Online Game: Starting with an SSS-Level Plundering Talent - Chapter 240

Chapter 240: Chapter 240: Talent Copy Stone and One Breath, Three Purities
“Cough!” Suddenly, John spat out a mouthful of blood, his soul suffering a backlash.

“Damn, I almost forgot—there are still four other Hunter Queens here,” he muttered, fighting off the dizziness in his head as he wiped the blood from his mouth. With no other choice, he continued his relentless attacks.

Though the Queen he had killed left her Hunters without protection, the remaining four Queens were still alive.

These Hunters not just the kindred with the dead Queen.

The cave was cramped, and the Hunters posed little danger to him. As he slaughtered the remaining Hunters, he collected the items dropped by the dead Queen.

Among the loot were over ten thousand sets of artifacts, many of which were mid-grade, though none were high-grade.

Additionally, there were a vast number of elemental Spirit Stones, bloodline awakening stones, and various items useful for fusing treasures.

The most valuable part of the haul was the skill stones.

He had acquired more than four million skill stones—enough to level up his Immortal Sword Technique to 10,000.

Of course, what he was most excited about was the Soul Essence.

“Huh, what’s this?” Nearby, two milky white stones caught his attention.

These two stones, along with the Soul Essence, had dropped from the Hunter Queen.

Curious, John inspected them.

[Talent Copy Stone: Allows you to copy one talent from a target. This will cause some damage to the target’s soul. The stone disappears after use.]

[Note: Unique talents can also be copied, but the target must be willing. No mind control or coercion allowed.]

John frowned. This item seemed a bit tricky.

Copying talents sounded powerful, but the condition that the target had to be fully willing limited its potential. You couldn’t force it, even through hypnosis or mind control.

Only those closest to him would likely agree to such a request.

His companions have no talent can attract him.

Though John’s talents were suitable for his companions, the soul damage caused by the stone made him reluctant to use it for now.

He casually stored the two Talent Copy Stones and turned his attention back to the Soul Essence.

Fortunately, the Undying Flame hadn’t dissipated yet, so he could use it to refine and fuse with the Soul Essence.

“Right, the Red Lotus Fire is also a special flame. I wonder if it can refine the Soul Essence?” John mused, as a red flame danced to life in his palm.

“Just as I thought!” John grinned with excitement, realizing it was indeed possible. However, the refining process was much slower compared to using the Undying Flame.

Moreover, using the Undying Flame had an additional benefit—it would allow his Crimson Karma Lotus to absorb the flame and grow stronger.

“Time to fight my way out and continue refining with the Undying Flame.” After thoroughly checking the cave for anything he might have missed, John prepared to leave.

Whoosh!

Several Dark Orbs appeared, rapidly compressing as he once again activated the dark magic skill, Annihilation.

The demigod-level Hunters stood no chance before him.

John easily burst out of the cave. Perhaps because the Hunters’ hatred mark on him had deepened, the surrounding Hunters became even more frenzied, swarming toward him like a massive tide.

Inside the cave, he had to be cautious, fearing that the cave might collapse.

But outside, in the open sky and vast terrain, he could fight without restraint.

The Three-Foot Black Dragon Sword split into three, spinning wildly, cutting through the surrounding Hunters like a whirlwind.

Perhaps it was due to his upgraded Three-Apertured Exquisite Heart, but controlling three flying swords simultaneously now felt even more natural and fluid.

The buzzing sword intent filled the air as powerful laws of light and darkness surged around him.

He unleashed a barrage of magical and sword techniques, raining devastation upon the Hunters.

These Hunters are powerless in front of him.

John charged forward, cutting through the horde, quickly reaching the core of the Ancient Battlefield Ruins’ seal.

The temperature around him rose dramatically, the scorching heat burning the air itself, forcing the Hunters to keep their distance.

After his last encounter with the Undying Flame and his mastery of the Red Lotus Fire, his resistance to the Undying Flame had significantly improved.

Now, he could directly enter the core area, though he still didn’t dare touch the Undying Flame itself.

Outside, the Hunters roared in fury but didn’t dare to approach.

As more and more gathered, some were pushed into the Undying Flame’s range, where they let out agonized screams as they spontaneously combusted.

The terrifying sight caused the remaining Hunters to retreat, unwilling to step closer.

John paid them no mind. His thoughts turned inward as he retrieved the Soul Essence and began to absorb the Undying Flame to refine it.

Buzz!

As the Soul Essence came into contact with the Undying Flame, the searing heat began to scorch his soul.

Pain twisted John’s features, but deep within his soul, the Crimson Karma Lotus emerged just in time to shield him, absorbing and refining the Undying Flame.

Even with its protection, the pain was almost unbearable, a searing agony that pushed him to his limits.

However, both his Soul Technique and the Crimson Karma Lotus were growing, albeit slowly.

…

The pain persisted for an entire day, pushing John to the brink of collapse several times.

Finally, he fully refined and absorbed the Soul Essence.

[You have refined and absorbed the Soul Essence. Soul Technique +10,000]

[Crimson Karma Lotus has absorbed the Undying Flame. Red Lotus Fire’s power has increased.]

The notifications flashed before him. His Soul Technique had increased by another 10,000 points, bringing it to over 43,000.

Additionally, the power of his Red Lotus Fire had been significantly enhanced.

John glanced at the nearby white flames of the Undying Flame. The Crimson Karma Lotus had been able to absorb it while refining the Soul Essence—could it absorb the Undying Flame directly?

The thought tempted him, but he ultimately abandoned the idea, realizing it was far too reckless.

Perhaps the Crimson Karma Lotus could absorb the Undying Flame directly, but John dared not attempt it. He knew his current strength was far from enough to withstand the flame. Even the slightest contact with the Undying Flame could result in his Divine Soul being obliterated, leading to his total demise.

After all, the Undying Flame was capable of instantly killing mid-tier gods and even posed a threat to upper-tier gods.

“I should be able to activate One Breath, Three Purities now,” John thought, sensing that his Soul Technique had become powerful enough, with no more restrictions.

He glanced around. With the Undying Flame guarding the area, the Hunters dared not come close, so the spot was safe.

With that, he focused his mind and attempted to activate One Breath, Three Purities.

Buzz!

A violent buzzing filled his mind as if his soul were being torn apart. The pain was unbearable.

“What’s happening?” he thought, startled, and immediately stopped.

It felt as though using One Breath, Three Purities would directly split his soul, causing serious damage.

John checked the description of the talent once more.

The ability allowed him to split into three avatars representing Heaven, Earth, and Man, each capable of independent training and growth.

Could this mean his soul would also split?

There had been no warning from the system, so he shouldn’t be in any real danger.

Gritting his teeth, he decided to push forward and try again.

Buzz!

The excruciating pain hit him once more, like his soul was being ripped apart. He gritted his teeth and persevered.

Crack!

It felt as though something shattered in his mind. A crack appeared in his soul, which had been protected by the Crimson Karma Lotus, and then, with a loud mental boom, his soul split into four parts.

“Cough!” John spat out blood, his face pale as his soul took severe damage.

But it worked—the three souls of Heaven, Earth, and Man had successfully formed.

Focusing, he willed the three souls to leave his mind. They floated in front of him, each pulsing with immense soul energy, and each one possessing 10,000 points in Soul Technique.

However, these were still only souls. To fully form, they would need bodies as well.

“The Tree of Life!” he suddenly recalled how Behemoth had regrown a severed limb, with Tony using branches from the Tree of Life to craft an arm. The reconstructed arm had been even stronger than before.

Could he use the Tree of Life to form bodies for his avatars?

This seemed entirely possible.

“Time to head back,” he thought, recalling the three souls back into his mind.

With One Breath, Three Purities, each of the three souls had its own independent consciousness, though the main body—his original self—still remained in control.

As the three souls slowly merged back into his mind, his Soul Technique returned to its previous state. Apart from the initial damage caused by the split, there were no other negative effects.

Moreover, as the three avatars of Heaven, Earth, and Man grew stronger independently, when they merged back with him, his overall strength would see a significant boost.

“Return to the cave!” John decided not to dwell on these thoughts any longer. Rising to his feet, he slayed the gathered Hunters around him and made his way back to the cave.

Cutting through the Hunters like they were nothing, John soon reached the cave from before.

Outside the cave, Sara and the others were already engaged in battle, killing off the Hunters.

Behemoth, in particular, was shining with golden light. The power of the golden Behemoth bloodline had grown even purer. With a single punch, he crushed a dozen Hunters instantly.

Near the cave entrance, the elves and Blues Family disciples were launching long-range attacks, taking down Hunters to increase their levels and strength.

Having received The Immortals’ Inheritance, their power had seen a significant rise.

John felt gratified by their progress.

“Master!” Elsa noticed him and immediately rushed over. Seeing that he was unharmed, she breathed a sigh of relief.

With a worried expression, she asked, “Master, I sensed that your soul was severely injured earlier. Did something happen?”

Because of the life-sharing bond she had with John, Elsa could clearly feel when his soul was hurt.

John reassured her, “I’m fine. I just used a new ability.”

He glanced at the battlefield and saw that everyone was working together seamlessly, having cleared out a safe zone near the entrance.

“Where’s Jean? I need to speak with her,” he asked, noticing Jean wasn’t present.

“She’s by the cave entrance. She and Tracy are using their healing abilities to help everyone recover,” Elsa explained, pointing toward the cave.

John nodded and headed inside, quickly finding Jean.

“Big brother, what’s going on?” she asked excitedly as she ran over to him.

John explained, “I want to use The Tree of Life to create a few avatars. Can you communicate with her for me?”

Although John had signed a life-sharing bond with The Tree of Life, he couldn’t communicate with it directly.

However, Jean’s unique abilities allowed her to talk with The Tree of Life without any barriers.

“Sure!” Jean agreed enthusiastically and pulled John toward the depths of the cave.

The Tree of Life wasn’t fully manifest, only occupying half of the cave in its current form.

“Huh? Sini!” John’s attention was suddenly drawn to Sini, who was standing in front of The Immortals’ Inheritance.

Her eyes were bloodshot, glaring intensely at the giant sword. The energy around her was chaotic and unstable, as if she was on the verge of losing control, possibly succumbing to a demonic state.

Alarmed, John immediately interrupted her connection with The Immortals’ Inheritance.

“Get away!” Sini roared in fury, her eyes crimson, and her demeanor utterly unfamiliar. She attacked John without hesitation.

“Sini, what’s wrong?” Jean exclaimed in shock. They had all assumed that Sini was merely comprehending The Immortals’ Inheritance, and thus, no one had disturbed her.