My Substitute CEO Bride (Nash and Hera) novel Chapter 1913

Landrich, also known as Balmort Star, was one of Clint's childhood friends along with Oswald. The three of them were inseparable. They had plans to go out to eat and drink together today and reminisce about the old times when the unexpected incident shattered Clint's resolve.

Landrich had just been killed by the Illuminion, and Clint was devastated. If only he had been a little stronger, just a bit stronger…

…

Nash returned to the Lewis residence with Talroth tagging along. He was relieved to find his family safe. However, his father was still nowhere to be seen. He hid the truth from his family and lied that his father had suddenly left for urgent matters in the Northern Territory.

"Master Talroth, who exactly is Clint Melton?" Nash asked curiously.

Talroth took a slow sip of his tea before replying, "He's the youngest son of the patriarch of the Melton family residing in the Southern Territory. He displayed unparalleled talent as a cultivator during his childhood, so his father sent him to the Eight Trigrams Sect."

"The Eight Trigrams Sect?" Nash was surprised. "I thought that sect wasn't very well-known."

"It may not be well-known in the Northern Territory, but that doesn't mean it's not prominent in the Southern Territory. Nash, the Melton family is very active in the Southern Territory, and Clint is hailed as a prodigy who appears only once in a century.”

Hearing Talroth's enthusiastic praise, Nash thought he was just exaggerating.

"Is he really that powerful?" Nash asked in slight disbelief.

"Of course. Do you remember them mentioning the Summit of Ten Thousand Dynasties?"

"I remember, but what exactly is it? I've never heard of it before," Nash asked. He had been around for some time now, and still, it was his first time hearing of it.

"It's normal that you haven't heard of it. It's a gathering of cultivators that's held once every 20 years."

"Once every 20 years?"

"Yes, 20 years might be too long for you to have heard of it, but it's reasonable. At this summit, heroes from all walks of life, both domestic and foreign, can display their prowess. Clint was the previous champion. He was eight years old then."

"What? He was eight? And yet he was the champion?"

“As far as I know, they're a foreign organization that has been around for a hundred years. They used to be quite low-key but have grown significantly in recent years. We found out the reason after we sent people to investigate them."

“Oh? What's the reason?” Nash asked curiously.

“The leader, or rather the cult leader, has changed. The new leader seems to have a background in business.”

“A businessman? Why would a businessman become the leader of a group of cultivators?”

“That, we don't know. But what we do know is that under his leadership, the Illuminion has become an influential organization with an unprecedented number of followers.”

“How did their numbers grow so quickly?”

“We don’t know what methods they used, but one thing is clear—the rapid awakening of the gods of the West is definitely connected to the Illuminion.”