Ch. 3271..3280

Chapter 3271 Powerful Master Weak Disciple

Gloria became excited at the thought.

Isn’t this what I want? How nice would it be if I obtained their spiritual bones? Hehe! I can’t imagine how great that would be! They are even more powerful than the legendary elemental spiritual bone! Thankfully, I have planned and readied Floyd for this purpose. It is time to put him into use.

Gloria did not dare to face Levi head-on due to his terrifying power.

Therefore, she decided to act in secret.

She was not only targeting Forlevia but had set her sights on Levi too.

It did not matter that Levi had astounding and god-like powers.

She could use her secret schemes to bring him down.

However, it was still challenging to act against Levi. Thus, she needed to plan properly.

Moreover, she needed Floyd to carry out everything. He was her vital chess piece.

Then, Gloria met with Floyd.

She began by congratulating how mighty Levi was that he could beat the Ecclesiastic Order into seclusion.

As expected, Floyd was happy to hear someone praising his master.

“Yes, previously, I thought it would be useless even if Master found all the Bonemasters! But now that he has such abilities, I am relieved! He can finally avenge Azure Dragon and the others!” Floyd said with reverence and pride.

Gloria’s eyes sparkled excitedly, and she could not resist asking, “Floyd, your master is amazing, but your power seems… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Gloria hesitated as if worrying about hurting Floyd’s feelings.

Floyd knew what she was trying to say. He smiled and replied, “Haha, don’t worry about it. I understand what you mean. Although I am my master’s disciple and am considered a rising star among other disciples, there is a vast gap between my master and me. I have no one to blame but myself…”

“Huh? Blame yourself? Why?” Gloria looked at him with confusion.

Floyd shook his head helplessly. “I was at fault for not choosing the path my master prepared for me! That is why I have fallen too far behind! With my present abilities, I don’t think anyone would believe me if I said that I am Levi’s disciple. My master is powerful, but I am weak.”

Gloria became breathless, and her voice trembled from excitement. “What do you mean he had prepared a path? Can you explain it? I don’t understand.”

She believed she was on the cusp of finding out a secret.

The path Levi prepared for his disciple must have contained the secret to his powers. If I obtain this secret, I can stop Levi. Furthermore, I might even become as powerful as him.

Floyd smiled and said, “It is simple! My master taught us the most basic technique! It was a technique to attain maximum speed and power. While the said technique was simple, it required us to train hard and cultivate day and night to achieve the desired result.”

He took a deep breath before continuing, “At the time, there were many fast-track techniques that allowed anyone to become a fighter in a few months. No one wanted to work so hard on a technique that might not work! Previously, Azure Dragon and I chose the fast-track technique and abandoned our master’s technique. No one expected my master’s technique to adapt to every generation.”

Floyd had a regretful expression as he explained.

If I had persisted, I would have nearly caught up with Master.

On the other hand, Gloria could not help but feel astonished.

Did Levi train to such an astounding level using such a simple technique? No way! That is impossible! That technique is for beginners to lay the foundation of their abilities. How can it be trained to such an astounding level?

Gloria was certain that it was impossible.

Floyd looked at Gloria and said, “However, there were people who trained hard in this technique with Master! The group from Carigrey Academy is all stronger than me! Cyrus also trained in this basic technique for a long time and is now incredibly powerful. I believe even you would not stand a chance against him!”

 

Chapter 3272 Gloria Drives The Wedge

Gloria was thunderstruck by Floyd’s words. My mighty prowess is beyond others’ imagination. How could there be others who are mightier than me other than Levi Garrison? It seems there are even quite a number of them! How’s it possible that he’s able to groom his disciples into unrivaled fighters with his basic techniques?

Perplexed, Gloria asked in bafflement, “Do you mean to say that your master is able to pursue ultimate power and speed with the basic techniques?”

Floyd replied instinctively, “Yeah! The basic techniques are the key to his success!”

It was no secret that Levi cultivated basic techniques. In fact, anyone else could do so as they liked. However, they would never be able to reach the former’s stage.

Nonetheless, Gloria did not believe in his words. To her, that was preposterous. How’s it possible for him to annihilate more than eight hundred fighters of the Ecclesiastic Order in a blink of an eye only with basic techniques? No way! It’s impossible! Even the most formidable fighter of the Ecclesiastic Order and those legendary ones of ancient times can’t do so!

Thus, she was sure as h*ll that Levi kept certain things under wraps. In other words, the basic techniques were merely distractions to fool Floyd and the others.

Pfft! What a slow-witted fellow! Gloria could not help but reprimand Floyd inwardly. Even so, she knew she had to lure him into opening his heart to her.

Hence, she explained, “For the Ecclesiastic Order, this cultivation method of your master is actually known as a type of pure physique training. It’s defined as the method to pursue the strongest power when the cultivators reach the extent of their physical abilities. Nevertheless, there’re limitations to this type of training. No doubt, anyone who cultivates it will become fighters, but they can’t emerge as the ones at the top range, let alone the most unrivaled one!”

Dumbfounded, Floyd asked, “Ah! Is that so?”

“Before this, it’s normal for you to think that pure physique training could be the mightiest cultivation method. At that time, Physique training was the only method as there was not the slightest hint of spiritual energy in the surroundings. But it’s not applicable to the current circumstance! Not to mention, your master is too mighty! Don’t you know that he has reached the top-notch level?” Gloria explained further.

Floyd was at a loss for words. Gloria’s words caught him off guard.

After pondering for a while, he felt as if something did not sound right. She has a point! Master is too powerful!

“But we’re well aware that my master has been cultivating the basic techniques all this while!” Floyd emphasized.

Gloria retorted hastily, “No! You still didn’t get me! Have you ever thought about how he could pick up speedily not long after starting to cultivate basic techniques? He didn’t cultivate for a long time, did he? I guess he wasn’t relatively powerful right from the beginning, was he? Or perhaps, your potential is incomparable to his? But I don’t think so. Don’t you know how talented Azure Dragon and the others are? Try to recall your master’s impressive prowess after his cultivation. I bet you must have cultivated for quite a while too. Why is your prowess a stark contrast to his? No doubt, individual potential and effort each play a part. But why is there such a big contrast? I have a hunch there’s something amiss! Have you ever thought, what’s the problem then?”

Floyd was confused by her comprehensive analysis. Undeniably, her points made sense to him. He could not resist having the same sentiments as her after contemplating for a while.

“But what could be the problem?” he asked quizzically.

“Ha! That’s why I have a feeling that your master is keeping something from all of you!” Gloria cut to the chase.

Hearing that, Floyd got all worked up.

“It’s impossible! My master couldn’t be keeping something from me!” he refuted adamantly.

To him, Levi was the most respectable person. Thus, he would not accept anyone condemning him, not even Gloria.

“No way! It’s impossible for him to do so!” He raised his voice again.

Sensing her slip of the tongue, Gloria tried to appease him by apologizing earnestly, “I’m sorry. I never have the intention to doubt your master. Since he’s your master, he’s indirectly mine too. I couldn’t be slandering him!”

The next second, Floyd regained his composure and relented. “Gloria, it’s all right. I shouldn’t have overreacted. After all, you’re only making an analysis and sharing your point of view. You didn’t do anything wrong.

Chapter 3273 Your Master Is Applying The Art of Consumption

“I guess my master must be far more talented than we can imagine. From what I know, Fiery Demon started cultivating the basic techniques long ago than my master. However, he’s still no match for him!” Floyd explained in admiration.

Gloria’s jaw dropped at the overwhelming secret. She blurted out, “Huh? Fiery Demon started cultivating it even earlier than you master? Do you mean to say that your master’s not the one developing the basic techniques?”

Floyd nodded. “Yeah! I heard my master has a master too. In fact, his master had guided Fiery Demon long ago before my master became his disciple officially!”

Gloria was tickled pink about the secret, thinking about how she could exploit it as a trump card to exchange for some resources with the other fractions of the Ecclesiastic Order. Ah! I’m going to own priceless resources! Instead of the magical herbs and spiritual stones that everyone is yearning for, I can obtain processed magical herbs such as elixir. Apart from that, I might even be able to possess spiritual liquid formed by the processed spiritual stones! My goodness! Those are the precious goodies beyond others’ imagination!

“Ah! I never know that your master has a master too. I thought he developed the basic techniques by himself!” Gloria arched her brows.

Floyd chuckled, “My master didn’t develop it by himself, but Forlevia managed to invent her own Art of Consumption!”

“Floyd, mark my words. Things might not be like what it seems!” Gloria uttered solemnly, causing the former to look puzzled.

She added, “You’re convinced that your master won’t keep anything from you, aren’t you? But how about his master? What if he had a discreet technique? Or perhaps, he had a unique technique that he only passed down to your master?”

In a split second, something seemed to have come to Floyd’s mind.

Hmm… Master seems to know a lot about other discreet techniques, but he hasn’t let us cultivate those so far other than the most fundamental technique. He hasn’t mentioned a single word about Forbidden Technique too! Didn’t Master build the God Crusher by himself with an ancient blacksmithing skill? Even those from the Ecclesiastic Order believe it’s an Ancient Divine Sword! Surprisingly, he even knows well about some healing skills. That implies that he is knowledgeable about everything, and the basic techniques are just one of them! Hmph! It seems he’s really hiding a lot of things from us!

At the sight of Floyd lost in his thought, Gloria knew she had managed to sway the former’s mind.

She added insult to injury by stating, “As for Forlevia, didn’t you sense anything awry when she developed the Art of Consumption? Unequivocally, she is talented. But why did it have to be the Art of Consumption? Do you think it’s just a mere coincidence?”

Floyd’s frown deepened into a scowl. Yeah! How could it be a mere coincidence that Evie manages to develop the Art of Consumption?

After a pause, Gloria yelled out, “Oh yeah! Your master eradicated all the thirteen fractions of the Ecclesiastic Order this round with droplets from a cup of tea, didn’t he? He’s actually applying the Art of Consumption of the Ecclesiastic Order at that moment! It enables the cultivators to condense the air around them and shape it into anything they want! If your master had unleashed his prowess solely from his pure physique training, it would be an invincible force emanated from his body. But since he could freeze the droplets into deadly weapons in the air, he’s undoubtedly applying the Art of Consumption!”

Floyd stood rooted to the ground. It never came across his mind that his master would know anything about the Art of Consumption!

“Of course, it’s still a piece of cake for your master to annihilate hundreds of fighters of the Ecclesiastic Order even if he doesn’t know anything about the Art of Consumption. But if he had unleashed his prowess solely from his pure physique training, I presume it would have resulted in an intense battle!” Gloria added matter-of-factly.

Floyd was rendered speechless when Gloria continued to add fuel to the burning fire.

Moments later, he piped up, “Could it be that my master had guided Forlevia in cultivating the Art of Consumption? If that’s the case, I presume my master’s formidability is not due to his pure physique training, but because he masters the Art of Consumption!”

Stifling her jubilance, Gloria nodded and uttered hypocritically, “Yeah! There’s a possibility! But anyway, we shouldn’t jump to a hasty conclusion.”

Nonetheless, Floyd was becoming more suspicious of Levi.

Chapter 3274 She Must Have Discovered Something

“Your master could be keeping it from you, fearing that you’ll put yourselves on the line when trying to master the Art of Consumption. Who knows, it’s disastrous and will even spell trouble for you! If so, don’t blame your master. You should even be thankful to him for being protective of you!” Gloria sounded as if she was speaking up for Levi.

She was obviously good at playing underhanded tactics and manipulating others. Somehow, Floyd’s unwavering trust in Levi was shaken by her eloquence. The despicable woman even put up a show by talking him out of blaming Levi.

However, Floyd did not have an insight into the situation. In fact, he replied jokingly, “Don’t worry. I’ll never blame my master on anything.”

“You’re blessed to have such a caring master!” Seconds later, Gloria queried again when something came to her, “If I’m not wrong, he had warned Azure Dragon and the others repeatedly to hide elsewhere when he was battling in Xyperia previously, hadn’t he? He feared that others would dig out their spiritual bones, didn’t he?”

“Yeah!” Floyd nodded.

“It seems your master has a grasp of the Ecclesiastic Order. He even knows about the transplantation of spiritual bones. That’s why he could foresee that Azure Dragon and the others were targeted. Didn’t it imply that…” Gloria’s voice trailed off as she paused deliberately to glance at Floyd warily.

The latter heaved a sigh of reverence before responding, “Yeah! My master seems to be able to predict the future. He had managed to predict everything!”

“Oh yeah! I remember he has already known about the existence of the Ecclesiastic Order long ago before our emergence, hasn’t he? He even impersonated us to scare the Lab of Gods off, didn’t he?” Gloria brought up the topic wittingly. She had gathered a lot of information about Levi through a series of investigations.

“Yeah, you’re right! No wonder he mentioned the concept of the Esoteric Guild of the Ecclesiastic Order at that moment!” Floyd echoed. Evidently, Gloria had enlightened him. That’s how it is! So does it mean that Master has known about the existence of the Ecclesiastic Order long ago and mastered the Art of Consumption? Apparently, the so-called basic techniques are to divert our attention from the Art of Consumption. As for Evie’s so-called self-developed technique, it’s the Art of Consumption taught by him.

“I’m in awe of your master! It never occurs to me that there’ll be such an invincible fighter like him! I bet he must possess the legendary class spiritual bones. Moreover, I have a hunch that Forlevia takes after him too. I presume there isn’t anyone from the Ecclesiastic Order who has such spiritual bones!” Gloria eventually brought up the topic.

“Since you mention this, I’m curious to know what type of spiritual bone my master and Evie possess. I heard Sonja Dahlin and the others from North Pavilion had checked on their spiritual bones previously. Too bad I don’t have any clue after that. I only overheard that Sonja and the others were stupefied. It seems my master’s spiritual bone is beyond their expectation!” Floyd babbled subconsciously.

Gloria’s heart leaped with joy at the new clue. She vowed to dig for first-hand information from Sonja. Hmph! The b*tch must have discovered something.

Nevertheless, she decided to be cautious with a two-pronged approach.

With that, she would first try to dig out information about Levi and Forlevia’s spiritual bones from Sonja and the others. After that, she would try to see if she could instigate Floyd to obtain the spiritual bones for her.

“Coincidentally, I’ve just managed to trace the names of six other Bonemasters. Would you mind helping to send the list to your master? At the same time, you can assist him if he needs a hand. I’ll notify you once there is any update on my side,” she stated casually and handed the list to Floyd.

“Okay!” The latter nodded. Needless to say, he trusted her very much.

“Oh! Don’t rush over now! I’d better double-check first. What if anyone from the Ecclesiastic Order is scheming to strike against your master!” she told the latter.

After a few hours, she reassured Floyd that it was fine to go ahead, claiming she did not sense anything amiss.

Without hesitation, Floyd set off to bring the list to Levi.

Unexpectedly, he bumped into Sonja and the others who were also on the way to send the list of Bonemasters to his master.

Chapter 3275 Beware Of The Woman

“Ah! What a coincidence! You must be here to send the list of Bonemasters to my master too!” Floyd smiled blissfully.

Little did he realize that the coincidence was set up by a despicable Gloria.

She had initially arranged for him to send Levi the list of Bonemasters but changed her mind in the last minutes. It was because her subordinates updated her Sonja and the others were on the way to send their list to Levi.

Hence, she held Floyd back for a few hours so he could end up bumping into Sonja and the others. With that, Levi would tend to focus more on the list of Bonemasters. Hmph! I’m sure he won’t be suspecting anything as I’ve made a perfect arrangement!

The moment Levi obtained the two copies of the lists, he went through them and spotted the duplicated names as expected by Gloria. She had arranged for that earlier meet-up intentionally so he would not smell a rat.

“Mr. Garrison, it still left the final batch. We should be able to trace them within these few days,” Sonja uttered resolutely. They had been tracing the list of Bonemasters painstakingly recently.

“Okay! I’ll owe you a favor. Don’t hesitate to request my help if you’re in hot water!” Levi made a promise earnestly.

He was guilty of beating the Three Sages of North Pavilion up previously. Thus, he made them a promise as a token of compensation.

Sonja and the others were more than happy with that.

Soon, Levi assigned others to track the Bonemasters down.

“Everyone, let me send you off!” Floyd offered his great hospitality.

After having a small talk with Floyd, Sonja and the others’ expressions darkened.

Magnus asked him, “Have you liaised with someone from West Pavilion lately?”

“Yeah! Why’re you asking me this?” Floyd replied right away.

“It’s a woman. Am I right?” Sonja asked with a flicker of indecipherable emotion in her eyes.

“Yes, but how do you know about that?” Floyd was dumbfounded.

“Stay away from her. She’s no ordinary woman. You’ll only put yourself in deep water by dealing with her!” Sonja warned him grimly.

Magnus even warned him by cutting the crap, “Heed my words! You’d better cut ties with her immediately. It’ll be too late to cry over spilled milk when you encounter a tragic fate later!”

The others were curious and kept asking about the woman’s identity. When Magnus revealed her identity to them discreetly, they lowered their voices and echoed, “I see! It’s that woman! He’d better stay away from her before falling victim to her at any moment!”

They stared at Floyd in utter astonishment. None of them had foreseen that Floyd would be closely acquainted with her. By right, it’s impossible for that woman to set her eyes on him! What on earth happened?

Shortly after, something came into their minds. Ah! Don’t forget that he’s Levi’s disciple! Thus, it’s not unusual for any woman to fall head over heels for him!

Instead of being flustered by their words, Floyd was grinning.

“Haha! If not for how you’d helped my master, I might have initiated a strike against you! You’d better don’t step on my toes by saying so again. If not, you only have yourselves to blame when I unleash my wrath!” Floyd snapped coldly.

Sonja and the others shot him an ambiguous stare before snickering. “We’re only giving you a word of advice. It doesn’t matter to us if you pay any heed to it.”

“Okay! Take care of yourself then! Don’t let down your guard and fall into others’ traps!” Magnus patted Floyd’s shoulder before striding off with the others.

If Levi were in a similar situation to Floyd, they might keep on reminding him to alert him.

On the contrary, they felt it was good enough to remind Floyd of the potential threat. It was up to the latter if he decided to heed their advice. Moreover, they did not feel like meddling in his affairs.

Gazing at their retreating figures, Floyd’s lips contorted into a smirk as he snorted, “Hmph! Don’t ever try to drive the wedge between us!”

His gut instinct told him that things would turn that way around. Not to mention, he had even foreseen they would give him such reminders and advice.

Gloria had convinced him earlier that all the fractions of the Ecclesiastic Order had been on bad terms with each other. In other words, they were all mortal enemies that never stopped striking against each other, vowing to fight each other till the bitter end. Among the Five Pavilions, the hostility between West Pavilion and North Pavilion had intensified as time elapsed.

Chapter 3276 Levi And His Confidence in Floyd

Over the years, the two factions had had many disputes, and they would attack each other whenever they got the chance.

Gloria even had a fight with some of the younger members of North Pavilion, so she asked Floyd to be wary of them.

Gloria told Floyd that since she and North Pavilion had a history, it was only natural that they would speak ill of her in order to drive a wedge between Floyd and her.

After all, North Pavilion and West Pavilion were enemies and wanted nothing more than to wipe out each other.

Gloria convinced Floyd that was the reason the North Pavilion members wanted to sow discord between them.

“You truly are a genius, Gloria! You knew this was going to happen and warned me about it. Otherwise, they would’ve had me second-guessing you, and I would have disrespected you too. Thanks to your shrewdness, they didn’t get their way.” Floyd trusted Gloria and completely ignored Sonja’s and the others’ warning.

That was because they said everything Gloria told Floyd that they would say. It was almost the same as Gloria’s prediction, for she knew what would happen if she set them up to meet.

The woman was nothing if not a meticulous planner.

She could foresee the future and plan accordingly, ensuring everything was within her control.

Had Gloria not prepared Floyd in advance, the man would have doubted her.

After all, Sonja and the others were part of the Ecclesiastic Order. Floyd would be convinced that there must be a reason they did not like Gloria.

However, since Gloria had already brainwashed him, he did not think Sonja and the others were trustworthy.

At that point, Floyd believed that Sonja and the others were just trying to manipulate him and that he should be wary of them. They must have an ulterior motive for trying to help me! I better be careful around them.

According to Gloria, everyone in the Ecclesiastic Order was cunning and dangerous.

That was why Floyd trusted nobody besides her.

Meanwhile, at the hideout, Levi had already assigned people to track down the Bonemasters.

He immediately smiled when he saw Floyd. “Well done! You’re catching up to North Pavilion of the Ecclesiastic Order.”

However, Floyd’s face seemed grim. “Master, I think you should be careful with Sonja. You should know what kind of people the members of the Ecclesiastic Order are. They must have an ulterior motive for wanting to help us, so we can’t trust any of them! With all the infighting going on, they can barely keep themselves in order. Why would they waste their time on us? People don’t just help others without getting something in return.”

Levi nodded in agreement. “You’ve got a point. I also don’t think it’d be wise to trust them completely just yet. For now, it’s just give-and-take. They helped us, so we help them.”

Naturally, the man knew what he was doing.

However, he was surprised that Floyd would say something like that.

“You’re right to be careful with the Ecclesiastic Order. Of all the people here, you’re the one that worries me the least. With your level of vigilance, I’m sure you’ll do just fine,” encouraged Levi while patting Floyd on the shoulder.

Levi was concerned that those around him would be taken advantage of by the Ecclesiastic Order, especially someone like Floyd who had a lot of dealings with the order.

Even when they looked for the list of Bonemasters, they still had to deal with the order.

Hence, it was only natural that Levi was worried about Floyd.

However, Levi never thought the man would be wary of everyone in the Ecclesiastic Order except Gloria.

After listening to Floyd, Levi felt completely at ease. If Floyd’s being so careful, I see no reason why I should continue to worry about him.

Levi was so relieved that he did not even ask Floyd about the list.

After all, Levi was convinced that Floyd was the most reliable one among his disciples. He’s the most rational one among them because he’s different from Azure Dragon and the others.

Levi’s confidence in Floyd was why he never expected that the man would be blinded by love.

Floyd did not leave straight away after that. Instead, he stayed to talk to Levi.

“Hey, Master. Evie is actually learning the Art of Consumption, isn’t she?” inquired Floyd tentatively.

Chapter 3277 Master Keeping His Secrets

After shaking his head in response, Levi explained in all seriousness, “Not exactly. The one Evie’s mastering is very similar to the Art of Consumption, but it’s much more potent because I believe she has better techniques and more potential. Naturally, she’s going to outdo the Art of Consumption.”

Levi spoke the truth, for the Ecclesiastic Order’s Art of Consumption required a sufficient amount of spiritual energy and magical herbs to cultivate.

The technique was similar to Forlevia’s, but hers could be cultivated even if she was in a harsh environment and lacked spiritual energy because she relied on the elements around her to strengthen herself.

That was what the Ecclesiastic Order could not do with their version of the Art of Consumption.

Hence, Levi believed that Forlevia’s version could be far more potent than the order’s.

However, Floyd misunderstood what his master was telling him, so his expression changed.

He only asked that question because Gloria told him that Forlevia was cultivating the Art of Consumption. He wanted to test Levi to see if the man would be honest with him.

If Levi had simply told him yes, he would have assumed that the man had been truthful.

Unfortunately, Levi’s response was not what Floyd hoped to hear. According to Gloria, this means that Master doesn’t trust me entirely. I knew it! He’s hiding something from me!

Despite the fact that Levi had done nothing wrong, Floyd decided to keep his thoughts to himself and simply smiled in response.

Even though Floyd did not say anything to Levi, his loyalty to his master had already begun to erode.

“Master, I should get out of your hair for I have to continue to search for the list. Remember to take good care of Evie because I’m sure many are bent on getting their hands on her spiritual bone,” reminded Floyd.

“Don’t worry. Evie is in good hands.” After nodding assuringly at Floyd, Levi urged the man to stay safe, even though he was confident that his disciple would be fine.

Not long after that, the Ecclesiastic Order received news that those of the Wolf God Palace and the other factions did not move out in full force since they only sent their elites the last time.

However, having lost so many of their elites, Wolf God Palace and the others were on their last legs.

In the Ecclesiastic Order, only the strongest survive; the weak would either be destroyed or devoured.

With more than half of their forces gone, there was no way Wolf God Palace and the others could hold the fort.

More likely than not, they would be swallowed whole by the other stronger factions.

When the news spread, everyone realized just how cruel the Ecclesiastic Order was and that there was infighting among the factions within the order.

That showed the world that the members of the order marched under the same banner but failed to get along like a proper organization.

Floyd smirked when he heard the news, for the Ecclesiastic Order turned out to be what Gloria had told him—a cruel bunch of people who would gladly kill each other for their own gain.

The weaker ones would always get bullied if not taken advantage of.

“Sonja and the others think they can drive a wedge between Gloria and me, huh? What a devious bunch!” uttered Floyd, who was glad that Gloria warned him of the Ecclesiastic Order members. If it weren’t for Gloria, I would’ve believed their lies, and it probably would’ve caused a fight to erupt between Master and West Pavilion. North Pavilion is the only one with something to gain by convincing me to trust them.

Floyd told Gloria everything as soon as he saw her. “Luckily, you told me what would happen beforehand. Otherwise, I would’ve been fooled to do something I’d regret for the rest of my life!”

In response, Gloria said nothing but scoffed condescendingly at Sonja’s actions. One day, I’ll make that woman pay for saying something like that about me to Floyd!

Gloria only thought it was possible that Sonja could warn Floyd of her but was not entirely sure that the woman would.

After her prediction proved to be true, Gloria boiled with anger.

Chapter 3278 Being Both The Devil And The Angel

She even thought about how she would get her revenge.

Still, Gloria knew it was not the right time to make a move on Sonja then because the list of Bonemasters had not been found yet. I can’t do anything to Sonja and the others just yet. At least not until we find the list. Then, they can bet that I’ll come for them! For now, I’ll keep a close eye on them and watch their every move.

Gloria knew whatever Sonja and the others were up to and which Bonemasters they had found, for she had more than one informant in North Pavilion.

All her informants were men, and she controlled them the same way she controlled Floyd, who took even more effort to manage than her other puppets.

After all, Floyd was a more cautious person since he had been through a lot with Levi.

If it were not for his self-blame after what happened to Azure Dragon and the others, Gloria probably would not have succeeded in pulling Floyd’s strings.

It took far less effort for Gloria to manipulate the men in North Pavilion and have them eating out of the palm of her hand. Some of them would betray the faction or even throw their lives away for her.

With informants planted in North Pavilion, Gloria knew Sonja’s and the others’ every move.

That was how she always managed to stay one step ahead of them with an exact copy of their list of Bonemasters.

Naturally, North Pavilion was not the only faction she planted her informants in since she was very good at manipulating men, especially those who were influential in their respective factions.

Since most of the men had done nothing but cultivate since birth, they were almost as naive as a baby, making them easy targets for Gloria.

Even Ghost Wolf, who Levi had slain, was also manipulated by her.

Furthermore, the young ones were not the only victims of Gloria’s seductive ways; many experienced elders of different factions, too, fell under her control.

No matter the men’s age, they all fell victim to Gloria just the same.

However, like everyone else, Gloria was not perfect.

It did not matter how meticulous the woman was because she was bound to fail sometimes.

Gloria simply moved on to another target every time she failed.

Many in the Ecclesiastic Order knew about her devious ways, and that was why Sonja and the others tried to warn Floyd.

Still, it was impossible for Floyd to listen to them because he had already fallen head over heels for Gloria.

Huh!

Suddenly, Floyd let out a long sigh.

“Are you okay? Is something the matter?” inquired Gloria concernedly.

“It’s as you said. My master is hiding something from me—he told me that what Evie was cultivating wasn’t the Art of Consumption.” Then, Floyd told Gloria everything Levi said to him, and the woman was taken aback by it.

Is her self-created technique really more potent than the Art of Consumption? After thinking about it carefully, Gloria remembered how powerful her technique was even back when spiritual energy was scarce.

And that was just the beginning. Now that she has spiritual energy and other resources, she must be capable of reaching new heights.

When Gloria heard how Levi described Forlevia’s technique to Floyd, her eyes immediately widened in greed, for she had decided to get her hands on more than just Levi’s and Forlevia’s spiritual bones.

Thinking about making Forlevia’s self-created technique her own, Gloria could not help but smirk evilly.

However, when she noticed Floyd staring curiously at her, Gloria quickly returned to her senses.

“I… I don’t think you should jump to conclusions. I mean, what if it really is something different? Similar but different,” responded Gloria cautiously.

Although it was Gloria who made Floyd think that his master did not trust him, she pretended to be understanding.

“But… But we talked about this, and I just don’ think that he… Da*n it!” Floyd found it difficult to finish his sentence, for even though he doubted Levi, he dared not to speak ill of his master.

“If you want to know for sure, there is a way we can find out,” voiced Gloria with another smirk.

Chapter 3279 Pulling The Strings

Floyd immediately turned to look at Gloria. “What way?”

“You can ask Evie to teach you her self-created technique and try it for yourself. Then, you’ll know for sure. It is no use just thinking about it, right?” suggested Gloria, intending to get the technique for herself.

To that, Floyd nodded fervently in response. “That’s a great idea! I’ll talk to Evie about it as soon as I get the chance. Someone as generous as her would no doubt agree to my request. Because of Master’s fine teaching, we’re used to sharing everything with each other. There are no secrets between us!”

“It sounds like you two are pretty close. I envy a relationship like that. Can’t wait to be a part of you guys!” uttered Gloria with a smile.

Surprised, the woman did not expect that Forlevia would share the technique willingly with Floyd.

She had even started thinking about how she would trick Forlevia into giving what she wanted. So it’s that easy, huh? I didn’t even have to come up with some grand plan! If Floyd gets the technique, that means I get it too.

Gloria even hinted to Floyd that she wanted to be his soon so that she could join his social circle.

Because of that, Floyd was filled to the brim with excitement. He was so thrilled that he could hardly wait to introduce Gloria to Levi and the others.

However, because of what Gloria said to him before, he knew better than to do something like that at the moment.

“It won’t be long. When the time is right, I’ll introduce you to Master and the others,” promised Floyd with a hint to regret.

“Okay. Let’s continue to search for the Bonemasters for now,” suggested Gloria naturally, still confident that she had Floyd in the palm of her hand.

Keeping an eye on Sonja and the others was essential to the next part of Gloria’s plan, for she had to be ready to make a move on Levi’s and Forlevia’s spiritual bones anytime.

The Ecclesiastic Order was shocked when they heard that Levi was looking for the culprit who stole his comrades’ spiritual bone.

They wondered who could have done it so quickly and without leaving a trace.

Like Sonja and the others, the Ecclesiastic Order members were taken aback when they heard what had happened and so tried to figure out who the culprit was.

At that moment, they decided to shift their attention away from Levi because they dared not make a move on the man.

However, that did not mean the factions were just going to sit by idly.

After all, Levi was not the only target they had in their crosshairs.

Witnessing Levi’s and Forlevia’s extraordinariness taught them that there were many like the two out there and that they just had to look hard enough.

Hence, the order had decided to expand its scope to the entire world rather than just focusing on Erudia.

They intended to hunt down Deities and spiritual bones, especially those in Elterton Union.

With countless Deities residing in Elterton Union, it was only natural that the place became the target of many factions in the Ecclesiastic Order.

Initially, Elterton Union wanted to fight back against the order. Being under Levi’s thumb is bad enough, so we’re not going to let the Ecclesiastic Order do the same to us!

However, they were crushed under the order’s mighty force as soon as they tried to resist.

It was at that point Elterton Union finally realized why the order dared to challenge Levi.

Unable to do anything about their oppressor, the union had no choice but to submit in the end.

As expected, the Ecclesiastic Order got exactly what they wanted—the magnificent spiritual bones of the Super Deities.

Even though the three most powerful ones they got were still below the legendary class, they were considered exceptional nonetheless.

However, they were not fit to be transplanted.

Chapter 3280 The Supporters Of The Zarainians

Only those close to the legendary class were worth the risk of a transplant.

Still, those who possessed such fine spiritual bones were talents worth nurturing.

In fact, it was a good thing that their spiritual bones were not powerful enough because not many could survive the procedure.

Compared to having their lives cut short, being taken in for nurturing was a much better alternative.

It did not take long before another mysterious group started competing with the Ecclesiastic Order to add new Deities into their ranks.

Many factions of the order had crossed paths with the mysterious group and realized that their enemies were as capable as they were.

The members of the group, fitted with strange high-tech equipment and had unusual energy in them, took the Ecclesiastic Order by surprise because the order had never met enemies like them before.

The level of conflict between the two forces continued to rise as they battled each other all over the world.

It turned out that the mysterious group was none other than the organization backing the Zarainians, who also depended on spiritual ley lines and spiritual bones to survive.

What set them apart from the order was that they utilized the Adrunian ways of cultivating human potential.

Naturally, human beings were born with great power, and it was up to them to explore the gift within.

For the Ecclesiastic Order, their way of cultivating potential was the Art of Consumption.

The organization, too, had a method for transplanting spiritual bones, and it was much more efficient than the order’s.

With their advanced technology, they made the procedure easy to carry out.

Of course, they only perfected their method after conducting countless experiments and sacrificing many lives.

Unlike the organization, the Ecclesiastic Order still required the Bonemasters to get the job done.

Even though the Zarainian supporter had needed fresh blood for quite a while, they stayed their hand until the order started hunting for spiritual bones.

Hence, the ceaseless conflict between the two forces as they flipped the entire world upside down, hunting valuable spiritual bones.

Although they could only find two or three worthy ones at a time, they were sure to seize every last one of the spiritual bones.

Levi was well aware of the situation because Black Hawk had already reported it to him.

Even Digital God, who controls Elterton Union, had contacted Levi about the same thing.

However, Levi was not bothered by the news in the slightest, for he thought of it as nothing more than a big joke.

The only thing that mattered to him then was to capture all the Bonemasters so that he could question them.

Of course, he was not about to let those who controlled Chad get away scot-free, but his focus then was on the Ecclesiastic Order.

When this is all over, I’ll be sure to get to the bottom of it.

…

Meanwhile, a crisis, in the form of one of the Ecclesiastic Order’s factions, quietly approached North Pavilion when they were still busy trying to figure out who had injured the Three Sages.

“What? The Three Sages are severely injured?” questioned somebody tentatively.

“Yes. I spent a fortune to get this information from Gerton, so I’m sure it’s true!”

“Somebody witnessed the Three Sages getting seriously hurt, so they’ve got to be licking their wounds now, right?”

Some nodded in agreement. “Right, that’s what I heard too. They announced that they’d be in solitary training indefinitely.”

“It must be true then. The Three Sages really are in trouble!”

“But who could’ve been strong enough to injure them?”

“I don’t think many in the Ecclesiastic Order are capable of such a feat.”

“Now is not the time to figure out who the culprits are for we have to confirm if the Three Sages are really wounded as soon as possible.”

“If they are, then it’s our chance to swallow North Pavilion!”

”