[The first trial is over. The Immortals faction has emerged victorious.]
[All members of The Immortals faction receive 100 low-grade Spirit Stones. The top three enemy slayers are awarded 100 mid-grade Spirit Stones.]
A notification appeared, and John received 100 mid-grade Spirit Stones.
“Spirit crystal? What are these?” He retrieved a finger-sized, translucent Spirit Stone, examining it curiously.
Ice Talker explained, “These are treasures that enhance specific powers, even rarer than ordinary Spirit Stones.”
Low-grade Spirit crystals could enhance 10 points of spiritual power or attributes such as natural force or demon energy upon refinement.
Mid-grade Spirit crystals could enhance 20 points of spiritual power.
“What an incredible treasure!” John exclaimed. Spiritual power was usually accumulated by absorbing ordinary Spirit Stones and converting them into mental attributes at a ratio of 100 points of mental attributes to 1 point of spiritual power.
However, these Spirit crystals directly boosted spiritual power or other attributes, making them invaluable.
“I didn’t get any mid-grade Spirit crystal. If I’d known, I would’ve hunted more Shadow Clan puppets,” Terran lamented. He had placed fifth in the enemy-slaying rankings and only received 100 low-grade Spirit Stones.
Cand-Dragon and Jolyne similarly received only 100 low-grade Spirit Spirit crystals.
The top three slayers were John, Ice Talker, and Burning Sky.
“The Secret Area rewards Spirit Stones as standard prizes!” Other strong competitors from various races felt deep regret, wishing they had gone all out against the Shadow Clan puppets.
At that moment, the scenery shifted. The group found themselves standing in a dense forest as another notification flashed.
[The second trial of The Secret Area begins: Lich War.]
[Participants may choose to join the Beast Clan, Witch Clan, Underworld Clan, or Sea Clan.]
[Combat is permitted between members of different factions, with no protection from universal laws.]
[If the Beast Clan wins, they will advance to the next stage. If the Witch Clan wins, participants will receive Chaos Force rewards, and The Secret Area will close. Choose your faction now.]
“Lich War?” John muttered in surprise. He glanced at Cand-Dragon and asked, “Did the Beast Clan ever fight the Witch Clan?”
Cand-Dragon looked equally puzzled. After a moment of thought, he replied, “There is an old legend about it. The Beast Clan once established the Heavenly Court and became incredibly powerful. But how it fell, I don’t know-it was long before my time.”
Ice Talker interjected, “If your Beast Clan could rival the Witch Clan, then you must have had Lord God-level powerhouses during your peak.”
Her gaze shifted to Burning Sky, her expression icy. This time, it seemed inevitable they would clash directly with the Witch Clan.
“My Sea Clan is an option here. Naturally, I’m joining my own faction,” said an Overseer from the Sea Clan smugly, throwing a provocative glance at John.
The members of the Underworld Clan similarly chose their own faction without hesitation.
The Witch Clan faction, with Burning Sky-a late-stage three-star Overseer-was undoubtedly a formidable force. Few others stood a chance against them.
The Witch Clan’s victory came with the coveted Chaos Force reward, capable of enhancing the World-in-Hand—an unparalleled temptation for any The Overseer.
Moreover, given that the ultimate reward in The Immortals’ Secret Area might not necessarily suit their respective races, many participants found it more pragmatic to side with the faction with higher chances of winning-the Witch Clan.
“Godslayer, which faction should we join?” Cand-Dragon asked, clearly unconvinced that the Beast Clan had any chance of victory.
A loss not only meant forfeiting The Secret Area’s treasures but also potentially losing their lives.
“Of course, the Beast Clan,” John replied without the slightest hesitation, decisively aligning himself with the Beast Clan.
He was unfazed by the competition. If it came down to a fight, even Burning Sky might not be able to defeat him.
Most powerhouses from the various races chose the Witch Clan faction.
Yet, unexpectedly, Burning Sky began walking toward John’s side.
“Sir, you’re mistaken. Our side is the Witch Clan faction,” someone called out quickly upon noticing Burning Sky heading toward the Beast Clan faction.
John, too, was puzzled by this move, unable to fathom what the man was planning.
Wearing an amused smile, Burning Sky spoke calmly, “I appreciate everyone’s support for my Witch Clan. But this time, I choose the Beast Clan faction.”
“What… what?”
“Sir, you must be joking,” came panicked voices from the crowd.
Most of those who chose the Witch Clan faction had not done so for the Chaos Force reward
but rather out of fear of Burning Sky’s overwhelming power.
But now, he had unexpectedly chosen the Beast Clan faction, putting himself at odds with the
Witch Clan.
“Sir, think carefully! Doing this is tantamount to betraying the Witch Clan!”
“Damn it, I’m joining the Beast Clan too!”
“This guy is messing with us!”
…
The crowd erupted into curses and outrage. Some even tried to switch to the Beast Clan faction, but once a faction was joined, it was irreversible.
Burning Sky led several Witch Clan elites and decisively joined the Beast Clan faction.
Meanwhile, the remaining undecided members of the Eternal Clan and Sky God Clan also aligned themselves with the Beast Clan.
Smiling, Burning Sky glanced at John and Ice Talker, then said, “Looks like we’re allies now.”
“Hmph!” Ice Talker scoffed disdainfully, unwilling to engage with him.
John, however, felt a pang of disappointment; he had hoped to use this opportunity to
eliminate Burning Sky.
Fixing a questioning gaze on him, John asked, “Are you aiming for The Immortals’ reward? Do you know what the final reward in The Secret Area is?”
“I don’t know,” Burning Sky replied casually, “but the final reward is definitely more enticing than Chaos Force.” His expression was calm, as though Chaos Force wasn’t even worth his
attention.
John frowned but chose not to respond further.
At this point, all factions had made their selections: Witch Clan’s side: Sea Clan, Underworld Clan, Shadow Clan, Sky Clan, and Titan Clan.
Beast Clan’s side: John, Nature Clan, members of the Witch Clan led by Burning Sky, and
Eternal Clan.
With Burning Sky and Humdwar, both late-stage three-star Overseers, the Beast Clan clearly
had the upper hand.
[Factions confirmed. Lich War begins.]
The notification from The Secret Area rang out, and the atmosphere immediately grew tense
as both sides prepared for battle.
“We Sky Gods withdraw from this round of The Secret Area trials,” a powerhouse from the Sky Clan announced abruptly.
“We Titans withdraw as well,” declared a Titan Overseer, leading his clan members to step
aside.
Participants could withdraw from their faction before the battle officially started, though doing so meant failing the trial and forfeiting entry to the next stage.
“You…!” The remaining powerhouses on the Lich faction seethed in anger, but many began to
voice their intention to quit as well.
It was at that moment that John and Burning Sky struck simultaneously. Blades of light filled the air as black flames surged. Their combined assault drew everyone still in the Lich faction
into the fray, leaving them no option to withdraw.
“You bastards!”
“Despicable!”
The Sea Clan, Underworld Clan, and Shadow Clan were caught off guard and forced to engage
in battle. Chaos erupted as they scrambled to defend themselves.
“Human,” Burning Sky sneered, turning to John with a provocative grin. “Care to compete?
Let’s see who gets first place this time.”
“Deal!” John agreed without hesitation.
“Ha! Then you’ve already lost.” Burning Sky smirked, raising his hand as black flames surged
forth, engulfing over 500 powerhouses across three factions.
Screams of agony echoed through the battlefield as victims writhed and struggled in the
hellish flames.
Burning Sky’s Hellfire was terrifyingly powerful. Even Ice Talker struggled to withstand it, let alone the weaker combatants who were consumed instantly.
At this rate, it was clear Burning Sky intended to annihilate everyone in his path. John, unwilling to let him have his way, activated his World-in-Hand ability. In an instant,
the powerhouses from all three factions, including Ice Talker and her companions, were
absorbed into his World-in-Hand.
“What?” Burning Sky frowned as his intended victims disappeared.
He hadn’t expected John to dare use his World-in-Hand to take in so many powerful beings. Even he wouldn’t have risked such an audacious move.
“Foolish,” Burning Sky muttered with disdain. “If your World-in-Hand is destroyed, you’re
as good as dead.”
Inside the World-in-Hand
Agonized cries reverberated throughout the dimension.
The eerie black flames clung tenaciously to the trapped powerhouses, refusing to dissipate.
Several upper-tier gods began to smolder from within, black smoke pouring from their bodies before they combusted entirely, wiped out without resistance.
John was taken aback. Burning Sky’s Hellfire was far more horrifying than he had imagined.
Only upper-tier gods at their peak and Overseers could barely withstand it, avoiding certain
death.
“You, human! How dare you trap us in your World-in-Hand? Utter foolishness!” Yealper from the Shadow Clan growled, barely holding off the burning Hellfire. He scanned the surroundings with a scornful expression.
He sneered coldly, “Let’s destroy this human’s World-in-Hand first. After that, we’ll figure
out how to deal with Burning Sky and his group.”
“No!” someone quickly objected. “If we leave here, we’ll be killed for sure. We should stay and force this human to abandon the trial and take us out of here.” “That makes sense!” The crowd’s eyes lit up in agreement, nodding one after the other.
An Overseer from the Underworld Clan turned to John, his tone icy. “Human, you wouldn’t want your precious World-in-Hand destroyed, would you? Abandon the trial. Take us out, and we’ll spare your life.”
“That’s right. Otherwise, not only you but everyone with you will die!” others chimed in, their
voices heavy with threat.
Ice Talker’s face darkened with anger, but deep down, she worried that John’s World-in- Hand might not withstand the power of their combined assaults.
There were 13 Overseers, 7 Shadow Clan city lords, and 400 upper-tier gods at their peak here
– a force not to be underestimated.
“Ha! You should worry about yourselves first,” John scoffed, unfazed by their threats. He
didn’t even bother to use Heaven and Earth Transformation, raising his hand as a blood-red mist engulfed the area-his Blood Domain activated.
“What an overwhelming Shadow Power!” someone exclaimed, finding their strength
drastically suppressed within the blood fog.
“Impossible! Human, how can you wield such potent Shadow Power?” Yealper was stunned.
As a city lord who controlled 10% of the Shadow Clan’s Power of Laws, he had never felt so constrained. Yet, even he couldn’t escape the suppressive force of John’s Blood Domain. “Destroy the Blood Domain first!” commanded an Overseer from the Underworld clan. Power surged around him, his Power of Laws resisting the domain’s pressure as he unleashed a
devastating strike.
The others followed suit, their combined Power of Laws erupting into a torrent of terrifying attacks that shattered the Blood Domain within seconds.
The domain held up for barely a dozen seconds before collapsing under the overwhelming
onslaught.
The Blood Domain was effective against regular upper-tier gods, but it couldn’t stand against
Overseers.
“Human, this is your last chance,” Yealper sneered coldly. “Agree to take us out, or die!” John’s patience wore thin. Without a word, he summoned a myriad of sword lights, unleashing his Return of Ten Thousand Swords technique.
“You arrogant fool! Let’s teach him a lesson first!” the crowd roared angrily, deciding not to destroy the World-in-Hand but instead launching their attacks at John.
