The four elemental evasion techniques were potent escape and concealment skills. With the body merging into elemental form, without special detection means, it was nearly impossible to be found.
“Godslayer, how did it go?” Jolyne asked quickly when she saw John awaken.
John nodded with a smile. “It worked!”
Jolyne exhaled in relief. With all the Elemental Essence refined and the four foundational elements in his body raised to 100%, he had completed the Secret Area trial, and it seemed Sea King could no longer interfere.
Just then, the Secret Area’s system notification flashed.
[Congratulations to Godslayer for refining and merging all Elemental Essence. The four foundational elements in your body have reached 100%, and the Secret Area trial is now complete.]
A spatial passage appeared, and everyone felt a mix of relief and sorrow.
Relief that they had survived, but sadness that the exploration had come at such a heavy cost. Over a hundred people had entered the Secret Area trial, but only sixteen remained. The Shadow Clan and a few weaker races were entirely wiped out.
“Congratulations, Lord Godslayer; we’ll take our leave now,” the crowd came forward, offering their congratulations before exiting the Secret Area.
Soon, only Jolyne and a few Beast Clan members remained.
John furrowed his brow, looking puzzled. “What’s next? How do I obtain the Heart of Skyline Continent?”
This was Cand-Dragon’s first time in the final Secret Area as well, so he looked toward Jolyne and Nine-Tails for answers.
Both women were equally perplexed. They had participated in the final Secret Area before, but neither had reached the last stage, having been eliminated in earlier rounds.
Thankfully, the final Secret Area they entered was not the lethal Purgatory Secret Area. Elimination didn’t mean death but rather being transported out.
Nine-Tails speculated, “Maybe we all need to leave?”
“Possibly,” Jolyne nodded, though she wasn’t certain.
“Godslayer, we’ll take our leave then,” Cand-Dragon said, feeling that John would be safe here.
John nodded, “Once I obtain the Heart of Skyline Continent, I’ll come find you all.”
With that, the group took their leave one by one.
The vast Secret Area was left in silence, with only John remaining.
A dead silence settled over the place, and no further notifications from the Secret Area appeared.
“Strange?” John frowned, sensing something amiss. The system had already notified him of completing the Secret Area trial.
Under normal circumstances, he should have already received the final reward—so why was there no movement?
He glanced up at the sky.
Whether it was his imagination or not, he felt as though someone was watching him.
He surveyed his surroundings, noticing the fierce flames of the Undying Flame nearby, leaping and burning.
“Let’s try the Fire Evasion Technique.” With nothing else to do, he activated the Fire Evasion Technique, merging his body into the fire element, vanishing from sight.
Whoosh!
A breeze stirred, and the Undying Flame flickered as John moved effortlessly within it using Fire Evasion, unaffected by the flames-though his soul felt a stinging burn.
Fire Evasion made him immune to all physical damage, but not to soul damage.
Slightly disappointed, he thought, if only he could be immune to soul damage, he’d be truly invincible.
Just as he was preparing to leave the Undying Flame, he sensed the Crimson Karma Lotus within his soul rapidly absorbing and refining the Undying Flame’s power.
“Hmm, is the Crimson Karma Lotus evolving?” John was surprised. Compared to before, the Crimson Karma Lotus had grown slightly larger, perhaps due to refining Soul Essence.
With little else to do, he decided to absorb all of the Undying Flame here to strengthen the Crimson Karma Lotus further.
He deactivated the Fire Evasion Technique and sat cross-legged in the heart of the blazing Undying Flame.
The Undying Flame could no longer harm him now.
With his body’s fire elementalization at 100%, he was immune to any fire-based damage.
Despite the intense power of the Undying Flame, it, too, was fire-based and thus harmless to him.
The only pain he felt was in his soul, though it was manageable.
…
Time passed as he devoured every bit of Undying Flame in the Secret Area.
In his mind, the Crimson Karma Lotus expanded once more, the red flames flickering and gradually shifting to a golden hue.
[Crimson Karma Lotus has absorbed Undying Flame, evolving into the Golden Flame Lotus, Soul Technique +100,000]
[Red Lotus Fire has upgraded to Golden Lotus Hellfire]
[Golden Lotus Hellfire: A soul-wide skill, Hellfire is intangible, purifying souls with no defense possible and free from soul backlash; consumes 1,000 soul power per second; no
cooldown]
[You have comprehended a soul skill: Golden Lotus Manifestation]
[Golden Lotus Manifestation: A soul skill, transforming into a manifestation state that grants immunity to soul damage, consuming 10,000 soul power per second; no cooldown]
“The Crimson Karma Lotus actually evolved again!” John immersed himself in the sight of the golden flame-ringed lotus deep within his soul, thrilled with the new power.
With the evolution to the Golden Flame Lotus, his Soul Technique had gained an additional 100,000 points, totaling over 470,000.
Furthermore, the Red Lotus Fire had upgraded to Golden Lotus Hellfire, doubling its potency.
In other words, John could now obliterate anyone with a Soul Technique level of up to
940,000!
Apart from Jolyne, he had yet to encounter an upper-tier god with a Soul Technique anywhere near a million.
Even against an Overseer, he now stood a chance.
On top of that, he had gained a new skill: Golden Lotus Manifestation, which granted
immunity to soul damage!
However, the soul power consumption for Golden Lotus Manifestation was immense,
draining 10,000 soul points per second.
With his current Soul Technique of 470,000, he could only maintain it for 47 seconds.
Still, it was a lifesaving skill, one he wouldn’t need to use constantly.
“Hm?” John frowned, gazing coldly at the sky.
With his Soul Technique heightened, his Soul Perception had sharpened as well. He could now
sense a probing presence from another dimension.
“Hmph!” He snorted, his voice icy. “Show yourself already. How long do you plan on
spying?”
The Secret Area remained eerily silent, with no response.
Scoffing, John lost patience, summoning a long sword and unleashing a Flying Sword Strike
into the air.
Buzz!
The sword intent hummed, slicing through space as the fierce sword light disappeared into
the void.
“Roar!”
A pained roar echoed through the Secret Area as the sky split open, revealing a massive dragon head emerging from the tear.
“A member of the Beast Clan?” John was taken aback. This creature was also a divine dragon
of the Beast Clan.
He asked, puzzled, “Are you the Guardian of Skyline Continent?”
The dragon didn’t answer immediately. Instead, it studied him with a furrowed brow, then spoke in a low tone, “Human, the fact that you sensed me is quite surprising.”
John sneered, unwilling to waste time with this creature. “Where is the Heart of Skyline Continent? Hand it over.”
The guardian dragon frowned, looking displeased as he replied coldly, “Human, I cannot give
it to you. I’ve promised another that the Heart of Skyline Continent will be left to them.”
Before John could respond, the dragon continued, “Consider the Elemental Body you’ve
obtained as compensation. Leave this place now.”
This guy was trying to back out!
John was speechless. In all his explorations of various Secret Areas, he had never encountered
such a shameless being.
He looked up at the dragon and said calmly, “What? Are you holding onto it for the Shadow
Clan?”
In his mind, only a powerful figure from the Shadow Clan could pose a threat to this dragon.
The guardian dragon shook his head. “No. You needn’t ask further; the Heart of Skyline
Continent is no longer your concern.”
With that, he prepared to leave.
“Stop right there!” John’s tone was cold and sharp. “And what if I insist on taking it?”
Hmph!
The guardian dragon exhaled a furious breath, his gaze icy. “Human, you’re testing my patience. As the Guardian of Skyline Continent, I am beyond the laws here. Even if I kill you,
there will be no backlash.”
“Oh really? Then killing you might be the only way to obtain the Heart of Skyline Continent,” John sneered, sensing that, while the dragon was indeed the Guardian, his power was weaker than Cand-Dragon’s, making him an easy target.
Buzz!
The air hummed with sword intent as John summoned the Immortal Art, Nine Heavens Sword.
A massive sword shadow materialized, tearing through the sky as it descended upon the dragon’s enormous head.
“No!” The guardian dragon’s face changed as he felt the terrifying power within the giant sword. Just as the blade descended, he shrank back into a rift in space, vanishing.
“Hmph, you can’t escape!” John had already locked onto the dragon’s position. Activating his
Split Void talent, he tore through the fabric of space and pursued him.
Buzz!
The spatial energy rippled, and John’s form appeared in an unfamiliar dimension.
It was desolate, void of life, a realm in ruins and deathly silence.
“Human, how did you get here?” a terrified voice echoed.
John looked over, his expression shifting in surprise.
The guardian dragon, aside from his head, was largely petrified his once-mighty body now
drained of life, reduced to stone, as broken as the surrounding space.
John realized that the guardian dragon and Skyline Continent were one. With Skyline Continent’s energy depleted, the dragon’s body had petrified, leaving only his head intact.
But if he handed over the Heart of Skyline Continent, both he and Skyline Continent would be
destroyed. “Sigh,” John sighed, a hint of pity in his tone. “Hand over the Heart of Skyline Continent, and I’ll give you a swift end.”
The dragon’s gaze was cold, refusing to yield. “Human, I’ve already told you: it’s not yours to have. Even if you take it by force, it will bring disaster upon you.” “Heh, that’s not your concern.” John dismissed him, unwilling to debate further.
With Skyline Continent on the verge of collapse, he had to descend upon Shadow Star. No matter what, he needed the Heart of Skyline Continent to become The Overseer.
Only then would he have any chance of contending with the powerful Lord God behind the
game of the gods.
Buzz!
The air vibrated as three longswords flew out, slashing relentlessly at the guardian dragon’s petrified body and head.
“Human, begone!” The dragon roared in fury, unable to move as the four foundational elements surged around him, forming a massive shield to try and block John’s assault.