Maxine nibbled her lips. She wanted Tobias to save James. However, she did not dare voice her opinion. After all, Tobias was adamant about not compromising as it would mean forsaking the prestige of the family. Having been provoked by the Blithes, Tobias had now decided to make an enemy of them. His entering into a closed-door meditation was a sign of that. He planned to make a move against the Blithes at the martial art conference. Maxine sat in the courtyard alone. After some time, she got up and left. “Hold it right there.”Before she could leave, Bobby and a few youngsters from the Cadens walked over to her and blocked her path. Maxine lowered her head and said, “Bobby…” “Shut your damn mouth.” Bobby’s face darkened. Then, he grabbed her by the hair and slapped her across the face. Smack! The sound was clear and crisp. Maxine, however, remained silent. Bobby rebuked her, “Look at the trouble you’ve created for the Cadens. Why did you fool around with James when
Before Maxine boarded the plane, she called Thea and narrated the chain of events. She told her the whole truth─ starting from James going to Mount White, and how Madelyn framed her for something she did not do. Upon hearing this, Thea’s face darkened. “I’m at the departure lounge and will soon head to Cansington. Once I arrive, we can discuss how best to save James.” “Got it.” Thea hung up the phone. Then, she sat on the ground and contemplated. She had heard from the Blithe King that the Blithes were about to enter a marriage alliance with the Cadens. She also knew that the Blithe family was so strong that even the Cadens were fearful of them. After a brief moment of thinking, she pulled her phone out and called Thomas. “I’m sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service.” Thea frowned before she remembered that Thomas had told her not to call this number anymore. “What should I do?” She was anxious. Thea stood and hurriedly left the military region without
“And how many second-rank and first-rank martial artists do you have?” Maxine asked. Thea replied, “I have thirty-six second-ranks and seventy-two first-ranks.” Since James was in mortal peril, Thea told Maxine everything about the God-King Palace. She believed that Maxine was better at devising plans than her. At that moment, she was at a loss. She only knew that she had to rely on Maxine to save James. “Whew!” Maxine took a deep breath and said, “That’s more than enough.” Although she did not know how powerful the Blithes were, she could guess from her grandfather’s dread that they were comparable to the Cadens. Not only that, the Blithe family had someone who could stand against Tobias. “But you said that even Tobias is fearful of the Blithes, and he’s a seventh-rank martial artist. If they intervene, our fourth-rank men stand no chance against them.” Thea was doubtful. Maxine was lost in contemplation. Meanwhile, Cynthia looked at both of them. They fell silent. Aft
Just the appearance alone would not be sufficient. They still needed the Cadens’ signature method─the Thirteen Heavenly Swords. Though Maxine had never read the Thirteen Heavenly Swords’ cultivation method or sword techniques, she had memorized the moves after seeing Tobias practicing them. Now, they had to come up with a contingency plan so that they could prevent the Blithes from making a move on them at critical moments. Besides, time was running out. They had at most two days. Within two days, Thea had to make it look like the real thing. Thea thought long and hard about it. This was the only way to save James. If Maxine could even sacrifice her life to save James, how could she give up so easily? She nodded her head firmly. “I’ll do my best.” “Mhm, you should summon your men from the God-King Palace. I’m afraid you won’t make it in time.” “Got it.” … While Maxine headed to Cansington to discuss matters with Thea, James was brought to the Western Border. The W
As his acupuncture point was struck, he was immobilized. Though he tried bursting the acupuncture point open, he could not no matter how hard he tried. “Damn it!” A vein popped out in his neck as he cursed. “Burst through!” He forcibly gathered True Energy to make a breakthrough at the sealed acupuncture point. Bang! The sound of an explosion could be heard inside his body. James was sent flying several meters into the air. Then, he collapsed on the ground and vomited a mouthful of blood. However, he could not move. Enduring the excruciating pain, he got up from the ground and scanned his surroundings. It was a dark and damp dungeon. He was imprisoned inside a cell with an iron door. Outside, the dim light allowed him to see what was around him. It turned out that there were many others imprisoned in the dungeon. He walked over to the iron door, but it was locked. James pulled at the lock forcefully. Crack! The sound reverberated throughout the silent dungeo
“Who are you? Why are you imprisoned here?” James asked as he approached the elderly man whose limbs were chained. He scrutinized him from head to toe. The bearded man’s hair was white and disheveled, and it seemed that he had not had a shower in years. The moment James approached him, he could smell a nasty stench. Looking at the chains on the elderly man, James tried pulling at them. He wanted to break them, but the chains were solid. No matter how hard he tried, he could not break them. “With how weak you are, you might as well give it up.” The elderly man sat on the ground. The moment his body moved, the sound of chains could be heard. He said lazily, “This is made of quartz steel. You can’t break them.” James sat down and looked at the elderly man before him. “Who are you? Why are you imprisoned in the Blithe family’s dungeon?” “Answer my question first.” The man glanced at James. After a brief moment of hesitation, James said, “I’m the commander-in-chief of the Black
With a weary look on his face, the elderly man sighed, “I won’t live for much longer anyway. There’s no point in leaving this place where I’ve been imprisoned for decades.” James was stunned. To think that this man had been imprisoned here for decades… He took a seat too. The elderly man looked at James. Wearing a calm and composed look on his face, he asked, “Who are you? Where do you come from?” James looked at the man and told him honestly, “I’m a Caden, one of the Ancient Four.” “Oh, a Caden?” Stunned, the man stared at James. After a few seconds, he asked once more, “Who’s Bennett Caden to you?” James momentarily froze before shaking his head, “I’ve never heard of him.” “You don’t know about Bennett despite being a Caden?” “To be honest with you, there was an infighting among the Cadens thirty years ago, and my grandfather, Thomas Caden, was expelled from the family. Since I’m a descendant of Thomas, I don’t know much about the Cadens’ affairs.” “I see…” After
James was feeling stuffy. He could feel energy circulating inside his body as if it was on the verge of bursting forth. However, he fixed his gaze on Spencer, trying desperately to remember his every action and every word. In the dungeon… Spencer demonstrated all ten fists of the Blithe Fist of Abomination. Meanwhile, James, unable to withstand any longer, lost consciousness. After a long while, he regained consciousness. Then, he hurriedly stood up as if he was reminded of something. He swiftly walked over to Spencer. Spencer’s head was lowered, and he was sitting in a lotus position. “Master…” James called. However, Spencer remained silent. James approached him and gently pushed him, “What’s wrong, master?” The moment he pushed Spencer, however, he immediately collapsed to the ground. James froze. Then, he hurriedly took his pulse. “What?” James was stunned. Spencer’s heart was no longer beating. He had been dead for several hours. James knelt before Spencer