John glanced at the others and spoke, “I could choose Medusa’s previous territory, but I have one condition. The strong ones who rebelled with me against The Heaven and were exiled to the Realm of Chaos— they must all be returned to me.”
He had already completely refined the Endless Desert and could easily manifest parts of World-in-Hand at any time, transforming the Endless Desert with ease.
The others exchanged looks but did not reject his request.
“Since they are your people, they should be returned to you,” the God King spoke first.
The prisoners locked in The Heaven’s prison were of no interest to him, and since they were John’s people, he couldn’t fully trust them either.
It was better to return them, doing John a favor in the process.
The others nodded in agreement as well.
John felt joy in his heart. Being able to save these people so easily was a wish fulfilled.
He just didn’t know how many of them were still alive.
The Realm of Chaos was extremely perilous, and those imprisoned in The Heaven’s prison were certainly subjected to tremendous torture.
He only hoped that the few of them still survived.
The Nine Phoenix Emperor glanced at him and said, “Since that’s settled, let’s move on to the second matter.”
The group fell silent and looked toward her.
The Nine Phoenix Emperor continued, “The Celestial Vault killed Serpent King Medusa— this is an outright provocation against us. I’ve decided to take public action against Dark City. How many people can each of you send?”
The others furrowed their brows, and a heavy silence fell.
Although they had just been shouting about taking action against Dark City, it had all been bravado.
They all understood the terrifying power of the Celestial Vault organization, and even with the Nine Phoenix Emperor’s involvement, their forces, no matter how many, probably wouldn’t stand a chance against Celestial Vault.
The Nine Phoenix Emperor scanned them, her voice cold. “Weren’t you all so eager earlier? Why are you backing down now? Are you afraid of Celestial Vault?”
The others looked awkward, none of them willing to speak up.
“I’m in favor,” John was the first to speak. His territory, Endless Desert, was on the very edge of Dark City. Sooner or later, he would have to face the Celestial Vault, and this was an opportunity for him.
He then continued, “However, I’ve just arrived, and my forces are limited. I’ll need to rely on you all. I’m sure you won’t be stingy. Sending 100,000 eight-star warriors each shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“100,000? Eight-star warriors? Kid, do you think eight-star warriors grow on trees?” War King glared at John.
This guy clearly wanted to put them at a disadvantage.
The several kings could indeed muster that many forces, but that would nearly deplete all of their strength. There was absolutely no way they would agree to this.
The Nine Phoenix Emperor gave John an approving glance. She didn’t want to pressure the others, but John had made a good start for her.
The Forest King also shot John an unhappy glare. This guy was a lone wolf, fearless, and the one who would benefit the most from attacking the Celestial Vault organization. Meanwhile, the rest of them would be the ones to suffer.
He turned toward the Nine Phoenix Emperor and said, “My lord, you should be aware of the situation in my territory. I don’t have that many forces. However, I can send 100,000 warriors at the seven-star level or above.”
This was the truth. Among the kings, other than John, the Forest King had only recently become a king and was the weakest in terms of resources.
Forest City had no nine-star warriors at all, and while the Sword Demon had the combat power of a nine-star warrior, his cultivation was still at the peak of eight stars.
“My lord, I can also dispatch 100,000 warriors at the seven-star level or above,” Sea King immediately added.
The other kings also spoke up, agreeing that sending eight-star warriors was impossible. However, sending 100,000 seven-star warriors was acceptable to them, and even if they all perished, it wouldn’t hurt their forces too much.
The Heavenly King frowned and said, “I can only send 10,000 warriors, but all of them are at the peak of eight stars or above.”
Unlike the other kings, the Heavenly King developed his forces by recruiting those with divine-level talents. Although his numbers were small, his warriors were all elite.
It was also because he had completely integrated World-in-Hand, a power that held limitless potential, that so many strong warriors had willingly joined him.
John felt a chill in his heart upon hearing this.
10,000 warriors at the peak of eight stars was far more powerful than 100,000 seven-star warriors.
The Heavenly King’s forces were indeed formidable.
The others also understood his situation and had no objections.
“Shadow King, what about you?” Zeus, the God King, turned his gaze to the silent figure of the man in the black robe standing off to the side.
The Shadow King, one of the Seven Great Kings, had replaced the Immortal King and risen to power recently. His forces were comparable to the Forest King’s.
Everyone turned their attention to him.
“Hm?” John frowned. He sensed a familiar aura emanating from the man—a dark power that was even stronger than the darkness that resided within the Black Magicians of the Celestial Vault.
This man must be a master of the dark laws, possibly having even comprehended the Darkness Heaven Law.
The Shadow King, seeing that all eyes were on him, remained calm and glanced briefly at the Nine Phoenix Emperor. He spoke indifferently, “My lord, I don’t think we are a match for Dark City. I won’t send my men to their deaths.”
The others furrowed their brows, their faces displaying dissatisfaction.
“Hmph!” Nine Phoenix sneered coldly at him, “Not sending your men to their deaths? Does that mean all your strong warriors are already dead?”
Everyone was confused by her words.
But the Shadow King’s expression shifted slightly, and he unconsciously swallowed.
Nine Phoenix continued, “You think I didn’t notice your aura the last time I entered Dark City? Shadow, you’ve hidden yourself so well, yet you still dare to collude with Senren.”
The last time I entered Dark City?
John was taken aback. Nine Phoenix Emperor was probably referring to the time she entered Dark City to rescue him.
The Shadow King, however, became calm and spoke, “So you knew all along. In that case, there’s no need to hide it anymore.”
Nine Phoenix was right. He indeed didn’t have 100,000 strong warriors at his disposal. Most of the powerful warriors in his territory had been given to Senren for experiments.
His territory was already in ruins. He had thought he had hidden this well, but it seemed Nine Phoenix had already figured it out.
Boom!
With a loud explosion, Nine Phoenix erupted. A fiery shadow shot forward, aiming for the Shadow King.
His face slightly changed, and dark power surged within him.
Boom!
Flames surged violently, and his figure dissipated into nothingness, leaving behind an illusion.
“Cough!”
At that moment, the Shadow King’s figure appeared several dozen meters away. Although he had narrowly avoided Nine Phoenix’s attack, he was still injured.
An Emperor-level expert was simply not someone he could withstand.
“Damn it, Nine Phoenix Emperor, today will be the day you all die!” His face twisted in rage as he stopped hiding, and spatial power surged around him.
It was World-in-Hand.
Whoosh…
World-in-Hand opened, and hundreds of thousands of troops descended.
They were Black Magicians from the Celestial Vault organization, and leading them were two men in black robes, exuding powerful auras.
“Senren!” John recognized one of them immediately. It was Senren, the Lord of Dark City.
The other was one of the four great Lords of Dark City, a baron.
Nine Phoenix’s gaze turned cold as she stared at the two of them, her killing intent palpable. “Senren, Baron, you’re bold indeed, to dare openly invade Fire Phoenix City.”
“Hmph, Nine Phoenix Emperor, today we settle both old and new scores.” Senren’s expression darkened as he casually waved his hand. The spatial power rippled, and a large group of black-robed figures appeared.
These figures were not Black Magicians, but their auras were powerful and strange.
“People from Underground City?” John wondered aloud. The aura surrounding them was similar to that of the survivors from Underground City. Their life force was faint, or in some cases, nonexistent.
“Dark Puppets!” The Heavenly King gasped, his expression changing slightly as he coldly glared at Senren and the Baron. “You’re truly cruel. You’ve gone so far as to directly refine these strong warriors into puppets.”
“Hmph, it’s their honor,” Senren scoffed. In his eyes, these people were no more than ants, completely insignificant.
“Kill!” A roar echoed as a massive wave of dark puppets surged forward.
Senren and the Baron led the Black Magicians in a rapid retreat, quickly setting up the Demon’s Sky Formation.
“Seeking death!” Nine Phoenix was enraged. Red flames erupted around her, and she charged directly at the puppet army.
Boom!
A deafening explosion shook the ground as a violent tremor rippled through the air. The immense energy sent shockwaves flying.
John and the others were sent flying by the blast.
Even Nine Phoenix was forced back.
“Self-detonate!” John gasped in shock. These dark puppets’ attack methods were identical to those of the powerful beings from Underground City.
But these dark puppets were far stronger. They wielded the dark Heavenly Laws!
“Damn it!” Nine Phoenix was furious beyond measure. A massive nine-headed Fire Phoenix illusion appeared behind her.
Clang!
A sharp, piercing cry of a phoenix rang out, and a sea of flames swept through the sky, engulfing the dark puppets.
The temperature around them skyrocketed, and it felt as though the very air was burning.
The dark puppets didn’t even have time to self-destruct before they were instantly reduced to ash, leaving nothing behind.
This wasn’t ordinary fire—it also contained a potent force of the Heavenly Laws.
So strong!
John was secretly astonished. He realized that even nine-star experts would struggle to withstand such a fiery assault.
Senren, witnessing this scene, also had a slight change in his expression. Dark Heavenly Laws surged around him, and he coldly said, “Demon’s Sky Formation, activate!”
Whoosh!
The wind howled, and endless dark power surged forth.
The Demon’s Sky Formation was now fully set, a powerful formation laid by over a hundred thousand Black Magicians working together, with Senren and the Baron at the helm. Its power was immense.
Boom boom…
In the sky, countless Dark Orbs rained down, crashing toward them.
These Dark Orbs contained formidable dark Heavenly Laws, and John and his group were immediately in unbearable agony.
Even Nine Phoenix Emperor didn’t dare to take them head-on. Her flames swirled around her as she desperately attacked the formation.
But it was futile. She couldn’t break through.
“Heavenly King!” she called out urgently.
“I understand!” The Heavenly King nodded and stepped forward. His World-in-Hand activated, intending to block the attacks from the Demon’s Sky Formation like he had done last time.
Boom boom…
The Dark Orbs exploded one by one, all of them blocked by the Heavenly King’s World-in-Hand.
However, he didn’t dare to be careless. He quickly shouted, “Nine Phoenix Emperor, I can’t hold this for long. We must break out quickly!”
Nine Phoenix nodded, and leading the others, they surged forward toward the formation’s edge under the protection of the Heavenly King’s shielded world.