372 Chapter 372: Heading to Golden Tiger City, World-in-Hand
“You bastard! How dare you kill Lord Bru!”
“Despicable human, unforgivable!”
Angry roars erupted as the surrounding Gnolls glared furiously at John. Yet none dared to attack.
The man before them was far too terrifying—he had just slain a four-star Awakened One with a single strike.
“Hmph!” John snorted disdainfully, his cold and piercing gaze sweeping over the Gnolls. His voice was icy as he said, “I’ll give you a chance to live. Surrender to me, or die!”
The Gnolls, who had been shouting moments earlier, instantly fell silent.
Meeting John’s chilling gaze, fear overtook them, and they couldn’t help but lower their heads in submission.
“We surrender,” one of them said, looking at Bru’s lifeless body on the ground. He had no doubt that John would strike them down without hesitation.
As soon as one Gnoll spoke, the others quickly followed suit, discarding their weapons and kneeling submissively.
“Very good.” John nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the rest of the group. His voice remained cold and commanding. “What about you?”
These individuals were rebels from various towns who had joined forces with the Gnolls.
“We surrender as well,” they replied without hesitation, eager to show their loyalty.
These rebels, long accustomed to being oppressed, had no will to resist after witnessing John’s overwhelming power.
“Don’t worry. I won’t make things too difficult for you,” John said in a calm yet authoritative tone. “You only need to hand over 1,000 low-grade crystal cores each month.” This amount was far less than the exorbitant tribute Quahog City had demanded, which had been 5,000 low-grade crystal cores per month—far beyond what they could bear.
“Thank you, my lord!” The group’s faces lit up with relief, and they expressed their gratitude repeatedly. A tribute of 1,000 crystal cores per month was a manageable burden for them.
“Stand up,” John said. With that, he led Tony, Ben, and the others into the City Lord’s Manor.
“My lord, what are your plans moving forward?” Ben asked as they entered.
11:37
“I’ll stay here for a few days, then head to Golden Tiger City to rescue Tracy and the others,” John replied. He had already learned that Tracy was being held in Golden Tiger City.
Golden Tiger City was a high-ranking stronghold, known as a prison for top-tier upper-tier gods and Lord God-level powerhouses. The city’s lord, Golden Tiger, was a seven-star peak Awakened One, whose strength rivaled that of a Lord God.
John was confident that once his strength recovered to even half its original level, he would be able to kill a seven-star Awakened One with ease.
Moreover, Sini had also been spotted in Golden Tiger City. Perhaps he could uncover some information about her there.
“My lord, we want to go with you,” Tony and the others immediately said.
“No,” John rejected the idea outright. “Your strength is far too weak to be of any help right now. Your task is to focus on recovering your strength and building your forces.”
The strength of Golden Tiger City could not be underestimated. John’s primary goal this time was to rescue Tracy and the others without drawing unnecessary attention. Tony and Ben’s limited power would offer little assistance and could even be a liability.
“Don’t worry, Godslayer. Leave everything here to us,” Ben said confidently, his expression filled with determination.
He had grown fond of this place. The complex and chaotic web of power struggles in the Realm of Chaos was the perfect stage for him to showcase his skills.
John stayed in Quahog City for three days.
He didn’t spend all his time in the city; instead, he frequently ventured out to hunt magical beasts to enhance his strength.
Over the course of these few days, he had slaughtered countless magical beasts, restoring about one-third of his base attributes.
Unfortunately, the magical beasts around Quahog City were relatively weak. There weren’t many four-star magical beasts in the area, which meant he couldn’t further enhance his power of laws and other key attributes.
Determined to grow stronger, John decided it was time to move on to Golden Tiger City, where powerful four-star and above magical beasts could be found.
In the meantime, Tony and the others had absorbed the crystal spheres John provided. Most of them had recovered to two-star Awakened One strength.
With Beamay present as well, their combined power was now sufficient to intimidate the Gnolls and dominate the rebel forces from the surrounding towns.
Before departing, John left another batch of crystal spheres behind for them, gave a few final instructions, and then set off with Debbie and Spoorate, leaving Quahog City behind.
John nodded. “Do you know anything about Golden Tiger City?”
Debbie hesitated for a moment, her steps slowing. With a slight frown, she bit her lip and said, “I’m from Golden Tiger City.”
“Oh?” John raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. Then a hint of confusion flickered across his face. “Why is your strength so weak, then?”
He had already learned that in high-level cities, even the weakest adventurers usually had three-star strength.
Debbie, despite being a Saintess, was only at one-star strength. Even with her esteemed status, it was hard to imagine how someone of such low power could come from a high-level city.
A flicker of hatred passed through Debbie’s eyes, and her face grew somber. “My identity is… complicated. The previous Saintess was my mentor, but she was betrayed by the Golden Tiger City lord and killed. I barely managed to escape and eventually ended up in Peach Town…”
She briefly recounted her experiences in Golden Tiger City.
“Golden Tiger killed your mentor?” John asked, surprised. “Aren’t Saintesses supposed to be the most loyal followers of The Heaven? How could Golden Tiger dare to harm you?”
He already understood the status of Saintesses in this world. Killing one was essentially declaring war against The Heaven itself.
Debbie’s brows furrowed as her voice turned cold. “It seems the lord of Golden Tiger City has also betrayed The Heaven.”
Golden Tiger City’s lord betrayed The Heaven?
John was momentarily at a loss for words. It seemed that even the city lords in this chaotic Realm of Chaos had their own hidden agendas.
He couldn’t help but wonder about the Seven Kings of the Realm of Chaos. Could one of them have betrayed The Heaven as well?
“Master,” Debbie called out, her gaze filled with a pleading look. “If you can kill Golden Tiger and avenge my mentor, I swear eternal loyalty to you. I will never betray you.”
“Even if I end up opposing The Heaven, you’ll still follow me?” John asked, surprised. It seemed her mentor had been incredibly important to her.
She hesitated briefly, then gritted her teeth and said, “I believe you are a good man, Master.”
Beside her, Spoorate quickly chimed in, “That’s right! Big Brother is a good person! The Heaven are the bad ones!”
Debbie frowned slightly, still unconvinced by Spoorate’s view, but chose not to argue further.
…
The group pressed onward, journeying toward Golden Tiger City while hunting magical beasts along the way.
Half a month later, they finally arrived in Golden Tiger City’s territory.
The magical beasts here were significantly stronger; even the weakest among them were four-star magical beasts.
During these days, John slaughtered countless magical beasts. His four base attributes had now recovered to 50%, while his power of laws and other composite attributes had reached 10%, marking a significant leap in his strength.
John felt confident. Even if he couldn’t outright defeat a seven-star opponent yet, he was sure he could hold his ground in a fight.
As long as he could raise his power of laws and related attributes to 20%, he would have the strength to kill a seven-star Awakened One.
“Big Brother, I feel the seal within me growing weaker. I might break through soon!” Spoorate exclaimed joyfully, clutching a four-star magic core she had been absorbing.
“Oh? Really?” John asked, intrigued.
Over the past few days, every magic core and spirit core he had obtained had been given to Spoorate and Debbie.
Spoorate’s four base attributes had grown tremendously, though her cultivation still lingered at the peak of the Body Refining Realm. It seemed she would need to comprehend the power of laws to break through to the Spirit Body Realm.
Debbie, however, had shown remarkable progress. She had already reached the strength of a three-star Awakened One and had mastered the powers of light, fire, and wind.
Her understanding of the powers of fire and wind had even surpassed her comprehension of the power of light. All thanks to the laws John had provided her.
Taking out a dozen more magic cores, John handed them to Spoorate and said, “There’s no shortage of magic cores. Break through the seal as soon as you can. I’m really curious about your true talent.”
“Alright!” Spoorate took the magic cores eagerly, her heart brimming with anticipation.
“Master, are we heading straight into Golden Tiger City?” Debbie asked, cutting into their conversation. Her gaze was fixed on the distant city walls.
She had disguised herself slightly to avoid being recognized by anyone in Golden Tiger City.
John glanced at the towering city in the distance and said, “Not yet. Let’s head to the forest on the outskirts of Golden Tiger City and hunt some more magical beasts first.”
He had already noticed several adventurers from Golden Tiger City hunting magical beasts in the nearby forest. As long as they were careful, they wouldn’t draw attention.
“Alright,” the two women nodded in agreement. They followed John, avoiding the crowds as much as possible, and entered the forest.
The moment John stepped into the forest, his expression turned grim, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.
“Master, what’s wrong?” Debbie asked, looking at him in confusion.
“This is a World-in-Hand. Retreat, now!” he said, his face filled with alarm. The entire forest was a massive World-in-Hand!
Grabbing the two women, he tried to pull them back out.
But it was too late.
Boom!
Thunder rumbled across the sky, and fierce winds roared through the trees. A towering figure appeared—human-shaped with the head of a tiger.
It was the Golden Tiger City Lord, Golden Tiger, a seven-star peak Awakened One!
What shocked John even more was that this figure was a The Overseer.
“Debbie, you dare walk into my trap!” Golden Tiger roared, his terrifying aura locking onto the group in an instant.
“Golden Tiger…” Debbie gasped in terror, clutching her staff so tightly her hands trembled.
John stepped forward, shielding her with his body. The Chaos Force within him began to circulate, ready to unleash Creation and Destruction at any moment.
With only 10% of his power of laws recovered, he wasn’t confident in a head-on fight against a seven-star powerhouse.
However, Golden Tiger had externalized his World-in-Hand. If John could destroy it, the resulting backlash would gravely injure him, possibly creating an opportunity for victory.
“Oh? Another The Heaven enforcer!” Golden Tiger exclaimed, noticing John. His expression shifted from surprise to delight.
The Heaven enforcer?
John’s expression darkened as a name flashed through his mind—Sini.
Like him, Sini had fully mastered The Heaven’s laws, reaching 100% comprehension to become a The Heaven enforcer.
Realization struck him.
Sini had been spotted near Golden Tiger City before suddenly disappearing. It was highly likely that she had already fallen into Golden Tiger’s hands.
“Hahaha, the heavens are truly on my side today!” Golden Tiger laughed, his voice booming. “I’ll capture you all and throw you into The Heaven’s prison!” As he spoke, a wave of immense power swept across the forest, instantly binding the group in place.
John prepared to fight back, but Golden Tiger’s words made him pause. If Sini was already imprisoned in The Heaven’s prison, then his best chance of finding both Sini and Tracy would be to infiltrate it himself.
Deciding against resistance, John stopped his Chaos Force from erupting and allowed the events to unfold.
Buzz!
Space rippled. As the Overseer of this world, Golden Tiger wielded absolute authority here. With a mere thought, John and his companions vanished into thin air.
In the next moment, they found themselves locked inside a deep, dark cell.
