John stood firm as the bearded man attacked. Without dodging or avoiding, the power of the earth element surged around him, instantly forming a battle armor around his body. It was the Amethyst Battle Armor.
Clang!
The bearded man’s cleaver struck the armor, sending sparks flying, but John remained completely unharmed.
Buzz!
At that moment, the Immortal Sword, previously flying through the air, suddenly turned around and sped toward the man.
“Not good!” The bearded man’s face shifted slightly as he noticed the sword coming back at him. He hurriedly turned and raised his cleaver to block the oncoming blade.
However, his back was now wide open, and John didn’t hesitate. He swiftly kicked the man, sending him crashing into the swamp.
Boom!
The swamp water churned as three Swamp Giant Crocodiles emerged, their enormous jaws snapping as they charged toward the man.
“This one is mine!” John’s expression remained cold. The Immortal Sword reappeared in his hand, and he executed a Flying Sword Strike, sending a blade of light flying.
Pfft!
Blood splattered as the bearded man was struck down, and his lifeless body dropped straight into the swamp.
The water churned violently as the Swamp Giant Crocodiles went into a frenzy, devouring the man’s corpse in seconds. Afterward, they turned their attention to John.
Splash!
The swamp water splashed as the three massive crocodiles lunged at him.
John was unbothered. With a thought, he activated the Unrivaled Sword Formation.
Buzz!
Countless sword lights erupted, instantly riddling the three Swamp Giant Crocodiles with holes. A prompt flashed, and John’s overall strength received another boost.
He casually retrieved the magic cores of the three giant crocodiles before turning his focus on the remaining pirate forces.
The swamp pirates were formidable, mostly five-star or six-star Awakened Ones, making them ideal targets to help him restore his strength.
Screams echoed through the swamp as blood stained the waters. The strong smell of blood attracted even more Swamp Giant Crocodiles.
Many pirates didn’t die at John and Sini’s hands, but instead, they were devoured by the crocodiles.
Finally, they realized the terrifying power of the two. Fear replaced their resolve to fight. “These damn humans are hiding their true power. We can’t beat them, we have to run!” One pirate couldn’t bear the pressure any longer and hastily retreated toward the remaining sailboats.
Whoosh!
A roar of dragon fire shot out, instantly obliterating the closest sailboat. The resulting explosion sent several pirates flying into the air.
Avis looked apologetic. “Sorry, Master. I couldn’t hold back.”
John gave him a glare and said, “Don’t destroy them all. Leave at least one sailboat.”
“Got it!” Avis replied, breathing out another dragonfire breath. He destroyed the remaining boats, leaving only the last one intact.
The surviving pirates, now completely demoralized, fled in panic toward the last remaining sailboat.
Whoosh!
A fierce wind howled as Avis dove down, cutting off their escape route. Though his strength was only at six stars, he was more than enough to block these pirates.
On the other side, John and Sini worked together, swiftly slaughtering the remaining pirates who were paralyzed with fear. In an instant, the last few dozen were wiped out.
“Humans, you slaughtered the Swamp Pirates… you will never leave this Dead Swamp alive!” The final pirate shouted angrily, unwilling to die at John’s sword.
John didn’t even spare him a glance. He wasn’t concerned at all about these pirate leaders. No matter how many of them there were, he wasn’t afraid. In fact, they helped him grow
stronger.
The swamp was littered with over a hundred bodies, with several Swamp Giant Crocodiles among them. The air was thick with the scent of blood.
“Let’s go. We can use the sailboat to leave this place,” John said, quickly cleaning up the battlefield. There was nothing of value on the pirates’ corpses.
He had no intention of lingering here, worried that the overwhelming smell of blood would attract even stronger magical beasts.
The group boarded the intact sailboat.
“Master, I’ll steer the sailboat!” Avis said excitedly. He moved to the massive sail and, imitating the pirates, began to take control of the vessel.
The sailboat swayed at first, a bit unsteady, but Avis quickly got the hang of it, steering it through the swamp with ease.
“Help…” A weak cry for help reached their ears, accompanied by the faint sound of something tapping against the wooden boards.
“Big brother, I think someone is asking for help,” Spoorate said, perking up her ears and listening carefully.
The group gathered on the deck but did not immediately check the cabin. John, however, also
heard it.
Sini furrowed her brows. “It sounds like it’s coming from the cabin. I’ll go take a look.” With that, she stood up and walked toward the cabin, with the other women following her. John remained by the deck, unconcerned. He could feel that the aura of the person calling for help wasn’t strong. It was probably the strength of a three-star Awakened One, so there was no real threat to the women.
He guessed that the person was probably one of the pirates’ captives, possibly having been
tortured.
Soon after, the women emerged from the cabin, and behind them walked a pale, weak woman. “John, this is a woman captured by the pirates. Her name is Xayah. She hasn’t been harmed by
them,” Sini explained.
Thud!
Xayah dropped to her knees in front of him, gratefully saying, “Thank you, sir, for saving me.
Could you please give me something to eat?”
She swallowed hard as she looked at John with a pitiful gaze.
“Give her some fresh water and food,” John said flatly.
They had prepared plenty of fresh water and roasted meat for crossing the Dead Swamp, so
having one more person wouldn’t be much of a problem.
Sini quickly handed over some water and food.
Xayah bowed again to thank them before eagerly devouring the food and drinking the water.
It was clear she was starving.
John studied her carefully, a look of doubt on his face as he asked, “Why were you captured by the pirates? Is there something special about you?”
Although he had only briefly encountered those pirates, he could tell what kind of people they were. A girl with such looks would never have a good fate in the hands of those vicious pirates. However, Xayah seemed to have been imprisoned, deprived of food and water, but not tortured in other ways. There must be something about this woman that they weren’t being
told.
Xayah struggled to swallow the food in her mouth, tears welling in her eyes as she spoke pitifully, “Sir, I got separated from my family and was captured by those cruel pirates. I beg you, please take me with you. If I can find my family, I will be forever grateful.”
“Is that so?” John’s brow furrowed slightly. He didn’t believe the woman’s story and even suspected that she might be working with the pirates. However, he didn’t expose her, instead saying calmly, “Stay on the ship for now. We’ll take you out of here.”
“Thank you, sir! Thank you so much!” Xayah expressed her gratitude profusely, her voice trembling as she bowed repeatedly.
John waved his hand dismissively, not paying much attention to her.
“Master,” Avis said excitedly, running over. “Up ahead is the place where I lost the Black Magic Crystal. There’s a seven-star magical beast, the Two-headed Black Dragon, hiding there. It was that creature that attacked me and made me lose the Black Magic Crystal.”
Black Magic Crystal?
Xayah, who had been quietly eating, paused for a moment. A glint flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced with an innocent, harmless expression.
Sini and Tracy both noticed the change.
“A seven-star magical beast, you say?” John wasn’t too concerned. He issued a command,
“Avis, see if you can lure that beast out.”
“Yes, sir!” Avis responded eagerly. His large body shot into the air, then dove down,
skimming the surface of the swamp. He shouted as he did, “Two-headed Black Dragon, get your dragon self out here and die!”
As he spoke, he opened his mouth and breathed out waves of dragon fire, hitting the still
swamp water.
Boom! Boom!
The thunderous sounds echoed as the swamp stirred, and the black dragon fire rose into the
air.
Roar! Roar!
Angry roars filled the air as massive beasts emerged from the swamp. With wings sprouting from their backs and long, serpent-like necks, they were the Two-headed Black Dragons- rare seven-star magical beasts of the swamp.
Despite being called “black dragons,” their heads and necks looked more like that of giant
serpents.
“Damn, this many?!” Avis exclaimed in surprise as more and more Two-headed Black Dragons charged out from the swamp. He hurriedly retreated toward the sailboat, realizing that he had underestimated the number of these creatures. He had thought there was only one, but now, at least a dozen had appeared, and more were still emerging.
Whoosh!
A fierce wind howled as more than a dozen Two-headed Black Dragons surged toward Avis,
their roars deafening.
“Master, help me!” Avis cried out in panic, completely taken aback. His current strength was only at the six-star level, far from enough to deal with these Two-headed Black Dragons. On the deck, Xayah, who was hiding behind the women, subtly changed her expression.
Inside, she cursed, “These humans are so reckless-how dare they provoke the Two-headed Black Dragons!”
With a helpless sigh, she thought to herself that it seemed she would have to keep running.
But as long as she got out of this swamp, she’d be safe.
John looked at the oncoming flood of Two-headed Black Dragons, realizing that this would
be tricky. He wasn’t afraid of the beasts, but he was concerned they might destroy the
sailboat.
Buzz!
He focused his mind, and the power of the Earth element surged. In an instant, a massive wall
of earth formed to shield the sailboat.
Boom!
“Ouch!” Avis cried out in pain as he collided with the earthen wall. Dazed, he muttered,
“Master, are you trying to kill me?”
John’s anger flared. “Idiot, couldn’t you lead them somewhere else?”
“Heh, got it,” Avis grinned awkwardly, stabilizing himself midair. He circled around the
sailboat and shot upward into the sky.
John’s mind stirred, and Immortal Sword materialized in his hand, transforming into a streak of light that shot forward. At the same time, he activated the Infinite Sword Array, and a storm of sword beams erupted, almost entirely enveloping the dozen or so Two-headed Black
Dragons.
Pfft!
Blood splattered, accompanied by the pitiful cries of the dragons. Two of the Two-headed Black Dragons were pierced through by multiple sword beams. After a few futile attempts to
flap their wings, their massive bodies crashed to the ground with a thunderous sound, lifeless.
“So strong!”
Xayah was secretly startled by the sight. She hadn’t expected John to possess such power. No wonder he had been able to kill those swamp pirates. Meanwhile, Sini simply watched from the side, not making a move.
John alone was more than enough to handle these Two-headed Black Dragons. Xayah seemed to sense Sini’s gaze. She looked back at her and gave a harmless, sweet smile.
Boom! Boom!
One by one, the black dragons crashed down, creating giant waves that rocked the sailboat.
Despite John’s efforts, more and more Two-headed Black Dragons continued to emerge from the swamp.
John had already ascended into the sky, wielding Immortal Sword with ruthless precision. As
he cut through the air, slaying the beasts one by one, his brow furrowed. He called out loudly, “Avis, do you know who took your Black Magic Crystal?”