333 Chapter 333: An Ancient Artifact, the United Sword
Spatial power fluctuated. Before they could even touch John, both were instantly teleported away.
The restrictions of the Secret Area remained in effect, making it impossible for them to kill one another.
Burning Sky and Humdwar, two formidable warriors, vanished into thin air. The remaining Witches and Eternals exchanged uneasy glances. They knew all too well how powerful John was and dared not act rashly.
Furthermore, under the laws of the Secret Area, they couldn’t harm John.
The ultimate reward of the Secret Area was now beyond their reach. After suffering great losses, they had merely paved the way for the Immortals.
They glared resentfully at John before leaving the Secret Area entirely, unwilling to linger.
Now, only five people remained in the Secret Area alongside John.
Ice Talker gazed at the spatial rift and spoke, “Godslayer, the ultimate reward of the Secret Area is something only you can claim. Go ahead.”
John nodded, glancing at the group. He cautioned, “I suspect Burning Sky and the others might ambush us outside the Secret Area. Stay here for now and don’t leave.”
“Understood,” they agreed in unison.
Taking a deep breath, John approached the spatial rift and passed through with ease.
“I wonder what kind of fortune Godslayer will stumble upon this time,” Cand-Dragon remarked enviously. John’s constant encounters with extraordinary opportunities had propelled his strength to terrifying heights, enabling him to annihilate upper-tier deities effortlessly.
When faced with John, Cand-Dragon no longer had any advantage.
“An ancient artifact, perhaps?” Ice Talker murmured softly. She recalled Burning Sky’s earlier words. The ultimate reward of the Secret Area might very well be an ancient artifact.
Though she felt envious, Ice Talker would still be genuinely happy if John were to obtain such an artifact.
…
Buzz!
Spatial power fluctuated again as John found himself in the depths of the Secret Area.
The air here was rich with spiritual energy, verdant greenery abounded, and flowers bloomed in every direction. It was like a paradise removed from the mortal world.
“What dense spiritual energy!” John marveled inwardly. The spiritual power here far exceeded that of his World-in-Hand.
He surveyed his surroundings curiously, his gaze drawn to a distant platform where a lone longsword stood.
The longsword exuded an ancient aura. Its blade was broad, one side etched with sun, moon, and stardust, while the other depicted mountains, rivers, and vegetation.
“This is… the United Sword!” John exclaimed, his voice tinged with disbelief. The sword bore an uncanny resemblance to the legendary United Sword of myth.
He rushed forward eagerly, his curiosity piqued as he examined it.
…
[United Sword: An Ancient Artifact]
[Requirements: Successor of the Immortals; must be refined.]
[Base Attributes: +1,000,000 to all four fundamental attributes, with an additional 100% increase to base attributes.]
[Additional Effect: Enhances comprehension of all elemental laws by 10%.]
[Description: Forged from the divine copper of Shou Mountain, this unparalleled sword holds immeasurable power. It is a weapon crafted to vanquish demons and protect all beings.]
[Note: Only those who inherit the Immortals’ legacy can refine it.]
“What an incredible weapon!” John murmured, stunned.
The United Sword’s power far surpassed the Holy Artifact of the Shadow Clan. A million-point boost to the four basic attributes, coupled with a doubling of his base stats—its strength was beyond imagination.
The most critical aspect was the 10% increase in comprehension of all elemental laws.
Even a normal person wielding the United Sword could possess strength comparable to a lower-tier god!
The stronger the wielder’s attributes, the more terrifying the sword’s empowerment becomes.
John couldn’t wait any longer. He stepped onto the high platform, sat cross-legged, and began refining the divine sword.
Whoosh…
The spiritual power within his body surged wildly, pouring into the United Sword as it was slowly refined.
He was startled. The rate at which the United Sword absorbed spiritual power was astonishing. Despite his impressive spiritual power reserves of 660,000, he wasn’t certain if he could complete the refinement.
With a thought, he took out large quantities of spiritual pills and Spirit Crystals, using them immediately to restore his spiritual power and expand its upper limit.
However, the rate of recovery was far slower than the spiritual power being consumed by the United Sword.
Before long, his spiritual power was completely depleted, and the United Sword began to devour his health points instead.
“Hmm?” He was just about to pause and recover his spiritual power when he realized that his health points could also be used for refinement.
This discovery delighted him. Thanks to his life-sharing bond with the Tree of Life, his health points were nearly infinite, so he had no need to worry.
Reassured, he focused entirely on refining the United Sword.
…
Three days passed without him noticing. Over the course of those days, the United Sword absorbed hundreds of billions of his health points, finally completing the refinement.
Thankfully, his life-sharing pact with the Tree of Life sustained him. Without it, his health points—just over 200 million—would have been far from sufficient to meet the sword’s demands.
[You have successfully refined the United Sword.]
The notification flashed across his vision. Overjoyed, John grasped the hilt eagerly and slowly drew the sword.
Buzz…
The blade gleamed, humming with an ethereal resonance. It seemed to come alive, radiating power as its attributes underwent a transformation.
[United Sword, An Ancient Artifact: Recognized Owner. Non-droppable, Non-tradable.]
John’s four fundamental attributes instantly doubled:Constitution: over 40 million points, Strength: 150 million points, Spirit: 110 million points, Agility: over 37 million points,
His power had once again skyrocketed.
If he were to face that Lord God puppet again, even with its Heaven and Earth Transformation ability, John felt confident he could defeat it head-on.
Carefully stowing away the United Sword, John chose not to rush out of the area. Instead, he immersed himself in the dense spiritual power that surrounded him.
“I wonder if this place can be incorporated into my World-in-Hand?” he thought, tempted by the idea. Without hesitation, he began attempting to merge it.
Buzz!
Spatial power fluctuated as the World-in-Hand activated, slowly refining the Secret Area.
It worked!
His heart filled with excitement.
This part of the Secret Area was rich in spiritual power and spatially stable. If he could incorporate it into his World-in-Hand, his strength would be enhanced even further.
A day passed, and John successfully refined this paradise-like area into his World-in-Hand. However, other parts of the Secret Area remained connected to the Shadow Continent, making them impossible to incorporate.
Still, he was more than satisfied. Only this part of the Secret Area had the densest spiritual power; the rest wasn’t particularly special.
“It’s time to leave,” he said to himself. Crossing through the spatial rift, he reunited with Ice Talker and the others.
“Godslayer, how did it go?” they asked eagerly, rushing to greet him.
John smiled faintly, and with a thought, the United Sword appeared in his hand.
The blade gleamed brilliantly, reflecting the sun, moon, stardust, mountains, and rivers. Its radiance filled the entire Secret Area, illuminating it in dazzling light.
“It really is an ancient artifact!” Ice Talker exclaimed in awe, her eyes filled with envy.
John was slightly surprised and asked curiously, “Ice Talker, you know about an ancient artifact?”
She nodded. “I’ve heard some things. Ancient artifacts are the most powerful weapons left behind by the Immortals, and their strength far surpasses that of ninth-tier holy artifacts.”
She glanced at John, hesitated for a moment, then continued, “The Nature God also possesses an ancient artifact.”
“What? That old man has an ancient artifact too? I thought only the Immortals could wield them!” John exclaimed, his voice filled with doubt.
Ice Talker shot him a glare, clearly displeased with his disrespectful tone.
Terran frowned slightly but spoke directly, “My lord, Nature God holds a position of immense reverence. Please mind your words.”
Both seemed to hold great respect for the Nature God. Especially Ice Talker, who appeared to be his successor.
She explained, “In truth, all the major races today have some connection to the Immortals. This is especially true for the Beast Clan, the Witches, and our Nature Clan, as our cultivation methods all originate from the Immortals.”
“I see,” John nodded. He had already noticed some peculiarities about the Beast Clan.
The legacy of the Immortals seemed to benefit not only himself and the disciples of the Blues Family but also the Beast Clan most significantly.
However, it was unexpected for the Witches and the Nature Clan to also be linked to the Immortals.
He was quite curious about the ancient artifact in the Nature God’s possession, but since Ice Talker was unwilling to elaborate, he refrained from pressing her further.
“Cand-Dragon, Jolyne, both of you enter my World-in-Hand. I suspect there may be an ambush outside,” he cautioned. With a wave, he absorbed them into his World-in-Hand.
Afterward, he signaled to Ice Talker and Terran, and the three of them left the Secret Area together.
…
Spatial power fluctuated as John and his companions reappeared, only to be immediately surrounded by hundreds of powerful warriors.
The strong from all the major races hadn’t left; they had been waiting at the Secret Area’s exit.
“Human, hand over the ancient artifact, and I may consider sparing your life!” Burning Sky demanded coldly, his eyes locked onto John.
“Hah,” John sneered, his tone dripping with disdain. “You still owe me a good amount of Spirit Crystals. What’s this? Are all Witches untrustworthy scoundrels?”
Burning Sky ground his teeth in fury. He had no intention of relinquishing his Spirit Crystals, and he wanted not only the Spirit Crystals in John’s possession but also the ancient artifact.
“Is that so?” John replied with a faint smirk. He couldn’t understand where Humdwar’s confidence came from.
12:07
“Burning Sky, stop wasting time with this guy. Let’s settle this inside my World-in-Hand,” Humdwar interjected, his mind already set. With a mere thought, he pulled John, Burning Sky, and several other two-star pinnacle Overseers into his World-in-Hand.
Ice Talker and Terran were not pulled into the World-in-Hand and were left standing outside. They exchanged worried glances, clearly concerned about John’s safety.
“Attack! Let’s take these two down!” came an angry roar. Immediately, several Overseers and hundreds of upper-tier gods at their peak charged toward them.
“Courting death!” Ice Talker’s expression turned icy cold. With a wave of her hand, a blizzard of snowflakes filled the air, each one infused with the power of slaughter.
The strongest of their attackers were merely late-stage two-star Overseers—not remotely a match for her and Terran.
…
Inside the World-in-Hand, John and his adversaries found themselves in an unfamiliar environment.
Towering mountains pierced the sky, fierce winds howled, and the entire area radiated potent laws.
“Chaos Force!” John muttered in surprise. Humdwar’s World-in-Hand was also created with Chaos Force and appeared even more stable than his own.
But the idea of trapping him here? Impossible.
John had mastered the divine skill Creation and Destruction, which could easily obliterate this World-in-Hand if he chose.
“Human, I know your World-in-Hand holds deadly traps,” Humdwar sneered, gripping a long spear as he fixed John with a cold glare. “But within my World-in-Hand, the Myriad Mountain Domain, you are doomed!”
“Is that so?” John replied with a faint smirk. He couldn’t understand where Humdwar’s confidence came from.
“My lord, enough talk. Let’s finish him!” one of the two-star Overseers barked angrily, rushing forward with a battle cry.
John didn’t flinch. A fierce wind erupted around him, and an immense pressure spread outward as he activated Heaven and Earth Transformation.
In an instant, he transformed into a colossal giant towering thousands of meters high. The United Sword appeared in his hand, growing proportionally with his size. Its blade reflected the sun, moon, stardust, mountains, and rivers with even greater clarity.
” United Sword!” Burning Sky exclaimed, swallowing nervously. Excitement and awe flashed across his face as he stepped forward, charging at John with clenched fists.
Boom!
Fist met blade in a thunderous collision that caused the space around them to tremble. The clash sent Burning Sky flying backward, while John merely took a single step back to steady himself.
The gap in their strength was instantly evident.
“Human, how has your power increased so much?” Burning Sky asked, his face filled with shock and his tone heavy with dread.