"Ha…"
A quiet laugh escaped him.
"I can still access it."
Relief washed over John.
When the system announcement first came, John felt like his world was falling apart
The 15 years he had given to the game,
his
A million years of effort.
just for the system to come and announce to kill him
He even doubted that he would lose his dream power and permanently serve a connection from his game self,
But now he was much calmer
Because he had confirmed one thing.
He was still—
The Sage Emperor.
John leaned back slightly.
His gaze deepened.
At first…
When he regained access to his power—
A thought had surfaced.
Simple.
Direct.
Violent.
Destroy the system.
If it could threaten him—
Then eliminate it.
But that thought lasted only a moment.
John slowly shook his head.
"…Too naive."
Even if he killed every human sent here—
Even if he crushed them all—
Would that solve anything?
No.
The system could simply—
Select more.
Blue Star was just a resource.
And he?
Just a target.
Fighting blindly would only expose him.
No.
If he wanted to win—
He had to understand it.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Then… I'll play along."
Instead of resisting the system—
He would use it.
Gain authority.
Climb its hierarchy.
Uncover its secrets.
And when the time came—
Destroy it completely.
For now—
He had to act.
Act like every other human.
Weak.
Clueless.
Lucky.
"…A fortunate encounter should be enough."
John's eyes flickered.
Back in the Dao World—
His other self had already made preparations.
The phoenix.
Absolutely loyal beast.
Incapable of betrayal.
And more importantly—
Fast.
Faster than anything bound by conventional laws.
By bending space—
By turning into pure light—
It could traverse unimaginable distances.
Even distances that would take him—
Years.
Because when he tried to locate himself—
He discovered something unexpected.
His original body, which was teleported by the system in dao world—
Was in a remote corner of the lower world.
Millions of light-years away.
Even for him—
Travelling directly would take far too long.
But the phoenix—
Was different.
John exhaled slowly.
"I'll let it handle things."
Inside that storage ring—
Were countless spirit fruits.
Treasures capable of increasing cultivation—
Without restriction.
Without bottlenecks.
Without limits.
Enough—
To rapidly elevate a mortal into something far beyond.
And the phoenix—
Would ensure his safety.
The contract he placed on it—
Was absolute.
Its mission was simple.
Find him.
Protect him.
Deliver everything.
John closed his eyes briefly.
Calculating.
"…Six days."
That was the estimated time.
Six days until his true advantage arrived.
Until then—
He was vulnerable.
Weak.
Just another newcomer in the Dao World.
John opened his eyes again.
Calm.
Focused.
"So…"
"Should I wait 6 days for Phoenix to arrive, or start the act?"
"It's definitely safer to hide in a hole for 6 days, after which, when phoniex arrive, he could roam the world all he wants"
john persnality was always to play it safe, then be in danger
"But it would be suspicious that a person hiding in a hole suddenly discover oprtunity"
"I can only assume the system is watching our every move, although it can't pry in thought's, because if that was case, the system would have already killed him"
"What should I do?"
Suddenly, as John was thinking he heard commotion from the down floor of the inn.
John moved.
Silently.
He stepped out of his room and made his way downstairs.
By the time he reached the main hall—
A crowd had already gathered.
John didn't step forward.
Didn't stand out.
Instead—
He slipped into the edges of the crowd.
Blending in.
Watching.
At the center—
A man was kneeling.
No—
Not kneeling.
Kowtowing.
His forehead slammed repeatedly against the wooden floor.
Again.
And again.
And again.
"Sir…! Please…!"
His voice trembled.
"Please release my wife… my daughter…!"
"I was the one at fault… punish me instead…!"
John's gaze shifted.
toward a group that stood before the man.
with their similar-looking robes—
John recognised them instantly.
Sect members.
Others might hesitate.
Might not understand.
But not him.
Still—
He turned slightly and asked the man beside him,
"What's happening?"
The man glanced at John, surprised.
Then shook his head with a sigh.
"New here, huh?"
John didn't reply.
The man continued—
"Mortals should know their place."
"That fool over there—"
He gestured toward the kneeling man.
"—argued with immortals over a seat inside the inn."
John's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…A seat?"
The man scoffed.
"Of course, he offered to pay."
"But does that matter?"
His voice lowered.
"Those women with him—his wife and daughter…"
John didn't need to hear the rest.
He already understood.
The kneeling man's forehead was bleeding now.
His body is trembling.
His voice breaking.
"Please…! I beg you…!"
But the sect members—
Didn't even look at him.
To them—
He was less than nothing.
John watched quietly.
Unmoving.
Uninvolved.
Because he understood this world.
A world where—
The strong ruled.
And the weak… suffered.
A world where morality was meaningless.
Only strength mattered.
And right now—
He was weak.
Interfering?
That would be suicide.
Six days.
He only needed to survive for six days.
Throwing his life away now—
For strangers—
Was meaningless.
John closed his eyes briefly.
I'm not a hero.
He opened them again.
Cold.
And I'm not a villain either.
He simply…
left the place