“Avis!” John roared in anger. He had saved this creature, only for it to try to escape without even looking back.
“Huh? Master?!” Avis’s eyes widened in shock as it finally noticed John and his group, both surprised and delighted.
Boom!
At that moment, the ground trembled, and the injured white crocodile charged once again. John and Sini moved at the same time. A sword beam and a blade of Power of the Nine Nether formed and struck down the crocodile in one decisive blow.
Only then did Avis breathe a sigh of relief and quickly flew over to them.
“Wuwu, Master, I thought I would never see you again.” It cried out in joy, running toward John with its usual enthusiastic affection, as though it had endured quite a lot of hardship in the meantime.
John rolled his eyes and kicked Avis lightly, his confusion growing. “How did you end up here? And why weren’t you thrown into The Heaven’s prison?”
He remembered that in their last battle, Avis’s power was far too weak to participate. Had everyone he knew been exiled to the Realm of Chaos?
“The Heaven’s prison? What’s that?” Avis asked, clearly confused.
John’s puzzlement deepened. It seemed that Avis’s experience was different from theirs. He asked, “Have you been hiding here this entire time?”
Avis shuddered slightly, as if recalling something terrifying. It shook its head and said, “No, that’s not it. After I arrived in this world, I was captured by an organization called Vault of Heaven. I only just managed to escape.”
“Vault of Heaven!” Debbie exclaimed, her face filled with anger.
“What’s so special about this organization?” John asked, curious, turning to her.
Debbie cast a wary glance at Avis before explaining, “Vault of Heaven is a powerful and evil organization that opposes The Heaven. They do all sorts of terrible things and are enemies to those of us who follow The Heaven’s path.”
“Ha! You’re all the same, just different sides of the same coin.” Avis scoffed at her words.
Debbie furrowed her brows and snapped, “Nonsense! We are the guardians of The Heaven, while Vault of Heaven seeks to destroy it.”
Avis looked her up and down, then said, “You must be a follower of The Heaven. Your organization is the Church of Light. On the surface, it seems like you and Vault of Heaven are enemies, but in reality, you’re both fighting against The Heaven-just one does it openly, and the other does it in secret.”
“That’s impossible!” Debbie shot back angrily. While it was true that she belonged to the Church of Light, their mission was to honor and uphold The Heaven’s laws, punishing anyone who rebelled against it.
John, however, found himself believing Avis. He had long sensed that there was a huge conspiracy in the Realm of Chaos, one far more complicated and chaotic than he had imagined.
On the surface, the major cities controlled the entire Realm of Chaos, but secretly, there were resistance groups and the City of Liberty. Now, two organizations had emerged: the Celestial Vault and the Church of Light, both seemingly possessing immense power.
“What exactly are the Celestial Vault and the Church of Light?” John asked, his curiosity growing.
Avis explained, “Master, the Celestial Vault and the Church of Light are opposites. One specializes in the Laws of Darkness, while the other focuses on the Law of Light. I’m not very clear about the Church of Light, but as for the Celestial Vault, I’ve heard they have hundreds of thousands of members, all powerful Black Mage Lords of seven stars or more.”
“Seven stars or more?” John was shocked. The Celestial Vault organization deeply impressed him. Even a high-tier city would only have two or three seven-star strong individuals, yet the Celestial Vault had hundreds of thousands, with the weakest among them being seven-star experts.
“Then, if the Celestial Vault is that powerful, doesn’t that mean the Church of Light is equally strong?” John wondered, his gaze turning toward Debbie.
She quickly responded, “Master, I don’t know the exact strength of the Church of Light. All I know is that we, the followers of The Heaven, belong to the Church of Light.”
John nodded, understanding. Debbie’s strength was too weak for her to have any clear knowledge of the Church’s full power. Still, both of these organizations were enormous, and he wasn’t planning on facing them head-on anytime soon.
Avis continued, “I stole one of their treasures and barely escaped here. I’m lucky I ran into you, Master, or I would’ve been done for in this swamp.”
“What treasure?” The group was now intrigued.
“It’s something called a Black Magic Crystal. I don’t know exactly what it does, but they’ve been chasing me for a long time. I accidentally dropped it somewhere in this swamp.” Avis looked regretful.
John furrowed his brows. A treasure that the Celestial Vault placed so much importance on had to be something extraordinary. Originally, he hadn’t planned on venturing deeper into the swamp, but with such an enticing item involved, he decided to take the risk.
Although the Dead Swamp was home to nine-star magical beasts, he figured that with some caution, they should be able to handle it.
He turned to Avis and asked, “Do you remember where you dropped it?”
“I do,” Avis quickly nodded. It led them into the Dead Swamp, warning, “Master, this place is strange. The air is filled with terrifying poisonous miasma, making it impossible to fly. We’ll have to go on foot.”
“It’s fine,” John replied casually. “We can hunt some magical beasts along the way and increase our strength.”
Among the group, Spoorate was the most excited. She hopped onto Avis’s head and said, “Big guy, can you carry me?”
He didn’t refuse and curiously asked, “Master, where did you find such a cute little girl?”
“I found her in a village,” John answered briefly, not wanting to elaborate further. As they stepped into the swamp, the water beside them began to churn, and another massive white crocodile emerged.
The Swamp Giant Crocodile, a six-star magical beast.
This posed no challenge for John and Sini, and Avis could also handle it with some effort. However, Tracy and Debbie were no match for it, so they wisely climbed onto Avis’s back.
The group moved forward through the swamp, the stench growing stronger with every step. Swamp Giant Crocodiles continued to leap out from the water.
The magical beasts in this swamp were more densely packed and stronger than those in the forest. John had to use a bit more strategy to defeat them, but the rewards were substantial. The six-star magic cores provided between five hundred to a thousand attribute points. In addition to this, killing these crocodiles also helped restore his own strength.
Boom…
The swamp water surged, and Avis, walking at the front, tread carefully, as if walking on ice. He had to watch out not only for the attacks of the Swamp Giant Crocodiles but also for any hidden deep pools in the swamp. If he fell into one and couldn’t escape in time, the outcome
could be grim.
The group ventured deeper into the swamp.
“Huh, Big Brother, there seems to be someone ahead?” Spoorate, perched on Avis’s head,
pointed ahead with curiosity.
John also noticed. There was a fleet of sailboats, their sails full, moving rapidly with the wind.
He couldn’t help but be curious and turned to Debbie, asking, “Is there a faction in this
swamp?”
These people had sailboats, which meant they had been here for a long time.
“This is my first time here as well,” Debbie said with a puzzled look. “I know the Dead Swamp
is dangerous, but I haven’t heard of any human presence.”
The fleet, made up of four sailboats, was approaching quickly. John could now see the figures on board. The group became cautious.
“Hey, friends!” A man with a thick beard and dark skin, standing at the front of the lead boat,
waved his arm and shouted loudly.
Splash!
The swamp water surged, splashing all over them, and the boats smoothly anchored in front
of the group.
The bearded man smiled broadly and warmly said, “Are you folks trying to pass through this
Dead Swamp?”
John felt a sense of wariness rise in his chest and nodded slightly.
There were over a hundred people on the fleet, most of them five- or six-star Awakened Ones, and the bearded man was a seven-star Awakened One. Fortunately, their strength wasn’t too overwhelming, and they should be able to handle them.
“It’s about time for business,” the people on the boats said, excitement evident on their faces. They waved their weapons and looked at John and the others as though they were lambs
to be slaughtered.
“Quiet!” The bearded man barked, and instantly, the boat became silent.
The bearded man then turned toward John and the others, smiling as he said, “We’re pirates
of this swamp, but don’t worry. We don’t engage in the usual burning, killing, and plundering. We can safely guide you through the swamp, but the cost is all your valuables, including your Storage Rings.”
“You call this not a robbery?” Tracy frowned, anger flaring in her voice.
“Of course, it’s not,” the bearded man replied, his face full of righteous indignation. “We’re professionals. Without us, you’ll never make it through this swamp, especially you
weaklings.”
He glanced at the group, assessing them. The only one he considered even a slight threat was Avis. As for John and the others, they didn’t even register in his mind.
He continued, “So, what do you think? The price is quite fair.”
As he spoke, the people behind him drew their weapons, eager for a fight. Clearly, if the group
didn’t agree, they would take matters into their own hands.
John sneered and looked at the leader, speaking coldly, “How about this? You help us through
the swamp, and I’ll spare your lives.”
The bearded man paused for a moment, slightly taken aback. His smile disappeared, and his
face turned cold. “Kid, are you joking with us?”
“Why? My offer is quite fair,” John replied coldly, sweeping his gaze over the group as he
summoned the Immortal Sword.
“Boss, stop wasting time with this guy! Just kill him, take their stuff, and kidnap the women!”
one of the men shouted.
“That black dragon isn’t bad either. It could help us pull the boat.”
“I want that little girl. She’s just my type.”
…
A series of crude and lewd comments followed, and the men began eyeing the women as if
they were already dividing up the spoils.
John’s expression grew cold. With a thought, the Immortal Sword shot forward, aimed at the
bearded leader.
The bearded man sneered, “You really dare to make a move? All of you, go!”
With a wave of his hand, he raised a large cleaver, deflecting the incoming Immortal Sword
with ease before charging at John.
“Roar!” Avis let out a mighty roar, opening his mouth to unleash a massive stream of dragon
fire, obliterating one of the sailboats in an instant. John quickly shouted, “Be careful! Don’t destroy the boats!”
These sailboats seemed like a useful way to cross the swamp.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind howled as the bearded man, his face contorted with rage, swung his cleaver
and charged forward.
John’s expression was filled with disdain. His strength had recovered by half, and taking on a seven-star Awakened One was now an easy task for him.