Sini’s thoughts stirred, and she once again lifted Xayah, throwing her onto the deck.
“Ha… ha…” Xayah coughed violently, her eyes filled with tears. She was no longer the arrogant and domineering person she had been earlier.
As she met Sini’s cold gaze, a shiver ran down her spine. These people were nothing but demons. She had no doubt that if she dared to resist again, they would kill her without hesitation.
She had originally thought that the reputation of the Dragon Ascending City Lord would be enough to intimidate them, but now she realized they were not afraid at all.
Xayah knelt before John, her head bowed in humiliation. Trembling, she spoke, “I am willing to sign a soul contract with you and serve you as my master.”
She had resigned herself. Whether she fell into the hands of her father, the Thunder Hand, or into these people’s hands, it was all the same—she would be oppressed and tortured.
John did not waste any words. With a thought, he summoned his soul energy and successfully signed the soul contract with her.
“Master!” The contract formed, and Xayah deeply bowed, her expression one of utter despair.
“Get up.” John merely glanced at her calmly, without any sign of emotion, before asking, “Why did you keep trying to get me involved in the King Selection? What’s the conspiracy behind it?”
Xayah swallowed nervously, quickly explaining, “Master, I did not intend to harm you. My father ordered me to steal an item, but I failed and was captured by those swamp pirates. I wanted to bring you back to Dragon Ascending City to participate in this King Selection and make up for my mistake.”
“As for the rewards of the King Selection, everything I said is true.” She added quickly, as if afraid John might misunderstand.
It seemed that Xayah was quite afraid of the Dragon Ascending City Lord.
John felt a sense of confusion and curiously asked, “Aren’t you the daughter of the Dragon Ascending City Lord? Wouldn’t he punish you for failing?”
Xayah forced a bitter smile, her tone filled with sorrow. “What I said earlier was just a threat to you, Master. To my father, I am nothing more than a tool. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent me on such a dangerous mission. Those pirates, in their ignorance, learned of my identity and tried to threaten my father for compensation. They didn’t realize that I am worth nothing to him.”
The women exchanged glances, some sympathy flickering in their eyes. It seemed that the Dragon Ascending City Lord was not a good person after all.
Sini’s expression softened slightly as she asked, “You mentioned earlier that the Dragon Ascending City Lord ordered you to steal an item. What exactly was it?”
Xayah glanced at her, offering no hesitation. “It was something called the Primordial Gourd, located deep in the swamps, guarded by an eight-star peak magical beast, the Black Snake. I’m not sure of its exact use, but I’ve heard it’s related to the World-in-Hand.”
World-in-Hand?
The women were intrigued. John was an Overseer, and while the World-in-Hand had been destroyed, it had been partially restored, though not to its former peak state.
Perhaps the Primordial Gourd would be useful to him.
John didn’t react too strongly, but instead examined Xayah carefully, his voice laced with curiosity. “You can handle an eight-star magical beast?”
She trembled and shook her head repeatedly. “No. I have some special medicine that works on serpentine magical beasts. It can make them temporarily unconscious. But I still underestimated the strength of the Black Snake. I never expected it to wake up so quickly. I barely managed to escape, only to be captured by the swamp pirates, and then I met you, Master.”
“Such a miraculous medicine?” Sini’s eyes lit up. She asked, “Can you find that Black Snake again?”
Xayah’s heart filled with fear—this woman clearly wanted her to die.
She quickly turned to John, pleading, “Master, the medicine on me is all used up. I can’t get anywhere near that Black Snake.”
Sini furrowed her brow, realizing the misunderstanding. She couldn’t be bothered to explain, instead saying flatly, “Just lead us there.”
Xayah looked at Sini, then at John. Seeing that neither of them said anything, despair fully settled in her heart.
“Alright, I’ll lead the way,” she said, resigned and no longer resisting, guiding Avis toward the direction.
“Sini, it looks like Xayah misunderstood. Shouldn’t we explain?” Debbie asked, her voice filled with sympathy. It seemed that Xayah had thought they were sending her to her death.
“Hmph, give her a lesson,” Sini snorted coldly, clearly still upset about what Xayah had done earlier.
Debbie couldn’t help but shrink her neck, feeling fortunate that she had encountered John first. If it had been Sini who found her first, she was sure she would have suffered quite a bit.
Under the night sky, the wind howled as the sailboat cut through the waves, speeding forward.
Occasionally, magical beasts appeared to harass them—mostly six- and seven-star magical beasts—which posed no threat at all. The group easily slaughtered them.
“Sini, can you leave me a few?” Tracy, holding her staff, stood at the front of the ship’s deck, clearly displeased.
As soon as two seven-star two-headed dragons appeared, they were instantly obliterated by the Power of the Nine Nether.
“Who told you to take so long to act?” Sini replied coolly.
“Hmph, if my strength were fully restored, I’d be just as strong as you!” Tracy grumbled, turning away from her and staring intently at the swamp’s waters, searching for more magical beasts.
Sini smiled, sitting down on a chair she found on the deck to rest.
In this new world, her strength had been little affected. These magical beasts could help Tracy recover her power, so Sini no longer bothered to fight over them.
The night was like water, and the sailboat sliced through the calm surface of the water, powerful magical beasts leaping out from time to time, their stars flashing, only to be quickly killed again.
…
At dawn, the sailboat slowed, and a small island appeared in the vast swamp ahead.
Xayah found John and pointed toward the island, saying, “Master, the Black Snake is on the island ahead.”
The surroundings were quiet, with only the sound of the waves created by the sailing boat.
John nodded and looked toward the small island. He, too, could vaguely sense a dangerous aura emanating from it.
Seeing that he didn’t say anything, Xayah gritted her teeth and spoke again, “I could sneak onto the island, though I’m not sure I’ll succeed…”
She felt utterly hopeless. Without the tranquilizing drug for the Black Snake, she knew that if that beast detected her, she would be dead without a doubt.
John, sensing her fear, spoke to reassure her, “It’s fine. I won’t let you die. I’ll personally kill the Black Snake.”
Xayah was momentarily stunned when she heard his words. She quickly responded, “Master, that Black Snake is an eight-star peak magical beast. Even a nine-star expert would have trouble with it.”
John was strong, but she didn’t believe he could kill the Black Snake.
“Even a nine-star expert isn’t a match for it?” Sini walked over, her face filled with concern. “John, do you think we can handle it?”
“Let’s give it a try. Even if we’re not a match, we won’t be in danger,” John said with a confident expression. His strength had fully recovered. Even if he faced a nine-star expert, he was confident in his ability to protect himself, not to mention the trump card he still had.
He looked toward Spoorate, who was standing nearby, and said, “Spoorate, you’ll act with us.”
“Okay!” The young girl’s eyes brightened, and she nodded enthusiastically, showing no fear at all.
John’s mind stirred, and he immediately drew her into the World-in-Hand.
“Stay on the ship, and don’t move,” he instructed the women. He then leaped onto Avis’s back and flew directly toward the island.
“Master, this island is quite large,” Avis remarked in surprise.
From a distance, the island didn’t seem that big, but from the air, it looked like an expansive landmass, comparable to a high-level city.
John nodded, his gaze sharply fixed on the island. It was eerily silent, devoid of even the sound of birds or insects. No life force could be detected.
Yet he was certain that something terrifying was hidden there.
He spoke calmly, “Avis, force it to reveal itself.”
“Understood!” Avis responded and immediately dove down. She opened her mouth and unleashed a vast torrent of dragon flames.
Boom!
The roar echoed as the intense dragon flames ignited the swamp gases on the island, setting the shrubs ablaze and starting a massive fire.
The flames spread rapidly, engulfing the entire island in seconds.
Boom… boom…
Suddenly, a series of thunderous rumblings reverberated through the air, and the island trembled violently.
Avis was on high alert and asked, “Master, why do I feel like the island is… moving?”
John’s eyes narrowed as he saw the scene unfold, and a sudden realization hit him. He shouted in alarm, “Wait, that’s not an island! It’s the Black Snake!”
What they had thought was a small island was actually a massive black serpent coiled in the swamp.
Hissss…
The sound of hissing filled the air, and the “island” suddenly shot upward. A massive, gaping maw, covered in blood-red, razor-sharp teeth, lunged toward Avis, attempting to swallow her whole.
A nauseating stench washed over them, and John felt his head spin, dizziness overtaking him.
“Damn!” Avis yelped in shock, cursing under her breath. Before John could say anything, she swiftly shot into the air to avoid the attack.
Crack!
The sound of sharp teeth clashing echoed as the Black Snake revealed its two rows of lethal fangs. At the base of its neck were rows of sharp, vertical scales, glinting with a sinister cold light. The sound of scales scraping against one another filled the air, hissing loudly.
Whoosh!
The wind howled as the Black Snake missed its strike, its massive, coiling body spiraling upward into the air.
“Avis, get out of the way!” John called out urgently, leaping down toward the ground. He could feel the overwhelming power of the Black Snake—it was far too strong for Avis to handle on her own.
Buzz!
With a hum, his sword materialized in his hand. The United Sword blazed with energy as a sharp, cold sword light shot out, slicing down toward the serpent.
Boom!
The sound of a violent impact rang out, and the sword light left only a shallow scratch on the Black Snake’s back. The beast remained completely unscathed.
“Such strong defense!” John thought, his heart sinking.
A deafening roar erupted from the snake, and it twisted its enormous body with remarkable agility, lunging at John in an instant, opening its cavernous mouth wide. “Die, you rodent!” the snake hissed in fury.
John wasn’t foolish enough to underestimate it. Without hesitation, he unleashed his divine skill, Heaven and Earth Transformation.
Whoosh!
The wind screamed as John’s form shifted, growing into a colossal giant, his massive arms raised to block his chest.
Swoosh!
The Black Snake’s jaws clamped down on his arm, and he felt a sharp, searing pain shoot through him.
The snake’s attack was laced with deadly poison!
“Get off!” John gritted his teeth, his other fist tightening into a powerful punch. He swung it down toward the Black Snake’s head.
Boom!
The snake’s sharp scales sliced into his fist, and blood began to pour from the wound.