Online Game: Starting with an SSS-Level Plundering Talent - Chapter 261

Chapter 261: Chapter 261: Inferno of the Secret Area, First Trial
John stared directly at his opponent, completely unafraid, and replied calmly, “That’s right.”

“Hmph!” Blood Moon snorted coldly. Suddenly, he raised his hand, and a blood-red beam of energy shot forth, piercing through both John and a gods upper-tier god behind him in an instant.

[You have been instantly killed by Shadow Clan’s Blood Moon. The Blessed Ring has activated.]

The notification flashed as John resurrected on the spot, coughing up blood.

Behind him, the upper-tier god also resurrected, his face pale, his soul wounded.

Cand-Dragon’s expression darkened. He and Nine-Tails immediately stepped in front of John without hesitation, glaring furiously at Blood Moon.

In the distance, Sea King’s brow furrowed as he concealed one hand behind his back, a small world manifesting in his palm. Hidden within this miniature realm was the Hunter broodmother, its soul shared with Blood Moon and his companions.

Blood Moon saw the reactions around him and smiled faintly, saying, “No need to be nervous. I was merely saying hello.”

“Heh, the Shadow Clan sure knows how to be friendly,” John sneered, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, a flash of killing intent appearing in his eyes.

Buzz!

The air hummed with sword energy as an immense sword shadow appeared in the sky, tearing through the clouds and descending with fury.

The target wasn’t Blood Moon but the Shadow Clan warriors standing behind him.

Boom!

The earth trembled, and massive waves surged as over a dozen upper-tier gods from the Shadow Clan were severely injured, though none were killed outright.

“Human, you dare court death!” Several of them roared in rage, glaring at John, ready to attack.

John remained calm, his tone cold as he said, “No need to get worked up. I was just returning the greeting.”

He then turned his gaze provocatively toward Blood Moon.

Blood Moon’s face darkened, his fists clenching so tightly they cracked.

“Enough,” Sea King interjected. “The Secret Area is about to open. We’re all here to claim the final treasure of Skyline Continent. There’s no need for unnecessary bloodshed.”

Blood Moon’s anger simmered, but he suppressed it, fixing John with a cold stare. “Human, you are the first to dare challenge the Shadow Clan head-on. I will ensure the entire Skyline Continent is buried with you.”

His words caused the faces of many nearby powerhouses to pale.

Blood Moon’s message was clear—he didn’t intend to let anyone escape.

Boom!

Suddenly, the sky rumbled with thunder, and the ocean surged violently as an enormous wave of spatial power swept through, flinging everyone backward, Sea King included.

As the rising seawater fell back, three system-wide announcements echoed across the continent.

[Announcement: The final Secret Area of Skyline Continent has opened. All powerhouses at or above demigod level may enter to compete for the treasure.]

…

“Let’s go!” Blood Moon was the first to react, shouting the command as he led the Shadow Clan warriors through the spatial rift.

The powerhouses from the other races quickly followed suit.

They knew the journey would be perilous, but the temptation of Skyline Continent’s treasure was too great to resist.

“Godslayer!” At that moment, Sea King stopped John, pulling him aside.

In a low voice, he said, “The Shadow Clan will definitely make a move against you in the Secret Area. Are you confident you can handle it?”

John shook his head, unsure of Sea King’s intentions.

Sea King gestured to the robed woman behind him and introduced her, “This is Jolyne, my strongest warrior. If things get dangerous, she might be able to help you.”

“Jolyne?” John nodded toward the woman, but she merely stared at him coldly, without acknowledging his gesture.

Unfazed, John looked back at Sea King, puzzled. “So, you’re not entering the Secret Area?”

Sea King shook his head. “The treasure of Skyline Continent is valuable, but I have to think of the Sea Clan. If something were to happen to me, there would be no one left to protect the Sea Clan, and they would be in grave danger. Still, I genuinely hope you can obtain the treasure.”

John smirked inwardly, though his face remained expressionless, and he said admiringly, “To resist the temptation of such a treasure for the sake of your race—Sea King, you’ve truly earned my respect.”

Sea King chuckled and replied, “Godslayer, we are alike. We’re both willing to do whatever it takes for our people.”

John sensed a deeper meaning behind his words.

Before John could respond, Sea King continued, “Jolyne, stay by Godslayer’s side and make sure to protect him. Help him obtain the treasure.”

“Understood,” Jolyne replied respectfully, her voice cold and detached.

“Godslayer, I wish you luck,” Sea King said, patting John on the shoulder before stepping back.

John nodded in acknowledgment and, without saying more, led Cand-Dragon and the others into the Secret Area.

Jolyne, along with the other nine Sea Clan warriors, followed closely behind.

Buzz!

Spatial power surged, and a thick fog enveloped them, obscuring their surroundings.

Not only that, but even John’s Soul Perception was restricted, limiting his range to only about a hundred meters.

This space had powerful constraints.

“Attack!” Suddenly, a shout erupted nearby—it was the Shadow Clan.

John instantly became alert.

Cand-Dragon, Nine-Tails, and Tony moved swiftly, positioning themselves in front of John to protect him.

However, the Shadow Clan warriors weren’t targeting John—they were attacking the humans from Skyline Continent.

Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions rang out, and the mist was instantly dyed red with blood as several Shadow Clan warriors detonated themselves, erasing their existence completely.

The Skyline Continent humans were left trembling on the ground, paralyzed with fear by the eerie sight before them, too frightened to make a move.

“Inferno Secret Area!” Blood Moon shouted in shock.

Just then, a system notification echoed through the space.

[This Secret Area is the Inferno Secret Area. Before reaching the final stage, combat is forbidden. Violators will be erased.]

[First Trial Activated: Elemental Trial. Comprehend the laws of the four basic elements. Time limit: seven days. Failure will result in erasure.]

…

The message left everyone with mixed emotions—some were relieved, others filled with anxiety.

The good news was that they no longer had to worry about persecution from the Shadow Clan. The bad news was that if they failed to comprehend the elemental laws, they would still face erasure.

The five upper-tier gods from Skyline Continent were particularly pleased. To refine Skyline Continent’s treasure, they had to understand the laws of the four basic elements.

The first trial seemed like it was tailor-made to give them an advantage.

“Hmph, you’re quite lucky!” Blood Moon glanced at John and said coldly, “Godslayer, I hope you make it to the final stage. Let’s go!”

With that, he led his group away, intent on finding Elemental Spirit Stones to comprehend the four basic elements.

“Godslayer, since the Shadow Clan won’t attack, we should go our separate ways,” Lincoln of the Angel Race said, before leading his people to depart as well.

The gods and Orcs soon followed suit, heading out to seek the Elemental Spirit Stones.

That left only John, Cand-Dragon, Nine-Tails, Tony, and Jolyne.

John turned to Jolyne and asked, “You’re not leaving?”

“My task is to protect you,” Jolyne replied coolly, her tone making it hard for John to believe she had any real intent of protecting him.

Certain that Sea King had ulterior motives, John grew impatient. “There’s no combat allowed here, so I’m perfectly safe.”

“There are elemental creatures,” Jolyne said indifferently, unmoved by his words.

Elemental creatures were special monsters in the Secret Area that wielded the power of the four basic elements.

John frowned, annoyed by her persistence. Ignoring Jolyne, he turned to Cand-Dragon and the others. “Have any of you comprehended the power of elemental laws?”

Cand-Dragon and Nine-Tails both shook their heads.

Tony spoke up, “I’ve grasped the water element’s power of laws, but I still need to master the wind, fire, and earth elements.”

John nodded, thinking for a moment before saying, “Let’s split up. Try to kill as many elemental creatures as possible. We’ll meet back here in three days.”

“Understood.” They all agreed, each choosing a direction and disappearing into the mist.

John noticed Jolyne still lingering around and, unwilling to waste any more words, directly tore open a spatial rift and vanished.

“Hm? A Split Void ability!” Jolyne’s eyes widened in shock as she attempted to follow, but the spatial rift had already closed.

The Secret Area was filled with powerful pressure that hindered perception, making it impossible for her to track John.

Frustrated, she had no choice but to act on her own, hunting down elemental creatures.

…

John reappeared several hundred kilometers away in a forested area. Without hesitation, he sent three of his clones flying in different directions, each set on hunting down elemental creatures.

John’s main body didn’t stay idle. He used his spiritual perception, and although he could only sense within a hundred-meter radius due to the fog, it still greatly improved his efficiency.

Soon, he spotted a group of over a hundred wind-elemental creatures deep in the forest.

“Lower-tier gods,” he muttered, frowning. If all the elemental creatures here were at the level of lower-tier gods, Tony might struggle to handle them.

He felt a bit worried about Tony’s safety.

Although the various races couldn’t fight each other, there were no restrictions when it came to killing these elemental creatures.

John focused on his Beast Clan clone, which happened to be moving in the direction Tony had gone.

He ordered the clone to hunt down elemental creatures while also searching for Tony.

Whoosh…

Suddenly, a violent wind howled as countless Wind Blades swept through the air—the elemental creatures had noticed him and were launching an attack.

“Hmph, you overestimate yourselves,” John scoffed. Using his spatial displacement ability, he easily dodged the flurry of Wind Blades. In response, he unleashed his Infinite Sword Array, and the sky filled with countless sword blades.

Slash! Slash!

With a cold gleam, the power of John’s Sword Law, combined with life-percentage damage, made the elemental creatures utterly powerless. In mere moments, they were all slaughtered.

A notification appeared before him.

[You have killed wind-elemental creatures. Plunder talent activated: Mental strength +100, Skill points +100, Wind Element Comprehension +1.]

…

“No experience points?” John mused, puzzled.

Killing these elemental creatures didn’t yield any experience points, nor did they drop any loot.

It seemed this Secret Area wasn’t governed by the laws of the world of Gods.

Fortunately, John’s Plunder talent still triggered, granting him 142 points of elemental comprehension, converting into a 1% increase in his understanding of the wind element.

But what about everyone else? Without his Plunder talent, how would they enhance their elemental comprehension?

He had assumed that these elemental creatures would drop basic Elemental Spirit Stones, but that didn’t appear to be the case.

Comprehending the elements was difficult. Besides secluded cultivation, the quickest method was to refine Elemental Spirit Stones.

“Wait, there’s a fluctuation of wind-elemental power,” John sensed something. He landed on the ground and began searching through the remains of the elemental creatures.

Sure enough, within the creatures’ nest, he found two Wind Elemental Spirit Stones.

“Only two?” he sighed in disappointment and casually pocketed them.

John’s human clone from Skyline Continent had already mastered the four basic elements. As long as he fused them, he could transfer that mastery to his main body and pass the trial.

He didn’t need the Elemental Spirit Stones for himself; he was gathering them for Cand-Dragon and the others.