The man in the black robe finished speaking and, without waiting for any response, disappeared without a trace.
“Damn it!” John gritted his teeth and cursed.
“You’re not really planning to go to Dark City, are you?” Great Bear asked, looking at him with a worried expression.
John remained silent, simply nodding.
The Nature God was Ice Talker’s master, and Jean was extremely important to him. He could never allow anything to happen to either of them.
“You can’t go. Dark City is the headquarters of the Celestial Vault organization. You don’t need me to tell you how dangerous it is there,” Great Bear urged. It was clear that the Celestial Vault organization was after John.
If he went to Dark City, his chances of survival were slim.
John, however, appeared calm, replying, “Sooner or later, we’ll have to fight with Celestial Vault, so it’s better to face them now. By the way, do you know who this Senren person is?”
Great Bear furrowed his brow and shook his head. “This organization is very mysterious. All I know is that their highest leader is called the Black Celestial Vault. As for the other members, I have no idea.”
“Black Celestial Vault?” John found the name a bit strange and continued, “Is he a Nine-Star powerhouse as well?”
Great Bear’s expression grew serious. “Not just that. I suspect he’s an Emperor.”
An Emperor?
John was puzzled. It was the first time he had heard of such a title, and he couldn’t help but ask, “What level is an Emperor?”
Great Bear hesitated before answering, “Your cultivation level may not be high, but your strength is already comparable to a Nine-Star powerhouse, so you are qualified to know this. In fact, Nine-Star is not the highest realm for an Awakened One. Nine-Star is the king, but above Nine-Star, there is another realm—Ten-Star Emperor.”
“Ten-Star Emperor?” John was surprised. He hadn’t expected Nine-Star not to be the strongest in this world.
He continued asking, “So, you mean the highest leader of the Celestial Vault organization, this Black Celestial Vault, is a Ten-Star Emperor?”
“Most likely. Dark City was once attacked by four Emperors, and yet the Celestial Vault leader survived. Even if he’s not an Emperor, his strength is likely comparable to one,” Great Bear patiently explained. This matter was quite secretive, and even Nine-Star powerhouses were unaware of it.
He turned to John again and added, “Human, the methods of an Emperor far exceed those of a Nine-Star powerhouse. Even I would have no chance of resisting an Emperor. If you go to Dark City, there’s no doubt you’ll die.”
He wasn’t exaggerating. Throughout the endless years in the Realm of Chaos, only four Emperors had ever appeared, with two other powerhouses suspected of being Emperors.
If an Emperor wanted to deal with an Awakened One, it would be effortless—without any resistance.
John glanced at the Heidern Tower and the Five-colored Stone in his hand, then said flatly, “It’s clear that the Celestial Vault organization has its sights set on me. Even if I hide, they’ll find me eventually. It’s better to take the initiative. At least for now, they don’t want my life.”
He guessed that the people from Celestial Vault were interested in his Body of Dark Elements.
Earlier, the Black Magicians of Celestial Vault had already extended an invitation to him. Now that his identity had been exposed, it would be nearly impossible to hide.
“Such a waste of all the Hearts of the Continent I gave you!” Great Bear said, frustrated. Seeing that John had made up his mind, he gave up trying to persuade him.
Not many knew the true nature of Dark City.
If John entered, his chances of survival were slim, and no one would be able to help him.
“Senior, please have Sini, Spoorate, and the others stay in Forest City for now. Don’t let them know where I am,” John said, thinking of the women. Sini and Spoorate were still in closed-door cultivation, while Debbie and Xayah were too weak. This time, he planned to bring only Tracy, Ice Talker, and Cand-Dragon with him.
“No problem,” Great Bear replied, but after a brief hesitation, he added, “If you’re going to Dark City to save someone, I can recommend someone to you. He’s the only person who’s ever left Dark City alive, aside from the four Emperors.”
“Oh? Who is it?” John immediately asked.
Great Bear spoke, “The Serpent King, Medusa.”
John furrowed his brows. The Serpent King was one of the Seven Great Kings, as renowned as the Forest King. He controlled the Endless Desert and was also a Nine-Star powerhouse, with a reputation far surpassing that of the Forest King.
Great Bear continued, “That guy owes me a favor. If you take my token, he shouldn’t kill you. As for whether he’ll help you, I’m not sure.”
“He won’t kill me?” John asked, confused. “Senior, are you sure you have a favor to ask from him?”
Great Bear shot him a glare and retorted angrily, “Do you think everyone will repay their debts of gratitude? Medusa is cunning, evil, cruel, and bloodthirsty—a despicable, underhanded scoundrel. My favor to him doesn’t amount to much. If I didn’t have some dirt on him, you’d never even see him.”
John was speechless. “So, you still want me to ask for his help? Are you sure you’re not trying to get me killed?”
Great Bear glanced at him and said calmly, “With Medusa’s help, you might just be able to escape Dark City. Otherwise, you’ll definitely die. How you proceed is up to you.”
John sighed inwardly. This was indeed a difficult problem.
Great Bear went on, “You should bring the Sword Demon with you. You both have peak Eight-Star strength. If you team up, you’ll be able to put up a fight, even against a Nine-Star powerhouse.”
The Sword Demon’s eyes lit up, and he nodded at John.
He had no concept of fear—he was just happy when there was a fight.
John didn’t refuse. With the Sword Demon’s help, it would indeed be beneficial.
Great Bear handed him a pink scale, which was Medusa’s token.
“Remember, even if he agrees to help you, stay cautious. Don’t trust him too easily,” he warned, his eyes full of reluctance.
What pained him were those Hearts of the Continent.
This human had consumed over seven hundred Hearts of the Continent from him. If he were to die here, all of his investment would be wasted.
John nodded, found Tracy and Ice Talker, and immediately set off, heading for the Endless Desert.
Dark City, the headquarters of Celestial Vault, was located right on the border of the Endless Desert, so it was on their way.
Whether Medusa, the Serpent King, agreed to help them or not, John considered it a gamble. Even if Medusa refused, he would still go to Dark City.
John, the two women, Cand-Dragon, and Sword Demon, all mounted on Avis’s back, flew southwestward.
“Avis, do you know anything about Dark City?” John asked, remembering that this creature had once been captured by Celestial Vault’s people. He was curious.
Avis appeared confused. He had only just learned that the headquarters of Celestial Vault was in Dark City.
He replied, “Master, you’re overestimating me. The place where I was held was just a small town, and the strongest person there only had Eight-Star strength.”
John didn’t expect much from Avis’s knowledge.
Avis continued, “However, Master, I have heard of this Senren.”
“You know Senren?” John was surprised. This was the same guy who hadn’t even heard of Forest King.
Avis nodded, furrowing his brow as he continued, “When I was locked up in a small prison, I overheard the black-robed people talking about this Senren. He’s a rising star in Celestial Vault, a Nine-Star powerhouse, known for his brutal and cruel methods. I heard that someone once insulted him, and he directly took action, wiping out an entire city.”
“Wiped out an entire city?” The group furrowed their brows in concern.
Powerhouses in the Realm of Chaos held absolute authority, and the various forces were complex with constant warfare.
While the destruction of smaller cities was common, incidents where a person annihilated an entire city due to personal grievances were rare.
Sword Demon sneered coldly. “I used to think my methods were cruel enough, but compared to this Senren, I’m nothing.”
John nodded. “Luckily, he’s only a Nine-Star powerhouse. With our combined strength, we should be able to handle him.”
They continued their journey. Occasionally, magical beasts would harass them, but they were weak, mostly Four-Star or Five-Star creatures.
Sword Demon and Cand-Dragon were uninterested, with most of the beasts being killed by John and Tracy.
Both of them had the Plunder talent, which allowed them to grow stronger from defeating others.
John even asked Avis to slow down and search for large beast herds to increase their strength.
This journey to Dark City was likely to be extremely dangerous, so he was doing everything he could to boost his own power.
He wasn’t worried about the safety of the Nature God and Jean. It was clear that Senren’s target was him, and for the time being, he wouldn’t harm either of them.
…
Avis continued to fly, and the landscape below grew increasingly desolate.
Howling winds mixed with yellow sand whipped through the air, and in the distance, an endless expanse of barren wasteland stretched out.
This was the Serpent King Medusa’s territory—the Endless Desert!
Below, at the border between the mountains and the desert, a small town sat. People were coming and going, with many adventurers resting here.
John spoke, “Let’s land and rest for a while. We can also gather some information about Gran City.”
Gran City was the World-in-Hand of the Serpent King Medusa, located deep within the desert. It was said that, aside from the Serpent King’s descendants, no one could find the place.
The small town wasn’t very big, but it was bustling with activity, with adventurers constantly coming and going.
“Would you like to rest at our little shop? We have the freshest snake meat, which can prolong your life and increase your strength,” a young waiter, dressed in simple attire, approached John and the others, warmly inviting them.
“Snake meat?” Avis swallowed, confused. “This is the Serpent King’s territory, right? Are you sure you dare to sell snake meat here?”
The waiter sized them up with a smile and explained, “You must be new here, right? This is not a city, and it’s not under the Serpent King’s jurisdiction. We only serve the Serpent King’s enemies.”
“Enemies of the Serpent King?” John asked, curious as he surveyed the surrounding adventurers. They weren’t very strong—most were around Six-Star or Seven-Star strength, with only two being Eight-Star Awakened Ones. There were no Nine-Star powerhouses, and many were just ordinary people.
With this level of strength, it was impossible to stand against the Serpent King.
The waiter patiently explained, “You don’t know? The Serpent King is cruel. Every month, he demands tribute—always young girls. If anyone refuses, they face certain destruction. Most of the adventurers here are the parents and families of those tribute girls.”
“I see,” John nodded. No wonder there were so many ordinary people here.