The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2373
“D-despite how dangerous our trip was, we actually managed to get here…!
Congratulations, Patriarch! Mr. Gerald!” exclaimed several of the overjoyed Zemans.
After all, they were about to be part of the rare few who had ever entered Fyre Cave and located the saintly ruins!
“Indeed! If we manage to cross the Red River, we’ll be the first to have achieved that feat!” declared Walter as he beamed with joy.
“Hah! I’m afraid that’s easier said than done!” scoffed a familiar voice out of the blue!
Turning around, everyone including Walter and Gerald found their eyes widening in shock as they watched an old man leap off the wall before casually landing on his feet.
“R-Ryder…?! Haven’t I injured you heavily enough?! How dare you still enter Fyre
Cave?!” growled Walter, his eyes twitching as he watched Ryder sit cross-legged before the river.
“Heh… I’ll admit that your Lonsdaleite Extermination Formation was surprisingly strong enough to damage my Triton qi. I’ll be needing at least a week to fully recover from that! Regardless, if you’re wondering how I made my way down here, allow me to remind you
that getting to the saintly ruins has been my lifelong pursuit. With that in mind, I’ve come down here so many times throughout the decades that this place honestly feels like my backyard now!” scoffed Ryder with a smirk.
“So this isn’t your first time down here either…!” muttered Walter as he took a few steps back.
“But of course! Why else would there be so few demons lingering about? Speaking of demons, there’s one that kept evading me. The Corpse Demon Spider, I believe. I’m sure I’ve bumped into it on several occasions, but the cunning thing kept managing to slip away! Since a few of you look quite hurt, I’m assuming you encountered it. Color me surprised that you’re all still alive. I guess you do have a bit of power in you after all!” scoffed Ryder with a laugh.
“With how familiar you are with this place, why don’t you just head in? You don’t even need the Zeman family’s map!” said Gerald as both he and Walter began mobilizing their essential qi, fully prepared to enter combat at any moment.
“While I admit that you’re strong for your age, you only know very little about this world. Look, a great, ancient cultivator once set up a Septar Dipper Formation within the river. Because of it, I’ve been unable to cross the Red River, even after all these years! Every attempt I make simply leads to me almost dying! Regardless, I’ve waited this long since I know that the method of
crossing the river is either written on the Zeman family’s map, or has been memorized by Walter!” said Ryder who was still sitting cross legged-before going silent for a while.
After only a few breaths, the rosiness in his pale cheeks returned, instantly shocking both Gerald and Walter!
“Y-You… Did you just fully restore your Triton qi…?! But how?!” exclaimed Walter, sweating bullets as he watched Ryder get to his feet.
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2374
“Heh. So, you could tell? Good eye! ” replied Ryder with a nod.
“This… This isn’t possible…! Though I know my Lonsdaleite Extermination Formation can’t outright kill you, I’m confident that the injuries you sustained need at least a full week to recover! You shouldn’t be able to use your essential qi at all…!” exclaimed Walter, his great disbelief plastered all over his face.
“Hah! Well, since you’ll all be dead soon anyway, I may as well tell you the truth! You see, my essential qi a few decades ago was barely strong enough to rival my seniors’! Despite that, all of them were cowards! For context, I had proposed to work together with them to search for the supreme heavenly technique in Fyre Cave. However, all of
them were simply too afraid to even go against the ancestral instructions of the Thunder Sword Sect! I’m honestly ashamed to share the same sect as them!”
“After having my proposal outright rejected, I made it my quest to secretly search for Fyre Cave. When I finally found it, however, I quickly realized that the Red River posed an immense challenge! Though I eventually realized that it was impossible to break the Septar Dipper Formation with my own strength, I did manage to learn some things from my failures.”
“For one, by carefully studying the formation, I found that it was closely related to the power of the five elements as well as the Yin Yang energy commonly found in the bodies of cultivators. Aside from that, I also learned that the holy spirit of the Red River significantly eased the process of cultivating. It honestly isn’t a stretch to say that cultivating here for a year is equivalent to cultivating for ten! Regardless, after cultivating
here for the longest time, I tried to break the formation again. As you may have already guessed, I failed once more,” explained Ryder as he shook his head.
“I see… So in order to vent your anger, you killed all seventy-one of your seniors and juniors?” asked Walter who couldn’t help but admire and fear Ryder at the same time. This old man was a true cultivating prodigy “Hah! They were all idiots anyway.
After all, they actually dared to ask whether I had secretly been entering Fyre Cave! They even threatened to scrape my cultivation at the time! Unfortunately for them, I had already mastered the final three tactics of the Thunder Sword Technique by then! Like the scum they were, none of them could even come close to handling my attacks! It was then when I finally realized just how strong I had become!” scoffed Ryder as he paced back and forth.
“Aren’t you strong enough, senior…? Why do you keep insisting on entering Fyre Cave…?” muttered Walter as he shook his head.
“Because I wish to become the strongest, of course! The strongest in the cultivation realm! I’ll make everyone in the realm serve me, and only me! But putting that aside, I’m glad that I was so stubborn about remaining down here back then. After all, it gave me the idea of turning one of the caverns into my secret cultivating spot! Following that, I’d always come down here to recover whenever I got hurt. Had I not done so, I wouldn’t have been able to bump into you on your way here! Regardless, I’ll finally be able to break the Septar Dipper Formation today!” declared Ryder with a sinister laugh.
“Speaking of which, though I’m killing all of you, I’ll make sure to be creative with each of your murders! Of course, I could also give all of you quick deaths… As long as you
willingly hand me the proper method of breaking the formation! ” added the evil old man.”
“Don’t even dream about it, Ryder! If I hand it to you, who knows how many more people will perish! With that said, I, Walter Zeman, admit defeat! I apologize for dragging you into this, Brother Gerald…!” declared Walter who fully understood that escape was no longer an option.
“It’s no big deal, Uncle Zeman! Let’s just die here together!” replied Gerald as he clenched his fists.
“So your name’s Gerald, huh… Now that I’ve fully recovered, be sure to show me your true potential!” roared Ryder.
Before the old man could say anything else, Walter turned to face his men before shouting, “The Ultimate Immobilizing Net!”
Upon hearing that, all of them immediately began activating the net. And once it was ready, the group of men pounced toward Ryder…l
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2375
“Hah! Can’t cast. the Lonsdaleite Extermination Formation here, can you? Either way, do you seriously think you can defeat me with that lousy net?! ” scoffed Ryder with a disdainful look before entering an attack stance and yelling, “Thunder Strike!”
Following that, a mighty golden aurablade materialized before charging toward the group of disciples! Any Zeman the aurablade passed ended up having their chests slashed open, resulting in blood flying all over the place…! Even the Ultimate Immobilizing Net was chopped to pieces!
It was only because of Gerald and Walter’s lightning speed that they were able to dodge the fatal blow in time. However, to their horror, only eight of the Zeman disciples remained standing. The rest had been swiftly taken out in just a single attack…!
“He… He’s too strong…! ” said Walter as he held onto his bloody palm. Despite dodging as fast as he could, he was still unable to fully dodge the attack.
“Now then… Are you finally willing to hand me the solution? Or would you like to experience my Thunderous Bone crushing Palm instead?” scoffed Ryder as he smiled bitterly while shaking his head.
“How about a third option! Allow me to kill you instead!” roared the enraged Walter as he immediately began releasing all his essential qi!
Watching as Walter’s shirt and jacket were ripped to shreds, the remaining Zemans immediately yelled, “ P-please patriarch! Don’t do it…!”
Unfortunately, they were too late. Walter had already summoned his Demondie Sword… And with a swift slice, he chopped his entire left arm off…! Seemingly unfazed by the gushing blood, Walter then tossed his sword to the side before starting to extract the fresh blood.
Within seconds, a shock wave of energy shot out from Walter, causing debris to fly all over the place! With how strong the force was, Gerald found it difficult to even get proper footing…!
“Oh? How interesting! Is this the Zeman family’s Thousand Sorrow Palm attack?” yelled Ryder whose eyes were now gleaming brilliantly as he launched his own Thunderous Bone crushing Palm attack toward Walter!
On one end, was Walter, who was surrounded by a misty, dark red aura. On the other, was Ryder, who was surrounded by flashes of lightning! The second their palms met, a massive and deafening shockwave swept across the now rumbling cavern, followed by the water in the Red River splashing all over the place!
All it took was a single drop of water coming into contact with one of the Zemans, for him to instantly melt into a pulp…!
Regardless, despite doing his best, Walter soon found himself coughing out mouthfuls of blood as he crashed to the ground, his body growing darker by the second…!
Ryder himself who appeared to be slightly impressed took three steps back before
laughing aloud and saying, “While the Thousand Sorrow Palm is a good move, the last tactic, Drag Down Hell, can sadly only be used once per lifetime. Either way, you’ve officially lost all your cultivation, Walter!”
Angered to hear that, the remaining Zemans then charged toward Ryder while yelling, “Go to hell!”
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Upon hearing that, Ryder simply pointed toward them and with a simple swipe, all seven of them were dead, completely sliced in half from the waist down!
Seeing his chance, Gerald then summoned his Herculean Sword, prompting an aurablade to shoot out toward Ryder! To the boy’s dismay, all it took was a sway of Ryder’s hand to dismiss the attack! Even so, Ryder couldn’t help but look slightly surprised that Gerald’s attack had managed to burn a hole in his sleeve.
Still, it wasn’t all that shocking to the old man, and Ryder simply laughed before scoffing, “Though your essential qi is strong, you’ve unfortunately only achieved the first out of nine levels, kid! Because of that, you’re still unable to exert your tactic’s full power! Also, your technique simply isn’t powerful enough. You could say that it lacks the ability to kill! With that said, are you a new cultivator or something?”
Though Gerald was stunned that Ryder could see through him so easily, he quickly snapped out of it when the pale and exhausted-looking Walter who appeared to be in great pain-yelled in between coughs of blood, “B-brother Gerald…! Run…! I’m now useless in this fight, so please…! Run while you can…!”
“Hah! Run? Dream on, kid! Now allow me to show you what real cultivation realm martial arts looks like!” declared Ryder with a smirk before pointing at Gerald and yelling, “Blood Shower!”
Following that, countless aura blades began materializing in the air before flying toward Gerald!
Though Gerald immediately began frantically dodging them with his lightness skill, it
was ultimately useless. His legs were quickly immobilized by the Blood Shower’s aura, causing them to feel as heavy as lead…!
“Now show me what secrets lie within you…” scoffed Ryder before sending all the aura blades bolting toward the immobile boy…!
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2376
Knowing that this was his end, Gerald braced himself for impact…!
However, moments before the aurablades got to him, a golden light suddenly began emanating from his chest! Soon after, a shield of light enveloped Gerald’s body, preventing the aurablad es from touching the boy at all! Upon seeing that, Ryder’s eyes widened as he stammered, “T-that… You… You possess the Herculean Primordial Spirit?!”
The Herculean Primordial Spirit was even more valuable than the martial art techniques stashed in this cave! If he got his hands on the primordial spirit, then he could truly transcend the cultivation realm and become part of a higher existence…!
With that in mind, Ryder couldn’t help but laugh wickedly as he looked up and spread his arms while yelling, “I must be the luckiest man alive today! Once I kill you, I’ll be able to possess the Herculean Primordial Spirit as well! Now have a taste of my Seventh Sword Rain!”
Following the announcement of his attack, numerous aura blades began materializing all around him! Each of them was brimming with a destructive aura, and the pressure of it all was enough to cause even the cavern to rumble…!
Walter himself who was still lying on the ground had his eyes wide in fear as he exclaimed, “This… This is the final Thunder Sword Technique…! The Seventh Sword Rain! To think he actually managed to master it…!”
Even the underground creatures could sense the quickly approaching crisis, and beasts of all kinds could be seen fleeing in all directions…!
As for Gerald, he could now see that even his Herculean Primordial Spirit’s shield was starting to crack from the mighty force…! It was clear as day that the shield wasn’t perfect since Gerald hadn’t learned to fully control his primordial spirit yet!
Knowing that Ryder would obtain the Herculean Primordial Spirit once he died, Gerald gritted his teeth before using his final divine thought, ‘I won’t ever hand it to you! Even if I have to die!’
With that, Gerald broke through the mighty pressure before leaping into the Red River!
“Stop…!” roared the shocked Ryder as he quickly withdrew his power before bolting toward Gerald!
Unfortunately, he was too late! Together with his protective shield, Gerald was now fully submerged in the river! As the river swallowed Gerald whole, however, a strange thing began to happen.
The Septar Dipper Formation started being projected above the Red River’s boundary for some reason!
Was Gerald and his Herculean Primordial Spirit the cause?
Whatever the case was, the formation then began cracking like glass!
Realizing that it was about to shatter, Ryder miserably yelled, “W-what’s going on?! Is the formation breaking?! Is this place going to be destroyed?!”
Knowing that his lifelong dreams were about to shatter together with the formation, the despairing Ryder added, “Please…! Stop this at once! I’ve… I’ve waited too many years for this…! That’s right. Walter! Tell me how to get into the formation! Tell me quickly, god damn it…!”
In response, Walter simply laughed loudly while scoffing, “Hah! It’s all over! Once the formation breaks, the power it releases will surely cause this underground world to collapse, destroying the saintly ruins in the process!”
The second Walter’s sentence ended, an angry roar could be heard!
Now looking incredibly distressed, Ryder shouted, “That… That’s the Redflame Dragon…! I’m so close to it!”
Just as the desperate Ryder was about to end Walter’s life, the formation began glowing in a golden light before releasing a powerful shockwave! It was going to shatter at any moment now…!
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2377
Barely a second later, a thunderous explosion was heard and the ground began trembling like crazy!
“This… Doesn’t look good…!” gulped Ryder as he felt his heart skip a beat. With a wave of his hands, he then turned into a cloud of green smoke before disappearing into thin air!
With stalactites already starting to fall from the ceiling, the cavern didn’t look like it
would last for much longer! By the time it was all over, the cavern ended up becoming a massive ruin, with only the Red River continuing to flow deep underneath…
Speaking of the river, the second Gerald leaped into it, he instantly lost consciousness.
He, for one, had expected to die there, and the last thing on his mind before fainting was that the Herculean Primordial Spirit would sink into the river together with his corpse. However, if anyone had taken the time to peer into the water, they’d surely be surprised to find out that his body was still intact! In fact, it was still shining in a golden light! As it turned, his Herculean Primordial Spirit was protecting him!
Every time the water tried to melt his body, his Herculean Primordial Spirit would simply regenerate his body parts! The Red River couldn’t destroy his body at all!
Regardless, after his body floated there for quite a while, the Red River oddly began swirling faster, and faster until it turned into a whirlpool and swallowed Gerald in! At one point, the water got so fast that it penetrated through the riverbed!
The second that happened, a dazzling light shone for a brief second before disappearing and just like that, Gerald was nowhere in sight, fully devoured by the river bed.
Eventually, the freezing Gerald slowly regained consciousness and the first thing he felt was his aching body! Upon opening his eyes, he was instantly astonished.
“I… I’m not… Dead…? What is this place…? Is this… The netherworld…?” muttered the confused boy as he slowly got up a hand against his chest to look around…
From what the boy could immediately approximate, the place was about two stories high and was as long as a football field. As he explored the area, he was instantly startled once he got close to the center.
Seated cross-legged there, was what appeared to be an old, and white haired priest! After staring at the whisk in the old man’s hand for a bit, Gerald was prompted to ask, “…Senior?”
When he got no reply, Gerald tried scanning the old priest with his senses only to soon realize that it was actually a corpse!
Just as Gerald was wondering how long the corpse had been sitting there, he looked up and saw that the Red River was flowing above him!
Though startled, Gerald also felt overjoyed as he said to himself, “My Herculean Primordial Spirit must have saved me…! I can always count on it when my life is in danger!”
Following that, he used his senses to scan through his body and to his surprise, he realized that he had jumped from the fourth to the sixth stage in mastering his
Herculean Primordial Spirit! What more, his essential qi had also grown more abundant! What a miracle!
Once he got to the ninth stage, he would truly be able to merge with the Herculean Primordial Spirit and with that, he’d be able to start learning the superior techniques he had memorized. Only then would he be more confident in defeating Daryl.
Gerald’s train of thought was cut short when he turned to look at the priest again.
“Hmm? These are…”
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2378
Before the priest laid a few books and upon closer inspection, Gerald realized that they were all guides for learning the supreme heavenly techniques!
“My god!” exclaimed Gerald. Was he in the saintly ruins? Whatever the case was, this senior sure was merciless…
After all, by keeping all this knowledge down here, even the greatest of prodigies would’ve surely died in the unforgiving river…
Even if someone did manage to slay the Redflame Dragon, nobody would’ve had the courage to come down here!
“What a vicious senior… With how greedy humans are cultivators included, I can’t
imagine how many power hungry individuals have died here!” muttered Gerald as he shook his head.
Still, he couldn’t help but admire the old priest. Though Gerald wanted to at least know his name, there were simply no clues of what it could ’ve been. All there was, were those books.
Staring at the supreme heavenly technique books that the greatest of cultivators had been seeking out throughout the years, Gerald couldn’t help but sigh while shaking his head as he said, “Though Ryder was undoubtedly a prodigy, he eventually went mad
just to obtain these books… Was all that even worth it? After all, though I now have access to them, it’s not like I can leave this place! I, for one, am not daring enough to
leap into the river again! All I can do is stay here till I eventually die beside this senior!”
After wondering what to do for a moment, Gerald suddenly realized something, prompting him to exclaim, “Hold it! Since this senior was able to get past the river and even build this tomb here, he may have had a special technique that allowed him to traverse the river! If I can learn that technique, I may be able to leave! It’s certainly a better option than simply waiting here to die!”
Now feeling pumped up, Gerald seriously began flipping through the six books before the corpse… From what he was able to gather, four of them were about martial arts, the fifth taught a technique, and the final one had instructions about creating a formation.
These were the masterpieces that the senior had developed throughout his lifetime.
“Let’s see… The first one is called the Cosmo-Amorphous Sword Technique… This one has seven styles, huh…” muttered Gerald as he read through the books.
From what Gerald could see, each style of this technique was capable of destroying both the heavens and the earth… Ryder’s Thunder Sword Technique was nothing compared to these! Honestly, as long as Gerald mastered the first three styles Skysplit, Thirdhell, and Mokinfinite, nobody would be able to defeat him!
Shaking his head, Gerald then put down the book before reading another.
This one was called the Eight Dragon Lock, and it was a powerful restraining martial art. Definitely as powerful as the Avatar Rope, this technique could apparently immobilize any opponent. Once the essential qi from eight meridians was merged together, even the greatest cultivator would have their elixir-of-life field shattered! When used on a common cultivator, however, all their bones would simply be crushed into a fine paste!
How horrifyingly powerful yet impressive!
The technique in the third book was somehow even more mystifying! Rather than a martial art, the Thordifussion Method was more of a supernatural skill. Just by learning the basics, one would be able to penetrate anyone’s primordial spirit and diffuse their souls, thus disabling them from entering the netherworld! With that in mind, upon mastering it, one wouldn’t need to fear heavenly tribulations anymore since thunder and fire would no longer be able to hurt them!
“My god… No wonder Ryder ridiculed me for not knowing the true extent of martial arts in the cultivation realm… The knowledge of cultivating martial arts truly runs deep…” muttered Gerald as he opened the fourth book.
This book taught a lightness skill known as Golden Blaze Somersault that apparently allowed these who mastered it to travel a thousand miles with just a single somersault! Even by learning the basics, one would already be able to move as swiftly as a shadow, unable to be caught by most people! With how amazing the technique sounded, Gerald could already feel his heart pumping with excitement!
Moving on to the fifth book, it apparently had information regarding formations and forcefields. After reading through it, Gerald realized that the formations and forcefields above and below the Red River were created with the information in this book!
With that read, only the sixth book remained… Labeled ‘The Harmonious Five-element Method,’ there were apparently ten levels to it. Simply learning the basics would allow one to shift the regulations of the five elements, essentially granting them the ability to bounce the opponent’s essential qi off or redirect it to another direction! Upon mastery, one would even be able to transform or resize themselves to their heart’s desire! As if that wasn’t already enough, mastery would also grant the user the ability to create life without losing any of their Triton qi! Last but not least, one would be able to use this power to pass through dangerous boundaries like the Red River…! While it was true that the river would still melt the user, they’d be able to easily regenerate themselves!
By this point, Gerald’s hands were already trembling, “This… This was his ticket out of the Red River..!”
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2379
“Since I possess the Herculean Primordial Spirit, cultivating will be much easier for me… What more, since I’ve mastered half of the spirit, my efficiency should also be much higher compared to ordinary cultivators!” declared Gerald to himself as he sat before the books.
After pondering for a bit, he picked the first book up, titled, ‘The Cosmo-Amorphous Sword Technique’ before starting his cultivation. As he had earlier read, there were a total of seven styles, and the first was called Skysplit.
Entering an attack stance, Gerald then began materializing a strong aura blade with his essential qi. Though regular aura blades were formed through the combination of the five elements and Yin Yang energy, the one Gerald was making made use of the forces from heaven and earth as well.
In the end, all laws returned to one, and some of the world’s energy came from force. With that in mind, when launching an attack, Gerald had to use the force of his body’s essential qi. In fact, according to the book, not only would he need to use his body’s force, but Gerald would also have to borrow the forces of heaven and earth.
By using heaven and earth as the foundation to mobilize the five elements as well as the Yin Yang energy, Gerald could then use his essential qi to transfer the force into the aurablade, thus completing the power activation of his whole body. With all that said, once the Skysplit attack that carried the power of heaven and earth was launched, not even the devil would be able to withstand it!
Moving on to Thirdhell, the second style, it was basically a greater power that utilized the forces of heaven and earth. By combining the three qis of heaven and earth-diverse, pure, and masculine qi, one would be able to make the earth tremble and even conquer devils!
The next five styles were similar to the first two, but each of them grew far more advanced and thus, even stronger. With that in mind, the more Gerald practiced the technique, the more he felt that the sword technique was immensely sophisticated.
Even so, the Herculean Primordial Spirit was a golden spirit made by a cultivator that contained the essence of everything in the world, thus it was suitable to be used to stimulate worldly essence. With that in mind, borrowing the forces of heaven and earth as well as combining all the qis was nothing to Gerald.
After many hours of cultivating, Gerald suddenly opened his eyes and just like that, the forces of heaven and earth rapidly began converging toward the boy, accumulating
within his body and running through all eight of his meridians!
“Dharmorphous!” roared Gerald, prompting countless aura blades to materialize around him!
After performing the last style, the earth shook and the aura blades turned to face the ground before bolting downward and burrowing themselves deep underground! With how immense this power was, it wasn’t a stretch to claim that it was capable of
penetrating the heavens and the earth! Even the Red River’s water was splashing around like crazy at the moment…!
Gerald hadn’t even launched the full attack yet several explosions had already been triggered! Worried that the full power of the Dharmorphous would cause the cave to collapse since Gerald could see that the formation above him was starting to crack again under the Dharmorphous pressure, Gerald quickly withdrew his attack
Still, after looking at the aftermath, Gerald couldn’t help but feel satisfied as he declared, “I’ve now mastered the Cosmo-Amorphous Sword Technique!”
Now that he had this powerful sword technique at his disposal, he’d no longer have to worry about being powerless against other powerful techniques such as the Thunder Sword Technique again. Ryder’s technique was pretty much incomparable to this.
Regardless, now that he had mastered the first book, Gerald began practicing the Eight Dragon Lock. Since the technique required one to simultaneously use eight qis, it was understandably difficult to master. Thankfully, Gerald had the Herculean Primordial Spirit in him, so mastering it was no issue.
In fact, Gerald soon mastered the Golden Blaze Somersault as well!
By the end of the day, all that was left were the two toughest secret techniques. The Thordifusion method, and the Velement Method… As for why Gerald considered them
to be ‘tough,’ it was because though they complimented each other, they were still two independent techniques.
Aside from that, the profundity of the techniques meant that he couldn’t just rely on his Herculean Primordial Spirit to master them. Knowing that he’d need to learn them eventually, Gerald quieted his mind before carefully starting to learn each level.
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2380
As Gerald continued training, time moved on for everyone else… And it wasn’t long before Ryder who had fully allowed his inner demons to take over him returned with a vengeance.
After that incident, Ryder had gone far and wide to gather several cultivators some solitary, some from varying sects, and some even sect leaders over to the cave’s entrance. His plan was to have them dig around till they found Fyre Cave’s entrance again. Despite how slim the odds were, he didn’t care!
Ryder’s train of thought was cut short when one of the cultivators walked up to him before saying, “Thunder Swordlord… The place has completely collapsed… With that said, it’ll be impossible to dig the place up, even if we were to completely exhaust our essential qi…!”
Upon hearing that, Ryder instantly glared at the cultivator while growling, “What did you say?”
“I… I mean…! I didn’t…!” stuttered the frightened cultivator as he rapidly shook his head.
Before the cultivator could even apologize, Ryder’s palm had already grabbed onto his head and with a sickening snap, the cultivator was beheaded on the spot!
Turning to glare at the other horrified cultivators, Ryder then growled, “If you wish to keep your heads intact, then hurry up and dig! I don’t care what methods you use! Even if it’s buried a few thousand meters deep, you’ll all dig till you find that god damned entrance!”
With how overwhelmingly suffocating Ryder’s murderous intent was, the other cultivators immediately began doing as he ordered…!
Unfortunately for them, even after continuously digging for over ninety days, there was simply no progress to be made. Perhaps it was because the land was formed over several special formations, but almost every time they dug to a certain point, stones and soil would simply begin sliding back in and undoing all their work!
On the few occasions they did manage to keep the land dug, however, the cultivators were quick to realize that the geographical structure beneath them had changed. This special structure prevented them from digging any further, regardless of what magic artifacts were used and how much essential qi was drained. Naturally, modern technology wasn’t going to be of much use here either.
Though there were initially over a thousand cultivators in on this, a good two hundred of them had died due to constantly over-exhausting their essential qi. Ryder himself found himself growing more and more anxious by the day…
Was this truly God’s will…? After all, despite the fact that he had waited for so many years, it was all destroyed in a single moment… All this was that f*cking brat’s fault…! Had it not been for Gerald, the formation wouldn’t have been destroyed! It certainly didn’t help that the boy was already dead! How f*cking miserable!
It had already been three months since that great battle, yet Ryder simply found himself despising the boy more and more every time he thought about him.
Just as Ryder was clenching his teeth in fury, the ground suddenly began shaking violently! This had been going on for quite a while, and Ryder suspected that it was due to something touching the formation. However, what confused him was the fact that the tremors kept getting stronger and stronger every time they hit! With that in mind, Ryder was barely able to balance himself by the time this tremor was over.
“Such a great force…!” muttered Ryder to himself with a sigh. For all he knew, the formation was probably the only thing that could exert such power… But what was the use of analyzing that? He wanted such power for himself! A power so great that it could cause the skies and earth to tremble…! Alas, there was a high chance that he wouldn’t ever be able to reach that level of cultivation anymore…
Moving back to Gerald, the boy was currently sitting cross-legged, with both masculine and feminine auras surrounding his face. Slowly, the two auras gathered in his elixir of life field and following that, Gerald released a long breath, forming a long stream of milky white air.
“At long last, I’ve finally mastered the Thordifusion and Velement Methods!” declared Gerald as he opened his eyes.
Though he could already see up to a thousand miles with his divine ability-before this, now that his senses were further enhanced, his vision was further boosted by a few hundred miles.
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2381
“Well that’s neat,” said Gerald with a chuckle, clearly pleased and excited to finally be able to feel the surge of power within his body…
“No wonder so many people are after the Herculean Primordial Spirit… I was simply unaware of how magical it was till this point! After all, it’s only taken me three months to be able to fully grasp the Thordifussion and Velement Methods!” exclaimed Gerald as his divine sense continued exploring the environment.
While withdrawing his divine sense, however, Gerald couldn’t help but sense a faint hint of life within a large pile of debris beside the Red River. With how faint it was, it was clear that the individual had used the Ghost Breath Method to prolong their death.
“Could… That be Uncle Zeman?” said Gerald to himself as his brows furrowed.
Though Gerald wasn’t able to traverse the Red River before this, he now had the ability to transform and rejuvenate. With that in mind, the river’s corrosion was no longer an
issue for him. Regardless, Gerald was eager to save him, so he slipped the books into his pockets before activating his new powers.
Following a golden flash, Gerald turned into tiny particles resembling sentient golden dust before bolting upward toward the river! As was expected, he penetrated the river just fine.
Upon flying out the river, Gerald cast another spell, causing another flash of golden light. Once the light dimmed down, Gerald could be seen, looking the way he had
previously been. However, to his shock, all his clothes were gone, and so were the six books!
It was at that moment when Gerald was filled with remorse. He had been so eager to save Walter that he forgot to cast protective spells on his clothes and the books! The river must have corroded them while he was on his way up!
While it was true that Gerald had already memorized all the secret techniques, the books were still valuable items since they were hand written by that senior. What a pity that they were now destroyed.
Regardless, Gerald knew that feeling sorry could wait. A simple glance around was all it took for Gerald to see that most of the cave had collapsed. Apparently, the clouds of steam formed by the river had helped to keep some parts of the cave intact. But this
wasn’t what he was looking for.
Unable to see any living individuals nearby, Gerald then muttered under his breath, “Regardless of what happened, I need to focus on saving him first…!”
With that in mind, Gerald quickly found the clothes of a dead Zeman disciple and put them on before starting his search for Walter. Once he finally located him buried under a pile of rubble, Gerald raised his arms, sending out a strong wave of essential qi as he ordered, “Rise!”
The technique he was using was one of the Eight Dragon Lock’s skills, and it allowed him to remove all the dirt covering Walter with the simple wave of a hand. Whatever the case was, upon seeing Walter who was almost dead by this point, Gerald immediately exclaimed, “U-Uncle Zeman!”
Following that, he immediately crouched down before initiating the Velement Method as well as a protection spell to treat Walter with the help of his Herculean Primordial Spirit.
Thank god he arrived in time…! As for how Walter had survived this long. Since cultivators had different bodies compared to regular people, it only made sense for their souls to be different as well.
By utilizing the Ghost Breath Method, cultivators were able to slow down the dissipation of their souls. In fact, those who mastered the method could even create a thought of soul, thus allowing them to remain in this world forever! This was the method that Sister Indigo and a few others that Gerald had met had used.
Gerald had learned all this including how to preserve a thought of soul from the book about formations. With that in mind, he could see that Walter had been unable to attain a thought of soul since his cultivation wasn’t high enough yet. Even so, preserving his soul for up to four months was still very doable for him.
Unfortunately, his serious injuries had definitely made it much harder for Walter to stay alive.
Either way, now that Gerald was continuously healing Walter’s body, the damage from Ryder’s attacks was slowly repaired. The second Walter’s vital organs recovered, the middle-aged man immediately coughed fresh blood out. Slowly Walter opening his eyes in disbelief, Walter then muttered, “Have… Have I arrived in the netherworld?”
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2382
“Negative, Uncle Zeman. You aren’t dying anytime soon!” replied Gerald, withdrawing his palms now that the middle-aged man’s condition had stabilized.
“G-Gerald…? Is that… Really you…? You’re alive…?!” exclaimed the surprised Walter in delight.
“I am, and we have Ryder to thank for that. Regardless, I’ll give a more detailed explanation once we’re back on the surface,” replied Gerald with a nod.
“Deal…!” said Walter as he slowly got to his feet, making it evident that he was still very weak.
All of a sudden, loud rumbling could be heard all around them, followed by what felt like a heatwave! Understandably shocked, Walter was prompted to ask, “W-what on earth is happening?!”
Gerald himself was already surveying the area with his divine sense, and shortly after, he monotonously replied, “It’s the Redflame Dragon. ”
As Gerald looked forward, it wasn’t long before the rumbling grew louder and within seconds, a huge, shining red dragon crawled out from a cave across the river! Upon
closer inspection, its entire body that was at least twenty meters long was so red that it resembled burning coal…! What more, each of its four limbs had massive claws that
looked both tough, and strong.
Watching as the furious dragon roared hungrily at Gerald and Walter, the shocked middle-aged man exclaimed, “But… How…?! How could it have come out on its own?!”
“I must have broken its seal when I ran into the Red River’s formation back then.
Regardless, I’m assuming that the scent of living things drew it out! ” replied Gerald.
“What bad luck! Despite managing to survive for so long, to think that I’m now about to become a dragon’s meal! What more, all the exits are sealed so we can’t even attempt to escape!” groaned the distressed Walter.
Gerald himself was currently staring right into the dragon’s eyes. Though the beast
looked intimidating, it was clear that it was afraid of the Red River, given how it kept its distance away from it.
Though there was a brief silence, that ended when the dragon slowly stood on its hind legs before releasing a mighty roar and sprouting a pair of huge wings!
Eyes widening when he saw that, the now panicked Walter exclaimed, “It… It’s coming over! Oh god, I don’t want to be eaten by that thing…! Please, toss me into the river
while you can, Gerald…!”
Understandably, Gerald wasn’t about to do that. Still, though he had now learned all the supreme heavenly techniques, he had never actually fought a dragon before. With that in mind, victory wasn’t certain yet, and Gerald knew he had to treat this battle extremely seriously.
Without warning, the Redflame Dragon flapped its fiery wings before bolting toward Gerald! Now that it had the high ground, the dragon took the chance to fire a flamethrower toward the duo!
“T-that’s the Fifth flame attack…!” yelled the stunned Walter as he quickly shut his eyes.
As for Gerald, he stood before Walter and quickly activated all the qi in his body. Focusing his Yang in his left palm and Yin in his right, Gerald then clapped his hands together instantly forming a Yin Yang barrier in front of them!
When the powerful attack met Gerald’s barrier, a loud sizzling could be heard…! Much to the airborne dragon’s shock, however, Gerald’s barrier was able to absorb all its flames!
Before the dragon could even recover from its shock, Gerald yelled, “Have a taste of your own medicine, beast!”
Following that, he activated his power again and released all his qi before shooting the dragon’s attack right back at it! The counterattack hit the dragon square on its body, resulting in the dragon roaring as it almost got knocked over!
Although the dragon’s body was naturally already lit with flames, the fire from the Fifth Flame attack was made with a different process, which was why it was much stronger than the dragon’s default flames. Regardless, with the help of its wings, the dragon managed to stabilize itself before quickly landing by Gerald’s side. Contrary to before, however, its eyes were now filled with fear as blood dripped out from its chest.
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2384
“Hell if I know! Fearless fanatics! Kill them!” roared the captured man, prompting the other forty or so men in black to draw their blades and charge toward Gerald…!
Upon seeing that, Gerald simply crushed the man’s neck in his grip before dropping the fresh corpse and outstretching his palm toward the incoming assailants. With the aid of the Eight Dragon Lock, he was able to gain control of the men within seconds!
Following that, Gerald released a surge of essential qi which forced the men to slowly aim their blades toward their hearts and just like that, the men in black were no longer among the living. It had all happened so quickly…!
Regardless, seeing that they were now free, Old Hayne and the other captives quickly bowed before Gerald while exclaiming, “You’re exceedingly strong, young brother!
Thank you for saving us…! ”
Once they were freed from their shackles, Old Hayne began explaining how they got to their current situation As it turned out, Ryder had been sending his men out for quite some time to capture cultivators and force them to break the formation with their bodies. About five hundred of them had lost their lives by this point, and the cultivators from Old Hayne’s group were part of the newer replacement batch.
After hearing all that, the frowning Gerald couldn’t help but say, “Ryder’s finally lost it!”
Before anyone could reply, a yell could be heard, stating, “They’re over here! Quick! Surround them!”
Within seconds, at least a hundred more men in black made their appearance! Watching as they quickly began closing in, Gerald then ordered, “Old Hayne! Escape with Uncle Zeman for now! You can leave them to me!”
“We well! While you’re strong, young brother, be careful of their sword formations! ” replied Old Hayne.
After watching Gerald nod, Hayne then began leading the rest away. Once they were far enough, Gerald placed his arms against his back before turning to face the incoming men.
Shaking his head, Gerald then scoffed in a mocking tone, “I’m surprised that heartless b*stard has this many disciples!”
“How dare you mess with our Master?! We’ll rip you to shreds! Arrange the formation!” roared one of the men, prompting the large group of individuals to begin forming a massive sword formation!
“Oh? I can see that the formation is designed based on the Septar Dipper Formation’s principles. It seems to be quite powerful too! Unfortunately…” muttered Gerald a she shook his head.
“What..?!” barked the man in black.
“It focuses too much on the offensive. It barely has any defensive capabilities! With that in mind, it seems that Ryder’s understanding of the Septar Dipper Formation doesn’t quite cut it!” explained Gerald.
“Bullsh*t! Everyone knows that offense is the best defense!” scoffed the man in black as the massive sword formation that looked like countless murderous stars began flying toward Gerald!
Smirking in response, Gerald then got into his own attack stance before saying, “Is that so? Then take this! Skysplit!”
Following the announcement of his attack, Gerald concentrated his qi and materialized a blade and upon pointing the tip of the blade toward the sky, the attack was initiated.
As the ground began quivering, several of the men who had been prepared to pounce on the boy before this found themselves frozen in place by the immense pressure…!
“W-what on earth is going on..?! ” yelled several of the petrified men.
In response, Gerald swung his sword in their direction prompting a massive aurablade seemingly made of air to crash down on his enemies! With how powerful the attack was, its destructive power was probably no weaker than a dozen tonnes of explosives…!
Regardless, what followed was screams of agony as dust clouds flew all over the place. Once the view cleared, a massive gash could be seen on the ground. As for the disciples, all of them had died.
Some gorily, and some completely vaporized…
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2385
At that moment, Ryder who was sitting by the cave’s entrance that was about a hundred miles away from Gerald couldn’t help but open his eyes as he muttered, “Who was that?”
While other people might have mistaken that the explosive sound was just thunder, an advanced cultivator like Ryder could easily tell that the sound actually came from a devastating pressure that came from an even stronger wave of qi…
“Was that… A formation? Who on earth is even capable enough to create such a powerful formation? It’s arguably even stronger than the Zeman’s Lonsdaleite Extermination Formation!” muttered Ryder as he frowned slightly.
“I wonder if it could’ve been the result of a powerful martial art instead… But that makes even less sense! After all, not even my Seventh Sword Rain is strong enough to exert such widespread damage!” added Ryder, his eyebrows furrowing more and more as he thought about it. Though he said that, he honestly preferred his second speculation more.
Whatever the case was, he simply closed his eyes again to rest. Ryder, for one, wasn’t afraid of the cultivator who had done that. After all, everyone working under him didn’t even dare to look him in the eye.
All of a sudden, he heard one of his disciples angrily yell, “Who are you?!”
“I’ve come for your Master. Step aside if you don’t wish to die!” scoffed Gerald as he placed his arms against his back.
Before the disciple could retort, Gerald had already vanished and reappeared right before Ryder! He had just used the Golden Blaze Somersault!
Either way, even the mentally strong Ryder found his eyes widening in shock as he leaped to his feet while exclaiming, “G-Gerald…?! You’re not dead?!”
Ryder was rightfully flabbergasted. After all, he knew the Red River’s destructive capabilities more than anyone else. Regardless of how high one’s cultivation was, the second they came into contact with the Red River, they’d surely be vaporized right down to the soul! With that in mind, anyone unfortunate enough to be killed by the river would no longer be able to reincarnate!
“I’m more alive than I’ve ever been! Honestly, it’s thanks to you that I ended up getting blessed!” retorted Gerald with a smirk.
“Blessed…? You’re… Talking about the Herculean Primordial Spirit, aren’t you? That’s probably what saved you, right?! I see no other possibility!” exclaimed the simultaneously shocked and delighted Ryder.
His delight came from two factors, the first being the fact that Gerald truly seemed to possess the Herculean Primordial Spirit. As for the other, it was because he could not
confirm that the Herculean Primordial Spirit was as supreme as the legends described…!
After so long, Ryder had nearly lost all hope to recover the Herculean Primordial Spirit, even if they did manage to get into the cave. To think that the owner of the primordial spirit would come to him instead! What a loving God this world had!
Quickly snapping out of it, Ryder then scoffed, “It seems that I’ve indirectly caused your cultivation to improve. Regardless! Your fatal mistake is choosing to appear before me again! I’ll have you know that the Herculean Primordial Spirit is extremely rare! With that said, I’m not giving you a chance to fully master it!”
“The… What? The Herculean Primordial Spirit…?! The one of legend…?!” exclaimed several of the present cultivators as they stared at Gerald in shock.
“Well, I needed someone to test my new martial arts on!” replied Gerald as he gestured for Ryder to attack.
“You cocky kid…! I’ll make sure you stay dead this time…l” growled Ryder as murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
Following that, he launched an aurablade toward Gerald while roaring, “Thunder Strike!”
When Ryder’s attack was mere inches away from him, Gerald simply shook his head before activating his Golden Blaze Somersault! In a flash, Gerald was no longer there, causing the aurablade to keep flying forward till it collided against the dirt and caused a dust cloud to form…!
Upon realizing that Gerald had easily been able to dodge his attack, Ryder felt his heart skip a beat as he thought, ‘What the hell was that…? To think that there’d be a martial art capable of withstanding my aurablade’s pressure…! This doesn’t look good… !’
Just as Ryder was turning around, he quickly realized that Gerald was already standing behind him!
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2386
Before Ryder could even react, Gerald was already pointed his newly summoned blade toward the sky while yelling, “Skysplit…!”
Following that, a humongous aurablade of air rapidly began descending toward the old man!
“W-what?! ” shouted Ryder as his white hair danced in the gale created by the giant aurablade’s ungodly pressure. With how appalled he was, Ryder’s immediate action was to dodge the attack rather than even thinking of trying to block it!
Thankfully, Ryder was able to avoid the deadly attack just as the aurablade crashed onto the earth. Even so, he still ended up getting injured due to the powerful qi.
Feeling his chest ache as he stumbled a few steps backward, the now wide eyed Ryder was prompted to mutter, “W-what a strong move…!”
Even the other cultivators couldn’t help but gulp after witnessing all that. This was a battle between two great masters, and their techniques were so supreme that this was the first time they were even witnessing such attacks!
Once the dust clouds settled-and Ryder caught his breath, the old man was prompted to ask, “What martial art is that? Where did you learn it?”
Satisfied with his attack’s power, Gerald scornfully retorted, “Where, you ask…?”
“You… You managed to enter the saintly ruins, didn’t you…?! That’s the only way you could ’ve learned these supreme heavenly techniques…! I’ll… I’ll kill you… !” roared the insane Ryder as his pupils dilated!
Using all his strength, Ryder then sent out a Seventh Sword Rain attack! Due to how lustrous the attack was, nearly everyone watching was instantly forced to shield their eyes!
“Today, I overpower your sword technique…! ” retorted Gerald as he immediately initiated the second style, Thirdhell!
Following that, three essential qi points began fusing rapidly at the tip of his blade prompting the sand and stones around them to begin swirling faster and faster until they formed two massive tornadoes…!
By this point, the cultivators had already stopped trying to break the formation. Instead, they all gathered to one side to observe the battle.
“W-what kinds of techniques are those two even using…?! Especially the ones used by that young man! Each of his terrifying moves seem capable of extreme destruction…! That kid definitely has the upper hand!” exclaimed one of the cultivators.
“Indeed! Ryder was clearly unable to handle blocking that previous attack. With that in mind, why is he still trying to fight back?”
“Whatever the case is, Thirdhell is a great move!”
As the amazed crowd kept discussing the battle among themselves, Gerald and Ryder themselves continued trading blows. As for Ryder’s disciples, any of them who had attempted to close in to help their master ended up perishing from the sheer pressure that the two were exerting.
Even Ryder who was still hanging on-was already coughing out blood from time to time. This was bad. One more direct blow of essential qi from Gerald and he’d be done for…!
Gerald, on the other hand, couldn’t help but feel slightly amused that the old man was this keen on dying.
All of a sudden, Ryder began laughing wickedly before roaring, “You’re strong, I’ll give you that! However, it’s impossible for you to take me down that easily! Have a taste of my Demonic Shadow Split…!”
Following that announcement, a doppelganger Ryder suddenly appeared! Though the Demonic Shad ow Split technique required the user to lose half of their cultivation,
Ryder so desperately wanted to defeat Gerald that he didn’t care anymore!
Regardless, after taking a fatal blow for the real old man, the doppelganger roared in pain before completely evaporating! Seeing his chance, the real Ryder then darted toward Gerald while yelling, “Thunderous Bone-crushing Palm…!”
Within seconds, Ryder’s body began glowing as he condensed all his essential qi into his palm before aiming it right at Gerald’s chest…l
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2387
Even if he had to sacrifice half of his Triton qi, so be it!
His palm now inches away from Gerald’s chest, Ryder couldn’t help but laugh maniacally as he roared, “Die..!”
However, his laughter soon came to a stop when he realized that all his palm’s power had vanished!
Stupefied, Ryder immediately exclaimed, “Wwvhat?! Where did all my strength go?!”
Ryder’s question was answered the very next second…
When all his palm’s power was fired out from Gerald’s back! In the end, the power of Ryder’s Thunderous Bone-crushing Palm was redirected toward the old man’s remaining disciples, and screams of agony soon filled the air…!
As it turned out, Gerald had just used one of his divine moves, Bloombaum Shifting!
“W-what…?!” exclaimed the stunned Ryder.
Unfortunately for him, Gerald wasn’t about to give him any time to recover. With that in mind, the boy began executing his third sword style while yelling, “Mokinfinite!”
“Curses…!” growled Ryder whose hair was already standing on end. Knowing that he had already lost, Ryder gave one final roar before rapidly condensing his energy…!
It was so fast that before Gerald was even able to form his next aura blade, the old coward had already escaped in a cloud of thick smoke!
“How fast!” muttered Gerald as he withdrew his power. Though he had mastered all those techniques, this was still his first time using them in actual combat. With that in mind, his lack of experience was what allowed the cunning Ryder to escape in time…
Speaking of cunning, to think that that old man was capable of summoning a doppelganger to take and launch attacks for him! Still, Gerald could sense that half of Ryder’s spiritual essence was destroyed upon creating that doppelganger, so he probably didn’t have to worry about him using that move again.
Then again, with how quickly Gerald was progressing, he didn’t really need to fear that old man anymore.
Meanwhile Ryder who had just made it to about a hundred miles away found himself coughing out blood the second he stopped moving. Feeling the qi in his chest burn, Ryder then slowly laid on the ground before curling up.
Looking incredibly battered, the trembling Ryder was prompted to mutter, “Thirdhell he called it… What a strong move…! Despite summoning my doppelganger, I still got
injured by the aura blade’s residual power…! Gerald had some other technique that was able to completely disregard my attack as well! That d*mned boy… Not only does he possess the Herculean Primordial Spirit, but he was also able to find the treasure in the saintly ruins! I can’t even imagine how strong he is now…!”
Despite how beaten up he was, Ryder soon got to his feet before continuing to leave, his hand against his chest the entire time…
As for Gerald, he quickly saved the rest of the cultivators before returning to the Zeman’s residence. While it was true that Gerald had brought Walter back to life, the middle-aged man still had quite a few serious injuries. With that in mind, after treating Mia with the dragon blood, he immediately entered seclusion to begin healing.
Once Gerald was told where Walter was, the boy then went to check on him. On his
way there, he thought about the damage that Walter had sustained in his previous battle with Ryder. From what he could remember, the palm technique that he had used brought great damage to his spiritual essence. As if that wasn’t already enough, he was also further injured by Ryder’ s palm attack.
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2388
While it was true that Gerald had healed most of the damage, the boy couldn’t do anything about Walter’s injured meridians and elixir-of-life field. With that in mind, it was honestly impossible for Walter to continue cultivating.
Upon noticing that Gerald was staring at him, Walter who could guess what the boy was thinking about was prompted to clear his throat before saying, “I know about my condition, Gerald, so I’m not expecting to be able to continue cultivating. Don’t worry, I’m glad enough that I can remain alive. There is, however, one thing that saddens me… That being the fact that there may not be any future Zemans starting from my generation capable of entering the Domiensch Realm. Knowing that at least seven
individuals have been able to enter that realm in each of the previous generations only makes it more depressing!”
“The… Domiensch Realm…?” asked Gerald.
“Indeed… Speaking of which, I recall you stating that you don’t understand much of the cultivation realm… I may as well take the chance to impart some knowledge to you!
What do you say?” replied Walter with a chuckle.
“Please do,” said Gerald with a nod.
“Well, first off, if you’re part of the cultivation realm regardless of whether you’re a solitary cultivator, alchemist, or machinery expert, your ultimate goal should be to transform into a sage and become a Domiensch Master! After all, people who manage
to attain that title will not only increase their lifespans, but also become much more powerful! Honestly, if I had a few more decades, I could’ve succeeded in becoming a Domiensch Master myself. It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but I had already thought of giving myself the title, ‘Saint Walter’ since I was already that close to attaining that rank! It’s a pity that I won’t be able to cultivate ever again…” explained Walter as he coughed before shaking his head.
Upon hearing that, Gerald was prompted to say, “I see… Back when I was in Yanam, I came across a few high elders. What exactly are their cultivation levels…?”
“Oh, them? At most, they’re mere beginners, so pretty much nobodies. While their cultivation may eventually increase, they’re most probably only going to be able to prolong their life expectancy. If I were to be a bit more direct, they’re honestly just a bunch of arrogant idiots who think that they’re strong! Real cultivators couldn’t care any less about them. After all, even regular weapons can still hurt and kill them! Speaking of which, I should remind you that you’re still a mortal, Gerald. The only reason why regular weapons can’t hurt you is because you possess the Herculean Primordial Spirit. Regardless, now that you’re a sage, you can just forget about those idiots. Speaking of which, I should start addressing you as a senior Domiensch Master now!” replied Walter.
“Come again? You said that I’m… Already a Domiensch Master…?” said the dumbfounded Gerald.
“But of course you are! How else do you think you could’ve defeated Ryder? He’s also a Domiensch Master, if you couldn’t already tell. If you want proof, just try cutting yourself with a regular fruit knife,” replied Walter with a smile.
After getting one, Gerald did as Walter suggested… and to his shock, not only did he not bleed, but the cut on his hand healed almost instantaneously!
“As I guessed, you truly have become a Domiensch Master… Unlike us, you can now disregard any mundane damage. While it’s true that I was close to gaining the title of sage, the fact that I’m not past that stage means that I can still get hurt if the mundane attacks are too strong…” explained Walter.
After watching Gerald nod, Walter was prompted to add, “Speaking of which, now that you’ve become a Domiensch Master, you should think of a title for yourself! Having one will be convenient for you as you travel around in the cultivation realm!”
“You know, since Ryder had a master and the Thunder Sword Sect had its own naming system to differentiate the cohort, he should’ve been given the title of Saint Zephyroar. However, since he didn’t like the idea of being bound to that sect, he gave himself the title of Thunder Swordlord instead.”
“So that’s why he was able to summon a doppelganger earlier! Either way, after becoming a sage, are there any further cultivation realms to attain…?” asked the increasingly curious Gerald.
Chuckling in response, Walter then said, “Of course there are! But very few have been able to get past the Domiensch Realm… Some have been unable to break through even after training for a thousand years! Regardless, you should next aim to become an Angelord! Following that, you’ll be trying to enter the Vizkaunt, Zearl, Xenquis, and Gauloduke Realms. If you
manage to get past all that, you’ll eventually be able to forge an indestructible Immortal Body!”
“I should note that I know very little about the realms beyond the Domiensch Realm… Regardless, don’t be misled by any of the idiots you’ve met in the past. What they told you is probably far from what the real cultivation process is like!”
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2389
0% CompleteNow that Gerald had been exposed to all this, he wondered if the ‘sage’ he had previously met while trying to locate the Zircobsite in Mayberry City’s Mountain Top Villa was actually just a beginner cultivator like the high elders in Yanam…
As for the existence of ‘great masters,’ the cryptic families may have simply been exaggerating as they passed down the legends to their successors. That certainly explained why Gerald had previously been so helpless in the presence of a real cultivator like Ryder. Back then, he couldn’t even lay a finger on that old man
Regardless, Gerald finally knew the proper process of cultivation.
Since he now knew the most supreme cultivation methods as well, he didn’t have to resort to using his mortal body to fight against someone with a holy body anymore.
Come to think of it, just like Sister Indigo and the rest, his previous reincarnations may have been able to attain Immortal Bodies. After all, they were able to form primordial spirits that eventually led to him getting his Herculean Primordial Spirit after being reincarnated nine times.
Gerald’s train of thought was cut short when he heard Walter say, “Speaking of which, I know you’re returning to Weston soon, so I’ve ordered my men to pack some books for you, Gerald! You can read them when you’re free!”
“I appreciate it. Also, I was thinking of staying for a few more days to help you completely recover. While I’m at it, I wish to teach you some of the formations I’ve
learned. I’d have loved to teach you a powerful sword technique as well, but… Well, you know,” replied Gerald with a sigh.
Teaching Walter a sword technique now was equivalent to giving a bald man a comb.
Rather than reminding the middle-aged man of what he could no longer do, Gerald may as well teach him the formations that he had learned. Now that would be far more practical.
Regardless, after chuckling wryly, Walter simply said, “Don’t worry, I’ve given up on martial arts by this point. However, I’m not passing up a chance to learn new formations!”
Nodding in response, Gerald then replied, “I feel these formations suit you a lot. With that in mind, as long as you diligently train on them, you should be able to use the formations to prolong your life through the forces of heaven and earth, even without actually cultivating…”
Following that, Gerald remained on the island for fifteen days. Once he parted ways with the Zemans, Gerald made sure to deal with Lucian and Lindsay’s issues before finally returning to Weston.
While he would’ve definitely needed a much longer time to get there in the past, now that Gerald had access to the Golden Blaze Somersault, he was back in Northbay in no time…
As was expected, his family’s manor was still as deserted as ever. Ever since that
incident, his parents, Lyra, and the others had all vanished. As for his remaining assets, Lyra had thankfully instructed Zack to transfer all of them to Mayberry in advance…
It was clear that simply being here was making Gerald feel nostalgic. After all, this was where he used to live. Regardless, as he sat in the manor and stared blankly into space, he couldn’t help but think that apart from Mila, he also felt sorry for Lyra and Giya…
It was sometime later when he finally got up and made a Somersault back to Mayberry City, the place where he had lived for almost two decades. With that in mind, this place held even more sentiments to him.
Looking down at the prosperous metropolis, Gerald couldn’t help but smile as he muttered, “It’s been some time since I’ve left to search for Mila… I wonder how my old friends are doing…”
Gerald, for one, would’ve never been able to imagine that he’d no longer be a commoner the next time he returned to this place. Either way, though he definitely felt emotional upon retuming to his hometown, he made sure to remind himself that he had far more important things to do. For one, he still needed to look for the divine fruit tree to hopefully be able to locate Yearning Island…
“If I remember correctly, I told Aiden to look for Zack back then… I wonder how things are going…” said Gerald to himself as he Somersaulted to Wayfair Mountain next…
Ever since the crisis befell his family, the Crawford family’s business had entered turmoil as well. Thankfully, Lyra’s secret arrangements of transferring all the remaining assets to Mayberry had prevented the Crawfords from completely going bankrupt in a single night…
Regardless, upon arriving at his manor, Gerald was immediately greeted by the sight of a few luxurious cars parked at the entrance. Realizing that there weren’t even any security guards at the gate, Gerald raised a slight brow before placing his hands against his back and entering the manor…
He had just taken a single step inside when his divine sense allowed him to hear someone scowl, “The Morningstar’s Patriarch will be celebrating his birthday in three days, so you have until then to consider! If you refuse to sign the contract by then, you’ll all die!”
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2390
Raising a slight brow, Gerald then followed the source of the voice…
Soon enough, he came across a group of suited men standing around and scowling at a few people that were lying on the floor and one of the men on the floor was a seriously
injured Zack! From the looks of it, Zack’s hair was starting to turn white as well…
Gerald’s train of thought was cut short when he heard Zack yell, “I’ll never sign it! The Crawford family’s business shall remain!”
“Hah! Know that if you don’t sign it, you won’t be the only one facing the consequences… Your children will as well! Besides, even if you don’t sign it, the Morningstars will eventually get what we want!” scoffed a gorgeous woman who had her arms locked around what appeared to be the leader of the group.
“You dare say that after you betrayed my son and killed him…?! You utter slut of a woman! I’ll kill you, Stephanie Eaton…!” roared the infuriated Zack before charging toward her!
In response, the middle-aged man simply waved his hand, releasing a stream of essential qi that quickly turned into a cloud of white smoke! The second the smoke came into contact with Zack, it flung him backward, causing him to roll several times on the ground before eventually spurring blood out!
Upon seeing that, Gerald felt his eyelids twitch as he thought, ‘Was that… Inner strength?’
Whatever the case was, the middle-aged man then scoffed, “You brat! The Crawford family is dead! The fact that you’re still guarding their properties must mean that you crave death!”
Following that, the middle-aged man then swung his hand toward Zack’s forehead…!
However, when his hand was mere inches away from its mark, the middle-aged man quickly realized that he couldn’t move it any further! It was like some force was holding his hand back I Before the surprised man could even react, his hand exploded right before his very eyes…!
Howling in pain, the agonized man then yelled, “W-what the hell?!”
Before the man could say anything else, his entire arm exploded next! The sheer force of it caused the screaming man to fly in the opposite direction…!
How terrifying…!
Now panicking, the rest of his men could be heard frantically asking, “W-what is the meaning of this?! Who’s doing this?!”
Upon turning around and seeing Gerald who was standing about five meters away from them one of the men immediately yelled, “So it’s you! Courting death, aren’t we? Get him!”
Following that, the group of men attempted to pounce on the boy only to realize that they couldn’t move a muscle! Gerald who still had his hands against his back had fully immobilized them without even moving an inch!
“W-what the hell is this horrific power…”
Before the petrified henchman could even finish his sentence, he along with all the other men who had just attempted to attack Gerald felt an immense power growing within… All of a sudden, the power bloated so rapidly that the immobilized men found themselves exploding on the spot!
Upon witnessing such carnage, Stephanie instantly shrieked in horror while the middle-aged man was silenced in his shock. Contrary to the others in the room,
however, Zack who already had tears in his eyes looked extremely excited as he got to his feet before exclaiming, “Y-Young Master Crawford…? You’re… You’re finally back…”
“I am! You’ve truly worked hard all these years, Zack!” replied Gerald before pointing toward Zack and sending a stream of essential qi into Zack’s body and just like that, Zack’s pain disappeared. In fact, he now felt more energetic than ever!
Now that Zack was healed, Gerald was prompted to ask in a frigid tone, “Now then… Who are these people…?”
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2391
“They’re from the Morningstar family! Those b*stards have been forcing us to hand over the Crawford family’s assets for the longest time! As if that wasn’t already enough, they kidnapped Leo and Aiden as well! Either way, the now armless man goes by Harlo, and he’s here since today’s the deadline for us to hand our assets over!” explained Zack.
“Hah! The Morningstars are the most influential family now, kid! While I admit that you’re strong, don’t think for one second that you’ll be able to take on all the other fighters in my family! Regardless, if you have the balls, why don’t you challenge me to a
one-on-one duel in public? If you allow me to return and heal up, I’ll surely give you a true taste of my family’s power! What do you say?” scoffed Harlo who had his hand over the nub of his shoulder as he slowly got to his feet, desperately trying to hide his pain under a facade.
Upon hearing that, Stephanie was prompted to taunt, “Yeah! Challenge us to an official duel! Though I doubt you have the guts!”
Glaring at Gerald the entire time, Harlo couldn’t wait for the boy to take the bait. Like hell he was issuing an actual challenge! The second he got out of this place, he was ordering his men to chop that kid to pieces! Realizing that Gerald had gone silent, Harlo then added, “Aww… Too big of a coward to accept my challenge? If so, why don’tyou
just kill me now so that nobody knows you did the crime…”
Before Harlo could follow up with a sneer, he felt something penetrating his throat. Apparently, Stephanie had felt the same thing. Looking at Gerald who was now pointing toward them, Harlo realized that Gerald had sent out two aura blades to pierce through their throats!
“Y-you…! ” stuttered Harlo before flopping to the ground, dead…
After silently staring at all the fresh corpses for a while, Gerald simply shook his head before muttering, “As if I’d be worried about others finding out about this! Either way, get some of our men to clear this place up, Zack. Once you’re done, meet me in the office.”
Following that, Zack watched as Gerald placed his arms against his back before walking toward the office…
On his way there, Gerald saw that not much had changed about the manor. Regardless, after ordering some men to deal with the bodies, Zack hurriedly made his way to the office to start reporting the entire incident to Gerald…
As it turned out, it wasn’t long after the Crawford family’s crisis when the Morningstars came out of nowhere and quickly became a powerful family. Their rapid development was mostly due to their top principle which was to kill anyone who got in their way! The fact that they were all cultivators certainly made things easier for them!
Regardless, in order to continue protecting and expanding the Crawford family’s business, Zack had made sure to befriend several secret technique experts, with some even from the cultivation world! Sadly, none of them were the Morningstars’ opponents, leading to Zack’s allies either surrendering to the family, or losing their lives.
It was because of that that Zack no longer had any power to fight back for some time, resulting in the Morningstars nearly acquiring all of the Crawford family’s assets…
Also, as Zack had earlier mentioned, the Morningstars kidnapped Leo and Aiden as
well. Though Leo’s kidnapping had happened a while back, Aiden’s was fairly recent. It happened when Aiden was on his way back to discuss the formation of an investigation team with Zack. After bumping into a Morningstar who had come looking for trouble, Aiden and that b*stard got into a fight. Understandably, Aiden lost the battle, and he was promptly captured.
Once he was done reporting all that, Zack who was now in tears again fell to his knees before declaring, “I apologize, Young Master Crawford! To the Crawford family and to Miss Crawford as well! All of you have entrusted me with your assets, but I’ve nearly
lost all of them!”
“Get up, Zack, this isn’t your fault. I could already sense that the Morningstars from before had access to their inner strength. With that in mind, it’s completely understandable that you weren’t able to take on them! Putting that aside, they’re not exactly cultivators… They simply know how to use basic secret techniques!”
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2392
While Gerald was frowning, he was still glad that he had sent Aiden back to form an
investigation team to look for the divine fruit tree in advance. After all, it provided it with a reason to return, and thank god he got back in time. Otherwise, Zack and many others would’ve surely ended up dead.
“Speaking of which, what’s the percentage of the assets they seized?” asked Gerald, knowing full well that he couldn’t just sit around after knowing what had happened. He needed to reclaim what his family had lost!
“Around sixty… Jaxen, the patriarch of the Morningstars has already distributed the assets among his four sons for them to manage. As for why they’re trying so hastily to obtain the rest of our assets, it’s mainly because they wish to present them to Jaxen as a birthday present during his banquet that’ll take place in three days,” explained Zack.
“I see. Not only are the Morningstars ambitious, but they have a rather strong background as well… Compared to the Moldells, this family is way more tyrannical!” growled Gerald.
“Indeed! Putting that aside… Now that Aiden and Leo have been captured, their lives are in danger, Young Master…!”
“I’m well aware… Alright, I need you to compile everything you know about the Morningstars into a document and hand it to me later. Once that’s done, you just have
to concentrate on resource integration. Don’t worry, I’ll handle the rest myself,” replied Gerald with a nod.
“On it!” declared Zack as he immediately got to work. Once the office was silent, Gerald thought to himself, ‘So you’re daring enough to kidnap my friends… I’ll just take the lives of your kin in exchange, then…!’
Shortly after, Zack returned with a document. After giving the document a quick but thorough look, Gerald memorized everything noteworthy before disappearing in a flash.
It was shortly after when a massive auction could be seen being held in the Imperial Hotel. While the hotel had always been located in Mayberry Commercial Street, it was now one of the Morningstar’s many enterprises.
Regardless, the auction was hosted by the fourth young master, Ian Morningstar. Since the Morningstar family was now the leader of all of Weston’s enterprises, wealthy businessmen from all over the place made sure to attend, making the event quite
lively…
Laughing heartily, Ian could be heard declaring, “You know, I heard that this commercial street was once owned by Young Master Crawford of Mayberry. No idea where he went, though. Regardless, you now have me to follow, and if all of you continue submitting to the Morningstars, I guarantee you’ll all be able to live a good life!”
“Long live Young Master Morningstar!” cheered the crowd in admiration, not realizing that an uninvited young man was currently seated in the far, dimly lit corner of the room…
As the young man sipped on some wine that he had just ordered, he turned to look at Ian who was currently walking up the stage… Once Ian was standing at the center, he was prompted to declare, “Alright, I know everyone’s been waiting for this! Without further ado, let the auction commence! Let’s have one of my slaves present the first auction item!”
Following a sea of cheers, a battered young man began crawling out with the auction item. It was clear as day that his legs were broken, and with his quivering hands, it
wasn’t long before he dropped all the items he was holding.
“You piece of sh*t! Have I raised you for nothing?! Pick the items up with your mouth!” roared Ian as he gave a swift kick to the young man’s abdomen, prompting the poor slave to spurt out blood!
Even from where he sat, the shocked Gerald couldn’t help but feel his eyes twitch as he thought, ‘Harper..?’
There was no doubt about it. That young man was his good friend and also the head of his dormitory back when he was in university!
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2393
Many years had passed since they last met, though Gerald could still remember hiring Harper into the Mayberry Organization the last time they crossed paths. Regardless, it was understandably flabbergasting for Gerald to see the current Harper in such a pitiful state…
Gerald’s train of thought was cut short when he heard Ian yell, “Are you deaf? I told you to get the items up, didn’t I?!”
Watching as Ian continued mercilessly punching and kicking Harper, the frightened audience couldn’t help but fall silent.
After beating Harper up for a while, Ian stopped before laughing as he said, “Hah! It seems I’ve made a fool out of myself! Regardless, don’t let my slave ruin the auctioning mood! Just to remind all of you, my family is massive, so we have everything you could possibly imagine! In fact, we have many other things that you’ve probably never heard of! With that said, as long as you’re willing to pay, you can buy anything you want!”
“Then, can I bid for the head of a Morningstar?” asked a loud voice that echoed throughout the hall, prompting everyone to fall silent for a while.
Shortly after, those within the crowd began whispering to each other, saying things like, “Who the hell said that? Has he gone mad…?!”
“Did I hear that right? He wants the head of a Morningstar…?!”
“Who’s the culprit…?!”
As everyone began looking around to find the perpetrator, the furious Ian who had finally snapped out of it could be heard roaring, “Who said that?! Show yourself at once!”
Following that, a group of Morningstar bodyguards led by a butler rushed into the scene.
After scanning the room for a while, the butler’s keen eyes locked onto a youth seated in the hall’s corner. Walking toward the boy with a few of the guards, the butler then asked in a frigid tone, “Were you the one who said that?”
Nodding casually in response, Gerald then took a sip of his wine before taking a cigarette out. Upon realizing that he didn’t have a lighter, he was prompted to look at the butler and ask, “Have a lighter on you?”
“That…! You’re courting death!” yelled the enraged butler as he tossed a fist at the disrespectful boy! In response, Gerald quickly grabbed a few forks before piercing them through the butler’s cheek, effectively nailing him to the table! Since the forks had penetrated both the butler’s cheeks, all the agonized man could do was holler in pain…!
Naturally, this chain of events startled the bodyguards, and some of them even began subconsciously feeling their cheeks…! Gerald, however, paid them no attention, and
simply began looking around for a lighter on the butler’s body… When he finally found one, he lit his cigarette…
Even from the faint and momentary glow of the lighter, everyone found their eyes widening when they saw the perpetrator’s face.
“T-that… That’s… Young Master Crawford, right…?!”
“What? That’s Gerald?!” exclaimed Ian, his gaze turning frigid when he overheard that. After investigating the Crawfords for so long, it was impossible for Ian not to have heard about Gerald. Regardless, one of the stunned businessmen quickly replied,
“H-he is! But… from what we’ve heard, he died ages ago…!”
Upon hearing that, Gerald couldn’t help but smile bitterly as he said, “To think that people would still recognize me after all these years…”
Ian himself simply leaped off the stage, a sinister smile on his face as he declared, “So, instead of remaining hidden, you decided to walk straight through the gates of hell! Just so you know, we were already planning to obtain the rest of the Crawfords’ assets, though Zack hasn’t made it easy. Now that you’re here, however, I’m sure everything
will go smoothly!”
In response, Gerald tosses his cigarette butt to the ground before stepping on it as he replied, “I’m afraid you don’t quite understand something, young master of the Morningstars.”
“Elaborate,” growled Ian with a frown.
“If you recall what I earlier said, I wish to bid for the head of a Morningstar! Actually, hold on. You have three brothers, correct? Well, I’ll bid all four of you for a dollar each, then! Though I say that, I don’t really have any cash on me today, so I hope you’ll allow me to leave an IOU receipt. Oh, but before that, I’m sure nobody else will try to outbid me, correct?” asked Gerald as he turned to face the crowd.
“N-never…!” exclaimed several of the businessmen as they stumbled backward in shock.
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2394
On the contrary, upon hearing that, all the bodyguards immediately burst out laughing as they exclaimed things like, “Has he gone mad?!”
“I know, right? Does that brat really think he can get the heads of our four young masters with his puny power?”
“He probably isn’t aware that Young Master Ian’s strength is way beyond that of ordinary people!”
Though silent, even those from the crowd were staring at Gerald like he was some kind of clown…
Ian himself was glaring at the boy as he growled, “You dare humiliate me…?! You’re asking for death!”
Following that, he began charging up an immense amount of essential qi in his palm before roaring, “To hell with you!”
It was a split second later when Ian could be seen pouncing toward Gerald! However, before he could even touch the ground, Ian suddenly found himself being flung
backward by some mysterious force! With how strong the force was, it felt like he was being crushed by a brick wall!
Either way, now pinned to the ground, the injured Ian instantly tried to get to his knees again… But the more be tried, the greater the force became…! With that in mind, it didn’t take long for the tiles beneath him to shatter into a million pieces…
Watching as Ian began Spurting out mouthfuls of blood, the laughing guards from before-who were still standing at the side-found themselves going speechless.
“H-how is any of this possible…?” muttered several of the dumbfounded guards as they turned to look at Gerald, their eyes brimming with horror and shock. Ignoring them,
Gerald fished out a pen and a piece of scrap paper from his pocket before writing the words, ‘IOU’ on it. Following that, he walked over to Ian before seemingly drawing something with his finger in the air…
Before anyone could register what he was doing, Ian was flung into the air without warning! Once the battered man slammed onto the floor again, Ian couldn’t help but growl, “Y-you…!”
Chuckling in response, Gerald simply smiled as he replied, “With that, the deal is sealed. Oh, and speaking of which… That man over there is my friend, and I plan to take him away with me. I’m sure none of you would mind, right…?”
Naturally, nobody was stupid enough to say a thing, so all did was watch as Gerald carried Harper’s unconscious body away…
It was only after Gerald had left when the crowd began rushing toward Ian while anxiously calling out, “Y-young Master!”
“Are you alright, Young Master?!”
Simply smirking in response, Ian then said, “I’m fine! All that did was hurt my knees a little! Regardless, since he didn’t do anything too serious, he must still be afraid of my family’s power!”
To Ian’s confusion, however, everyone simply stared at him with horrified expressions. Now frowning slightly, he was prompted to ask, “What’s wrong?”
“Y-young Master… Your neck is bleeding heavily…! In fact, h-hasn’t it shifted a little?!” whimpered one of the guests in horror.
“Wha…”
Before Ian could even look down, his head had toppled to the ground with a ‘thump’. The Young Master had been beheaded…!
Now engulfed in fear, everyone immediately began screaming, “Y- young Master…!”
To think that someone would actually kill the fourth young master of the Morningstar family…!
It was sometime later, in the manor on Wayfair Mountain, when Harper could be seen lying on a bed. He was out cold for quite a while, but when he felt a stream of pleasant energy flowing through his body, Harper slowly opened his eyes and the second he
realized who the man before him was, he immediately sat up in shock as he exclaimed, “G-Gerald?! I… I’m not dreaming, am I..?!”
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2395
“Oh, I assure you that you’ re wide awake. Jokes aside, though I’ve healed most of your injuries, you still need more rest to fully recover! Regardless, how did you end up in such a state, Harper..?” asked Gerald.
“It’s… A long story. Basically, after you brought me into the Mayberry Organization, Young Master Mateo, Zack’s son-, valued me so much that be promoted me almost monthly! With that said, the highest position I ever received was general manager of Mayberry Commercial Street! Along the line, I eventually got myself a girlfriend named Yasmin Lamer…”
After a brief pause, Harper cleared his throat before adding, “Sadly, I was stupid enough to believe that she truly loved me… Despite loving her with all my heart, everything started to crumble when the Morningstar family came along… For one, Young Master Lyle’s wife, Stephanie, quickly defected to the Morningstar family, and she even assassinated Young Master Lyle! I knew that the Morningstars did this to seize the commercial street, and at the time, I had no idea when they’d come for me next. With that in mind, I handed all the official seals and important documents of the commercial street along with my properties to Yasmin…”
“Sadly, by the time I was eventually framed by the Morningstars, the commercial street was already gone. You see, when I reunited with Yasmin to reobtain some of the documents and properties, she simply sent someone to chase me away! As it turned out, she was just as snobbish as Stephanie! As if that wasn’t already enough, once she knew that I couldn’t be a backer, she quickly defected to an executive of the Morningstar family and even gave away my properties! But she wasn’t satisfied with that, oh no… Even after I lost everything, she hired some men to break my legs before turning me
into a slave of the Morningstar family…!” concluded Harper, his voice filled with remorse as he clenched his fists.
“So that much has happened…” muttered Gerald with a nod.
“Indeed… The Morningstars are simply too ambitious… You know, their first feat was oppressing the Caffin Group, which led to them becoming the biggest family in the nation. As if that wasn’t already bad enough, they’re now trying to devour all our assets! Their immense greed has truly brought endless suffering!” grumbled Harper.
“I’m aware. Now tell me… Do you wish for revenge?” asked Gerald as he patted Harper’s shoulder.
“Revenge? I’d love to, but… The Morningstars aren’t exactly normal people… They’re far too strong…!” muttered Harper in a helpless tone.
“Don’t worry, just let me take care of them. Speaking of which, what was the position of Zack’s son?” asked Gerald.
“The General Manager of Mayberry,” said Harper.
“I see… Well, I’ll be reclaiming everything that our family has lost before sunset!” declared Gerald.
Meanwhile, there was an uproar in the Morningstar family’s manor within Mayberry City. With how tragically Ian was killed off at the auction, Jaxen was on the verge of insanity. After all, Ian was his youngest and most beloved child…! Even so, his hatred overpowered his grief the longer he stared at his son’s beheaded body…!
Glaring at the guards, he then growled, “Who did this?”
“G-Gerald Crawford!” replied the guards.
All of them were advanced fighters who had learned how to manipulate their essential qi, resulting in them usually having a strong aura around them. However, at the mention of Gerald, they all looked absolutely terrified to the point where they were hesitant to even say his name.
Tears running down his cheeks, Jaxen then slowly got to his feet. Placing his hands against his back as he glared at the guards, Jaxon then growled, “Ian is dead… And so is the butler. So why are all of you, individuals who’ve received special training from the Morningstar family, still alive…?”
Upon hearing that, the guards instantly fell to their knees while pleading, “P-please spare us, Patriarch…! Gerald was simply too strong…! We couldn’t even get near him…
!”
Following that, an awkward silence ensued…
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2396
“You couldn’t get near him. You’re telling me, that none of you were even able to get close to him despite being extremely powerful fighters who can individually shake the world? Do you think I’m that daft?!” growled the infuriated Jaxen as he raised his palm and mobilized his essential qi, fully ready to kill!
“Wait, Patriarch!” exclaimed an old man who had silently been sitting at the side this entire time out of the blue.
Watching as Jaxen then turned to face him with a raised brow, the elder stroked his beard before adding, “After careful examination of Ian’s injuries, he seems to have been killed by an extremely strong aura blade. While it isn’t uncommon for people to learn how to form them, it’s extremely rare for someone to be able to advance to this level!”
“I agree! With that said, they’re most probably telling the truth about Gerald’s ability being beyond regular cultivators!” declared another elder.
“Then what should we do? I can’t just let things slide when Ian was killed like this! What more, I’m sure Gerald will be coming for the rest of us soon!” retorted Jaxen.
“While it’s true that we’ve found ourselves in a tricky situation, if we rush in to deal with Gerald, there’s a chance that we’ll likely die more tragically than Ian! With that said, I propose we find someone from that side…” said the Grand Elder.
“That side…? Are you… Saying we should look for some one from the Thunder Sword Sect…?” asked Jaxen in surprise.
“I am. After all, our family’s been building this huge economic structure under the orders of the Thunder Sword Sect so that they could build bases for brewing spirit tincture.
With that in mind, they should help us now that our family’s in danger! Don’t think I’m overreacting either. From the severity of Ian’s wounds, I have a feeling that Gerald may be even stronger than the disciples of that sect! He really isn’t someone we can take
lightly, and if we don’t get rid of him first, our heads will be off soon too!” replied the elder with a frown.
After hearing all that, Jaxen calmed down a little. When he thought back about the guards’ descriptions of Gerald’s attack, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled. After all, Jaxen had been practicing secret techniques for ages, yet he had never even heard of the moves Gerald had used…
Pleased to see that Jaxen had quieted down, the Grand Elder then placed his hands against his back before saying, “Well, I say that, but there’s no real hurry. After all, we still have Gerald’s disciple and good friend with us. I propose that we release both of them, then issue a duel with Gerald that’ll take place on the day of your birthday banquet. Naturally, we’ll be inviting several experts from the Thunder Sword Sect over to be his opponents! I’m sure Gerald won’t be able to take on all of them, no matter how strong he is!”
“That sounds like an excellent idea! You heard the Grand Elder! Get in touch with the Thunder Sword Sect. Also, let Leo and Aiden free. Once you’re done, send that boy a challenge letter and tell him to meet us at Mountain Top, the banquet’s venue, in three days!” ordered Jaxen with a firm nod.
“Right away!” declared his subordinates as they immediately took action…
Meanwhile, on an island far away from Jay City, three white haired elders donning plain clothes, could be seen sitting cross-legged and facing each other in a triangle formation. With their sword fingers pinched together, they were clearly forming a sword formation.
As they were cultivating, a child suddenly came rushing toward them, though he remained silent when he realized what they were doing. Noticing the child, one of the elders then asked, “What is it?”
“We’ve received news from the Morningstar family stating that they’re in trouble! They’re in such danger that they immediately asked for the three of you to come to their rescue!”
“They what, now?” replied another old man as all three of them opened their eyes…
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2397
“Well, it’s stated in the letter that they’re dealing with an extremely skilled boy by the name of Gerald! The boy’s so powerful that all three of you are needed!” said the child.
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Chuckling in response, one of the old men then replied, “I see. Well, we’ve mastered the sword technique anyway, so this will be a good opportunity to test it out on an ‘expert’.
Hopefully the boy isn’t too weak, or using the technique will be a complete waste of energy! Tell them that we’ll go!”
Watching as the three elders shook their heads, the child simply declared, “Right away!”
Moving back to Gerald’s side, it wasn’t long before the Morningstars released Aiden and Leo, just according to plan. Naturally, Leo was utterly surprised and delighted to see Gerald, prompting him to exclaim, “Master! You’re here!”
Back when Gerald had left for Yanam in search of clues, he had sent Leo back to Mayberry City to assist Zack. Because of that, they hadn’t met in years. With that in mind, Gerald couldn’t help but reply, “You’ve truly suffered a lot after all this time…”
“That aside, after releasing us, the Morningstars returned all our previous assets as well! However, they did tell us to hand you a challenge letter…” said Aiden.
“Oh? They’re ballsy enough to challenge me to a duel?” scoffed Gerald as he helplessly shook his head while opening the letter. After reading through it, it seemed that they
wanted to duel atop Mountain Top in three days to settle things once and for all!
“The Morningstars have always been ruthless and insidious… But it’s clear that they’re simply delaying the inevitable since they know they aren’t a match for Young Master Gerald!” declared Zack.
“Hah! I’m more interested in what they think they can do in three days! Regardless, I accept their challenge! Speaking of which, have you found anything regarding what I told you to investigate, Aiden?” replied the smiling Gerald as he turned to look at Aiden.
“I did manage to find some clues, but I got captured by the Morningstars before I had the chance to look any further!”
After taking a gulp of water, Aiden then grumbled, “You see, after I returned some three months ago, I used all the resources I had to secretly begin investigating based on the picture of the divine fruit tree that you gave me. In the end, I managed to locate Professor Boyle, and he even told me that he had seen the ancient plant before!
However, he had to go on a business trip then, so our meeting was delayed… Unfortunately, I was captured by the Morningstars shortly after!”
Surprised to hear that, Gerald then asked, “Professor Boyle? Who and where is he now?”
“Oh, he’s a botanist specializing in studying ancient plants. He’s very knowledgeable in that area, to the point where he was even hired by Mayberry University, about a year and a half ago, to be a professor! However, from my brief meeting with him back then, I can safely say that he seems to be rather mysterious… He’s nothing like the other professors I’ve met before!” explained Aiden.
“I see… Either way, contact him immediately,” ordered Gerald.
“Right away!” replied Aiden as he immediately began calling the professor…
Once the call ended, Aiden turned to look at Gerald before saying, “His assistant picked up. Apparently, the professor will be returning to Mayberry from his business trip tomorrow afternoon!”
“Got it. Since that’s the case… Harper… Zack… The Morningstars have already split our assets, correct? I’ll be placing you two in charge of taking over them again,” replied Gerald as he turned to look at the duo.
“Loud and clear!” declared the duo.
After a bit of reorganizing, Mayberry Commercial Street was relaunched as the business of Caffin Group in the afternoon of the very next day. As was expected, Harper was once again appointed as the general manager of the commercial street. After all, Gerald was certain that Harper who had remained loyal even after all that had happened would continue being dedicated to his work.
Regardless, it was some time past noon when a staff member entered Harper’s office before saying, “There’s a woman outside who wishes to see you, Mr. Sullivan!”
“I’ll be there in a second!” replied Harper as he placed his work down before walking out the office only to frown when he saw who the woman was.
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“So, you’ve come looking for me even before I’ve come for you, Yasmin?” growled the furious Harper as he glared at Yasmin Lamer, his ex-girlfriend!
“I… I’m sorry, Harper…! What I did was absolutely horrible! But please understand that it was that man who forced me to do all that to you back then…! After getting what he wanted, that man simply snatched everything away before dumping me! With that in mind, now that you’re the boss of Mayberry Capital and the commercial street, I’m begging you to help me…!” pleaded Yasmin.
“Did you honestly think I’d ever forgive you?” scoffed Harper as he shook his head.
“I know I’ve done a lot of wrong things, but I know you still have feelings for me…! You… You wouldn’t want to see me die, would you…?” whimpered Yasmin miserably.
“What? Die?” replied Harper, stunned.
Now sobbing heavily, Yasmin meekly explained, “After robbing me of all my possessions, that man blackmailed me to hand him fifty million dollars… It’s either that or my life…! I’ve done you great injustice, so even if you don’t lend me a hand, please allow me to beg for your forgiveness before I die…!”
Watching as Yasmin began kowtowing till her forehead began bleeding, Harper’s heart eventually softened, prompting him to say, “Get up. Though it’s impossible for us to be together again, I can’t deny that we were once lovers. With that said, I’m not heartless enough to not lend a hand!”
“I T-thank you…! T-they’re now waiting for me in Tomorrow’s Tavern… ! ” whimpered Yasmin in a quivering voice.
“They’re waiting in the very pub I opened for you? Ballsy! Either way, lead me to them. I’m having a word with those b*stards!” scoffed Harper as he signaled for two bodyguards to follow him out. His lack of hesitation stemmed from the fact that the pub was within his territory.
Regardless, the second Harper left his office, Gerald who was cultivating in his office in Wayfair Mountain, couldn’t help but helplessly shake his head as he opened his eyes.
“That silly Harper… Just like me, he’s too quick to soften up to a woman’s tears… Still, I hope you soon learn that if that woman really wishes to harm you, you’ll simply continue dying to her, even if you have eight lives!”
While cultivating, Gerald had a habit of spreading his divine sense over a large area. By doing so he was able to keep an eye on his surroundings while cultivating and prevent getting ambushed. Regardless, this explained how Gerald was able to hear the conversation at the manor’s entrance.
Gerald’s train of thought was cut short when he heard Aiden knocking on the door before saying, “Brother Gerald? Someone told me that Harper’s just left with the woman who defected to the Morningstars back then! Leo knows about it too, and he’s asked if we should talk some sense into him. That aside, it’ll be great if nothing happens, but if something does, I’m sure we can still deal with the Morningstars!”
“I already know, don’t worry too much about it. Speaking of which, since you’ re already here, I’ve written down a set of cultivation techniques for you and Leo. Do hand his copy to him later. Regardless, from today onward, I want you two to start strictly cultivating according to the breathing techniques I wrote, understand?” replied Gerald.
“Huh? I… Thankyou! Once I’m done cultivating, will I be able to become a secret technique expert like those from the Morningstar family?” asked Aiden as he took the papers excitedly.
“Like I’d teach you such cheap tricks! What I’ve given you is from Uncle Zeman. With that in mind, if you cultivate diligently and undergo regenerative treatment to cleanse your flesh and bones, you may be able to join the cultivation realm and become an actual cultivator. By that point, the Morningstars will be nothing to you!” scoffed Gerald.
The Invisible Rich Man – Chapter 2399
Moving back to Harper, he had been able to obtain the position of the commercial street’s manager under Young Master Mateo’ s leadership not only because he was a good friend of Gerald’s, but also because of his intelligence and hard work. With that in mind, Yasmin was honestly one of his few failures in life.
Regardless, he was now helping Yasmin not because he was kind hearted, but because he wanted to teach the man who had coaxed her into betraying him a lesson. After all, had it not been for that b*stard, Harper wouldn’t have had to experience the living nightmare of being sold as a slave to Ian!
Either way, when they got to the pub, Yasmin immediately led Harper to the second floor… But upon arriving, there was nobody there.
“Where are they?” asked Harper
“Oh, we’re right here, Mr. Sullivan!” declared a voice out of the blue before a group of men came rushing out of hiding!
With the entrance now blocked, a young man walked forward with a sneer, prompting Harper’s face to turn red in rage as he growled, “So it’s you, Wael Fox! Not even the
Morningstars act this arrogantly anymore! What gives you the right to be this haughty?!”
Simply laughing in response, Wael then gestured for his men to surround Harper and his bodyguards before replying, “I don’t think you’re quite aware of the pickle you’re currently in, Harper. You’re the one who should be refraining from acting all arrogant!
Regardless, you’ve done well, Yasmin. I initially thought we wouldn’t be able to lure any of Gerald’s close friends out, but I’m glad you reminded me that Harper is one of his brothers!”
“Hah! Since all this was my idea, how do you plan to thank me this time, Brother Wael?” replied Yasmin whose expression had turned sinister.
“You… You wench…! You tricked me!” roared the infuriated Harper.
“Heh. Why else would I ever come to you? Truth be told, I still can’t believe you fell for it!” scoffed Yasmin with a sneer.
“I’ll have you know that you’re now in Crawford territory…! What do you dirtbags plan to do?!” retorted Harper as he watched a young man who had a glass of wine in hand walk up to Wael.
Hearing that, Wael replied, “Oh, we won’t be fighting, though Mr. Sullivan will be doing something to you… After all, he’s probably the only one capable of doing the deed
without being discovered, aren’t I right?”
After saying that, Wael and Yasmin turned to respectfully greet the young man, prompting Wael’s subordinates to declare, “Third Young Master Morningstar!”
Feeling his eyelids flutter, Harper then said, “You’re… The third young master of that family?”
“Indeed I am. Regardless, I’ve heard you’re a clever man, so let’s not beat around the bush. Essentially, the Morningstars are finding it difficult to deal with Gerald, which is why we scheduled the duel to be on the day after tomorrow. Coincidentally, that’s also the day that my father is going to be celebrating his seventieth birthday. That aside, though we’re clearly on the losing end, we aren’t surrendering. In fact, you may be our ticket to Winning,” replied Isaac in a cheery tone.
The second Harper tried to say something, Isaac immediately flicked his finger… Sending a pill down Harper’s throat!
Following that, Isaac took the initiative to explain, “What you just swallowed is known as the Heart-Eating Pill. It’s a special poison developed by my family, and it’s both tasteless and odorless. As for its effects, the second the poison starts taking effect, your entire body will start itching so badly that you’ll feel the need to scratch your organs out! Isn’t that a tragic way to die?”
“You… You utter b*stard..!” yelled Harper who was already starting to feel an itchy sensation in his blood vessels. If he was already feeling the urge to rip his body open now, Harper could only imagine that it was going to become much worse the longer the poison remained in his body.
Smiling wickedly in response, Isaac then scoffed, “Bet it feels terrible! Either way, if you want to be relieved of that agony, listen closely. We’ve prepared a special drug for Gerald, and we need you to feed it to him. What do you say?”
Now lying on the ground and writhing in pain, Harper retorted, “I’ll never betray Gerald…
!”
Just as Harper’s bodyguards were about to call for backup, Isaac momentarily disappeared before reappearing in front of the two men! Before the men could react, Isaac slammed his palms into their faces, instantly ending their lives!
Following that, Isaac stepped on Harper’s head before scoffing, “To think a worthless commoner like you would be this stubborn. You were just a dog to my fourth brother, you know? How dare you even disobey me!”
“I’ll never help you…!” growled Harper in his immense pain.
It was at that moment when a waiter burst into the room before saying, “M-Miss Lamer! There’s a guest who kept insisting on coming in to have a drink! We weren’t able to stop him from entering!”
“You idiot! Just tell him that we’re closed for the day!”
“I did… But when the manager talked to him, he ended up getting beaten into a pulp…” muttered the waiter in response.
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The Invisible Rich Man by: Two Ears is Bodhi
FanfictionGerald also received a text message stating that someone had transferred money into his bank account! "[Daxtonville Bank] Nineteen years. The balance of your account ending in 107 is USD 1,500,000.00." Gerald was stunned when he looked at the series...
