"As the deputy chief of Harmony Clinic, I, Dickson Marlow, will not walk back on my promise," Dickson swore.The Maximus family members chortled at his reply.They knew for a fact that Atlas was an early-stage Transcendent Realm martial artist. On the other hand, Felix was just a martial artist in the Physical Refinement Realm. The outcome was already obvious.The Maximus family would prefer to bring Felix with them without laying a finger on him. After all, it wasn't their intention to offend those from Harmony Clinic, as that would mean insulting most alchemists in the industry. That might impede the growth of the Maximus family members in martial arts.Dickson's prior analysis was on point—even if he got into a fight with the Maximus family, they wouldn't kill him. The most they would do was to paralyze him so they could take Felix.If they killed Dickson, they would get into huge trouble with Harmony Clinic."Do you agree with that, Felix?" Dickson seemed exasperated after
Inside the black smog was a perilous situation. The black mist seemed alive, stretching out countless tentacles that charged at Felix."Dancing Dragon!" Felix let out another command.The battle raged inside the smog. But outside, Atlas stood with his arms crossed and a faint smile on his lips."Mr. Marlow, don't worry. I have it under control. I won't kill him."Although he didn't receive a response from Dickson, it didn't dampen Atlas' confidence in winning the battle.This was his most powerful technique. When Obsidian Sky was unleashed, even an early-stage Transcendent Realm practitioner of the same level would suffer defeat on the spot. Middle-stage Transcendent practitioners would struggle to defend against it. As for Felix, so what if he had trained in the Dragon Destroyer technique? The Maximus family was a formidable force among martial artists.Suddenly, they heard a soft sound as a gap appeared in the black smog. Something surged out from inside.Atlas' expression c
The battle was raging on the other side, but Felix was not having it easy either.Five elders from the Maximus family had arrived after him. Two of them, at the late-stage of the Transcendent Realm, teamed up to fight Dickson, while the other three, at the middle-stage of the Transcendent Realm, launched an attack on Felix."You guys really have no shame. You're two realms above me, and still, you gang up on me three-to-one!" Felix had launched his Lone Paragon technique and was struggling to keep up."Just shut up. Your fate is sealed," one of them sneered.They didn't even acknowledge Felix's victory from the earlier fight, so why would they care about the ethics of ganging up on him?A few minutes later, Dickson was injured from the fight, while Felix was still desperately holding on. The fact that Felix was still in the fight alarmed the three middle-stage Transcendent Realm elders from the Maximus family.They thought, "Damn it, what's going on with this kid? Even if he laun
"I feel so miserable—"The same sound echoed again. Another elder from the Maximus family fell victim—his heart ripped out on the spot with no resistance from him whatsoever.This time, due to the different angle, Felix and Dickson both saw the terrifying figure. It was a woman dressed in a filthy, tattered white dress. Her hair was a wild mess, and her face barely visible."Let's go!"The remaining four members of the Maximus family hesitated for a moment but immediately chose to flee. This was simply too bizarre. The mysterious woman appeared all of a sudden and had already killed two of their elders with no visible techniques or essence. Their morale was utterly crushed."I feel so miserable—"The four words were like a death sentence. As the Maximus family members fled in fear, even Felix and Dickson quickly turned around, readying their defenses.But behind them was no trace of the strange woman. Instead, a scream echoed from a distance—another Maximus elder had his hea
One of the old men spoke up. Everyone, including Delilah, turned to look. Only then did they realize he was the oldest among them."When I was young, I once followed our family's founder to witness Yusri Maximus in action."Yusri Maximus? The founder of the Maximus family, the only one to have reached the Grandmaster Realm?"You all should know that Grandmaster Realm warriors are considered the pinnacle of martial artists because, upon reaching that realm, they can cultivate a power known as a domain."Delilah nodded. "That's common knowledge, but the problem is, no one really knows what a domain looks like because no one has ever seen one."The old man gestured at the bodies of the three Maximus elders."What you just witnessed might have been a domain, though not exactly so. It's similar to what Yusri had exhibited. "In a domain, a Grandmaster Realm martial artist is absolutely invincible. No matter your realm, once trapped inside a domain, you're no different from an ordinar
One of the Maximus family's elders said, "It doesn't matter who she is. The mission failed. Unless Dean takes action himself the next time, no one from the family will make another move for a long time.""Exactly. And we still have to worry about whether Delilah or Harmony Clinic will come knocking on our door for an explanation. Let's just forget about that terrifying woman."In truth, there was one thought Atlas hadn't shared—those who died were the ones who attacked Felix. Could that woman have been Felix's ally? But he refused to consider that possibility, as admitting it would mean that there was no hope left for them.…Meanwhile, Dickson and Felix slowed their pace. Dickson, for one, felt like he'd narrowly escaped death."I've faced countless life-and-death situations, but never before have I experienced true despair. That woman managed to make me feel it."Wiping the sweat off his brow, Dickson couldn't help but shudder. Although the dead were all middle-stage Transc
Felix turned around. A Mercedes-Benz SUV had pulled up behind him, honking incessantly.Felix couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. This wasn't some bustling metropolis with proper roads, traffic lights, or strict rules. It was open terrain, with no boundaries or designated lanes to worry about. Martial City's flat ground made for smooth travel without much risk of bumps.The driver was clearly picking a fight on purpose. "Hey, kid! What are you staring at? Never seen such a nice car? Get out of the way!"The car door opened, and a young man stepped out. He pointed rudely at Felix."The road's wide enough. I've already moved over. What more do you want?" Felix replied coolly.The young man's expression darkened with anger. "What the hell? Are you trying to teach me how to behave? Do you even know who's sitting in this car? The disciple of Harmony Clinic's chief steward is in the backseat! How dare you disrespect us?"The Chief Steward? That was a rank higher than Nellie and
Someone piped up, "Huh? Johnny, look over there. That's the idiot who blocked our way before standing next to Barry! Birds of a feather, huh? No wonder they're friends. Haha!"The man named Johnny was an extremely composed and handsome young man. He didn't respond at all and continued walking. Beside him was a stunningly beautiful woman with an air of nobility and a disdainful look in her eyes."You're right. Just compare our status to theirs. Even talking to them will tarnish our dignity. Let's go."Once the trio left, Felix asked Barry, "Do you have a grudge against them?"Barry gave a bitter smile. "Not really. I would never provoke them. During the last Intermediate Alchemy Assessment, that guy tripped when he was coming up the mountain, probably because he was distracted. "I laughed at him just like everyone else did. Ever since then, he's held a grudge. He picks on me whenever he gets the chance."He added nervously, "By the way, take my experience as a lesson—we can't a