John’s strength was far from sufficient to destroy the Church of Light. It was nothing short of a fantasy.
Just as he was about to refuse, Great Bear quickly added, “I know it’s difficult, but there’s no time limit. Plus, I’ll fully support you.”
No time limit?
Hearing those words, John’s eyes brightened. Doesn’t this mean he could take advantage of the situation without risk?
Moreover, he had a feeling that the Church of Light wasn’t a benign force. Sooner or later, he would have to confront them.
“Alright, I agree.” He nodded without hesitation, extending his hand. “First, get me 180 complete Hearts of the Continent.”
To challenge an organization as vast as the Church of Light, he couldn’t do it alone. He would need to increase the strength of his followers.
“180?” Great Bear widened his eyes in disbelief, frowning. “Do you think these grow on trees? No, I can only provide regular Hearts of the Continent. At best, I can help you and that girl reach five-star Overseer.”
“How stingy.” John muttered quietly, though he understood the value of the complete Hearts of the Continent. Each one represented a planet; while life had long since vanished, they remained rare and precious, obtainable only by a nine-star Awakened One.
Great Bear was still generous, giving him over a hundred regular Hearts of the Continent to raise his Overseer rank.
John stayed in Forest City, focusing on cultivation.
In the span of a month, he consumed over seven hundred Hearts of the Continent and finally raised his Overseer rank to five stars. His strength saw a massive increase.
“Kid, why do you need so many Hearts of the Continent? Did you really only raise your Overseer rank to five stars?” Great Bear stared at him, feeling a pang of heartache.
Although the regular Hearts of the Continent weren’t as valuable as the complete ones, seven hundred wasn’t a small amount.
This was practically all the savings he had accumulated over centuries.
He even suspected that John might be hoarding Hearts of the Continent for himself.
Refining this many would be enough to raise his Overseer rank to six stars.
“Do you really think I’d lie to you?” John replied flatly, but he also realized that his own consumption was far higher than a typical Overseer.
It must have something to do with his World-in-Hand and the Chaos Force he controlled.
Seven hundred Hearts of the Continent barely got him to five stars.
Sini had not finished her seclusion yet. John had planned to continue cultivating, but since Great Bear could no longer provide any more Hearts of the Continent, he reluctantly gave up.
He stayed in Forest City, waiting for Sini to emerge from her training.
One day, while he was aimlessly strolling through the city with Cand-Dragon, they were intercepted by Sword Demon.
“Human, dare to fight me?” Sword Demon, wielding a long blade, surged with battle intent. His injuries from the previous fight had just healed, and he couldn’t wait to challenge John.
“Oh?” John raised an eyebrow, now interested. This guy was definitely a martial arts fanatic.
“Godslayer, teach this guy a lesson.” Cand-Dragon, standing to the side, growled in anger.
A few days ago, Sword Demon had just beaten him up.
Cand-Dragon had already refined a complete Heart of the Continent and ascended to the rank of The Overseer, greatly improving his strength. He thought he could stand a chance against Sword Demon, but he was completely outmatched, only able to get trounced.
“Let’s go outside the city,” John said casually. He was also curious to test his abilities now that he had reached five-star Overseer rank and see if he could go toe-to-toe with a peak eight-star powerhouse.
“Let’s go!” Sword Demon’s expression was one of excitement as they made their way outside the city, beyond Great Bear’s World-in-Hand range.
“Human, don’t say I’m bullying you. You can make the first move!” Sword Demon gestured as if to invite John, taking a slight step back to create distance.
“Fine!” John didn’t waste words. He summoned the United Sword into his hand and immediately unleashed the Nine Heavens Sword.
Whoosh!
A massive sword beam ripped through the sky, descending with immense power.
Sword Demon’s face grew serious. Without a trace of underestimation, he tightened his grip on the long blade and swept it out in a horizontal slash.
Boom!
The two beams of light collided in mid-air with a deafening roar, sending a shockwave that tore through the surroundings.
Both fighters stepped back simultaneously, the attack proving to be evenly matched.
Sword Demon held his blade before him, his aura rising steadily. He coldly spoke, “Kid, unleash your full power, or you won’t be able to stop my next strike.”
What he said was the truth. John no longer held back and let the powers of the Lich King within him surge to full force.
“Heaven and Earth Transformation!” John shouted in fury. A terrifying aura expanded outward as he instantly transformed into a colossal giant, his power enhanced by a 200-fold attribute boost, carrying the destructive force of a world-destroying storm.
Sword Demon looked up at the towering John, his expression turning solemn. He felt a slight pressure from the transformed giant.
“Rage!” Sword Demon roared, charging forward. He swung his long blade in wide arcs, summoning a flurry of blade shadows that rained down upon John.
“Return of Ten Thousand Swords!” John wasn’t careless. He, too, summoned thousands of sword beams to clash with Sword Demon’s onslaught.
The two combatants immediately became entangled.
Blades and swords flashing in every direction, each collision causing the space to tremble, and terrifying energy ravaged the area.
Watching from the side, Cand-Dragon was filled with terror. He kept retreating further and even transformed into his true form to barely withstand the chaotic energy released from their battle.
Boom!
Another deafening crash echoed as the space around them shattered. Sword Demon was forced to retreat multiple steps.
“Human, I really underestimated you.” Sword Demon’s gaze was now filled with excitement, as he stared intently at John.
“Dharmakaya!” Sword Demon shouted, invoking the power of World-in-Hand. A massive dharmic figure appeared behind him, amplifying his strength as he charged back into the fray with John.
Boom! Boom!
The surrounding space continued to break apart inch by inch, chaotic energy swirling violently.
Cand-Dragon couldn’t help but retreat once more, watching the battle with a mixture of awe and fear.
“These two guys’ power is probably not weaker than a nine-star powerhouse, right?” he muttered to himself, swallowing nervously, feeling completely helpless.
He had already witnessed Sword Demon’s strength firsthand, but he never expected John to be so terrifying as well.
“I must improve my strength as soon as possible,” Cand-Dragon silently resolved.
The Realm of Chaos was full of intricate forces and dangers. With his current level of power, he wouldn’t even be able to help John, let alone protect himself.
Roar!
At that moment, a melodious dragon’s roar echoed through the heavens and the earth as John activated Dragon Transformation, further enhancing his attributes.
“Kid, you actually have such a trump card!” Sword Demon’s face showed shock.
He hadn’t expected John to have hidden such strength. This human’s abilities were endless, as if there was no limit to his power.
The two—one human, one dragon—engaged in close combat once again.
The sky and earth seemed to change color, the space shattered, and within a hundred miles around them, everything turned to ruin.
Sword Demon grew increasingly alarmed. He realized that in a short time, he couldn’t defeat John in his Dragon Transformation state.
What terrified him even more was that his internal energy had already been depleted by nearly half, yet the human seemed tireless. John unleashed powerful skills and terrifying law-based powers as if they required no energy at all, flowing effortlessly.
Moreover, he could sense that John had yet to use the power of World-in-Hand.
This meant that the human was still holding back.
Boom!
Another violent clash sent both the man and the dragon flying backward.
John struggled to suppress the blood surging in his body after several exchanges. He was injured.
But Sword Demon wasn’t faring any better. His hand that gripped the long blade was slightly trembling.
Swallowing a mouthful of blood, Sword Demon grit his teeth and said, “Human, how about we call it a draw?”
Upon hearing this, John immediately canceled Dragon Transformation, returning to his normal form. He flashed a faint smile and nodded. “Agreed.”
He knew that if they continued, he could likely win, but the ultimate outcome would be both sides suffering.
Clap, clap…
Suddenly, crisp clapping sounds echoed through the empty forest. A figure in a black robe appeared.
“Who?” Sword Demon bellowed angrily, on high alert. He hadn’t sensed anyone approaching.
“Black magicians!” John’s eyes narrowed as he focused on the figure in the black robe, his tone cautious.
Another nine-star powerhouse.
Cand-Dragon immediately rushed over to stand beside them, vigilantly watching the black-robed figure.
Whoosh!
A wave of pressure suddenly descended from the direction of Forest City, and the wind howled. Great Bear’s imposing figure appeared abruptly, stepping in front of them. He glared at the black-robed figure and coldly said, “Celestial Vault? You dare come to my Forest City? It seems you haven’t learned your lesson from last time!”
“Forest King, don’t misunderstand. I’m here for him,” the black-robed man said with a broad smile, pointing at John.
“Hmph, if you want to harm this human, you’ll have to go through me first!” Great Bear stepped forward, his aura sharp and fierce as he clenched his fists, preparing to strike.
“Wait!” The black-robed man quickly stopped him and explained, “Don’t misunderstand. Lord Senluo has invited you to Dark City for a meeting.”
Dark City was the headquarters of the Celestial Vault organization. As for Lord Senluo, John had never heard of him.
“Not interested.” John decisively rejected the invitation. The Celestial Vault members had already harbored a deep hatred for him, and an invitation to Dark City was definitely not a friendly gesture.
“Kid, I advise you to think this through carefully.” The black-robed man sneered, continuing, “By the way, I have two items here that might interest you.”
With that, he took out a small golden pagoda and a stone glowing with five colors from his robe, tossing them toward John.
“Heidern Pagoda! Five-colored Stone!” John immediately recognized the two items. They were weapons belonging to Nature God and Jean.
His eyes locked onto the black-robed man, his anger surging, murderous intent radiating from him. Coldly, he said, “Nature God and Jean are in your hands!”
“That’s right.” The black-robed man still wore a calm smile, nodding nonchalantly.
Boom!
John erupted in fury, launching himself into action. A sharp sword beam howled as it slashed toward the black-robed man.
“Kid, I told you, I mean no harm. Besides, you won’t be able to stop me.” The black-robed man remained composed, casually flicking his hand to effortlessly dissipate John’s attack.
Great Bear furrowed his brow. The man’s words were true. If they were within his World-in-Hand, he was confident that he could subdue or even kill the opponent.
But this was not his World-in-Hand, and a nine-star powerhouse could easily escape if they wished.
John was beyond enraged. His eyes remained cold as he stared at the black-robed man, his voice chilling. “If you dare lay a finger on either of them, I will never stop until the Celestial Vault is destroyed.”
The black-robed man chuckled dismissively. “Well, then we’ll see about your sincerity.” He took a step back, a mocking expression on his face, and added, “I’ll be waiting for you in Dark City. Don’t keep me waiting too long.”