The Valor kingdom was situated to the north of the Zyroth continent, close to the ocean which brought about trading as a source of income and fishing as a leisure activity.
This was also the main reason why the Valor kingdom was in peril this time. If it was just a sixth tier beast invasion, the king of the Valor kingdom might have been able to suppress the leader of the demon beast invasion by himself with much difficulty.
But against demon beasts that live in the water and have adapted to survival on land as well, the demon beasts were able to utilise their natural affinity with water in the battle while human cultivators were fighting on foreign terrain.
The war was unfair to begin with, but it was an ordeal the Valor kingdom had to survive through in order to continue its legacy. Yet, what brings about the fall of kingdoms aren't external threats, but internal conspiracies and conflicts.
On one of the uninhibited floating islands near the Valor kingdom, a man who was draped in a black robe was leaning against the tree while sitting on its branch. His eyes were dark but with purpose, his face was hidden but charming, his body was slim but developed.
Pulling down the black mask he was wearing, he bit down on the apple. The juicy sensation felt refreshing as his hair swayed with the gentle breeze. "I wonder how the humans will deal with the eight beast invasions at once.���
The man murmured to himself, his darkened eyes full of clarity for a brief moment, but with another crunch sound as his teeth sunk into the juicy apple, his eyes darkened again as energy surged within his body.
*In the Moss Forest that leads straight to the Valor kingdom due north of the Nirvana sect*
"Sect master, I sense hostile intent coming from about two miles east." Jay warned Ace before vanishing into the shadows again. With his strength, the wiser option would be concealing himself so that he doesn't face the need to participate in this war which he can end in a flash.
It wasn't just training for the Nirvana sect, but also preparation for war in the future. Jay might not have told anyone, but he himself knew that the truth wasn't as simple as it seems on the surface, the eight demon beasts invasions now weren't just of an increased scale, but a major conspiracy.
Nodding his head, Ace whispered towards Clarissa who was beside him, "Clarissa, help me to lead the sect while I settle some bandits that have their sights set on us."
"Make it quick." Clarissa replied unwillingly, but still took on the job as Ace left with a smile on his face.
Why am I always the one with the duties?
"Clarissa, do you think that our sect master has been charmed by your beauty?" Arith teased from the side, shunning away when he received the sharp gaze from Clarissa.
"Even if he doesn't have Charlotte, there's no way I would fall in love with such a young boy who hasn't even developed down there yet!" Clarissa rebutted grumply as she folded her arms beneath her chest, forcing Arith to avert his gaze before any inappropriate thought surface.
"Then what type of man do you like?" Arith asked after a few moments seeing that the journey was still long and that it would be boring to remain silent for the next few hours.
"I like a man who's mature and has the ability to protect me, he doesn't need to have the best looks, but he can't be too bad looking either, he should also…"
After a few minutes, Clarissa ended her requirements as Arith just stared at her, are you trying to be single for the rest of your life?
How are you going to find such a perfect man?
*The bandits*
"Do you think that we should attack that group over there or the group just behind us?" One of the bandits asked his comrade who was fiddling with his iron dagger.
"Of course it's those behind us, just look at that carriage, the amount of riches or important figures that they're escorting will reap up a fortune." The man fiddling with his dagger replied coldly with a sly smile.
"After that, we can spend the rest of our lives doing whatever we want, it's been some time since we went to the brothel and I'm already beginning to miss Lucy." Another bandit fantasized about the expected future and made up a suggestion while the others joined in.
"We can even enjoy the delicacies all around the world, just imagine a table of meat!" Another fatty laughed and added on.
*Swoosh*
"Just a bunch of late stage Martial Apprentices and a peak stage Martial Apprentice and you're being this arrogant, shouldn't you be thinking of how to escape after intending to attack me and my disciples?"
Ace appeared from behind the trees after eavesdropping on their conversation, judging from their tone, this wasn't the first time and it definitely wouldn't be the last.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" The bandit who was the first one to propose a suggestion questioned menacingly as he took out his iron sword and slashed towards Ace without any hesitation.
"Too slow." Ace commented coldly as he parried the attack with his sword and followed with a jump slash from above.
"Fourth brother!"
"Steven!"
The bandits cried out as Ace's attack divided the bandit's body into two, blood splattering all over the ground as he leaped backwards gracefully.
Even though he has only awakened the sixth layer of the Foundation tower, one has to know that the amplification effects for him exceed that of anyone else considering the progress he made in the Body Tempering realm.
Since the effects were amplified and stacked above each other, his combat strength right now even without his sword intent was more than that of a middle stage Martial Apprentice realm.
"What the hell do you want with us?"
"Didn't we already decide not to attack you guys?"
"Why the hell are you wasting your breath on someone who's going to be dead the next moment?" The bandit who was fiddling with his dagger raised his voice in fury as he dashed towards Ace, stabbing towards Ace with his dagger.
"Scumbags like you should just be dead." Ace judged their decisions as he evaded the attack by sliding to the right.
"Imbalanced Harmony!"
*Swoosh*
Ace slashed in a wide arc all around him as the bandits exploded at once while the cold kept their body intact without a single drop of blood splattering.
Why am I able to kill them so mercilessly? It's as though as if killing was in my veins, in my blood, in my heart. Slaughtering feels like a part of me, a job bestowed onto me by the…
"Argh!"
"Ace!" Charlotte rushed out and helped Ace up from the ground, her face perplexed with worry?
"What's going on? Weren't you fine after killing them?" Charlotte asked worriedly as she supported Ace up.
His face was pale and his breathing was rushed, it was difficult to breathe, but he still quickly composed himself.
Damn it, to think that I almost gave in to my heart demon.
Heart demon, an obstacle that every cultivator must face at one point of their cultivation. If a cultivator falls to it, then it would lead to their demise. If a cultivator survives through it, it would be countless benefits that await.
"Charlotte, do you remember what the master said about the sword realm after the sword intent?" Ace's sudden question surprised Charlotte, but she still replied honestly.
"Mhm, he once mentioned that after the sword intent, one would be able to cultivate the sword law."
"I feel that I'm already arriving at that sword realm."
"What?"
Ace's words greatly shocked Charlotte who had just gained control on releasing her sword intent externally.
"And I thought that I was already nearing you in terms of our comprehension of the sword." Charlotte turned her face away and pouted her cheeks, but still helped Ace up as he took a deep breath to regain his composure.
"Still, you do know that I cultivate the fire and ice elements. But just now, the sword law that I truly grasped was that of slaughtering, not just any living being, but those who have committed unforgivable sins. It felt like my duty was to condemn them to death." Ace explained as Jay appeared before him.
"It seems that you've awakened the slaughter intent, one of the three sword laws that can only be comprehended by those who have been blessed by the swords. The slaughter law was merciless and its strength is unmatched by any other sword laws except the other two, but lose yourself and you'll be nothing but a killing machine."
Jay cautioned as he held his sword in hand and infused his sword law into it, "What I cultivate is the Chaos law, one of the laws that is of the equal rank compared to the slaughter law. As for the third sword law, it's the stellar law that utilises the strength of the stars, a law of faith and belief that has no limits without any danger."
"I understand." Ace replied as he took a deep breath and followed Jay who led them back to the sect.
Yet after they left, a man came across the dead bodies as his eyes turned red, his killing intent enveloping the whole area as he screamed at the top of his voice, "Who in the world killed my sons!"