"Offended you."

Julius Reed sheathed his Knife Abernathy.

The once lush green meadow was covered in yellow sand.

The skeleton warriors all fell apart, scattered across the ground.

Countless, all were white bones.

Very eerie.

"Piran Wilson, did you just go over and decapitate him?" the True Monarch of the Nine Nether pointed at Julius Reed, asking curiously, "Just one strike?"

This was somewhat incredible.

Ordinary weapons couldn’t possibly harm these things in the slightest.

And it was even amidst the opponent’s created sandstorm.

But the fact was right before their eyes.

If not for the single strike severing the skull of the skeleton before him, the wind and sand could not have instantly vanished.

The True Monarch of the Nine Nether was full of doubts.

"How did you manage it?"

Marcellus Lopez bent down, using both skeletal hands to pick up the skull, slowly placing it back.

In an instant!

A fierce wind surged!

The sandstorm, as if encountering an extremely strong force, was revived once more.

Dust flew, and one by one, the skeleton warriors stood up.

"To become a blade-wielding guard of the Sage Lord of the Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance, you must have a few exceptional skills."

Julius Reed smiled, and didn’t continue speaking.

He relied on the divine blood to defeat Marcellus Lopez.

Fortunately with the heart of the divine continually supplying spiritual power, if it were an ordinary human heart, even seven wouldn’t withstand such a strain.

The heart would likely have failed long ago.

With divine blood smeared on the Knife Abernathy, it could easily decapitate the skeletons.

And the divine blood would also return automatically.

"Very powerful, you have the qualification to talk with me."

Marcellus Lopez waved a hand, and a skeleton warrior slowly walked over, folding into a chair behind Julius Reed.

"Sit down, and let’s talk slowly."

He nodded.

"Alright, our Sage Lord does not like getting involved in messy matters, as his advisor, you can talk to me."

Julius Reed sat on the skeleton chair, finding it quite sturdy.

Very stable, without a hint of shaking.

"A puppet?"

Marcellus Lopez sneered, looking at Julius Reed, "My real name is Marcellus Lopez, I was the commander for Silvio Reed. Back then, without me leading thousands of troops to sweep through the martial arts world, there wouldn’t have been the later Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance."

Even though he was a skeleton, Julius Reed could still feel the desolation and resentment in that voice.

"By then, the prototype of the Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance was established. Do you know, at that time, Silvio Reed’s position was only that of a Great Sage Lord. In the initial plans of the Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance, he was ranked second."

"In the martial arts alliance, naturally, the capable sit in the first place. The battle power of that first is definitely the strongest."

"Sage of Letters, Martial Saint. The position of the Great Sage Lord Silvio Reed was to coordinate the world, simply put, a civil position. He was responsible for planning everything, his status second only to the Martial Saint, which was the General King."

"The General King, that’s you?" Julius Reed asked.

"Indeed, during the Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance period, I was the General King, and Silvio Reed was the Great Sage Lord. But I underestimated his ambition..." Marcellus Lopez seemed to fall into reminiscence...

"The most tragic battle of the Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance was in the Taklamakan. There, it was the hub of the existing forces. At that time, the martial arts world was chaotic, and no organization was able to unify it. But on the Taklamakan, there was the largest force."

"The Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance had repeatedly won previous battles, already securing three provinces of the Nine Provinces. Of course, this included people we drew in through political factors. I think you’ve heard, the Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance is just a bandit organization where everyone gathers to cut the cake."

Marcellus Lopez couldn’t help but self-deprecatingly laugh, "In the world, people always do vile things under the banner of justice. We were no different, the Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance claimed externally to eradicate the strong and support the weak, to ensure the prosperity of martial arts. But in reality, it was just a force cleansing another force."

"In the battle of Taklamakan, we suffered huge losses. In just one battle, we lost over ten thousand martial artists."

"The accidents piled up, and the strength of the Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance lost thirty to forty percent."

"Victory can unite an organization. Failure can quickly destroy an organization."

Marcellus Lopez fell into silence.

Julius Reed broke the silence, speaking, "So, the Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance is facing the risk of falling apart?"

This great defeat, it was the first time he had heard of it.

For the flourishing Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance, which had been on a continuous winning streak, to lose thirty to forty percent of its forces, it must have been a fierce battle.

People came to cut the cake, not eat dirt.

To suffer such heavy losses, surely, people would want out.

"Indeed, back then everyone faltered. But Silvio Reed, truly a genius, came up with an idea, have me detour to the back and directly attack the palace of the Desert King. At that time, there was no choice, either take a gamble or face the disbandment of the Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance."

"If the Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance disbands, everyone is actually in danger. But the most dangerous ones are us. The sects we massacred would undoubtedly seize the opportunity for revenge."

"In fact, the day after our failure, we received news that other forces were eyeing us, preparing to take action!"

"I had no choice but to accept Silvio Reed’s suggestion. However, I held no illusions. After all, the opponent’s strength was comparable to ours, wanting to detour is not a good idea either."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Marcellus Lopez shook his skull, his tone gradually turning cold.

"I led the troops, launching a night assault, detouring to the back of the Taklamakan. But what I didn’t expect was that we fell into an ambush!"

"The Desert King had already brought elite martial artists, waiting there."

"I thought it was my own flaw, led the men to fight desperately!"

"Later, I found out that it was Silvio Reed who betrayed me, he met the Desert King alone after I left, as a token of sincerity."

"I led only two thousand men! Facing more than twenty thousand martial artists gathered by the Desert King!"

"We did not surrender, fought desperately!"

"A trapped beast still fights! You know! Those heroes, they are!" Marcellus Lopez pointed at those skeletons, "My children fought to the last, heavily injuring four to five thousand of the Desert King’s men!"

"And at this moment, Silvio Reed directly led men from the front into the Taklamakan! Catching the Desert King off guard!"

"Exhausted, covered in injuries, I knelt on the sand, watching Silvio Reed lead a group of elites, slaying the already surrendered Desert King."

"I thought, we had won."

"But Silvio Reed walked up to me, thrusting a knife into my heart."

"He told me, ’Thank you. From today onwards, the Ten Thousand Mountain Alliance—even the martial arts world, will no longer have the name Marcellus Lopez.’"

"My resentment did not die, and by a stroke of fate, I condensed a divine core, becoming the existence I am now. I gathered the souls of those who died in battle, letting them, like me, seek Silvio Reed, to take revenge!"

"Wherever I go, the wind and sand will follow!"

Marcellus Lopez’s tone shifted from anger to coldness.

"So, your Divine Artifact, is it this armor? This armor keeps your consciousness intact?" Julius Reed squinted, asking.

"How... do you know that."

As Marcellus Lopez spoke, the skeleton warriors around them all closed in.