“Who told you that I practiced the cultivation method on the Four Great Paintings?” James questioned. “Stop talking nonsense!” Hades snorted, and a powerful aura erupted from his body.He took a step forward, and his body turned into an afterimage. His actual body appeared in front of James in a blink of an eye, and he thrust his palm forward with lightning speed.James only caught a glimpse of a figure flashing by, and a palm suddenly appeared in front of him.Their palms collided, and two intense energies crashed into each other.James felt powerful and scorching True Energy sweeping over him. It pushed him several meters back.Hades was also pushed a few steps backward.After testing the waters, James knew that the head of the Johnstons, Hades, was a grandmaster of the sixth rank and was almost reaching the seventh rank. His True Energy was comparable to James' True Energy.“Is that all the head of the Johnstons can do?” James wore a calm and disdainful smile.Hades was sh
True Energy Materialization could only be performed at the sixth rank. Once performed, one’s True Energy could take any form or shape. Meanwhile, one would have to reach at least the sixth rank to perform Sword Energy. This required great mastery of sword techniques and potent True Energy. The moment James discharged a burst of Sword Energy, Hades was stunned. He dodged the attack. Like a homing missile, the Sword Energy pursued him. Hades landed on the ground. His face darkened, and he launched a flurry of fists. Whoosh! The fists transformed into an invisible tornado and blocked the Sword Energy, which slowly dissipated. Upon seeing this, a shiver ran down James’ spine. He did not expect the Patriarch of the Johnstons to be this powerful. “Hmph…” Wearing a grim expression, Hades said coldly, “To think that you’ve reached the Second Sword Realm of the Thirteen Heavenly Swords and are now able to perform Sword Energy. You would be invincible if I allowed you to cultiv
He had a sword on his back. It was Tobias. However, he did not intervene. James’ strength far exceeded his expectations. He was curious to see how far he could go. Meanwhile, James was losing ground. He knew he would be killed if he did not use his signature martial art skill. Hence, he catalyzed Heavenly Breath. Potent True Energy enveloped him and entered his body. Then, he brought forth the Invincible Body Siddhi. Immediately, his body underwent drastic changes and became bronze all over. Clank! A fist struck him. “What?” Hades’ face darkened. His arm went numb, and he was knocked back by the force. Zaiden exclaimed, “What is this?” Yasmine furrowed her eyebrows, and she murmured, “What is this martial art skill? Could it be something recorded in the four paintings?” Meanwhile, Tobias was puzzled too. He had never seen nor heard about such a martial art skill. He was curious to know where and how James managed to learn it. As True Energy circulated his
James tossed the sword aside. Then, he glanced at Hades, who was lying on the ground motionless. He knew that a sixth-rank martial artist like Hades would not die so easily. Since Hades came here looking for trouble, he would have to make an example out of him. Otherwise, trouble would only keep coming.He walked toward Hades. Clack! Clack! Clack! Every step he took sent shivers down the spine of the other three families of the Ancient Four. Even Zaiden and Yasmine were shocked. They had predicted that Hades could be defeated by James, considering that the latter had defeated Donovan Blithe at the Western Border. However, even if he was defeated, they assumed that they would be on even footing, not a landslide victory by James.Seeing that James had defeated Hades, Tobias’ expression turned grim. He was worried that Hades’ death would enrage the Johnstons.The Johnstons were not as simple as they seemed to be. They were a family that had existed for thousands of years, a
“What are you standing there for?” Seeing that James was hesitant, Hades provoked him. He knew that James would not dare kill him. “Hmph!” The potent True Energy which had gathered in James’ palm pulled Hades toward him. “You won’t escape punishment.” Then, James struck Hades’ abdomen, which destroyed his elixir field. In an instant, all of Hades’ True Energy dissipated. Immediately after, he grabbed Hades’ hand and exerted great force. Crack! The bones cracked. “Argh!” Hades cried out in agony. His eyes bulged, and his face contorted in pain. Then, James broke all of Hades’ limbs and tossed him aside like a rag doll. Everyone was dumbfounded. “Is he crippled?” The Patriarch of the Johnstons had cultivated for decades before arriving at the sixth rank. Now, he was completely crippled. Kennedy’s face turned pale upon seeing this. “You…” Eyes full of hatred, Yumi glared at James and roared, “How dare you, James?!” James said coldly, “I’m just returning t
Back when Thea impersonated Maxine to save James, she had seen with her own eyes how James’ martial art skills were taken away by Hades. However, she did not have any martial art skills. Even with the support of the God-King Palace, she could not act recklessly. Now, she applauded James for crippling Hades. “Have you thought of the consequences?” Maxine frowned. James said, “Of course I have. I was worried that the Johnstons would lose control. If not, I would’ve killed that old geezer.” “Sigh…” Maxine sighed. James was not worried about the Johnstons for now. He was only concerned about one thing—Who leaked the information regarding his strength? “Maxine, who do you think revealed my strength? Could it be the Cadens?” Since things had already come to pass, Maxine did not blame James further. After brief contemplation, she gave her own opinion. “That’s highly unlikely. Based on what you said, they assumed you cultivated the secret of the four paintings. That’s how you w
Now, however, three families of the Ancient Four had lost their closely guarded paintings. “Has he unraveled the mystery behind the paintings? Could it be that the paintings contain records of martial art skills that enable us to reach the ninth rank?”Yaakov’s expression was grim. He did not dare act recklessly. After all, he should have been long dead. All this while, he had been sustaining his life through the consumption of medicine. If his True Energy leaked while he was in the midst of a battle, he would die in a few months. If chose to retain his True Energy, he could live for a few more years. “We shouldn’t act recklessly.” After brief contemplation, he ordered, “We’ll wait and see for now. I’ll go to the Cadens’ mansion personally.” Although the Johnstons were dissatisfied with the Grand Patriarch’s decision, they remained silent and nodded respectfully.Yaakov stood up. Under the watchful gaze of the Johnstons, he dragged his old body with the help of a cane and lef
Before James could even react, he was sent flying back into the foyer.The moment the powerful blow struck his chest, he could feel excruciating pain throughout his body. Then, his Blood Energy churned, and he vomited a mouthful of blood. He swiftly got up and sat in a lotus position, catalyzing Heavenly Breath to suppress the Blood Energy inside his body which had gone rogue.Then, he lifted his head. An elderly man with a cane walked in. Upon seeing the man’s appearance, Tobias’ face paled, and he exclaimed, “Mr. Yaakov?”It was Yaakov Johnston, the Grand Patriarch of the Johnstons. His status was even beyond that of Bennett Caden. Walking into the foyer, he found a place to sit. Then, covering his mouth, he coughed a few times. James was sitting in a lotus position on the floor to treat his injuries. From Tobias’ reaction, he knew that the elderly man before him was a Johnston of high status. Not only that, his strength was unbelievable. After Tobias recollected himse