Ch 864 - News Travels Fast

"Ooh, yes! I'd love a dragon," Verity shouted excitedly, clapping her hands.

An angry roar came from the Dark River, followed by a massive dragon with snow-white scales and a head as big as a house. As it exited the river, it glared at them all. Clouds gathered around it, as if its power was a magnet that drew them in. Even standing some distance away, everyone could feel its power.

But Alex didn't care. He reached out his hand and said, "Come here."

His genuine essence, combined with his physical strength, increased exponentially, and then he reached out and grabbed the dragon.

The water dragon was enraged and let out an earth-shattering roar. It had been attacked before and occasionally breathed out some core energy just to make people go away. But it had never met anyone like Alex.

The thirty miles of river started to boil, and the tide surged like an ocean. The water dragon took control of the surges using its elemental water force, and each one turned into another furious dragon. With a fierce struggle, the water dragon broke free from Alex. From the surface of the river, the other dragons that had been created shot up into the sky and attacked.

Alex took a step forward and held up his hand. The natural energy that had been circling around him gathered, and then he reached out and grabbed the water dragon again.

By now, his hand had grown so large that even the monstrously huge water dragon appeared tiny next to his palm.

No matter how hard the water dragon struggled, it couldn't break free. It could only wriggle helplessly as Alex cast a sealing spell on the dragon's body. He pressed it into a little dragon of only ten feet, and then he stored it in his magic storage space.

No one could quite believe what they had just seen.

Fern mumbled, "That is true invincibility."

**

Alex had entered the divine realm and then returned to the innate realm. He had easily gotten the better of seven warriors and had imprisoned Valentina. Now, with a wave of his arm, he had broken through the river and bested the water dragon, showing how invincible he really was.

Those in the divine realm were shaken by the news, which swept across the realm like a hurricane. There was a lot of animated discussion among the sects.

"Who is The Great One?"

"I heard that he's only twenty years old. It must be a myth. Even Kaden wasn't as powerful at that age."

"He's too strong. He even tamed a thousand-year-old water dragon and used it as a pet. He's a madman, but a very clever one. We won't see his equal for another thousand years."

"Power like his has never been seen in the divine realm, particularly not in such a young Earth immortal. It's truly terrifying."

"Just this battle alone is enough for the Great One to be ranked highly. He clearly stands shoulder to shoulder with the masters of the great sects."

The news was certainly alarming, and many people forgot about the enmity between themselves and the secular world, instead choosing to focus on the search for the Great One. There was a lot of emotion, including fear, in their conversations.

Alex's brutality and power were deeply unsettling to the powerful people of the divine realm. Family heads were sending out orders not to provoke him, as they were wary of his penchant for doing away with those that didn't agree with him.

However, there were also some families that secretly sent out special envoys to try to recruit Alex, thinking it was better to be on his side rather than against him.

**

In Sword City, Magnus and his compatriots were stunned when they heard the news that Hendrix had been defeated, as well as the top warriors of the major sects.

It was the sort of story that inspired legends. Immortals were pretty high up the food chain, and Alex was dropping them like flies. He was clearly anything but ordinary.

As the group looked around the room, they saw shock and awe reflected in each other's eyes.

But after hearing that Alex wanted to take Verity on as his student, Magnus looked gratified.

**

In the High sect, they immediately decided to go after Alex, and they ordered that no one was to enter Sword City.

They were truly frightened. A few of the elders who had sought to destroy the city, and Alex, changed their outlook without a single word of defiance.

There was a sense of disquiet, however, as many wondered how the rulers of the divine realm could sit on their hands after such a brutal display. They thought that there would have to be some form of retaliation.

There were also those who had been around for a while that thought Alex was simply a flash in the pan. And that, without passing a trial of the seven great sects, his power would diminish.

**

In the Mountain sect, an old, emaciated monk in his robes stood up abruptly when he heard the news, and it soon seemed as if the entire mountain stood with him.

The monk was furious as he proclaimed, "He killed a disciple of our sect, so he must be avenged."

The many elders standing in the temple hall bowed in unison and chanted the old monk's name.

**

At the Crimson sect, the news was reported to a man wearing a red robe with a sword pattern embroidered on it. He slowly opened his eyes, which were as sharp as the swords on his robe.

"The Great One?" he repeated. "When and how did such a powerful young warrior come about? It seems like it's time for me to make a trip into the world."

**

Reactions were similar when the news reached the Purple sect and the Great World sect. Some were furious, some were surprised, but all were interested. There were even those who wanted to come out from their seclusion to act.

**

Back in the central hall of the High sect, a white-bearded elder roared out, "Severe punishment is needed! Summon all the immortals. If eight of them aren't enough, then we'll gather eighty. Let's stand up to that madman who thinks he can intimidate the entire realm. We don't want to look weak."

The High sect had suffered the greatest loss in the now-famous battle.

Jaden's son had been deemed the one that would decide the direction of the divine realm in the centuries to come. But Alex had ruined those plans, and the High sect was angry.

The elder sat at the top of the hall, frowning.

A young Earth immortal shook his head as he said, "The Great One is very strong. I'm afraid that no one will be able to do anything to counter him without the help of a sect leader."

The man with the white beard responded, "Then let the masters and elders of the various sects take action and destroy him with their ultimate weapons."

The discussion went on until the elder made a solid declaration.

"Send someone to find out about the Great One before making a decision," he ordered. "He seems to have come out of nowhere, but he must have a weakness."

The High sect had always liked to do their research and plan properly before making a move. But once they decided on a plan of action, it would happen quickly. They had established their fighting credentials while conquering the nine divine sects and had been known as the premier sect from that point on.