John felt a spark of inspiration and summoned everyone from his World-in-Hand.
With the city walls offering protection, there wouldn’t be too much danger. This was the perfect opportunity to help everyone improve their strength.
“Wow, so many Hunters!” Sini’s eyes gleamed with excitement as black mist swirled around her, and she launched into a wild assault against the Hunters.
Ice Talker watched, clearly envious.
If she could wield the Power of the Nine Nether, she’d have no trouble wiping out any Shadow Clan fighters.
But as a member of the Nature Clan, she couldn’t harness the Power of the Nine Nether. Her insights from The Immortals’ legacy related to Nature Clan’s abilities instead.
John glanced around and issued commands, “Cand-Dragon, you’ll lead the Beast Clan to defend the north wall. Ada, you take the humans of Skyline Continent and cover the west wall. Senior, the east wall is yours, and the rest can support the Blues Family disciples.”
“Understood,” each of them responded, leading their forces to assist the Nature Clan in defending against the Hunter onslaught.
“Quagmlier, hold on a moment,” John stopped him, then turned to Ice Talker and asked, “Can you break the chains binding him?”
“Shadow Iron!” she exclaimed, recognizing the chains on Quagmlier and shaking her head. “No, only a Holy Artifact can break those.”
A Holy Artifact again?
John was intrigued. If even Ice Talker, a peak Two-Star Overseer, couldn’t handle it, what kind of power did a Holy Artifact truly hold?
“How can someone obtain a Holy Artifact?” he asked, curiosity evident.
Ice Talker chuckled slightly, looking at him. “Didn’t Shadow God put a bounty out on you? Kill you, and anyone would get one as a reward.”
Off to the side, Sini shot her an unfriendly look, allowing the black mist around her to creep toward Ice Talker in a subtle show of displeasure.
Ice Talker noticed and raised her hand, summoning a soft breeze that easily deflected the mist.
“Careful there, little girl,” she teased with a playful smile.
“Hmph!” Sini huffed, ignoring her after that.
“Sir, it’s fine. I’m used to it by now,” Quagmlier said, shrugging off the chains with a clinking sound. “It doesn’t really affect my strength.”
John sighed, realizing he’d have to acquire a Holy Artifact somehow to free Quagmlier from the chains.
“Head to the Blues Family group and focus on keeping them safe,” he instructed.
“Understood.” Quagmlier nodded, dragging his heavy chains as he made his way toward the eastern wall.
“John, leave the Hunters on this wall to me. You and that woman go help the others,” Sini said, worried that John might take her Hunters.
John sighed but nodded in agreement, reminding her, “Be careful, and don’t leave the wall.”
“I’ll be fine,” Sini replied, assured of her strength.
With John’s Wrath of the Gods ability now her own, her energy expenditure was minimal. As long as her stamina and mental focus held, she could fight without pause.
“Careful, little girl. If things get too intense, don’t hesitate to call for help,” Ice Talker advised, uncertain about the source of Sini’s confidence.
Sini frowned, feeling her pride challenged. She shot Ice Talker a defiant glare and declared, “How about a bet? Starting now, whoever takes down the most Hunters gets to call the shots!”
Ice Talker’s eyes lit up at the challenge. With Sini wielding the Power of the Nine Nether, she was even stronger than John in some respects. If she could bring Sini into the Nature Clan, it would be a huge gain. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely!” Sini smirked, her eyes gleaming with competitive fire.
“Alright, it’s a deal!” Ice Talker agreed readily. She turned to the Emperor of the Underworld nearby and instructed, “Stay here and keep an eye on her, just in case.”
“Yes, understood.” The Emperor of the Underworld nodded.
Sini scoffed, unimpressed. Though her cultivation was only at demigod level, these Hunters posed no real threat to her.
“Little sis, let’s see who has the higher count by the time the monster tide hits,” Ice Talker smirked, popping another Spiritual Power Pill as she moved to another part of the wall to join the fray.
Watching the two women begin their challenge, John shook his head, amused.
He knew Ice Talker was in for a surprise.
Sini was far less powerful than her, but if it came to a contest of killing Hunters, she was absolutely outmatched.
With the Wrath of the Gods talent, Sini had no need to worry about spiritual power consumption. Moreover, the eerie soul attacks from the Power of the Nine Nether gave her a natural edge over Hunters, allowing her to slay them at a speed that far outpaced Ice Talker. He didn’t get involved in the two women’s wager. Instead, he went to the northern wall, where defenses were relatively weaker, and began slaughtering Hunters there as well.
“Phew…”
Golden Lotus Hellfire surged up, engulfing a vast number of Hunters.
Echoes of wailing filled the air as Hunters fell in waves.
Notification messages flashed continuously. His experience points gradually increased as the Plunder talent activated, allowing him to seize numerous attributes and Shadow Power.
…
The city was surrounded, a sea of endless Hunters stretching as far as he could see.
Battle cries and clashes filled the dusk as night began to fall, yet the Hunter assault showed no sign of stopping.
After a full day of battle, everyone was worn out, but they clenched their teeth and continued
to fight on.
The walls were piled high with the bodies of countless Hunters, leaving the others little time to even devour the remains.
Around John, Sini, and Ice Talker lay the densest piles of fallen Hunters.
John’s sheer power and wide array of attacks made it effortless for him to cut through the
Hunters.
While the two women, eager to win their wager, attacked with relentless determination.
For a while, their kill rates were fairly even.
But soon, Ice Talker began to slow. Her spiritual power was draining too quickly, and the basic Spiritual Power Pills were no longer enough to sustain her.
Though she had a few intermediate Spiritual Power Pills, they were too valuable to use
casually.
Even so, she doubted Sini could win.
…
As night deepened, several fireballs were launched along the walls, casting a faint light over
the surrounding area.
The Emperor of the Underworld watched Sini’s relentless slaughter of the Hunters in awe, unable to hold back his question, “Girl, don’t your skills consume spiritual power?”
By now, half a day had passed, and Sini’s attacks had continued nonstop.
She glanced at him, replying coolly, “And how is that your business?”
“Uh…” The Emperor of the Underworld was left speechless, but worry crept in. Sini’s rate of
killing Hunters was clearly faster than Ice Talker’s.
After days of continuous combat, Ice Talker was nearing her spiritual power limit. At this rate,
she’d likely lose the wager.
Casting one last look at Sini to ensure she was safe, he slipped away to find Ice Talker.
“Ma’am!” He located Ice Talker, noting the piles of Hunters around her-obviously fewer
than Sini’s.
“I think you’re going to lose,” he said urgently.
“What?” Ice Talker frowned, confused. “Are you saying that little girl has killed more Hunters
than I have?”
The Emperor of the Underworld nodded emphatically.
Unconvinced, Ice Talker took to the air, looking toward the distant figure of Sini, who was still cutting down Hunters at an astonishing pace. Her eyes filled with disbelief.
It seemed everyone around John was a monster.
“No, I won’t be outdone by some little girl!” Resolving not to lose, she gritted her teeth and
reluctantly took out a handful of intermediate Spiritual Power Pills, swallowing them with a
pained expression.
Then, glancing at the Emperor of the Underworld, she instructed, “Hold the wall here for
me.”
Before he could respond, she leapt into the mass of Hunters, opened her World-in-Hand, and began pulling scores of Hunters into it, unleashing a frenzied slaughter inside. With the laws of her World-in-Hand amplifying her strength, Ice Talker’s speed in slaughtering Hunters more than doubled, while her spiritual power consumption decreased
significantly.
“She’s lost it,” Emperor of the Underworld muttered, shaking his head as he continued
fending off the endless waves of Hunters.
Time passed, and exhaustion showed on everyone’s faces, yet they dared not relax for even a
moment.
John frowned as he looked out over the advancing Hunters.
He had initially planned to help Ice Talker establish her city and then create his own faction.
But with the constant harassment from the Hunters, it seemed unlikely anyone but himself
could hold them back.
Yet he couldn’t stay in the city indefinitely. He wondered if the Hunters would persist even after the city was established.
If they couldn’t find a way to handle the Hunters, he might have to abandon the idea of
setting up a city for now.
With an assault of Hunters on this scale, even the Nature Clan would struggle to hold them
back.
Unless more powerful Nature Clan warriors arrived to defend the city in shifts.
…
At dawn, instead of dwindling, the number of Hunters grew, and even a brood mother appeared, signaling a greater threat.
To make matters worse, the Shadow Clan army had arrived-not vast in number, around a hundred thousand-but each fighter was a peak upper-tier god.
The monster tide was imminent.
The Shadow Clan forces blended into the Hunter horde, their presence only noticeable upon
closer inspection.
Leading them were four figures: three main city lords and the elder Kangus, the former city
lord.
Two of the three city lords had previously clashed with John.
Grimnir, the city lord of Main City #105, and The Absolute, the lord of Main City #101.
The third was the city lord of Main City #107, Wrath of the Heavens.
Each of these four emanated an overwhelming aura, their strength far surpassing that of peak
upper-tier gods.
Grimnir stared coldly at the city walls and declared, “This time, we must kill that Godslayer!”
His hatred for John ran deep. Last time, during the Saint Spirit Clan operation, John had
escaped with Ice Talker’s help, leading Shadow God to severely punish him.
If he failed this mission, he might lose his position as city lord. Unlike Kangus, who had resigned willingly, Grimnir would have his power stripped if
dismissed.
Without his position, the divine power provided by the Shadow Gods would be cut off.
“Not just the Godslayer,” The Absolute added, his gaze fixed intently on Sini. “That girl Gale,
with her mastery of the Power of the Nine Nether, is too dangerous to leave alive. She’s an even greater threat than John.”
“Enough,” Kangus interjected. “Let’s set up the formation quickly and end this. I don’t want any unnecessary complications.”
The group took out a large stock of Spirit Stones and handed them to The Absolute. By a stroke of luck, The Absolute had received the Immortals’ legacy, specifically in the rare art of formations. Nearly all Shadow Star formations had been set by his hand.