“Every other region has descended into pandemonium… except the Huaxia region,” said Gao Peng, chuckling, as if he had just thought of something funny .

Ji Han Wu smiled . “That's 'cause they're all afraid that they might be biting off more than they can chew if they try to take us on . ”

As one who had seen much in his lifetime, Ji Hanwu knew that the Southern Sky Group had a lot of sway over the Allied Government, as well as the shady organizations that lurked in the periphery of society's consciousness .

By attacking the twelve elders, they had lit the fuse on something much bigger than themselves . While the rich and powerful had a head start over everyone else, the monster trainer profession offered everyone an equal chance at a new lease on life, regardless of who one was before the Cataclysm .

With a bit of luck and effort, one definitely had a chance of becoming an elite trainer, albeit a rather small one . Still, with so many people living in this world right then, it was hard to imagine that the world would be running out of elite monster trainers any time soon .

Even though becoming an elite trainer came with its benefits, there were still some who had a different idea of what they were ent.i.tled to . Most people tended not to behave in an extreme fas.h.i.+on . However, those who believed that they deserved more were much more p.r.o.ne to extreme behavior .

As of now, Lord-tier was the highest possible level of combat power the average trainer could hope to attain . Most small-scale base cities only had one Lord-tier trainer at their disposal .

( Boxno vel . co m )These trainers were responsible for the defense of an entire city, facing other Lord-tier monsters or ma.s.sive swarms of low-leveled monsters on a daily basis .

They were the ones putting their lives on the line to protect thousands of people in the city . Still, with great power came great responsibility . As Lord-tier trainers, they were subject to the authority of the local government . Some of them eventually grew tired of being at the government's beck and call and began fantasizing about a “better” life . While some of them were a bit too humble for their own good, those around them might have thought that they deserved more in life .

This was how General Zhao Kuangyin had been dressed in yellow imperial robes and crowned emperor of China by his subordinates .

These troublemakers might only have made up a minority of the world's population, but their every movement was now being watched by the whole world . Soon, more would be inspired by their audacity to take up arms themselves, causing the whole situation to spiral out of control .

“Yes, the whole world's watching them . Their numbers might be few . In ancient times, they would probably be no more than mere peasants acting out sporadically in a region or two . The imperial court could simply dispatch their army to bring the people back in line without breaking a sweat .

“What the imperial court truly feared back then was a ma.s.s riot from the people…” muttered Gao Peng, nodding .

The revolt of the ma.s.ses was something all governments feared . The New World Allied Government as most people knew it that day wasn't a singular ent.i.ty, but rather an alliance formed in response to a cataclysmic event by a majority of the countries across the globe . Despite being called as such, most members of the New World Allied Government still retained their autonomy .

If one of the major regions decided to declare its withdrawal, the government's reputation would take a major hit .

“I don't think these troublemakers belong to any organization . Their actions don't seem coordinated . While some of them challenged the twelve elders to a duel, others killed their opponents outright . Doesn't look like there's a unifying intelligence behind their operation . They're just a bunch of thugs,” said Ji Hanwu, shaking his head .

Only someone like Gao Peng's grandfather, who now had two King-tier familiars by his side, had any right to call other Lord-tier trainers “thugs . ”

Gao Peng clicked his tongue . “They still seem like a reasonable lot . To most people, they look like they're just acting out, but they claim to be operating under the Allied Government's authority . What's strange here is that the Allied Government doesn't seem to care about them at all . Aren't the twelve elders supposed to be…”

“It's just a t.i.tle,” said Ji Hanwu, waving his hand . He chuckled . “I was invited to be one of the twelve elders back then . I'm already the director of a world-cla.s.s company . Why the h.e.l.l would I debase myself to serve as someone else's lapdog?”

Both grandfather and grandson leisurely talked about the world's affairs on the sofa . Neither of them was concerned about obtaining independence from the government or maintaining peace and order in the world .

Their only concerns were making sure that their company was running smoothly and raising their familiars well .

In reality, the situation took a turn for the worse much sooner than Gao Peng or his grandfather had antic.i.p.ated .

On the second day, five more regions had declared their withdrawal from the Allied Government . Despite being minor regions, their withdrawals had shaken the international community to its very core .

In response to this, the Allied Government officially blacklisted and imposed sanctions on all five regions . It had also dispatched its army and trainers to place these regions under martial law .

However, on the third day, seven more regions declared their withdrawals, including the Yinyang region, which was a major region with formidable military strength .

In just two days, the state of the world had changed drastically . The wind of change was now howling across the face of the planet . Amid the upheavals the state of the world was experiencing, one major event stood out the most: the defeat of Bo Jinduo, one of the twelve elders, on the peak of Mount Putuo .

Bo Jinduo's familiar, an Earthstrider Devil, had been sliced in half, its blood spilled over half of the mountain's face .

Not only was Bo Jinduo the second elder to be defeated by his challenger, but he was also the only elder who had died a horrible death at the hands of his opponent . The other elder who had been defeated not too long ago was Nazef, who had been captured alive by his opponent .

Their defeats had taken a toll on the twelve elders' reputations .

The trainer who murdered Bo Jinduo was called Hua Lun . At the age of 22, he was regarded as one of the most talented trainers in the Yinyang region .

Despite having only signed a Blood Contract with his first familiar a year after the Cataclysm, Hua Lun had become the master of a King-tier familiar . His familiar was a King-tier creature known as the Dark Ashura .

Soon after the war waged upon the twelve elders, Hua Lun was extolled by many as the strongest man alive in the Yinyang region . There were others claiming that he was the strongest man to ever grace the eastern side of the planet .

“This was a video someone took of the Dark Ashura,” said Huang Ya as he showed the video to Gao Peng .

The screen showed an extremely congested street somewhere in the Yinyang region . However, the pedestrians seemed to be avoiding something or someone in the middle of the street, leaving a wide enough s.p.a.ce for whatever it was to move about .

A bespectacled man with a bowl cut and a jade pendant hanging from his neck was strolling leisurely in the middle of the street . He looked, in all respects, like an honest person .

Behind him lumbered a humanoid creature that was black from head to toe . The creature stood ten feet tall, with a head of burning white flames and a serpentine tail . It had four arms and a pair of golden eyes .

As if it realized that it was being filmed, the creature turned to the camera . Suddenly, the image blurred . Only when the camera was redirected away from the creature did the video return to normal .

[Monster Name]: Dark Ashura

[Monster Level]: Level 52 (King-tier)

[Monster Grade]: Perfect

[Monster Attribute]: Dark

[Monster Ability]: Dark Power Level 5, Enhanced Strength Level 3, Enhanced Thought Process Level 3, Enhanced Regeneration Level 3

[Special Characteristics]: Dark Comet (A curious core crystal which was formed in the depths of its consciousness and endowed with extraordinary properties .

Active Effect 1: By activating the Dark Comet, the Dark Ashura is able to improve its physical const.i.tution for a certain period of time . )

[Description]: A servant of darkness, the Dark Ashura is a calm, calculating creature that craves the excitement of a fight . It hates creatures of the light and prefers looking at the stars in the night sky in solitude .