“Boom-”
Carter Langford’s voice thundered like a storm, shaking the very air. His roar, befitting an Adept Greater Sovereign, reverberated through the Four Seasons Hotel, setting off car alarms in the parking lot. The hotel’s glass walls trembled under the sheer force of his voice.
Layla and the others felt their hearts tighten, their world spinning as fear gripped them.
“What’s happening out front?”
“Carter Langford? Isn’t he the protector of the Langford family? I thought he had retired to a mountain in Slatin. But wait… what did he just say? Lord Valerian Nox?”
The crowd was stunned into silence. Their minds blanked out from the sheer impact of Carter’s voice, unable to process his words.
“The Langford family apologizes to Lord Valerian Nox!”
Another thunderous roar echoed, leaving everyone in shock. Faces turned pale, and disbelief filled the air.
“It really is Carter Langford! The Langford family’s guardian deity! And he’s come out of seclusion?”
“What?! Carter Langford? Apologizing? To Lord Valerian Nox?”
Cora Caldwell and the others were on the verge of losing their minds. The weight of that statement was overwhelming, each word carrying a sense of gravity and awe.
But it was the name “Lord Valerian Nox” that struck the deepest fear into their hearts.
This was the man who had singlehandedly defeated the half-demon Dario Bragg-a legend who seemed to appear out of nowhere, like a god descending to the mortal realm. In just one month, he had become a household name across the nation.
An Earthly Sovereign.
The youngest Martial God in the history of the cultivation world.
Vicente Clark, a figure once considered extraordinary and nearly worshipped, paled in comparison. Ten Vicente Clarks combined couldn’t match up to Lord Valerian Nox.
He had crossed the river on a bamboo raft, ascending to the peak of supremacy in a single step.
When faced with a dozen tornadoes bearing down on him, he raised his hand and annihilated them, obliterating Dario Bragg in the process. Not even ashes remained of his opponent.
In the end, he leapt gracefully, spanning three kilometers in a single bound to land on the opposite bank, like an immortal descending from the heavens.
The crowd had invited Madeline to the gathering to recount the tales of Lord Valerian Nox’s divine feats, hoping to catch a glimpse of his legendary charisma.
Never in their wildest dreams did they imagine that Lord Valerian Nox hadn’t returned to Niarak, but was instead in Slatin-at the Four Seasons Hotel.
Lord Valerian Nox was here.
The realization struck like lightning.
The crowd was dazed, as if dreaming. They were staying in the same hotel as Lord Valerian Nox.
What an honor!
An unparalleled honor!
But where was he?
Everyone scanned the area, desperate to locate him, wishing they could tear through every corner of the hotel to find him.
To see Lord Valerian Nox, even from afar, would be the highlight of their lives.
“My God! Look!”
Wayne, standing by the floor-to-ceiling observation window, shouted as he pointed outside.
A rush of people crowded around him.
Outside the hotel, an unbelievable sight unfolded-a sea of people knelt on the ground, dressed in immaculate suits.
The crowd stretched from the hotel entrance to the road, blocking traffic and spilling into Times Square across the street.
Thousands of cars were trapped in the traffic jam, yet not a single driver dared to complain. They stood by their vehicles, watching the spectacle with shock and awe etched across their faces.
Fifteen thousand people knelt in unison.
At the forefront were the Langford family members.
Behind them knelt their subordinates-over ten thousand of them.
The scene was meticulously organized, resembling a legion of ants paying homage. Some elders were carried on stretchers, and infants wrapped in swaddles were present as well.
Not a single member of the Langford family was absent.
The sheer reverence displayed was enough to leave anyone speechless.
Even in the presence of an emperor, such solemnity would have been rare.
The crowd watching from the upper floors of the hotel gasped in disbelief, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
Carter Langford, the backbone of the Langford family, a man who rarely appeared unless absolutely necessary-a towering figure in the martial world-was kneeling before the hotel.
An Adept Greater Sovereign!
A man so revered that even someone like Vicente Clark would treat him with utmost respect.
Yet here he was, kneeling with unwavering devotion etched on his face, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Everyone was losing their minds.
Even Cora Caldwell, who had witnessed countless grand spectacles, was left utterly dumbfounded by the scene.
But upon reflection, they realized Lord Valerian Nox was indeed worthy of such reverence. Who wouldn’t want to curry favor with the young Martial God?
From Slatin to Eahta, stories of Lord Valerian Nox’s divine feats echoed far and wide.
While there were other Earthly Sovereigns in Ostrad, none were as young as him.
He was one of a kind.
The idol of countless girls across Ostrad, including Cora Caldwell, who harbored secret admiration for him. She wouldn’t have attended this otherwise mundane gathering if not for her fascination with him.
Every girl present fantasized about Lord Valerian Nox.
Some even openly declared they’d settle for being his mistress if it meant being by his side.
As the crowd teetered on the edge of hysteria, Carter Langford’s voice erupted once again.
“My brother, Lawson Langford, offended Lord Valerian Nox. He deserves death! He is unworthy of an honorable funeral or a place in our ancestral tomb. I’ve ordered his body to be wrapped in straw and buried in an unmarked ditch in Northview!”
“As his elder brother, I failed to discipline him. I am guilty!”
“But I beg Lord Valerian Nox for a chance to atone. Grant me an audience!”
Carter Langford’s voice trembled with sincerity as he knelt, his head bowed low.
“We implore Lord Valerian Nox to forgive the Langford family!”
“Grant us one chance to make amends!”
Fifteen thousand voices rose in unison, shaking the heavens.
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
Under Carter Langford’s lead, the entire gathering kowtowed toward the Four Seasons Hotel, their foreheads striking the ground with such force that blood flowed freely.
Fifteen thousand people.
Among them were Grandmasters and even Great Grandmasters. The sheer weight of their collective presence and voices created a terrifyingly vast and oppressive aura.
The ground trembled. The Four Seasons Hotel quaked.
Everyone was losing their sanity.
Not only Cora Caldwell and her group but even the hotel staff and passersby felt their scalps tingle with fear.
Lawson Langford, Slatin’s underground king, a figure ten times more fearsome than Ronald of the Eight Extremities, was dead.
And from Carter’s words, it was clear that Lord Valerian Nox had killed him.
Paxton’s close associate, a man of unrivaled influence, was gone-just like that.
What could he have done to provoke such a fearsome god of death?
As Madeline stood to the side, she seized the opportunity to recount more tales of Lord Valerian Nox, eager to bask in the attention.
“What does Lord Valerian Nox look like? Is he handsome? Have you seen him before?” Cora asked eagerly.
Madeline smiled. “I haven’t seen him myself, but those who have say he’s as dazzling as jade, both talented and graceful, like a celestial being descended to Earth. Fierce as a dragon.”
The crowd collectively gasped.
Could someone truly be so perfect?
They could barely believe it. A man so unparalleled in martial prowess was also said to be devastatingly handsome. How could other men even compete?
For Layla, hearing such descriptions of Lord Valerian Nox only deepened her despair. Having witnessed his invincible aura at Swordgate Peak, she felt certain she could never be interested in another man again.
Yet she knew the gap between them was insurmountable.
Pain filled her heart.
Just as the room buzzed with fantasies about Lord Valerian Nox, the most shocking event yet unfolded.
“What the hell?! The Langford family is kowtowing their way into the hotel!”
Heads turned in disbelief as Carter Langford, leading his elders, began making their way inside, bowing with every step.
Flynn, who had been massaging Mabel to ease her headache, remained calm. In his heart, ensuring Mabel’s well-being was far more important than the Langford family groveling outside.
But Carter Langford’s desperation had reached its peak. Without a response from Lord Valerian Nox, he had no choice but to enter the hotel, step by step, bowing with every movement.
He would use the utmost sincerity to seek forgiveness.