"Lord Huosi, I didn't know you were coming to Haide Province. I failed to welcome you properly. Please forgive me."
Ryan's expression was grim. He stared at the three people before him, but still forced himself to clasp his hands and bow to Huosi.
On the Qingya Continent, god-level powerhouses were the true Sovereigns of the continent. Even though he served Lingester, a god-level powerhouse, he was still expected to show other gods basic respect.
Even though Huosi had come straight to his family's doorstep with men to kill them, Ryan could only put up with it. Huosi was a god, while he was merely in the Saint Realm.
"Ryan, your family's people are pretty arrogant. They don't even take me seriously anymore."
Huosi didn't look Ryan in the eye as he spoke in an even tone.
"Lord Huosi, you are a god-level powerhouse. How could our family dare not take you seriously? But you've come here without any reason. I'm afraid Lord Lingester won't approve."
Ryan's expression was grim. He had no choice but to use Lingester's name to intimidate Huosi.
"Don't try to use Lingester to pressure me. I came here today, so I don't care what Lingester thinks!"
Huosi shot Ryan a sidelong glance, not taking Lingester seriously in the least.
"Lord Huosi, may I ask how our family offended you? If this is about Adkins, that matter should have been settled already. The other lords know about it, too."
Ryan brought up the other god-level powerhouses, trying to use their pact to pressure Huosi.
"Ryan, what do you think you are, questioning Lord Huosi!"
This time, Huosi didn't respond. Adkins snapped at Ryan instead.
In his eyes, a nobody like Ryan had no right to question his lord. He deserved to die.
"Adkins, don't tell me you think breaking through to the Saint Realm means you can take me on. How naïve!"
Ryan shot back at Adkins, while quietly watching Huosi's expression.
"Oh? You seem to think you're pretty strong. Want me to shatter that illusion?"
Adkins spoke with a hint of amusement.
"Hmph! You think you're worthy of fighting me?"
Ryan glared at Adkins with a dark expression. As a veteran Saint Realm powerhouse, he had always looked down on young, arrogant brats like Adkins.
If he'd run into Adkins somewhere else, his temper would have driven him to attack already.
But now, he could only watch Huosi's expression carefully and wait for Lingester to arrive.
The commotion here was considerable. He believed Lord Lingester would surely come to save him.
"From the look of you, you're trying to buy time while you wait for Lingester to save you?"
Huosi gave Ryan a casual glance and spoke offhandedly.
"You don't need to stall. I've already notified Lingester. This matter will be settled today. I'm not going to bully someone weaker than me. Adkins, go do what you need to do."
Huosi didn't even look at Ryan as he spoke directly to Adkins.
"Yes, Lord Huosi!"
Adkins answered respectfully, then turned to face Ryan, his expression composed.
"You notified Lord Lingester? Could it be that Lord Huosi intends to fight him?"
Ryan's eyes widened. It had been many years since god-level powerhouses had fought each other.
And judging by Lord Huosi's manner, it seemed this matter wouldn't be settled easily. Could he be planning a fight to the death with Lord Lingester?
Ryan opened his mouth, then closed it again. In the end, he could only stare silently at Adkins as the battle aura in his body surged wildly. A purple spear appeared in his hand.
Whatever Huosi intended to do, it was beyond Ryan's control. All he could do now was fight Adkins.
"Ryan, today you'll pay for the debt you owe!"
Adkins's eyes flashed as a golden-glowing dagger appeared in his hand.
"Whoosh!"
The next moment, both men vanished. Neither Bernas nor Huosi reacted in time.
A brat who's been in the Saint Realm for only two years dares to attack me!
Ryan cursed inwardly, but his hands didn't slow.
Lightning crackled around the purple spearpoint as it shot toward Adkins's head at tremendous speed.
Yet faced with this seemingly powerful attack, Adkins didn't even blink. He simply raised his dagger and casually blocked it.
"Clang!"
The purple energy met a flash of golden light, then stopped dead, unable to advance any farther.
"How is this possible!"
Ryan could hardly believe it. To defeat his opponent quickly, he hadn't held back at all. He'd used his ultimate move.
Even someone at the Saint Realm Mid-Stage shouldn't have been able to block his ultimate move so easily. Unless...
"You're at the Saint Realm Peak?"
Ryan asked in disbelief. Though he phrased it as a question, he was certain of the answer.
Among those in the Saint Realm, only someone at the Saint Realm Peak could so easily block that move.
"How can this guy be so strong!"
Ryan's expression changed drastically. He yanked back his spear and retreated at speed.
Now, he no longer wanted to fight. He only wanted to wait for Lord Lingester to arrive and see justice done.
Once his lord arrived, Adkins wouldn't be able to keep attacking.
"You're really weak."
Adkins didn't answer Ryan directly. He simply watched him calmly, then flashed with golden light.
"Not good!"
Ryan retreated with all his might, barely dodging a fatal blow. A severed arm fell from the sky.
"Damn it!"
Ryan had no time to think about anything else. He could only retreat faster. He'd never imagined that a man who had broken through to the Saint Realm less than two years ago—and whom he'd assumed was only at the Saint Realm Early-Stage—could actually be at the Saint Realm Peak.
"Running? You're not getting away today!"
Adkins became a streak of golden light and charged straight at Ryan.
"You!"
Ryan barely managed to utter a single word before he felt his throat being slit.
In the final moments of his life, Ryan saw his own body, its head now gone.
Without a treasure like a Life Source Pearl, a Saint Realm powerhouse who suffered a fatal wound had no chance but to die.
"I finally did it."
Adkins put away his weapon. His hands trembled slightly, and it took a deep breath before it calmed down.
"Young master, you did it."
Bernas grabbed Adkins by the shoulder. He said nothing more.
After all the years they'd walked through life and death together, they were master and servant, but also like grandfather and grandson. Only they could understand what the other was feeling now.
The carefree days of childhood, the upheaval of youth and endless pursuit, being saved by their lord in middle age—and now, he had reached the Saint Realm Peak and successfully taken his revenge.
The next second, Adkins felt his understanding deepen further, and he reached the Saint Realm Limit.
It looks like I need to hurry up and become a god. Only then can I help my lord win the battles ahead.
Adkins settled his emotions and silently considered this.
"All right, you two, step back."
A moment later, Huosi calmly looked toward the sky in the distance and spoke.
"Yes, my lord."
Adkins and Bernas both realized what was coming and quickly retreated. They knew the fight about to begin was beyond the two of them.
The next second, a streak of fiery red light came to a halt in midair. A red-haired man stared at Huosi, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Huosi, what does this mean!"
Lingester hadn't been this angry in a long time. It was the first time since he'd established his Empire.
He'd been cultivating in seclusion as usual when he suddenly received a divine message from Huosi, saying the Ryan Family had offended him and he intended to wipe them out.
Lingester had exploded with rage. Ryan was an old subordinate who had followed him for years and made many contributions. How could Huosi just decide to kill him?
Besides, if the Ryan Family were wiped out, where would that leave Lingester's face? Or the Empire's?
"Isn't it obvious? I'm simply going to wipe out the Ryan Family."
Huosi replied evenly.
"Don't you know Ryan is my subordinate? What gives you the right to attack him? What do you take me for?"
Lingester's hair burst into flame as he demanded furiously.
"Take a look at this."
Huosi calmly took out a tablet and started playing a video.
"This is..."
God-level powerhouses could see extremely far into the distance, so Lingester naturally saw the video clearly at a glance.
His expression shifted again and again, eventually turning dark.
After a long while, he had more or less understood what had happened and what the Ryan Family had done.
"Even if the Ryan Family did something they shouldn't have, you shouldn't have handled it this way. You've shown me no respect. You could've come to me, and I would have made them apologize."
After thinking it over, Lingester spoke in a low voice.
"Show you respect? What makes you think you deserve any?" Huosi shot back without a care.
"Huosi, I won't make things difficult for you. Hand over the two Saints behind you, and we'll call it even. Otherwise, you're not leaving today."
As he spoke, Lingester took out a crimson longsword, making it clear that if Huosi refused, they would have to fight.
The Ryan Family had provoked Huosi first, and if Huosi had demanded an apology, Lingester would have agreed.
But Huosi had let his subordinates kill them without getting Lingester's permission. Asking only for those two men was already showing Huosi more than enough respect.
"Why bother? Isn't it better to stay alive?"
Huosi shook his head slightly, then looked into the distance.
"You should all have seen what happened. I, Huosi, don't pick fights, but I'm not afraid of them either. Today, Lingester and I will settle who is stronger—and decide who lives and dies. You won't interfere if I kill him, will you?"
Several divine senses had been probing them since the start. Clearly, they belonged to the other god-level powerhouses.
After all, there hadn't been a battle between gods on the Qingya Continent for many years. The others were bound to pay attention once Huosi and Lingester fought.
"Arrogant! You think you can kill me?"
Lingester erupted in fury. As a fire-element Lowgod, he already had a bad temper. The moment he heard Huosi say he would kill him, he charged forward.
"Why don't you try?"
Huosi spoke calmly. A layer of earth-yellow armor appeared on both his arms, directly blocking the crimson sword beams.
The next moment, the crimson sword beams split apart in midair and turned into dozens of attacks that all shot toward Huosi at once.
Huosi watched calmly as the Interstellar Battle Armor activated instantly. He charged toward Lingester's true body, taking the attacks head-on.
"Looking for death!"
Lingester nearly laughed from anger. Huosi neither dodged his attacks nor used a technique to counter them. Instead, he was charging straight at him and taking them with his body. So what if Earth Element defenses were relatively strong?
But the next second, Lingester's eyes widened. His attacks struck Huosi like waves, then vanished without a trace.
Huosi was charging straight at him, seemingly unaffected.
"How is this possible?"
Before Lingester could think further, Huosi's fist came crashing down. Lingester hurriedly raised his sword to meet it.
"You have no idea what true strength is!"
Huosi's tone remained calm as he gripped the blade of the divine weapon with one hand.
"You bastard!"
Half furious and half terrified, Lingester exerted all his strength. The blade released streaks of red light that turned into tendrils and wrapped around Huosi's body.
But as soon as the tendrils appeared, Huosi raised his other hand and sent two balls of light flying. They instantly shattered every tendril.
Huosi held the divine weapon's blade fast. No matter how hard Lingester strained, it wouldn't move.
"Too fragile."
Huosi shook his head slightly, then suddenly exerted force with his right hand and snapped the sword in half.
"This... This... How is this possible?"
Lingester stared blankly, unable to believe what he was seeing.
He'd obtained this divine weapon by chance when he was at level seven. It had been with him for years and had never failed him.
Even when he fought the divine beasts of the Dragon God Forest, the sword had never been damaged.
"Run!"
Although he didn't know why Huosi had suddenly become so powerful, this clearly wasn't the time to find out.
Lingester couldn't think about anything else. All he wanted now was to escape. What good was saving face if he lost his life?
But the next second, Lingester realized in terror that he couldn't get away. His legs had somehow been bound by something.
"The moment you appeared here, you were already destined to be unable to escape."
Two earth-yellow arms emerged from Huosi's body and clamped tightly around Lingester's legs. Then he pulled Lingester back toward him.
"No, please, Huosi, I..."
Lingester immediately shouted, but Huosi cut him off before he could finish.
"The continent has been peaceful for too long. It's time to throw a bomb into the mix. Today, a god falls here!"
Huosi's voice remained calm, yet it carried across the surrounding area. Even people tens of millions of miles away heard it.
This time, his voice was infused with immense divine power that spread outward. Most of the people throughout the province heard him.
They didn't know whose voice it was, but they heard someone say that a god had fallen.
In the Linggeste Empire, there was only one god: the Empire's founding emperor, Lingester.
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