Online Game: Starting with an SSS-Level Plundering Talent - Chapter 259

Chapter 259: Chapter 259: Soul Enhancement, The Secret of Sea Clan
The Sea King watched as the group left, his gaze dark and brooding.

Just then, the water in the grand hall rippled, and a graceful figure appeared, draped in a robe of radiant colors, her beauty unparalleled.

She looked at the Sea King with a hint of doubt, asking, “My lord, are we truly going to assist the Shadow Clan?”

“Hmph!” The Sea King sneered, his tone filled with disdain. “They’re nothing but a bunch of arrogant fools. There’s no way I’m helping them.”

Turning to the woman, he added, “Remember, when the Shadow Clan clashes with the Godslayer, notify me immediately. I’ll take that moment to destroy Blood Moon and his group’s Hunter queens.”

“Yes, my lord.” The woman nodded, but still asked with a trace of uncertainty, “Do you really believe that Godslayer can defeat Blood Moon and his men?”

She found it hard to imagine a mere human standing against hundreds of Shadow Clan warriors, including three upper-tier gods at their peak.

“We’ll find out soon enough,” the Sea King chuckled coldly. He wasn’t sure if the Godslayer was capable of such a feat either.

But even if he failed to kill the Shadow Clan warriors, they wouldn’t dare retaliate once they learned he had annihilated their Hunter queens.

The woman, still curious, inquired, “So, is our main concern Beast Clan during this operation?”

The Sea King nodded. “More accurately, it’s the Godslayer himself.”

He glanced at her before continuing, “Remember, when the time comes, try to work with the Godslayer. I have a feeling that he may be the only one capable of entering the final treasure realm.”

“But you said the guardian is from Beast Clan, didn’t you?” The woman looked perplexed.

“Trust me,” the Sea King’s voice was grave. He fixed her with a penetrating gaze, “If, in the end, we cannot obtain the treasure, make sure it’s destroyed rather than allowing the Godslayer to claim it. Do you understand?”

“Understood!” The woman bowed her head deeply, a flicker of fear passing through her eyes. To her, the Sea King seemed even more terrifying than the Shadow Clan itself.

…

Back at the Ancient Battlefield Ruins.

Five days had passed without incident.

Meorite and his team had been guarding the entrance to the Ancient Battlefield Ruins, preventing any Hunters from entering or leaving.

With the Skyline Continent’s ultimate treasure about to emerge, there had still been no sign of John.

It left the group frustrated.

“Do you think that human might have escaped?” one of them asked with a frown.

“That’s impossible. We sealed off this place the moment he disappeared. He couldn’t have moved that fast.”

“Maybe Meorite killed him already?”

“Let’s wait another two days. If he doesn’t show up, we’ll report to Blood Moon.”

The Hunters’ queens in this area were dead, and if John didn’t appear, there would be no point for the Shadow Clan to remain here.

…

At the site of the Undying Flame explosion, white flames flickered around. A single Hunter sat cross-legged at the core of the area, looking entirely out of place.

This was none other than John, still disguised as a Hunter to remain unnoticed while absorbing the Soul Essence.

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

[Crimson Karma Lotus has absorbed Undying Flame. The power of the skill Red Lotus Fire has increased.]

The notifications flashed, and John had finally finished merging with the Soul Essence.

His Soul Technique had now reached an astonishing 270,000, with his mental strength receiving a significant boost as well.

With this level of Soul Technique, John could now easily contend with upper-tier gods at their peak and could effortlessly defeat the five mid-tier gods of the Shadow Clan.

“Tomorrow, the final treasure will emerge. Time to get moving,” he murmured with a satisfied smile, canceling his disguise and returning to his true form.

Roar… Roar…

The surrounding Hunters sensed his presence and roared in fury, pacing around the edge of the Undying Flame but not daring to enter.

Hum!

Suddenly, the air trembled as John activated his soul skill, Soul Impact.

A massive wave of spiritual energy radiated out like a sound wave, instantly covering several kilometers of the surrounding area.

Thud…

A series of muffled thuds echoed as tens of thousands of Hunters fell silently, all killed in an instant by John’s soul attack.

[You have killed demigod-level Hunters and gained 6.76 billion experience points.]

[Your level has increased to 10,035.]

[Plunder skill activated. Shadow Power +0.01, Strength +200, Skill Points +10.]

…

The notifications flashed again as John’s level increased, and he plundered a significant amount of attributes, skill points, and a small amount of Shadow Power.

His Shadow Power had already reached 140,000 points, but after his percentage-based life damage had increased to 1%, it hadn’t advanced further.

John didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he swiftly flew toward the outskirts of the Ancient Battlefield Ruins, his mind focused on the task ahead.

Waves of Hunters surged toward him, but he dispatched them effortlessly, each one falling instantly with no resistance.

The sound of battle echoed ahead, alerting the five Shadow Clan members guarding the entrance to the ruins.

“Heh, that human finally shows up. Looks like he couldn’t hold back any longer,” one of them sneered as they spotted John approaching.

“That guy has a clone technique. Be cautious, there could be a trick. Blood Jade, stay here and make sure no one leaves, especially any Hunters,” Meorite ordered, recalling John’s use of clones.

“Don’t worry, this place is under control,” Blood Jade responded confidently.

“Let’s move. Quick and clean. Finish off this human, and then meet up with Blood Moon,” the lead Shadow Clan warrior commanded as they charged toward John.

Hum!

Before any of them could fully act, four blood-red threads shot out, instantly wrapping around John.

Though they had lost the life-sharing connection with the Hunters’ queens, they remained wary of John’s attacks.

“Heh, this again? Don’t you guys have any other tricks?” John looked at the blood threads winding toward him with disdain.

These techniques, while strange, could only transfer physical damage but couldn’t redirect soul attacks.

With his Soul Technique now at 270,000, wiping out these enemies was no challenge.

Hum!

The air vibrated as John, without wasting words, unleashed Soul Impact.

Boom! Boom!

A thunderous hum echoed in their minds. The four Shadow Clan warriors coughed up blood, their souls suffering severe damage. They paled in shock, realizing how outmatched they were.

Despite their soul-defense skills, which prevented their immediate death.

But their strength had diminished significantly, leaving them powerless against John.

“You… you’ve refined the Soul Essence!” Meorite exclaimed in terror, suddenly recalling John’s control over Hellfire, a unique flame capable of refining Soul Essence.

But how could he have done it so quickly?

As the realization set in, the four Shadow Clan members turned to flee.

“Too late for that,” John’s cold voice echoed. With a mere thought, four red flames erupted, surrounding the fleeing warriors.

Red Lotus Fire!

The flames consumed them instantly, and their agonized screams echoed through the battlefield. In moments, their souls were purified, and they were utterly destroyed.

[You have killed Shadow Clan warrior Meorite, earning 676.76 billion experience points.]

[Your level has increased to 10,038.]

[Plunder skill activated: Shadow Power +1, Physical Crit +1, Strength +500, Luck +1.]

…

The notifications flashed as John casually collected the loot left behind by his fallen enemies.

Four artifacts and eight Talent Copy Stones lay before John. Adding the ones dropped by the ten Hunters’ queens, he now had a total of 28 Talent Copy Stones.

However, there were no suitable talents to copy for the moment.

In the distance, Blood Jade, witnessing the scene, was filled with terror. Without hesitation, he turned and fled toward the exit of the Ancient Battlefield Ruins.

“Think you can escape?” John noticed his movements. With a thought, he activated the Riftwalker Talent, tearing open a spatial passage. He stepped through it, instantly arriving outside the Ancient Battlefield Ruins.

Blood Jade stared at John in shock, disbelief written all over his face. “You… you can break through the Ancient Battlefield Ruins’ space? Why didn’t you escape before?”

“Escape? Heh.” John chuckled coldly. “The one who should be running is you.”

Only then did Blood Jade realize the gravity of the situation and attempted to flee.

But before he could act, a terrifying wave of soul power struck him, freezing him in place.

It was John’s Intimidation skill.

Immediately after, another pulse of soul energy hit—John activated Memory Extraction.

John’s soul invaded Blood Jade’s mind, pulling out a wealth of memories.

“The Sea King is the Overseer?” John’s eyes widened in disbelief.

He hadn’t expected such a colossal secret to be hidden within the Sea Clan.

Blood Jade snapped out of his daze, stumbling backward and glaring at John. “Human! What have you done to me?”

“Humph!” John snorted. He simultaneously unleashed Soul Impact and Red Lotus Fire, obliterating Blood Jade’s soul.

[You have killed Shadow Clan warrior Blood Jade, earning 676.76 billion experience points.]

[Plunder skill activated: Shadow Power +1, Skill Points +100, Soul Technique +100.]

As the notifications flashed, Blood Jade’s dropped items included two mid-level Talent Upgrade Stones, capable of upgrading an S-tier talent to SS-tier.

And a skill scroll.

[Rending Blood Strike: Shadow Clan skill, requires refining of a Shadow Clan treasure to learn.]

“A Shadow Clan skill?” John wrinkled his nose in distaste, casually storing it away.

His Apocalypse Stone had allowed him to fuse with an additional set of treasures.

And he had already transferred the Beast Clan treasure to his Beast Clan clone.

But Shadow Clan treasures were too malevolent, and they clashed with the Immortals treasure he had already fused with. He had no intention of refining such dark artifacts.

“The Sea Clan… this was certainly unexpected!” John muttered to himself, still reeling from what he had uncovered.

From Blood Jade’s memories, he learned that the Sea King was a powerful Overseer.

And the Sea Clan was backed by a deity on par with the Shadow Clan’s gods.

The Sea Clan had joined the World of Gods in invading various realms, tasked with monitoring different races to prevent unforeseen events.

However, the Sea King had underestimated John’s strength, especially with the help of the Immortals’ inheritance. John had succeeded in opening the passage between the World of Gods and Shadow Star.

“Heh, this means the Sea Clan’s world is also connected to the World of Gods,” John mused, his thoughts turning darker.

If the Shadow Clan continued trying to open the Earth’s passage, John planned to retaliate by targeting the Sea Clan’s realm, destroying one world after another connected to them.

“It’s time to head back.” John pushed aside his thoughts, activated the Abyssal Gate, and stepped into the Abyss once more.

…