Chapter 485: Seizing Fragments and Entering Seclusion for Cultivation
"Elsa, I didn't expect you to break through to nine stars," the girls surrounded her, their faces full of admiration.
They had been following John for a while now, and their cultivation had advanced quite quickly, but none of them had yet reached the nine-star mark.
Elsa smiled and replied, "It's just an increase in cultivation; my strength still doesn't match Sini's or the others'."
She was being honest. Sini and the others' strength couldn't be judged solely by their cultivation level.
"Alright, we can catch up later," John interrupted them, then asked, "Elsa, did you manage to escape the Church of Light?"
"No, I'm here to report something important to the master," Elsa answered, her eyes fixed on him. Her beautiful eyes blinked, and there was a faint glimmer of tears.
It had been a long time since she had seen John. Though she knew he was fine due to their life-sharing bond, Realm of Chaos was full of dangers, and she was always on edge, worrying about him.
She continued, "Master, there are two things. First, Creator God has set his sights on the Initial World. He sent Anixegon to capture you and Sini. It seems only the two of you can open the passage to the Initial World."
John nodded. This news didn't come as a surprise to him.
Fortunately, Creator God couldn't descend into Realm of Chaos, so he was safe for now.
"What's the second thing?" he asked.
Elsa spoke again, "The second matter concerns Anixegon. After his failure to take Dark City, he forced Celestial Vault to re-cultivate the Ten Thousand Souls Bloodthirst Sovereign Technique to help him refine a city. Also, more than a million Black Magicians who had joined Celestial Vault were slaughtered. He sent us to continue hunting powerful beings above the seven-star level, including magical beasts, to collect their bodies."
"They actually want to use the Ten Thousand Souls Bloodthirst Sovereign Technique again!" Nine Phoenix gritted her teeth, her face full of shock.
Celestial Vault's brutal methods had already instilled fear in them.
Now it seemed that Anixegon was just as vicious.
Chaos Emperor spoke, "John, we need to find a way to stop this. If Anixegon succeeds, we're all dead."
John nodded in agreement, though he remembered what Merciless Emperor had said—Light City was protected by the Holy Light Judgment Array, which they could not breach.
He turned to Elsa and asked, "Do you know anything about the Holy Light Judgment Array in Light City?"
"The Holy Light Judgment Array?" She looked confused, shaking her head. "Master, what is that?"
"It's a powerful formation that we can't break," John said helplessly.
But now that Anixegon was forcing Celestial Vault to refine a new city, they had no choice but to stop it, even if they didn't have a clear plan. They had to take the risk.
If Anixegon succeeded, it would be the end of them all.
John decided to first seize the known fragments of The Heaven God Tablet to strengthen his cultivation. Once his strength increased, he would take action against Light City.
Celestial Vault's use of the Ten Thousand Souls Bloodthirst Sovereign Technique to refine a city couldn't possibly succeed so quickly.
He continued, "Elsa, you should stay as well. I still can't trust Anixegon completely."
Elsa was touched, and a little tempted, but she shook her head, "Master, my identity hasn't been exposed yet, so I can still help you by delivering messages. Also, the Holy Light Judgment Array is indeed powerful, but there might be a weakness within the city. If that's the case, I could still assist you."
"No, that's too dangerous," John decisively rejected her. Once Elsa's identity was exposed, Solondz wouldn't spare her.
"Don't worry, master, I know my limits," she replied firmly. "I can sense that Anixegon heavily relies on us nine-star Church of Light members. I won't be in danger."
Seeing that John was about to argue further, she added, "Master, I still have the life-sharing bond with you. I won't take unnecessary risks. If I sense anything wrong, I'll escape immediately."
Seeing her determined attitude, John sighed helplessly and finally agreed.
Elsa felt reluctant, but she knew she couldn't reveal herself. She greeted Sini and the others before leaving without hesitation.
"We should go too, and seize the The Heaven God Tablet fragments," John said. Time was of the essence, and he needed to increase his strength as much as possible.
…
John and the others continued to search for The Heaven God Tablet fragments.
This time, with him taking charge, things went much more smoothly.
Under the terrifying pressure of Dark City, those Emperor-level cultivators had no choice but to submit and obediently hand over the fragments.
However, none of them were willing to join John. They only promised that they would act against the Church of Light.
It was clear that these individuals still had reservations—they were afraid to offend John, but they also didn't dare provoke the Church of Light.
John didn't press them too hard and simply took the fragments.
In one week, he found seventeen more fragments of The Heaven God Tablet.
Including those that had fallen into Realm of Chaos, he now had fifty-one fragments, nearly half of the total.
At least fifty more fragments had fallen into the Void.
But the Nine-Headed Lion was guarding that area, and John didn't dare provoke it for now.
He decided to refine and absorb the current fragments of The Heaven God Tablet to enhance his strength and deal with the Church of Light.
Once his power increased and he reached the Emperor realm, he would eliminate the Nine-Headed Lion and escape from there.
He turned to the others and said, "I need to enter seclusion to cultivate. You should do your best to stop the Church of Light from killing any strong individuals, but make sure to prioritize your own safety. If there's any danger, contact me immediately."
Nine Phoenix nodded and said, "Don't worry, John. With us here, we won't let anything happen to those around you."
She, along with Chaos and Heavenly King, were all Emperor-level experts. As long as Anixegon didn't intervene personally, they could handle any of the Church of Light's forces.
John didn't say anything more. His mind stirred as he entered World-in-Hand and took out a pile of The Heaven God Tablet fragments. A powerful wave of The Heaven's law energy rippled as he began to refine and absorb them.
He had already confirmed that the God-Devouring Curse on them had disappeared, so there was no danger involved.
…
John entered his seclusion.
The Realm of Chaos was already in a state of utter turmoil.
A large number of Church of Light members and nine-star Black Magicians had arrived, searching and slaughtering all those above the seven-star level.
Even magical beasts weren't spared.
Many nine-star experts had already fallen.
Nine Phoenix had reached out to other Emperor-level cultivators, urging them to protect the others.
But those guys were all hiding like turtles, offering no help at all.
With the The Heaven God Tablet shattered and the power of laws dissipated in the Realm of Chaos, everyone could only rely on their own energy to survive.
If they joined the battles, their energy consumption would be severe, and without replenishment, they would surely die.
Some even went so far as to kill other strong individuals to absorb their power and increase their cultivation.
Among them was a mid-stage one-star Emperor. Fortunately, the True Dragon Emperor intervened and killed him, saving Nine Phoenix and the others.
At this moment, they had just defeated a Church of Light squad—over a hundred of them, all nine-star cultivators.
The group took a short rest.
Their success in finding these groups was thanks to Elsa's information.
Heavenly King directly collected the corpses into World-in-Hand, refining and absorbing them. He spoke, "In the past few days, the Church of Light has been very active. Including the magical beasts, I fear nearly a million strong individuals have fallen. At this rate, it won't be long before they can refine a new city."
The group's expressions were heavy.
Chaos Emperor nodded, saying, "I wonder how much John has improved in his cultivation."
John was their only hope.
The atmosphere grew tense, and Nine Phoenix decided to change the subject. She looked at Sini and Tracy, surprised. "You two are still cultivating?"
During this time, their cultivation hadn't advanced at all, but their strength had increased considerably.
Sini had already broken through to the nine-star level, while Tracy had reached the late-eight-star stage. Given their progress, it wouldn't be long before Tracy also reached nine stars.
The two women had been with them all this time, and Nine Phoenix hadn't seen them engage in any kind of cultivation. She was curious—could the fragments of The Heaven God Tablet still increase one's strength?
The others also looked at them with curiosity.
Tracy only smiled without saying much. It was her secret—though she trusted the group, she didn't want to reveal it.
Sini thought for a moment before speaking. "It has to do with talent."
Both of them had copied John's Plunder talent. By killing enemies, they could plunder their attributes, unaffected by the laws of The Heaven. The speed of their improvement was far faster than normal cultivation.
The group was a bit disappointed but didn't ask further.
If it were another method of cultivation, they might be able to try it, but since it was a talent, there was nothing they could do.
"Well, John has come out of seclusion." At that moment, Sini received a message from John and quickly spoke.
"Really?" Nine Phoenix asked, a hint of joy in her voice as she let out a relieved sigh.
These past few days, she had been under a lot of pressure, worried that Anixegon might have already refined a new city. If that happened, they would all be doomed.
With John out of seclusion, it was time to strike against the Church of Light.
Sini nodded, stood up, and said, "Let's go, back to World-in-Hand."
As she spoke, she tore open a crack in space and led the group back to John's World-in-Hand.
...
World-in-Hand.
"Mid-level nine-star?" John checked his cultivation and was greatly disappointed.
He had refined over fifty The Heaven God Tablet fragments, and both the power of laws and World-in-Hand had seen significant improvements. His four primary attributes had each increased by fifty million points.
But his cultivation had only risen to the mid-nine-star level, far from what he had hoped for.
Given the number of The Heaven God Tablet fragments, he had expected to at least reach the late-nine-star level, if not the peak of nine stars.
Yet now, he had just broken through to mid-nine-star.
"Kid, be content. What ordinary cultivator has such terrifying speed of improvement?" Gaka's voice echoed from within The Tree of Life.
John didn't respond.
At this moment, several figures flashed, and Sini and the others appeared.
"John, how much have you improved?" Chaos Emperor asked impatiently.
John didn't say much and simply revealed his aura.
"Mid-nine-star?" The group sensed his cultivation and couldn't help but frown.
Clearly, they hadn't expected that, after refining and absorbing so many The Heaven God Tablet fragments, John's cultivation had only risen to the mid-nine-star level.
Nine Phoenix Emperor spoke, "John, we can't delay any longer. During your seclusion, the Church of Light has been very active. They've killed a large number of seven-star and above experts, as well as magical beasts. I suspect that it won't be long before Celestial Vault is able to refine a new city."
John nodded and said calmly, "In that case, let's make our move."