The Blood Wolf crew came fast—and fled faster.The shadowy figures who’d appeared out of nowhere gave the man a respectful bow, then vanished just as quickly.Emptiness muttered, “Damn, that was one hell of an entrance. Who is this guy? Friend or foe?”No one else knew, but the moment Octavia saw the man, she’d started to tremble.Adrian studied him. “Thanks for the help. May I ask who you are?”The man grinned, running his gaze up and down Adrian without answering. “I’ve heard talk in the assassination world—about a young man who rose like a lightning strike. Shot from some harmless nobody on the boards to a top-level threat in record time. You caught my interest. When I heard you were in the Sun-Never-Sets, I came to meet you myself.”Adrian’s frown deepened.Before he could speak, Octavia stepped forward and bowed. “Honored Lord Kro, it’s a privilege to see you here.”So she knew exactly who he was.Under Adrian’s questioning look, Octavia explained, “I told you there are four top

On the side, Emptiness couldn’t resist stirring the pot. “Why don’t you both share a bed with Adrian? Saves us two rooms.”Before he finished, Adrian kicked him. “You monk, itching for a beating? Want me to put you down with one kick?”Emptiness clutched his rear and just cackled.Sandy and Octavia both looked a little embarrassed.They raised their eyes to Adrian in unison. “Adrian, who do you want to share with?”He laughed awkwardly, snatched the keys from the front desk, and walked straight into the elevator. “I’m taking my own room. You two split the rest.”With Adrian fleeing like that, the argument wasn’t worth continuing.Adrian slipped into his room, washed up, and sat cross-legged to cultivate.The other room, by contrast, buzzed.Sandy came out of the shower, glanced at Octavia sprawled on the bed in all her curves, then looked down at herself. “Octavia, what do you eat to keep that figure?”Octavia lifted her chest with a proud little hum. “Good genes. Honestly, I think I’

Purple Vine hesitated. “Palace Master, what do you think they’re here for? This doesn’t look friendly.”Loisa’s voice was cold. “Of course not. With that kind of momentum, they’re clearly planning to join forces and swallow my the Peak of Death whole.”Purple Vine blanched. “We assassins have always been bound by the peace treaty. They wouldn’t dare be this reckless, would they? Once they violate it, everyone will come down on them!”Loisa rose and dressed as she spoke. “The peace treaty? Ever since that person left, it’s been little more than a piece of paper. I just didn’t expect they’d pick the Peak of Death as their first target. Do they really think one of the four great assassin organizations is all bark and no bite?”She looked at Purple Vine. “I’m giving you three orders. First, mobilize every member of the Peak of Death. Full battle readiness—now. Second, send out distress signals to the allied groups nearby. Get them here fast. Third, request aid from the Ten Absolutes Sect’

Adrian smiled at the three beside him. “Same as you—broke through two minor realms in a row. Not bad at all.”They’d clearly expected it, so no one was surprised.Octavia eyed the little flower in his hand and gasped. “Adrian, what is that? It’s gorgeous!”Women were born helpless against anything that sparkled.“It’s an herb I need for a pill I’m planning to refine,” Adrian said. “Didn’t expect to get this lucky.”All four had made significant progress—meaning they now held far better odds of surviving whatever came next.They were still riding that high when Kro arrived in a rush with a crowd at his back.“Good grief, Mr. Doyle. You warned me in advance, sure, but I didn’t think your breakthroughs would make this much noise!”Several ice mountains had been shattered, melting into torrents that bled into the sea. The area was a wreck, as if someone had gone on a rampage.Catching their looks of awe, Adrian chuckled. “Where are you all headed? Why so many people?”At the mention of bu

A low rumble of engines rolled in from afar.A dozen warships cruised in, steady and slow.Just minutes earlier, Adrian had decided ships were too slow and switched to helicopters midway, leaving the main force to follow. They made it ahead of the fleet.“Over five thousand elite troops. Still feeling confident?”Hadis and the others exchanged looks—they hadn’t expected this curveball.Darkris still didn’t grasp how bad this was. “Five thousand or fifty thousand—doesn’t matter. Today, no matter who shows up, the victory is ours.”Kro rolled his neck. “Then let’s warm up. But a word of advice—don’t piss that kid off. Even I’m not his match. Provoking him is not a smart choice.”Even with the warning, Darkris and his crew clearly didn’t take Adrian seriously.Adrian’s face was stone. “Find someone else to fight. These five are mine. They die by my hand.”Emptiness and the others had no complaints.The battle erupted again.Darkris glared at Adrian, venom in his eyes. “Kid, you got a che