Chapter 236: Chapter 236: Hunters Descend, Abandoning Death Land
Chapter 236: Hunters Descend, Abandoning Death Land
Kamal frowned and said, "Godslayer, I don't particularly like you. But since Sini chose you, I can only help you this much. Whether or not you can deal with the current trouble is up to you."
After speaking, she paid no further attention to John, her mind shifting as she left Death Land. "Master, what should we do?" Avis asked gravely.
John furrowed his brows, unable to come up with a solution at the moment.
"Let's return to the Saint Martial Sect." With a thought, he left Death Land and returned to the Saint Martial Sect.
Roar... Roar...
The air was filled with furious roars and battle cries. Around them, a sea of Hunters surged forward.
Saint Martial Sect, Flame City, and the elves were doing their best to hold the line, but the players had already started suffering casualties.
Everyone knew that death at the hands of these Hunters meant true death. Yet, they weren't willing to abandon Saint Martial Sect so easily.
"Hate Mark!" A furious shout echoed as a demigod-ranked Hunter fixed its gaze on John.
"Attack! Take him down first!" it roared, and countless Hunters surged forward like a tidal
wave.
John hovered in the air, his brow furrowed, though he felt no fear toward these creatures.
He could tell that these Hunters were entirely different from the previous ones.
He was certain these were newly descended Hunters.
To test his suspicion, he directly used a soul skill-an attack targeting the soul.
Buzz!
The air trembled as his powerful soul force struck the leading Hunter.
"Cough!" John suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood as his soul suffered backlash.
As he suspected, these Hunters possessed incredibly strong souls, and there was a new queen bug behind them.
"Foolish human, how dare you provoke the Hunters? You will die!" Roars filled the air as countless Hunters swarmed over John.
"John!" Sini gasped in shock upon seeing this. She already knew that John had descended to Skyline Continent in his true body.
Even if he hadn't, these strange Hunters could still completely kill players.
She was about to rush to his aid.
Buzz!
Suddenly, the air hummed with sword intent, and an endless wave of sword light enveloped the area.
John unleashed his ultimate skill, Return of Ten Thousand Swords. His powerful attack instantly slaughtered all the surrounding Hunters. Even the leading demigod-ranked Hunter was effortlessly cut down by him.
[You have killed a Level 5000 Tier 9 Hunter, gaining 17.6 million experience points.]
[You have killed a Tier 9 Legendary Hunter, gaining 563 million experience points.]n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
[Plunder Talent activated: You have gained 0.01 Shadow Power, +100 Spirit, +10 Skill Points.]
...
The notification messages flashed continuously, and the surrounding Hunters were wiped out in an instant.
But before he could even catch his breath, countless more Hunters surged toward him.
John didn't strike again. He had thought of a solution.
He immediately shouted, "Everyone, get into Death Land!"
"Brother-in-law, what about the Saint Martial Sect?" Armstrong quickly asked.
John shook his head and said, "We can't hold it. Let it go. We'll rebuild later." Though Armstrong was unwilling, he still entered Death Land with the others. In an instant, everyone disappeared.
The Hunters, unaware of Death Land's coordinates, couldn't follow them.
Losing their targets, the Hunters' fury turned toward the Saint Martial Sect, and they began destroying everything in sight.
Before long, the Saint Martial Sect was completely annihilated.
In Death Land.
Everyone gathered around John, waiting for his next decision.
John furrowed his brow. Death Land was no longer safe. The demon race, Skyline Continent humans, and other powerful beings could show up at any moment to attack him.
He had already decided to temporarily abandon Death Land.
With powerful beings from various races hunting him, he thought of a safer place-the Ancient Battlefield Ruins!
There were many Hunters there, and the gods from the various races wouldn't dare descend.
Moreover, the queen bug's nest within the ruins was a natural stronghold, easy to defend and difficult to attack. If he could secure it, he could guarantee their safety and level up at the same time.
However, the cave was small, and he couldn't bring everyone. The larger the group, the bigger the target, and that would be less safe.
At this point, his forces had dwindled to just the elves, the Undying Legion, and a few individuals like Elsa, Sara, Behemoth, and the Undead Lord.
The powerful members of the Beast Clan had already returned to their clan. Though Tony and the others were willing to help John, they didn't dare defy the orders of the Cand-Dragon.
John didn't mind this.
He looked around at everyone and spoke gravely, "I'm afraid we can't hold onto Death Land anymore, and I'm being targeted by powerful beings from various races. The safest place now is the Ancient Battlefield Ruins, where the Hunters are."
"Boss, you're insane!" Ritchie exclaimed, startled by John's plan. He quickly added, "Those Hunters came from the Ancient Battlefield Ruins, and they're targeting you specifically. Besides, you've already-"
He glanced briefly at Sini, hesitating to continue.
He didn't know that Sini was already aware of John's descent to Skyline Continent in his true
body.
"I have a way to deal with the Hunters," John said confidently. He looked around the group and continued, "But I can't guarantee everyone's safety. This time, I'm only taking some Blues Family members, the elves, Jean, Ada, Sara, Elsa, and a few others."
Among the elves, there were no deities. The strongest, Bonnie, had already signed a soul
contract with John.
The elves were the only race on Skyline Continent he could trust. Although their numbers were small, once they leveled up, they would become a powerful asset for him.
Ding!
At that moment, his private chat alert sounded-it was from Armstrong.
John gave him a puzzled look before checking the message.
Revitalizing Ancient Martial Arts: Brother-in-law, Sini already knows that you've descended
to Skyline Continent. She stole a spatial stone and has also descended.
What?!
John glared at Armstrong, then turned to look at Sini.
"Hmph!" Sini snorted coldly, her gaze sharp.
It was clear that she was still upset about John hiding his descent to Skyline Continent from
her.
John felt helpless, knowing there was no time to explain everything to Sini now. He would have to address it later.
His attention shifted to the treasures within Death Land.
He had already refined The Immortals' Inheritance and could take it with him, but The Tree of Life, Dark Sea, and Vein of the Earth were different-he had no way to take them.
"Big brother," Jean approached him, sensing what he was thinking, and said, "I can take The
Tree of Life."
"Really?" John looked at her, surprised and delighted.
She nodded, then ran over to The Tree of Life, gently touching the thick trunk while
whispering softly to it.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, The Tree of Life shrank, transforming into a streak of light, which was absorbed
directly into Jean's forehead.
"All done!" She ran back to John, clapping her hands happily.
With The Tree of Life taken away, the vitality in Death Land disappeared, replaced by a gray
mist, restoring the land to its former state.
With Vein of the Earth and Dark Sea still present, the corrosive darkness here was now even
stronger than before.
Fortunately, everyone was powerful, even the players were now above Tier 6, so they wouldn't be in immediate danger.
John quickly retrieved The Immortals' Inheritance and wasted no time. He looked at Ritchie and the others, instructing, "We'll leave first and draw the Hunters away. After that, you can leave and linger near the edge of the Eternal Forest. Focus on leveling up as much as
possible."
"Don't worry, boss, I know what to do," Ritchie nodded confidently.
Without further words, John led the group out of Death Land.
Whoosh!
They descended onto what was left of the Saint Martial Sect.
By now, the Saint Martial Sect had been mostly destroyed by the Hunters.
Chris looked on, his face filled with sorrow.
"Roar..."
"Human, you will die!"
Coming the angry roars of the Hunters as they swarmed toward John upon seeing him appear.
"Fight your way out!" John ordered coldly, wielding his Sword of Divinity and Demons. He
unleashed several powerful spells of light and darkness, cutting down swathes of Hunters. There were over two thousand elves in total, most of whom were Tier 6 or Tier 7 in strength, but they hadn't yet gained the ability to fly.
Avis couldn't carry so many people, and John had no choice but to lead them on foot.
Fortunately, their speed wasn't slow, and with John's terrifying magic and sword skills, the Hunters couldn't get close. However, completely shaking them off was impossible. The group pressed northward, making their way toward the Ancient Battlefield Ruins.
John proactively brought Sini, Tracy, Chris, and Peter into the party.
Since they had all descended into the world of Gods, death here meant true, permanent death.
Strengthening themselves was now of utmost importance.
Boom! Boom!
Terrifying bursts of magic echoed as John relentlessly slaughtered the Hunters.
Yet their numbers didn't diminish; instead, they seemed to increase.
These creatures were drawn by the Hunters' hate mark etched on John.
In a way, this was a good thing. With so many Hunters around, the powerful beings from
various races wouldn't dare make a move against him.
Especially the upper-tier gods, who posed a far greater threat to him than the Hunters.
"John, can you still keep going?" Sini asked, concerned. He had been fighting nonstop for an entire day and night, and yet the Hunters still surrounded them in endless waves.
Among them, only Elsa and the Undead Lord were demigods and could barely fend off the
Hunters.
The others were of little help.
Especially since they had over two thousand elves and more than three hundred members of the Blues Family to protect, which only added to John's burden. John was tired, but he smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm far from my limit."
"But the number of Hunters is increasing, and at our current pace, it'll take at least another
day to reach the Ancient Battlefield Ruins," Sini replied, her worry deepening. As they drew closer to the ruins, the Hunters would become stronger, more numerous, and more frenzied. She felt guilty, knowing she couldn't offer more help to John.
"Big brother," Jean suddenly spoke, looking at him. "I can control The Tree of Life to
temporarily block the Hunters' attacks."
"Really?" Everyone's eyes lit up as they turned toward John, seeking his confirmation.
John looked at Jean, intrigued, recalling the hint Ben had given him before he left.
This little girl certainly had some secrets.
But now wasn't the time for questions. Shaking his head, he replied, "No rush. I'll let you
know when I can't hold them off anymore."
He increased the frequency of his attacks, quickening their pace forward.
The others didn't press the issue, doing their best to assist John in cutting down the
surrounding Hunters.
...