John pointed at Owen, then looked up at the massive face in the sky and spoke, “Great deity, this man is a genius of the demon race. He has inherited the Demon King’s treasure and the demon race’s most precious artifacts!”
“Despicable human! You’ll die a terrible death!” Owen cursed, trying to flee.
Crack!
A terrifying bolt of lightning split the sky, striking Owen directly.
Boom!
The earth trembled with a deafening roar, and everything around was instantly reduced to nothingness.
John, unsurprisingly, was also killed by the blast, triggering his Undying and Immortal talent. Where Owen had stood, four items floated in the air.
They were the demon race’s treasures: Demon Soul, Demon Eye, Demon Wing, and Demon Armor.
These treasures couldn’t be destroyed, not even by a god.
John moved swiftly, grabbing all four treasures along with the wisp of Remnant Soul he had tossed earlier. Without wasting a moment, he mentally connected with the Death Land and vanished on the spot.
“Hmm? Interesting!” A thunderous voice echoed, as loud as an explosion.
The massive face in the sky watched the spot where John had disappeared, its gaze flickering, though its expression was unreadable.
The deity had been outwitted by a mere human.
“Human, I won’t forget you. Next time will be your end…” The rolling clouds swirled as the voice gradually faded, and the giant face slowly dissipated.
…
“Hahaha…” John appeared in the Death Land, clutching the four demon race treasures, laughing in exhilaration.
Just then, the Undead Lord’s voice rang out, “Kid, you’d better be careful. The gods can lock down space. Don’t try that trick again.”
“Got it, what a buzzkill,” John replied dismissively, tucking the treasures away.
These items required ninth-tier power to refine, and he was far from that level.
“Benefactor!” A startled cry rang out as Anna ran toward him, throwing herself into his arms and sobbing softly.
John was momentarily confused, then quickly tried to comfort her. “What’s wrong, Anna? Who upset you?”
“Sniff… It’s you, benefactor! You were gone for so long; we were all worried sick!” Anna lifted her tear-streaked face, looking pitiful and tugging at his heartstrings.
John finally realized what had happened and spoke gently, “Alright, alright. I’m back now, safe and sound.”
The commotion brought others over as well.
Ada and the other women, seeing that John was unharmed, visibly relaxed, their worries easing away.
Jean ran over joyfully and exclaimed, “Big brother, I knew you’d be alright!”
John smiled and ruffled her hair. “Jean is always the best.”
“Kid, where have you been these past few days?” Black Turtle glared at John. He hadn’t had an easy time recently.
As the women had blamed him for John’s disappearance, since he was the last one to see John. “I was trapped in the Abyss,” John replied, a hint of lingering fear in his voice as he recalled the harrowing experience. Fortunately, with his SSS-level plunder talent, he managed to plunder dark affinity and comprehend the Dark Element Laws. Despite the dangers, the rewards were immense.
“The Abyss?” Black Turtle gasped in disbelief. “You escaped from the Abyss?”
It was clear that Black Turtle had heard of the Abyss and knew how perilous it was.
John nodded but didn’t elaborate. He then remembered the key to the Abyss that he had acquired and pulled it out to examine it with curiosity.
[Abyss Key: A key to access the Abyss, can be refined if you possess a spatial affinity.]
[Note: Do not gaze into the Abyss.]
John, having an S-level Spatial Awareness talent, realized he could refine the key.
[You have successfully refined the Abyss Key.]
The notification appeared, but John’s excitement quickly turned to disappointment.
Although he had refined the key, he couldn’t fully control the Abyss. He could trap beings inside the Abyss, but he couldn’t release them.
To free the beings imprisoned in the Abyss, he would need to comprehend at least 10% of the Dark Element Laws.
This wasn’t entirely impossible for him.
If he reentered the Abyss and hunted down 900 sixth-tier epic Abyss demons, he could plunder 900 points of dark element affinity, thus advancing his mastery of the Dark Element Laws to 10%.
However, this wasn’t an urgent task. Turning his attention back to the women, he asked, “Has anything happened while I was gone?”
The women shook their heads, but Anna quickly added, “Benefactor, Sister Sini and the others haven’t logged in for several days.”
“Sini?” John was surprised, only now realizing that Sini and Tracy were indeed offline.
Could something have happened in the real world?
Concerned, he immediately reached out to Ritchie via private message.
Godslayer: “Ritchie, has anything happened in the real world these past few days?”
Ritchie: “Boss, I was just about to report to you. There’s been a major upheaval in the real world. The Mike White Family has acquired several Attribute Fusion Stones, and there’s a powerful new force backing them, possibly an Ancient Martial Arts Family. It seems like there’s also trouble with the Blues Family.”
Godslayer: “Tell me about the Blues Family first.”
John’s heart filled with worry as he read Ritchie’s message.
Ritchie: “I’m not entirely sure about the details. A few days ago, Armstrong asked me to look after Tracy. But yesterday, Tracy left without a word, leaving behind only a letter. I’ve had people searching for her, but there’s still no sign of her.”
Godslayer: “Understood.”
John closed the private chat and turned to the women. “I have something I need to take care
of.”
Concerned for Sini and Tracy’s safety, he quickly logged off.
…
In the Real World
John woke up from the game pod.
He feels mentally exhausted. He had spent days in the World of Gods with barely any rest.
However, the gains were significant-his strength had increased considerably, especially his control over dark magic.
He could distinctly feel the dark elemental energy lingering in the air, responsive and obedient. With a single thought, he could gather this energy to launch a dark magic attack.
This was the result of mastering the Dark Element Laws.
Without dwelling on this newfound power, John noticed the room was eerily quiet-Sini and
Tracy were nowhere to be seen.
However, he could sense several powerful presences near the Blues Family’s gate.
With a flash, John hurried toward the gate.
…
At the Blues Family Gate, A group of powerful individuals had gathered.
Chris stood among them, looking disheveled, with a faint trace of blood at the corner of his
mouth. He was facing off against two middle-aged men.
These two men showed no signs of Ancient Martial Arts energy, appearing almost like
ordinary people.
Yet, Chris treated them with utmost caution, not daring to relax for a moment.
These men were Xeon and Hummer, formidable members of one of the most mysterious Ancient Martial Arts families-the Azure Family.
It wasn’t that they lacked martial cultivation, but rather that they had reached a level where their power was concealed, making them capable of lethal attacks with something as simple as a falling leaf or a blooming flower.
The Azure Family had deep ties with the Blues Family, as their cultivation techniques shared the same roots, complementing each other.
However, the Azure Family had betrayed this bond, choosing a dark path. To rapidly enhance their cultivation, they had begun using Blues Family members as living resources to fuel their
own growth.
Whenever the Azure Family faced a crisis, they would plunder the strength of Blues Family members in brutal and cruel ways.
It was clear that this time, they had set their sights on Chris, whose power had grown
considerably.
Xeon, his patience thinning, spoke coldly, “Master of the Blues Family, I’ll say this one last
time-if you don’t want the Blues Family to be wiped out, hand over Tracy and that
Godslayer, and come back to the Azure Family with us!”
Chris, however, shook his head, the Wind Sword in his hand humming softly. He replied
calmly, “As I’ve said before, I’ll go with you. But John and Tracy aren’t here. You should give
up on that idea.”
“Grandfather, we can fight our way out!” Armstrong glared coldly at the two intruders, his voice filled with defiance.
He couldn’t just stand by and watch Chris go to his death.
“Master, don’t worry about us. You two escape-we’ll cover you!” The members of the Blues
Family nodded in agreement, their faces resolute, ready to die if necessary.
“How touching,” Hummer said with a hint of mockery, drawing the longsword from his back. “Since you’re all so eager, I’ll be happy to send you on your way.”
The Blues Family members stepped forward in unison, unafraid, ready to face whatever came.
Clap, clap… Suddenly, the sound of clapping echoed through the tense atmosphere as a man calmly
approached, interrupting the standoff.
“John!” Sini’s eyes filled with tears at the sight of him. The worry she had been holding onto
finally eased.
Xeon and Hummer turned their attention to the newcomer, curiosity in their eyes. “You must be John?” Xeon asked. “Indeed, that’s me,” John replied calmly, his expression untroubled.
Chris frowned deeply, quickly urging, “John, you and Sini need to get out of here. These two
are too strong-you can’t defeat them.”
“Hmph, trying to escape now? Too late!” Xeon and Hummer sneered as they simultaneously
launched their attack.
Their killing intent locked onto John, and in the blink of an eye, they were upon him, their
swords slicing through the air with deadly precision.
John leapt back, narrowly avoiding their lethal strikes. He held out a hand to stop Chris, who was about to join the fray, and said, “Master, lend me your sword!”
“Alright!” Chris agreed without hesitation, sending The Wind Sword flying towards Xeon and
Hummer.
“Huh? Sword Mastery!” the two exclaimed in shock as they deflected The Wind Sword,
exchanging disbelieving glances.
Clang!
They blocked the Wind Sword.
The sword hummed through the air, landing smoothly in John’s hand.
“You know Sword Mastery?” John asked, surprised.
He couldn’t understand how they were familiar with a skill that was part of the Sword
Immortal class in the World of Gods.
Especially since Sword Immortal was a unique hidden class, and he had never revealed this
secret to anyone.
The two men didn’t answer, instead positioning themselves back-to-back, their longswords
floating before them.
“Sword Mastery!” John repeated in astonishment as the two prepared their attack. They were using the same skill.
“Dual Sword Fusion!” they shouted in unison. Their swords intertwined, spinning together to
create a powerful whirlwind that hurtled towards John.
“Hmph!” John snorted, unimpressed. He tightened his grip on The Wind Sword, which
trembled slightly in his hand before he unleashed a swift and precise sword beam.
Flying Sword Strike!
Clang!
The two spinning longswords were instantly knocked away, the sword beam cutting through
the air with unstoppable force, heading straight for Xeon and Hummer.
Panic flashed across their faces-they had no time to dodge.
Boom!
The ground shook as the sword beam carved a deep chasm, blood spraying as both men were
sent flying.
“Xeon!” Hummer coughed up blood, cradling the lifeless body of his brother. His expression
was a mix of fury and terror.
With a single strike, John had killed Xeon and left Hummer gravely injured, severely
weakening his power.
“Who… who are you really?” Hummer stammered, swallowing hard as he glared at John, his
voice trembling with rage.