This may be a little abrupt, but life is just full of twist and turns; nothing is ever as if seems...

Alex was enjoying his carefree life.

A lifestyle free of constant struggles and conflicts against others. It gave him a feeling of content.

However, a dark force was closing in on him from the shadows. One not far from where he lived.

"What's the status of the child? Is it possible that the current Head of the 'Dragon Family' has started to pass on his inheritance to the next generation personally?" A great, authoritative man wearing black clothes with a skull on his back asked.

Four other seated people contemplated... This was in a room not too far from Alex's current residence.

"The boy seems to be closely protected by Master mercenaries. There's no point trying anything.

As for his physical abilities:

I can only say that I'm absolutely sure that kid doesn't have the Dragon Family's inheritance yet.

Signs would've shown if he did." A tall woman with a sharp gaze, who had the White Tiger symbol embroidered onto her green clothes, replied meticulously. Her beautiful eyes secretly looking murderously at the man with a skull on his back.

"What about the target in question? Is there a chance he'll be able to slip out of our net?" The man in black turned to look at the blue clothed man, who had a dragon embroidered onto his shirt.

That evil person's tranquil, triangular eyes made his handsome exterior appear even nicer to look at.

The blue-clothed man too didn't hide his disdain...

"It's nice you're focused, however...

Before I answer that, I'd like to point out that you're not the person who is in charge of this operation.

You are just an extra who could be of use to us." A suppressive attitude was expressed from the blue clothed man's body. He glared this 'outsider' before him. Even though they was reluctant, the other 'Elders' had already agreed to include him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please listen to me: I have no interest in the Dragon Family's inheritance.

The only thing I want to gain from this alliance is our target's delectable flesh and blood...!

My mouth waters as I think of how delicious his high grade corpse will taste like~" A twisted smile appeared on the black clothed man's face, causing the four Elders in the room to shudder in disgust...

It's a pity that an expert in martial artists was like this. The black clothes man was of such high calibre, but that didn't change his perception as a damn, disgusting freak! He really needed to die!

There feelings matched this look:（'艸｀＊）

No one wanted to be on the same team as this inhumane creature, but they had no choice.

"Cannibal..." The woman, who was clothed in a crimson red dress that had a Vermillion Bird embroidered onto it, muttered in disgust. A flame burned in her eyes, ready to be used anytime.

The opal-like brown clothed man, who had a Black Turtle symbol embroidered onto its back, nodded his head in agreement. He did so without showing any emotions about how much he agreed with her.

Even thinking it would be best to kill the creep...

Those who were titled after their clan's ancient ancestral symbols didn't mind the big guy.

Even if he hadn't made any sort of input in this conversation, his body language was enough.

This was just how Black Turtle was...

It was actually quite natural that brown clothed man would fade into the background all the time.

It was due to his quiet nature... Which was why most of them tended to keep as eye on him.

This was just how they operated.

There was a more pressing matter at the moment anyway. They started stalking Alex years ago...

"Fine, fine... We understand your position. There's no chance the target will be able to escape our net." Azure Dragon spoke in an exhausted tone. He decided to just move the conversation along again.

"Shouldn't we just kidnap the child and have him act as bait? Why go through all the trouble? Even if he is protected by mercenaries, this shouldn't be a problem for people of our stature." This time it was Vermillion Bird who asked a serious question.

She let go of her morality to ask this...

"Do NOT underestimate the mercenaries sent to protect that boy. Who do you think they are?

They are definitely members of all five of the Gemstone Squads. They're our worst enemy!

The most vicious and hardcore members of the Military Faction of the Western Hegemony.

You'll start a war if you act carelessly against them...!" Azure Dragon reprimanded the woman.

He couldn't help speaking in a threatening tone.

"I agree. There's no point in increasing our enemies right now. This is supposed to be a combined secret operation, after all..." White Tiger nodded her head. Even giving the man a thumbs up.

She wholly agreed with Azure Dragon's thoughts.

It was best to be fast and precise!

The greatest advantage they had over Alex was their higher number of strong martial artists.

Their Eastern Hegemony had a lot more experts.

They might not yet currently be Grandmaster martial artists, but they were still 'Master martial artists' who have inherited supreme abilities through their bloodlines. All special and talented...

The kind of power they could display when fighting together was higher than they could when apart.

They had planned the aftermath of thoroughly. As soon as they are able to kill him, a sealing technique would be placed on Alex's soul in order to force the information they needed out of him.

The techniques of the 'Transcendent Clans' weren't to be looked down upon whatsoever.

They had many terrifying skills at their disposal!

Even those that could manipulate the entire 'existence' of anyone liked using magic...!

None who offended them will be let off!

Even if they were from the Dragon Family...!

It was then that White Tiger's ears pricked. She stood up while changing expression a few times.

Everyone else followed her gesture. They were well-aware of her ability to communicate with her Clan members... All using a fusion of various techniques only her Clan's lineages possessed.

The name of the martial arts technique was called by others as the 'White Tiger's Third Eye'.

The cannibal clothed in black that went by the title of Death Eater... was also feeling a little nervous.

He wondered if the precious treasure he took out for this 'special' occasion would be able to affect their target. One of those legendary, unimaginably strong powerhouses of the Western Hegemony.

He would only be confident of victory after their first step of their planned ambush succeeded!

The people of this hidden room in a building next to Alex's residence were all the highest echelons of The Murim and were considered to be the most respected members of the eastern secret society.

In the 'Eastern Hegemony', one of the two halves which the Secret Martial Arts World consisted of, a place that no mere 'Mortal' could step foot in: They were sitting at the zenith of absolute power.

The place Westerners of the Secret World would consider the Eastern Hegemony was a place where those of 'The Murim' ruled with a council consisting of four 'Elders' and one Grand Elder.

Their respective titles were proof of the quality of their heaven-defying skills and accomplishments.

Even though much was attributed to their background... Their titles signified true ability.

This was the same in the Western Hegemony.

It allowed the two societies to be linked...

As for the cannibalistic martial artist titled Death Eater... He was more of an infamous existence.

The cannibal was part of a group that was similar to Western Hegemony's most terrifying 'Abyss'.

The man was a member of the two 'Forbidden Clans'... A group of psychopaths and killers...!

They knew nothing about respect or honour...

Only how to seek power!

On any other occasion, the four Elders of Transcendent Clans, which were part of The Murim, would try to eliminate the cannibalistic psychopath in their midst as soon as possible.

However. the agenda that baited them to ambush the current 'Head of the Dragon Family' stopped them from taking action. They had to swallow their righteous fury to succeed in an overarching goal.,,

He was needed for their plans...

They felt they were despicable, even Vermillion Bird wasn't happy with the current chain of events.

She only wanted them to efficiently finish their mission as fast as they could. Not a minute wasted.

The reason she even suggested a more dirtier and underhanded method to take out the 'White Dragon', one that was worse than the 'plan' they're using right now, was because of how she didn't want their temporary alliance to last too long...

Their Clans was too loyal to the family of their Grand Elder and were wholly willing to go to war for that purple clothed old monster, yet also they were simply lusting for the technique Alex.

The one that Silver Dragon, the retired veteran of a hundred battles, had personally created by himself.

The modern Bone Tempering Blood Ripple supported with the ancient Blood Tempering Bone Pulse was rumoured to hold the secret to eternal life! It might allow them to live on forever!

Perhaps ignorant buffoons would laugh at the efforts of The Murim's highest echelons, speaking of how impossible it was to gain immortality with mortal techniques, but mockery didn't affect them.

There were many factors that could lead a person to death. However, the intel they gathered about the veteran suggested that he artificially refined 'Divine Physique'. It wasn't anything to scoff at...!

Who didn't want to live forever among these ageing Masters of martial arts in this room?

Although they were fairly young right now, that wouldn't be able last forever. Once the years passed in their pursuit of the Dao. Training so hard, only to slowly decay, was a nightmare for them...!

"The target is making his way into position." White Tiger spoke meticulously with a cold expression.

Alex used his amazing parkour skills to make his way to the rooftop a skyscraper not far from home.

It was one that was high enough to give him a clear view of educational facility his grandson went to.

Their target's fingers were getting dirty...

That old freak was casually eating the donuts he had bought yesterday... like the foodie he was.

The winds were quite gentle today.

He didn't have to worry about being thrown about by gusts at such a high altitude.

The concrete jungle of Faustus City was a special place. There was nowhere like this on Earth.

This was because the scenery could be considered one of a kind anywhere... A product of progress.

The Silver Dragon's superhuman sight watched over Jack's safety from a large distance.

It was quite unfortunate though that he failed to notice a colourless, tasteless and odourless mist infuse itself onto the food he brought along with him. It accidentally infected his circulatory system!

The special type of medicine in the air didn't trigger his extremely tough immune system...

The 'miasma' had strange and mysterious qualities.

"Let's go." Vermillion Bird spoke vigorously.

The four-man team and extra disappeared out the black-tinted window door that had masked their secret room. It looked as if they suddenly soared up the building near their target's residence.

They headed pour towards their vantage point.

Extremely powerful Masters like them didn't even need to walk up stairways. Even the ceilings were considered 'flat land' in their eyes... Each one of their 'Five Elemental' type Step Methods showed its prowess right here... as they ignored physics.

Death Eater also wasn't left behind. He chased after their movements. When he barely spotted their target on top of a rooftop quite far away, he couldn't help but sigh helplessly at their 'exit'.

How would the cannibal Master martial artist catch up to these Elders, who practically flew about?

Even if he wasn't scared of heights, he still felt uncomfortable being so far from the ground as he followed them... Those of his Forbidden Clan were all cannibals with strength proportionate to the quality and amount of corpses they ate. I

t was only natural that members of his Clan usually liked to hang around cemeteries and places full of death; not extremely high rooftops... Their skills weren't exactly built for pursuit, but for killing.

"Can you activate it?" Azure Dragon asked as he looked at Alex in the distance. The fact their target didn't notice them was due to the contributions of Azure Dragon's special bloodline heritage.

It helped him camouflage their bodies in mist...

The Arctic Ocean Dragon Clan literally had the bloodline of a Dragon from an ancient past.

It was a mystical creature that once lived on Earth in humanoid form and left plenty of descendants.

Compared to Alex, who only used more basic and simplistic techniques that only made use of the body, Azure Dragon used a far more 'spiritual' technique to create an unusual phenomenon.

This allowed him to use a magic-like mist freely to cover their own bodies. Then used it to make him and his allies transparent to the naked eye. After all, no ambush could be done out in open.

That was just common sense...

Although this only worked as long as they were standing still and didn't block out noise, he was able to speak more freely since White Tiger could control the element of wind with a big area. Their synergy came from having all the basic elements.

Everyone had their Role...

He understood quite clearly that one his trusted teammates had already isolated the sound of their voices, that's why he spoke freely towards their new 'ally'. The one he was planning to kill later...

He needed to know when it will take effect.

"Patience... 'Colourless Miasma' isn't formed of gasses, it's a ethereal poison almost like a natural element. One that acts on principles vastly different to that of mere 'fire'. I've already spread it atop of the building he is currently standing on.

He should be feeling its affects any minute now.

The only problem we have right now is getting to that building over there before he notices our ambush and escapes!" Death Eater spoke while looking at the distance between the two buildings.

He IS NOT going to try jumping there no matter how hard these malignant Elders persuaded him.

He'd rather abort operation than die needlessly...

"Vermillion Bird, Black Turtle. It looks like you two are up." Azure Dragon gestured towards his two allies. They started radiating their 'Internal Qi' before moving their hands in intrinsic ways.

Their movement seemed to connect with the vastly different elements they were trying to control.

Both of them used high-level nature techniques in tandem to complement the powers of the other.

It was a sight to behold...!

Vermillion Bird's movements were graceful and emanated a strange sense of inherent pride, while Black Turtle moved with utmost stability in each motion. The difference in Earth and Fire affinities.

It was hard to distinguish who was doing what, but the result of their synchronisation was the section of the rooftop they stood on had lifted up. Then their 'ground' being shot like a rocketing meteor!

A flame boosted their speed in midair as they rocketed towards their unsuspecting target.

The Silver Dragon was still fooled by the mysterious techniques, as well as the skills they used to isolate sound and turn their bodies transparent. In fact, the old veteran only noticed something was wrong when he turned around...

...to see a 'meteor' thrown at him at high speeds!

'Oh for the love of- Am I unlucky enough to have a meteor suddenly fall on me...? Really?!!!' He was about to dodge out of the way, but for some reason, just as his mind raced, he felt a piercing headache and numbness capturing him.

The feeling robbed him of his body's mobility...!

He was completed stunned!

Alex's shock looked a little like this: Σ(ＴωＴ)

He was both in misery and frustration when he found that couldn't dodge the ambushing strike!

The concrete 'meteor' the five eastern Masters were riding on fully smashed into him sent him flying! A bone-chilling crackling sound could be heard as the giant rock struck his back squarely.

A crunching sound resounded from his skeleton...

Massive damage was done all at once. It was so bad that his nerves twisted from the heavy impact.

The benign old man felt every cell in his body ache.

He was thrown into the air, only to feel a gust of concentrated wind hit his back and smash him back down onto the rooftop. He coughed blood upon impact with the mysterious magical force!

The rebound shocked him into a daze...

Someone hit him down like a pingpong ball!

White Tiger had her claw-like hands ready strike him after his body bounced off the ground, but the great opportunity she created was taken by Death Eater... who dropped towards Alex's powerless body. The man was obviously 'kill stealing'...!

His fanatic eyes were filled with bloodlust!!!

"Don't hold this against me~!" Death Eater laughed sarcastically. The hypocrisy of his words infuriated-

No, his mental state was too twisted...

He used all his strength to slam their target into the ground. Even using a secret technique in conjunction with his attacks to strengthen the affects of Colourless Miasma. This act stopped Alex from processing what was happening to him.

Death Eater had quite a large and muscular body...

One which really wasn't suited for swift strikes.

However, he put everything on the line at this moment to strain his muscles and bring out his full potential. He gained everything on the line in what should have been a singular burst attack!

The Elders behind the cannibal didn't interrupt...

The cannibal's already bulky arms swelled up to become abnormally larger.... like an abomination's.

He punched the so-called leader of the 'Dragons of the West' into the solid concrete below him...

...so powerfully that the entire building shook...!

The Dragon Family was quite a famous household indeed, but it was a pebble in the vast world....

Once, twice, thrice... even though Death Eater's movements were slower than when he started pummelling Alex's body to the ground, his strikes only became stronger. He built his momentum!

The old man being beaten up could only feel his mind numbing. His clothes tattered beyond recognition. The Silver Dragon's eyes dilated at that moment, momentarily awakening for a second.

Death Eater was ending his barrage.

The two fists that were smashing Alex into the ground lifted into the air like two erected pillars...

...then came down like two heavy iron hammers!

The crater made by their target's old body became a gaping hole. It revealed that bystanders had already evacuated the building. If not, there would probably already be news coverage about this.

White Tiger had already made sure there wouldn't be any eyewitnesses by using the absolute force of their Transcendent Clan. After all, they were jointly attacking Alex in the middle of the afternoon.

This was instead of a great time like the dead of night, where they could hide more intricate traps.

When Death Eater finally stopped attacking to take a breath, he saw something unimaginable...!

A trace of fear appeared in his eyes.

He saw the semi-conscious 'White Dragon' they ambushed sitting cross-legged atop of his abnormally large fist in a daze. This was done in the exact moment the cannibal retrieved his hand.

It was almost like his opponent's body reflexively defended itself against his last attack...!

The four Elders shocked by this strange scene, but Death Eater was even more stunned than initially.

He quickly noticed a significant detail.

Alex's physique, although significantly injured, was still largely fine. His injuries weren't too grave...

This was despite the fact that the man had given it his all to try and break their target's entire body!

Almost as if everything they did was for naught...!!!

As he was left in a daze, the 'old dragon' finally began to move... Initiating his own counterattack.

His eyes were still blurry, but that didn't change the gracefulness in his next unconsciously done move.

They would soon regret ambushing him!