With no other choice, John and Black Turtle led the way, advancing through the thick, lingering mist.
The fog obscured their surroundings, but it wasn’t long before they encountered demon soldiers and demon guardians emerging from the haze.
Soon after, more formidable foes appeared-demon generals and demon lords.
These creatures of the demon race posed little threat to John. Only the sixth-tier demon lords offered any real challenge, but even they were manageable for him.
The most critical aspect was that these demon lords were epic-tier bosses at the sixth level, making them perfect targets for boosting the level of his Wrath of the Gods talent.
“Old man, leave these Six-Tier demon lords to me,” John instructed Black Turtle.
To level up his Wrath of the Gods talent again, John needed to kill 50 Six-Tier epic bosses or higher.
So far, he had only managed to slay two Seven-Tier legendary Two-Winged Angels.
High-tier bosses were rare, and finding them wasn’t easy.
Black Turtle glanced at John with a hint of confusion but said nothing. He deliberately let the powerful Six-Tier demon lords through, leaving them for John to handle.
John found it challenging to face the demon lords with his current strength, but his superior combat skills allowed him to handle them with little difficulty, though it took time.
[Killed Six-Tier Epic Demon Lord, gained 283,000 experience points]
[Plunder talent activated, Spirit +10, Skill Points +10]
…
The notification flashed as John finally wore down the demon lord, activating his Plunder talent and gaining 10 points in attributes and 10 skill points.
He also looted a legendary piece of equipment.
John calmly collected his spoils, but the two behind him, Glenn and Owen, were visibly displeased, though they didn’t stop him.
After all, they were the ones who had insisted that John and Black Turtle lead the way. “Kid, stop dawdling and hurry up!” Owen snapped, his patience wearing thin.
John, unfazed, glanced back at Owen and replied coolly, “If you’re in such a hurry, why don’t you take the lead?”
Boom!
Suddenly, a massive black hand swept past John, crashing into the demon army ahead.
The impact was devastating, with blood spraying everywhere, and even the powerful Six-Tier demon lords were obliterated in a single blow.
Owen, who had unleashed the attack, looked at John coldly and asked, “Can we move faster now?”
John swallowed nervously. The sheer power of this guy was terrifying.
With the surrounding demon forces temporarily cleared, and no more threats in sight.
John and Black Turtle reluctantly picked up the pace through the mist.
As they ventured deeper, the fog began to thin out, revealing a grand palace looming ahead.
The palace sprawled across a vast area, resplendent and magnificent, showing no signs of wear from the passage of time.
John speculated that this must be the final resting place of the Demon King’s treasure.
He quickened his pace, anticipation growing.
“Kid, be careful. I can sense a powerful presence here,” Black Turtle cautioned, stepping ahead of John.
John looked around curiously, but he couldn’t detect anything unusual.
Behind him, Owen and Glenn, both visibly excited at the sight of the palace, hurried to the front.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the mist around them began to churn, and a phantom materialized directly in front of the palace entrance, blocking their path.
“The Demon King!” Black Turtle gasped, immediately positioning himself in front of John with a serious expression. “Kid, don’t try anything reckless. Be ready to retreat into the Death Land at any moment.”
The Demon King was a legendary Eighth-Tier powerhouse within the demon race. Even though this was merely a projection of the Demon King, it was still far beyond what they could handle.
John simply nodded, his curiosity piqued as he studied the towering phantom. Aside from its imposing size, it didn’t seem particularly extraordinary.
“This is the Demon King’s palace. No one may enter!” a booming voice echoed, and a powerful aura of oppression descended upon them, blanketing the area.
John felt an intense wave of danger. This Demon King projection was undoubtedly formidable.
“Master!” Owen stepped forward, removing his hood to reveal a handsome yet sickly pale face.
He respectfully addressed the phantom, “I am Owen of the demon race, here to reclaim our race’s treasured artifacts.”
“Oh?” The Demon King’s phantom eyed Owen with interest, its hostility diminishing slightly. “If you wish to obtain the demon race’s treasures, you must first pass my trial.”
With that, the phantom waved its hand, summoning numerous demon generals and demon lords, even including Seventh-Tier demon emperors.
In a flash, the Demon King’s phantom lunged at Owen.
“Black Turtle, help us!” Glenn, now surrounded and under attack by two demon emperors, desperately called out for aid.
John and Black Turtle exchanged glances, both remaining motionless with amused expressions, clearly uninterested in assisting.
However, the demon race warriors had no intention of sparing them either. Two more demon emperors, leading demon lords and generals, charged towards them.
“Kid, watch yourself,” Black Turtle warned, his expression tense. Having just broken through to the Eighth Tier, he couldn’t afford to be distracted while fending off two Seventh-Tier demon emperors.
John maintained his calm demeanor. He unleashed the Sword of Divinity and Demons and activated Sword Mastery, cutting down the approaching demon soldiers.
The Fourth-Tier demon guardians and Fifth-Tier demon generals fell easily before his blade, but the Sixth-Tier demon lords were able to withstand his attacks with relative ease.
John watched the horde of approaching demon lords with a thrill of excitement rather than
fear.
There were fifteen demon lords in total, all of them Sixth-Tier epic bosses. Slaying them would bring him significantly closer to upgrading his Wrath of the Gods talent.
“Infinite Sword Array!” he shouted, unleashing a storm of blades that filled the air, each one
gleaming with deadly intent.
Damage numbers flashed across the battlefield, with a mix of standard damage and the distinctive black figures indicating true damage.
The lesser demons-demon guardians and demon generals—were annihilated instantly,
unable to withstand the onslaught.
However, the powerful demon lords managed to survive the initial barrage of attacks, their tough defenses holding firm.
The ten or so demon lords roared in unison as they charged toward John.
These enemies, with their Sixth-Tier epic status, boasted a terrifying base physical damage
of 400,000.
John knew that his current attributes wouldn’t allow him to take them head-on.
Buzz!
Suddenly, a swirling mist appeared in front of him, coalescing into a clone.
It was his Water Mist Clone skill.
It now upgraded to Advanced Level 1. The clone possessed 100% of John’s health and 33% of
his base attributes, significantly boosting its power.
But even with this enhancement, the clone was no match for the demon lords.
Dark energy surged as the demon lords unleashed a barrage of skills. In an instant, the mist dissipated, leaving nothing but empty air where the clone had been.
John used this brief distraction to his advantage, retreating swiftly before activating Grand
Tremor.
Boom!
The ground shook violently, throwing the demon lords off balance.
-4401
-4410
-4482
…
Damage numbers flickered across the screen, John’s magic attacks only dealt a paltry 4,000
damage to the demon lords, barely scratching them.
Without the added boost from true damage or the physical might, his magic attacks couldn’t
truly threaten these formidable foes.
But John hadn’t expected his area-of-effect magic to deal significant damage. He was
counting on Grand Tremor for its crowd control effect.
For a full second.
At the time, the demon lords stood dazed, paralyzed by the stun effect.
John seized the moment, darting forward to confront one of the demon lords. In a flash, he unleashed a flurry of sword strikes, activating Unrivaled Sword Dance.
Slash!
Blood sprayed as two damage numbers popped up.
-248040
-64807
The demon lord’s physical defense was over 400,000.
That meaning John’s attacks inflicted 240,000 in physical damage and over 60,000 in true
damage.
The demon lord lost nearly one-tenth of its total health in that single strike. “Human, die!” roared one of the demon lords in fury, snapping out of the stun. With a swift
motion, the demon lord thrust his spear towards John.
Anticipating the attack, John swiftly retreated, dodging the lethal strike of the demon lords. Simultaneously, he unleashed a sword strike, a dazzling arc of light tearing through the sky, descending with destructive force.
It was the Sword Immortal skill, Flying Sword Strike!
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, the demon lord lost another 300,000 health points.
Before the demon lord could recover, a storm of sword blades erupted around him.
The cooldown for Infinite Sword Array had reset, and John wasted no time in unleashing it once more.
Blades filled the air, slicing through the demon lords, who could do nothing but endure the
onslaught. Their eyes blazed with anger as they realized they were being toyed with by a mere
human.
Furious roars echoed as they launched a barrage of Dark Orbs at John.
At that moment, John leaped into the air, his feet planted firmly on his longsword as he
executed the Sword Flight technique, soaring high above, dodging the incoming orbs with
ease.
“Kid, what kind of power is that?” Black Turtle, noticing John flying on his sword, couldn’t hide his surprise, almost getting struck by a demon emperor in the process.
John ignored the query, hovering in the air, biding his time until his skills were ready again.
“Cowardly human! Fight me face-to-face if you dare!” the demon lords raged, hurling curses into the sky. But John was now out of their reach, their attacks falling short.
He paid no heed to their insults, instead, sipping a high-grade mana potion to replenish his
energy.
As soon as the cooldown for Sword Immortal ended, John smirked, saying coldly, “You want a fair fight? I’ll give you one.”
Before the demon lords could react, John plummeted from the sky. With a surge of earth
energy, he activated Grand Tremor again.
Once more, the demon lords were stunned, frozen in place as a barrage of swords rained down upon them.
In quick succession, John unleashed Flying Sword Strike, Infinite Sword Array, and Unrivaled Sword Dance.
His movements were fluid and precise, executing three powerful skills in less than a second.
The demon lords barely had time to shake off the stun before John ascended back into the air. Repeating this cycle, John systematically wore them down. Despite their fury, the demon lords could do nothing but watch as two of their own fell to John’s relentless assault.
“Ah! Damn you!” The remaining demon lords were beside themselves with rage, swinging their weapons futilely at the sky where John hovered just out of reach. “Lord demon emperor, could you help us deal with this pest?” one of the demon lords finally
pleaded, looking towards the two demon emperors locked in battle with Black Turtle.
Black Turtle frowned, his attacks growing fiercer as he kept the two demon emperors occupied, giving them no opportunity to break away. Meanwhile, Glenn, observing the scene, smirked coldly.
There were four demon emperors on the battlefield-he and Black Turtle each engaging two.
Despite his own precarious situation, fending off two near-equal opponents using spatial magic, Glenn saw an opportunity to turn the tide.
Sensing the plea from the demon lords, he subtly withdrew, allowing one of the demon
emperors to break off and focus on John.
“This human is mine!” roared the freed demon emperor, his dark energy coalescing into a pair of shadowy wings as he took to the sky, rushing towards John with deadly intent.
