Ch 848 - Bring Out the Charlatan

Magnus raised his glass and apologized to Alex while Verity stared at him with adoration.

Many elders stood up and toasted Alex, too. No one cared about Callum. Compared to an upper sect's immortal master, he wasn't worth mentioning.

So, Alex stayed in Sword City for a few days and was well treated by its inhabitants. He was sitting down to breakfast one day when Magnus barged in with an ugly expression on his face.

"The elders of the High sect are here," he said.

The High sect was in charge of the seventeen cities, and it ruled over more than a million people. They were extremely powerful, and even a city lord had to treat them with great care.

The three immortal elders of the High sect had arrived on giant birds. Now they sat on the birds outside of Magnus' house, and the people of Sword City had also gathered to pay their respects.

"Tell Magnus to come out with that charlatan who pretended to be from an upper sect," the leader of the group shouted.

He was middle-aged and wore a black robe embroidered with white patterns. His aura was ethereal, like that of an immortal, and as his eyes opened and closed, they shone with a bright light. He was a grand master, who had spent a long time on Earth.

Magnus hurried over and said, "This is an unexpected visit. I wish you had given me time to prepare properly for your arrival. I have just paid the tribute a while ago. Do you want me to pay again?"

"Magnus, we are not here about the tribute," the youngest of the three men said. "Your commander has reported that there is a conman here who has pretended to be an immortal master. Hand him over now!"

Only then did Magnus notice that Callum was also on top of one of the giant birds, but he was trying to hide behind it.

"Callum, what's this all about?" Magnus asked, frowning at him.

"I just don't want you to be deceived by traitors again," Callum said through gritted teeth.

Magnus was furious and was about to shout at Callum for his insolence when Alex appeared.

"Are you talking about me?" he asked, looking around. "It looks like you haven't learned your lesson. Maybe I need to be more thorough."

Everyone turned their heads and saw Alex walking over with a huge smile on his face. After a few days of tidying up and changing into an outfit more suitable to the divine realm, he had transformed into a graceful young master. He was dressed in green, and his long black hair was tied back with a golden cord.

The three elders from the High sect looked over at him. At first, they were stunned, and then their expressions changed to ridicule.

"You're the one?" the first elder asked. "You've been pretending to be an immortal master?"

Alex pulled on his energy, condensing it to a single point, and keeping it hidden deep within. In the eyes of outsiders, he was just an ordinary mortal. At most, they would think that he had practiced some martial arts. He certainly didn't seem like a dignified immortal master.

"He's just a mortal!" the younger man said with a laugh. "Look at him! He doesn't appear dangerous at all. He's more like an embroidered pillow than an immortal master."

"He pretended to be an immortal master and lied to the City Lord." The third elder shook his head. "He should be executed according to the law." He turned to glare at Alex. "Come here, kneel down, and accept your death!"

The crowd fell silent.

No one in Sword City dared to even breathe. The High sect had dominated the Twisted Mountain for more than four hundred years. Sword City had lived for dozens of generations under them, so how could they dare resist? A single word from the elders could determine life and death, and once you were dead, you stayed dead.

Callum looked at Alex, his expression gloating.

"Please listen," Magnus said to the elder. "Alex has tremendous power and divine abilities. He might not be from a higher sect, but he is clearly someone important."

The young man on the left waved his hand, and his power surged.

"We have decided!" he said. "How dare you speak?"

Although Magnus was a powerful man, in front of a grand master, he had no chance.

The elder's power crossed seven or eight yards and struck him in the chest. He was sent flying and fell to the ground, his face pale.

Everyone cried out in alarm.

Tears flowed down Verity's face as she ran over to help Magnus up. "My brother didn't deserve that," she said, glaring at the three men on their giant birds. "How can you be so ruthless? Are all the elders of the upper sects so unreasonable?"

Some of the young people brandished their swords and glared at the three elders.

"That's right," one brave soul called. "Does the High sect think that there is no one in this city who will challenge them?"

"How dare you!" the lead elder said. "If you speak again, I'll slaughter everyone in your city and raze it to the ground!"

Everyone fell silent again.

Some of the men looked at Callum and felt a chill in their hearts. Obviously, Callum had turned the elders of the High sect against Magnus, and now they wanted to seize the opportunity to replace Magnus with a more obedient lord.

As for Alex, he was the only one that could save them. Without him, the people of the High sect would destroy the city.

Verity looked at the three immortal elders of the High sect, who were looking down on everyone from above. Then she looked at the citizens, who had been forced to lower their heads and retreat. Finally, she looked at Callum sitting smugly on the giant bird. She had never felt so low.

It was only then that she realized that her brother was expendable to the elders.

"Someone do something!" she said desperately. "Help my brother."

Her eyes filled with despair, and she glanced at Alex as if he was their last chance for salvation.

Alex's expression was calm as he slowly took a step forward.

Even if Verity hadn't begged him, he would still have attacked, purely because of the hospitality he had received from the people of the city, and the hateful words of the three elders.

"I was injured recently," he said. "My mind and body were weakened, so I can see why you might have thought that I was weak and could be bullied. But now it's time to show the divine realm what I am capable of."

With his hands behind his back, he walked closer to the three birds, keeping his expression blank.

"Are you going to beg for mercy now?" Callum asked, raising an eyebrow. "If you kneel down before the elders, they might show mercy and spare your life."

Alex snorted. "Who gave you the courage to act so recklessly?"

He stretched out his palm and made a slight grabbing motion. A suction force appeared out of nowhere and pulled Callum from the bird. Then, under Callum's shocked gaze, he forcefully pulled his hand into a tight fist.

The guard commander was instantly crushed into oblivion. He didn't even have the chance to say a word before his soul was destroyed.

The elders all had solemn expressions as they looked at Alex in bewilderment.

Everyone knew Callum had been the strongest man in the city, and yet, Alex had destroyed him as if he was nothing. That was truly frightening.

"You have gone too far," the leading elder said with a slight frown. "No matter what, Callum was still a member of my sect."

The people of the High sect tended to adjust their behavior to the circumstances. Once they saw Alex's strength, they were more likely to treat him with respect. But Alex didn't care about them. In fact, he didn't even look at them and simply looked up at the sky.

"Kneel before Lord Magnus and apologize," Alex said, "and I'll spare your lives!"