“No problem. I can sense they have a good relationship with each other.” Yealper paused before continuing, “And among them, there’s a Ten-Star Emperor whose vitality is weakening. Perhaps we can advance our plans.”
“A Ten-Star Emperor!” The heartbeat quickened, and the voice trembled slightly. “This Celestial Vault organization is truly terrifying; they’ve even captured a Ten-Star Emperor.”
Yealper nodded. “I suspect it’s the Sea God. Among the few Emperors in this world, only the Sea God has ever fallen into the hands of the Celestial Vault.”
The heartbeat quickened again, then, after a moment of silence, the voice expressed regret: “It should be him, but it’s such a pity.”
Yealper understood the sentiment and, with some concern, asked, “My lord, how much longer can you hold on? I can sense that, apart from the Emperor-level powerhouse, the others still have great vitality and are not suffering from any loss.”
The heartbeat continued, “It’s fine. Don’t engage with those people just yet to avoid arousing suspicion. Aren’t there a few others? They should be enough to sustain my life.”
“Understood.” Yealper nodded in response, seeing that no further instructions were given. He stood up and withdrew.
…
In the past few days, John and his group had been doing nothing in Underground City. Yealper would occasionally visit, bringing some supplies and cultivation resources.
However, they held little value.
John had also begun to understand the situation here.
Underground City was vast, home to over a hundred thousand people, all of whom had been captured by the Celestial Vault organization, tortured, abandoned, or had fled here.
Yealper and his group treated these people well, providing daily necessities and some cultivation resources to ensure they could survive.
However, these people were merely hanging on, their strength severely depleted, their vitality fading, and it was nearly impossible to reverse their decline.
At this moment, John was standing next to a courtyard, staring at an ancient, withered tree in the distance.
In Underground City, they had free access to all areas, but the area around this tree was restricted. Apart from Yealper and his group, no one was allowed to approach.
John sensed that the tree was unusual—it seemed to be devouring the entire vitality of Underground City to sustain itself.
But those people were already in the process of losing their vitality, so they were oblivious to it.
John hesitated, wondering whether he should risk disguising himself as Yealper and sneaking in to investigate.
“Master, is there something unusual about this tree?” Immortal King walked over and noticed John staring at the ancient tree with curiosity.
John shook his head without offering an explanation and asked, “How’s the investigation I asked you to do?”
Immortal King cast a wary glance around, ensuring that no one else was nearby, before speaking. “Master, there’s indeed something strange going on here. I discreetly questioned a few people, and it turns out that every so often, they organize a group of life-weary powerhouses to enter Dark City and cause trouble, while also capturing some strong individuals to bring in.”
“But after these powerful individuals arrive here, they mysteriously disappear. No one knows where they went. Not only that, but some of the individuals with strong vitality who entered Underground City also disappear from time to time.”
At this point, Immortal King looked at John with a hint of concern.
Among them, aside from Gaka, everyone else had strong vitality, and they were likely to be in danger as well.
“Hmph, so it’s just as I suspected!” John sneered, confirming his thoughts.
This ancient tree certainly had its secrets—it was devouring vitality to sustain itself.
They, along with the others, were nothing more than nourishment for this ancient tree.
And not just them—everyone in Underground City, the more than a hundred thousand people, were likely all food for the tree.
Noticing Immortal King’s concern, John reassured him, “Don’t worry, we won’t be in danger for now. Just pretend you know nothing.”
“Yes, Master.” Immortal King nodded, though he still felt uneasy. He desperately wanted to hide inside John’s World-in-Hand, but he didn’t dare speak up.
John ignored him and looked at the massive fireball in the sky—something that resembled the sun and illuminated the entire Underground City, day and night.
He decided to sneak around the area near the ancient tree to investigate.
Though day and night made little difference to powerful individuals, the constant light was still uncomfortable for him.
He turned to Immortal King and asked, “Has Yealper been staying in Underground City recently?”
Yealper had only an Eight-Star cultivation level, but John sensed a dangerous aura from him.
Immortal King quickly replied, “No, he left yesterday, leading a group of people out. They haven’t returned yet, and no one knows where they went.”
“Not here? This is a good opportunity,” John mused, glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention. He decided it was time to move closer to the ancient tree to investigate.
“Keep an eye on things around here for me. If Yealper comes back, let me know immediately.” He instructed Immortal King, then activated his god-level disguise talent, transforming into Yealper’s appearance.
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He had stealth skills, but the area around the tree was guarded by powerful individuals. Stealth would be ineffective against them, so it was better to transform into Yealper and enter openly.
Even if he was discovered, they wouldn’t know who did it.
Immortal King was startled when he saw John take on Yealper’s form but soon sensed John’s familiar soul aura, which eased his worries. He quickly reassured, “Master, rest assured, I’ll keep an eye on everything.”
John nodded and hobbled toward the ancient tree.
Before he could get any closer, several figures appeared. Upon seeing Yealper, they looked surprised. “Master, how did you return so quickly?”
Thanks to his god-level disguise talent, John’s aura was indistinguishable from Yealper’s, and the others didn’t sense anything unusual.
His expression was cold as he replied calmly, “I had some matters to attend to. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Yes, Master,” the leader of the group replied respectfully, waving his hand to signal his subordinates to step back immediately.
John remained composed as he approached the ancient tree.
“A secret passage!” With his powerful mental perception, he clearly sensed the existence of a hidden passage beneath the ancient tree.
There was indeed a secret here!
He moved without revealing any emotion, finding and opening the passage, which led underground.
“I want to see what’s really going on here.” He glanced at the ancient tree, took a deep breath, and entered. As soon as he did, the passage automatically closed behind him.
Crack!
The passage was deep and silent, and suddenly, John heard the sound of bones cracking beneath his feet.
As his senses adjusted, he realized that the passage was littered with countless white bones.
This reminded him somewhat of when he first entered the final level of the Tower of Death.
Gaka’s vitality had faded, and he, too, had relied on devouring the life force of other powerful beings to sustain himself.
There was likely a powerful being here, similar to Gaka.
Upon entering, John immediately felt a chill—an unsettling shiver that seemed to resonate deep within his soul.
He halted in his tracks, furrowing his brows. Even disguised as Yealper, he would inevitably be detected. It was better to disguise himself as someone else!
A cold smile crept across his face as he shifted his appearance. In an instant, he transformed into Medusa.
Medusa was two-faced and slippery, someone whose actions were unpredictable—John had never liked him.
Now that Medusa had no further use, John decided to take this opportunity to dispose of him, using the power of Underground City.
But there was still one flaw.
His current strength could only mimic the aura of an Eight-Star powerhouse, while Medusa was a Nine-Star.
However, the mysterious figure hiding here had never seen Medusa before, so they wouldn’t notice the difference.
Taking a deep breath, John slowly moved forward through the passage.
Thump… thump…
Suddenly, deep in the passage, sounds like drumming echoed, reverberating through the air.
John felt his heart skip a beat, as if his very heart was being squeezed by a cold hand.
“What kind of power is this? So strange!” He frowned, his expression serious.
This power seemed like a soul attack, yet it also carried tangible, physical harm.
What was most terrifying, however, was that the attack wasn’t deliberately targeted—it felt as casual as breathing.
He swallowed hard, his face grim as he took another deep breath and pressed on further into the passage.
The passage ahead suddenly opened up, and John realized he had arrived directly beneath the ancient tree. Above him, several tree roots hung down, tangled and twisted, even connecting to a massive, beating heart!
“What is this?” John stared at the pulsating heart, a sense of dread rising in his chest.
This heart was alive, drawing vitality from the ancient tree, or perhaps, they were one and the same.
“Who are you?” Suddenly, a deep, ancient voice echoed, coming from the beating heart itself.
Hack! John involuntarily coughed up a mouthful of blood, the voice itself causing a shockwave that injured him.
Escape!
He immediately sensed the impending danger. Without hesitation, he turned and fled.
Whoosh!
The sound of wind whistling filled the air as the tree roots seemed to come alive, rapidly twisting and coiling toward him.
John didn’t dare be careless. He summoned his United Sword, the blade humming with sword intent, and several strands of the Power of Laws converged, slashing down forcefully.
Boom!
With a mighty crash, several roots were severed in mid-air, and John seized the opportunity to escape.
Fortunately, the massive heart was somewhat restricted, and the attack range of the tree roots was limited, allowing him to evade the threat.
However, the commotion had attracted the attention of the guards outside.
The secret passage opened, and over a dozen soldiers rushed in.
John didn’t want to reveal himself just yet. His mind raced, and he activated his Disguise talent, transforming into Yealper once again.
“Master, what happened?” The leading soldier, seeing no abnormalities, asked with concern.
John feigned urgency, hurriedly saying, “Quick! A golden serpent sneaked in! It managed to escape—go after it immediately!”
“What?” The leading soldier’s face shifted slightly, but without suspicion, he quickly signaled his men to chase after the “serpent.”
John breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the heart couldn’t move, or else he would have been in grave danger.
He didn’t dare linger. Immediately, he left the area, using his Concealment skill to avoid being detected. After circling around to ensure no danger was present, he returned to his quarters.
He notified Immortal King briefly, making sure not to alert anyone else. Then, with a thought, he entered World-in-Hand.
Hack! With the immediate crisis averted, John once again coughed up blood.
The massive heart was far too strange and powerful. Even though he had prepared himself, his soul had still suffered a heavy blow.
“Big Brother, what happened?” Spoorate, who had been resting in John’s hand, was startled upon seeing him. She quickly rushed forward, worriedly asking.
Gaka, noticing the disturbance, hurried over as well.