Chapter 396: Chapter 396: Holy Spirit Water, Thunderstrike''s Ambitions


    ?


    What Cand-Dragon shared didn''t offer much help-it was allmon knowledge.


    John couldn''t help but feel a bit disappointed.


    "I know some information," Storm suddenly spoke up. "I tried to escape before. I managed to get out of Dragon Ascending City, but I was caught by a group of ck-robed men who practice dark magic. Those guys were powerful-I''d never seen anyone like them before."


    "ck magicians? Celestial Vault people?" Avis eximed. Storm''s description sounded very much like the ck magicians from Celestial Vault.


    John furrowed his brows and asked, "Does Dragon Ascending City have ties with Celestial Vault?"


    "Celestial Vault? What''s that?" Storm asked, confused. He had been trapped in Dragon Ascending City for a long time and hadn''t had any contact with the outside world. He''d never heard of this organization.


    He also hadn''t encountered any of those ck-robed individuals within the city.


    John ignored his question. He felt certain that Dragon Ascending City was hiding something. "John, where''s Xayah?" Sini asked, noticing that Xayah was absent.


    "Hmm? She probably doesn''t know I entered World-in-Hand," John replied, no longer dwelling on the matter. His thoughts shifted, and he left World-in-Hand, appearing at the entrance of the City Lord''s Manor.


    "Master!" As expected, Xayah was waiting outside and hurried over to greet him.


    She had followed shortly after John left and, upon seeing him disappear, had figured out that he had entered World-in-Hand.


    Seeing that Xayah hadn''t been punished further, John nodded. "Let''s find a ce to stay for now."


    He didn''t want to remain in the City Lord''s Manor.


    "Alright." Xayah didn''t stay in the manor either. She led John to a quiet, somewhat secluded courtyard.


    This was where she resided. Though it was a bit barren, it was clean and tidy.


    John was satisfied with the ce. He gave a slight gesture and summoned Sini and the others out of World-in-Hand.


    "Human, this ce won''t be dangerous, right?" Storm asked cautiously, surveying the area. Seeing that they were still within Dragon Ascending City, he couldn''t help but feel a bit uneasy.


    John merely nced at him and said coolly, "If you''re scared, you can leave."


    While Storm was strong, John didn''t think much of him.


    His main objective was to rescue Cand-Dragon, and bringing this guy along was just a matter of convenience.


    Storm quickly shook his head, admitting honestly, "Never mind. I think it''s safer staying with you."


    John ignored Storm and said, "Let''s rest here for now. In three days, we''ll head to Forest City. Cand-Dragon, that Thunderstrike, the city lord, wants you to participate in this King Selection as well."


    Thunderstrike had clearly seen Cand-Dragon''s strength.


    "Me? That guy really thinks highly of me." Cand-Dragon had heard of the King Selection but wasn''t too concerned about it. As long as John was involved, there was nothing to worry about.


    "By the way, Master." Xayah seemed to recall something. She took out four porcin vials and said, "This is Holy Spirit True Water. My father told me to give it to you."


    "Holy Spirit True Water?" Storm''s face lit up with excitement. His eyes gleamed greedily as he stared at the four vials. "Is there any for me?"


    Xayah shot him a wary nce and coldly replied, "No, this is for you and the others around the Master."


    "Such stinginess." Storm mumbled in dissatisfaction. He had considered trying to snatch it, but when he saw Sini nearby, he silently abandoned that thought.


    John looked curiously at the porcin vials in his hand. There was no information about them, so he asked, "Is this stuff really valuable?"


    Xayah nodded. "Only my father can make this. It greatly enhances one''sprehension of The power ofws. Only the few people he trusts the most can receive it."


    "Is that so?" John frowned as he looked at the vials. He was sure Thunderstrike wasn''t being that generous.


    They had only just met, and he was already giving him something so valuable-there had to be an ulterior motive.


    "I, Old Bull, don''t mind. If you don''t want it, just give it to me." Storm''s eyes stayed glued to the vials.


    "Shut up!" Sini snapped, causing Storm to shrink back and obediently fall silent.


    John opened the porcin vial. Inside was a clear liquid, containing a special power.


    "Spiritual power," he sensed something unusual. There was a faint trace of Thunderstrike''s aura within the liquid.


    "Godyer, is there something wrong with this stuff?" Cand-Dragon nced at the clear liquid, his curiosity piqued.


    "There''s a big problem." John sneered coldly. He condensed his spiritual power and stretched


    out his hand. The liquid floated out of the vial, surrounded by his energy.


    The clear liquid rippled, and a small ck insect appeared, faintly visible within it.


    "What is this thing?" Everyone noticed it and asked in surprise.


    A parasitic worm?


    John had a vague suspicion in his mind. He turned to Xayah and asked, "Xayah, are all the strong people around your fatherpletely loyal to him?"


    She nodded, but then something clicked, and her eyes widened in realization. "Is it this


    insect?"


    Everyone''s expression changed at once.


    John coldly remarked, "This thing is probably even more sinister than a master-servant soul


    -contract."


    "Godyer, what should we do now?" Cand-Dragon asked with a hint of fear. It was clear that Thunderstrike wanted topletely control them.


    Sini''s gaze flickered as he looked at Storm and asked, "Bullhead, still want it?"


    Storm trembled upon hearing this and quickly refused, "No, no, no, I couldn''t possibly ept such a precious thing!"


    John frowned. While he wasn''t afraid of Thunderstrike, he knew that now wasn''t the time to confront him. He needed to leverage his position within Dragon Ascending City to get into


    Forest City.


    John concentrated for a moment, using his spiritual power to trap the parasitic worm. Without hesitation, he opened his mouth and swallowed the liquid.


    "John!"


    "Master!"


    The others were startled, their faces turning pale at the sight.


    John carefully sensed the effects and shook his head. "It''s fine. This worm can''t hurt me. I can


    destroy it anytime."


    If anyone else had fallen victim, they would surely have died.


    But he controlled the Purple me Hellfire and Purple me Destruction Lotus-he could


    purify the worm in an instant.


    Thunderstrike clearly wanted to control them and had sinister intentions. But John decided to


    y along.


    Besides, the Holy Spirit True Water was indeed a rare and valuable treasure. It had given him some insight into the The power ofws from various elements.


    He handed the remaining three porcin vials to Sini, Tracy, and Cand-Dragon. "This is


    indeed a good thing. I''ll help you deal with the worm. For now, let''s pretend to be under Thunderstrike''s control."


    The three trusted Johnpletely. They nodded and, without hesitation, epted the vials


    and drank the Holy Spirit True Water.


    City Lord''s Manor.


    Thunderstrike, who had been in closed-door cultivation, opened his eyes. A cold smile spread


    across his face as he distinctly felt that John and hispanions were now under the control


    of the parasitic worms he had nted.


    "Hmph, I really thought that guy had figured it out. There''s no such thing as a free lunch in the heavens. You won''t escape my control!" His expression darkened, and his eyes glowed with the confidence of someone who believed he had control over everything.


    ...


    The next few days passed quietly. On the third day, early in the morning, John and hispanions received amand from Thunderstrike, instructing them to gather at the City


    Lord''s Manor.


    John nced at Sini and the others, giving them a few instructions. "Act natural. Don''t blow


    our cover."


    He had only controlled the worms in their souls, preventing them from harming their spirits. He hadn''t destroyed them yet.


    "Don''t worry. That guy won''t be able to tell," Cand-Dragon said confidently.


    Sini and Tracy also nodded, assuring him there would be no problems.


    The four of them made their way directly to the City Lord''s Manor. They were guided by a


    soldier to the study.


    Inside, over thirty people had already gathered-each of them a powerful eight-star warrior.


    "Wee, four of you!" Thunderstrike greeted them with a smile, opening his arms in a


    show of warmth.


    "Lord City Lord, you''re too kind," John responded, ying the part, and embraced him


    briefly.


    Thunderstrike nodded, his eyes scanning Sini and Tracy, before he waved to the soldier.


    The soldier quickly backed out and closed the door behind him. Thunderstrike raised his hand, forming a barrier around them. "Let''s get straight to the point. We''re all on the same side here. There''s no need for pretenses. This trip to Forest City isn''t


    just about participating in the King Selection. My goal is to kill the Forest King and take his


    ce."


    As soon as Thunderstrike finished speaking, the study room erupted inmotion. None of them had known about this n in advance.


    "Lord City Lord, isn''t this a bit too risky?" A tall and slender man spoke up.


    John recognized him as Whitewave, a warrior whose strength was second only to


    Thunderstrike. He was also one of the candidates for this King Selection. Thunderstrike, however, remained calm, his confidence unwavering. "Don''t worry. I''m certain of my sess. Just follow my n when the timees."


    John couldn''t help but think of the Celestial Vault. Taking on a King City would not be an easy


    task.


    Now, he was sure that Thunderstrike had the backing of the Celestial Vault organization.


    While the others were full of doubts, none of them dared to ask too many questions.


    Their loyalty to Thunderstrike was not out of true devotion but because their lives were entirely in his hands. They had no choice but to obey.


    "Alright, the n is set. Stay here in the city. We''ll leave immediately," Thunderstrike said,


    not borating further. With a thought, he disappeared from view.


    The others exchanged nces before they, too, left the room.


    Whoosh!


    A ripple of spatial power spread, and the vast Dragon Ascending City was drawn into


    Thunderstrike''s World-in-Hand.


    This was, after all, his domain.


    John and the others returned to the ce where Xayah was staying. Cand-Dragon was the first to speak, impatience evident in his voice. "Godyer, has Thunderstrike lost his mind? Does he really think he can take on a King City?"


    John remained calm. "With just the people we have, it''s definitely not enough. That guy has


    some hidden cards up his sleeve."


    He thought about the Celestial Vault organization, but then dismissed the idea.


    From what he had learned from Avis and Debbie, the Celestial Vault was vast and powerful-


    it likely wouldn''t even care about Forest City.


    Whoosh!


    Another pulse of spatial power stirred. Someone was attempting to summon him. He guessed


    that Thunderstrike had already reached Forest City.


    "Sini, you all go into my World-in-Hand first!" he instructed, quickly pulling Sini and the


    others into his World-in-Hand.


    Though Thunderstrike hadn''t shown any ill intentions toward them yet, it was better to be


    cautious.


    The moment they vanished, John and Cand-Dragon disappeared as well, reappearing in aN?v(el)B\\jnn


    dense forest.


    Not far ahead was a massive city, sprawling over a wide area and built into the mountainside. "Up ahead is Forest City," Thunderstrike said, with Whitewave standing beside him.