Tapio looked at his rapier in disbelief.He knew James was already an eighth-ranked grandmaster that had mastered the Thirteen Heavenly Swords and that he also possessed a strange martial art technique.Turning his eyes up, he stared at James.He noticed the golden light shimmering on the surface of James’ body.The light was something that had not existed before this.In the past, James had only turned into a bronze man.Now, it looked as if there were some sort of webbing made out of golden light that enveloped his body.He took a deep breath and tried to keep his cool. Then, he asked, “What kind of martial art technique are you using?”“That’s none of your business.”James glared at him coldly.He had to defeat his unknown enemy.Raising the Blade of Justice, he shouted, “Let’s continue.”“Do you think I’m afraid of you?”Although Tapio had been taken by surprise by James’ martial art technique, he was not intimidated by him.He was someone who had mastered the world’s

“You lost?”A surprised voice came from behind the curtain.The voice was alluring and had a magnetic charm to it. It sounded like it could have either come from a woman or a gentle-sounding man.“Tapio, you’ve already ascended the Third Stair of the Skyward Stairway and yet you still lost to James?”Tapio knelt on the ground with a frustrated and helpless expression clouding over his pale face.“I don’t know what kind of martial art James was practicing. Not only did his body suddenly take on a bronze sheen, but his defenses also increased exponentially. He had a sort of Energy Wall covering the surface of his body, and my sword could not penetrate it even after putting all my strength behind the strike. The Spiritual Palm could only damage him to the extent of coughing up blood.”He paused and continued as he selected his next words carefully. “Prolonging the fight would only be detrimental to us both. Your instructions were to test him and not kill him, so I admitted defeat.”

“Yeah.”Tapio said, “That person was the Celestial Sect’s leader. She wielded the Malevolent Sword, which was left by the Prince of Orchid Mountain in the Snow Caverns of Mount Thunder Sect.Hearing this, the person behind the curtain fell silent.After a while, the person spoke, “Alright, you don’t need to worry about her. I’ll personally deal with matters related to the Celestial Sect.”“Understood. I’ll take my leave now.”Tapio stood up and quickly left the mountains behind.…While Thea stalked Tapio, James had already driven a great distance.Half a day later, they returned to the Southern Plains.Southern Plains City, Black Dragon Palace.Although James did not stay in the Black Dragon Palace, it was his residence in the Southern Plains, and there were cleaners who regularly tidied up the place.In the living room, James looked at Delilah sitting opposite him and looked her in the eyes. “What happened when you were captured?”Delilah opened and closed her mouth for a

Judging from Thomas’ ability to access the Snow Cavern of Mount Thunder Sect easily, Thea was certain that Simon must have taught him the Spiritual Palm.Thea was perplexed by why Thomas taught her the Spiritual Art, knowing full well it was a wretched martial art technique.What exactly was Thomas’ motive?Thea had never doubted Thomas before because everything he had done in the past was for James’ sake.She wracked her brains but could not figure out why he would teach her Spiritual Art and why he reassured her that it was not evil.Thea recalled Thomas saying that there was no such thing as evil martial arts, only evil intentions.A person with a wicked heart would turn to the path of evil even while practicing righteous martial art techniques.These thoughts flashed through Thea’s mind.She took a deep breath and stopped thinking about it.Turning to James, she asked, “How did your body react to the palm attack?”James thought for a while and said, “There wasn’t much of

Graydon stood with a dazed look for a few seconds before the situation sunk in for him.He glanced at James and chortled haughtily, “Are you kidding me, James?”In response to Graydon’s incredulous statement, James let out a smug chuckle.He smiled brightly and said, “Henceforth, you’re no longer the deputy commander of the Red Flame Army.”“Haha…”This time, Graydon laughed in response.“James, have you not understood the situation yet? Although you’re the commander of the Red Flame Army, you’re just occupying an empty seat. Who can you command in the Red Flame Army? Which of these soldiers will listen to your orders? In the Capital, you no longer have the authority to enforce the law.”Graydon was well apprised of the situation in the Capital.The Capital had been divided into several factions.However, among these factions, none of them stood by James’ side.“You think too highly of yourself, James. Just because you’re the Dragon King and commander of the Red Flame Army, y