Hearing Andre's words, Felix asked, "And what if I had a way? One that guaranteed the royal family couldn't find me." Andre smiled. "If you really do, Shepherd and I will help you put on a show." Behind the wheel, Shepherd sighed. "Why drag me into this?" "Stop complaining! After this failed attempt, the royal family will contact you. Am I right?" Everyone in Martial City knew Shepherd valued profit above all else—at least to the ones in the car. Andre's words rang true."Fine. We'll put on a show. I'll be the good guy just for once," Shepherd agreed. Deborah smirked. Playing the good guy? He simply saw better odds backing Felix than the overbearing royal family.…In Imperial City, Zayn's face darkened as he hung up the phone. "Ean! Have you heard? The six masters of Transcendent Realm failed. It feels like a nightmare." Ean Palmer remained notably calmer, contemplating before speaking, "It seems Felix has multiple ways to save himself. Or perhaps Deborah arranged a hid
The fact that Aiden knew Felix's true identity was not surprising. Though he had been too young to remember Cordelia's face and status when Victor was alive, Meredith had known everything. Expecting panic from Felix, Aiden instead heard a calm telepathic response. "Really? Then, go tell the royal family. I'm right here in Imperial City. Let them come for me." Watching Felix enter the restaurant, Aiden clenched his fists before leaving."Did he think I'd be afraid?" Felix was not concerned. If Aiden meant to talk, he would have done so long before this encounter.It was obvious that Kevin had taken the Dragonspine from the Skeletal Demon for Aiden's sake. After all, Aiden had been searching for it in the capital. He must have missed Felix during that time when Felix was not around.Now, Aiden surely knew Felix had several Dragonspine pieces. He wouldn't tell the royal family about him. Because if Felix died, the Dragonspine would be lost forever.After eating, Felix entered th
As the moment approached, Felix signaled Shepherd, who sighed while stroking the steering wheel. "Ah, you've been with me for years. This time you probably won't even be fixable. Goodbye." His sudden betrayal would definitely destroy the car. He seemed to have a genuine attachment to it."Don't worry, I'll get you another one."Behind the Mercedes-Benz, four masters of Transcendent Realm followed. They were maintaining the maximum distance where they could see the G63 without being detected by its occupants. "Stay alert. We're far enough from Imperial City. They could act at any moment." The leader had barely finished speaking when a companion complained, "We should have thought to turn Shepherd earlier. We would have succeeded already.""Shut up! Focus on the task at hand."Suddenly, at the edge of their vision, the G63 exploded. They heard Andre's furious roar. "Shepherd! How dare you attack me?"The four immediately accelerated toward the scene."Felix! Run! Shepherd has
Felix was stunned. His casual conversation with Dickson had proven true. The person emerging from Corpse Town was none other than Dean.Back then, Dickson had joked that with such a high bounty and no trace of the Maximus family, there were only two possibilities. Either they had gone to the capital, or they had hidden in one of the Three Forbidden Lands.But how likely was the latter? Everyone in Martial City knew the Three Forbidden Lands were places of no return. Why would the entire Maximus family hide there?Yet, here was proof. Their elder—and only master of the Transcendence Realm—had appeared. What more evidence was needed?Seeing his enemy made Dean's blood boil. Once, he, the Grand Elder, and two masters of Transcendent Realm had worked together. But not only had they failed to capture Felix, but they also watched him survive the Echo Cavern—a place that should have meant certain death.Though hiding in Corpse Town, Dean occasionally ventured out in disguise. That was wh
Felix stroked his chin and began walking slowly in one direction. As he observed from this street, Corpse Town was clearly vast. He could not even see where it ended."What exactly are the dangers here?" Ophelia had only mentioned the correct order to enter the Three Forbidden Lands, saying nothing about what lay within. Perhaps she didn't know herself or believed following the sequence would keep Felix safe.But that didn't matter now. He was already inside.As he walked, a young waiter emerged from a building with a tavern sign, greeting Felix by asking, "Sir, would you like a room or a meal?"Felix studied him carefully with a frown before answering, "A meal."An ordinary person would have been terrified. That was because the waiter's feet hovered slightly off the ground, which was barely noticeable unless one looked closely. "Right this way, sir." Inside, the tavern buzzed with activity. Every table except one was filled with people laughing, drinking, and chatting merrily
As they lunged at him, Felix pulled out his harmonica and began to play. When he first saw the waiter, he suspected the waiter was one of the wraiths Billy had mentioned. Normal martial arts wouldn't work against them, so the harmonica was his best option. But to Felix's surprise, the harmonica's sound only briefly slowed these creatures before they resumed their attack. They were neither human nor ghost. Just as he was about to retreat and burn the memorial coins, a white flash exploded through the tavern, followed by waves of agonized screams. "Lumen?"Felix froze in amazement. The mysterious dagger he had absorbed into his soul in Echo Cavern, which he'd never managed to control, was now protecting him automatically. Its power was incredible. While the harmonica couldn't hold them back for moments, Lumen cleared the entire tavern in less than a breath.When Lumen returned to his soul, Felix felt a pull. He left the tavern and immediately drew in a sharp breath. The previ
As Felix turned to the next page, an overwhelming force emerged. He could not move. Though his body remained intact, he felt something draining away. "No! The book is absorbing my soul energy." Just as everything began to spin, something struck the book and stopped the drain. New text appeared on the second page. "Bearer of the Destiny Crystal, you are worthy to learn my techniques." The Destiny Crystal! Felix was stunned. Was this book alive? How could it detect the crystal in his soul? The pages turned themselves. By the final page, Felix felt his soul trembling, almost unable to process everything. His eyes snapped open to find the book back in the statue's hands. Everything felt dreamlike, but Felix knew it wasn't a dream. The Phaeron Codex was now imprinted in his soul, ready for him to practice at any time.Time passed as Felix sat in the ruined hall, his eyes gleaming with understanding. "So, Lumen belonged to this book's owner, too. Who were they? Why leave their leg
Both Dean and Atlas rushed forward excitedly. "Can you demonstrate the power now?" Tyler nodded. "Yes." Without another word, Dean left and returned with his palm open, holding blue powder. They had scraped it from their blue crystal using ancestral tools. The powder provided 30 minutes of protection from the creatures outside. Dean used it for supply runs. Otherwise, they would have starved.He had only brought his direct line and elites here, leaving the rest in Bedford at the family compound. Those people were expendable, so enemies wouldn't waste time killing them.At the entrance, Tyler walked out with the blue powder. Various wraiths wandered about and were easy to spot. The powder kept them from attacking Tyler.Taking a deep breath, he approached the nearest wraith and touched it with his right hand. Immediately, both became motionless.After about ten minutes, Tyler's lips curled into a smile. He withdrew his hand and commanded, "Down!" The wraith actually dropped