John scratched his head and said casually, "If you're not going to give it to me... I guess I'll just take it."
The green-haired disciple scoffed, a mocking grin on his face. "Stop pretending to be tough. Only cultivators below the Golden Core stage can enter this secret realm, so you must be at the Foundation Forging stage."
Yao Chen, standing beside him, nodded slightly. He's right, he thought. John must be in the late stage of Foundation Forging. With the two of us together, taking him down will be easy.
The green-haired disciple stepped forward, releasing a surge of spiritual energy. "If you think you can handle two late-stage Foundation Forging cultivators… then you're just asking for death."
Without another word, both of them launched at John with explosive speed.
Yao Chen drew a sword from the small pouch at his waist and swung it down with precision, while the green-haired disciple raised his hand, channeling a technique that shaped his spiritual energy into a serpent-like attack.
But before either strike could land, John vanished.
Using his Shadow God Technique, he disappeared into thin air, reappearing several meters behind them in a swirl of dark energy.
"That was close," John muttered, his tone suddenly serious. "What the hell, both of you attacking me out of nowhere?"
The two disciples spun around in shock, eyes wide. How did he move that far… so fast?
John smirked and shrugged. "I was only planning to take the spiritual treasure and leave quietly…" His eyes darkened as a sinister smile spread across his face. "But since you two decided to try and kill me… I guess I'll return the favor."
Yao Chen chuckled, lifting his sword again. "Don't make me laugh. Do you really think you can take on both of us?"
The green-haired disciple stepped forward beside him. "That's right. Don't get cocky just because you dodged one attack. You're still outnumbered."
John's smile didn't fade. Instead, it deepened as a wave of dark energy rippled around him. A chilling aura flooded the area as he unleashed his Shadow Spiritual Energy, the ground beneath him cracking slightly from the pressure.
In response, both Yao Chen and the green-haired disciple released their own spiritual energy, the air between the three cultivators distorting from the collision of their power.
Crackles of energy sparked in the air.
A deadly silence fell over the battlefield.