Chapter 329: Chapter 329: Spirit Stone Rewards, Lich War
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[The first trial is over. The Immortals faction has emerged victorious.]
[All members of The Immortals faction receive 100 low-grade Spirit Stones. The top three enemy yers are awarded 100 mid-grade Spirit Stones.]
A notification appeared, and John received 100 mid-grade Spirit Stones.
"Spirit crystal? What are these?" He retrieved a finger-sized, translucent Spirit Stone, examining it curiously.
Ice Talker exined, "These are treasures that enhance specific powers, even rarer than ordinary Spirit Stones."
Low-grade Spirit crystals could enhance 10 points of spiritual power or attributes such as natural force or demon energy upon refinement.
Mid-grade Spirit crystals could enhance 20 points of spiritual power.
"What an incredible treasure!" John eximed. Spiritual power was usually umted by absorbing ordinary Spirit Stones and converting them into mental attributes at a ratio of 100 points of mental attributes to 1 point of spiritual power.
However, these Spirit crystals directly boosted spiritual power or other attributes, making them invaluable.
"I didn''t get any mid-grade Spirit crystal. If I''d known, I would''ve hunted more Shadow n puppets," Terranmented. He had ced fifth in the enemy-ying rankings and only received 100 low-grade Spirit Stones.
Cand-Dragon and Jolyne simrly received only 100 low-grade Spirit Spirit crystals.
The top three yers were John, Ice Talker, and Burning Sky.
"The Secret Area rewards Spirit Stones as standard prizes!" Other strongpetitors from various races felt deep regret, wishing they had gone all out against the Shadow n puppets.
At that moment, the scenery shifted. The group found themselves standing in a dense forest as another notification shed.
[The second trial of The Secret Area begins: Lich War.]
[Participants may choose to join the Beast n, Witch n, Underworld n, or Sea n.]
[Combat is permitted between members of different factions, with no protection from universalws.]
[If the Beast n wins, they will advance to the next stage. If the Witch n wins, participants will receive Chaos Force rewards, and The Secret Area will close. Choose your faction now.]
"Lich War?" John muttered in surprise. He nced at Cand-Dragon and asked, "Did the Beast n ever fight the Witch n?"
Cand-Dragon looked equally puzzled. After a moment of thought, he replied, "There is an old legend about it. The Beast n once established the Heavenly Court and became incredibly powerful. But how it fell, I don''t know-it was long before my time."
Ice Talker interjected, "If your Beast n could rival the Witch n, then you must have had Lord God-level powerhouses during your peak."
Her gaze shifted to Burning Sky, her expression icy. This time, it seemed inevitable they would sh directly with the Witch n.
"My Sea n is an option here. Naturally, I''m joining my own faction," said an Overseer from the Sea n smugly, throwing a provocative nce at John.
The members of the Underworld n simrly chose their own faction without hesitation.
The Witch n faction, with Burning Sky-ate-stage three-star Overseer-was undoubtedly a formidable force. Few others stood a chance against them.
The Witch n''s victory came with the coveted Chaos Force reward, capable of enhancing the World-in-Hand—an unparalleled temptation for any The Overseer.
Moreover, given that the ultimate reward in The Immortals'' Secret Area might not necessarily suit their respective races, many participants found it more pragmatic to side with the faction with higher chances of winning-the Witch n.
"Godyer, which faction should we join?" Cand-Dragon asked, clearly unconvinced that the Beast n had any chance of victory.
A loss not only meant forfeiting The Secret Area''s treasures but also potentially losing their lives.
"Of course, the Beast n," John replied without the slightest hesitation, decisively aligning himself with the Beast n.
He was unfazed by thepetition. If it came down to a fight, even Burning Sky might not be able to defeat him.
Most powerhouses from the various races chose the Witch n faction.
Yet, unexpectedly, Burning Sky began walking toward John''s side.
"Sir, you''re mistaken. Our side is the Witch n faction," someone called out quickly upon noticing Burning Sky heading toward the Beast n faction.
John, too, was puzzled by this move, unable to fathom what the man was nning.
Wearing an amused smile, Burning Sky spoke calmly, "I appreciate everyone''s support for my Witch n. But this time, I choose the Beast n faction."
"What... what?"
"Sir, you must be joking," came panicked voices from the crowd.
Most of those who chose the Witch n faction had not done so for the Chaos Force reward
but rather out of fear of Burning Sky''s overwhelming power.
But now, he had unexpectedly chosen the Beast n faction, putting himself at odds with the
Witch n.
"Sir, think carefully! Doing this is tantamount to betraying the Witch n!"
"Damn it, I''m joining the Beast n too!"
"This guy is messing with us!"
...
The crowd erupted into curses and outrage. Some even tried to switch to the Beast n faction, but once a faction was joined, it was irreversible.
Burning Sky led several Witch n elites and decisively joined the Beast n faction.
Meanwhile, the remaining undecided members of the Eternal n and Sky God n also aligned themselves with the Beast n.
Smiling, Burning Sky nced at John and Ice Talker, then said, "Looks like we''re allies now."
"Hmph!" Ice Talker scoffed disdainfully, unwilling to engage with him.
John, however, felt a pang of disappointment; he had hoped to use this opportunity to
eliminate Burning Sky.
Fixing a questioning gaze on him, John asked, "Are you aiming for The Immortals'' reward? Do you know what the final reward in The Secret Area is?"
"I don''t know," Burning Sky replied casually, "but the final reward is definitely more enticing than Chaos Force." His expression was calm, as though Chaos Force wasn''t even worth his
attention.
John frowned but chose not to respond further.
At this point, all factions had made their selections: Witch n''s side: Sea n, Underworld n, Shadow n, Sky n, and Titan n.
Beast n''s side: John, Nature n, members of the Witch n led by Burning Sky, and
Eternal n.
With Burning Sky and Humdwar, bothte-stage three-star Overseers, the Beast n clearly
had the upper hand.
[Factions confirmed. Lich War begins.]
The notification from The Secret Area rang out, and the atmosphere immediately grew tense
as both sides prepared for battle.
"We Sky Gods withdraw from this round of The Secret Area trials," a powerhouse from the Sky n announced abruptly.
"We Titans withdraw as well," dered a Titan Overseer, leading his n members to step
aside.
Participants could withdraw from their faction before the battle officially started, though doing so meant failing the trial and forfeiting entry to the next stage.
"You...!" The remaining powerhouses on the Lich faction seethed in anger, but many began to
voice their intention to quit as well.
It was at that moment that John and Burning Sky struck simultaneously. des of light filled the air as ck mes surged. Theirbined assault drew everyone still in the Lich faction
into the fray, leaving them no option to withdraw.
"You bastards!"
"Despicable!"
The Sea n, Underworld n, and Shadow n were caught off guard and forced to engage
in battle. Chaos erupted as they scrambled to defend themselves.
"Human," Burning Sky sneered, turning to John with a provocative grin. "Care topete?
Let''s see who gets first ce this time."
"Deal!" John agreed without hesitation.
"Ha! Then you''ve already lost." Burning Sky smirked, raising his hand as ck mes surgedn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
forth, engulfing over 500 powerhouses across three factions.
Screams of agony echoed through the battlefield as victims writhed and struggled in the
hellish mes.
Burning Sky''s Hellfire was terrifyingly powerful. Even Ice Talker struggled to withstand it, let alone the weakerbatants who were consumed instantly.
At this rate, it was clear Burning Sky intended to annihte everyone in his path. John, unwilling to let him have his way, activated his World-in-Hand ability. In an instant,
the powerhouses from all three factions, including Ice Talker and herpanions, were
absorbed into his World-in-Hand.
"What?" Burning Sky frowned as his intended victims disappeared.
He hadn''t expected John to dare use his World-in-Hand to take in so many powerful beings. Even he wouldn''t have risked such an audacious move.
"Foolish," Burning Sky muttered with disdain. "If your World-in-Hand is destroyed, you''re
as good as dead."
Inside the World-in-Hand
Agonized cries reverberated throughout the dimension.
The eerie ck mes clung tenaciously to the trapped powerhouses, refusing to dissipate.
Several upper-tier gods began to smolder from within, ck smoke pouring from their bodies before theybusted entirely, wiped out without resistance.
John was taken aback. Burning Sky''s Hellfire was far more horrifying than he had imagined.
Only upper-tier gods at their peak and Overseers could barely withstand it, avoiding certain
death.
"You, human! How dare you trap us in your World-in-Hand? Utter foolishness!" Yealper from the Shadow n growled, barely holding off the burning Hellfire. He scanned the surroundings with a scornful expression.
He sneered coldly, "Let''s destroy this human''s World-in-Hand first. After that, we''ll figure
out how to deal with Burning Sky and his group."
"No!" someone quickly objected. "If we leave here, we''ll be killed for sure. We should stay and force this human to abandon the trial and take us out of here." "That makes sense!" The crowd''s eyes lit up in agreement, nodding one after the other.
An Overseer from the Underworld n turned to John, his tone icy. "Human, you wouldn''t want your precious World-in-Hand destroyed, would you? Abandon the trial. Take us out, and we''ll spare your life."
"That''s right. Otherwise, not only you but everyone with you will die!" others chimed in, their
voices heavy with threat.
Ice Talker''s face darkened with anger, but deep down, she worried that John''s World-in- Hand might not withstand the power of theirbined assaults.
There were 13 Overseers, 7 Shadow n city lords, and 400 upper-tier gods at their peak here
- a force not to be underestimated.
"Ha! You should worry about yourselves first," John scoffed, unfazed by their threats. He
didn''t even bother to use Heaven and Earth Transformation, raising his hand as a blood-red mist engulfed the area-his Blood Domain activated.
"What an overwhelming Shadow Power!" someone eximed, finding their strength
drastically suppressed within the blood fog.
"Impossible! Human, how can you wield such potent Shadow Power?" Yealper was stunned.
As a city lord who controlled 10% of the Shadow n''s Power of Laws, he had never felt so constrained. Yet, even he couldn''t escape the suppressive force of John''s Blood Domain. "Destroy the Blood Domain first!"manded an Overseer from the Underworld n. Power surged around him, his Power of Laws resisting the domain''s pressure as he unleashed a
devastating strike.
The others followed suit, theirbined Power of Laws erupting into a torrent of terrifying attacks that shattered the Blood Domain within seconds.
The domain held up for barely a dozen seconds before copsing under the overwhelming
onught.
The Blood Domain was effective against regr upper-tier gods, but it couldn''t stand against
Overseers.
"Human, this is yourst chance," Yealper sneered coldly. "Agree to take us out, or die!" John''s patience wore thin. Without a word, he summoned a myriad of sword lights, unleashing his Return of Ten Thousand Swords technique.
"You arrogant fool! Let''s teach him a lesson first!" the crowd roared angrily, deciding not to destroy the World-in-Hand but insteadunching their attacks at John.