The White Emperor had not seen how the Snowdrifts fight in the past, but he instantly recognised his opponents. Who else on the whole of Gaia could spend gold like dirt?

A thought flashed across his mind… Perhaps the strongest personal strength on Gaia isn’t Peak SSS cultivation. With enough wealth, even Paramount Cultivators could be crushed by a mountain of spirit stones and treasures.

Reynold sighed, “I never thought that the famous founders of the Snowdrifts are Spirit Contractors. How many years has it been since one appeared, and now four?”

To be this wealthy, he guessed that they had met special encounters in the past and wasn’t surprised that they had Great Spirits as partners. Such fortune, even as a Paramount Cultivator he couldn’t help but be envious of them.

The shadow warriors from Gigas’ corner of the room started making their way towards him. There’s no doubt that the moment the attack starts, the hundred blades from Lucas’ corner will launch at them.

With the exit now sealed off by the Walls of Jericho, the seven people guarding the door are now free to join the battle.

They walked behind the shadows, fully alert. Their mission is to drag the fifteen personal guards away from Reynold, but none of them are confident. After all, they are facing the strongest soldiers of the Ku Kang Camp whose cultivation already reached Entry and Mid SSS and are not easy opponents.

The White Emperor took a look at the situation and understood their plans. He gave Kairos a look and indicated with a tilt of his head to change their battle location.

While everyone else are facing off and squaring each other up, the five of them, Reynold, Kairos, Jim, Edward, and Tommy walked quietly, without a hint of bloodlust, towards another section of the Training Hall as though they are students heading to class.

Since it is virtually impossible to get to the bunker now, Reynold turned his goal towards getting away. The ideal solution is to escape before Esley and the other Great Generals arrive, but he could not estimate how far away they are.

In that case, it is better to finish this fight by spending the least amount of energy to have enough left to face the East Wind later. If the four boys wanted to separate him from his personal guards for a battle, then he is most willing to accommodate.

Reynold secretly laughed, “Against a Paramount Cultivator, they dare to split their forces in two. Naïve!”

He didn’t know that at this time, the Saint Empire’s Great Generals are following Esley around the Ku Kang Camp to round up any stragglers that had not reach the bunker and no one made their way towards the Training Hall at the south. After all, this may be their one and only opportunity to take advantage of the enemy’s retreat to greatly weaken their numbers. In fact, Esley wouldn’t know where to go because the plan to rout the White Emperor had been kept secret that only the core members from Snowdrifts know.

Kairos had discussed this with Luciette and George beforehand, and the three master strategists agree that their assassination mission must be done in absolute secrecy, otherwise even the first step of invading the Ku Kang Camp will be jeopardised.

Not many know all the preparation they had done for this day: from turning the Dark Hall into their own forces and using the Ghosts as stand-ins to the secret invasion of the impenetrable Ku Kang plateau using Cave Trolls and master thieves’ shadow clone technique.

In fact, they could only succeed because of the absolute trust the Snowdrifts guild have with each other.

No many knows but somewhere along the way, every core member had taken up upon themselves to swear fealty with Soul Jades to Kairos, just like Snow, Leaf, Small and Smaller had done so years ago.

Each of them did so without Kairos himself knowing, and when as the four years passed, they grew fearful to letting him know. They were afraid because they truly admired Kairos and wanted to be in as a part of the Snowdrifts yet worried if their actions would stiffen their friendship.

When Kairos was assigned a death mission by the Devilheart family, his closest brothers approached him to let him know what the rest had done in secret so that all of them could fight together.

Kairos almost exploded with anger with the news for he had never doubted their friendship. Activate a Jade Slip is a stain on their trust and an insult to his faith in them.

Yet, Alan the one who understands the others’ heart, managed to change his mind by saying a single sentence, “There is no doubt that our hearts beat as one now, but no one could be truly free to act as they wished.”

With Kairos’ wit, nothing need to be said more and he solemnly nodded.

After putting in the Jade Slip with a fragment of one’s soul, the Soul Slips which is a covenant of their loyalty could help prevent, just once, a person’s betrayal before lighting up. Once the slip glows, the person who made this Soul Slip will die if the slip is destroyed.

But sometimes, betrayal isn’t unfaithfulness. No one knows if circumstances could force one’s hand tomorrow. At that time, it will be up to Kairos if he treats a glowing Soul Slip as treachery or a signal for help.

Kairos who had wholly given his trust to his friends didn’t need the Soul Slips to prove their loyalty and he definitely will not want to take their lives, but his friends who wholly trusted him answered with their Soul Slips to prevent a future they don’t wish to see.

It was a bond that made the Snowdrifts what it is.

As Kairos, Tommy, Jim, and Edward stood in front of the White Emperor, they summoned their Greater Elemental Spirits to join them in battle.

Aetnaeus, Tommy’s spirit of Metal.

Zephyr, Jim’s spirit of Wind.

Boreas, Edward’s spirit of Ice.

Tempest, Kairos’ spirit of Lightning.

These nature spirits could enhance attacks, merge into armour or weapons, or simply fight alongside them.

They hovered next to their contractor, each of them made completely of the element they represent; a body of wind, metal, ice, or lightning.

The aura of the four boys also quickly strengthened as they infused Origin Energy into every cell in their body and forcefully enhanced their cultivation to the peak.

Kairos’ cultivation rose from Entry S to Peak SS rank.

Jim and Edward’s cultivation rose from Peak S to Mid SSS rank.

Tommy’s cultivation rose from Entry SS to Peak SSS rank and gained the strength of a single Paramount unit.

They are outmatched, and without the help of Vouno, the most crucial element who allowed their success against Syriong in the past.

Their Physical Rank are at Earth Titan for Tommy, Heaven Titan for Kairos, and Heaven Beast for Jim and Edward.

Tommy is a step below the physique of a normal Immortal Realm cultivator, Jim and Edward are three steps away, while Kairos could fight evenly with the weakest Immortal Cultivator in physical terms.

As their cultivation peaked thanks to the Origin Infusion, their aura changed once again. Tommy let off a wild howl, and his presence became that of a beast king’s as an ancient symbol appeared upon his crown, 王. The King.

Edward closed his eyes, when he reopened them, his pupils had the imprints of a dragon. A terrifying pressure unrolled from him, so savage and powerful that even the White Emperor lowered his eyes. The Beast.

Jim smile. Those that saw heard the cry of a phoenix in their mind. It was a mental phenomenon that despite having no actual sound, the noise grew in their head until it became overwhelming. When there are nothing left in their thoughts except the phoenix’s cry, they saw millions of avians soaring towards the sky. In the middle, giving off light is a Zhu Que, the legendary vermillion bird. The Sun.

The White Emperor blinked his eyes in astonishment and the birds disappeared. He thought he was looking at the sky, but he had not turned away his eyes since he saw Jim’s smile. Reynold couldn’t believe that a practitioner of his level had been drawn into an illusion by someone much weaker and younger.

He turned his eyes towards Kairos, now out of fear that the leader of the four might have something even more tremendous and earthshaking than his friends.

Kairos smiled at him and the White Emperor flinched instinctively.

Then astonishment took over him again. There were no changes to Kairos’ aura?

Oh… this boy isn’t a tamer?

Reynold chided himself. Not everyone could meet a beast that is suitable.

Even so, he had already been stunned. For the three of them have such Contract Beasts that could cause strange phenomena, it must’ve been extremely expensive beast youngs that had Immortal or possibly even Divine lineage.

Had he known that there is one more not present that tamed a beast equal to the three of them, he would’ve cried louder in his heart.

“THIS IS TOTALLY UNFAIR!”

The fight hadn’t really started, but in the White Emperor’s heart, he already felt like a complete loser. A pauper, despite centuries of amassing Cultivation Resources. Although he is the commander of a million soldier, he had an urge to beg Kairos to give him a job.