Chapter 400: Chapter 374: Pierce the Heavens

Dawn Miles wasn’t joking. The Martial World had only one rule for promotion: strength.

The strong could naturally assume the position of a Guardian and, four years later, attend the Guardian assembly to be promoted to a Regulator.

Serene glared at her, his face contorted with rage. "You’re not qualified for that position."

"Why not? As long as I defeat any of the Guardians, the position will be mine."

"The Martial World will never allow someone like you to exist."

Dawn Miles pressed her lips together, then suddenly asked, "Have I gone around smashing, looting, and stealing? Have I committed murder and arson?"

Serene was taken aback.

"Or have I secretly practiced an Evil Skill and betrayed my master?"

Serene finally recovered, his expression one of self-righteous indignation. "You’re a modified human. The Martial World will never allow your kind to destroy its balance."

A shadow passed over Dawn Miles’s eyes. "If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want this either."

"What do you mean?"

As if he’d suddenly realized something, Serene’s pupils constricted. He asked in disbelief, "You’re the descendant of a Super Soldier?"

"My grandfather was Professor Young."

Stunned, Serene looked her up and down, then suddenly flew into a rage. "No wonder Master Aerion deceived The Holy Mountain! He actually dared to shelter a remnant like you for all this time..."

At these words, Dawn Miles’s gaze grew cold. Suddenly, the tree branches beside her began to shake, the motion growing more and more violent. A flicker of fear appeared in Serene’s eyes, and his voice trembled as he spoke. "You... what are you trying to do?"

"Perhaps you’re right, Senior Brother." Dawn Miles’s voice was icy, devoid of all emotion.

Elias Lennox, who had been watching the drama unfold from the side, grinned. "The Holy Mountain is just a den of sanctimonious hypocrites these days."

"How dare you—"

Suddenly, a wave of powerful energy struck him.

SPURT...

Blood sprayed from his mouth.

Dawn Miles watched his body fly through the air and said coolly,

"Ever since I was a child, my master told me that The Holy Mountain represented the righteous path of Martial Cultivation, the faith of everyone in The Martial World. But now, it can’t even tolerate a single orphan girl. Since the heavens will not have me, then I shall tear the heavens down!"

***

「The Arctic Summit, blanketed in white snow.」

An utter silence reigned, so profound that even birds flew by without a sound.

A figure, the same color as the world around it, seemed to let out a sigh.

But at the foot of the mountain, beasts fled, birds took flight in alarm, trees swayed, and the very earth trembled.

Two figures opened their eyes simultaneously, then shot toward the incomparably sacred ice mountain.

Before they could get close, however, the sound of a feeble, ancient cough stopped them in their tracks.

Startled, the two immediately performed a respectful Ancient Martial Ceremony and said in unison, "Lord Martial God."

Their voices were deep and resonant, echoing endlessly.

But the presence on the mountain gradually calmed, as if a sleeping giant had merely sneezed.

The two slowly rose to their feet. After exchanging a solemn glance, they shot away from the mountain.

They didn’t stop until they reached the edge of a frozen lake.

Suddenly, a wind gusted, whipping their robes about them. The sound of cracking ice traveled from the distance, growing ever closer.

A crack shot like lightning across the ice between them. Immediately after, two walls of ice erupted into the air behind them and slammed violently into one another.

A shower of crystalline ice rained down, forming a rainbow in the sunlight.

"Hahaha... Senior Brother, your power has grown yet again." The man in blue raised a hand in congratulations.

The man in green opposite him returned a faint smile. "Decades have passed, and you, Junior Brother, have also entered the Demigod Realm. Becoming a Martial God is now within your grasp."

The man in blue shook his head slightly. "I am not even a fraction of your equal, Senior Brother. Are you about to enter The Holy Land for your Martial Cultivation?"

A faint smile finally broke through the man in green’s stoic expression. "In another twenty years."

"Then allow me to congratulate you in advance on your ascension to godhood, Senior Brother." The man in blue smiled, clasping his fist in a salute.

The man in green returned the salute and replied kindly, "Junior Brother, if you involve yourself less in worldly affairs and focus on your Martial Cultivation, you too will soon enter The Holy Land."

But the man in blue just smiled. "My talent is no match for yours, Senior Brother. It’s only right that you become Master’s heir. It is enough for me to guard this world on behalf of our Winslow Family..."

But the man in green’s brow furrowed slightly as he replied in disagreement,

"Junior Brother, this world belongs to all people, not just The Winslow Clan. Besides, before he went into seclusion, Master taught us that his heir would not be from the Winslows. He told us only to guard our conviction and focus on our Martial Cultivation, and we would achieve success."

The man in blue’s expression stiffened for a moment before he smiled. "I will heed your teachings, Senior Brother."

The man in green gave him another suspicious look. "Junior Brother, in the decades I have been in seclusion, has anything major happened in the outside world?"

"Nothing of note. Do you have any other instructions, Senior Brother?"

"No, nothing. I am returning now." The man in green shook his head.

"Farewell, Senior Brother." The man in blue clasped his fist again, bowing slightly in a salute.

"Focus on your Martial Cultivation..."

After the man in green was gone, the smile on the blue-robed man’s face slowly faded, replaced by a strange look in his eyes.

He shot off toward a cave dwelling.

Inside the cave, three people were seated in meditation.

They were deep in their Martial Cultivation. Sensing his arrival, they abruptly opened their eyes, rose, and knelt on the ground before the man in blue.

"Master..."

"What is the situation outside?"

"We have dispatched Intermediate Regulators and Basic Supervisors to eliminate all the rebels."

"Good. Did you see any exceptionally talented children while you were out?"

"We have not seen any yet."

Though the man in blue’s face remained expressionless, inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief. "Continue your Martial Cultivation."

***

「Meanwhile.」

The man in green couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d seen a faint black aura around his junior brother. This was a major taboo in Martial Cultivation, a sign of an unstable mind on the verge of giving rise to a Heart Demon.

"Alaric..."

"Master..."

An elegant young man in white robes walked in from outside.

His features were as if drawn from a painting, his grace as subtle as mist. He exuded a cool, detached air, like a celestial being, inspiring awe and making others dare only to watch from afar, lest they profane his presence.

He was the most talented Martial Artist in The Winslow Clan. At only thirty-five years of age, his power had already reached the realm of Great Martial Venerable.

"Have any of you left The Holy Mountain recently?"

Alaric Winslow shook his head. "We have been diligently following your teachings, Master. We have not taken a single step outside The Holy Mountain."

"You haven’t left The Holy Mountain?"

"No..."

The man in green paused. He studied him for a long moment before finally sighing.

"I am about to enter seclusion, and I feel a sense of unease..."

"I’ll get one of my junior brothers."

Alaric Winslow turned expressionlessly. He had taken only two steps before the man behind him called him back.

"Come back, you unworthy disciple."

Alaric Winslow stopped, a hint of impatience in his brow as he turned and walked back.

The man in green looked at him with amusement. "This matter is of the utmost importance. I can only entrust you to leave the mountain for this."

"My junior brother could also..."

"He is not as steady as you. This is a secret of The Holy Mountain, and you are the one I trust most."

Alaric Winslow pursed his lips. "Is it troublesome?"

"Not at all. You just need to discreetly find an exceptionally talented child in the outside world and bring them to The Holy Mountain."

"What counts as exceptionally talented?"

"When did you become a Martial King?"

Alaric Winslow thought for a moment, as if calculating his age, before replying, "Twenty-two."

"Then find a child who becomes a Martial King at an even younger age than you did. And remember, do not let your Martial Uncle’s people find out..."

Alaric Winslow’s brow furrowed even more deeply. He stared at the man in green for a long moment before asking, a hint of emotion in his voice, "Is this some illegitimate child you left behind in the outside world?"

The man in green froze, then suddenly snatched a handful of snow and threw it at him.

"Get going! And don’t come back until you find them!"