Kent recalled his encounter with John in the Experience Secret Area, where he had barely escaped being completely wiped out by him.
His eyes darted nervously toward Elsa on the throne, and he quickly stammered, “My Lady, he’s the Godslayer! The one you’ve been searching for!”
A terrifying pressure filled the room.
From her high vantage point, Elsa glared down coldly and said, “He’s with me now. Answer his questions.”
Kent swallowed hard, glancing at her and then back at John, before reluctantly opening his mouth. “As for the cultivation sects, I don’t know much. About a thousand years ago, they mysteriously vanished, as if there was some great crisis. After that, there was no word from them.”
John frowned. That was consistent with the information he already knew.
He pressed further, “Did the cultivators from those sects enter the World of Gods?”
“W-what?” Kent looked shocked and confused.
John studied his reaction, which seemed genuine. It appeared Kent wasn’t aware of this.
Continuing, John asked, “Who is the strongest person in your Azure Family? Did anyone enter the World of Gods?”
“It’s our family’s patriarch. He’s been in seclusion, cultivating. Aside from me, about twenty other disciples from the Azure Family descended into the World of Gods, but they were all… well, you…” Kent trailed off, his voice trembling as he glanced fearfully at John.
John’s power was too eerie, and Kent knew that resisting him was pointless.
Especially now, with his Lifesaver Jade Pendant shattered, Kent had no choice but to submit.
“Where is your Azure Family located?” John decided he would pay a visit to their patriarch himself.
“That…” Kent hesitated, knowing that the location of the Azure Family was a closely guarded secret. He feared revealing it.
John’s eyes narrowed as he spoke coldly, “You don’t have a choice.”
Terrified, Kent swallowed again and finally relented. “Ten kilometers east of the Co-Cloud Mountains, but you need a special method to enter.”
The Co-Cloud Mountains bordered the Cloud Mountain, where the Blues Family was based.
John was surprised to learn that the Azure Family had been operating so close to him all along.
“What method do you need to get in?” he asked.
Kent hesitated but, seeing the coldness in John’s eyes, quickly responded, “There’s a withered peach tree near the entrance. You need to tap it ten times to break the seal.”
John noted this and then asked, “One last question-what is your family’s patriarch’s strength?”
Kent quickly replied, “I truly don’t know. He’s been in seclusion for a long time, and I’ve never met him.”
Satisfied that Kent was telling the truth, John nodded to Elsa.
Understanding the gesture, Elsa spoke softly, “Guards!”
The doors to the hall opened, and the Six-Winged Angel who had brought Kent earlier entered, her expression respectful.
Elsa pointed at Kent and instructed, “Take him away, and make sure he’s kept under close watch.”
“Yes, my Lady,” the angel replied, leading Kent out of the hall.
The hall doors closed again as Elsa gracefully descended in front of John, her cold demeanor from earlier completely gone. She asked, “Master, what are your plans next?”
“I’m going out for a bit. Let me know when the Experience Secret Area is ready,” John replied, deciding to return to the real world to visit the Azure Family.
But before that, he needed to help Tracy break free from the Divine Path technique.
“Understood,” Elsa nodded.
Without further delay, John focused his mind and left the City of Angels, reappearing in the Elemental Secret Area.
Ding!
At that moment, his private chat pinged with a message from Ritchie.
Ritchie: “Boss, where did you disappear to again? A Demon King from the eighth tier showed up in Flame City asking to see you. This guy’s incredibly powerful-Sara and the others
teamed up, and they still couldn’t take him down.”
John was startled by the message. Sara and the other two were all eighth-tier peak powerhouses, yet even combined, they couldn’t handle this Demon King.
Could this guy be a ninth-tier powerhouse?
But ninth-tier beings couldn’t descend right now. Tony and Ben were the only exceptions, as they were trapped in the Abyss, making them the only ninth-tier entities capable of
descending.
It looked like he might need to summon Tony and Ben to deal with this Demon King.
John quickly replied to Ritchie.
Godslayer: “Any casualties?”
His message had barely sent when Ritchie replied.
Ritchie: “Boss, finally! No casualties. This Demon King has been polite, and it seems he needs something from you. Sara and the others have been keeping a close eye on him.”
Godslayer: “Got it. I’ll be back soon.”
John felt relieved. Although he didn’t know what this Demon King wanted, it seemed he wasn’t hostile, so there was no immediate urgency.
The Elemental Secret Area had refreshed a new batch of elemental golems, but John had grown tired of dealing with them. He left the Elemental Secret Area and, with a thought, entered the Death Land, where he found Tracy still trapped.
“Tracy, I’m going to fully free you from the Divine Path technique,” he said.
Though Elsa had been subdued and posed no threat to Tracy anymore, the God of Light-a far more powerful figure-remained in the shadows.
As long as the Divine Path technique was in place, Tracy was at risk.
“Really, old man?” Tracy’s face lit up with excitement. She had been stuck in this place for so
long, and it was driving her crazy.
John nodded, taking her hand gently. He activated his own Divine Path technique and began forcefully breaking down the one within her.
“Mm…” Tracy winced slightly, feeling a dull ache inside her, but it was bearable.
In no time, the Divine Path technique was completely dispelled. Tracy was finally free, and to John’s surprise, the Divinity she had gained from cultivating it hadn’t disappeared.
“If I’d known this earlier, I would’ve had her level up the Divine Path technique a bit more,” John thought with a wry smile.
John had already learned the significance of Divinity-it allowed the refining of godly treasures, such as the Divine Core, Divine Rune, Divine Weapon, and Divine Soul.
He also happened to have a complete set of godly treasures in his possession.
Once the seal on the Temple was broken and the path to godhood was open, he would hand
those treasures to Tracy for her to refine.
John glanced over at Jean and said, “You can take down the vines now. Tracy’s fine.”
“Okay.” Jean nodded obediently, happy as she controlled The Tree of Life, retracting the
vines.
“Old man!” Tracy, freed from her restraints, threw herself into John’s arms, sniffling softly. “What’s wrong?” John asked in a flustered tone, worriedly looking down at her.
Tracy wiped the tears from her eyes and shook her head. “Nothing… I was just scared.”
She had felt terrible, remembering how she had nearly killed John under the influence of the Divine Path. The guilt had weighed heavily on her, making her want to disappear.
John gently patted her back, comforting her. “It’s all over now. Just stay here in Death
Land from now on. Don’t go wandering off.”
If Tracy descended into the World of Gods and something went wrong, it would mean permanent death for her.
Unless the portal between the World of Gods and Earth was opened, there was no way for her
to return.
John would have to find another solution.
“That’s great! Tracy can stay here and keep me company,” Jean chimed in excitedly.
The little girl rarely liked leaving Death Land and enjoyed her time there. “Alright,” Tracy agreed, smiling at Jean with warmth. She had grown fond of her.
“I’ve got some other things to take care of. I’ll come see you both later,” John said, bidding them farewell. He found Avis and, with a thought, teleported back to the ruins of Green Moon.
Riding Avis, he swiftly returned to Flame City.
The city seemed peaceful, with no signs of trouble.
“Boss, you’re finally back,” Ritchie greeted him eagerly upon learning of his return, leading
him toward the City Lord’s Manor. “That Demon King is still waiting for you in the manor.”
“Any idea what he wants?” John asked curiously. Could it be that the Demon Race hadn’t
given up on Flame
City?
Ritchie shook his head. “He only said he needed to meet you. He hasn’t revealed anything
else. Plus, he hasn’t shown any hostility-he’s been polite to us. I think he’s here to ask you
for something.”
“Really?” John was intrigued as they arrived at the City Lord’s Manor and came face-to-face with the eighth-tier Demon King, Shadowflame.
It immediately became clear why Sara and the others couldn’t defeat him—this Demon
King had also mastered the Power of Darkness.
Mastering the Power of Darkness at the eighth tier was rare. Only John and Sini had
accomplished it before.
It seemed that this Demon King-Shadowflame-was either exceptionally gifted or had some
special weapons or gear that enhanced his Dark Element Affinity.
“You’re the Godslayer?” Shadowflame asked, looking John up and down in shock. “Such a high level of mastery over the Power of Darkness… it seems the rumors were true!”
As he spoke, he suddenly dropped to his knees with a loud thud.
Startled, John instinctively took a step back, clearly caught off guard by the unexpected
gesture.
Ritchie, who had followed behind, was just as shocked. He pinched his leg, wincing as the
sharp pain confirmed that he wasn’t dreaming.
“What the hell?”
He thought, bewildered. Could the boss really have such charisma? Even a Demon
King kneeled before him on sight?
“Shadowflame greets the Young Master!” the Demon King Shadowflame said, bowing deeply
with a respectful expression.
“Y-Young Master?” Ritchie stammered, looking back and forth between Shadowflame and John in disbelief. “Boss, are you the Demon Race’s Young Master?”
John ignored Ritchie’s astonishment and focused on Shadowflame. “You’ve got the wrong
person,” he said calmly.
“There’s no mistake,” Shadowflame shook his head firmly. “You’ve mastered the Laws of Darkness and gained control of the Abyss. You are undoubtedly the Young Master of the
Demon Race. You may not know this, but you’re actually a descendant of Demon Gods Michelle and Kamal.”
John frowned. He knew Shadowflame was referring to Sini, but it seemed the Demon
Race didn’t even know her real identity or gender.
They only knew that Michelle and Kamal had an heir, but whether it was a prince or princess
was unknown to them.
“Isn’t it possible,” John said with a sigh, “that the Young Master you’re referring to is
actually the Demon Race Princess?”
“Princess?” Shadowflame studied John more closely, his brow furrowed as he hesitantly
asked, “You’re… you’re a woman?”
John’s face darkened. Irritated, he coldly replied, “You’re mistaken. I’m not your Demon Race
Young Master. I can see you mean no harm, so just leave.”
But Shadowflame misunderstood. Thinking John didn’t believe him, he knelt further and
swore his loyalty on the spot. “If you don’t trust me, I swear my allegiance! I, Shadowflame,
vow by the Demon Gods that I will serve you, Godslayer, and never betray you!” With the oath made, a bond of loyalty was sealed.
Now it was John’s turn to be stunned. Out of nowhere, he had gained a loyal subordinate.
But he couldn’t shake the feeling that Shadowflame might not be the sharpest tool in the
shed.
Sighing, John finally said, “You’re still mistaken. Let me take you to meet the actual Demon Race Princess.”
He hadn’t seen Sini in quite some time and was starting to miss her. “Demon Race Princess?” Shadowflame scratched his head, momentarily confused by the turn
of events.