Online Game: Starting with an SSS-Level Plundering Talent - Chapter 258

Chapter 258: Chapter 258: Slaying the Hunter Queens, the Mysterious Sea King
Boom!

A massive tremor rocked the ground, and the space around John began to fracture, forming thin cracks that splintered across the battlefield.

Four Hunter queens fell, their massive forms collapsing under the force of John’s strike.

[You have killed a Hunter Queen, gaining 100 billion experience points.]

[Plunder activated: Soul Technique +1000, Shadow Power +1000.]

…

Notifications flashed rapidly before his eyes.

But before he could fully take in his success, the five Shadow Clan warriors, now fully aware of the deaths of their shared Hunter queens, were consumed by uncontrollable rage.

“Human, you’re dead!” one of them roared furiously, their forms dissipating and merging into a swarm of blood-red shadows, enveloping John from all sides.

It was a Shadow Clan ability—Blood Shadow Phantom!

Slash!

[You have been killed by a Shadow Clan warrior. Undying and Immortal talent activated.]

[You have been killed by a Shadow Clan warrior. Undying and Immortal talent activated.]

…

The notifications continued to pop up. John’s heart pounded as he realized the relentless nature of their attack.

Every time he resurrected, he was instantly slain again, and each death further damaged his soul. If this continued, even his immortality wouldn’t save him. He would perish for good.

He needed a solution—fast!

Gritting his teeth, John summoned his two clones once more.

Whoosh!

Both his gods and Skyline Continent human clones appeared, immediately diverting the attention of the five Shadow Clan warriors.

Using the distraction, John quickly escaped the blood-soaked area and, without hesitation, unleashed his Red Lotus Fire on the five enemies.

“Watch out, that’s Hellfire!” The bald-headed warrior, who had already experienced the terrifying fire, shouted to warn the others.

But it was too late. The Hellfire engulfed them, burning not just their bodies but their very souls.

“Ahhhh!” Their agonizing screams echoed across the battlefield, and the shared Hunter queen.

Their soul was linked with theirs, also let out a terrible wail.

Sensing his advantage, John recalled his two clones and prepared to strike again. He called upon his most powerful Immortal Art—Nine Heavens Sword.

The Nine Heavens Sword had no cooldown time, though it consumed a massive amount of spiritual power. Luckily, John’s Wrath of the Gods talent reduced his energy consumption by 99%.

Whoosh!

The immense sword shadow appeared again, and John zeroed in on the suffering Hunter queen.

Boom!

The sword descended, shattering the space around it as it cut through the air. The Hunter queen, unable to defend itself, was instantly annihilated.

“No!” The five warriors howled in agony, vomiting blood as their faces turned deathly pale.

The death of the Hunter queen dealt a severe blow to their shared souls.

John didn’t pause to gloat. Seizing the opportunity, he continued his relentless assault, directing the massive sword shadows toward the remaining Hunter queens.

Boom! Boom!

Space ruptured under the intense strikes, and chaos ensued as violent space-time distortions swept through the area. The remaining five Hunter queens, despite their size and power, fell one after the other.

[You have killed a Hunter Queen, gaining 100 billion experience points.]

[Level up…]

[Plunder activated: Soul Technique +1000, Shadow Power +1000.]

Relief washed over John as the notifications appeared. He had done it.

“Human, you are unforgivable!” The enraged voices of the five Shadow Clan warriors echoed as they relentlessly attacked John, their souls still burning from the Hellfire. Despite the searing pain, their fury only grew.

“Do you think killing the Hunter queens is enough to defeat us? You have no idea of the true terror of the Shadow Clan!” Their faces twisted with rage, blood-colored energy radiating from their bodies as they converged on John.

Buzz!

The air trembled as John unleashed Soul Impact, directing his attack at the most injured of the five—the bald-headed warrior.

“Argh!” Both John and the bald warrior coughed up blood, their souls taking heavy damage.

John’s Soul Technique had reached 170,000 points, nearly matching that of the bald-headed man.

But this was only because John’s Red Lotus Fire had already burned away a portion of the enemy’s soul.

Even so, John’s soul power was nearly depleted, and it would take time to recover.

Without his soul-based attacks, he couldn’t truly threaten the Shadow Clan warriors anymore.

“Time to run!” John made a swift decision to retreat. He dashed to the corpses of the Hunter queens, grabbing every piece of loot they had dropped.

In the blink of an eye, he shifted forms, once again disguising himself as a demigod-level Hunter.

“He’s trying to escape! Stop him!” The Shadow Clan warriors quickly realized what was happening and tried to block his retreat.

But John had already melted into the mass of Hunters, his aura perfectly blending in with theirs, making it impossible to distinguish him.

“You cowardly human! You won’t get away!” the bald-headed warrior cursed. Enraged, he unleashed waves of blood-red energy, indiscriminately slaughtering the nearby Hunters in an effort to flush John out.

Roar!

The Hunters shrieked in pain, scattering in all directions.

John, hidden among them, used the chaos to shield himself from the onslaught, dodging attacks as he fled through the stampede of terrified creatures.

“Stop, Meorite! Do you want to kill all the Hunters here?” one of the other warriors shouted, trying to restrain his comrade.

Meorite, blood dripping from his mouth, looked frustrated. “The Hunter queens are dead. The masters won’t forgive us for this. We need to capture that human to make amends.”

“Don’t worry, the Hunter queens belonging to our masters aren’t here. And that human won’t escape for long. We’ll seal off the Ancient Battlefield Ruins. The secret treasure is about to emerge. If he tries to leave, he’ll have to reveal himself,” another warrior suggested confidently.

“Good idea!” The others nodded in agreement.

With so many Hunters around, killing them all wasn’t feasible. The only option was to seal off the entrances and exits of the Ancient Battlefield Ruins and wait for John to slip up.

John, hiding nearby, overheard their entire conversation.

“So, there are still more Hunter queens?” He frowned, realizing that the masters these warriors spoke of must be the true power behind this operation, and their Hunter queens were elsewhere.

This situation was more complicated than he had anticipated.

“First, I need to refine the Soul Essence,” John muttered to himself. After slaying the ten Hunter queens, he had gained ten Soul Essences.

He wasn’t the least bit concerned about the group trying to seal off the Ancient Battlefield Ruins.

After all, he had killed Split Void and plundered his Split Void ability, which allowed him to break through any sealed space, including the Ancient Battlefield Ruins.

If he wanted to leave, those guys wouldn’t be able to stop him.

But leaving wasn’t part of his plan.

Once he refined the ten Soul Essences, his Soul Technique would increase by 100,000 points—enough to deal with the five Shadow Clan warriors with ease.

At first, he had been worried that they would wander around searching for him. But now, with them foolishly focusing on sealing off the entrance to the ruins, he could openly absorb the Undying Flame and refine the Soul Essence without fear of discovery.

John confirmed that the group had indeed moved to the entrance of the Ancient Battlefield Ruins and sealed it off.

Feeling reassured, he maintained his disguise as a Hunter and quickly made his way to the area where the Undying Flame had previously erupted.

Though he had already absorbed its power twice, and its strength had significantly weakened, it was still enough to keep the surrounding Hunters at bay.

If those five Shadow Clan warriors had continued searching for him, they could have easily found him.

But their choice to focus on the ruins’ entrance gave him the perfect opportunity.

“Six days left until the final secret treasure of Skyline Continent emerges—there’s enough time,” he mused, stepping into the range of the Undying Flame. He pulled out the ten Soul Essences and began the process of refining and absorbing them all at once.

Whoosh!

Through the Soul Essences, John absorbed the Undying Flame, channeling it into his soul. Intense burning pain followed.

But the Crimson Karma Lotus appeared once again, helping him absorb and refine the flame.

As the refinement process continued, John’s Soul Technique and the power of the Crimson Karma Lotus steadily increased.

…

Meanwhile, at the edge of Skyline Continent, beneath the vast ocean…

Over a hundred Shadow Clan warriors swiftly made their way to the depths of the sea.

Before long, a grand crystal palace emerged from the seabed, and the group entered without resistance, moving through the halls as if they knew the place well.

“You’re entering so openly?” a voice suddenly echoed through the hall, and a figure appeared.

It was the Sea King.

The leader of the Shadow Clan warriors, Blood Moon, stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, “Shadow Clan’s Blood Moon greets the great Sea King.”

Despite the usual arrogance of the Shadow Clan warriors, they now behaved with utmost deference in front of the Sea King.

“What’s this about? Did Blood King send you here to accuse me of something?” The Sea King glanced at Blood Moon, speaking in an indifferent tone.

Blood King was the most powerful being in the Shadow Clan, a formidable deity and one of the masterminds behind the Gods’ Game.

“I wouldn’t dare,” Blood Moon replied, raising his head. “However, I do want to know why the Divine Path connected to Shadow Star.”

“Hmph, it seems Blood King doesn’t trust me after all,” the Sea King snorted coldly, explaining, “I wasn’t there at the time. I assumed with Heidern and the others acting, the Earth channel would be secured. But who could have guessed that this Godslayer would possess such immense power…?”

“Is the Godslayer truly that powerful?” Blood Moon interrupted, his tone filled with doubt.

The Sea King shot him a sharp glance, his eyes cold. “If you don’t believe me, feel free to verify it yourself.”

Cough…

Suddenly, several dozen Shadow Clan warriors standing behind Blood Moon began coughing up blood, their faces pale as their souls were severely wounded.

One of them, trembling in fear, reported, “Lord Blood Moon, the Hunter queen we were bound to has fallen.”

“What? What the hell were Meorite and his men doing?” Blood Moon cursed furiously.

He then noticed the faint smirk on the Sea King’s face and quickly corrected himself, “Of course, I trust you, my lord. I just hope you can assist me in the upcoming contest for the treasure.”

The Sea King sighed and spread his hands. “You know I cannot enter the realm where the treasure is located. How exactly am I supposed to help you?”

“I need you to protect my Hunter queen.” As he spoke, Blood Moon summoned a massive Hunter queen, much larger than the usual ones.

It shimmered with golden light, clearly more extraordinary than the rest.

As long as this queen survived, Blood Moon would be invincible.

“Consider it done.” The Sea King didn’t hesitate, extending his hand to reveal a small world in his palm, into which the golden Hunter queen was safely deposited.

“Thank you, my lord,” Blood Moon said gratefully. Then, as if something else was on his mind, he asked, “Lord, do you have any idea what the guardian deity of this final treasure might be?”

The Sea King frowned, thinking for a moment before replying, “I can’t say for sure, but it seems to be connected to the Beast Clan.”

“The Beast Clan?” Blood Moon was puzzled. “Could Skyline Continent have once been part of the Beast Clan’s territory?”

The Sea King shook his head. “That, I don’t know either.”

He then added, “Regardless of the connection to the Beast Clan, the one you should truly be wary of in this contest is the Godslayer.”

“Hmph, he’s as good as dead,” Blood Moon replied confidently, his eyes full of arrogance.

The Sea King gave him a sidelong glance, then said in a calm tone, “You are welcome to rest here, but don’t cause trouble.”

“Yes, of course. Thank you, my lord,” Blood Moon bowed respectfully once again before leading the Shadow Clan warriors out of the chamber.