CHAPTER 925: NEWS ABOUT FREYA

The white-haired woman led Max deeper and deeper into the frozen expanse of the ice region, her pace swift and confident as if she had walked this path a hundred times. Along the way, Max learned her name and identity—Sophia Whiteclaw, princess of the White Tiger Nation, one of the revered Four God Nations.

Her demeanor made more sense now: her strength, her noble bearing, and the calm confidence she exuded even in the midst of this perilous region.

As they flew, she explained her purpose for being here. She was searching for a seventh-grade treasure known as the Ten Thousand Years Frozen Lotus, a plant of unimaginable rarity and power.

"I need it to impact the Mythic Realm," she said, her voice tinged with a mix of determination and fatigue. "I’ve been trying to break through for ten years... and without this treasure, it might take even longer."

Max, surprised by her words, turned his head slightly. "It’s that difficult to enter the Mythic Rank?"

Sophia smiled bitterly, the expression softening her otherwise composed and regal face. "You’ll understand when you reach the peak of the Legend Rank. Between the peak of Legend Rank and Mythic Rank, there’s a massive chasm—one that no skill, technique, or talent can bypass. It can only be filled by endless amounts of energy and foundation. Only when that chasm is finally full does the Divine Path Lotus appear, and along with it, Heaven’s Wraith to test your qualification. Few succeed. Most fail."

Max listened quietly, his eyes narrowing slightly in thought. Inside, however, there was a growing sense of urgency. ’If it’s that difficult... I need to push my strength higher as soon as possible,’ he thought, his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword subconsciously.

Then something clicked in his mind, and he asked almost without thinking, "Have you ever heard of someone named Freya?"

The reaction was immediate. Sophia halted mid-flight and turned sharply toward him, her eyes wide, her voice sharp as she snapped, "Where did you hear that name?"

Max blinked at her sudden intensity and instinctively leaned back a little. "I overheard some conversations between the leaders of the seven major forces," he explained cautiously. "They mentioned her name, but not much else."

Sophia stared at him for a long moment, her silver-white eyes piercing, before finally speaking again. "You shouldn’t say her name so casually in public," she said, her tone solemn now.

"Why?" Max asked, his curiosity deepening.

"Because the person named Freya... she is beyond the scope of the Middle Domain," Sophia said gravely. "It’s said she was last seen alongside Lucien, the greatest genius this world has ever produced. And as for her strength..." She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "there are rumors that she has already surpassed what we call the Divine Rank in this world. Nobody truly knows what her current cultivation is, or even her goals."

She glanced away, as if the weight of her words was too heavy to linger on. "The last I heard, both Lucien and Freya were still within the Middle Domain, about a year ago. They’re too mysterious—untouchable. Even the Obsidian Order, even our Four God Nations, couldn’t keep tabs on them. If you know what’s good for you, you won’t seek them out carelessly."

"Oh." Max nodded calmly, his face showing little emotion, but inside he was shaken to the core. Lucien... and Freya... together? He had never pieced it together before, never even considered the possibility.

’Lucien knew about my sister... He knows my sister!’ The thought echoed inside his mind like thunder. For a moment, he felt an odd mix of disbelief and clarity. But then, calming himself, he began to think it through logically.

Lucien was said to be the strongest human alive, a figure that stood unrivaled on the entire planet. His sister Freya, by all accounts, possessed a strength at least comparable, if not beyond that. Two of the strongest beings on the planet knowing one another—it wasn’t far-fetched at all. In fact, it made perfect sense.

She was seen just a year ago... that means she’s still on Acaris. She hasn’t left yet.’ His thoughts sharpened as he clenched his fist slightly. ’I have to find her as soon as possible.’

"What? Why are you in such deep thought?" Sophia’s voice broke him from his reverie. She was glancing at him curiously, her brow slightly raised at his sudden solemn demeanor.

Max exhaled slowly and shook his head. "I was just wondering... what it takes for someone to become the strongest. How does someone reach that level? To stand at the top of everything?"

Sophia smiled faintly at his words, her eyes holding a trace of admiration as she spoke. "Lucien? He’s from the Obsidian Order. He was raised there. It’s said that from the day he was born until he became the strongest at just ten years old, there were thousands of assassination attempts on his life—Nulls, Vesper, assassins of every kind—but not a single one succeeded. He survived them all."

She paused for a moment, her tone softening. "Because of him, you’re living in the so-called peace of the Middle Domain right now. Even though there are occasional skirmishes with Nulls, and battles still rage in some corners, the Vesper themselves don’t dare to openly appear. The existence of Lucien alone keeps the Nulls and even the Ascendants from launching an all-out war against humans."

Max frowned, his mind churning at the implications of her words. "If he’s that strong... then why doesn’t he just exterminate all the Nulls and Ascendants completely? Wouldn’t that end all of this? Wouldn’t it be easier than constantly fighting them whenever they start another war?"

Sophia shook her head slowly, her expression thoughtful yet slightly troubled. "That... I don’t know," she admitted. "I asked my father the same question once, and all he said was, ’Some things aren’t as simple as they seem.’ I think... there are truths behind these wars and balances that we don’t understand yet. Things that even people like me, or you, or most others, aren’t allowed to know."

Max nodded slightly, but inwardly he knew this all linked back to one man—Mark. The one behind both the Nulls and the Ascendants, the one who had caused endless chaos across the world.

’What’s the use of being the strongest if you can’t even kill the most evil being in existence?’ Max scoffed silently, his lips curling faintly in disdain. ’If I had that kind of power, I wouldn’t hesitate—I’d go straight for Mark and end him forever.’ His hands clenched unconsciously at the thought, the quiet resolve within him burning hotter.