove difficult to trace Leonardo''s movements through the void, hence it was very prudent of the High Elders to maintain a concentrated domain within their immediate vicinity at all times.


    "Damn it!" The High Elder with a greatsword cursed, his voice rolling into the distance and shaking a few mountains. After the dust settled, Leonardo was nowhere to be found.


    "He ran away," spoke the woman, even as dense plumes of crimson smoke wrapped her surroundings tightly. Her face was pale, and her eyes were a ring red as she stared dumbly in the direction of the detonation. Clearly, she had the best rtionship with the flute master of the three.


    "This isn''t the time to be worrying about Leonardo, we need to worry more about the consequences of this fight. Furthermore, the Commanding General was nearby yet didn''t bother making a move to help us, I''m afraid something must have gone wrong." Interrupted the old man with a sand gourd, his face also pale. His domain and martial intent were stretched out the most as he had to monitor the entire battlefield, but he had to hastily retrieve them during the explosion, allowing Leonardo to escape unnoticed.


    "Our dealings with House Freya, House Xia, and House Levi won''t be hidden for long, we better call back the disciples and try to maximize our damage control."


    "What for? The imperial family will have to worry about cleaning their own house before theye after us¡­"


    "Who said anything about the imperial family? You two should be worrying about the Divine Temple and its representatives in the Eight Mountains and Four Pavilions. Although our actions didn''t outright breach the treaty between the secr faction and the martial faction, we did act against the Qing Sector indirectly."


    The old man''s words brought dark clouds over the faces of the other two, as they had almost forgotten about this point. If their disciples keep on harnessing the Qing military, it would spell bad news.


    They can''t use ''fighting for resources'' as an excuse anymore, no one is oblivious to the petty open schemes of these disciples.


    The three High Elders shared concerned nces before shooting off in three different directions, urgently at that.


    ¡­


    As for Leonardo, if he wanted to stealthily leave, these three couldn''t hope to stop him. His first goal ining here was to entice Sierra with benefits and draw the woman from her cooperative rtionship with House Freya. However, she had to go and threaten Leonardo.


    What she failed to ount for was that as long as the cities were under construction, no one would dare make big waves. Moreover, Rosaline''s least of worries was fighting at a huge numbers disadvantage.


    Quite the opposite actually. The more enemies, the better. Especially now that she had ovee the fatal w of the Bloodthirsty Territory by replicating the Bloodthirsty Armament and obtaining the Lotus of Heaven and Earth inheritance.


    Only a 9th-tier can hope to suppress Rosaline as things stood, but which sect would dare to dispatch a 9th-tier to the secr world as things stood?


    The only reason Junior Brother, a 9th-tier cultivator could roam the world without a care was because Memento Moricked a solid base of operations to begin with. If not for the tight lockdown around the Lush Skirt ins Province, many of Memento Mori''s rebirth realm cultivators would have flocked over.


    Half a dayter, Leonardo entered the Qing Sector and changed back to his ''Attendant Ye'' appearance, walking out from the shadows of the flora near the entrance to the core region.


    "What are you guys doing here?" Leonardo asked Gal and Sivan who were walking in circles near the entrance to the sub-dimension.


    "Ah! Brother Ye! Don''t scare me like that!" Sivan jumped in shock, but her expression quickly softened as she rushed like a gust of wind and started inspecting Leonardo from head to toe.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Gal walked over as well, pping Leonardo''s shoulder without much force to speak of as he sighed in relief. "You disappeared for an entire night and the following day, we were scared witless that something might have happened to you, so we didn''t dare enter the core region!"


    Leonardo stumbled forward a few steps from the friendly p andughed awkwardly. "Yeah, I woke up and noticed that everyone was out of it, so I made a spin around the district to satiate my curiosity."


    "You should have told us so," Sivan mumbled unhappily. "Let''s go inside, we have skipped almost two days of work, the Military Advisor prefers punctuality above all else."


    The two didn''t allow Leonardo to put in any words and carried him into the formation of their domains. Feeling helpless, he allowed the two to carry him through without putting much resistance.


    The world suddenly twisted around as the scenery changed, and the familiar stretch of the emptyndscape of hilly terrain greeted the three.


    Just as they prepared to dash forward, someone stepped out from the void to greet them. Sivan and Gal instantly froze, stuttering a greeting.


    "Military Advisor!"


    The two hurriedly bowed anxiously, but Leonardo remained standing as his status was no longer the same as before. As Emily''s personal attendant, he couldn''t bow to her subordinates whenever he greets them.


    Leonardo sped his hands and greeted lightly, a faint smile on his face. "Military Advisor,"


    The Military Advisor gave Leonardo a long and hard look,pletely ignoring the other two. A momentter, his gray eyes smiled while he said, "Good thing you''re back, Her Eminence is waiting for you."


    The Military Advisor didn''t give the trio a chance to speak as he waved a hand, absorbing Leonardo into his domain without affecting Sivan and Gal, then the advisor and the attendant disappeared into thin air.


    Gal and Sivan exchanged a look, shock, and excitement in their eyes. Attendant Ye didn''t even bow to the Military Advisor, the only 6th-tier powerhouse below the Commanding General!


    What did that imply? His status was on par if not a little bit higher than the Military Advisor!


    The more they thought about it, the more excited they became! However, neither of them said a word as who knows which powerhouse is listening or paying attention to the events here?


    As expected, space shuddered as three people walked out. One of them was a 5th-tier, and the other two were 4th-tier. A general and two of his lieutenants.


    "Follow me, you two," said the 5th-tier general, his tone a mask of calm indifference even as he warily observed the surroundings from the corner of his eye.


    Sivan and Gal were two 4th-tier servants, and they were at the bottom levels of the 4th-tier, so they didn''t even attempt to dy for a time as they agreed and followed the group of three.


    A few momentster after the group disappeared, one silhouette after another showed up, scanning the entrance formation with their spiritual sense. s, they couldn''t find anything, leaving them disappointed.


    ¡­


    The Military Advisor brought Leonardo to the Commander''s Pagoda, gave the young man a deeper look, and disappeared with a sigh.


    No one knew what this person had in his mind.


    Leonardo didn''t care to investigate this person''s unfathomable thoughts. After fixing up his looks, he stepped into the vast pagoda and made his way to the third floor.


    The fourth floor and above were Emily''s private quarters, and seldom would she allow anyone in. Typically, she would greet her summons and converse with them through the staircase leading to the fourthyer of the pagoda.


    "Where have you been?"


    Emily''s voice drifted over from the staircase, allowing Leonardo to look up, spotting a woman d in white and a mask descending the staircase, a wooden sword in hand.

 Chapter 250 The Calm…

    ?


    "I have been doing some work," responded Leonardo even as he started ncing around. Finding no chairs or anything of the sort, he walked near a pir and sat down, back pressed against the structure.


    He said, "You might wanna pass down orders to lock the borders and engage with the disciples of the hidden sects at first sight. Doesn''t matter how you keep them behind, overwhelm them with numbers if you have to¡ª just do it. As for the right-wing advisor, he probably won''t be able to make it back here anytime soon."


    "What happened??" Emily furrowed her brows, and even so, she mentally used her spiritual sense to send down the orders to act as advised. This surprised Leonardo a little as he hadn''t expected she would act first and askter.


    After the moment of surprise faded, he reimed his calm and answered, "I had a little chat with Sierra in the Levi Sector using my real identity, exposed myself to the crowd, and killed a lot of hidden sect disciples and a High Elder in the sector''s vicinity.


    "The imperial family''s focus will shift from outside to inside, and I have to say the investigation will bring out a lot of dirtyundry and heads are about to roll to the ground in mass."


    Emily was shocked. "Did anyone follow you here?!"


    She can''t afford to take that risk! If the outside world learned that she had been keeping Leonardo by her side this whole time, death would be the least of her worries.


    Leonardo gave the woman a weird look, "You worry far too much, only a 9th-tier powerhouse is qualified to follow my tracks and even those wouldn''t find it easy. You should be feeling happy right now, this is an opportunity for your people ind to target the three houses."


    "This news is too important," Emily murmured to herself. She said, "I need to make the trip personally and make the adequate arrangements."


    "No, you won''t be going anywhere¡ª are you looking to die early?" Leonardo was shocked by how slowly a woman''s brain operates when she''s too excited.


    "What''s that supposed to mean?" Emily''s brows locked behind her mask, starting to calm down gradually as sheposed herself.


    "I mean, there''s a high chance the other Commanding Generals are doing their best to blockade the information from leaking ind even if dyed by a day. If you go now, expect to be ambushed by three of your peers, possibly detained if not outright killed in action."


    Officials are greedy by nature and over the years, these people took advantage of their distance from the central regions of the dynasty to shuffle their cards around and maximize profits.


    The Seven Stars Province is a fairly isted region from the political scene due to its close proximity to the uncharted wilderness and a buffer zone between two dynasties. If the people in this region had high official rankings, it would pose a high risk of leaking military and political intelligence across the border.


    Internal factions suppressing one another is fine, but colluding with the forces outside the borders to suppress the forces within? That''s in ying with fire.


    The three sectors would need time to get things in order and the other provincial officials in the cities and townsrge and small also need time; a lot of it.


    Emily was stumped, finally realizing the scale of the problem. However, she was too anxious to think of a solution so she simply stared at Leonardo, impatient.


    Leonardo rolled his eyes. "Just take the initiative to disseminate the information¡ª spread it through every soldier, town, and city under your jurisdiction. Don''t underestimate these people, or don''t underestimate the power of the Royal Court and their informationwork. Just spread the information among themon people, and their king will know."


    "Are you saying I have spies under me?" Emily''s eyes grew sharp, her bloodlust palpitating. No one likes thepany of spies, not even those born and raised to be spies for the ck Market.


    Leonardo ignored the obvious question and tugged at the cor of his robes,ining. "I''m hungry, haven''t eaten anything good in days¡­"


    "I haven''t eaten in years; people on our level don''t get hungry," Emily rolled her eyes, then sighed.


    Leonardo''s cheap tactic of changing the subject worked, somewhat. After thinking for a bit, Emily turned around and approached the staircase while her voice lingered behind, "Come up, I think I have some spirit fruits and other beverages."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    She understood that making a move now to filter out the spies was redundant. No matter how much screening the recruits go through, they are citizens of Jin through and through. If the imperial family wanted to grow seeds of intelligence in her sector, they''d have plenty of chances.


    At the very least, a number of those seeds should have already upied a sizable portion of the soldiers in the lower bracket. Thinking about it, this was also good.


    Just as Leonardo suggested, she didn''t have to go through the dangers of reporting the situation through her personal channels, she simply needed to decimate the information about Leonardo''s appearance in the Levi Sector and the massive battle that ensued, and the Interster Supreme Court''s people would be the first to react.


    As for her Qing Sector and the family ind, she trusted they''d know what to do, especially with the support from the Renhuang family after the alliance.


    The first to fall would definitely be House Freya.


    When the fragile alliance of benefits crumbles, it would be a great opportunity to strike at the Xia Sector as their neighbors, Freya Sector, would be too upied to send troops and help while the Levi Sector is too far from the battlefield to actually help, not to mention the wanted ''Leonardo'' happened to appear in their midst during a negotiation session between House Levi and the hidden sect''s representatives.


    Leonardo also knew that the calm before the storm had finally descended, and they should squeeze every moment of leisure at their disposal while they could.


    "Oh my, are you inviting me to the ''sacred'' middle floors of the pagoda?" At Emily''s invitation, Leonardo stood up and dusted his clothes with a faint smile. Theyers of the pagoda from the fourth to the seventh are recognized as Emily''s private grounds.


    No one even knows what those floors look like, let alone grasping an opportunity to step into them.


    Emily said, "Don''t think too much about it, the fourth floor is merely a spirit garden I''ve been grooming; I didn''t allow anyone''s entry to not pollute the environment with their auras. You''re different, though. You can perfectly restrain your aura from leaking to the outside world."


    "Makes sense," Leonardo thinned his lips and nodded in with an understanding expression. People who have the qualifications to step into the Commander''s Pagoda are people of high status and cultivation levels. Their mere presence passively alters thews all around them, and spiritual fruits are very sensitive to the changes in the world around them.


    With that in mind, Leonardo restrained his aura to a point where he seemed no different from an ordinary non-cultivator, briskly following in Emily''s footsteps to ascend the staircase.


    As the two disappeared into the mystifying halo of the upper floors, the news was already exploding like nuclear bombs in the sector. From the core region all the way to the outer regions, and the news kept spreading to the cities and towns under the jurisdiction of House Qing.


    Very soon, this news will reach the influential figures in the Imperial Capital, and no one can stop it.


    Of course, the timing is a little dubious and some people might think the whole scenario was orchestrated by the Qing Sector, they might even be framed of colluding with Leonardo, but neither the person in question nor Emily cared much about that for now.


    Also, when the war exploded in full swing, Leonardo would have the opportunity to sneak into the uncharted wilderness and bring Nier and Ingrid out from hiding, he might even send them to the ck Market directly as his ''subordinates'' since he had already joined their ranks. However, if people from Memento Mori arrived during the chaos, entrusting Nier to them would work better.


    ¡­


    Dense pure ether concentrated in a garden not so vast in thendscape. In fact, even a normal person wouldn''t waste too much time and energy exploring the garden from corner to corner, but the abundant pure ether wasn''t something a 3rd-tier cultivator could handle, let alone someone who hadn''t even started cultivating.


    Looking at Emily, Leonardo noticed how her energy blended perfectly into the environment, courtesy of persistent immersion in the garden on her part.


    The nts, with all their spirituality, have already grown ustomed to Emily''s presence and aura over the countless year; she was no separate entity from this environment, just like the lush trees all around.


    "I hadn''t expected you''d be in the habit of growing herbs," Leonardomented lightly as he followed Emily into a small gazebo by a crystal clear pond.

 Chapter 251 Chat With Emily

    ?


    Listening closely to the hushed murmurs of the soldiers as they shuttle back and forth from one district to the next, the most you''d pick up is the hot news of chaos in the Levi Sector.


    Listen more closely and you''ll hear a frequent mention of names like Memento Mori, and Leonardo, among other things.


    Stephan is but an ordinary, honest to god soldier who always kept to himself. A funny guy, always humble to others, almost as though he''d allow anyone to walk over him. Today, as usual, Stephan was helping out as best as he could by doing chores and cleaning the bedding of hisrades.


    He overlooked the typical fluids that usually signified a pretty hot night even as he made his way around the room. While cleaning, his ears were ever attentive to the discussions of his ''friends'', and a piece of news greatly shocked him.


    Flustered, Stephan almost tripped off the bedding, drawing the attention of everyone else in the room.


    "Hey Steph, you okay buddy?"


    "Don''t mess up the sheets man! I have a good guesting in tonight! Haha!"


    "Yeah¡ª haha," Stephanughed awkwardly. "Sorry guys, I''m not feeling well today, I''lle back to helpter¡­"


    Dropping these words, Stephan hurriedly dashed out of the room, rushing to his ce of stay even as the words of hisrades lingered in his ears.


    The other soldiers were caught abacweirdly eyeing the other. However, they quickly forgot about it and continued to discuss animatedly about the bad luck that befell the Levi Sector.


    When Stephan rushed into his bedroom, he mmed the door shut quickly and anxiously. Then, he flipped the bedding of his bed, a pitch-ck dagger hidden below the covers.


    Taking a deep breath, Stephan picked up the dagger with a pair of trembling hands. Nheless, the resolution was evident in his eyes even as he began to roll up the sleeves of his military uniform.


    Taking the dagger in his shaky hand, Stephan prayed inwardly and began to carve words on the flesh of his arm. One letter at a time, even as blood flowed and he bit down on his lips.


    The letters quickly rotted on his skin, turning a poisonous ck. The more he wrote, the less he felt from his arm. Eventually, he wrote three words.


    Leonardo. Levi. Sector.


    "Hah!" Stephan breathed out, sweat drenching his forehead. This wasn''t all, though.


    Next, he held the dagger to his heart, muttered a few words, and stabbed fiercely. The dagger instantly zapped Stephan clean of his energy, essence, and spirit while the words on his arm red up into a frightening inferno.


    There was no odor of burnt flesh nor ashes that remained behind. In fact, it was almost as though Stephan was being burned away from existence as pain wracked his entire body. In moments, the man was gone from this world and the dagger dropped with a ng, quickly disintegrating.


    Miraculously though, as the energy fluctuations attempted to leave the protective formation and carry the message, it went smoothly without a hitch.


    Obviously, there was a hidden hand in the dark allowing these people to smoothly send out the signals. Stephan wasn''t the only one to suddenly disappear from the outer regions, a minimal estimate puts the number of disappearing soldiers around the threshold of thousands.


    ¡­


    In the garden of the pagoda''s fourthyer, Leonardo leaned back against an ancient tree while he enjoyed the shade and the fresh taste of spiritual fruit not unlike grapes. The sweet, juicy vor is something he missed dearly.


    Ever since he was apprehended by the Realm King of the Middle Dimensions back in the day, ever since leaving Arcadia and that forsaken ster world, he hadn''t enjoyed such delightful delicacies.


    "Just saying," Leonardo suddenly spoke up, "I won''t be joining the fighting. At least, not overtly."


    "I know." Emily rolled her eyes as she stood in the distance, exasperated about Leonardo exining the obvious.


    She set a curious eye on Leonardo. "Aren''t you worried the fighting might shake the grass and startle the snake? I mean, what if the conflict between my army and the hidden sect disciples expose the whereabouts of your twopanions?"


    Leonardo chewed at his grapes as he silently contemted this warning, smiling a momentter as he said, "They''ll be fine, a few divinities out on scouting won''t pose a threat to my woman, especially when she''s apanied by that subordinate of mine."


    Even though he said this, Leonardo was fighting every urge in his body to go over and take a look.


    He knew how headstrong Nier can be, and if they met now, she would insist on following him around.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What makes you so confident?"


    Emily was intrigued by the source of Leonardo''s confidence. So, while she tacitly allowed the secret messages to leave her protection formation, she decided to entertain herself in a session of questioning.


    Leonardo didn''t mind her question, he had already exposed the techniques anyway so he said, "Each of my close subordinates is special. For example¡­ Do you remember Rosaline from back then? She has the full Lotus of Heaven and Earth sword technique imprinted in her body and mind."


    Emily was shocked. "Are you saying this isn''t the technique you cultivate?"


    Leonardo gave her a weird look. "Why would I give you my personal technique? I''ve only passed it down to one person so far, my daughter. Ah, given the time dtion inside and outside the Core Maind, she should be around sixteen years old now."


    Emily found herself rushing next to Leonardo in no time, looking him up and down with wide eyes as she asked. "You have a daughter too?!"


    It couldn''t be helped as ording to themon sense of cultivators, the more talented they are, the more they dy things such as having children.


    Emily didn''t know that Leonardo''s race didn''t bother much about talent and aplishment, but focused more on bloodline purity. Even if the person didn''t cultivate, the potential in their bloodline would be there for when they eventually start cultivating.


    Hence, Leonardo wasn''t worried about Aria''s future aplishments, but he was curious about where his mother, Nightshade, Wendy, and Aria went to after leaving Earth, prior to its destruction.


    After the shock, Emily quickly realized the important point of what Leonardo said.


    She inquired, "How many other techniques do you have then? I mean for your subordinates."


    Leonardo gave Emily a look. "I have seven of them, but I haven''t found people worthy enough for these techniques yet, so far only two of them."


    Before she could say anything, he added, "Forget about it, it''s toote for you to receive one of the seven techniques since you''ve already achieved rebirth without it as a foundation. At most, you can master the seventy-two strikes of the Earth Lotus, that would be your limit no matter how far your cultivation goes."


    Leonardo shrugged with a sigh. "Even then, these should be enough for you to dominate the entire Core Maind when your cultivation reaches the peak of this world."


    Actually, Leonardo already had a candidate in mind for the Third Twilight spot; Merlin.


    That woman''s brain functions on a whole different dimension from ordinary people. After consuming the 5th-tier medicine, Dew of Life, her constitution should permit her to cultivate normally.


    Leonardo already tasked Rosaline to supervise Merlin''s cultivation as he delivered a magic-oriented cultivation technique for Merlin''s sake. This should help her build a good foundation for when Leonardo eventually optimizes a cultivation technique derived frombining Dizmason''s inheritance together with Wendy''s co-soul.


    Even now, Leonardo''s split soul was ever-calcting these techniques whenever he wasn''t upied with more pressing matters.


    Emily''s expression darkened, understanding the hidden message in Leonardo''s words. If she wanted to fully master the technique, she must destroy her star core and recultivate from the absolute start.


    That''s easier said than done, especially when she''s surrounded by enemies on all sides.


    Emily sighed. "Forget it! I''ll be content with what I have."


    Even as she spoke, a crazy idea came to her mind.


    She could always dual cultivate with Leonardo andplement theckingws in her body ofw from Leonardo''s body ofw, and as time progresses, she could make up for thecking foundation.


    However, she wasn''t so desperate as to resort to dual cultivation. As Leonardo mentioned, the nine strikes he promised her, together with their variations, are more than enough to dominate the Core Maind in the future.


    "Wait," Emily suddenly realized. "You''re leaving the Core Maind in the future?"


    How can she dominate this ce if she had Leonardo and his seven freaks of subordinates to worry about?


    Obviously, he was implying that he wouldn''t stay forever.


    "What''s so good about this ce?" Leonardo shot back at her. "This entire ne can only support one Maind, and it''s barely hanging on. If this Core Maind doesn''t crumble onto itself one day, then it''ll most likely end up being refined by some powerful existence instead."

 Chapter 252 Referral Proposal

    ?


    From Leonardo''s perspective, the Core Maind was just another Arcadia, only somewhatrger. There were plenty of secrets to discover about this ce, but many of them, if not all of them, were none of his concerns.


    One of the vital questions in his mind rested with the origins of this Grandmaster Sin, as he could still recall the moment he encountered the first Memento Mori member; the man had ck blood.


    Furthermore, the man was called a devil by the others, in a frightened tone nheless.


    Leonardo partly helped Emily create this disturbance to solidify her resolve and chances to boost the influence of House Qing in the Seven Stars Province, and partly out of selfish motives.


    "I should get going," Leonardo popped thest piece of grape in his mouth and got up.


    "Where to?" Emily was still grappling with Leonardo''s earlier statement when this caught her off guard.


    Leonardo gave her a look. "You can handle things from here on out without my help, I''lle back when the heat cools down a bit and we''re ready for the next stage of this game. As for now, I''ll take advantage of this mess and sneak my way past the Seven Stars border into the fertile and prosperous grounds of the Jin Dynasty."


    Having flipped through thousands of information cards in the library, Leonardo wasn''t so clueless as to the customs and general knowledge of the Jin Dynasty''s culture. Furthermore, he had this nagging feeling that Xavier from all the way back in Arcadia had made it into the political circle of the Jin Dynasty after all these years.


    If that''s true, his talent and brains would''ve attracted enough attention for the young man to garner some special care and nurturing, perhaps he was already a rebirth realm cultivator at this point in time.


    Leonardo had no idea how well off or worse off Xavier might be for now, but he knew this guy would one day be a thorn in his side if left unchecked for an extended period of time.


    Emily didn''t know what to say. Their deal aside, Leonardo was simply staying in the Qing Sector as means of getting adjusted to the unfamiliar environment. Now with that done, he could move further ind without a hitch.


    Emily suddenly suggested. "Do you want a letter of referral from me? I can get you inside the political circles of the Jin Dynasty as my personal attendant under the name of my Qing family, that would be much better than stretching your hands in the dark."


    Leonardo was surprised. "Aren''t you scared I might implicate your entire family if I was found out? Moreover, why would they bother with a little attendant like me?"


    Emily exined. "I''ve brought a lot of merit to the family with this opportunity, but I can mention in the letter of referral that this entire thing was partially your idea, and we could also have Lord Renhuang''s signature of testimony. That way, you''d have the support of two influential families while ind, and not many people would dare mess with you even as a personal attendant."


    Leonardo thought about it.


    If the status of the personal attendant of a 7th-tier powerhouse wasn''t enough to deter some bored young masters, then thebined support of both Emily and Roxfield ought to work like a charm.


    However¡­


    Leonardo chuckled. "If you give out that referral letter, you might as well paint a target on my back for House Xia, House Freya, and House Levi. Thest might even suspect my true identity."


    Emily''s eyes didn''t even flinch. "I''m willing to take this risk; don''t tell me you''re not half as bold as me, a woman?"


    Leonardo rubbed the back of his head and sighed.


    He said, "Fine! Just note in the letter that I''m a 5th-tie cultivator, lest some blind fools take my energy fluctuations for granted."


    If Leonardo could infiltrate political circles so easily, he wouldn''t need to bother with hatching up long-term schemes the same way he did on Arcadia. Furthermore, this would also save him the trouble of stirring the pond so much it attracts the attention of the dragons slumbering in its depth.


    Although the mask hid it, Emily''s eyes were smiling as she said, "You have to fight for benefits for my Qing family on my behalf, though. The better you do, the more I can help you."


    Leonardo shrugged, a teasing smile on his face as he suddenly approached Emily, pinching her pointy chin as he said, "That almost sounds like I''m nurturing a sharp knife in the back of not only the Qing family, but the entire dynasty."


    Emily was shocked stiff by the sudden initiative, finding it even more unbelievable how easily Leonardo maneuvered through her defenses and held her face. If so he desired, that could have been a knife to the throat.


    She immediately remembered the few seconds of utilizing Leonardo''s innate martial intent, dispelling most of her shock, even as the exotic, unfamiliar sensations mmed her heart pounding.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Leonardo also realized his actions weren''t too appropriate, quickly lowering his hand with an awkward smile. "My bad, I got a little carried away there, didn''t I?"


    Emily blinked, setting her emotions in order as she turned her back to Leonardo''s swirling, pure ck holes even as her fists clenched beneath the sleeves of her robes.


    She said, "You can wait for my news in the library, I''ll task someone with apanying you all the way ind, preferably when the Judicial Inquisitors from the Interster Supreme Court arrive in the province."


    On that awkward note, Leonardo left the Commander''s Pagoda. After he left, Emily touched down on her chest, feeling very unnatural and unnerved by the entire thing.


    Her emotions had been a rollercoaster of a mess ever since Leonardo brought up the catastrophe which befell the Levi Sector, otherwise, she wouldn''t be acting so uncharacteristically to herself.


    For the following few days, Emily hadn''t stepped foot out from her pagoda, and neither did Leonardo go over to pay her a visit. He understood his charm very well, and if he wasn''t in disguise wearing such an ordinary-looking face, things might have escted beyond control back there.


    His charm wasn''t only in his eyes and handsome visage, but the promise of benefits obtained through dual cultivation with him.


    With a perfect body ofw and a superior bloodline, who wouldn''t be tempted? Even overlooking all these things, Leonardo had plenty of other opportunities to offer.


    From powerful techniques and a promising future, a future too surreal for most people toprehend.


    Very quickly, two weeks passed and the Judicial Inquisitors finally touched down on the soil of the Seven Stars Province. They must have rushed their way here at full speed.


    Also on this day, the people from the Renhuang Sector arrived at the Qing Sector to escort Leonardo ind. The left-wing advisor was among the procession, but the man hid away from Leonardo and didn''t feel like crossing paths with thetter.


    After all, he lost the bet fair and square, and from his perspective, he lost to a mere 2nd-tier cultivator, a mortal. Many people were still oblivious to Leonardo''s supposed 5th-tier cultivation.


    At the entrance to the Qing Sector''s outer region, Sivan and Gal stood side to side with reluctant expressions on their faces.


    "Don''t give me that look, I''m not headed to my death you know?" Leonardoughed brightly at the pair, giving each of them a friendly hug.


    For the past two weeks, these two would often disappear on Leonardo, but he didn''t think too much of it since everyone must have their own little secrets.


    Everyone knew how much the Commanding General valued Attendant Ye, and thetter in turn valued the servant Gal and the maid Sivan, putting them under a lot of attention both good and bad.


    Competition existed everywhere, even in the core region.


    Just as dragons struggled, ants do the same, in their own ways. Leonardo didn''t like to waste his time on these small details and thus he overlooked them while he waited for this day.


    Now that he nned to leave, he knew things would get tough for these two as the good connection between them and the Commanding General, namely Attendant Ye, was about to be removed from the picture.


    "Say, why don''t you two follow me ind as well? I could use somepany," Leonardo spoke after a bit of hesitation.


    Sivan''s eyes which were on the verge of reddening suddenly shook at the sudden proposal, her body growing stiff for a moment.


    Gal was also stunned. "We can''t just pack up and leave wherever we want; we''ve been born and raised as servants to Her Eminence, and we''re destined to die doing the same."


    Sivan didn''t say a word, but her lips thinned even harder with a pale face. Everyone was courteous and polite to them these good days, even if these people hated it deep down.


    An elevated status built on the shoulders of someone else could only get you so far, and when the person you rely on is gone, the fall would be too much to bear. Especially when Sivan thought about all those generals and lieutenants.

 Chapter 253 You’re Not A Stronger Woman

    ?


    Leonardo sighed. "Well, if you face any difficulties at all, just let me know in the future."


    Leonardo wouldn''t try to keep them by his side since they rejected his goodwill. Moreover, he could also tell that despite the difficult times ahead, these two were willing to endure due to their loyalty and faith in Emily.


    No matter how difficult the bullying is, at most, it would be some extra menialbor or enduring some taunts and humiliation from time to time. Leonardo wasn''t worried about Sivan as the Military Advisor didn''t have such a petty, jealous personality. However, Gal''s situation was a bit more worrying since his superiors were military personnel, the typical ruffians of all brawls and little brains.


    "Don''t worry about us," Gal lightly pped Leonardo''s shoulder, a confident smile on the former''s handsome face. "You should worry more about yourself, I heard that thepetition in the capital is very, very tense. The rtionships there are prettyplicated, one wrong step and you might offend both friend and foe."


    "Yeah, no kidding." Sivan bobbed her head, gently fixing the cor of Leonardo''s robes even as worry clouded her eyes. "If you find it too difficult, I''m sure Her Eminence won''t force you to stay there, you just gotta ask. She''s a very nice person."


    Gal nodded his head, too. He agreed wholeheartedly with Sivan on that one.


    As he was subconsciously looking around, he turned his head to see a familiar yet unfamiliar face, crying out in surprise. "Emily? When did you get here?"


    Gal had expected only himself and Sivan toe to see off Attendant Ye, he hadn''t expected another girl from Sivan''s department to alsoe over. However, thinking about it, Attendant Ye and Emily seemed to hit it off when everyone went to the night pub the other day, but he woke up the next day in his bed without a clue of what transpired.


    He was too anxious to find Attendant Ye back then that he didn''t notice Emily''s disappearance. Thinking about it now, Sivan did mention something about Emily going missing, but the two of them were more concerned about Attendant Ye than some servant girl who had little to no interactions with them.


    Leonardo was also surprised to see ''Emily'' here at this point in time. The usual snow-paleplexion, ck hair, and ck eyes. She wordlessly approached Leonardo, as though she hadn''t heard what Gal said.


    Leonardo was caught aback by her attitude, but to maintain his image as a little 2nd-tier mortal cultivator, he could only smile faintly in the presence of this extra servant who came to see him off.


    "You don''t have to worry about Sivan, I''ll look after her," said Emily as she stood within arms reach from Leonardo. Sivan was a little surprised. Sure, Emily could be considered a senior sister in the circle of maidservants, but that seniority didn''t mean anything in the face of superior military officers and advisor candidates in the library.


    Only Leonardo knew what these words meant, but he was baffled as he hadn''t expected to give off the impression of caring so much about a pair of servants. In his opinion, they were fooling themselves to believe he actually owed them anything, while he simply enjoyed thepany of such straightforward, casual people.


    Even as these thoughts raced in his head, his eyes widened in disbelief just the same as everyone else. Emily reached her fair hand, and pinched the chin of a seemingly flustered Attendant Ye, then stered her plump and cold lips on his.


    From everyone''s perspective, it was impossible for Attendant Ye to evade the frontal assault of a 4th-tier cultivator, but Leonardo had over a thousand ways in which he could avoid this situation were he not pretending to be a weak mortal.


    Gal gaped with eyes wide open. "Damn, here I thought we had the most benefits from befriending Attendant Ye."


    Pah!


    Emily retreated and with a pulse of energy, she was gone. At this point, Leonardo felt beyond helpless, and he began to miss Pandora''s and Juvia''spany even more.


    "Let''s go, lovestruck kid!"


    Someone pped Leonardo''s shoulder from the back. Turning over, it was the apanying lieutenant from the Renhuang Sector, smiling brightly at Leonardo with a meaningful look in his eyes. This lieutenant heard a lot about Attendant Ye from his superiors, and they tacitly mentioned how highly His Eminence thinks of the little guy. Even though Commanding General Roxfield doesn''t very much like mind games,plots, and schemes¡­ The Commanding General knows how to value real talent. If even that muscle head values Attendant Ye, his talents must be off the charts.


    "I am in no way lovestruck," mumbled Leonardo, rubbing his ''stiff'' shoulder awkwardly. On the inside, however, he decided to teach Emily a lesson about teasing someone like that during their moment of weakness.


    If he wasn''t bound by the circumstances, he would have pressed Emily down there and then for ying such a dangerous game with him. Thinking about it, why should things wait?


    "Actually, I think I am lovestruck," Leonardo suddenly looked up at this lieutenant with a know-it-all smile. "Can you guys wait for me to finish some business before we leave? Who knows if I''ll ever get this chance in the future, right?"


    The lieutenant paused for a bit, exchanged a look with hisrades, and thought back to the attitude of his superiors. If he knew this would happen, he wouldn''t have teased the young man. Then again, how is he gonna handle that woman with his weak cultivation? Things should end very quickly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Thinking like this, the lieutenant''s face rxed as he pped down on Leonardo''s shoulder once more. "Sure thing, friend! Go get things straight, don''t leave any unfinished business or regrets!"


    Leonardo thanked the group very enthusiastically and rushed in the direction of the core region. As for the rest of the group, they shared a knowing smile,ughing to themselves.


    "Is our friend Ye about to pop that cherry?" Gal mumbled distractedly, only to be smacked by a heavy elbow in the stomach.


    Sivan fumed. "Watch yournguage!"


    ¡­


    Emily rushed back to her pagoda, though she didn''t dare enter the fourthyer with her current state of mind lest sheshed out a current of energy uncontrobly, destroying a few delicate trees or nts in the process.


    Face flushed red, she paced back and forth in the spacious, empty hall. This was a sub-dimension after all, even if built in the image of a spacious hall of many, towering pirs.


    She wanted to ascend all the way to the peak, but her energy was in a mess due to her current state of mind. While she was anxiously trying to calm down, biting at her nails, a voice that had her body shudder all over echoed from behind.


    "You really thought you could take advantage of me like that and run off?" Leonardo stepped into the sub-dimension, his disguise quickly falling off and reverting back to his original appearance.


    Emily was shocked. "Shouldn''t you have already left? What are you doing here?"


    Leonardo shook his head. "Don''t have to feel so shocked that you couldn''t sense me. In fact, you should feel rxed since even you, the 7th-tier cultivator, couldn''t sense my entry. By that logic, no one else in this entire sector has any idea that I''m here."


    Emily snapped. "That''s not the point!"


    "Oh really?" Leonardo pressed, "Was the point that you foolishly thought I wouldn''t be able to do anything if you approached me in broad daylight? Was that some kind of retaliation for pinching your chin?"


    "What are you talking about?" Panic filled Emily''s eyes as she stumbled back to the edge of the sub-dimension, very quickly at that.


    However, her speed was nothing whenpared to a genuine movement technique. These techniques were something shecked since the Qing family didn''t experience a deviant martial intent for a very, very long time.


    Emily gasped when Leonardo suddenly appeared in front of her. It was so sudden that she almost stumbled into his embrace, though it didn''t matter as he took the initiative to wrap his left arm around her waist, his right hand pinching her pointed chin.


    "I have a history with stronger women taking the initiative, you know? But this time it''s different¡­ You''re not a stranger woman." As he spoke, Leonardo''s thumb crawled over Emily''s trembling chin, pressing intimately on her cold, bottom lip.


    The woman''s mind nked out, though she was feeling lucky she hadn''t removed the disguise as soon as she made it back to the pagoda.


    Leonardo had no idea Emily''s mind was nk at the thought of almost exposing her true appearance, but appearances matter very little to him. Emily''s mind was suddenly yanked back to the present time as her airflow was blocked.


    She quickly realized that Leonardo had kissed her and quite aggressively, her mind going nk again even as her fists smashed down on his broad chest.


    Emily screamed in her mind that she had truly yed with fire this time!


    She couldn''t help it back then, she simply wanted Leonardo to experience the feeling of being helpless when someone breached your private space with little to no ability to prevent it.

 Chapter 254 Disciplinary Measures

    ?


    "Ugh! You¡ª ah!"


    Emily grunted a groan when her body pressed heavily against one of the sky-reaching pirs, only because she felt herself sandwiched between the concrete structure and Leonardo''s refined build.


    That grunt barely left her mouth when an uncontroble moan,ced with a gasp of shock, escaped her mouth when Leonardo''s hand made its way throughyers of robes and into the region between her thighs.


    She was shocked. Things happened too fast while her mind was recovering from the state of nkness brought on by the sudden, invasive kiss.


    Her body and mind spiraled out of control for a split second, yet Leonardo was already on the verge of breaking past herst line of defense. Squirming against his chest, hands pressing down on her dress and Leonardo''s hands beneath it, Emily breathed out heavy and hot.


    "S-stop! I get it! I won''t do that again so j-just stop and don''t go too far! Ah¡ª fuck!" Emily inhaled sharply, feeling a pair of slender and cold fingers tickling her sensitive folds. She finally snapped as tears streamed down her cheeks in distress, and her voice broke. "I''m not joking, please stop!"


    Leonardo felt something was off the moment her body shook, let alone her hot tears that plopped down on his hand. There, he stood still, not understanding why she would react so violently.


    The space immediately went silent, with the asional choked sobs of Emily as shey helplessly in Leonardo''s embrace.


    It took a very long whileter when she calmed down that Leonardo inquired, "What''s wrong?"


    "I can''t lose my virginity¡ª I abhor the idea of my disguiseing undone all of a sudden¡­ Then, you''d realize how hideously ugly I am, then¡­" Emily didn''t finish her sentence, but her body went cold in Leonardo''s embrace.


    Leonardo was stumped. "That''s it? You''re worried I might find you ugly?"


    Emily''s voice returned to its cold measure as she stepped out from Leonardo''s hold, hugging her own shoulders as she spoke, "Not might; you will. It''s a drawback from achieving rebirth through unorthodox means with a wed cultivation scripture, I shouldn''t have done that while my martial intent path deviated from my family''s."


    Sheughed mockingly at herself. "Why else would they send me all the way to be a watchdog on the borders? They don''t want an eyesore to hang around; a failed product, a disgrace. My recent contribution might as well be the only contribution worthy of my family''s attention, they wouldn''t have bothered with me otherwise."


    Emily''s speech was fragmented, bits and pieces of it interrupted by either deep breaths or sniffles. Then, she realized that Leonardo wasn''t talking, causing her heart to sink even as she hardened her face to turn around and spot the disappointment on his face.


    Much to her surprise as she spun around, he was¡­ smiling?


    "What''s so funny about it?" Emily gnashed her teeth, watery eyes ring red.


    Leonardo shrugged. "Here I thought it was something serious, but it''s just some stupid cultivation deviation¡­ Just fix the cultivation technique or get a new one oriented towards your martial intent."


    Emily was stunned. Then, sheughed.


    She was so mad she actually startedughing, waist bent as her body shook, even while her tears streamed down her face once again.


    He made it seem so simple. Just to get the appearance-changing technique, she had to ve away for the ck Market for who knew how many years in the past, and only god knew for how many years in the future.


    Leonardo felt ufortable with seeing Emily''s current state, she was no different from someone who went mad. He stepped forward and hugged her shoulders, even as she continued to shake,ugh, and cry all the same.


    "Just give me the original scripture, and I''ll modify it for you in no time at all," Leonardo spoke solemnly to her ear. "I promise you that much, at the very least."


    Emily suddenly paused, looked up, and then her face split into a ridiculing smile. "You want to fuck me that badly, huh? You don''t have to go as far as to provide some false hope. If you want it, just get it over with and leave."


    Even as she smiled, a st of ether shredded her clothes apart, leaving her naked and pressed hard into Leonardo''s embrace.


    She eyed him provocatively despite the panic in the depths of her eyes. Leonardo''s lips twitched, and he punished her teasing with a heavy kiss that although stirred her soul, it gave her the false impression Leonardo was taking her on that offer.


    However, the kiss was shor-lived, and a moderately powerful flick of Leonardo''s finger smacked Emily''s forehead, drawing out a whimper from the woman as her breasts bounced in recoil.


    She looked up, ring. "What?"


    Leonardo rolled his eyes as he stretched out a hand, clearly asking for the cultivation method.


    "I may be tempted," he said. "But I''m not desperate, I don''t need to lie to you about anything. Honestly, I feel like I''ve owed you something in my past life, I might as well repay it this way."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "So when I was clearly struggling, you keep going but when I give you my approval; standing here naked even, you look the other way? What kind of a man are you?" Emily knew he was joking, but she somehow felt better at being rejected. She didn''t want her first time to go out of pity, even as she had little to no hopes at all for Leonardo.


    She collected herself and threw her soft body into his arms once again, entrenching a deep kiss while her forehead bumped into his, transferring over whatever she knew of the Qing family''s cultivation method.


    "Are you testing my patience?" Leonardo irritably pinched her firm buttocks, feeling both aroused and annoyed. Emilyughed, charmingly at that as she burrowed further into Leonardo''s arms, not the least bit intimidated.


    She knew how proud of a man Leonardo is, hence, he wouldn''t go back on his word and take her now, no matter how naughty she acted. Thus, she let herself loose, pushed him down, and cuddled nude.


    Pa! Leonardo smacked her firm rear, and while it bounced, Emily let out a crisp yet muffled moan while biting down on Leonardo''s neck in an effort to suppress her voice. That hit stung a little, and not daring to push his buttons too far, she settled down and stopped messing around.


    They simplyy there, bodies entwined.


    "¡­ Will you teach me the full sword technique?"


    "Yeah, keep fantasizing, okay?"


    Angered, Emily began to y naughty again while transferring the scripture. She would bite Leonardo''s earlobe, blow hot breath into it, and even grind her breasts against his chest asionally.


    Leonardo finally had enough of her teasing at some point and when she transferred thest chapter of the scripture, the tables turned.


    "What are you doing?!" Emily screamed, her hands sped behind her back as shey into Leonardo''s chest, the front of her body exposed in full glory as Leonardo''s free palm rested on the peach folds between her thighs. Her eyes stared intensely at the zap of harmless electricity dancing at the tips of Leonardo''s fingers.


    "No! Okay, you win! S-stop¡ª ahhh!~"


    Emily''s body shuddered uncontrobly as the electric charge flooded the budding pearl that crowned the folds of her little princess. The stimtion was so intense¡ª too intense, she shook all over and a gush of fluids spasmed out.


    Then, as shey weakly, Leonardo''s mouth found her pink buds on the full breasts, kneading them between his teeth alternatively even as his fingers made quick work of her post-orgasmic cave.


    In moments, sweat and tears drenched Emily''s body while her body asionally shuddered.


    ¡­


    By the entrance to the outer regions of the Qing Sector.


    "We''ve been waiting for hours already, Sir¡­"


    Comined a soldier from the procession.


    The Renhuang Sector Lieutenant barked back, "I know! Just wait, it can''t be helped at this point¡­ youth; we''ve all experienced it."


    They couldn''t me Leonardo as the cultivation scripture of the Qing family was too long, not to mention having to handle Emily''s naughty episodes from now to then. By the time Leonardo left the pagoda, her buttocks were swollen red, and firm buds were riddled with bite marks.


    Only when Emily passed out from experiencing intense, consecutive orgasms as a ''light punishment'' from Leonardo, did thetter have the time to organize his thoughts and the cultivation scripture before leaving the pagoda, and by extension, the core region.


    No one was aware of the atrocitiesmitted against their supreme Commanding General or how she was left nude and defenseless in the chambers of the fifthyer of her pagoda. It was very easy for Leonardo to carry the unconscious Emily through the garden without disturbing the spirituality of the nts


    Emily''s body was thoroughly disciplined by Leonardo and he doubted whether she''d have the audacity to tease him in the future.


    It took some hours to deduce an alternative cultivation scripture suitable for diversion in martial intent, but it wasn''t as difficult as deducing the Ninth Inception Arrow technique. Before Leonardo left, he transferred over the modified scripture into Emily''s mind, leaving silently thereafter.


    Everyone heaved a sigh of relief when they saw Leonardo running over, most of his clothes drenched in sweat as a heavy fragrance apanied his return.


    Gal lifted a thumbs up, even as he was inwardly shocked that Leonardo could walk after wrestling with a 4th-tier maiden for so long. He greatly admired the stamina this Attendant Ye is packing.

 Chapter 255 Jin Prefecture

    ?


    When Emily next came to her senses, she was caught aback by the familiar yet unfamiliar environment of the fifthyer of the pagoda. Very quickly, she came to the conclusion Leonardo must have brought her over.


    Her entire body felt giddy and weak, especially down there. That experience was a nightmare. Even now, she shudders from thinking about it. Suddenly, a surge of information exploded in Emily''s head, and her eyes cked briefly as they went nk.


    A few minutester, rity returned to her eyes, quickly followed by shock and disbelief. Very quickly, she disregarded the state of her body and sat down meditatively, reciting the ''revised'' Qing family scripture. Slowly thereafter, her aura began to change subtly.


    Sometimes it would rise, sometimes fall, and other times a st of invisible force would sweep out, wreaking havoc in the room.


    A day passed¡­


    Two days passed¡­


    Three days passed¡­


    An entire week passed¡­ A stinging pain suddenly wracked Emily''s face and star core as cracks webbed on the surface of both. With the disturbance, her masquerading technique was quickly melting away as a golden luster bled into Emily''s hair, while her face contorted.


    Her storage ring shed as a silver mask quickly covered her face; all of this was executed instinctively.


    Despite the pain, Emily proceeded to follow with the cultivation method. With a bang, both her domains exploded; one was dark and infested with sinister shadows while the other was nothing but invisible forces that twisted space andunched stationary objects into motion with iprehensible speeds.


    Emily hadn''t expected both her domains would explode from her body as neither of them waspatible with the Qing family''s cultivation methods.


    Even as she started to panic, dense pure ether rushed into the fragmented domain through the cracks and rushed into the star core; the gateway to the heart of Emily''s sub-dimension.


    Emily didn''t know that while Leonardo revised the cultivation method, he fashioned it after his improvised soul pearl cultivation method, the same technique he used to fuse his different domains back on Arcadia.


    When Leonardo first put the concept together, it was a very crude way of execution. However, he had some inspiration from the revised version of the Fourth Dimension Cultivation Scripture that was the product of the remnant soul''s efforts. Of course, that remnant soul was the shadowy silhouette in the fragment from the Infernal Throne.


    With help from his eternal night martial intent and the insane calctive abilities, he was able to stabilize his split soul into a separate consciousness that was also under the control of his main soul.


    What Leonardo did was blend the Qing family''s cultivation method into the soul pearl technique, while leaving behind a strand of his will to help with the mending process. The soul pearl technique stands as the foundation for Leonardo''s cultivation technique and could easily bnce four domains with the help of his innate martial intent, let alone only two.


    Without the guidance of Leonardo''s will, this cultivation method would simply lead aperson to their death, hence why Leonardo wasn''t worried about the method''s potential leak.


    Emily could also feel a foreign power controlling the influx of the pure ether to bnce out the fusion of her two domains, and she could guess the origin of this power even if she wasn''t half as intelligent.


    At this moment, she only needed to endure the pain and keep circting her energy, essence, and spirit following the guidance of Leonardo''s will. Very quickly, her star core began to crack and reshape itself following the image of an illusive cocoon that somehow enveloped Emily.


    Her fragmented domains suddenly ovepped into an internal sphere of dense, dark, sinister energy while surrounded and suppressed by an external sphere of invisible energy that spun at an iprehensible speed, the force exuding so much pressure it caused the ck sphere topress more and more. Even as Emily''s body ofw began to crack and bleed out, she didn''t care.


    She knew that her foundation was being rebuilt and she would re-experience entering the singrity realm as her essence, energy, and spirit werepressed together with her domains into the star core. If her foundation was stable, her domains wouldn''t have exploded out from her core so easily and began to sh with the outside world.


    Typically, rebirth realm cultivators would project an illusory domain that mimics their true domain. They can aplish such a feat by projecting theirprehension ofws and martial intent, rarely do they ever project their true domain as any damage inflicted upon thetter would scar their foundations and star cores.


    If not for the presence of the Judicial Inquisitors and the alliance with the Renhuang Sector, other 7th-tiermanders might have already started attacking Emily''s base the moment they caught a whiff of the impending changes to the ether in the skies of the Qing Sector.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A funnel of pure ether pierced the formation blocking the outside world from the core region as clouds overhead churned about. This phenomenon caught the attention of all soldiers and servants alike as they either dropped to their knees or performed a solemn military salute.


    Far in the Renhuang Sector, Roxfield suddenly shot to his feet and pierced the sub-dimension, appearing in the skies of his military base. Then, his aura exploded and rushed in all directions, easily transcending space-time, locking onto quite a few powerful auras that began to grow restless.


    His explosive battle intent immediately deterred the other two from making a move. This change escaped the eyes of most ordinary people, with quite a few only witnessing the sky changing colors from blue to ck, then red, and then back to blue.


    Emily was of course oblivious to these changes but she didn''t care one bit about it. She had this feeling that if anything, Leonardo would rush back to protect her as she went through the transformation.


    A woman''s intuition is quite scary as very far on the deck of a flying ship, Leonardo stood there while looking back in the sector''s direction.


    A faint smile surfaced on his face when he sensed Roxfield''s aura, finally rxing and sauntering back to his room on the ship.


    Three monthster, the disturbance in the ether from the Seven Stars Province settled down, and around this time, the procession had also crossed several provinces and bordered the territory of the Jin Dynasty''s Central Prefecture, the territory of crouching tigers and slumbering dragons.


    On this day, Leonardo left his room and arrived at the haul of the flying ship, taking in the grand scenery of the Jin Prefecture, the heart of the dynasty.


    The Jin Prefecture, the Dong Prefecture, and the Luan Prefecture were thergest, most popted, as well as the most dangerous human-governed zones on the surface of the Core Maind.


    Quite the pity,mutation bracelets couldn''t transmit messages across provinces, let alone prefectures. Leonardo thought about leaving Emily a movement technique, but after second thoughts, he realized that her most powerful technique was her martial intent.


    Emily and everyone else in this world that didn''t progress much in science, grossly underestimated the power of kic force.


    Just like time and space, kic force is a universalw that proliferates the entire ne. Her body ofw was too deficient in the past to harness the martial intent to its full extent. Now, however, things were different.


    Leonardo looked forward to reuniting with that woman. But first, he needed to blend into the political circle of the Jin Dynasty and get his hands on the coordinates to the ster world where Arcadia existed.


    He had this feeling that Wendy would leave the ster world and explore the cosmos beyond the world barrier on her own, perhaps looking for clues as to why the star core from a magic ne descended into this barren ne. Furthermore, he needed to find Eternus and seek some questions from the guy.


    No matter how powerful Eternus was, Leonardo was confident he could subdue a guy with a crippled star core. However, he was a bit concerned about that woman Eternus mentioned as his wife; he had also mentioned that if she were to wake up, the entire ster world would copse, let alone Arcadia.


    Just how powerful was that woman? Could she be a World King? As much as Leonardo was curious about what the title World King represented, he opted to ask for answers from the mysterious Grandmaster Sin rather than waste his time asking anyone irrelevant.


    "You''re finally out for some fresh air?"


    Leonardo heard the question and nced back, finding the speaker to be the ''kind'' lieutenant who seems to go by the name Marley.


    Leonardo smiled. "We were moving too fast, it wouldn''t have made a difference whether I stepped out of my room or stayed inside."


    Marley paused for a second beforeughing. "You''re right¡ª I forgot your cultivation realm is too low. Haha."


    pping Leonardo''s shoulder lightly, the man pulled Leonardo toward the edge of the haul while the ship continued to slow down.


    He said, "Well, son¡­ take a good look at what grandiose actually means! One deep breath might actually propel you up to your next breakthrough in cultivation!"

 Chapter 256 Attitude

    ?


    Breakthrough from breathing? Leonardo was intrigued, could the entire Jin Prefecture be covered in a wide range of ether purification formations to expel the chaotic ether from the ambiance?


    That would have been too extravagant, right?


    The flying ship slowly stopped in front of a massive and opaque barrier. People could barely see through thendscape beyond, even Leonardo couldn''t see past this barrier despite his uncanny perceptiveness.


    "How are we going to get in?" Leonardo turned over to look at Lieutenant Marley, and then he turned to look over the rest of the people.


    "We''re not going in¡ª you are. People from the main branch of the Qing family will send a few people to apany you to the Qing Province, just be patient for a bit." Lieutenant Marley replied.


    Leonardo didn''t know the Qing family actually controlled an entire province, and not any ordinary province at that, but a province in the mostplicated prefecture of the entire dynasty.


    "How many 9th-tier cultivators do they have?" Leonardo asked, a bit intrigued.


    Lieutenant Marley rolled his eyes. "How would I know? They should at least have a dozen of those in the open, each of them an exalted City Lord. As for their hidden reserves? Heh, as if someone like me would''ve had ess to such military intelligence."


    Thinking about something, Lieutenant Marley''s expression turned heavy. "Don''t try anything funny once you''re inside, the backing of a 7th-tier cultivator doesn''t count for a fart once you''re entrenched in the political struggles of these monsters. Unlike the Dongfang Imperial Family or the Luan Imperial Family, the Jin Imperial Family invested their resources and countless years of foundation exploring the dead cosmos out there¡­


    "Gods know how many ancient relics they''ve uncovered across the ages, hence why no one bothered them or stepped on their toes. The bottom line is and always will be to steer clear of the ambitions of the imperial family. This provided an opportunity for the factions under the imperial family to grow unscrupulous whilepeting for resources. I wouldn''t even be surprised if these people went as far as to infiltrate the imperial harem of the Jin Emperor."


    Lieutenant Marley''s intentions were clear. Inside the Jin Prefecture, these families had even dared dispatch spies to the Royal Pce, let alone the strongholds of the Seven Families and their meager Seven Star Alliance.


    Leonardo had to admire the ck Market even more at this point. Thinking about it, Lucas would fit right in this ce if his cultivation could keep up.


    "I understand, I''ll be more careful," Leonardo nodded his head, feeling d not to have attempted to infiltrate the Jin Prefecture without any solid identity or background. With the referral from two 7th-tier cultivators who originate from the prefecture itself.


    This way, he could avoid a lot of screening.


    Moreover, the Qing family wasn''t very powerful in the political scene¡ª such could be inferred from their eagerness to attack House Xia, House Freya, and House Levi at any given opportunity.


    The barrier suddenly rippled as a small yet exquisite flying ship emerged from the parting space.


    Everyone looked up to see the ck colorful flying ship.


    Lieutenant Marley gasped when he saw the row of delicate characters on the side of the ship. The letters clearly showed the word, Silent Melody.


    Lieutenant Marley eximed in shock. "This is Lady Vi''s personal flying ship!"


    Leonardo already knew that he would be working under Emily''s big sister, Vi, though he hadn''t expected she''de to fetch him up personally.


    The only person to have a good rtionship with Emily was this Lady Vi. While they shared the same father, Vi was the daughter of a mistress and thus was very kind to Emily, even as the rest of the family shunned her due to the divergent martial intent.


    Vi''s talent exploded when she finally achieved rebirth, and her position slowly transitioned into the Young Lady of House Qing while Emily, the daughter of the first wife, was pushed to the edge of the dynasty.


    While everyone thought Vi pushed Emily away in apetition between sisters, only Vi knew that thetter took the initiative to leave home while slowly and surreptitiously transferring authority and prestige to the former.


    The incident didn''t put a crack in the two sisters'' rtionship, but quite the opposite, it made the rtionship even stronger.


    Vi was very happy with her little sister''s recent achievements, and with the gathered momentum, she petitioned the elders by iming that such a subordinate shouldn''t be wasted under her little sister''s ipetence, but should be nurtured in the Jin Prefecture and help her instead.


    The elders, of course, echoed this sentiment and sent out the transfer orders that Emily had ''no choice'' but to ''reluctantly'' ept. The elders were satisfied with Emily''s efficiency and obedience. They weren''t at all concerned about her letter of referral, though they were surprised that Roxfield of House Renhuang had a high opinion of Attendant Ye as well, making them even more eager to pull him under Vi''s wing.


    Not only Lieutenant Marley, but everyone else was stunned, wondering what type of a referral letter could draw the attention of Lady Vi, for her to personally fetch up this young man.


    "You cane over now."


    A cold voice sounded from the Silent Melody ship.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Everyone was confused¡ª they could tell this invitation was specifically targeting Attendant Ye but¡­ Isn''t he a mere mortal?


    Lieutenant Marley was about to intervene, but his words were caught in his throat as he watched Attendant Ye take a deep breath, give him a wink, and start walking forward.


    The young man''s aura changed and charged forward with an unprecedented momentum with each step he took.


    Level 10¡­ Level 20¡­ Boom!


    Level 30¡­ Level 40¡­ Boom!


    Level 50¡­ Level 60¡­ Boom!


    Level 70¡­ Level 80¡­ Boom!


    In no time at all, the aura climbed to the peak of High Divinity, shooting through the core formation levels.


    Level 90¡­ Level 99¡­ Boom!


    Under everyone''s eyes, Leonardo zed through the rudimentary 100 levels of rebirth, and changed into the realms of rebirth realm cultivators, a certified 5th-tier.


    As his rebirth domain exploded, an illusory image of a brilliant white moon appeared in the sky. The moon had twelve phases, and as its luster began to wane, a mysterious force field enveloped a dozen kilometers all around.


    Leonardo wanted to utilize this opportunity to advertise himself and test hisprehension of thew of time while deriving the effect from his deste martial intent.


    There were many variations when it came to controlling time.


    You can make it go forward, slow down, or go backward. It can be fast or slow, or static even¡ª making everything stop, just like the Exiled Paradise.


    Leonardo''s current understanding limited his control over thisw to fast-forwarding time in a rtive rtionship with how much energy he invested into the domain. At this moment, he was investing whatever little energy one might anticipate from a 5th-tier cultivator, but most of the ordinary soldiers who had yet to achieve rebirth began to age considerably.


    Still, no one dared to make a move. No one would bark their worries at a rebirth realm cultivator, no matter how bold they were.


    A light snort came from the Silent Melody, and like a p of thunder, it tore open the domain and shattered the moon in the sky. Like a receding illusion, all signs of aging disappeared from the anxious soldiers, allowing them to heave a sigh of relief and look at Leonardo with abject horror in their eyes.


    They weren''t the target of this domain and yet, they almost went from the peak of their youth to gazing into an early grave in a split second.


    "Mydy saide over, no one asked you to show off!" A different cold voice echoed out, and an even heavier domain descended on the flying ship.


    This was the domain of a 6th-tier cultivator, much stronger than a peak 5th-tier cultivator. Everyone knew this subordinate of Lady Vi wanted to put Attendant Ye in his ce, lest he stirred up trouble in the future.


    "Apologize this instant!"


    The voice rumbled again; everyone could see Leonardo''s body shaking under the pressure, wondering whether or not he would bow and apologize.


    As for Leonardo, he wanted to test Lady Vi''s attitude toward him. So far, she didn''t personallye out and reprimand him, and while her subordinates could represent her will to a certain extent, he would rather give this woman the benefit of the doubt and take Emily''s words to face value.


    From Emily''s perspective, her big sister was ying the Qing family. While from Leonardo''s perspective, both Lady Vi and the Qing family could be ying Emily.


    If Vi truly cared about Emily, she wouldn''t let Emily''s personal attendant suffer humiliation in front of an open crowd. However, she seems inclined to teach Leonardo that even if he was Emily''s personal attendant, he would still rank less than those at her side.


    A few momentster, noticing the inactivity from Lady Vi, and while everyone thought Leonardo was about to fall to his knees¡­


    His body suddenly went as stable and rigid as a boulder while a long, exasperated sigh escaped his mouth.

 Chapter 257 Attendant Ye, The Diplomatic Envoy

    ?


    No one had expected Attendant Ye to go from barely holding on to shrugging off the pressure from a 6th-tier cultivator. Not even Vi, who was silently watching things unfold from her flying ship, had seen thising.


    Her female attendant by the side thought to increase the press while she thoughtpletely otherwise. She had a very, very bad feeling while looking into that pair of honey-brown eyes as disdain threatened to overflow.


    Before she could naively attempt to rectify the situation, Leonardo''s next words shocked everyone silly.


    "You''re blocking my way; move or die."


    Even Vi''s eyes went cold, let alone the female attendant who had long since rushed out from the Silent Melody.


    The two flying ships were barely one kilometer away, that was now the distance between Leonardo and that female attendant. She wore a long white dress with short sleeves.


    Her ck hair flowed to her waist, and an ancient string instrument rested in her hands. As for her expression, beautiful as it was, beyond frosty.


    As soon as she appeared, the pressure no less than multiplied by ten. However, and to everyone''s shock, Leonardo didn''t seem bothered one bit. In fact, everyone could see a silver moon tenaciously taking form above Leonardo.


    "Attendant Ye is this powerful?" Lieutenant Marley couldn''t believe his eyes, but he was as shocked as he was scared for the young man.


    Leonardo repeated himself. "You''re blocking my way; move or die."


    "Ignorant fool, who do you think you are? You''re a mere servant to a mere dispensable trash excuse of a youngdy!" The female attendant finally snapped a nerve, cursing.


    Leonardo''s eyes went cold¡ª the moon behind him didn''t rotate or shift in phases. Instead, it slowly melted down to constitute a standard longsword with a sharp, glistening silver edge.


    As Leonardo slowly moved the sword in preparation for a diagonal sh, the image seemed to glitch inconsistently as though he was sometimes stabbing, sometimes shing, and sometimes merely holding the sword.


    Nheless, a beautiful nine petals lotus was manifested in the shadow of the sword, as beautiful as it was deadly.


    Although Leonardo didn''t have a speed-rted technique like Emily, this technique wasn''t about speed. Yes, Emily could imitate the effect by striking faster than the speed it would take for the energies of the multiple attacks to ovep and react, but that stood no chance at all whenpared to utilizing the technique through thew of time.


    After all, this was a technique tailored for those from the Eternus branch of the Eternal Night family. Thus, when the female attendant saw Leonardo move and in turn nned to react¡ª it was already toote.


    She didn''t even have the time to pull the strings of the instrument when a sensation of imminent death enveloped her from head to toe.


    Bang!


    A massive sword image descended from the sky, sting into the illusory lotus. A powerful shockwave pushed the female attendant away during the split second of collision, and after that window of time, the massive sword image shattered to pieces as the lotus crossed the kilometer distance and sted the Silent Melody.


    Another explosion rumbled, with everyone on the flying ship sting out from the epicenter¡ª only a dignified middle-aged woman in golden phoenix robes was left unharmed as she appeared far away from the explosion.


    As for the divinities and zero rebirth realm cultivators, from the 3rd-tier, 4th-tier, and 5th-tier¡­ All of them began to age rapidly and in seconds, quickly disintegrated into ashes in the wind.


    Only now did the female attendant snap out of her daze¡ª her body shook all over, the dress drenched in sweat as it clung tightly to her curves.


    She was that close to death. Even now, horror filled her eyes when Leonardo turned in her direction, the sword in his hand already fading away. However, another moon was quickly taking form behind his back, setting the woman''s mind nk with fear.


    At that moment, a voice echoed. "That''s enough, young friend! Haha!"


    Then, the massive formation surrounding the Jin Prefecture split open as a robust man who appeared to be in histe forties¡ª though everyone knew he must be thousands of years old, stepped out.


    Lieutenant Marley who was pale with fright a moment ago suddenly shook, eximing. "City Lord Huang!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This was a 9th-tier powerhouse!


    Suddenly, everyone recalled the massive sword image and thought that it made sense. But then, they also realized that Attendant Ye''s sword sted through it nheless.


    The thought gave everyone shivers just thinking about it, including Vi and her female attendant.


    Of course, both Leonardo had City Lord Huang knew that the sword wasn''t meant to block the attack but to save that woman''s life, and to also test the technique.


    "Roxfield didn''t lie at all about you! In fact, I dare say he didn''t give you justice with his superficial eye for good techniques! Haha," City Lord Huangughed, his voice shaking the chaotic ether all around.


    Vi finally regained her wits, furrowing her brows even as she asked, "Do you have any business with my Qing family''s attendant?"


    She also realized how foolish her actions of putting a leash on Leonardo the moment he''d arrived were. If she could get a chance to redo things, she would wait until they made it back to the family''s stronghold.


    "Don''t make meugh¡ª I have no rtion to your Qing family; nor am I your attendant. Clean your mouth or you die, and no one can save you this time." Leonardo immediately cut her off before City Lord Huang could reply, shocking the woman.


    "Now, now¡­ Haha, this is a misunderstanding. You see, my brute son acted out of turn and formed an alliance between Commanding General Qing and my Renhuang family, and I have to say¡­ I can''t be more pleased with that decision.


    "He said that the little girl created a sword technique unique to her divergent martial intent; a very powerful technique worth making an alliance for. Haha, worthy indeed! Come, let me be a good host!"


    City Lord Huang didn''t have to talk so much, but he needed to rify things to the people watching both in the light and in the dark. He was making it clear that Leonardo was visiting the Renhuang Province as a diplomatic envoy to facilitate an alliance between Commanding General Qing and the Renhuang family.


    If Leonardo''s attack wasn''t already shocking enough, then this piece of news was like explosives! An alliance between a family and one individual?


    Since when did such things happen?


    Only the wise ones from the shadows understood why City Lord Huang did what he did. If they tried to suppress Emily and ended up pushing her into the arms of the Qing family who already discarded her talent once, that would be a truly stupid decision. Thus, they might as well make an alliance and start off on a good foot.


    Just like his son, City Lord Huang was a very straightforward person and didn''t like to beat around the bush much. They were not people fit for schemes, but if they had someone like Leonardo who was both intelligent and powerful on their side, everything would be much easier.


    Leonardo looked over at the female attendant once again as she was still in his general direction, blocking his path.


    Without saying a word to Vi, he began to walk on air in the direction of the Jin Prefecture, his pace unhurried.


    "Fall back," Vi called out to her attendant. Then, she cast her beautiful eyes on Ye Qing. "It was my attendant''s fault this time. Attendant Rue, apologies to Attendant Ye right this instance."


    When Attendant Rue heard the first part of herdy''s words, she immediately fell back to thetter''s side, only to hear the second part a momentter. She felt indignant and humiliated, but didn''t dare retort as she could see the bigger picture.


    "Don''t p your lips in my face," Leonardo interrupted. "If you want to apologize, you cane find me in the Renhuang Province, I''m afraid my mentality is very crude at the moment and I might act out in anger if I hear your annoying voice once again."


    Leonardo was shedding off all pretense between himself and the female attendant. Clearly, he was allowing Vi some time to truly consider her options and how to apologize.


    Vi''s mind was still caught on the revtion of Emily''s new achievement. Not the usurpation of power from the three houses of Xia, Freya, and Levi¡­ But theprehension of a deviant sword technique.


    If Emily had trulyprehended that technique as well, it would spell some serious trouble. As her mind was upied by this serious conundrum, Leonardo''s words buzzed in her head.


    She was briefly stunned, understanding that Leonardo was giving her¡ª the Young Lady of House Qing, a ''chance'' to sincerely apologize.


    Was this some twisted joke?

 Chapter 258 Shocking The Jin Prefecture

    ?


    "Excuse me?" Vi raised her eyebrows. "You want me to go over and apologize?"


    Leonardo gave her a sidelong nce. "You came all the way here to put a leash on me, even though you failed¡­ miserably. You can make yet another trip to fix your attitude."


    By the time he finished talking, he was already standing next to City Lord Huang, and he gave thetter a courteous bow. "Thank you foring, senior. We can get going now."


    City Lord Huangughed heartily. He may have been straightforward but he wasn''t stupid, if anyone below the 9th-tier came over to fetch Leonardo, it would face severe opposition from the other factions since anyone below that level of power could have some leeway to make petty squabbles. However, 9-th tier cultivators can''t just squabble like little children and they must go through ''reason'' to settle their issues.


    With Leonardo assuming the identity of a diplomatic envoy to represent hisdy for an alliance, that status supersedes that of an attendant to the Qing family, especially after the delegates of this family attempted to humiliate and target Leonardo.


    City Lord Huang happened to be around, mediate the conflict, and save the life of someone from the Qing family with one move. If he wanted to invite the diplomatic envoy back to his stronghold after stopping this mess from escting into a huge scandal, who can stop him?


    Noticing City Lord Huang''s attitude, Vi couldn''t say anything. House Renhuang gave Leomardo absurd amounts of face and respect by dispatching a 9th-tier powerhouse to fetch the young man. Despite her status as the future matriarch of the Qing family, which was no longer certain if her half-sister had truly ovee the deficiencies in her cultivation, she could notpare to a City Lord.


    No matter where it was, only a 9th-tier powerhouse could hold the position of a City Lord throughout the Three Dynasties, Four Pavilions, and Eight Mountains. The only exception to this rule would be the territory of the Evernight Crown, as the City Lords of the Lush Skirts ins Province banded together to cast a ban forbidding powerful rebirth cultivators from crossing over, as ordered by the high officials of the Luan Dynasty.


    As a power advocating for peace and stability, focusing on economic and technological supremacy, the Luan Dynasty didn''t wish to end up as the center of a war involving the various powerful factions. They didn''t wish to be the second Lost Dynasty.


    Vi didn''t even dare ask Leonardo topensate for the Silent Melody, even though it was no more than a signature of her presence and she could always have a second and a third Silent Melody,many people took notice of her flying ship leaving the Qing stronghold.


    It would be rather awkward for her to return with the ship now, not to mention how the people from the Renhuang family, as in their soldiers, would most likely spread the news of what happened.


    Her eyes suddenly went cold as she stared at the flying ship one kilometer away.


    "Reign in your temper, little girl." City Lord Huang said, his smile growing wider yet colder even as he spoke. "I can''t let you bully my people under my nose now, can I?"


    Vi took a deep breath and looked at Leonardo. "Was it your idea to have these soldiers escort you back?"


    Since there weren''t any people from the Qing family on the flying ship, she couldn''t make a move and kill them all. However, thinking about it, why would the escort team be from a different sector? Only now did she have the time to ponder this over. It seemed as though this Attendant Ye had already made ample preparations since early on. She creased her brows, finding this little guy to be quite the tough character to subdue.


    Moreover, they only know that her half-sister had been grooming him in secret but had almost nothing else on him¡­ Did this indicate an impending sh for the seat of power in the Qing family? Vi knew that although most elders seemed supportive of her ascension to power, this pebble in the pond will cause many ripples, swaying the hearts of the dissatisfied elders.


    Vi thinned her lips and reluctantly withdrew her gaze from Leonardo, seeing as he had no intentions to look at her, let alone replying to the question.


    Vi then looked at Attendant Rue. "Let''s get going, I need to report back to the elders and the patriarch."


    Only a patriarch would exceed the status of a city lord, especially City Lord Huang. In the Renhuang family, the Ren branch members are those with true power as the main line of the family. Every patriarches from the Ren branch, while the Huang branch is responsible for cities and diplomatic affairs outside and inside the Jin Prefecture political scene, the Ren branch is a group of very talented cultivators who focus on pursuing absolute strength while hiding away in sealed sub-dimensions, cultivating.


    The least outstanding member of the present Ren branch generation would leave the sub-dimension and take a post as the patriarch of the family, yet this person would be capable of easily overpowering someone like City Lord Huang despite sharing the same cultivation realm.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, despite this power, the imperial family had them pressed under the thumb for thousands of years. They can''t rashly move out, lest they invite disaster. The imperial family allowed them to exist only as a deterrent against the other two dynasties and as a bncing check against the other houses. Rumors even im that the Ren branch of the Renhuang family is so prosperous because of a secret marriage between an outstanding member of the imperial family and a woman from the Ren branch in the past, and their progeny quickly elevated the skill threshold of the branch.


    No one knows if these rumors were true or false, and the only way to find out would be to deeply venture into the Ren Secret Realm. However, who would be so bored as to do that?


    If that man and woman were still alive, they might have already reached realms beyond the 9th-tier, their cultivation unfathomable. Furthermore, that would also imply a connection between the Renhaung family and the Jin imperial family, even if that member from a distant past was announced to be an outcast from the Jin imperial family, no one knows if he had some secret backing in the imperial court.


    City Lord Huang was gone from the City Lord Manor for too long now, and he was in a rush to get back as soon as possible. Thus, he wrapped up Leonardo in his domain and prepared to set off.


    Leonardo closed his eyes to feel City Lord Huang''s power,paring it to Junior Brother''s powers. As expected, it was a bitcking inparison.


    He really wondered just how powerful was the second generation of the Memento Mori brotherhood if Junior Brother, presumably someone from the third generation, was already so powerful. They''re truly worthy of being the surviving remnants of a fallen dynasty.


    Then, how powerful was Grandmaster Sin?


    These thoughts gued Leonardo''s mind even as both he and City Lord Huang disappeared silently. As for Vi, she gave the flying ship a cold re, tempted to make a move.


    "Mydy¡­" Attendant Rue whispered in fright, not expecting her youngdy to be so stubborn. Luckily, thetter merely snorted and turned around, disappearing into the protective formation.


    Lieutenant Marley finally rxed, his body covered in sweat even as his legs shook. In a second, he fell on his rear, breathing heavily while wiping off his forehead.


    He cursed,ughing. "Fucking bold!"


    Next to him, the soldiers who felt like they''d somehow survived a catastrophe, alsoughed while hugging one another. This was¡­ exhrating!


    Vi only gave up on silencing these soldiers because she knew they weren''t the only audience, as many eyes must have been watching from the dark, and these were people who couldn''t wait to watch the world burn in chaos.


    As she had expected, the news exploded like mes in a sea of mmables. Almost everyone from the seven families had learned of what happened by the evening of the same day, and the news swept through the neighboring provinces overnight.


    The outcast Commanding General who had her name crossed from the family''s genealogy thousands of years ago, returned to the political structure with her new status as an ally to the Renhuang family.


    An alliance between an individual and an entire family of the seven families!


    That was borderline impossible in the minds of many people. Then, they also heard that Commanding General Qing had an exchange of pointers with Roxfield, Commanding General Renhuang, and the son of City Lord Huang¡­ and she won within five seconds!


    This news was deliberately released to the public by City Lord Huang after deep consideration and a nudge from Leonardo. Another piece of information was that Commanding General Qing started practicing the deviant sword technique after taking Attendant Ye under her wing in the past.


    Many people began to calcte like crazy about a sudden possibility; creating a new technique is absolutely impossible, especially for a deviant path. Then, could it be that the technique originated from Attendant Ye, hence why Commanding General Qing treats him so well?

 Chapter 259 Pragmatic Minds

    ?


    Skyre City could be considered one of the few metropolises of the Renhuang Province, and this was the domain under City Lord Huang''s overwatch. With the City Lord personally handling the transfer procedures, Leonardo quickly got himself a new estate in the most prosperous corner of the city, and it was called the Ye Estate.


    In the Ye Estate, his identity was no longer bound to that of an attendant, but he still preferred being addressed as Attendant Ye, as this would further intrigue people into inquiring about why would someone who owns an estate in such a metropolis be a mere attendant, inadvertently promoting Emily''s name in the process as the individual capable of forming an alliance with an entire provincial family all on her own.


    This way, no matter how aplished Leonardo is, the famous Attendant Ye would always be no more than a foreshadowing process to the unfathomable Commanding General Qing.


    With a bit of stirred gossip about how the young miss of House Qing, the youngest daughter to the current Patriarch Qing and his legal wife, was banished from the family thousands of years ago due to her divergent martial intent. However, she was a tenacious character and didn''t give up, zing an unprecedented path to sess with her witts and overwhelming talents, eventually managing to defeat the War Goliath, Commanding General Renhuang, in no more than five seconds.


    These depicted stories of heroic struggles and relentless chase of glory awed many people, and the stories kept on growing more exaggerated by the hour. Eventually, people started saying that Commanding General Qing felt it was beneath her to stay in such a small family like the Qing, especially since they were at the bottom of the seven families. Hence, she did them a favor by dealing with the Xia, Freya, and Levi families in one blow to cut ties with the Qing family and start her own Qing branch.


    This piece of news was the most explosive and circled the furthest, catching the ears of both the elders of House Qing and Lady Vi, and setting their anger aze. Even with their toes, they understood that the source of these rumors could be no other than Skyre City and more urately, the Ye Estate. As for Vi, she immediately assumed that Attendant Ye was forcing her to pay him a visit by ying these little games. Otherwise, the circting rumors would go out of proportion, turning House Qing into aughing stock.


    Vi immediately left the Qing Estate in a fit of anger and urgency, unaware that the elders were holding a secret meeting deep in the rear mountains of the stronghold.


    ¡­


    In a cave deep in the mountains.


    A few individuals d in tight, concealing robes as they sat in a semi-circle around a high yet empty throne. "Who could have guessed that little girl to be such ate-blooming talent?"


    Someone finally broke the silence.


    "Don''t y the regrets game now, toote for that. We need to consider our future course of action, and very quickly at that."


    "We can''t put more pressure on thatss now¡­ Should we return her name and re-enlist her on the family''s genealogy? That way, the younger generation would have a solid connection to the Renhuang family, and perhaps¡­"


    "You make it sound so easy! What price must we pay to get her back? Make her the new Matriarch Qing of the family? She''s just an immature child, yet to understand the ways of our wicked world."


    "An immature child you can''t touch, at the very least."


    "Who could have seen such a daying? Say, how about we start with Attendant Ye?"


    "How exactly are you going to do that? Unless you send a 9th-tier powerhouse, it''s near impossible to silence him without making a big scene. Moreover, anyone beyond that threshold of power has long since faded in the background of our times; it''s as though something is keeping these powerful figures at bay, never to make a sound."


    "Those Seniors are the dragons among cultivators; they have long since transcended our pity squabbles and became deities of their own rights. If they dare make moves in the secr or martial factions, they''d leave no option for the Divine Temple but to interfere."


    "So, are the rumors true? About you know¡­"


    "Silence! We have long since deviated from our original agenda. For now, our top priority is to fix our image in public! Start spreading words to mediate our rtionship with thatss¡­"


    "Yeah, and on the other hand¡­ Perhaps we could have little Vi try and seduce Attendant Ye to our camp? So far, thatss has no one but him in her corner. Sigh, that girl Vi was too reckless, he must have realized she was never on Commanding General Qing''s side, to begin with, hence the current situation¡­"


    The elders felt bitter, and some who already harbored some discontent at how Vi did things after obtaining sudden power and authority felt even angrier. In fact, some of them were making ns for the future if Commanding General Qing truly started her own branch of the Qing family in the future, should they join it?


    Maybe they can start by sending their descendants as a gesture of goodwill, right?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡­


    Although Leonardo didn''t know to what effect the ripples of these rumors would reach, he knew that it would at the very least sow a seed of discord in the hearts of the family''s elders.


    Big families were no different from massive corporations; they chase the pragmatic values of ck and white; loss and gain. In such families, even the lower bracket of its members are brainwashed to daily consider their selfish future and personal gains. This was the downside of big families after prospering for thousands upon tens of thousands of years.


    Most people thought that Leonardo''s goal was to help Emily stand out and establish her own Qing family, but only Leonardo knew that he was merely nting a seed of his Evernight Crown in the heart of the Jin Dynasty.


    First, he would need to sort things out with the ck Market people, as he had anticipated their visit very soon. Most likely, they would first join up with Emily and interrogate her about his identity, but their efforts were bound to fail.


    Whatever techniques or seals the ck Market ced within Emily''s body were already destroyed with Leonardo''s heavenly retribution thunderforce. As for the seals in her mind, they were likewise snuffed out with the help of his innate martial intent and the fragment of will he left behind to guide the woman through her singrity tribtion.


    At the moment, unless they openly dispatched a 9th-tier powerhouse and exposed their tail, it wouldn''t be worth it to open conflict with Emily.


    Moreover, she knew the ins and outs of the organization just as they used to know the ins and outs of her body and mind. A fallout would benefit neither party, and she would at most end up in a cooperative rtionship with the organization just like Leonardo.


    Leonardo walked through the garden of his private manor in the heart of the estate as these thoughts shuffled through his mind. At the same time, his eyes sparkled with longing even as he looked in the direction of the buffer zone of the two dynasties.


    Somewhere in the far distance beyond that horizon was the mother of his child, he wondered how she was faring. Leonardo didn''t know, but Emily had already brought Nier and Ingrid to her Commander''s pagoda and allowed them to rest in her personal chambers on the fifth floor.


    It was unknown what means Emily used to convince the two women, but now, all three of them were in the depths of the Qing Sector.


    "It should be right about now," Leonardo murmured to himself as he stared into the cloudy skies. Behind him, two maidservants in conservative attires crept closer respectfully as they bowed. "Attendant Ye, a procession from the Qing family has arrived on flying ships, should we open the protective formation?"


    The Ye Estate was the size of a small town from the Lush Skirt ins Province, hence, the airlines above the domain were flight restricted with massive formations blocking the entry of unauthorized flying ships.


    "Did they mention their purpose ining over?" Leonardo turned over to the pair of maidservants, asking lightly.


    The two young maidens blushed ever-so-slightly at the sight of those glimmering, honey-brown eyes. Leonardo''s current disguise was far from handsome, but the air of mystery around this enigma of a man, coupled with the circting rumors, aptlypensated for theck of aesthetic charm.


    "Ah! N-not really¡­ I don''t think so¡­" the maidservants were a little panicky. In fact, when the servants of the estate noticed the iing procession, they were too freaked out, gossipy, and excited to even follow standard procedures.


    They simply rushed back to report, leaving the Qing family procession waiting outside the formation''s barrier.


    Leonardo could somewhat guess her thoughts, feeling speechless.


    Really now?


    Seeing Leonardo''s expression, the two maidservants were quick to bow and apologize repeatedly, almost on the verge of crying.


    Leonardo felt stumped. "Hey, hey¡­ Don''t cry now; everything is alright, just let them through¡­"

 Chapter 260 Teasers

    ?


    After Leonardoforted the two maidservants, he proceeded to send them away with the permission of allowing the Qing procession to enter the Ye Estate.


    As for Leonardo, he made his way toward the casual gazebo located in the grace of sunlight nearby. Fresh air, gentle trees, and lush grassy albeit artificial hills surrounded the gazebo, and it was located not far from the shade of one.


    Another maidservant was standing in the shade of the gazebo next to a cozy,id-back chair. She held a te of moistened fruits and fresh juice the color of apricot in her hands. This one in particr seemedposed¡ª very professional. Not panicky but also not reckless or haughty.


    Her cultivation wasn''t low either¡ª she was actually a 6th-tier cultivator, just like Vi''s subordinate, Attendant Rue. To have a 6th-tier as a maidservant; that''s extravagant.


    Leonardo''s feat of destroying Silent Melody or standing up to the sword projection from City Lord Huang wasn''t brought up in the circting rumors as no one wanted to get involved with a 9th-tier cultivator or earn the ire of the Qing family to an unrepentant decree.


    As for Leonardo, he too wouldn''t go around boasting about overpowering a 9th-tier cultivator.


    He could still remember how the projection of Junior Brother''s sword destroyed an entire sect the size of a medium city with one attack¡ª formations, artificial mountains, rebirth realm cultivators; all of them were gone with one strike. The shockwave even swept through the outer regions of the sect, sting tens of thousands of disciples to their deaths.


    Keeping in mind that the attack wasn''t an area-focused attack yet the remnant, borderline ''harmless'' shockwaves whenpared with the epicenter was almost as powerful as one of Leonardo''s most powerful attacks.


    Perhaps if Leonardo was in the 7th-tier of singrity or 8th-tier of inception, he might stand a chance in a full-blown battle against a 9th-tier Star Lord.


    Until then, he should tread carefully on eggshells in these fortified cities and dangerous waters.


    "Your fruits, Attendant Ye," cold yet soft was her voice when she spoke, her slender fingers squeezing gently a piece of round fruit as she led it to Leonardo''s mouth.


    Subconsciously, Leonardo opened his mouth and took a bite, his lips grazing the edges of smooth, tender fingers.


    The hand shook eve-so-slightly, but it calmly retreated afterward to pluck yet another fruit from the te.


    Clear eyes shing with the multi colors of rainbow gazed down on Leonardo''s creased brows, a clear indication of the man''s troubled mind. Ever since she saw this man, his brows were in a constant lock, never unfolding from one another. This truly represented the pinnacle of a scheming advisor, always lost in an ocean of thoughts.


    Light footsteps broke the serenity of this moment as Lady Vi, Attendant Rue, and a few older men, some of them looked to be in a senior generation while some looked to be from a generation even past that.


    Among the procession was another young man who shared some resemnce to Lady Vi, though it wasn''t too distinct.


    Leonardo''s eyes swept the group once and unbeknownst to anyone watching, a swirl of darkness revolved once in his eyes as bits of ck lightning crackled, and a touch of a smile surfaced on Leonardo''s face when he discovered the expected. Then, that smile disappeared as quickly as it came while he rested his head back, mouth open ever-so-slightly.


    The maid understood, albeit somewhat ufortable and confused. Nheless, she proceeded to slide a piece of fruit down Leonardo''s throat, and thetter enjoyed the taste.


    Lady Vi and Attendant Rue didn''t find this sign of disrespect as anything unexpected. In fact, they had assumed they''d face more humiliation than this when they first set off. Lady Vi, in particr, had to swallow a stomach of anger as she gestured to one of the men behind her.


    "Grab us some seats¡­ Unless, of course, Attendant Ye doesn''t wee us seated?" Lady Vi attempted to draw Leonardo''s attention with her sarcasm, but her only response was another piece of fruit sinking into the bottomless hole that was Leonardo''s throat.


    Despite her anger, she didn''t speak again. To her side, Attendant Rue was very worried herdy might do something to antagonize Leonardo;st time''s lesson was still itching within her very soul.


    This man may seemid back and casual, but he could get pretty damn ruthless when ticked off. Not wanting things to escte, she took the initiative to rush off ande back with another chair¡ª a replica of Leonardo''s.


    She meticulously arranged the chair in a mirror reflection position from Leonardo''s, where the heads of both seats were very close, and the bottoms spread out like the wings of an elegant swan.


    Attendant Rue then helped herself to a serving of cold fruits on the side table and stood respectfully next to Leonardo''s maidservant, her attitude and stance impable. She didn''t know that the person by her side was also a 6th-tier cultivator¡ª not even Lady Vi noticed it.


    As for Leonardo, even though he was supposed to not notice either¡­ Who are they trying to fool? He simply acted ignorant of the fact, exploiting this maidservant to the extreme while keeping her in the dark about anything of interest to her.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Lady Vi understood the lengths her attendant went to and thus, she gritted her teeth and told the rest of her entourage, "You can leave now; this conversation is about to be a private one."


    The people behind her shared concerned looks.


    The young man who shared her resemnce spoke up at this point, "Cousin¡ª¡­"


    "It''s Mistress Vi or Lady Vi¡ª don''t forget your position just because we''re blood-rted." Lady Vi interrupted him, continuing, "I want everyone to leave this instance; this includes you."


    Her final words were directed at the young maidservant who stood by Leonardo''s chair. The maidservant looked up at Lady Vi, and thetter was surprised by the abundance of colors in the former''s eyes; they were beautiful. However, not an ounce of emotion, let alone jealousy, could be seen in her eyes.


    Leonardo didn''t mind and said, "She can go, but your attendant would have topensate for herck of presence."


    The maidservant was surprised, thinking that her efforts weren''t high enough to score a presence in Leonardo''s books as an irreceable maid yet. Her mission was to get closer to him and wedge herself in his heart as someone he could confide in, open up, and treat like a close confidant.


    Yet, despite her attempts at being the perfect impression of an obedient maidservant¡ª something seemed to becking.


    Lady Vi was stunned¡­ This man desired her personal attendant to stand as his maidservant. Is he nuts?


    However, before she could reply, Attendant Rue voiced her agreement without hesitation, "Sure thing, Brother Ye¡­"


    Even as Attendant Rue spoke, she signaled to herdy with her eyes that they had much more pressing matters to care about¡ª these things were no more than little trivialitiespared to the greater picture.


    Leonardo was surprised, did she just call him Brother Ye? Then again, they were both attendees so it made sense.


    Lady Vi was also stunned by her attendant''s behavior, but she ultimately thought nothing of it. As everyone else dispersed unwittingly, and most unwitting of them all was Leonardo''s new maidservant, he surreptitiously erected an istion barrier with a wisp of his deste intent, not allowing anyone to spy on the conversation to unfold.


    Far in the distance, among the procession of the Qing family, a couple of expressions twisted in an ugly fashion.


    Likewise, the new maidservant with rainbow eyes creased her brows, fists clenched tightly. Exasperated, she could only disappear behind the artificial hills.


    Lady Vi removed her long coat, revealing a cut-short jacket and white shirt underneath. Further below, a fitbat pants designed for heavy physical exercise hugged her long legs.


    She had a stunning body for a femalebatant, though not asparable to Leonardo''s disciple, Wendy.


    Lady Vi smoothly walked around Leonardo and took her seat in a rxed manner, her ck hair flowing to the ground, a gust of wind carrying her fresh fragrance toward Leonardo''s nostrils even as the sound of her deep breathing tickled his senses.


    Was she tantly trying to disturb his state of mind?


    Leonardo almostughed, thinking that two could y this game. With a teasing glint in his eyes, he rested his head back and closed his eyes, slowly parting his lips.


    The ever-observant Attendant Rue noticed this gesture, and since she had observed the maidservant from earlier, she knew what to do. Thus, despite feeling bad for herdy, she plucked a fresh fruit and popped it into Leonardo''s mouth. Leonardo''s lips mped shut gently, his lips seemingly identally touching down Lady Rue''s snow-white fingers.


    At that moment, a streak of harmless, ck lightning shed from Leonardo''s skin and shook through Lady Rue''s nervous system, but thetter only took this as a sudden goosebump that sent her heart aflutter and rocked her knees into weakness.


    With a flustered, flushed red face, she withdrew her hand even as her heartbeat pounded hard in her mind.


    "What''s wrong?" Lady Vi asked, feeling something amiss with Attendant Rue.

 Chapter 261 Exiled Paradise

    ?


    "What''s wrong?"


    The question drew Attendant Rue from the reverie, quickly shaking her head with pearly white teeth pressing hard I told tender pink flesh.


    "N-nothing, mydy¡­" Attendant Rue responded with a soft breath and hurried to pluck another piece of fruit, feeding it to Lady Vi.


    Lady Vi was a bit confused, but the taste of these fruits quickly distracted her. After savoring the taste for a while, and not noticing the teasing expression on Leonardo''s face, she said, "Are you here to pave the way for my little sister? You know, she''s only a Qing in name, and if she wasn''t the patriarch''s daughter, she wouldn''t have anything behind her name at this point."


    Vi finally got to the main subject of her visit, even as she closed her eyes. Because she was so immersed in acting aloof and out of this world, she wouldn''t notice how Attendant Rue would quiver, on the verge of moaning out a gasp, each time she fed Leonardo a piece of fruit while identally touching his soft lips.


    Careful as she might act, there were times when her skin would inevitablye into contact with those lips.


    Leonardo replied, "Precisely because she doesn''t have any power to her name, our cooperation can work just fine. I''ll help her get whatever she desires, and in exchange¡­"


    Leonardo''s words trailed off as he wasn''t nning to exin himself, nor borate on what Emily truly desired as desire was truly an illusive whim; that could change in a heartbeat.


    However, Vi was interested nheless. "What does my little sister desire, then? To establish her own branch of the Qing family?"


    "You know, desirese on a whim and leave just the same¡ª it''s only a question of whether you pursue those desires to live the moment¡­" As Leonardo finished his words, he sped down yet another piece of fruit while identally touching Attendant Rue''s hand.


    The woman''s body shook intensely for a split second as a light gasp escaped her cherry lips.


    "Are you alright?" Lady Vi asked, lifting her head only to find Attendant Rue a bit restless with a flushed face.


    Attendant Rue panicked, not understanding what happened to her body, even as she mped her thighs tightly.


    "I¡­ I''m fine, mydy¡­" Attendant Rue struggled topose herself and respond. Lady Vi was still skeptical, but nheless, she didn''t chase the matter.


    By now, the te of fruits was half empty, and so Leonardo said, "You''ve worked hard, little Rue, I think I''m full of snacks for now."


    Leonardo then turned to Vi. "Must it be a Qing family? Why can''t it be something else? For example, a Ye family?"


    Leonardo''s raised brows and sudden question shocked Lady Vi to the core. She wasn''t concerned about the part of the Ye family, but if her little sister really changed her surname and started a new family altogether, this would be a huge blow to the Qing family.


    They might do anything at their disposal to make her little sistere back into the family''s genealogy even if she were to be selected as the next matriarch.


    However, Leonardo''s second meaning was also clear; Emily wasn''t after Vi''s position in the family, she wouldn''te to fight for something she already gave away. Moreover, she was too proud to crawl back into a family that tossed her like a broken tool.


    "Are you trying to usurp the position of the Qing family from the alliance altogether?" Lady Vi suddenly realized the even greater threat of these prospects, shooting off the critical question.


    If the Qing family did fall from grace, what''s the point of being a matriarch in such a family?


    "Are you really that naive?" Leonardo was shocked by such a stupid question. "The Qing family has tens of thousands of members and tens the number of vassals!"


    Leonardo shook his head. "They hold numerous positions in the court, and control the economy, agriculture, and military of many cities; even the army under your little sister is an extension of the Qing family''s resources, she merely stands as amander of the troops


    "Do you think these aplishments are something toplete overnight? These are aplishments spanning multiple generations, it''s not something a 7th-tier upstart and her personal attendant can aplish in their lifetime, let alone carry out in a ce such as the Jin Prefecture."


    Lady Vi visibly rxed after hearing the exnation. She almost forgot how a big family operates like a nest of ants of many branches. A queen ant without its working ants is as useless as the vice versa.


    Vi furrowed her brows. "The Qing family won''t allow this to happen, they''ll try everything they can to rope her back in, and if that didn''t work, they would do things to an extreme¡ª they might attempt to kill you, or her, or anyone who stands to help her get a foothold in this political arena. The imperial family doesn''t care about the power of one person, let alone someone banished from the family¡­"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Vi paused for a bit, remembering some important tidbit of information as she said, "Unless¡­"


    "Unless?" Leonardo raised an eyebrow, wondering what was about toe from thisdy''s mouth.


    Lady Vi smiled. "Do you remember the upheaval brought about by that Leonardo person and how he kidnapped the Holy Maiden of the Interster Supreme Court? Well¡­"


    The more Leonardo listened, the more shocked and ted he was on the inside. Apparently, the Interster Supreme Court is arranging for an expedition to sweep through the ster worlds of this ne. Every ne had a core maind and from this maind stretched a vast space of cosmos, residing in that space were the ster worlds.


    When people from the court descended on the ster world where House Hestia used to be, they also discovered the Exiled Paradise in their tracking down of Leonardo''s whereabouts and movements.


    Unbelievably to all, even 6th-tier, 7th-tier, and 8th-tier powerhouses were restricted all the same whenever they entered that gray space. Thus, the following expedition has a few goals in mind, one of which is to uncover the secrets of that mysterious sub-dimension, which is believed to be a fragment of some ne''s Core Maind.


    At first, everyone simply thought the restrictions were limited to people below the rebirth realm and treated it as a prison. Now, however, they understood how wrong they were.


    ording to Vi, if Emily managed to aplish great merits in that expedition, she might be recognized by the Imperial family and granted a noble title such as Marquee or Duchess. These were provincial and prefecture regional titles. She didn''t need to control a region through political means and economic policies, she would have the impetus family as a backing. Of course, she would need to make it back alive, given that the imperial family wouldn''t break the sword after using it.


    Vi clearly wanted to send Emily into a death trap, but she hadn''t expected that Leonardo was very eager to make the trip himself.


    He smiled. "This is perfect; I''ll go on mydy''s behalf and garner some merits for her¡­ Hm, do you think that Leonardo made it back to the Exiled Paradise?"


    Vi was surprised that Leonardo would make the trip personally, but it would work just fine as long as he couldn''t make it back to the Core Maind.


    She answered, "Most probably¡­ intelligence states that it was the ce where heprehended his first martial intent so he must have obtained some core inheritance from that ce; it isn''t impossible that he could teleport in and out of the Exiled Paradise since it is disconnected from the space-time all around it."


    Leonardo nodded, somewhat relieved to hear that since no one would have anticipated he joined the expedition party.


    Just as he nodded, a hesitant voice echoed, "B-brother Ye, do you want more fruits?"


    Both Leonardo and Vi were shocked, thetter even more so than the former. Since when did Attendant Rue be so polite to herdy''s enemies?


    Their conversationsted for almost an hour, and during this hour, Attendant Rue kept having reflexive shbacks to that weird sensation all across her body. Whenever she thought about it, the more restless she felt.


    It was unbearable yet addictive, but she couldn''t simply voice out her twisted desires in front of Lady Vi.


    Hence, she proposed to feed Leonardo some fruits as a medium. She felt embarrassed, but she thought no one was privy to what wonderful of a sensation her body enjoyed whenever she touched Leonardo''s lips. These goosebumps were inexplicable.


    Leonardo smiled. "Now that you''ve mentioned it, I do feel like some fruits could help moisten my throat after all this talking."


    Lady Vi felt a little ufortable at this disy, getting off her seat. "I''ll be taking a tour around Skyre City to finish some other business; we shouldn''t disturb Attendant Ye anymore than necessary."


    Lady Vi obviously didn''t want to keep her attendant next to Leonardo as she didn''t trust thetter. The piece of fruit was an inch away from Leonardo''s lips, and Attendant Rue''s hands shook with disappointment.


    Leonardo said, "You''ve already sold your attendant to me for the rest of the day, where else would I find another 6th-tier attendant to stand for my maidservant?"


    Lady Vi was shocked. "That woman was a 6th-tier? I didn''t notice it." Her eyebrows locked together.


    Leonardo rolled his eyes. "Do you think House Renhuang is that generous? They wish to keep an eye on me at every moment of the day, you''ve given me a good excuse to send her off."

 Chapter 262 New Suspensions

    ?


    While Vi was shocked by the revtion of that woman''s cultivation realm, Attendant Rue''s heart was pounding at the prospect of being forced to stay behind with Leonardo.


    Leonardo said, "Since you want toe over and apologize, how about you do so by taking that woman away for a spin through Skyre City? Honestly, her presence is quite annoying if she thinks I couldn''t see through her hidden motives."


    Vi was taken aback, she had all but forgotten about the purpose of today''s visit; the apology. Since her conversation with Leonardo went so smoothly, she had been under the impression that he no longer cared about that brief conflict.


    In fact, Leonardo really didn''t care about that conflict but if he could nt a personal node of information by Vi''s side, obviously through using Attendant Rue, he would go for it.


    Vi looked at Attendant Rue. "Are you okay if I left you here by yourself? Attendant Ye might not kill or torture you for whatever happened the earlier day, but¡­"


    Attendant Rue shook her head. "I''ll be fine, mydy! I''ve already recognized the difference in status between Brother Ye and myself, I won''t be making this difficult."


    Guilt nibbled away at Attendant Rue''s heart even as she spouted such nonsense. She was very curious about that marvelous sensation, but she couldn''t make her intentions clear to either Leonardo or Vi, lest they think she had lost her mind.


    Nheless, she was very certain that this had something to do with Leonardo''s weird constitution¡ª no contact with any other cultivator had given her this feeling in the past. While Vi might be oblivious to Attendant Rue''s thoughts, the same couldn''t be said about Leonardo.


    With the attendant''s approval, Leonardo dissipated the barrier simultaneously as Vi dissipated hers, leaving the woman in the dark about how useless her istion would have been.


    Those listening from the dark heard Vi bidding farewell to Leonardo, while thetter called out for the maidservant.


    With bright, rainbow eyes, the maidservant approached from the shadows of a towering hill even as she maintained her cold yet elegant expression.


    She bowed respectfully. "Yes, Attendant Ye?"


    Leonardo gestured with his chin. "Lady Vi here is very interested in my Ye Estate and the Skyre City, but since I''m also a stranger to this city, I''ve assigned you to take our guests around."


    By saying guests, he also included Vi''s entourage save for Attendant Rue who stood unmoving behind Leonardo.


    Vi''s cousin, who went by the name Westly, felt a bit unnerved as he said, "Attendant Ye, I would also like to have a private conversation with your respected self."


    Leonardo looked over. "Maybe some other time, I have a bit of a headache and would like to enjoy a massage to my temples at the moment; undisturbed."


    Even as he spoke, he leaned back into the chair with closed eyes. Attendant Rue was lost for a moment before she understood the signal. With a cough, she brought her cold and slender fingers to rest on Leonardo''s temples before she started kneading gently.


    The maidservant''s colorful eyes shed coldly, but she quickly hid it away and bowed. "As you wish, Attendant Ye."


    Vi gave Attendant Rue''s weird expression an odd look as she wondered to herself; could this be Attendant Rue''s first time touching a man this intimately?


    Westly could only grit his teeth in distress, sigh, and turn around to follow Vi who had already started walking away. As for the rest of the procession, as much as they wanted to inquire about the details of the conversation for one reason or another, no one dared speak up.


    Ultimately, it was only Leonardo and Attendant Rue who were left in the expanse of greenery and hills.


    Attendant Rue''s expression was getter weirder by the passing second until finally, despite her attempts, a soft yet suppressed moan left her lips.


    Shocked, she covered her mouth. "I¡­ I don''t know what happened to me; I apologize¡­"


    Leonardo acted as though nothing weird happened, but this only made Attendant Rue feel worse as embarrassment riddled her red face.


    Leonardo sighed. "No need, I''m already used to such reactions. You''re nothing special."


    Attendant Rue''s eyes widened. "So it really is something wrong with your body, not mine!"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, as soon as she said these words, she sped her mouth and almost cursed herself. Leonardo wasn''t surprised, this little miss was terrible at keeping her emotions in check; she couldn''t hide her heart no matter what.


    Honestly, he was surprised someone like her managed to reach such heights in cultivation. Then again, she had apletely different air about her when she was using her ancient string instruments, like a split personality resonating with thews of sound, music, and harmony.


    Leonardo didn''t mind. Instead, he sighed and spoke in a light tone, "Yeah¡ª it''s very problematic sometimes, the sensation could drive some people into a severe addiction."


    As he spoke, Leonardo reached over for a ss of spiritual fruit juice while adding, "Now that you''ve figured this out with your endless wisdom, what do you n on doing?"


    Attendant Rue was at a loss for words. She can''t possibly run after herdy now, right? Moreover, since she had already figured out the root of the issue with that weird sensation, it truly felt as though there was nothing left to do.


    "Wait!" Attendant Rue suddenly eximed. "What do you mean by addiction? Didn''t I just stop myself?"


    Leonardo opened his eyes and gave her a long look, muttering to himself and responding, "Yeah, your mental fortitude is quite astounding. Then, you go prepare the bathing chambers for me, it''s been rough thest few days."


    Attendant Rue thought Leonardo would say something along the lines of: "Should we put that to the test?", never had she anticipated he''d simply agree and praise her while at it. Suddenly, and for no obvious reason, she felt upset.


    With a grumble, she turned around and disappeared in the direction of the Ye Manor. Although it wasrge, she could sweep it with her spiritual sense and immediately figure out theyout of the rooms, finding Leonardo''s massive bedroom and attached bathing chambers.


    For some reason, she felt Leonardo''s acknowledgment to be no more than sarcasm, as though he didn''t take her words seriously. Even though that numbing sensation felt good¡ª it wasn''t to the point of severe addiction.


    That man is too full of himself¡ª he''s not even that handsome.


    Leonardo shook his head and stood up, a teasing smile slowly fading from his face as solemnity overcame his expression.


    He hadn''t expected to get the chance to revisit the Exiled Paradise so quickly. He still remembered his first Master, the Immortal Sword King.


    That person mentioned being close friends with the first-generation ancestor of House Hestia, and he often referred to the man as a male. However, ording to Rosaline, the first generation was a female with the name Hestia, hence the name of the house.


    This all would have sounded nonsensical if Leonardo hadn''t learned about Hosue Hestia''s connection to the Blood Sovereign from the Three Sovereigns and Seven Progenitor.


    Adding that to the fact the Exiled Paradise could even affect cultivators in the 8th-tier, Leonardo truly wondered if the first ancestor in his Master''s mouth was someone from a different ne, and if this Immortal Sword King had been locked in the Exiled Paradise long before it appeared in the ster world.


    Another topic of concern would be his inadequate understanding of the deste martial intent; it couldn''te close to his understanding of his innate martial intent, bloodthirsty martial intent, and the heavenly retribution thunderforce.


    He had his bloodline for the first martial intent, he had processed Rosaline''s body ofws as it was nurtured inside his soul pearl, and he could alwaysprehend thews of heavenly retribution from his tribtions. As for the deste martial intent, he could only rely on the Exiled Paradise.


    If he wanted to advance to the singrity realm, the 7th-tier, he mustpress all four of his martial intents and thews within his body ofw into a point of singrity. Any imbnce in the process would destroy his star core.


    Those with a singr martial intent had it easier, and those with duality had things a bit moreplicated, just like Emily who was stuck in the singrity realm for thousands of years due to the instability in her foundation and fusion of martial intents.


    No one in these thousands of years had been able to achieve singrity with a trinity of martial intents, let alone four of them.


    Leonardo wanted to achieve a perfect fusion with his advancement into the 7th-tier in preparation for the leap from the 9th-tier Star Lord to the realm of Unity in the future.


    No matter how manyws or martial intents someoneprehended from the first tier to thest tier in their star cycle cultivation, it would all eventuallye down to the process of Unity between man and heaven.


    ording to City Lord Huang, the realm of Unity represented a man growing not a star, but a Star Field inside their body ofw by merging the star core into their sea of consciousness, allowing the fusion betweenw, body, and spirit¡­

 Chapter 263 Staircase To Harmony

    ?


    "Why are you taking the risk of sheltering us here?"


    In the Commander''s Pagoda, fifth floor, a stretch of verdant hills and running rivers surrounded an opulent pceplex. In the pce, through the halls, three women of unparalleled beauty walked side by side.


    Leading the group was Emily in her white garments, silky blonde hair, and a silver mask covering her face.


    The one who spoke was a woman of an excellent figure d in a ck dress, her ck hair long and flowing down to her calves, plumes of ck mes in the shape of harmless lotus flowers detached from her strands and melted into the ambiance with each of her steps.


    Next to her was a woman of pale white skin, crimson phoenix eyes, and a hair that interweaved pitch-ck and snow-white stands even as it flowed to her waist.


    Both women exuded the aura of level 95, on the cusp of achieving the 5th-tier of zero rebirth. The moment their star cores fully formed, they would undergo tribtions to create their bodies ofw, proceeding toprehend their respectivews and mold them into the cores.


    That would then allow them to enter the 6th-tier, core molding, just like Leonardo. These women were, of course, Nier and Ingrid.


    Emily didn''t answer and instead, she gave the two women a look and asked, "Howe you two didn''t doubt my motives one bit?"


    Ingrid smiled. "I can sense the lingering intent of my lord''s thunderforce on your body."


    Ingrid was with Leonardo on the lower floors of Te''s Dine and Shine back when he was on Arcadia, she couldn''t be more familiar with the destructive aura of the ck lightning, even if it was a trillion times more docile.


    Emily was a bit stunned, and beneath her silver mask, her exquisite features twisted with a bit of bashfulness and shame. In her mind, she almost certainly believed that Ingrid''s words hinted at something else.


    As for Nier, she looked at Emily''s mask and said, "I can sense his deste martial intent from your mask. In any case, I''ve also obtained the martial intent from him."


    There was only one way for someone to obtain another''s martial intent without any drawbacks, and that was through dual cultivating their virgin eastern. In a subtle way, Nier was marking her territory and position in Leonardo''s heart.


    Emily chuckled and said, "You must be the mother of his daughter, I presume?"


    Nier nodded silently. Emily suddenly asked, "Why didn''t you two advance in your realms yet? You seem more than capable of doing so."


    She was genuinely curious as to why they''d hold back for so long. Ingrid said, "We''d prefer my lord to help us when the timees, thews of this ne are fragmented and any sub-dimensions hidden in the sleeves of this ne would likewise be imperfect. We can''t risk having unstable foundations if we wish to follow our lord."


    Ingrid obtained the memories of Dizmason Eternus the First, and thus, she was clear on some particr notes in regard to cultivation. No matter how inconsequential a step in cultivation realms is, anything can block a powerhouse from achieving a higher realm.


    Emily was stunned.


    "What do you mean?" This was her first time hearing about something like this, and she was at a loss for words.


    Then, she realized she was asking for cultivation guidance from a peak 4th-tier cultivator, she was stunned yet again.


    Ingrid hesitated for a bit, then sighed.


    "My lord''s memories aren''t cohesive, so I guess he didn''t exin things to you. However, I can tell you a few things in light of your favor¡­"


    Nier and Emily silently listened to Ingrid''s cultivation pointers as the trio faded into the depths of the pce¡­


    ¡­


    Skyre City, the Ye Estate.


    Leonardo soaked himself in a deep pool of hot water as the blistering steam gave the bathing chamber an opaque atmosphere. To the side, Attendant Rue stood at attention, her arms holding a folded bathrobe even as she stood there with an ufortable expression.


    Other than standing to the side, Leonardo hadn''t requested anything from her. She had assumed he would do something like request her aid to wash his back or rinse his hair, but all she had been doing was holding onto the bathrobe.


    "Brother Ye, is there anything else you need my help with?" Attendant Rue asked, feeling restless.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You can put those aside and y some music for me, I guess. I haven''t had the chance to admire your skills with the string instruments." Leonardomented lightly, his tonezy.


    Attendant Rue blushed, thinking back to when she stood off against Leonardo. Now, she felt like an utter clown.


    If it weren''t for City Lord Huang, she''d have been dead by now. Thinking about it, she realized she was ying with fire, and she shifted really tone down with her attitude.


    She coughed and said, "What type of music do you wish to listen to?"


    Through the dense mist, Leonardo''szy voice sounded again as he said, "y your best piece, let''s see what you can do."


    Even as he spoke, he turned his body around and folded his arms on the rims of the pool, and through theyers of thick fog, his gaze rested on Attendant Rue''s body as darkness flickered within his pupils.


    "My best piece?" Attendant Rue was stunned. Thinking to herself, the best piece would obviously be the sutra she cultivates in ordance with her martial intent, but that melody isn''t something anyone could appreciate.


    In fact, instead of feeling good and immersed, a person might as well just feel lost and confused. Furthermore, the illusion bearing down on their mind might as well be considered an indirect attack.


    However, she knew that no matter how impactful this attack was, it wouldn''t hurt Leonardo, just in the same vein, it wouldn''t impress him.


    After a brief hesitation, she rested the folded bathrobe to the side, sat down lotus style, and brought out her ancient string instrument from her storage ring. After taking a deep breath, sheid the instrument on herp in a horizontal position, her delicate fingers resting on the seven strings even as pure ether rushed from her fingers into the thin strings.


    "This piece is called ''Staircase to Harmony'', it embodies the six desires and seven emotions, while the highest realm is said to be the enlightenment of the sentient heart of all beings¡­" Attendant Rue spoke softly as her words trailed off into a melodious hum.


    Ting~


    She pulled one string, the offshoot vibrations infecting the other six, even as the first string returned to its still state and the rest echoed with a soft, drawn-out noise.


    Smoothly thereafter, Attendant Rue continued to y off a piece of music that gave one the illusion of going through multiple lifetimes, each life striving to embody the peak of a specific emotion. The more Leonardo listened, the more he felt amazing.


    The music flowed smoothly, and midway through the piece, Leonardo''s eyes underwent a change as he circted his innate martial intent and focused intently on Attendant Rue.


    Attendant Rue was oblivious to the close scrutiny, wholeheartedly focused on ying each segment of the sutra to her best efforts, portraying the seven emotions one at a time in a perfect cycle.


    All sentient, intelligent creatures had to face the tribtions of their emotions and desires, no matter how lofty or powerful they might be. Thus, it could be said that eachprehensive segment of this Staircase to Harmony is supposed to bring both the cultivator and their audience closer to understanding thews of this world.


    It felt like forever but it felt like a moment, but Attendant Rue''s stringgged, and her music paused.


    She smiled bitterly, "This is the extent of my ability, Brother Ye. Hopefully, I did not embarrass myself¡­"


    Were she to have infused her spiritual force into the notes, she could have tranted them into a mental attack. However, she knew better than to attempt something so foolish.


    Leonardo''s eyes swirled with darkness before they receded back, returning the bright, honey-brown re as he shook his head and sighed. "Why are you ying each tone to a solitary perfection when the sutra is about harmonizing thews? You might have spent thousands of yearsprehending each segment till you''ve mastered all seven; that''s very talented. However, what were you trying to aplish after perfection?"


    Attendant Rue was stunning, momentarily speechless.


    With his innate martial intent, Leonardo found that each segment of the seven emotions was yed almost to perfection. However, when things reach an extreme and cannot go beyond, they start spiraling toward the pr extreme.


    This is just the profound cycle of life andw. It applies to the mostmon cycle of life and death. When one''s life reaches an extreme, if one can''t find another path to evolve, then one would transition to the next extreme; death.


    Attendant Rue had reached the extreme in each of the seven emotions, to the point of portraying a lifetime of said emotion. In the past, whenever she encountered a bottleneck with one emotion, she would carry it to the next.


    Now that she mastered all seven, she thought there was no path forward and she would be stuck in her cultivation.


    Until she heard Leonardo''s piece of mind¡­

 Chapter 264 Another Stress Relief

    ?


    Seeing as Attendant Rue entered a daze, Leonardo sighed and turned his back to the woman, closing his eyes to enjoy this moment of peace. If he wanted to win over someone as devoted and loyal, the process needed to be slow and steady, and he would gradually tempt the woman from all corners.


    About twenty minutester, Attendant Rue blinked her beautiful eyes and softly breathed. She felt her breadth of mind expand, new insights into the Staircast to Enlightenment sutra flooded her mind in a consistent stream; she wished for nothing more than to find a quiet ce and meditate on these new insights and try the countless variations of harmonizing the seven emotions and six desires, creating an illusion of a multi-faceted life with her music.


    After some hesitation, Attendant Rue ced her sting instrument to the side and got up on her two, little feet. Leonardo could hear her soft approaching steps, yet he acted oblivious to it all. Momentster, he felt a pair of gentle hands tug at his head, lift it up, and then he felt like he leaned back on a mound of soft flesh. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Attendant Rue''s inverted face as she looked down at him, a crimson flush on her pale face.


    "Close your eyes!" she shouted in a low voice. "I''m only doing this as a way to express¡­ express my gratitude¡­"


    Even as she spoke, she bit her bottom lip and despite the tingling difort buzzing through her body, she brought the slender fingers and began to massage Leonardo''s temples.


    As for Leonardo, he smiled faintly but didn''t close his eyes. He simply stared up at the diforted attendant as her body jolted ever-so-slightly from the intermittent currents of electricity rushing into her body. A momentter, Leonardo let out a gentle sigh and closed his eyes as though sleeping.


    Attendant Rue, of course, knew he wasn''t one bit sleepy. However, seeing him breathing evenly with closed eyes provided her with a false sense of privacy, and her expression began to gradually rx. Her clenched jaw loosened, her rosy lips parted, and while she massaged carefully, soft whimpers otherwise drowned by the sound of water currents left her lips. Unaware of it, her eyes also closed. Unbeknownst to Attendant Rue, the frequency of those electric changes increased, and the duration of each pulse seemed to also amplify.


    In but a few moments, Attendant Rue''s rushed breathing caused Leonardo to open his eyes, only to find her slender fingers roaming off from his cranium to all corners of his face, from the forehead to his cheeks, and asionally her thumbs would brush past his lips.


    Beguiled by the temptation and rekindled mes aroused by Emily''s actions, Leonardo opened his lips and lured the slender thumb past, gently biting down on the little guy as moisture and warmth from his tongue encased it.


    "Ah!"


    Attendant Rue felt electrocuted all over, jumping in fright, and just like that, with a ssh, shended in the deep pool of water. Her mind was still in a fuzzy state when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her thin waist the moment her upper half surfaced from the water. She instinctively felt like resisting, but Leonardo''s warm lips rested on the wet nape of her neck, and with a cold gasp not unlike a moan, her entire body went rigid.


    "B-brother Ye¡­" Attendant Rue breathed out even as the heat muddled her head. In moments, she felt lost and confused. Then, she felt something poking at her buttocks, face flushed red even as that thing protruded through her thighs and pressed against her uncharted regions, even though the flesh was separated by wet cloth.


    Attendant Rue''s mind immediately went nk, not knowing how to react. It was also at this moment that Leonardo finally grasped hold of himself, his body going rigid for a split second as rity returned to his eyes. However, he couldn''t just retreat and thus, he brushed Attendant Rue''s long, ck hair aside and kissed her wet nape once more, even as he embraced her waist tighter. "I almost lost control over myself right now¡­ Aren''t you quite dangerous?"


    Only when the water sshed did Attendant Ruee to her senses, and Leonardo''s words registered in her mind. She blushed, but Leonardo''s next words shocked her even more, and not in a good way.


    "Send some willing maids to my bedroom chambers, preferably 4th-tier cultivators at minimum."


    Leonardo might have held back on digging his ws into Attendant Rue, but that didn''t change the fact he was still feeling very hot. Even as Attendant Rue was shaking from a wave of indescribable anger, the maids stationed outside the bathing chambers heard the orders and scampered off to spread the word. To a rebirth realm cultivator, doing it on a whim might seem too much and all, but these maids saw it as an opportunity to promote themselves to their new lord.


    Attendant Rue just finished tidying herself up when she stepped out from the bathing chambers and saw a flock of maids, at least thirty of them, giggling to themselves and rushing like a spring breeze into Leonardo''s bedroom chambers.


    She was stunned, not having expected so many of them to have already rushed over.


    Her face alternated between red, white, and pink as she rushed off to a secluded room to iste herself and contemte the new insights she gained. Whatever Leonardo did no longer concerned her, so she told herself as she scampered away.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ¡­


    When Leonardo entered his bedroom chambers after a spin in the wardrobe, he found a crowd of beautiful maidservants anxiously waiting in the room. They scattered all over the bed, flood, and furniture. A uniform set of white and ck lingerie, and despite their divergent figures from short to tall, petite and full, mature and vivacious, bold and timid, all of them were candy to the eyes.


    While the timidest of the bunch huddled up on the bed, some of the bold ones bent their bodies like flexible rubber on the tables and the floor, while others crawled their way over like docile, honest little pets.


    The disy immediately sent Leonardo''s blood boiling, and as the bathrobes fell off his body, coquettish gasps that soon transitioned into soul-stirring moans filled the room.


    ¡­


    Later that day after dusk, Vi and the maidservant with colorful eyes returned to the Ye Estate. The two habitually scanned with their spiritual senses, and both women''s expressions changed drastically.


    Vi''s expression shifted for a bit and quickly rxed when she didn''t find Attendant Rue entangled with the women all over the floor and bed. As for the maidservant with colorful eyes, her face went pale thinking that if she weren''t busy attending to Lady Vi, she might have had to join those maids in that disgusting disy of debauchery.


    "Seems like you missed conforming to Attendant Ye''s needs together with your maid sisters," Vi spoke with a hint of tease in her tone, while a weird expression surfaced on the faces of the Qing family members behind her.


    They too used their senses to sweep the manor after noticing that momentary pause in Lady Vi''s steps.


    However, they didn''t feel like this was something too out of the ordinary for a young man full of vigor. Instead, they felt weird thinking that their youngdy had just spied on another man doing such things, yet the only thing she had to say was a teasingment.


    As for the maidservant, her heart was in turmoil as she shed with myriad thoughts to refuse Leonardo''s advances in the future were to harbor any intentions about her.


    Vi thought for a moment and looked at this 6th-tier cultivator disguised as a maid, a mischievous light in her eyes as she said, "Go tell Attendant Ye that I have returned, and we can continue to discuss the excursion."


    The maidservant quivered ever-so-slightly, but she took a deep breath nheless, even as her little fists clenched tightly. "As you wish, Lady Vi."


    In the bedroom chambers, entangled in the soft white flesh of multiple women, Leonardo''szily resting eyes slowly opened with a twinkling tease in their depths.


    While the people outside were observing him, he was also watching them with his spirit sense the moment they entered the perimeter of the Ye Estate.


    He slowly untangled himself from the soft arms wrapped around his shoulders and torso as he sat up against the headboard. Soon, he heard knocking on the door to his bedroom chambers. She spoke after hearing a grunt from Leonardo. "Attendant Ye, thedy is back and would wish to continue the earlier discussion."


    Leonardo chuckled, "Go prepare a bath and a set of clothes for me, I think I need one."


    Even though he just had quite the passionate skinny dip, he nheless didn''t wish to go around carrying the odor of intensive sexual activity on his person. Furthermore, since that maidservant wished to ''get'' close to him, he might as well y the game on both sides and give her the same attention he provided Attendant Rue.

 Chapter 265 Recruitment

    ?


    nked by Attendant Rue and the other maidservant, Leonardo made his way through the manor''s hallways with the main guest hall as his destination.


    "You haven''t told me your name yet," Leonardo spoke softly as he turned his head and looked over at the maidservant.


    The woman was briefly stunned, responding, "You can call me Julie¡­"


    Leonardo nodded.


    As for Attendant Rue, she maintained her silence ever since Leonardo called her out from istion. Of course, thetter didn''t take the initiative in talking with the attendant as he wasn''t in a rush.


    She might have gotten inspired with her path forward but that was it; an inspiration. Without the guidance of a practiced master, it would be nigh-impossible for Attendant Rue to aplish anything in the near future.


    "You two can wait outside," When Leonardo noticed the group of elders and Vi''s cousin waiting by the entrance to the guest hall, he could somewhat guess what the woman had in mind. Thus, he instructed Attendant Rue and Maid Julie to wait with them.


    The two women obviously had no objections, especially Attendant Rue, since she could also deduce that herdy and Leonardo desired yet another private chat.


    "Attendant Ye, can you please grant me a minute of your timeter?" Vi''s cousin stepped out from the line of elders and bowed, his toneced with a bit of anxiety.


    Leonardo thought for a moment and nodded his head. "I''ll call for you when I''m done with your cousin."


    The young man was ecstatic, hurriedly bowing once again to disy his gratitude.


    Leonardo passed by him and entered the hall, and as soon as he did so, he spread his deste domain and isted sound and spiritual senses from leaving the room or invading it.


    "You had your fun?" Vi asked curiously as her bright eyes smiled at Leonardo. After her spin around the Skyre City, she realized that the rumors had mysteriously disappeared, no one was mentioning the incident between the Qing family and Emily anymore.


    If anything, most people discussed the new Ye Estate.


    "What did you want to discuss with me?" Leonardo ignored her stupid question and approached the high chair in the center of the hall, taking his seat while looking down on Vi from above.


    Vi pursued her lips. "I''ve thought things through and I made up my mind¡­ If my half-sister is truly intent on establishing a powerful faction of her own, independent of the Qing family, I can provide some help from the shadows¡­"


    Leonardo cut her off. "You''re not helping her but you''re helping yourself¡ª stop talking as though you''re selling us a favor. If you want to cooperate, that''s fine. However, don''t go about giving me some terms and conditions."


    Vi''s eyes flickered as she said, "Her situation aside, you wouldn''t be able to join the Interster Supreme Court''s expedition force without the help of my Qing family, not even the Renhuang family can help you with that since they''re not interested.


    "My Qing family is the weakest of the seven families and thus, they''re eager for merit. The imperial family knows this, and so does everyone else, which is a high motivation for the Qing family''s cultivators. Thus, the opportunity to join this expedition fell into thep of a select few, and my Qing family is one of them."


    Leonardo furrowed his brows. "That goes to say that if I wanted to help Emily collect her merits, I''d have to go through you first?"


    Even as Leonardo mulled this over, his eyes suddenly shed and he smiled. He might have another option avable to him.


    "These are my cards, Attendant Ye¡­ As you can see, if you want to smoothly enter the expedition squad, my family has some connections to the Judicial Inquisitors, especially the ones responsible for this outing." Vi stated calmly, her sender fingersced together on her knees, even as her legs ovepped, one above the other.


    "What do you want in exchange for that pass?" Leonardo had his own thoughts but felt like inquiring nheless. Vi couldn''t be more pleased to find Leonardo taking the initiative with asking questions, and she said, "I want her to give you up as her attendant, and you can serve me for a thousand years instead."


    Leonardo was lost for words, a momentter, a smile split his face before he cackled up inughter, not believing his ears. "You really don''t get it, huh? Who said that Emily controls my freedom? What''s between her and I is no more than a deal; an equivalent exchange."


    Vi ttened her lips. "That exchange would surelye to an end if she gained the recognition of bing a non-Jin Marquee or a non-Jin Duchess to the imperial family after the expedition. I''m helping here forward with her ns, though I want to know if you want to take this opportunity and make another deal with me, another equivalent exchange."


    Leonardo was somewhat interested. "What can you offer to win my help for a thousand years? Honestly, you can offer me the entire Jin Dynasty on a te of copper yet I wouldn''t be interested to work for you for a hundred years, let alone a thousand."


    What sick joke was that?<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Be an attendant for a thousand years?


    Vi was stunned and horrified. "Watch your mouth! The walls have ears, have you gone mad?!"


    Although she was confident with her concealment and spirit istion methods, she wouldn''t dare take such risks so flippantly, let alone get herself involved with some crazy, suicidal attendant who doesn''t know the heights of the heavens or depths of the earth.


    Leonardoughed. "How adorable¡­ Don''t worry, no one would bother to eavesdrop on this little chat between an attendant and a youngdy from the weakest house in the alliance. Even though I''m pretty sure I''ll refuse your offer, I''m still curious about what you have for me."


    ¡­


    A whileter, Vi left the room, expressionless. "Let''s go"


    "Uh, I can''te with you, not yet¡­" Vi turned her head and saw that the speaker was her cousin. She furrowed her brows, but Leonardo''s voice drifted over as he said, "I invited him over for a chat, too. You can head out first, Lady Vi."


    Vi furrowed her brows even tighter, scoffed, and left without a word.


    Attendant Rue hesitated for a bit, sneaking a peek into the guest hall, only to find a pair of honey-brown eyes smiling back at her. Her body shuddered for a bit, and she immediately turned tail and rushed after herdy.


    Julie found this little interaction to be a little odd, but she didn''tment on the small episode. As for Vi''s cousin, he breathed easy and timidly stepped through the entrance into the guest hall.


    The doors closed with a thud, and the istion barrier formed silently.


    The man nervously bowed his head and said, "Attendant Ye, I came here for¡ª..."


    Leonardo cut him off with a smile. "You must be from the ck Market, right?"


    The man froze, his words caught in his throat. Then, he chuckled dryly and spoke in a quivering voice, "Attendant Ye, you must be joking. How can I belong to such a dark organization? Yes, I might join their auctions once in a while, but bing an active member¡­"


    Leonardo shook his head and sighed. "You don''t have to make excuses, I have an ''innate'' talent to spot restrictions on people, and I can see the restrictions ced on your body and they seem very¡­ familiar. Then again, not the first time I''ve seen them."


    Members of the ck Market with sensitive identities and with ess to valuable information would have these restrictions ced upon them. For example, Emily.


    Another example, is this cousin of Vi, though he was her rtive from her mother''s side, meaning he wasn''t rted to Emily or the main line of the Qing family in any other way than his connection to Lady Vi of the Qing.


    After a moment of being stunned, the manughed dryly and fixed his obsequious posture, slowly standing upright with a calm smile on his face.


    "Alright, you saw through me and this makes things easier. As it seems, you also know that yourdy, Commanding General Qing, is also a member of my ck Market. In fact, it was I who introduced her to the ck Market back in the day." As he spoke, he sighed, even as his shabby aura collected itself and grew firm, robust, and oppressive.


    It climbed and climbed, eventually settling at the 8th-tier, the inception realm.


    Leonardo didn''t as much as bat an eyelid. In fact, his eyes narrowedzy, as though he was watching some irrelevant show.


    The young man raised an eyebrow,menting lightly, "You seem awfully calm."


    Leonardo shook his head. "You might be stronger than me, but you can''t subdue me fast enough before City Lord Huang could interfere. Thus, using your cultivation to intimidate me is pointless; just get to the point¡­"


    The young man paused, smiled, and said, "Actually, we want to have you join our ranks andplete a mission for us."


    Leonardo raised his head. "I assume it rtes to the uing expedition that the imperial family''s Interster Supreme Court is preparing?"

 Chapter 266 Concerning Planet Earth

    ?


    The young man was a bit surprised as he responded, "She even told you about that? Well, this makes things much easier. Yes, we want you to partake in that expedition and fulfill a mission for us."


    The young man reached over for one of the guest seats, upied it, and continued, "Of course, your efforts won''t go unrewarded. Here is a list of some trinkets that might be prepared for you, Attendant Ye."


    Leonardo thought to himself that these people are most certainly clueless about his exchange with City Lord Huang in front of the Jin Prefecture''s formation. This also shows that no matter how powerful the ck Market''s people are, they don''t have a single 9th-tier cultivator in the prefecture, or perhaps they don''t have anyone on that level near the outskirts of the prefecture where the cities of the seven families are scattered.


    With this thought in mind, Leonardo''s eyes shed as he asked, "What kind of a mission is it that I must aplish?"


    Even as he asked, he received the information chip from the young man and browsed through its contents. His eyebrows rose as he said, "This generous?"


    The list contained hundreds of 5th-tier and 6th-tier cultivation materials, tens of 7th-tier, and a few 8th-tier. All of them were valuable treasures with abundant spirituality and traces ofw infused within their roots. And they could help just about anyone to smoothly contemte their Dao in the best state of mind.


    There was even information about the location of a petal of Origin Flower, something extracted from the Flower of Origin, a spiritual material that blossoms in the resting ce of a Star Lord cultivator who failed to achieve Unity and open the universe inside their body ofw, allowing heaven and earth to assimte their years of foundation and cultivation and birth this worldly treasure.


    This was a valuable treasure to every Star Lord out there.


    Leonardo was genuinely surprised. "You really have information regarding the whereabouts of an Origin Flower?"


    The young man shed a smile. "Well, not a flower, only a petal. A single petal is useless to the 9th-tier powerhouses and so, its allure only draws those in the 7th-tier and 8th-tier, as it could guide them all the way to the 9th-tier."


    Leonardo thought for a bit and nodded. "It''s not a wless method to advance, their cultivation would ultimately stop at the 9th-tier due to their wed Dao, but that''s enough for them to roam the world unfettered."


    Everyone who reached the four realms of rebirth had their own Dao andprehensions. If they polluted theirws with external influence, it would only prove the more impossible to achieve unity between their spirit, sub-dimension, and body ofw to create a universe seed.


    Although this treasure is useless for Leonardo at the moment, he could gift it to someone else if the need arises.


    The young man raised his eyebrows. "Attendant Ye, don''t tell me you aspire to go beyond the 9th-tier with your cultivation?"


    Leonardo tilted his head and asked, "Why not?"


    The young man was silent for a bit, then smiled. "I''m afraid if I had to answer that question, I''d touch upon some secrets you''re not qualified to know yet. However, if you make sufficient contributions on this expedition and satisfy our requirements, we might let you know."


    Leonardo smiled. "Your status in the ck Market seems to be very¡­ high?"


    "Haha," the young manughed. "You tter me, I''m just an errand boy running my mouth a little more than I should. Let''s get to business now."


    As he spoke, the young man tossed over a ck pill.


    He said while smiling, "You''re smart, you know what to do." <novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Leonardo rolled his eyes and swallowed the pill without a second of hesitation. Then, as the pill dissolved into his body ofw, ck shackles surfaced on his skin, wiggling about like worms before slowly fading into his flesh, bones, and star core.


    The young man nodded with satisfaction as he said. "You''re quite clever."


    Then, his smile disappeared and his tone changed, as though a superior addressing one of his subjects. "We don''t expect you toplete the mission beyond our expectations, but we won''t tolerate any failures either. As for the mission details, we need you to investigate the remnants of a called Earth and the gxy which contained it."


    Leonardo was shocked inside, but he disyed a befuddled look on the outside as he inquired,  Earth? What''s so special about it?"


    "Everything," the young man responded heavily. "It''s the only ce with anything remotely close to Leonardo''s origins, and I''m certain it wouldn''t go up in smoke and disappear just like that. Even if it was destroyed, there must be some secret left behind, perhaps a message or a signal for Leonardo, and we need you to retrieve it before he makes his way back there."


    Leonardo had a strange expression as he said, "If I''m not wrong, wasn''t he delivered as a ve from a in the lower dimensions of a ster world? If that were the case, doesn''t this mean anyone on my level of power can obliterate that remote corner of the lower dimensions as soon as I step inside?"


    The young man scoffed. "That''s what everyone used to think, but we''re all wrong. In fact, the space of that gxy had been reinforced beyond our imaginations. I dare say that even a Star Lord can walk through that gxy at ease without causing as much as a ripple in space-time."


    Leonardo''s expression turned even stranger as he asked, "What''s that supposed to mean?"


    The young man''s expression turned grave as he responded, "We suspect that the space-time of that particr gxy had ovepped with the inner world of a Unity realm cultivator, someone powerful enough to give the illusion of an entire gxy functioning just fine while concealing the original. If I''m not wrong, perhaps only Leonardo can enter the original Earth. With that in mind, we prepared tools for you, tools which you can use to attempt and break the illusion and find out whatever it is that is hiding."


    Leonardo''s heart thumped in his chest. He hadn''t expected to hear about Earth once again, now of all times. With the time dtion, tens if not hundreds of years must have passed on that little, but he also understood that if his mother wanted to erase every trace of the Evernight Group on the, it would be easy. In fact, she could regress the civilization just as easily as she could progress it.


    Influencing the memories and history of a few billion non-cultivators would be as easy as turning her palm. However, what realms of power could obscure an entire gxy from the eyes of so many rebirth realm cultivators? The formation had subtly influenced the entire region of space-time to the point where Star Lords can freely roam about the lower dimensions, hence, one can imagine how powerful of a formation it was.


    Thinking about it, Leonardo figured that this might be his mother''s way of protecting the that sheltered them and constituted his childhood and growth. As for any secrets? Leonardo was almost certain that his mother didn''t leave anything behind, as she wouldn''t want to implicate those innocent people anymore.


    Leonardo sighed. "So that''s my mission? To bring back or uncover some hidden secret that might or might not exist? Aren''t you being a little¡­ ridiculous?"


    The young man''s eyes went sharp as he said, "Whether this is ridiculous or not has nothing to do with you, Attendant Ye. All you need to do is follow our instructions and investigate that ce¡­ I mean, the Milky Way Gxy and Earth."


    Leonardo thought for a bit and said, "If time-space was really influenced, haven''t you thought of the possibility that the entire and its gxy were sent to a different timeline altogether? A parallel ne of existence perhaps?"


    Leonardo knew that such things were possible since Wendy''s co-soul hade from a parallel universe, the same way he and his mother did in the past. It''s not beyond the realm of possibility for an entire to be shipped away through space-time, especially some little celestial body from the lower dimensions of a ster world. If that were to be the case, then no matter how much they searched for that, it would have long been sent to an alternate reality with little to do with them.


    He didn''t know if his mother was capable of doing that, but ording to his spections from whatever insights gained from the Infernal Throne''s fragments and the memories of Dizmason Eternus, Leonardo knew for a fact that he doesn''t belong to this ne or timeline. If anything, his father must have been able to send powerful cultivators, presumably above the Unity realm, through space-time to an alternate reality and an alternate timeline. If the gap in strength between his parents wasn''t thatrge, it wouldn''t be surprising for his mother to aplish something simr if she tried her best together with Nightshade.


    Of course, these were but spections, and to get answers, Leonardo thought to confront his mother directly, or find Eternus and inquire about the situation from that man. If Eternus was also powerful enough to cross timelines, he must know something.

 Chapter 267 Concerning The Body Of Law

    ?


    The young man''s expression turned a bit odd. "Your imagination surely runs wild, kid¡­"


    To send an entire region of space to a different timeline? An alternative reality? Truly, the ignorant''s imagination knows no bounds. Not even a Unity realm cultivators, the apex of this world, are capable of such feats, let people who were forced to hide from the Interster Supreme Court''s forces in a ster world.


    Leonardo, of course, wouldn''t share his thoughts on the matter. Instead, he tilted his head and asked, "How are you going to arrange for me to leave with the expedition team?"


    The young mannguidly stretched his limbs, stood up, and spoke even as he walked away, "We''ve made preparations for you to sneak into the Judicial Inquisitor''s entourage, however, you must master this technique in the following days toe."


    There was a hint of pride in the young man''s voice. Then again, why wouldn''t he be proud? To infiltrate the ranks of cultivators from the Interster Supreme Court was no easy feat, let alone the Judicial Inquisitors.


    As he spoke, the young man tossed over an information card and amunication bracelet. "Thismunication bracelet is a one-way device, you can only receive orders and not send inquiries. As long as you''re within the Jin Prefecture, we can reach out to you."


    Leonardo waved a hand, catching both items. With a sweep of his spiritual sense, his expression went a little odd.


    This technique was a watered-down replica of the 5th-tier masquerading technique, and surely, Leonardo didn''t need it. As for themunication bracelet, it held information about a person''s face, physique, aura, and personal information¡­ personality and temperament included.


    "That''s the person I''m going to impersonate? His name is Zilian, no surname? A 5th-tier cultivator too? Hm¡­"


    Leonardo mulled over the implications. As it seems, people from the ck Market are yet to approach Emily and even if they did, she didn''t mention anything about imparting the masquerading technique to Leonardo.


    If City Lord Huang wasn''t so courteous and decided to personally investigate Leonardo''s body, the man might have picked up some clues. However, anyone below that standard of power cannot possibly see through Leonardo''s deste martial intent or thews inherent within.


    The Judicial Inquisitor will be an 8th-tier cultivator whilst his entourage wouldn''tck the presence of 7th-tier, 6th-tier, and 5th-tier cultivators. In fact, the 5th-tier were the cannon fodder for the uing expedition, allowing Leonardo plenty of opportunity to detach from the main force by ying dead as soon as possible.


    "But¡­ how will I find my way back to the Milky Way Gxy, let alone Earth?" Leonardo felt an iing headache. In the past, let alone exploring the gxies of the lower dimension in the ster world, he barely had enough time to explore Earth to the full, despite how small the is.


    If he would recklessly sweep the lower dimensions with his spiritual sense, it might cause unwanted reactions that would inevitably draw attention.


    Leonardo mulled this over. "Actually, I doubt the expedition is solely focused on the Exiled Paradise; they might very well have a detached force in preparation to investigate Earth just as well."


    The doors to the guest hall creaked open and the maidservant, Julie, stepped inside and took to Leonardo''s right nk. Seeing the young man lost in thought, she remained silent as well.


    "Did Vi do anything worthy of notice during your time outside?" Leonardo suddenly woke up from his daze and asked in a faint tone.


    Juile''s eyes flickered as she said, "Lady Vi''s cultivation is beyond my capabilities, Attendant Ye. If she wanted to hide her actions from me, I wouldn''t be able to see through them."


    "Oh," Leonardo nodded his head absentmindedly. "So, even a 7th-tier powerhouse can''t see through Vi?"


    Juile''s body went rigid for a moment, responding with a faint, self-deprecating tone, "Me? A 7th-tier? You''re overthinking things, Attendant Ye¡­"


    She assumed that Leonardo came to that conclusion since he couldn''t sense her cultivation. Thus, she continued, "I have a protective treasure on me that doesn''t only conceal my aura, but blocks invasive probing attempts. Hence, a lot of people might misunderstand that and attribute it to either me possessing a profound cultivation base, or that I have no cultivation at all. However, I''m merely a maidservant with a cultivation around the 5th-tier¡­"


    Leonardo nodded. "Honestly, you didn''t strike me as someone who''d talk so much. This is quite the surprise."


    Julie froze, her expression shifting for a bit before returning to the usual mask of dignified calm.


    She said, "I wouldn''t want you to have any misunderstandings about me, Attendant Ye. If you cast me aside, I''d only invite my own humiliation and unwanted punishment from the Renhuang family."


    Leonardo nodded, stood up, and stretched. "I''ll be entering seclusion for a while, you can send everyone back and keep a few girls responsible for maintaining hygiene in the manor."


    Julie didn''t know if Leonardo believed her words or not, but she couldn''t pester him about it as the more flustered she was, the more out of character she''d seem.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    As for Leonardo, he was deep in thought. He knew for a fact by now that resorting to such underhanded pity trickery isn''t something City Lord Huang would implement, meaning that it''s quite the possibility that Julie didn''t arrive at the orders of the city lord but someone else entirely.


    "Sigh¡­ Norge n is evercking in terms of internal strife and conflicted interests. I guess¡­ not even the Renhuang family is exempted from such trifles.


    Who knows? These straightforward blockheads might house the most number of spies and double agents throughout the seven families, that wouldn''t surprise me the least¡­"


    Julie watched as Leonardo disappeared into the deep corridors of the Ye Manor, and then, her dignified expression weed a hint of darkness and gloom.


    Her beautiful eyes swirled with seven, incandescent colors. Each strip of color seemed like a strand of iprehensible energy, overflowing with destructive lethal force. Very quickly, the undercurrents settled down and she sighed. "Let''s just be patient for now¡­ Then again, this is also good."


    ¡­


    Meanwhile¡­


    Leonardo retreated into a secluded underground room suitable for isted cultivation. He wasn''t here to study the masquerading technique since he had long mastered theplete technique and revised it to suit his deste martial intent. However, since he was expected to enter seclusion anyway, he might as well use this time doing something else.


    He had plenty of time-consuming agendas on his hands, and as much as he wanted to keep these things in check until he entered the Exiled Paradise and took advantage of the stagnant space-time within its confines, some things couldn''t wait.


    For example, Leonardo had yet to have the chance to thoroughly inspect the mountain range left in the wake of the ancient war involving the God Beasts of the Core Maind.


    Furthermore, both the second shard of the Infernal Throne and the ck Heart fused into the core of his sub-dimension, and while thews constituting the dimension have been rejuvenated, they were in a total, disorganized mess.


    If he didn''t put them in order and recklessly fused everything into his star core upon achieving the 7th-tier, the Singrity realm, it would inevitably leave imperfections in his path of cultivation.


    After thinking about it, Leonardo''s spiritual sense spread like tendrils from his sea of consciousness and crept into every corner of his body ofws. Very quickly, an image of the countless, entangled threads ofw that constituted his body from the skin down to the marrow of his bones took shape in his mind.


    This was a body reconstructed fromprehending thews contained within the sub-dimension of choice and the core of someone''s cultivation, the martial intent.


    However, Leonardo''s body was different from most cultivators of his realm because down within his cells, there existed three revolving nebs orbiting a pitch-ck sphere, and the auxiliaryw revolved around each of these bodies like rings of colorful light, diffusing throughout his body.


    After thinking about it, Leonardo took a deep breath and circted his innate marital intent to the utmost.


    Boom!


    The revolving ck sphere suddenly slowed down to a pause, its force field influencing the force fields of the deste martial intent, bloodthirsty martial intent, and heavenly retribution martial intent.


    When all three of them came to a sudden stop, the rings ofw manifestations slowly came to a stop as well, no longer distributing throughout Leonardo''s body. As a result, his body ofw began to visibly dim, growing illusory as though about to dissipate into heaven and earth on a whim.


    This was no body of flesh and blood, hence, this oue was only to be expected. However, it was precisely this oue that Leonardo didn''t wish for.


    He didn''t want to evolve into an entity of energy and if he were to fail his Unity realm tribtion in the future, fade into obscurity like everyone else.


    Others might not have any countermeasures against such a frightening prospect, but Leonardo was different.


    He witnessed with his own eyes how Rosaline utilized the Bloodthirsty Armament to construct a body of flesh and blood upon her resurrection, and he nned to do just that.


    His intuition told him that having a solid body of flesh and blood would be a valuable capital for his cultivation advancement in the future, much like Rosaline.

 Chapter 268 Prologue: Skies Beyond Sky

    ?


    Author Note: This chapter contains a "Lore Bridge" between the world of Immortal Kingdoms and the world of my future fantasy novel, Skies Beyond Sky. The vast multiverse and multiple timelines of the novel Immortal Kingdoms will be connected in one way or another to a few of my future projects!


    ¡­


    Earth''s Sr System, year 4,028 of the Gregorian Calendar.


    Space quivered.


    A woman carrying an infant in her arms slowly stepped out from a tear in space. Her long, colorful hair glittered much like her beautiful eyes. In her arms, soft invisible energy circted around the infant.


    Through the wraps, a pair of pitch-ck, innocent eyes that asionally shed a deep crimson, curiously inspected the depthless space all around.


    This woman was no other than Wendy, and the infant in her arms was no other than Aria. After Leonardo was captured by the Interster Supreme Court''s people, and directly after the youngsters from the aristocratic Immortal Kingdoms of the higher dimensions were sent to the Core Maind, Wendy was tasked with taking little Aria, and with Rosaline''s help, crossed near Earth''s Sr System.


    "I can''t get anywhere closer, lest the would be destroyed¡­" Wendy muttered to herself, deep concern in her eyes.


    How was she supposed to make contact with Maria all the way from here? Any attempts of releasing energy would disturb the formation surrounding the, and that formation was erected by no other than the Interster Supreme Court.


    While Wendy was deep in thought, she didn''t notice a young woman in ck formal attire, neon eyes, and long ck hair standing not that far from her.


    That woman''s curious gaze was locked with Aria''s, and thetter was uncharacteristically quiet as she stared back.


    "This child has the Young Master''s bloodline, what a fascinating surprise¡­" Nightshade finally spoke up after a few minutes of observing Aria.


    Her words, albeit soft, startled the living light out of Wendy. Not even the co-soul inside her sea of consciousness noticed this woman''s presence, let alone her pitiful spiritual sense as a High Divinity.


    A chill went through Wendy''s body as she stared stiffly at Nightshade, while thetter smiled faintly in response.


    "She''s very strong."


    Wendy heard the co-soul, whom she would call Arcadia, transmitted gravely. Wendy didn''t need that warning, as her survival instincts screamed at her from the depths of her heart.


    Cough! Cough!


    "You''ll scare the baby, Nightshade¡­"


    Soft coughing echoed from afar. Once again, Wendy snapped her head to the side, only to see another beautiful woman with flowing white hair, a white dress, and a white umbre.


    What caught Wendy''s attention was the white handkerchief with a crimson stain of blood as it stered closely to the woman''s pale lips.


    When Wendy heard the coughing, that woman was nowhere to be found. However, when her perception registered the voice and presence of the woman, she was already standing within arm''s reach, staring intently at the infant.


    Wendy couldn''t help but think to herself; how powerful are they? Yet, they walk around as though it''s no big issue¡­Howe the didn''t get destroyed?


    Wendy''s eyes flickered as her temperament changed, the uncontroble tremor in her eyes settling into a distant, cold mirror as Arcadia switched over.


    She furrowed her brows. As for Maria, seemingly understanding the confusion that riddled Wendy''s eyes, she said lightly," In this world governed byws, we define the strong based on two things¡­ cough¡­ cough¡­"


    Nightshade stepped closer, holding Maria by the arm as sheforted thetter by caressing her back gently.


    "Allow me, Madam¡­" whispered Nightshade before looking over at Arcadia. "There are two categories of strong; those who can breakws, and those who can ignore thempletely."


    Nightshade''s words were t, borderline gentle, yet they shocked both Wendy and Arcadia.


    Arcadia was shocked because, with her background, she had a sliver of understanding about how strong must one be topletely ignorews. She knew that Nightshade didn''t simply refer to thews of the lower dimensions of this ster world as Wendy might have interpreted, but referred to thews of an entire ne.


    Thews ofs, gxies, dimensions, world barrier, and ster world¡­ All of them are inextricably linked to thews of the ne containing them. Hence, Arcadia was beyond shocked.


    "Are you rted to Leonardo?" asked Arcadia, still somewhat wary.


    Maria coughed, unable to answer. It was Nightshade who gave Arcadia a look, the neon in her eyes swirling about like the haze of stars as shemented lightly, "Two souls in one body? Hm, no¡­ One of them isn''t an original soul, interesting. We could sense Young Master Leonardo''s aura on your body, and it''s especially pure from this baby, hence why the Madam decided toe personally despite her injuries."


    "I''ll let his disciple do the talking," as Arcadia''s eyes flickered once again, a touch of emotions bubbled within the colorful eyes. Wendy gasped, feeling a little out of sorts since she had already deduced the status of the woman in white.


    "Uh¡­" Wendy was tongue-tied for a moment before she introduced, "My name is Wendy and this is¡­ Well, she''s Master''s daughter, her name is Aria¡­"


    There was a touch of warmth in Maria''s eyes, but she was someone who experienced far too much, and thus, she coughed and asked, "Something must have happened, right?"


    Wendy nodded, a bit surprised that neither of the two women stepped forward to take the child. Still, she proceeded to exin the situation in the higher dimensions, the predicament of House Hestia, and how Leonardo was ''escorted'' back to the Core Maind of the ne and his contingency ns.


    "This happened faster than I''d anticipated," Maria murmured, yet another fit of coughing seizing her throat.


    "Madam¡­" Nightshade worriedly held onto Maria''s arm, concern shing in her eyes.


    Maria took a deep breath, shaking her head. "It''s fine, I''ve made plenty of preparations over the past few years¡­ Just go and get that item."


    Of course, Maria was referring to the sealed heart. While Wendy was confused, Nightshade turned her back to the group and disappeared. Wendy blinked, only to find Nightshade standing there once again, a sealed box in her hand.


    "Are we really leaving?" asked Nightshade. "This little ce¡­"


    This carried far too many precious memories to Maria and Nightshade, especially those moments of living like ordinary people in a family of three.


    Maria coughed, the handkerchief already beyond crimson in color. "I''ve made preparations¡­"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Even as she spoke, she began to chant in the ancient infernal tongue, a sybus iprehensible to both Arcadia and Wendy flowing from her mouth. As she chanted, invisible ripples of energy flowed from her body as a small, barely visible hourss appeared in the space between her eyebrows.


    ck sand flowed through the hourss as it spun counterclockwise.


    At first, Wendy was confused while she observed the in the distance. However, momentster, she was shocked to notice the rotation and orbit speed of not only Earth but the entire Sr Systeme to a grinding halt before gradually spinning in a backward motion.


    Thump!


    A soft, muffled heartbeat echoed from the sealed box, and the invisible energy quickly inted from the Sr System into the depths of space. If Wendy had sufficient spiritual sense, she would uncover that this energy, although centered on Earth, had locked down the entire Milky Way Gxy.


    ¡­


    On Earth, all across the globe, the Evernight Group buildings began to dissipate from existence, leaving behind nothing but an illusory, ck hourss per building. However, no one noticed these particr details as everyone seemed to be in a daze while moving backward.


    No¡­ they weren''t moving backward. It was time itself that was being reversed.


    Year 4,000¡­ Year 3,200¡­ Year 2,900¡­ Year 2,100¡­ Year 1,998¡­


    There was no stopping until finally, the went back to the eras of the Medival Ages and a few centuries behind. The Invisible force solidified, assimting into the sky and atmosphere.


    ¡­


    Far in space, Wendy watched all of this unfold with a gaping mouth.


    This was a whole new level of power whenpared to Eternus as he used this particr martial intent, withdrawing a few years from Veranda when that Incarnation of Will, together with Uranus, Elyos, and Asmodian attempted to steal Arcadia''s core.


    Maria''s face grew increasingly pale as ck blood poured from her pristine eyes, unlike the crimson blood on her lips. Then again, most of the blood in her body was that of a normal human ever since she imnted a human''s heart.


    "Nightshade¡­" Maria whispered softly, her voice barely audible.


    Nightshade understood, and her eyes of neon lights suddenly intensified as one dim ring after the next lit up with multicolored light. She pressed her hand on Maria''s back even as she muttered, "This will use myst reserves of energy¡­ I''m not like you, my energy source is quite unique¡­ If in the future¡­"


    She looked into her core reserves to find 3% of her core energy in reserves. Nightshade, an Andromeda, doesn''t follow the cultivation path of the various races across the nes.


    Maria muttered, "You''ll definitely find an opportunity somewhere, don''t worry."


    Nightshade took a deep breath, focused, and nodded.


    Boom!


    Maria felt a vast power pour into her body, and following this, her speech of the infernal tongue grew more coherent. She pressed down with both hands, and space quivered once, twice, and thrice.


    Then, the scene all around them blurred as though experiencing a glitch, and the next moment, everything returned to normal. At least, thissted for a few moments before Earth and its Sr System copsed.


    "This¡­"


    Wendy felt a pang of disappointment and grief, not knowing how tofort the Madam¡ª she certainly hadn''t expected this oue. While she contemted, Arcadia''s voice echoed in her head. "Silence is your best option."


    Wendy bit her lip and said nothing.


    "Let''s get going¡­"


    Maria collected herself, looked down at the silent heart, and turned her back even as Nightshade escorted the woman. Wendy sighed, holding Aria close to her chest as she followed obediently.


    ¡­


    "Master, I have a question¡­"


    "Hah, little girl¡­ You and your questions, what is it this time?"


    An old man and a young girl sat face to face, in a sea of glittering stardust. The little girl had long purple hair, purple eyes, and a cute round face.


    She asked sheepishly, "Is our era really cursed? Is our cultivation wed?"


    The old man remained silent for a moment and sighed.


    "Who knows? Each of the former eras had aplete cultivation inheritance and a prosperous cultivation environment, but all of them went through the merciless cycle of destruction upon reaching the peak of cultivation¡­ Thest era was different; ording to rumors and heresy, it was the Pce Master of the North Star Pce that broke the cycle, resulting in¡­"


    The old man didn''t continue talking.


    In this era, while the universe might not necessarily reach its peak of evolution, that also means they wouldn''t need to worry about certain death in the future.


    The little girl tilted her head and said, "Master, didn''t we uncover records from every powerful civilization from that era? Howe we didn''t find anything about the North Star Pce?"


    The old man went silent for a moment and said, "That''s because no one wants anything rted to those monsters to resurface in this era¡­"


    Even as the old man spoke, his body shuddered whilst his muddled eyes lifted, peering into the distant gxies.


    There, he saw an unbelievable scene.


    In a patch of empty space, the void shuddered as an entire gxy phased into view and silently disappeared without a trace.

 Chapter 269 Lethal Force

    ?


    Peaceful times always passed quickly. Just like that, Leonardo settled down in the Ye Manor of the Skyre City, upied in his secluded cultivation. Thus, Julie had almost no chance at all of getting closer to Leonardo with the intent of fishing out for secrets.


    As for Vi, she had also been anticipating word from Leonardo to negotiate or offer up some benefits in exchange for a quota in the expedition. However, she hadn''t expected that the man would shut himself in behind closed doors for almost an entire year while the the Judicial Sector''s judicial inquisitors tidied up their loose ends near the border of the Seven Stars Province and the ongoing investigations.


    During this one year, Leonardo''s presence was slowly receding from the radars of the Renhuang and Qing families, and even Emily withdrew her involvement in the war efforts of expanding more cities and resources throughout the province since she wanted to focus on her cultivation.


    Despite the bleak future described to her by Ingrid about the dead end upon achieving the Unity realm, Emily held a lingering hope that she might turn things around in the future.


    ¡­


    Huu~


    Leonardo let out a long breath as he inspected his new body of flesh and blood. During his one year of seclusion, he relied on his innate calctive power in conjunction with the ability to read strings of karma to deduce the best way of going around reconstructing his body of flesh.


    In the beginning, that intuition led him to the stretch of mountains he obtained from the Beast w Sect''s sub-dimension, and upon further investigation, he discovered that each mountain, at its core, held a fragment of ancient bones belonging to a specific God Beast.


    Leonardo knew his current limits and what he should and shouldn''t do. Furthermore, he had this conclusion that the God Beasts of that era attacked the inhabitants of that mountain range due to the existence of these bones. Although nothing was concrete yet, history was always just that; history.


    Leonardo started from the strongest bone he found in the main peak.


    He utilized his deste intent and heavenly redemption intent to the max, yet he couldn''t as much as leave a scratch on the bone. He knew that were he to make use of the ck Heart currently sealed within his chest, it might be possible, and if he were to use the ck Sea in his sea of consciousness, it would practically be a guarantee. Nheless, that wasn''t his power, it could only mean his current power was inadequate to subdue these bones.


    One bone at a time, one failure after another, until Leonardo settled on the bones from the mountains in the outer regions of the sect. Leonardo had no idea whether it was fate or some twisted game of karma, but the bone most suited to him was that of the Celestial Frost Wolf.


    Why was it called the Celestial Frost Wolf when it was obviously utilizing wind attributes in its w strikes? Even Leonardo didn''t know, as thew runes in the bones hinted at multiple elements and the most prominent of them was frost. However, the power wasn''t some kind of intent orw; it was something on a higher level.


    It was an invisible energy, but it was omnipresent nheless.


    Thinking about it, Leonardo spected that his cultivation was too low to see through the intricacies in that wolf''s attack back then, hence why all he could see was the wind''s intent in the attack but nothing else.


    Leonardo spent an entire year circting his deste intent and heavenly retribution intent in full capacity until he finally fused the bones into a new skeleton for himself, and this entire cultivation session almost consumed all of his resources. Furthermore, with the directions of his innate martial intent, he reshuffled the millions of cells and their miniature versions of the force field system of nebs and fused them into his nervous system, which he would rather refer to as the cosmic meridian.


    At this point, not even Leonardo knew how powerful his new body was since he followed the optimal design offered by burning his innate martial intent, investing both his main soul and split soul in the process.


    Densew runes that once belonged to the Celestial Frost Wolf now covered Leonardo''s skeleton, while his nervous system branched out all across his body like pitch-ck hollow meridians, even as the sparkling, neb-like vortexes flowed through them while channeling an inestimable amount of energy.


    The nervous system of the human body was connected to the spine and brain, and thus, Leonardo was able to connect this new cosmic meridian to his soul pearl in his sea of consciousness and his star core that was now located near his lower back, specifically at the base of his spine.


    Clueless as he was, Leonardo understood one thing, albeit barely. The frost power of the Celestial Frost Wolf was called ''Force'', or to be more urate, it was called ''Lethal Force'', and the wolf''s lethal force was frost attributed. This was the type of energy cultivated upon transcending the Rebirth Realms, otherwise known as the Star Realms.


    He hadn''t anticipateding into contact with lethal force while he was so far away from the Star Lord realm, let alone the Unity realm. Every Star Lord starts cultivating their own lethal force at one point in time, it is this lethal force that leaves everyone else helpless to resist a Star Lord.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Although Leonardo couldn''t use lethal force yet, he gained a semnce of resistance to lethal force, which could be considered a huge benefit as it was.


    As he was contemting the changes to his body, themunication bracelet left behind by the young man from the ck Market suddenly pulsed. Leonardo knew that the young man most definitely wasn''t Vi''s cousin, he must have simply assumed the identity due to its convenience and released the original cousin after their meetingst time.


    This way, if Leonardo were to make any moves or reports against Vi''s cousin, it would be no different from telling the ck Market how untrustworthy he was. Though, with his current power, Leonardo didn''t feel like he should fear anyone below the Star Lord realm.


    Even if he couldn''t use lethal force yet, by simply relying on the raw power of the physical body thanks to the nourishment of the Celestial Frost Wolf''s bones, Leonardo''s body was on par with that of a standard Star Lord.


    With this much confidence, Leonardo picked up themunication bracelet and stealthily left his room of seclusion.


    About one hourter, Leonardo left the Ye Manor unnoticed, his appearance now a splitting image of the5th-tier low-ranking soldier in the files. An average face, short ck hair, and ck eyes.


    The young man wasn''t particrly tall or fit in build, but he had the basic frame of a diligent soldier. A standard horse carriage quickly pulled over in front of Leonardo, and when the currents lifted, it was an old woman seated within as she held onto a wooden cane.


    "Officer Carlio, this way please," as the old woman spoke, an invisible domain stretched out to engulf Leonardo''s body, informing him of her high, 8th-tier cultivation base.


    Leonardo was shocked; how many 8th-tier cultivators are dancing beneath the city lord''s nose without him noticing anything? The ranks of the Renhuang family must be in a total mess!


    Leonardo paused for a moment, nodded to the old woman, and proceeded to climb into the horse carriage.


    ¡­


    "This is your official military uniform, identity badge, and instructions on what to do and how to behave once we arrive at the Judicial Sector, a branch of the Interster Supreme Court." The old woman passed over a small storage pouch with the aforementioned items.


    She continued, "You don''t have to worry about the restrictions in your body; as long as you''re obedient and don''t cause trouble, we will, of course, return your freedom to you."


    Leonardo paused; these restrictions were since long destroyed in his body, did they not notice anything? That could only mean these restrictions weren''t being monitored passively, but if they were to try and activate them in the future, they would definitely find out.


    The old woman took Leonardo''s sudden pause for apprehension, a disdainful smile arcing her dry features as she said with a chuckle, "As I said earlier; if you''re obedient and follow our instructions to the dot, nothing will go wrong."


    Leonardo sighed. "I understand, Elder¡­"


    The old woman nodded her head appreciatively and said, "Go ahead and change your clothes now, you won''t have the time or ce to do soter."


    "I understand," Leonardo nodded his head again. To people on their level, they could change clothes with a simple wave of the hand, and that''s what Leonardo did. He didn''t utilize any of hisws or martial intent, but by relying purely on his control over the ether, he put on the new clothes while his former outfit was disintegrated to bits.


    The remainder of the journey was rather tranquil and silent, save for the asional bumps in the road as the horses advanced through hills, towns, and cities as the two pulled further and further away from the Renhuang Province.

 Chapter 270 Unexpected Interlude

    ?


    The carriage dropped Leonardo on a deserted sandy road not too far nor too close to a human settlement. Well, to be more urate, a small town.


    She said that this location was a checkpoint and that the officer he impersonated originated from this small town. The ck Market had done extensive research on this officer''s human rtionships, and the interrtionships of those connected to him, not to mention his habits.


    This day coincides with thest day of his annual off-field break, and the procession of soldiers upying a flying ship headed in the direction of the Judicial Sector would arrive very quickly.


    Leonardo skimmed through the information on Officer Carlio very quickly, and this young man''s temperament wasn''t something difficult to adjust to. Doesn''t talk much, difficult to build rtionships, but also quite passionate about friends and family when the need arises.


    Very loyal, obedient, and staunch in his support of military affairs.


    "Hubby!"


    "Dad!"


    "Papa!"


    Leonardo froze. Then, he stiffly turned around to see a middle-aged woman rushing over while carrying two young children in her arms. This was the Jin Prefecture, and the protective formations weren''t limited to towns and cities within the jurisdiction of a province or their teleportation halls.


    In the Jin Prefecture, everyone can leave home and go about without worry of being subjected to the erosion of chaotic ether. Suddenly, Leonardo''s eyes shone as he contemted; could the chaotic ether be a result of the imperfectws of this ne?


    Did the damaged vitality of the Core Maind result in this phenomenon? If that was the case, then, hadn''t anyone tried to find the root of the issue throughout all these years?


    The more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him.


    "Where have you been?!"


    Leonardo''s thoughts were interrupted as the woman lowered her two children to the ground and rushed into his arms, carrying a dense fragrance even as her shoulders shook and tears drenched Leonardo''s military uniform.


    Leonardo paused, his arms stiffly stretched to the sides, not daring toy hands on this woman. She didn''t know where her husband had been, but how couldn''t he know?


    Obviously, the ck Market people assassinated him to provide Leonardo with this opportunity. Thinking about it, he felt a little guilty, sighing as he held onto the woman''s shoulders and spoke softly, "I won''t keep it from you; this mission of mine¡­ sigh¡­"


    The woman''s body shuddered, it seemed as though her 3rd-tier cultivation base was no more than thin paper as her body shook uncontrobly. For thest few months, she had a bad premonition that left her restless all night. She knew something was off, but what can a woman like herself do?


    Her husband was very opinionated about his firm loyalty to the Jin Military. If a higher-ranking officer asked him to jump head first off the Cliff of No Return, the most dangerous zone known throughout the Jin Dynasty, he would do it without blinking.


    "So¡­ So¡­ You were nning to leave just like that? Nost words or goodbye? How can you¡­ How can you be so cruel?"


    She looked up from his firm chest and into his distant yet resolute eyes. Her voice was in whispers, not wanting the children who got themselves busy chasing insects and digging holes in the ground to hear the conversation.


    Leonardo looked past her weeping eyes to the clueless children going about their joys, unaware of the sorrows fate has in store. He sighed.


    Thinking about it, he said, "I was gone all these months with you guys in mind; I''ve found a good opportunity for you and our young ones."


    As he spoke, he brought out amunication bracelet with a storage ring and rested them in the woman''s hands, though he made sure not to touch her skin inappropriately as he lightly said, "These rations should keep you well fed until the mission reportse knocking on the door. If I was to be reported dead, use themunication bracelet to contact the person on the other end, you only need to mention one name."


    The woman froze.


    Why does this sound like someone''sst words? It seemed like she forgot about how dissatisfied she was with her husband leaving without one final goodbye. Now, she didn''t want to hear any of it; she didn''t want this goodbye.


    She frantically shook her head. "I don''t want an opportunity! I don''t want your kindness andst wishes! I¡­ I just want my husband back! I want a father to my children¡­"


    She was finding it even more difficult to contain her emotions, let alone her voice.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Leonardo felt a buzzing headache as he clenched her shoulders tightly, the pain jolting some calm and rationality into her head as she looked up, gaze as pitiful as could be.


    Leonardo pursed his lips and after some hesitation, he gave the woman yet another storage ring and said, "Fine¡­ Since you don''t want to rely on someone else''s help, this one here has an opportunity for our daughter. You''ll know what to do when you return home and open it¡­"


    Leonardo knew that as long as he, or rather, Carlio wasn''t reported dead, no one would touch this woman and her children. However, the time dtion between the Core Maind and the ster worlds is quite the rift. They could spend up to ten or twenty years there and it would only constitute five years in the Core Maind.


    Five years is plenty of time for a woman with two children, hence, he left behind some medicine that would bolster the little girl''s preexisting talent as she had yet to start cultivating.


    However, the talent and power of one person can only do so much, and the rest would rely on thatss and her luck in the future. Even though Leonardo felt a little guilty, this is the harsh reality of this world.


    As she noticed the changes in her husband''s eyes, the woman bit her bottom lip tightly and hesitated about something. Eventually, though, she helplessly shook her head and looked down at the two storage rings andmunication bracelet.


    Leonardo said, "Even if you don''t contact anyone with the bracelet, just keep it around as I can''t guarantee that no one would attempt and reach out to you."


    Leonardo didn''t give the woman much more of his time and skipped past her to the two ying children, crouching down to their level as he smiled. "What are you two little guys doing, hm?"


    As he spoke, he reached over and stroked their heads yfully.


    The twoughed, holding onto Leonardo''s hands as they attempted their best to wrestle them down, but they could barely budge his arms away. The two knew that their father is a powerful superhuman, so they weren''t discouraged in the least. On the contrary, theyughed and wrestled his arms some more.


    Little did the two know that Leonardo''s eyes, albeit always pitch-ck, were a little different from usual at the moment. Leonardo left a trace of his aura on these two, and if fate wills it and they reunite, he might provide them with yet a bigger opportunity. As his spiritual energy branded their spirits, they quickly fell asleep while entangling his arms.


    Leonardo sighed and stood up. As the timing had it, he could spot the flying shiping from a distance.


    He spoke up to the woman, "Take the children and leave this instant. Remember, you''re not alone, even if everything all around you indicates so."


    As the kids fell unconscious, she could no longer hold the reigns on her emotions.


    Once again, she rushed into her husband''s embrace and began to cry her heart out, deep resentment festering in her heart toward this nation and its military. Leonardo didn''t know this yet, but he might have just nted yet another seed just like he had with Emily, and he has the ck Market to thank for this.


    Momentster, the middle-aged woman held her two children in her arms as she watched the flying ship shooting away, the crimson sunset in its backdrop. Even as she held onto her two children, her palm subconsciously reached over to caress her lower abdomen, murmuring to herself, "I''ll make the best of that opportunity, hubby¡­"


    ¡­


    "She''s a good woman," spoke another officer as he stood on the deck of the flying ship, watching the sunset together with Leonardo. As for Leonardo, he didn''t respond to the suddenment since it wasn''t worth a reply.


    After some thought, as if thinking about something, he said, "Just a friendly reminder; she''s not easy prey."


    The officer''s eyes constricted lightly, but he chuckled and didn''t say anything in response.


    Leonardo didn''t need to hear any response either, not like he was waiting for one.


    As the two of them watched the sunset silently, moments trickled by. Eventually, Leonardo turned his back and left the deck, venturing into the chambers reserved for officers.


    Behind him, the officer remained silent for a few moments. Then, a gust of wind brushed by and carried him away. Well, the winds carried bits of decayed ash.


    Soundless and traceless.


    No one noticed a thing.


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