Heidern agreed to cooperate with John to take on the Shadow Clan, but only if the Shadow Clan initiated an attack on them.
Lincoln had always assumed John was the weaker party.
But now, it didn’t seem that way.
In several Secret Area trials and the second power assessment, John had achieved first place, amassing over forty million points – almost more than the combined total of all those
outside the top ten.
Lincoln didn’t believe John had achieved such a high score simply with the help of Cand- Dragon and others.
And in the third aptitude assessment, John was once again in first place.
He had a feeling that Godslayer might prove even harder to deal with than the Shadow Clan. Now that the Shadow Clan had targeted this human, it was exactly what he wanted to see. What surprised him most was John’s strength – he was able to effortlessly fend off an onslaught from seven powerful members of the Shadow Clan.
In fact, John had even killed several of them before, including the infamous Blood Moon, although they had returned thanks to their Lifesaver talents and skills. As long as their souls remained intact, they wouldn’t truly die.
He could only hope that both sides would end up badly wounded.
Without the threat of the Shadow Clan and John, he was confident he could take on the other races.
Especially now, with only Beelzebub remaining from the demon race, and only two strong members left in the Sea Clan.
As for the other Dragonkin, Giants, and demons, he didn’t even consider them a threat. Boom!
A loud rumble shook the sky, and John spat blood as he was flung backward, killed once again. The Undying and Immortal abilities triggered, but this time, the invincibility granted by his Lifesaver talent was gone.
“What’s the matter, afraid to strike?” Blood Moon sneered as he looked at John.
The Red Lotus Hellfire had dissipated, leaving John completely vulnerable.
“Human, this is what happens when you cross the Shadow Clan. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you!” Blood Moon’s tone was playful, clearly interested in John’s talents.
With demigod-level cultivation and such formidable combat power, his talent had to be extraordinary.
“Set up the Soul-Devouring Formation and trap this human’s soul completely!” Blood Moon ordered coldly. Six other powerful members of the Shadow Clan immediately closed in around John.
Blood-red energy surrounded them, strange forces intertwining and coalescing into a deadly net.
“Hm?” John’s expression shifted, his soul trembling – this was a soul attack he had never encountered before.
“Damn it!” he cursed inwardly as red threads began to wind around him, connecting him to the Shadow Clan members.
It was a unique technique of the Shadow Clan, a damage transfer ability. Without his invincibility, he couldn’t risk an attack.
“Red Lotus Fire!” He gritted his teeth, drawing upon his barely recovered soul power to unleash another soul-based attack.
Scarlet flames enveloped the enemies, searing their souls. Pain flashed across their faces, but they could still endure it.
“It’s useless, human; stop resisting!” Blood Moon, with teeth gritted against the soul pain, stepped into the fray and summoned a strange, blood-red net that instantly enveloped John. John attempted to evade, but the net descended in an instant and disappeared from sight. Before he could react, his soul was trapped, and the Red Lotus Hellfire faded away. “What is this?” he muttered, his brow furrowed in agony as his soul was bound deep within, his actions now entirely restricted.
Buzz!
At that moment, the Crimson Karma Lotus emerged, shrouding him in red flames that resisted the net.
“Undying Flame’s power?” Blood Moon was shocked as he sensed the Crimson Karma Lotus within John’s soul.
“You, human, possess such a powerful soul treasure! It will be mine now!” Excitement and anticipation filled his eyes as he intensified his power, manipulating the net to fully bind John’s soul and claim the Crimson Karma Lotus as his own.
“Hmph, keep dreaming!” John snorted coldly, crossing his legs as he focused his mind within his soul, fighting desperately against the blood-red net.
But it was futile; his soul and the Crimson Karma Lotus were continuously enshrouded and devoured.
His most powerful ability, Heaven and Earth Transformation, was utterly ineffective against the Shadow Clan.
He’d never faced a situation this challenging. He had underestimated the Shadow Clan’s
power.
With John trapped, the others were faring even worse.
Cand-Dragon, Nine-Tails, and Jolyne had been killed over a dozen times. Their faces were pale, and their souls were severely injured.
Tony was in even worse shape, his golden aura shattered, injuries severe, barely holding on due to Jolyne’s aid.
“My lord, shouldn’t we intervene?” Grey asked from afar, watching as John and the others were pushed to their limits, on the brink of death.
Lincoln’s brow furrowed. He knew the Shadow Clan wouldn’t spare them once John and his
group were dead.
He exchanged a look with the other gods and nodded. “Go!”
The four of them prepared to join the fight.
Cough…
Suddenly, several Shadow Clan members coughed up blood, their faces pale.
Lincoln and his group halted, unsure of what had just happened.
John noticed immediately, sensing the blow to Blood Moon and the others’ souls, freeing his soul and the Crimson Karma Lotus from the net’s hold.
“Sea King! So, you were plotting against me!” Blood Moon wiped the blood from his mouth
and cursed toward the sky.
The hunters’ brood mother, which Blood Moon had entrusted to Sea King’s dominion, had suddenly died. It could only be Sea King’s doing.
“Godslayer!” Jolyne quickly called out, “Their brood mother is dead – soul attack now!”
With that, she unleashed a radiant aura, the air trembling as two powerful soul forces attacked the two Shadow Clan warriors before her.
Boom!
Boom!
Two heavy thuds, and the two Shadow Clan warriors fell with no resistance, their souls obliterated, utterly annihilated.
Cand-Dragon and Nine-Tails quickly joined in with their soul attacks.
Unfortunately, their Soul Techniques were on par with the upper-tier gods of the Shadow
Clan, making it impossible to kill them outright.
At least for now, they were no longer in immediate danger.
“Could Sea King actually be helping me?” John’s brow creased. Something about Sea King felt
suspicious.
There was no time to dwell on it. John gathered his barely recovered soul power, activating his
Soul Impact skill.
Buzz…
The air buzzed with energy, as his powerful soul force enveloped Blood Moon and the seven
Shadow Clan warriors.
John’s Soul Technique had now reached 370,000, far surpassing his enemies.
Boom! Boom!
Two Shadow Clan warriors were killed on the spot.
[You killed Shadow Clan upper-tier god Blood Massacre, gaining 1.6766 trillion experience
points.]
[Your level has risen to 10,040…]
[Plunder talent activated. You gained an SSS-level space talent, space law comprehension
+1%, Shadow Power +10, skill points +500.]
[You killed Shadow Clan upper-tier god Blood Soul, gaining 1.6653 trillion experience points.]
[Your level has risen to 10,042…]
[Plunder talent activated. Luck +2, skill points +500, Strength +1000.]
John’s notifications flashed, showing a substantial gain in experience points, leveling him up
by four levels.
What thrilled him most was plundering an SSS-level space talent, gaining 1% comprehension
of space law.
“Human, you’re courting death!” Blood Moon, furious at the brutal deaths of his two subordinates, unleashed his attacks without holding back.
Without the support of the hunters’ brood mother, it was impossible for him to trap John
again.
He resolved to wipe John out entirely, to eliminate this potential threat.
A pity, though, about the talents on this opponent.
“Think you can attack me now? Too late!” John sneered, focusing again as he prepared his
soul skill.
Buzz!
The air quivered as Soul Impact struck Blood Moon.
But it had no effect.
“Human, did you think I didn’t know about the Shadow Clan’s weaknesses? Let me make this
clear soul attacks are completely ineffective against me,” Blood Moon laughed maniacally,
his longsword sweeping through the air, casting blood-red light everywhere.
Without fail, John was once again struck down.
The Undying and Immortal trait triggered, and he resurrected in place.
“Soul attacks don’t work on him?” John frowned; besides the Mechanical Race, this was his
first time encountering someone immune to soul attacks.
“If that’s the case, I’ll start by taking out the others,” he smirked coldly, glancing at the remaining four Shadow Clan warriors.
Their faces immediately paled; unlike Blood Moon, they didn’t possess such formidable soul
defenses.
They attempted to flee, but John acted first, sending another wave of Soul Impact through the
trembling air.
Already weakened from the last attack, they had no defense left against John’s soul skill.
Boom!
With a resounding crash, blood streamed from their orifices, and all four dropped dead on the
spot.
John gained a massive influx of experience points, leveling up to 10,051, along with an
abundance of attributes and skill points through Plunder.
He also acquired five new talents.
An SSS-level water element talent, SSS-level fire element talent, SSS-level wind element talent, SSS-level earth element talent, and SSS-level Lightning Elemental Affinity.
It seemed that these Shadow Clan elites, having come here to explore the Secret Area, each possessed the four fundamental elemental talents at an SSS level.
They likely used a Talent Copy Stone to obtain these SSS-level talents effortlessly. “Don’t think that Sea King’s backing means I won’t dare kill you, human. You’ve crossed the
Shadow Clan, and you’re as good as dead!” Blood Moon, eyes filled with murderous rage as he watched his fallen allies, unleashed a torrent of blood-red power at John. Over and over, John was slain, only to resurrect through his Undying and Immortal trait.
Even with his Soul Technique advanced, he couldn’t withstand such repeated deaths.
What frustrated him most was Shadow Clan’s damage transfer ability, leaving him helpless against Blood Moon.
“Human, it’s a shame about all those talents on you. I’ll ensure everyone here dies with you,” Blood Moon sneered, mercilessly attacking John.
From a distance, the other warriors who heard Blood Moon’s words showed fear on their faces. They wanted to help John, but they were no match for the Shadow Clan.
Even Lincoln and his group looked on in frustration. Soul attacks were the best way to counter
the Shadow Clan.
But Blood Moon’s immunity to soul attacks, combined with his damage transfer ability, made
him nearly invincible.
“Enough!” John, finally pushed past his limits, growled, anger flashing in his eyes. Being on the defensive wasn’t his style.
With a faint trickle of blood at his lip, he launched his soul skill, Intimidation.
Buzz!
The air shuddered as a tremendous wave of soul force surged into Blood Moon’s mind.
But Blood Moon remained completely unaffected.
He sneered, unfazed. “Human, it’s pointless. No soul attack can harm me. Accept your fate!”
He resumed his relentless assault on John, a whirlwind of brutal attacks.