Sacrifice's Rise: I Became Invincible After Entering Godslayer Temple

John was indeed unaware of the exact location of Storm Lake; his only association with the term "storm" was limited to Storm City.

The connection between Storm Lake and Storm City was unclear to him at the time.

The humanoid formed of water elements, the legendary warrior Aike, provided the precise coordinates without any delay.

Utilizing his formidable powers, Aike transported John directly to Storm Lake.

John vanished from Crying Valley in an instant, leaving the rest of his team bewildered.

They had not anticipated encountering the legendary warrior Aike during a quest to explore Crying Valley, nor did they expect one of their team members to have such a close and seemingly reliant relationship with Aike.

Following John's disappearance, the remaining members of John's team decided to hastily return to the Naga tribe.

The team leader recognized that without John, their collective strength was significantly diminished.

"Having fully explored Crying Valley, we should return as quickly as possible. I'm sure the others in the Naga tribe are eager to hear of our findings," the team leader stated.

Under the team leader's guidance, all members made their swift exit from Crying Valley.

At the valley's entrance, they encountered the revived, formidable Mystery creatures, whose aim was to eliminate all enemies within Crying Valley.

John's team found themselves embroiled in a tough battle.

Of course, John was oblivious to these events, as he was already at Storm Lake.

As he had speculated, Storm Lake and Storm City were indeed situated in the same vicinity.

Storm City was built upon Storm Lake, transforming the existence of Storm Lake into an underground area of Storm City.

The underground area that John, along with Adam and Blue Sea, had previously ventured to was indeed the remnants of Storm Lake.

Upon reaching the shores of Storm Lake, John felt the immense power of the water elements within the lake.

He began to understand why Duke Arsena had always been so confident in defending Storm City.

Even without John's assistance, Duke Arsena could likely rely on the mighty power of the water elements to ensure the safety of Storm City.

As John pondered these matters, the legendary warrior Aike appeared beside him.

"You've arrived somewhat slowly. I had expected you to reach here earlier," Aike's words left John with a puzzled expression.

In John's view, hadn't he been transported here by Aike?

If he was brought here by someone else, why would they comment on his slow arrival?

"I don't understand why you would say that. I was transported to Storm Lake immediately upon meeting you. Does that speed still count as slow?" John retorted.

In response to John's counter-question, the legendary warrior Aike shook his head.

"You've misunderstood. My point is, why did it take you so long to finally discover the ancient battlefield? Does this mean that in your era, the Mystery faction has already achieved ultimate success?"

Aike's words made John realize that Aike might be implying that John had completed the quest later than expected.

Before John, it seemed that no other player had managed to complete the series of quests.

This meant that no player could directly enter the ancient battlefield.

Furthermore, Aike's remarks made John even more aware that he was merely in an illusion.

He likely hadn't actually returned to the ancient battlefield, because if he had, Aike wouldn't possess such extensive information.

While John mulled over these matters, Aike, with a smile, said, "You're not wrong, this is still an illusion. And if you wish to leave this place, the quest you need to complete is quite challenging. I summoned you here to offer you an additional option. Should you decide to abandon this quest, I can directly facilitate your departure from this illusion."

A portal appeared on the surface of Storm Lake, created by the legendary warrior Aike.

Passing through this portal would return John to the game world.

However, if John chose not to use the portal, he would need to complete all the quests in the ancient battlefield.

"I am an adventurer, that should be clear. As an adventurer, I would never easily give up on my quest. No matter how difficult the quest may be, I am confident in my success. Since you've summoned me here, you should be able to tell me how challenging the quest is. Let's not waste any more time. Could it be that this quest involves confronting a Mystery sage directly?

Even if I face a Mystery sage here, I doubt they would possess the same immense Mystery power as a real one. After all, as you've said, this is merely an illusion. Everything within an illusion is fictitious, and a fictitious being cannot possess formidable power."

John's remarks elicited a laugh from the legendary warrior Aike.

Aike found John's confidence as an adventurer to be excessively high.

"You indeed possess great confidence. Confidence isn't a flaw, and in fact, I quite appreciate confident individuals. However, I must warn you one last time that the upcoming quest is extremely perilous. You might have noticed that nearly all your Sacred Relics have been disabled. This is because the levels of these Sacred Relics do not surpass that of the illusion. The only Sacred Relic you possess that exceeds the level of the illusion is the Book of the Astral Realm. Yet, do you think using the Book of the Astral Realm within the illusion will come without any side effects?

The Book of the Astral Realm will amplify the chaos inherent to the illusion itself. If the level of chaos becomes too intense, everything you encounter in the illusion will start to lack any logic. You might even be torn apart by the power of the Book of the Astral Realm."

John listened calmly to Aike's words, as he was already aware of the side effects of the Book of the Astral Realm.

He also understood that using the Book of the Astral Realm in an illusion could not be taken lightly.

Yet, for him, the risk was worth taking.

Completing all the quests within the illusion promised significant rewards.

The greater the difficulty of the quest, the higher the rewards would naturally be.

"I'm fully aware, and there's no need for further persuasion. Now that we've reached the final quest, just tell me what it entails. I believe I have the capability to complete it. I'd certainly be grateful for your assistance, but if you're not willing to help, please spare me any further discouraging remarks."

John's stance was resolute.

He had no interest in enduring more pointless talk, as it would only waste more time, which was the very thing he was short on, given the multitude of challenges he was facing.

Acknowledging John's firmness, the legendary warrior Aike nodded and turned his gaze towards the portal he had summoned.

As Aike's eyes emitted a green light, the portal too burst into a green glow.

Under this green luminescence, Storm Lake was enveloped in a serene and shadowy space.

A bridge made of white light formed, connecting John's location to the portal.

"If you wish to complete the final and most challenging quest, step directly into the portal. Within it, you'll face the most formidable enemy you've ever encountered, as well as the adversary you'd least like to confront. There's no point in having second thoughts now; you no longer have the option to quit."

After delivering these words, Aike vanished.

John glanced towards the portal, showing no hesitation, and approached its edge.

He employed a Detection spell to survey the interior of the portal, but as expected, the spell yielded no results.

A formidable barrier existed between the inside and outside of the portal, rendering such attempts futile.

Faced with this situation, John wasn't disheartened.

He understood well that such challenges were common in quests of significant difficulty.

Taking a deep breath, John stepped forward into the portal.