“Hmph, any further resistance will add another half hour for everyone!” the elder announced coldly.
The crowd seethed in both pain and anger, enduring a deep soul-level torment while keeping a vigilant eye on each other. If anyone dared disobey the Shadow Clan’s orders again, they wouldn’t hesitate to strike them down.
Finally, the half-hour of torment ended. Thankfully, no one had been reckless enough to act out, and as the soul attack faded, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
“Thank you, Village Chief, for sparing us…”
The crowd fell to their knees, bowing in gratitude.
John was stunned. Were these people truly this spineless? The torture was caused by this elder, yet they thanked him for sparing them in the end.
He couldn’t help but marvel at the Shadow Clan’s methods, wondering if he might learn a thing or two from them someday-perhaps build his own authoritarian organization, where all his subordinates would obey him without question…
But that was just a passing thought. Wherever there’s oppression, there’s bound to be resistance.
And these spineless lackeys were nothing he would ever want under him.
“Sir, I have something to report!” Just then, a ninth-tier powerhouse stepped forward,
pointing accusingly at John. “This guy is the Godslayer! He’s slaughtered countless Hunters in the past.”
A Dark Human.
John recognized him immediately-one of the Dark Humans.
Weren’t these degenerates supposed to have been wiped out by Heidern? Yet here was a survivor.
John’s eyes glinted with cold fury as he gave the man a chilling look.
“Oh, Godslayer?” The village chief’s gaze shifted toward John at the back of the group, a sly smile playing on his face. “I’ve heard of you.”
“Sir, there’s been a mistake!” Dumas quickly stepped forward to shield John. “This guy has been misidentified. He’s one of us, a Dragonkin, who only happens to look a bit like the Godslayer. If you don’t believe me, he can transform into his true form.”
He turned back, shooting John a panicked look and subtly motioning for him to play along. He knew John could shift into a dragon form. While technically part of the Beast Clan, it was close enough to Dragonkin that the Shadow Clan might not notice the difference.
“They already know my abilities,” John whispered, shaking his head and signaling to Dumas to remain calm as he looked directly at the elder, his expression untroubled.
He had no intention of hiding. The chaos he had stirred on the Skyline Continent was hardly something that could be concealed from the Shadow Clan.
“Godslayer, I’ve heard much about your reputation,” the village chief replied, his face impassive but his smile unwavering. “Since you’ve come to my shadow Star, you’re considered a friend of the Shadow Clan. As long as you behave, I won’t trouble you.”
“Yes, absolutely! Village Chief, don’t worry; we’ll be on our best behavior!” Before John could respond, Dumas quickly interjected on his behalf.
The village chief nodded approvingly and continued, “Good. Get to know each other. Tomorrow, you’ll all be assigned tasks. As long as you follow orders, you won’t be mistreated. Also, the house corresponding to your ID number is your designated residence. Now, you’re free to move about.”
With that, he turned and left.
The crowd visibly relaxed, slowly dispersing.
John looked at the Shadow Clan human and made a cutting-throat gesture.
“Hmph!” The man snorted in defiance, unfazed. Fighting was prohibited here, and he didn’t believe John would dare defy the village chief’s orders and attack him.
“Sir, your place is right next to mine. Let me show you.” Dumas led John enthusiastically to a small, shabby hut.
It was cramped, run-down, and drafty-hardly a place anyone, not even a beggar, would willingly stay in.
“This is where we’re supposed to live?” John frowned, clearly displeased.
“Please bear with it, sir,” Dumas said, pitching in to tidy up and explaining, “There’s something strange about this place. At night, the air fills with a bloody, murderous aura that’s unbearable without these huts to shield us. A few days ago, someone tried absorbing that aura to cultivate—they all went mad.”
“Really?” John inspected the hut closely and sensed a unique energy barrier within it.
“By the way, have you seen any other strong fighters from different races?” He hadn’t seen anyone from the Beast Clan or the elves and asked out of curiosity.
Dumas shook his head. “I just got here myself, but I’ve heard that everyone who arrives on Shadow Star is assigned different tasks. We’ll probably be given tasks tomorrow, and maybe we’ll see them then.”
“Oh, and sir, I ran into someone familiar to you,” Dumas added, “It was that black dragon.”
“A black dragon? Avis?” John asked with interest.
“Yes.” Dumas nodded, then looked troubled as he continued, “Avis was remarkably defiant. He withstood a full day and night of soul torture without breaking. They eventually took him away, but I don’t know where.”
“What!” John’s expression darkened; the thought of them laying hands on his people filled him with fury.
Luckily, he could still sense that Avis was alive.
However, he couldn’t pinpoint his exact location.
John continued questioning Dumas about the situation here.
But Dumas didn’t know much either, having been confined to the starter village without permission to leave.
Powerful spirit beasts roamed the outskirts of the village, but they couldn’t venture out or hunt them.
The Shadow Clan clearly intended to stifle their growth, trapping them entirely.
—
As night fell, a blood-red mist filled the air, thick with the aura of killing. From outside the village, the roars of Hunters echoed, seemingly locked in a slaughter against those spirit
beasts.
“Sir, it’s getting late. I won’t disturb your rest any further.” Dumas glanced at the sky, excusing himself and taking his leave.
John didn’t hold him back, instead stepping to the hut’s entrance to carefully sense the blood-filled mist outside.
Just as Dumas had described, the air outside was thick with an overpowering, bloodthirsty aura, violent and nearly impossible to control. Attempting to cultivate it recklessly would surely lead to madness.
John refrained from trying and returned to the hut, blocking out the invasive mist. With a thought, he entered his World-in-Hand.
The women, who had stayed there the whole time, immediately came forward when they saw
him.
“John, did you make it to Shadow Star?” Sini asked urgently.
“Yes. The situation is complex but not dangerous for now,” John replied, explaining the
situation on Shadow Star.
“Those despicable tactics… it’s typical of them,” Jolyne spat angrily, recalling her own
experiences of Shadow Clan’s cruelty.
“Master, what should we do next? Should we resist?” Elsa asked, her distaste for the Shadow
Clan evident.
John shook his head. “Not yet. I need to locate Cand-Dragon and the others to ensure they’re
safe before we plan any resistance.”
The women nodded in agreement, understanding the need for caution.
The Shadow Clan’s methods were insidious, and a hasty move would likely end poorly.
“For now,” John continued, “stay here and focus on absorbing the legacy of The Immortals to strengthen your powers.”
The women, apart from Jolyne, weren’t particularly strong and would be at risk on Shadow
Star.
“Alright,” they replied obediently.
John left his World-in-Hand, returning to the hut.
He extended his mental senses but detected nothing unusual.
Satisfied, he decided to let his guard down a bit and enjoy a rare moment of rest since
cultivation wasn’t possible here.
…
Meanwhile, in Shadow Star’s Supreme City.
This place was the Shadow Clan’s forbidden zone, perpetually shrouded in a blood-red mist
laden with a murderous aura. Aside from the Hunters, any being below a demigod who ventured close would face certain death.
Inside the grand hall of Supreme City, a gaunt, pale-faced middle-aged man set down a communication stone, muttering coldly to himself, “So, the human has finally surfaced. It seems he’s obtained the Heart of Skyline Continent… this could be troublesome.”
He was the supreme ruler of Shadow Star and one of the eight Lord Gods behind the Gods’ Game-the Shadow God.
With a thought, his form vanished, appearing in the vast emptiness of the void.
Whoosh!
Blood-red energy emanated from him, his terrifying aura filling the void.
Before long, figures began to materialize.
In total, eight figures gathered-these were the eight Lord Gods who orchestrated the Gods’
Game.
The eight figures present were the Sea God of the Sea Clan, the God of the Underworld from the Underworld Clan, the God of Nature from the Nature Clan, the Witch God from the Witch Clan, the Sky God from the Sky Clan, the Giant Spirit God of the Titan Clan, the Eternal God from the Eternal Clan, and the Shadow God from the Shadow Clan. “Shadow, why have you called us here?” the Witch God asked, casting him a disdainful look.
Though the Shadow God held the title of Lord God, the others knew how he had achieved it, and none held any particular respect for the Shadow Clan.
Unbothered by their contempt, he maintained a smile. “You’re all aware by now that my Shadow Clan has become entangled in the Gods’ Game.” “Serves you right,” the Sky God sneered in contempt.
The Shadow God’s brow twitched, a flicker of anger crossing his face, but he held back.
The God of the Underworld spoke next, “Shadow, you know as well as we do that we cannot intervene with the Gods’ Game.”
“Of course.” Shadow nodded, smiling. “I’m not asking you to help prevent it. On the contrary,
I’m inviting each of you to descend upon Shadow Star.”
The others fell silent, eyeing him suspiciously.
They were all too familiar with the Shadow Clan’s underhanded ways. As the most powerful of
the Lord God races, their presence on Shadow Star would only hasten its downfall.
None of them believed Shadow’s intentions could be so straightforward. “Don’t misunderstand-I’m acting out of necessity,” he continued with a forced smile. “Naturally, I have a condition: I need your help to eliminate the Godslayer.”
“Oh?” The Eternal God raised a brow, watching him keenly. “You’re a Lord God, and yet you
can’t manage to kill a mere follower of The Immortals?”
Shadow sighed. “That one has become The Overseer, shielded by the laws of the world. I’m
barred from acting directly. That’s why I’m inviting your own Overseers to descend and assist in killing the Godslayer.”
The group’s interest visibly piqued; the Heart of the Continent held by an Overseer was no small prize, but none of them committed right away.
“Shadow, what about the Sea King?” the Sea God demanded, fixing him with a steely glare.