Ning had used a bottle of Aether to reach Aether Saint. That bottle of Aether had taken about a year and a half to form as well. If he were to use all the other bottles he had put around the globe, he would likely reach Aether Supreme.

To reach Aether Underlord, he would have to bring out his aces hidden up his sleeves. Even then, Ning didn’t believe he could reach Overlord. That would just take too much Aether.

’No, that’s not the important thing right now,’ Ning thought.

”You aren’t looking for peace, then,” Ning said, to the old man. “You’re just looking to kill a man that is stopping you from world domination.”𝑜𝒱𝑙xt.𝒸𝓞𝕞

The old man’s eyes narrowed. “World domination? Do you not see that that is not my intention? I just wish to bring peace and equality to the world.”

”By world domination,” Ning added. “You are looking for peace to be a byproduct of something else. You aren’t doing anything to have peace as the main this.”

”Peace, you say. The only peaceful one in a dominated world will be the one dominating. Equality, you say. The only thing equal in this world will be the hatred people have for you deep within.”

”Is that what you want old man? The legacy of the lord of the tower to crumble down to nothing but a tyrant?” Ning asked.

”I don’t care what I’m viewed as. I shall become the very thing the world hates if that is to bring peace amongst the people. That is my dream. That was my master’s dream, and I intend to fulfill it till the day I die,” the old man said.

”World domination is not the way to go, old man. That is the opposite of what you should be doing for peace. Is this what your master dreamt of? Is this what you master would’ve wanted?” Ning asked.

”My master is dead. My master can no longer tell me what to do, I intend to do what I need to. I’m going to make my master proud,” the old man said.

”Your master will just hate you instead,” Ning said.

”KEEP MY MASTER’S NAME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!” the old man shouted, scaring Ning for a moment. The air rippled around him as if he was going to attack.

”You show no respect to me, youngster. Did you forget who I am? I am the lord of this tower. I am your lord. You do not get to talk to me as an equal at all. You are beneath me,” the old man said as pressure struck where Ning stood.

However, Ning just held a sneer on his face as he looked at the old man.

”Respect? You lost that from me the moment you suggested ruling the world in terror old man. No villain of any story ever gets my respect. You are no different. No, you are worse. You preach peace while wanting to bring the war to the world.”

”That’s right, you’re a hypocrite. You say you want equality and in the very next sentence, you say we’re not equal. If that is not a hypocrite, I don’t know what is,” Ning said.

The old man started fuming. If he didn’t want the Aether, he would’ve struck Ning dead right at this moment.

And Ning saw right through that. “You want to kill me? Do it. You killed the last guy that wanted peace. How am I any different right?” Ning asked.

”You said you have an enemy you needed to defeat and that you needed to become an Overlord to do so. Yet, you never said he was a bad guy, only that he was against you and would stop you if you went forward with your plan of world domination.”

”You know what that sounds like? A good **ing person. You are the villain and he is the hero in my eyes.”

”I might even go find him and help him get strong—”

”YOU DARE!” the old man dashed forward and tried to slap Ning, but Ning stood his ground. He could die right now and he wouldn’t care. He had the means to come back stronger anyway.

Thankfully, the old man had enough wits to realize that his potential source of Aether would disappear if he were to kill Ning now.

Ning watched the hand stop inches from his face, yet his face didn’t lose the sneer at all.

”No, I don’t dare,” Ning said. “I wouldn’t even if I could. I have no power to turn either of you into an Overlord. Gathering that much Aether would take me almost 50 years.”

The old man paused and was about to say something when Ning continued. “You know what I do have? The means to bring another Underlord to this world.”

”That’s right, old man. You’ve lived cooped up in this room long enough and have forgotten what the outside world is like. You stand so high that everyone looks like ants, so you treat them as such.”

”Well, I am here to stop you. I will use my own Aether to become an Underlord soon, and then, I will come to take your place in the tower.”

”Until then, live your days in fear. Feel the ‘peace’ you wish to bring to the people.”

Ning turned around and walked away. He didn’t stick around to see what the old man would do, but he did see a tantrum brewing as he closed the door behind him.

The old man sent his furniture flying in anger and helplessness at his ability to do anything. He grabbed his own hair in anger and then started crying as he didn’t know what to do.

He needed help, he needed direction.

He walked out of the room to the empty balcony on his inside of the tower and looked down at the massive statue in the middle of the tower.

”I can’t do this without you. I need your help, your guidance,” he cried out.

”Why… why have you forsaken me, Master?”