Chapter 380

An open and flat grassland appeared in front of him.

A clear river separated the two sides of the grassland. The river water flowed gently, and numerous fishes could be seen swimming in the clear water.

Feng Ye's figure appeared on the riverbank, and he calmly walked forward along the riverbank.

Looking straight ahead in the direction he was walking, there was a forest that seemed to be overflowing with life. Birds were chirping and flowers were fragrant between the trees. As he continued forward, he could see an open and flat area with buildings scattered all over it.

He continued looking forward.

His line of sight passed through more than ten such towns, and he finally saw a huge palace sealed in ice. It had a grand and majestic aura.

That was the center of the Invisible Empire, and it was also known as — Silver Frame City!

"You allowed the enemy to develop under your nose for nearly a thousand years, and to develop to such a scale. What a dereliction of duty you have … Yamamoto Genji Yanagi Chigoku."

Feng Ye slowly walked along the riverbank, and he retracted his gaze from Silver Frame City as he spoke with a sigh.

A thousand years ago, the Gotei 13 was led by Yamamoto Genji Yanagi Chigoku, and most of the captains of the first generation were as powerful as Unohana Retsu.

With such a powerful force, they finally defeated the Annihilator.

But after that, the Annihilator used the power of the Shadow Domain to escape into the shadows of the Quiet Spirit Palace, and the Gotei 13 almost didn't notice it.

Just like that, the Annihilator had developed under the shadow of the Tranquil Spirit Court for close to a thousand years, creating such a huge world.

The current territory of the Invisible Empire.

It was even larger than the Spirit King Palace!

The people living here were all pure-blooded Annihilators. A thousand years ago, there were only a few of them left, but now, their numbers were very large.

The Celestial Cross Knights weren't the only ones here. The Celestial Cross Knights were the most outstanding Annihilators, and they were selected and bestowed with the power of Yühabach.

There were countless ordinary Annihilators here.

In fact, Yühabach gradually recovered because of this.

Every once in a while, the Annihilator Empire would select a portion of the Annihilators to be sacrificed, turning their lives and energy into nourishment for Yühabach's recovery.

Just as Feng Ye was walking along the riverbank step by step, deep in thought, a commotion came from the forest in front of him.

It sounded like the sound of a chase.

Whoosh! Whoosh!!

A deer scurried out of the woods in a panic and fled towards the grassland.

Almost at this moment, a young girl riding a horse ran out of the forest with a crossbow in her hand. She aimed at the prey from afar and shot an arrow.

The glowing Spirit Particle Arrow pierced through the air, drawing a perfect trajectory in the air. It accurately targeted the fleeing deer, piercing through its body.

"As expected of the Young Miss. You're already so skilled at controlling Spirit Particle Arrows."

Many attendants riding horses and wearing the same attire followed closely behind. Seeing that the young girl shot the fleeing deer, the person in the lead immediately spoke in a respectful tone.

The young girl raised her chin slightly and revealed a confident smile. "Of course, I'm someone who will become a Star Cross Knight in the future!"

In the Invisible Empire, everyone was a pure-blooded exterminator. However, due to the purity of their bloodline, as well as their different talents and abilities, there weren't many who could become a knight. There were even fewer who had the qualifications to stand out among the many knights and become a knight leader.

And standing at the peak of all Knights, the ultimate goal of all Annihilators, was the Star Cross Knight!

Every Star Cross Knight was an existence recognized by the King of Annihilators, Yhwach. Among the Annihilators, they represented the highest glory!

"With the purity and talent of the Young Miss' bloodline, you'll definitely be recognized by His Majesty."

The attendants at the back continued to speak in a respectful tone.

The conditions to become a Star Cross Knight were extremely harsh. If one were to divide the purity of one's bloodline according to the grade, there would be roughly six grades. Only the highest grade could directly become a Star Cross Knight.

As for the second grade, which was a grade lower, one would need to go through all kinds of extremely strict tests and display truly outstanding talent. Only then would one have the chance to become a Star Cross Knight.

As for the second grade, which was a grade lower, one would need to go through all kinds of extremely strict tests and display truly outstanding talent. Only then would one have the chance to become a Star Cross Knight.

This was because among the Star Cross Knights, there had never been an existence whose bloodline was lower than the second grade.

The Bombietta family was an upper-class noble family of the Invisible Empire, and the members of the family generally had bloodline talents of the fourth grade or above. The marriage of the Young Miss Bombietta Batha of this generation had a bloodline purity of the second grade that had not appeared in a long time!

There was hope for her to become a Star Cross Knight!

Because of this, she was also the most valued person in the family. Even if she had not become an official Knight yet, she had a rather high status in the family, and could even execute them with a single word!

Thud, thud, thud.

Bombietta rode her horse to the side of the deer she had shot. Just as she was about to jump off her horse to check on her prey, she was suddenly surprised.

Her gaze unnaturally looked towards the riverbank not far away, and saw that on the other side of the river, there was a young man dressed in very noble clothes walking along the riverbank.

"Huh?"

"He's a little handsome."

Bombietta tilted her head and looked at the figure for a moment. Then, she blinked her eyes and jumped off her horse. Ignoring her prey, she walked straight towards the riverbank.

Maple noticed Bombietta and the others not far away, but he did not pay much attention to them. He continued to walk forward, and after taking two steps, he heard a voice coming from the other side of the river.

"Hey, how are you!"

Bombietta looked at Maple from the other side of the river and revealed a smile. She said, "I'm Bombietta Bathata. What's your name?"

Maple stopped in his tracks and replied with a calm expression, "I'm sorry.

"Maple."

"Don't be so cold."

Bombietta smiled adorably. She leaped over the riverbank and landed not far away from Maple. She said, "Why didn't you say your surname? You don't look like you're from a commoner family, do you?"

Maple replied casually, "Of course."

Bombietta sized up Maple. She could tell that Maple's clothes were luxurious and expensive, but she had never seen them before. Moreover, she did not see any Knight's medal on Maple.

Bombietta circled around Maple and arrived in front of him. She looked at Maple and asked, "Are you a Knight?"

"No."

Maple also sized up Bombietta.

If she remembered correctly, this girl in front of her should be under Yhwach's command. She was one of the future Star Cross Knights, the one who was defeated by Zuo Zhen of the village.

She still looked quite young.

"You're not a Knight?"

Bombietta was slightly surprised.

Maple wasn't surprised or nervous at all when he heard her surname. Combined with his clothes and appearance, he should be a member of a noble family. Not only that, Maple seemed to be slightly older than her, around 20 years old. At this age, he should have become a Knight long ago.

Also, Maple was from a noble family, so the purity of his bloodline shouldn't be too low. There shouldn't be any problems for him to become a normal Knight. In that case, the only explanation was that Maple didn't participate in the Knight's examination.

"Didn't participate in the examination? Why? "

Bombietta asked curiously.

There were very few Annihilators who weren't willing to become Knights. Becoming a Knight and serving their friend Habach should be the belief of every Annihilator. This was what they had been taught since they were young.

Maple glanced at Bombietta, smiled lightly, and said, "You've been asking me from the very beginning. Are we very familiar with each other?"

"Heh."

Bombietta chuckled and revealed a smile. "You're really strange. You're obviously not familiar with each other, but you still answered so many of my questions. However, this is the first time I've seen a Annihilator who isn't willing to become a Knight and serve His Majesty. Those who have this kind of thought should all become sacrifices for His Majesty."

In the Invisible Empire, those who weren't willing to become a Knight and serve His Majesty would be viewed as disloyal. Such existences would often be chosen as sacrifices once a year, using their lives and souls to speed up His Majesty's recovery.

Before Feng Ye could say anything, Bonbietta looked at him and continued, "However, you're so handsome, so it would be a pity for you to become a sacrifice. If you choose to obediently become my subordinate, I won't send you to become a sacrifice. How about it?"

Those who weren't loyal to His Majesty and were unwilling to serve His Majesty would be punished, even if they were nobles. If Maple wasn't a noble, then things would be even simpler. As the eldest daughter of the Bombietta Family, she could naturally command ordinary Annihilators as she pleased.

"Is this a threat?"

Maple chuckled.

Bombietta stood about two meters away from him and looked at him. Her attendants were already standing on the other side of the river. She smiled lightly and said, "You could say that."

"Then I refuse."

Maple responded with a faint smile.

Bombietta's lips curled up slightly, and she gently lowered her hand. A small amount of Spirit Droplets gathered in her hand. She then looked at Maple and said, "Unfortunately, you've made the wrong choice."