Reincarnation Of The Strongest Sword God - Chapter 308

Chapter 308: Black Flame and Ye Feng

“Good, I’ll head over there now,” Shi Feng said. Standing atop a tree, he inspected his surroundings before jumping off the tree and proceeding towards the meeting point.

Now that Fire Dance and the others had accomplished the difficult first step, what remained depended solely on luck.

If his plan worked, then Fire Dance’s group would succeed in escaping.

As for directly confronting Dark Star, choosing to face over 3,000 elites from Dark Star was simply suicidal.

Oh? Someone’s coming over.

While Shi Feng was transversing the forest, his keen five senses suddenly picked up on movement a short distance away. He promptly jumped up onto a tree.

Towards the west side of the forest, a team of over one hundred elite players was currently searching the vicinity as they moved. The majority of these players were Red Names, creating a very eye-catching sight. Moreover, none of them tried to hide their presence—which made it very easy for Shi Feng to discover them.

“Uncle South Wolf, Zero Wing has played a significant role in the war between Ouroboros and World Dominators this time. We also can’t overlook the combat power Zero Wing displayed. It is definitely not as simple as it appears in the video recordings of their battle. If Zero Wing had not suddenly ambushed World Dominators from behind, World Dominators would not have lost so overwhelmingly.

“Now, World Dominators in White River City is only an empty shell of its past self. Blood Halberd is also continuously lambasting Lone Tyrant with a barrage of curses. However, since Lone Tyrant does not dare to become hostile with Blood Halberd, he has no choice but to suffer in silence. Black Flame is truly decisive with his actions.

“Not only did he eliminate World Dominators from White River City, he has also severed a large portion of Dark Star’s support. In addition, the post he made before declaring war on Dark Star has led to the war between Zero Wing and World Dominators receiving widespread attention. Using only 3,000 players to defeat a first-rate Guild like World Dominators, with such a brilliant battle record, Zero Wing has instantly risen to fame from this single battle.

“Killing three birds with one stone. Even I am starting to admire this person named Black Flame.”

The commentary of the female Summoner walking beside South Wolf on Zero Wing’s battle was eloquent. She spoke as if she knew every little detail of Shi Feng’s plan.

This girl was around 20 years old. She had a pair of beautiful eyes that was both bright and dazzling, making it difficult to discern the girl’s thoughts. Her cherry lips were currently tilted up slightly, while her eyelids were curved into small crescents. The girl exuded a calm and mysterious aura. During the few occasions when she giggled, she would also reveal a noble and elegant temperament that drew the attention of others despite themselves.

“Youlan, you are Underworld’s female Zhuge[1]. How can you uplift others’ prestige while downplaying your own worth? That Black Flame simply got lucky. He definitely isn’t as smart as you make him out to be.” South Wolf felt that Youlan overestimated Black Flame, who South Wolf believed was simply an arrogant and despotic person. Meanwhile, Zero Wing’s victory in the war this time and the subsequent trouble that visited Dark Star were simply coincidences. There was nothing worthy of their concern.

“Maybe I am overthinking things,” Youlan laughed, having no intention of refuting South Wolf’s words.

“Although Zero Wing has risen to fame with this single battle and they have also managed to cause us some trouble, their core team is still trapped in this Silverleaf Forest. We have them completely surrounded now. Even if Ouroboros and the rest of Zero Wing rush over here right away, they will still be too late to change anything. As long as Zero Wing’s core team is annihilated, the Guild itself will receive a fatal blow. At that time, we’ll see how Black Flame can continue acting rampantly,” South Wolf scoffed proudly.

Zero Wing had only managed to garner the reputation it had today due to their continuous monopoly of the top ten positions on the Ranking List of White River City. The eight experts of Zero Wing were known by all, and they still occupied the top eight positions on the Ranking List until this day; nobody had managed to threaten their positions all this time. If these eight players died today, they would definitely fall out of the top ten. Subsequently, Zero Wing would also lose the fame and prestige it possessed.

“I guess this could be considered a flaw of Guild Leader Black Flame. Players have always worshiped the strong. Although occupying the top position on the Ranking List would bring him great benefits, if he fails to maintain this position, it would instead become a sword that will stab him in the heart.” Youlan nodded.

In the middle of South Wolf and Youlan’s conversation, an Assassin suddenly spoke in the team chat, “Brother South Wolf, I’ve found them.”

Assassins were not only proficient in the art of assassination, they were also proficient in the art of tracking. Hence, Assassins were definitely the best choice when hunting for players.

“Good! Even the heavens are aiding me! I will bring an end to Zero Wing! Blade, immediately inform Guild Leader Tyrant of this and have them come quickly. We’ll go ahead and delay Fire Dance’s group. The moment everyone arrives will be their time of death.” South Wolf laughed. “It is a pity Ye Feng isn’t with them. Otherwise, I will definitely make him regret making a mockery out of Underworld. Regardless, I will use the deaths of Zero Wing’s core team members as a greeting gift to him.”

“Ye Feng? Uncle South Wolf, are you referring to the god-ranked expert of White River City, that Ye Feng?” Youlan suddenly grew interested.

“What dog’s fart expert? If he had not hidden himself, I would have already made him kneel and beg for forgiveness by now,” South Wolf said in disdain.

Youlan entered a deep contemplation after hearing South Wolf’s words. Suddenly, a smile appeared on her face and a hint of joy glimmered in her eyes. It was as if she had found a new toy to play with. Laughing lightly, she said, “First, there is Black Flame, and now, there is Ye Feng, a god-ranked expert. Zero Wing is truly an interesting existence.”

—

Just as South Wolf’s group was closing in on Fire Dance and the others, Shi Feng hid himself within the dense treetops, waiting for South Wolf’s group to approach him.

“Guild Leader, we’re ready,” Fire Dance said through the team chat.

“Good. Fire Dance, you and the other Assassins sneak over to their healers and prepare an ambush. Make sure to maintain a certain distance from their group and be careful of detection. Although it is unlikely that any of them have learned a stealth-erasing skill, we cannot rule out even the slightest possibility. Wait until they have entered Blackie’s attack range, then make your move. No matter what, do not let them discover our tracks,” Shi Feng said quietly.

After Shi Feng had discovered South Wolf’s group, he had immediately contacted Fire Dance and ordered them to ready themselves to get rid of these players.

Shi Feng had chosen to do so mainly because it was of utmost importance that Dark Star not find out where they were going.

South Wolf’s elite team consisted of over a hundred players. All of them possessed relatively good quality equipment. Although there were a few Bronze Equipment mixed in, most of them were using Mysterious-Iron Equipment. This team was definitely one of Dark Star’s core teams.

Conversely, although Shi Feng had only around 30 players on his side, every one of them was an expert. It was not exactly impossible for them to eliminate these 100-plus elite players in a short amount of time. Not to mention, Shi Feng still had plenty of Basic Frost Grenades and Tier 1 Magic Scrolls on him. Naturally, he had distributed quite a lot of them to Fire Dance and the others.

In addition, if they could kill all these elite players, the deaths would cause significant damage to Dark Star.

So, why not?

“Leave it to me.” Saying so, Fire Dance immediately led five Assassins and snuck over.

Although South Wolf’s group consisted of 100-plus elite players, their levels were only around Level 17, with Level 19 being the highest. Meanwhile, Fire Dance was currently Level 21. Fire Dance’s techniques and equipment also surpassed these elite players by leaps and bounds. All these factors combined allowed Fire Dance to effortlessly sneak up on the enemy’s healers.

The five other Assassins accompanying Fire Dance were not weaklings, either. They were all core members of Zero Wing, sporting equipment of Mysterious-Iron rank or above, and were also at Level 20 right now. When they snuck up on the healers of Dark Star, none of them were detected.

So when South Wolf and his group walked into Blackie’s attack range, they all remained unaware of the looming danger.

“Kill!”

Shi Feng commanded through the team chat, and immediately, everyone sprang into action.

TL Notes:

[1] Zhuge: a genius strategist during the Three Kingdoms period.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuge_Liang

Chapter 309: ranked MT

The ten healers from Dark Star did not detect the presence of the six figures swiftly closing in on them at all.

Fire Dance was extremely quick. She crossed the distance of eight yards within an instant.

The Level 19 Cleric that Fire Dance approached had no clue whatsoever. The Cleric did not sense even a thread of danger as a snowy cold dagger stabbed into the back of his head. Before the Cleric could even feel pain, another dagger, this one scorching hot, slashed his neck.

After placing the Level 19 Cleric in a Fainted state, Fire Dance immediately followed up with a flurry of attacks.

Backstab!

Shadow Strike!

Quadruple Assassinate!

A series of frightening damages appeared above the Cleric’s head. Fire Dance was currently using the pair of Fine-Gold ranked daggers she had received from Shi Feng. In addition, the equipment she wore consisted of Fine-Gold and even Dark-Gold items. For her, dealing with a cloth armor class like a Cleric was a piece of cake.

She instantly killed the Level 19 Cleric, who did not possess even 1,800 HP.

The other five Assassins that moved with Fire Dance performed similarly well, killing their targets almost as quickly as Fire Dance had hers.

“They actually dared to lay an ambush on us. What a bunch of suicidal fools. Everyone, do not panic. Guardian Knights, cast Protection Blessing on the healers. Rangers, mark those fools immediately; absolutely do not let them disappear again. Elementalists, use ice-type magic to restrict their movements. Everyone else, charge at them.” South Wolf quickly issued commands after discovering the deaths of six of their healers, a cold sneer on his face.

The Shield Warriors and Berserkers closest to the healers reacted quickly. They used Charge on the six enemy Assassins in an attempt to save the remaining healers in their team.

Simultaneously, the Guardian Knights of Dark Star cast Protection Blessing on the four remaining healers, reducing the physical damage they received by 50%.

One could not help but admit that the Dark Star elites were truly skilled players. Their response made it practically impossible for Fire Dance’s group to kill the remaining four healers now.

In the face of the Shield Warriors’ and Berserkers’ Charge and also the barrage of Frost Arrows sent by the Elementalists, Fire Dance and her fellow Assassins promptly used Wind Steps, gaining more than a second’s worth of invincibility, thanks to the skill’s effect. All six of them then turned around and ran, leaving behind only the corpses of the six healers they killed as they plunged into the forest.

“Despicable! Assassins, chase after them! Make sure you don’t lose track of them!” South Wolf bellowed, anger filling his heart.

Their team consisted of 100-plus elite players. Yet, not only had they lost six of their healers in an ambush by six Assassins, they had even allowed these ambushers to escape. Wouldn’t they become laughingstocks if others were to find out about this matter?

Before the elites of Dark Star could set off in pursuit of Fire Dance’s group, the female Summoner, Youlan, suddenly shouted loudly, “Do not chase after them! Everyone, scatter immediately!”

The moment Youlan finished speaking, she promptly sprinted away from this part of the forest.

South Wolf was confused by Youlan’s actions, failing to understand why she would do such a thing. However, he still chose to listen to her advice and started running.

At the same time, in the distance, Blackie finished chanting the final verse of his spell’s incantation.

In the next moment, an enormous, golden magic array appeared in the sky, covering a large part of the forest. Shortly after, a dazzlingly brilliant star appeared from the magic array and plummeted towards the forest.

One after another, the Dark Star Elementalists with quick reactions responded by immediately activating Instantaneous Movement. Meanwhile, the other classes also activated their own lifesaving skills while doing their best to escape the effective range of the attack. However, there were a few players from Dark Star that failed to respond appropriately. Moreover, Blackie’s Stars of Light possessed a very large effective range. Hence, when the first star impacted the ground, the blast caught over a dozen Dark Star players. The continuous bombardment of the Stars of Light easily wiped out even Shield Warriors that possessed more than 3,000 HP.

To put it simply, all those within the Stars of Light’s effective range died.

“What an amazing skill. Now that I’m seeing it in person, this skill is extraordinary as expected. Aside from Black Flame and Ye Feng, the top ranker of White River City cannot be taken lightly, either.” Although Youlan had managed to avoid the bombardment of the Stars of Light, she still could not help but marvel at the terrifying destructive power of the skill.

“Youlan, if not for your reminder, we would have lost more than just a dozen or so members.” At this moment, South Wolf had yet to recover from his shock. After all, he had originally been standing at ground zero of the attack. If he had not escaped as quickly as he had, he might have been among the dozen or so players who had died.

“Uncle South Wolf, please contact Guild Leader Tyrant immediately and have them on the lookout in their vicinity. Make sure they don’t split up, as the ambushers from Zero Wing are definitely not limited to just those six,” Youlan said in the team chat after surveying her surroundings.

“Youlan, you worry too much. Although we have lost some of our people, this team of ours consists entirely of Dark Star’s elite. Fire Dance’s group has only around 30 or so members remaining. In a direct confrontation, they stand no chance against us at all. The most they can achieve right now is an ambush on us. Now that they have revealed themselves, it is the perfect chance for us to pursue them. So, how can we choose to wait for our deaths in this place?” South Wolf felt that Youlan was panicking slightly after seeing the Stars of Light.

Originally, Youlan had wanted to dissuade South Wolf. However, the latter was simply too impatient. He also did not wish to miss this great chance to get rid of Fire Dance and her group. Hence, before Youlan could say anything more, South Wolf had already led the team off, charging in the direction where Fire Dance and the others had disappeared.

“Just in time.”

Seeing South Wolf and his team running over, Shi Feng revealed a smile as he waved his hand. At Shi Feng’s gesture, Cola and the other plate armor classes immediately charged forward to meet with the Dark Star members.

The moment South Wolf’s group noticed the dozen or so Zero Wing members charging at them, they, too, did not hesitate to hasten their steps, their eagerness to get rid of Cola and the others showing clearly in their eyes.

Cola was the Chief MT of Zero Wing, and his current level was at Level 21. In addition, Cola was mostly geared with Fine-Gold Equipment, Secret-Silver being the poorest quality for the items he had on him. The Arclight Guard in his hand was also a Dark-Gold ranked shield. With such good items, Cola’s HP exceeded the 3,900 threshold, and his Defense was likewise frightening. When a Flame Explosion sent by one of Dark Star’s Elementalists landed on him, the spell barely managed to deal slightly over -300 damage. The caster of the spell goggled from shock when he saw such a low damage, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

Meanwhile, an arrow shot by a Ranger from Dark Star dealt only around -100 damage. The attack could barely be considered a scratch on Cola.

To make matters worse, Cola also excelled at dodging. In the face of a sky filled with spells and arrows, Cola actually managed to dodge over half of these attacks.

Meanwhile, standing at the rear, Violet Cloud merely had to gesture with her delicate hand, casting a basic Recover on Cola.

Instantly, the spell fully restored the 400-plus HP Cola lost, returning the Guardian Knight to full health. Moreover, Recover was a skill that restored the target’s HP once every three seconds for a duration of 15 seconds.

Seeing this scene, everyone from Dark Star was immediately dumbfounded.

“What kind of healer is she?! I am a Cleric as well, yet my Recover can restore only around 200 HP each time! She’s already comparable to the top five healers of Dark Star!” a Cleric for Dark Star commented in shock.

Originally, they were already having a hard time trying to kill Cola. Now that there was also an amazing healer supporting him from behind, it was simply impossible for them to kill him.

Shortly after both sides started confronting each other, the players from Dark Star suddenly discovered a shocking matter: Cola’s HP had actually risen past 5,000!

Moreover, the heals he was receiving had also increased from the original 400-plus to 500-plus, making him even more impossible to kill.

Unknown to the members of Dark Star, Cola’s sudden upgrade was all due to the Arclight Guard’s passive skill, Sound of Life. Every time Cola received an attack, he would receive a stack of Power of Life. Each stack of Power of Life increased Cola’s maximum HP by 3% and the healing he received by 2% for one minute, and Cola could accumulate a maximum of 10 stacks of Power of Life.

Hence, Cola suddenly became much more powerful.

“Kill him! All ranged classes, focus fire on him!” South Wolf knew that if Cola did not die, it would be a huge blow to the team’s morale. Therefore, killing Cola had priority.

Immediately, half a dozen Berserkers surrounded Cola, while the ranged damage dealers sent a continuous stream of attacks at him. They no longer treated Cola like a player but a Boss monster.

In response to their actions, Cola simply smiled in disdain. He then activated Protection Blessing, reducing the damage he received by 50%.

Now, the highest damage the players from Dark Star managed to inflict on Cola did not exceed -200 points. A majority of the attacks were even below -100 damage. In the face of Cola’s 5,000-plus HP, such damages were simply insignificant. However, due to the large number of attacks, Cola’s HP quickly fell below the 50% threshold.

Right then, Violet Cloud took action again. She casually cast Guardian Shield and Recover on Cola. At Violet Cloud’s current level, her Guardian Shield would provide her target with a buff that could absorb over -700 damage. She followed up with Healing Light.

In the next moment, a healing value of +1,600 appeared above Cola’s head, in addition to the 500-plus HP regenerated with Recover. Cola’s HP instantly went back up to full again…

Chapter 310: Reversal

Originally, the Guardian Knight Cola was already a huge headache due to his high HP and Defense, and Dark Star’s players exerted quite a lot of effort in order to reduce his HP by over half.

Yet, in the next moment, he was now back to full health.

South Wolf nearly popped a vein when he witnessed this scene.

Although Cola was an MT, the damage he dealt was not one bit low; a casual slash from his sword could deal around -300 to -400 damage to Dark Star’s Shield Warriors. If Cola used a skill, he could even deal -500 to -600 damage—which was even higher than that of the Berserkers of Dark Star. Moreover, Cola could tank four Berserkers simultaneously, all by himself, and he even managed to send them flying back.

Meanwhile, such a Boss ranked MT was now immortal due to a single Cleric from Zero Wing.

However, this still was not the end of South Wolf’s headache.

The MTs in his team were relatively high-ranking MTs in White River City.

But… But… the two Berserkers named Lonely Snow and Water Buffalo still sliced them up in no time. For example, one of the Guardian Knights of Dark Star had come under the combined assault of the two Berserkers. At first, the Guardian Knight had received two normal attacks from the Berserkers. Unfortunately, both attacks had achieved a critical hit, with Lonely Snow dealing over -1,400 damage and Water Buffalo dealing over -1,300 damage. Without leaving any gaps, the two then followed up with Beheaded, both of their skills dealing over -1,000 damage each. As a result, even though the Guardian Knight had two healers focusing on him, his 3,000 HP was still reaped away within an instant.

Meanwhile, Fire Dance was even more amazing than the two Berserkers. After dishing out a flurry of attacks, she followed up with a 7-star Eviscerate that achieved a critical hit, dealing over -2,300 damage. Within moments, one more Guardian Knight of Dark Star died.

South Wolf had even begun to suspect that the members of Zero Wing were no longer playing the same game Dark Star’s players were.

After all, whether it was Zero Wing’s MT, healer, or DPS, all of them were so powerful. On the other hand, the players of Dark Star were like paper, dying from just a touch.

With merely a brief exchange, South Wolf’s team had already lost nine members. It should be known that all these players were core members of Dark Star; they were not random noobs that could be found anywhere on the streets of White River City. Each and every one of them was a skilled player and they all had a good sense for battle. Although they were not comparable to experts, neither were they far from one. Yet, even so, these elite players still died with barely any resistance.

As the battle continued, the players from Dark Star grew more and more frightened.

They had yet to kill a single player of Zero Wing, even until now. This was definitely a huge psychological blow to the elites of Dark Star.

“Don’t panic! We outnumber them thrice over! Assassins and Rangers, take out their healers first! As long as the healers are dead, the others will soon follow, even if their combat power is superior!” South Wolf was no idiot, and he immediately sought to utilize Dark Star’s advantage.

Zerg tactics. It was the easiest tactic for obtaining victory in any virtual reality game. As South Wolf had the numerical advantage, he could afford to divide his troops into two groups: one to pin down the enemy forces, and another to circle around and strike at the enemy’s weak point.

Very quickly, over twenty Assassins and Rangers from Dark Star flanked Zero Wing’s forces and immediately charged towards Violet Cloud’s group of five healers. Contrary to expectations, however, even when Violet Cloud’s group noticed Dark Star’s players charging towards them, none of them chose to run away. Instead, they continued healing their allies at the front, paying no attention to their attackers at all.

In regard to the healers’ lack of reaction, Dark Star’s players did not give it too much thought. They simply continued charging forward, having concluded that Zero Wing’s healers had already given up on escaping.

When there was only a short distance of eight yards between the Assassins and Violet Cloud’s group, an Intermediate Frost Grenade suddenly landed, exploding in the midst of the Assassins. Dark Star’s Rangers, who stood 30 yards away, also received an Intermediate Frost Grenade of their own.

In the blink of an eye, both groups were frozen solid. A damage of -400 also appeared above each of their heads.

Although the eight Assassins immediately used Vanish to escape the freezing effect, they were still unable to advance as an Ice Wall appeared, blocking the path between them and Violet Cloud’s group.

Meanwhile, the person responsible for casting this Ice Wall was one of the Five Demon Generals that Shi Feng had recruited, Ice Queen Su Qianliu.

Ice Wall was the perfect skill for this scenario.

Without magic immunity, if the Assassins were to charge into the Ice Wall[1], their Movement Speeds would slow to a crawl. At that time, their fates would be as good as sealed.

Although Ice Wall had a short duration of only two to three seconds, it still provided the healers with a brief, but important, moment of respite.

As for the Rangers of Dark Star, none of them had any skills that could be used to dispel the effects of control skills, and neither did any of them possess any lifesaving skills. Hence, they could do nothing but stand there and watch.

At this moment, Shi Feng used Silent Steps and suddenly appeared behind these frozen Rangers.

To Shi Feng, a group of immobile players was entirely negligible. Shi Feng was currently at Level 23. He was also equipped with the newly acquired Seven Luminaries Ring, and had recently received the Golden Stigmata. His overall Attributes surpassed these elite players manyfold. Moreover, Shi Feng currently had the Aura of Fire activated, the aura effect increasing his damage by 30% while also reducing his target’s Defense by 30%.

Immediately, Shi Feng sent a Level 8 Thundering Flash at the group of Rangers.

Green arcs of lightning crackled as they instantly pierced the bodies of these Rangers.

Damages of -1,102, -1,528, and -2,140 appeared above each of the twelve Rangers’ heads.

Although none of Shi Feng’s attacks had achieved a critical hit, these Rangers had only around 2,000 HP. Meanwhile, Shi Feng’s Thundering Flash had dealt more than -4,700 damage in total, far surpassing the Rangers’ maximum HP.

The members of Dark Star saw Shi Feng killing all those Rangers with a single strike.

Each and every one of the witnesses was completely dumbfounded, their jaw hanging wide open.

South Wolf nearly had his eyes pop out of their own sockets.

The twelve Rangers simultaneously collapsed to the ground, their actions in complete unison. In the next moment, piles of weapons and equipment were scattered around their bodies. In this chaotic battlefield, this scene was both striking and shocking.

The twelve Rangers were all either Level 18 or Level 19 players. Most of the equipment they used was also Level 15 Mysterious-Iron Equipment, and every one of them had more than 2,000 HP.

Yet… they were killed off so easily.

Moreover, it wasn’t just one person that got killed but an entire group.

For a moment, South Wolf believed that he was dreaming. He even considered giving one of his subordinates a slap and then asking said subordinate if it hurt, to confirm whether or not this was a dream.

As for the Assassins of Dark Star who had been waiting for the Ice Wall to disappear, after witnessing this unforgettable scene, they had completely forgotten their original task of dealing with Violet Cloud’s group of healers. They idly stood there as they watched their Ranger companions die, their minds empty of all thought. They then swallowed a big gulp of saliva as they suddenly recalled an important matter…

With the number of murders they had committed so far, if they died as well, not only would they lose two to three levels, they would even lose all the equipment on their bodies!

Watching from a distance, Blackie was similarly astonished by the instant deaths of the twelve elite players. However, he had long since grown inured to Shi Feng’s horror-inducing feats, so he quickly regained his composure and threw a Basic Frost Grenade at the still-dazed Assassins of Dark Star, freezing them once more.

This time, none of the Assassins could use Vanish to remove the freezing effect on them. Hence, they could only obediently stay frozen.

Following which, Blackie chanted an incantation and used Hell Flame.

One could easily imagine the might of a Hell Flame that was powered by the Epic ranked staff Mavis’s Guard. Damages of over -1,000 points immediately appeared above these Assassins’ heads, and within three seconds, all of these Assassins turned into ashes, leaving behind a pile of shining weapons and equipment.

However, this was still not the end.

After Shi Feng had dealt with Dark Star’s Rangers, he then cast Firestorm, the activatable skill of the Aura of Fire, at the heart of the battlefield.

[Firestorm]

Inflicts 500% damage within a range of 10*10 yards for 5 seconds.

Cooldown: 5 minutes

In terms of damage, Firestorm did not lose out to Stars of Light by much. However, it had a much smaller effective range.

Currently, Cola was surrounded by plenty of Dark Star’s elite players. Before anyone could react, a storm of flames suddenly emerged above them, and the HP of all of Dark Star’s players within 10 yards of Cola fell at a crazy rate.

Although Shield Warriors and Guardian Knights were classes with high HP and Defense, Shi Feng’s equipment was simply too amazing, which resulted in his current Attack Power being well over 800 points. With such a high base value, even though the Shield Warriors and Guardian Knights of Dark Star possessed plenty of damage reduction items, they still received more than -2,000 DPS. As for the other classes, they received more than -3,000 DPS.

Even when the Shield Warriors and Guardian Knights activated their lifesaving skills, which allowed them to halve the damage they received, they still could not avoid death.

After Firestorm ended, all of Dark Star’s players caught within its effective range were reduced to cinders. Only Cola and the other frontline members of Zero Wing remained alive; Dark Star’s forty or so frontline players had died.

All of a sudden, Zero Wing’s side outnumbered Dark Star’s.

“Black Flame, why are you here?” South Wolf instantly recognized the person responsible for killing the majority of Dark Star’s players. At this moment, South Wolf’s eyes were filled with incomparable shock as his trembling finger pointed at Shi Feng’s crimson red name.

South Wolf failed to understand why Black Flame would appear at this place. He also could not understand why Black Flame was so powerful. Wasn’t Black Flame just a forger?

Originally, there had been a huge numerical difference between the two sides. However, in the blink of an eye, a strategic change occurred, all because of Black Flame’s fleeting blow.

Dark Star was no match for Zero Wing even when Dark Star had the advantage of numbers. Now that the situation was reversed, the end result was obvious.

TL Notes:

[1]Ice Wall:

Uh, if you play Dota/ Dota2, no further explanations are needed.

If you don’t play Dota, this is a skill belonging to one of the Heroes in the game, Invoker.

Although Ice Wall is an actual wall of ice, it is not a pathing blocker (determined by the game developers), and any unit can pass through it. However, those who touch the Ice Wall summoned will have their Movement Speeds slowed significantly.

https://dota2.gamepedia.com/Invoker#Ice_Wall

Chapter 311: Absolute Control

Watching up to this point, South Wolf knew that defeat was inevitable, though he was loath to admit it, and his heart was filled with indignation.

Currently, his team had fewer than 30 players, and practically all of them were mages and healers. He alone was the only melee class alive. With such a team composition, Dark Star stood absolutely no chance against Zero Wing’s core team, which currently consisted of over 30 players.

The single sword strike Black Flame had displayed far exceeded South Wolf’s imagination. Not only was Black Flame inconceivably fast, his grasp of his Skills had also reached perfection, as shown by his single attack’s impeccable coverage of all twelve Rangers. Such a feat required one to possess excellent control over the skill itself and the angle of attack as well.

South Wolf was no fool, and neither was he a greenhorn that had been playing virtual reality games for only one or two years. As a representative of Underworld, he had met with and recruited lots of gaming experts before. He had also participated in a considerable number of team battles, so his experience in the virtual gaming world was quite plentiful.

Naturally, he understood the strategy Black Flame had used since the start of the battle.

Black Flame made the Guardian Knights, Shield Warriors, and other plate armor classes charge forward to lure the members of Dark Star into gathering around them. The female Cleric, Violet Cloud, was pivotal to this strategy. Although on the surface her healing ability was only double that of the healers of Dark Star, the effectiveness she displayed during the team battle far surpassed that of three or four healers combined.

Violet Cloud had an excellent grasp of the battle situation. Not only could she keep Cola alive and well, she could also simultaneously stabilize several other players’ HP. Throughout the battle, she performed smoothly and calmly. She was definitely not an existence to be trifled with.

Originally, Zero Wing already had powerful experts like Fire Dance, the team leader of Zero Wing’s core team, and Blackie, the number one player on White River City’s Ranking List. Now, South Wolf suddenly discovered that Zero Wing possessed not only Fire Dance and Blackie, Cola and Violet Cloud were definitely first-rate experts as well. Everyone else in Zero Wing’s core team were also all experts.

Meanwhile, Black Flame, who had suddenly appeared, was even more terrifying. The strength he displayed far surpassed that of all those previously mentioned. The scene South Wolf witnessed was like a replay of the god-ranked expert Ye Feng slaying the hundreds of players of Martial Union.

South Wolf could not figure out why there were so many experts gathering at a newly established Guild like Zero Wing.

Even a Guild that was newly established by a major corporation could not achieve what Zero Wing had manage in such a short amount of time.

South Wolf truly wondered how Black Flame had accomplished such a feat.

Although South Wolf was shocked by Black Flame’s personal strength and by Blackie, who possessed a strategic-level skill that could affect the entire battlefield…

“Black Flame, you are indeed amazing. However, the entire Silverleaf Forest is already under Dark Star’s control. Although your team of 30 or so players can easily defeat an elite team with more than 100 players, do you think you can do the same against 3,000 players? You have simply delayed the time of your demise.” South Wolf laughed coldly as he looked at Shi Feng, his current appearance making it seem as if he no longer cared about the many elite players that had died.

“Let’s go. It will be their time of death when Guild Leader Tyrant arrives.” Since his team was no match for Zero Wing, South Wolf naturally would not remain in this place and increase his losses.

The fact that he had discovered Black Flame, Zero Wing’s Guild Leader, here easily made up for the elite players he lost.

After all, Black Flame’s death would become a huge blow to Zero Wing’s reputation and prestige in White River City.

“Coming and going as you wish, do you think the Silverleaf Forest is your house?” Shi Feng smiled calmly, his eyes revealing a cold killing intent. “Since you’ve already pursued us to this place, I insist that you stay.”

“Do you think you can keep me here?” South Wolf laughed in disdain. He was an Assassin, the class that boasted the greatest survivability in the wild. If he hid himself in the dense forest, nobody would be able to find him.

“You can try. If any single one of you manages to escape today, then I will let you go.” Shi Feng waved, and all 30-plus members of Zero Wing immediately charged forward, starting their hunt of South Wolf and the surviving players of Dark Star.

The reason why South Wolf had never participated in the battle before was to leave a path of retreat for himself. This was a habit of his. After all, once he entered combat status, he could no longer use Stealth. At that time, he would only be left with Vanish to enter Stealth mode. However, Vanish was a lifesaving skill, so it should only be used at the most crucial of moments.

Looking at the enemy players charging at him, South Wolf revealed a disdainful expression. Just as he was about to use Stealth and hide himself in the dense forest…

“What’s going on?” South Wolf suddenly discovered that he could not use the skill. Like a prisoner deprived of his freedom, South Wolf frantically called out his skill bar to look for the cause of this situation.

“Boss South Wolf, we can’t use our skills! What are we supposed to do now?” the Elementalists of Dark Star asked, frightened.

Originally, they had intended to cast Ice Wall to delay Zero Wing’s charge. Now, however, none of them could use any of their skills—and an Elementalist that could not use skills was like a lamb to the slaughter. Aside from sacrificing their lives to earn a few extra seconds for their allies, they were helpless.

“Run first, talk later.” South Wolf was confused about this situation as well, and he suspected that something must have gone wrong with the system. Since none of them could use skills, they could only rely on their two feet to escape.

As an Assassin, South Wolf had great confidence in his own speed.

However, just as he was turning to escape, he suddenly discovered that his Movement Speed had been greatly reduced. Everyone else from Dark Star faced a similar situation as well.

“Just what is going on?” South Wolf started panicking as the players of Zero Wing raced closer and closer to them. However, he was simply helpless in the situation.

In the next moment, South Wolf noticed a black figure dashing past Cola and the others. Like a mad gale, the figure instantly caught up with the escaping players of Dark Star.

This person was none other than Shi Feng himself.

At present, Shi Feng’s Agility exceeded 240 points, and there were also the bonuses provided by the equipment he wore. In terms of Movement Speed, Shi Feng was definitely ranked at the apex of Star-Moon Kingdom.

Shi Feng used Silent Steps and appeared behind South Wolf like a ghost. He then said softly, “I’ve already said that you can’t escape.”

Previously, while Shi Feng was conversing with South Wolf, he had secretly switched the Aura of Fire on the Seven Luminaries Ring to the Aura of Time.

Meanwhile, the Aura of Time reduced the Movement Speed and Attack Speed of enemies within a 100-yard radius by 20%, and increased the Cooldown of their Skills by 20%. When its activatable skill, Absolute Time, was used, it would even prevent enemies within a range of 50*50 yards from using any skills or tools for 20 seconds.

After Shi Feng used Absolute Time to envelope this entire area, everybody from Dark Star could not use any skills or tools for 20 seconds. Dark Star’s current surviving members mostly consisted of mages and healers, so this restriction had truly rendered them completely helpless.

One could say that the moment South Wolf’s team stepped into this region of the Silverleaf Forest, their lives passed into Shi Feng’s hands.

Just what did he do? South Wolf’s heart was filled with shock when he noticed Shi Feng appearing behind him.

Before South Wolf could even ponder on the subject, Shi Feng’s Abyssal Blade had already left its scabbard.

Countless silver lights pierced the numerous vital points on South Wolf’s body. South Wolf had only leather armor, so every one of Shi Feng’s attacks managed to cause over -500 damage, while critical hits dealt over -1,000 damage. On the other hand, the Mysterious-Iron ranked chest piece South Wolf wore was like a piece of tofu. Not only was it easily pierced by Shi Feng’s Abyssal Blade, each attack it received greatly diminished the armor’s durability. Just three strikes had nearly reduced it to scrap already.

Shi Feng’s attacks were lightning-fast, and he had brandished his sword eight times in a single series. By the time South Wolf had recovered from shock, his 2,000-plus HP was completely gone.

Suddenly, South Wolf’s field of vision turned gray, while his body fell to the ground involuntarily. Even as he died, shock and confusion still filled his face.

As South Wolf had not participated in any of the battles so far, his name remained white all this time. After he died, only one piece of equipment dropped by his body. He also lost only a single level. However, were Shi Feng’s attacks as simple as they looked? The reason why Shi Feng had chosen not to use any Skills, and had instead carried out only normal attacks, was to destroy the equipment on South Wolf’s body.

When South Wolf died, nearly half of the equipment on his body had already turned to scrap. Now that he had dropped yet another piece of equipment, he had definitely suffered heavy losses.

Chapter 312: Diving into Danger Alone

After South Wolf died, the members of Dark Star were like headless flies. Frightened and scared, they fled in all directions.

Zero Wing’s Berserker Lonely Snow swiftly closed the gap between him and an Elementalist of Dark Star to 20 yards before using Charge to instantly catch up to and incapacitate the Elementalist. After that, Lonely Snow used Thunder Clap, Violent Strike, Suppression, and Whirlwind Slash in rapid succession, making quick work of the Elementalist.

Following closely, everyone else from Zero Wing took action as well.

Against a group of mages and healers that could use neither skills nor tools, in addition to the fact that these classes were innately slow runners, the members of Zero Wing required no time at all to finish off the surviving Dark Star members. As these players died, they left behind piles of weapons and equipment.

“Hahaha! What a fun battle! Those bastards from Dark Star think that they are so amazing, but now, all of them are dead!” Cola laughed loudly as he looked at the weapons and equipment scattered all over the ground. The frustration he had accumulated from continuously running away was completely swept away now.

Fire Dance nodded her head in agreement, a faint smile appearing on her face. She then said with a light chuckle, “This battle was indeed a good stress reliever. None of us died this time, while Dark Star lost over 100 players. After this battle, Dark Star will have to reorganize their plans to pursue us.”

If they could deal with a team of over 100 elite players in such a short time, it also signified that Dark Star would be simply sending its members to their deaths if a team had fewer than 200 or 300 players. In order to reduce its losses, Dark Star would definitely consolidate its teams and at least double or triple the member count of each team.

At this moment, Blackie and the others were laughing without restraint as well.

After all, they were able to kill over 100 elite members of Dark Star. This would, without a doubt, be a huge blow to Dark Star.

“Collect the loot. Dark Star will be arriving here soon,” Shi Feng commanded.

The loot they obtained from killing the 100-plus elite members of Dark Star was extremely bountiful. They had collected close to a thousand weapons and equipment, and a majority of them were even Mysterious-Iron rank. The harvest they got from this single battle far exceeded even the harvest Aqua Rose obtained from the battle that involved tens of thousands of players.

Even Shi Feng was somewhat moved by this harvest.

Kill and plunder.

Just from this battle, they had obtained the resources required to arm an elite team of 100 players. This was precisely the reason why, in the past, many large Guilds preferred to kill and plunder the core teams of smaller Guilds. Not only could they increase their Guild’s fame and prestige by doing so, they could also make a huge profit. They could upgrade their weapons and equipment much faster this way, compared to raiding Dungeons and killing Bosses.

However, the harvest from this battle was still insufficient to offset the losses Zero Wing had suffered.

After all, the weapons and equipment of Dark Star’s elites were inferior to those of Zero Wing’s elite members, not to mention those of Zero Wing’s core members. Every core member of Zero Wing possessed quite a few pieces of Secret-Silver ranked weapons and equipment, and some even possessed Fine-Gold and Dark-Gold ranked weapons and equipment.

“Guild Leader, why aren’t you leaving?” Fire Dance looked curiously at Shi Feng who had jumped onto a large tree.

“You guys go first. I’ll hold down the fort.” Shi Feng was not a lord who would sit comfortably in his throne while his subordinates fought. Since he was already here, naturally, he needed to take something away from Dark Star.

“But, Guild Leader, this place is too dangerous. You’re also not an Assassin,” Fire Dance said worriedly.

“You guys have done enough. Let your Guild Leader handle the rest.” Shi Feng waved them off, hurrying Fire Dance and the others to the designated location.

Upon hearing Shi Feng’s words, everyone from Zero Wing was immediately moved.

In God’s Domain, Guild Leaders who were willing to brave danger for his fellow Guild members were definitely as rare as a phoenix’s feather. Not to mention, Shi Feng was currently a famous existence in God’s Domain. If he were to die, his reputation would be greatly affected.

“Then, I’ll stay behind as well!” Blackie said.

“How could I be left out from such an important matter!” Cola stepped forward.

…

Suddenly, everyone else started voicing intentions to remain.

“All of you, stop making a fuss and leave with me. You all will only be a hindrance to Guild Leader if you stay behind.” Fire Dance could feel the cold killing intent radiating from Shi Feng at this moment. She knew that he could no longer hold himself back. She then raised her head and looked at Shi Feng, saying, “Guild Leader, you have to be careful.”

“Rest assured, I know my own limits.” Shi Feng laughed. He then retrieved a Basic Stealth Scroll from his bag.

This scroll allowed players to enter Stealth mode. The Stealth Scroll’s effect had a duration of one hour, and as long as players did not carry out any attacks during this period of time, the scroll would remain in effect.

—

Shortly after Fire Dance and the others departed…

Youlan came hurrying over to this place with a huge team of more than 300 players.

“Sure enough, all of them died.”

Youlan sighed softly when she saw the ground littered with corpses. However, she was not surprised by this outcome. Obviously, the ambush before was meant to lure them into a trap. However, South Wolf had been too eager for success—which resulted in a team-wipe, as she had expected.

“Revive them,” Youlan said to the healers in her team.

Immediately, the 30-plus healers in the team started using resurrection skills.

If players died outside of a Dungeon, there were two methods for them to revive. The first method was to revive back at the cemetery. However, players were required to wait for half an hour before they could do so. The other method was to have one of the healer classes use a resurrection skill. Players could be revived immediately using this method. However, upon resurrection, players would have to wait another ten minutes before resurrection skills could be used on them again.

A short while later, all 100-plus elite players had been revived.

Meanwhile, after being resurrected, South Wolf felt fortunate over the fact that he was not a Red Name. He had only lost one piece of equipment and fallen by one Level after he died. Yet, when he discovered that most of the equipment he wore had been turned to scrap, he nearly went insane.

South Wolf had been using Level 15 Mysterious-Iron Set Equipment, which could be obtained only from a Level 15 Team Dungeon.

In order to obtain the complete set, South Wolf had expended a huge amount of time and effort. Now, however, all of them were destroyed!

Unlike Field Bosses, Team Dungeons reset only once every three days, and there were only a limited number of Level 15 Team Dungeons within the region of White River City. Gathering the complete set had taken South Wolf two cycles. If he wished to obtain the set once again, he would have to wait through another two cycles.

At this moment, Lone Tyrant arrived at the scene. He then asked, “South Wolf, what happened here? How did all of you die?”

South Wolf was someone from Underworld, so he did not particularly care how many players from Dark Star had died. He cared more about himself instead. However, the same could not be said for Lone Tyrant. The strength of Dark Star determined his future as its Guild Leader. Now, more than 100 elites from his Guild had died for no reason. The worst part was that these elites had lost most, if not all, of their weapons and equipment. The levels they lost could be recovered, but it would not be as easy to recover the equipment.

“We were lured into an ambush unprepared, and all of us got killed. However, I discovered something even more important. I don’t know how he managed it, but Black Flame is now with the core team of Zero Wing. He has also become a Red Name at this point, so this is the perfect chance for us to destroy Zero Wing. Although Black Flame is very powerful, we should have no problems dealing with all of them if we send in a team of 300 to 400 players. We can still catch up if we chase after them right away.”

South Wolf’s words immediately allowed Lone Tyrant and Youlan to come to a realization.

“Truly an interesting person,” Youlan muttered softly, her interest towards the player named Black Flame growing.

As for Lone Tyrant, his expression turned grim upon receiving this piece of information.

Obviously, with Black Flame commanding Zero Wing’s core team, their combat power had increased to frightening heights. Also, from South Wolf’s description of the one-sided battle that took place before, Lone Tyrant also learned that Black Flame was a great expert. Not only did Black Flame possess extraordinary combat power, he also possessed a strategic-level skill. A team of 100 elite players would definitely be insufficient to deal with him. Hence, they needed to rearrange their team compositions. Each team now had to have 200 players at the very least. Otherwise, they would only suffice as cannon fodder.

“Black Flame, you’ve actually dared show yourself here. Since you’ve come seeking your own death, don’t even think about leaving this place alive today!” Lone Tyrant revealed a sinister expression. He inwardly mocked Shi Feng for his foolish actions. In order to save Zero Wing’s core team, Shi Feng had actually disregarded the dangers and barged into Lone Tyrant’s domain.

Shi Feng must not know how to write the word “death”!

Chapter 313: Killing the Commander

“Gather everyone immediately and surround this area. I don’t believe that they can grow wings and fly away,” Lone Tyrant sternly issued his command.

The news of World Dominators’ defeat had already spread, and very few in White River City did not know about the battle that took place. This result had greatly boosted Zero Wing’s prestige.

If Dark Star could get rid of not only Zero Wing’s core team, but Zero Wing’s Guild Leader, Black Flame, also, then they could destroy the fame that Zero Wing had accumulated up until this point.

At that time, Dark Star would also garner fame themselves, killing two birds with one stone.

Naturally, Lone Tyrant would not let go of such a valuable opportunity.

Immediately, everyone from Dark Star started moving.

Previously, they had tried to cover too large an area in their search. Now that Shi Feng and the core team of Zero Wing had exposed themselves, Lone Tyrant quickly concentrated their hunt.

—

Soon, more and more Dark Star members gathered at the stated location in the dense forest. Shi Feng, who remained hidden in a tree, did not panic at this situation. Instead, he continued to wait for all the members of Dark Star to arrive.

“Come, come. The more, the merrier,” Shi Feng inwardly chuckled as he saw that the number of players gathered had already exceeded 1,000.

Before the battle even started, Shi Feng had already considered the consequences.

If he had not come fully prepared, he would not have allowed Fire Dance and the others to obliterate South Wolf’s team of elites.

“Guild Leader, our members have surrounded this part of the forest. As long as any Zero Wing’s members show themselves, it will be their death,” a Ranger reported as he walked up to Lone Tyrant.

“Good. Start shrinking the encirclement.” Lone Tyrant laughed satisfyingly. He then looked towards Ming Sha, the team leader of the Underworld Guards, and respectfully said, “In a moment, we will have to rely on Brother Ming Sha and your men to take care of the experts from Zero Wing.”

“Rest assured; Young Master Feng sent us to deal with Fire Dance and her team of experts. Although there is now an additional Black Flame added to the equation, the Underworld Guards can resolve this solution all the same. We won’t let any of them escape,” Ming Sha replied and nodded his head.

In order to extinguish Zero Wing’s core team, Feng Xuanyang had specifically sent a team of Underworld Guards to assist Dark Star. Feng Xuanyang had gone all out on this hunt.

Every Underworld Guard was an expert that Underworld had spent many years searching for to recruit. Underworld had also spent massive amounts of resources on nurturing these experts further. Compared to Absolute Heaven, the top-tier Assassin that Shi Feng faced before, these Underworld Guards were stronger, not weaker. Meanwhile, Feng Xuanyang had sent a team of 20 of such Guards. One could just imagine the frightening might this team possessed.

Even a 100-man elite team from Dark Star was no match for this team. Also, the leader, Ming Sha, was an expert among experts. In the virtual gaming world, he ranked near the top. Regarding pure combat techniques, he was on the same level as the Snow Goddess, Gentle Snow. However, as Gentle Snow was in possession of a huge amount of resources, in terms of equipment, Ming Sha was definitely no match for her.

Originally, Feng Xuanyang had arranged for Ming Sha to go to White River City to deal with Ye Feng. However, Ye Feng was simply too elusive as if he had completely vanished from White River City. Hence, Feng Xuanyang sent Ming Sha to deal with the top experts of Zero Wing, such as Fire Dance and Blackie.

In regards to Ming Sha’s strength, Lone Tyrant had personally experienced its power. Even though he was clearly above Ming Sha in terms of Levels, and his equipment was of higher quality, he still suffered defeat at Ming Sha’s hands in less than twenty exchanges. On the other hand, he had only managed to reduce Ming Sha’s HP by one-tenth.

Meanwhile, after taking some time to focus on upgrades, Ming Sha’s equipment could now compare to Lone Tyrant’s. Now, Ming Sha was mostly geared with several pieces of Level 15 Secret-Silver Set Equipment and Fine-Gold Equipment. He also wielded a Level 15 Fine-Gold greatsword, the Bone Shatterer. His equipment certainly ranked at the very top of White River City.

Lone Tyrant had estimated that, if he fought Ming Sha now, he would last ten exchanges at most before his defeat.

Now that he had so many players surrounding this area and a powerful team of experts like the Underworld Guards supporting him, even a top-tier Assassin like Fire Dance could not escape.

Just as Lone Tyrant felt confident and was about to declare that he would annihilate everyone from Zero Wing, a figure suddenly appeared in the top of a nearby tree.

“Someone’s there!” Ming Sha, who possessed acute senses, immediately discovered the figure.

As Ming Sha turned his sights to the intruder, everyone similarly followed his line of sight. Indeed, in the top of the tree, they discovered a person quietly watching them.

“Black Flame!” South Wolf immediately recognized the figure, his eyes burning with rage as he revealed this person’s identity.

At South Wolf’s reminder, everyone finally realized Shi Feng’s identity. After all, Black Flame had always been a mysterious existence, and most players had never actually seen Black Flame before. Now that this intruder had revealed himself, everyone from Dark Star discovered that Black Flame was just an ordinary-looking, middle-aged man. He did not even possess the type of aura that a Guild Leader should have. No matter how they looked at him, he was only an ordinary man.

“So, it is Guild Leader Black Flame. I didn’t expect you to show yourself here. Since you have refused to walk the path towards heaven and have instead barged your way down to hell, today will be the day that you die!” Lone Tyrant laughed coldly. He then commanded, “Everyone, kill him!”

Immediately, over a thousand players from Dark Star surrounded and charged at Shi Feng. Their encirclement was tightly packed, and not even a fly could get past them.

Faced with over a thousand players charging at him, Shi Feng did not panic in the slightest. Instead, his eyes emanated a chilling glow as he glared down at Lone Tyrant, smiling faintly. It was as if these thousand-plus players meant nothing to him. Meanwhile, as the recipient of this gaze, Lone Tyrant’s heart inadvertently quivered. However, Lone Tyrant quickly dispelled this feeling because he did not believe Shi Feng could do anything to him while so many players surrounded him.

In the next moment, however, Shi Feng vanished from the treetop and everyone’s sight.

“This is not good! He’s trying to escape! Quickly, use Flare!” Lone Tyrant hurriedly shouted.

The Rangers quickly used Flare upon receiving Lone Tyrant’s command, brightly illuminating the surrounding area. Within the effective range of Flare, all stealth-type skills would lose their effects. Yet, even after tens of Flares had been launched, Shi Feng’s figure still could not be found.

What the players of Dark Star did not know was that, after Shi Feng had activated the Ring of Nothingness, his first task was not to escape, but to leap forward and charge towards the tree closest to Lone Tyrant. Hence, the Flares used to seal his path of escape served no purpose whatsoever.

“Damn it! He plans to kill his way over! Use Flare and shine Guild Leader Tyrant’s surroundings!” When Youlan recalled the faint smile on Black Flame’s face as he pinned Lone Tyrant with a glare, she instinctively felt that Shi Feng aimed to kill the commander.

Only by doing could Shi Feng possibly redeem Zero Wing’s fame and prestige. At that time, even if Dark Star managed to annihilate Zero Wing’s core team, it would not damage Zero Wing’s reputation if Lone Tyrant, Dark Star’s Guild Leader, died at Black Flame’s hands. After all, even though Zero Wing only had tens of players on their side, they would still have managed to kill Dark Star’s Guild Leader while under the protection of over a thousand players.

At that time, Dark Star would be the one suffering humiliation.

“Why are you all still daydreaming?! Move!” Youlan angrily shouted when she noticed that none of Dark Star’s Rangers had reacted.

However, Youlan suddenly felt that something was amiss. Instead of looking towards the outskirts of the encirclement, all of these Rangers stared at the space above her. Immediately, Youlan raised her head, discovering a figure falling towards her, and this figure was none other than Shi Feng himself.

Panic surfaced on Lone Tyrant’s face. He never imagined that Shi Feng would be so suicidal as to come for his life.

“Black Flame, if you wish to die then I’ll grant your wish!” The corners of Lone Tyrant’s mouth raised slightly. He then picked up his shield and sword, fully prepared to guard against Shi Feng’s attack.

“What amazing courage!” Ming Sha, who stood by Lone Tyrant’s side, brimmed with fighting spirit right now, his eyes glowing as he watched Shi Feng fall. He then retrieved the Bone Shatterer from his back and stood in front of Lone Tyrant, acting like a highly defensive wall.

Ming Sha secretly admired Shi Feng’s performance, and he deeply wished he that could properly exchange blows with this man.

However, responsibilities came first, so he had no choice but to get rid Shi Feng.

Even with Ming Sha protecting Lone Tyrant, Youlan still felt that something was off. After all, why would an intelligent and resourceful man like Black Flame carry out such a reckless action? As insurance, Youlan hurriedly commanded, “Guardian Knights, use Protection Blessing on Guild Leader Tyrant! All healers focus on healing Guild Leader Tyrant as well! Do not let Black Flame succeed!”

Chapter 314: True Expert

When Shi Feng landed soundlessly on the ground, he was only 20 yards away from Lone Tyrant.

In the next moment, Sacred Heals graced Lone Tyrant, one after another.

Lone Tyrant was one of the top ten players on the Ranking List of White River City; he was one of the apex MTs throughout White River City as well. Although he was only Level 21 at the moment, he had over 3,700 HP, and he was not much weaker than Cola. With high HP and Defense, physical damage classes such as Assassins, Berserkers, Swordsmen, and Rangers would find it extremely difficult to kill Lone Tyrant. Not to mention, Lone Tyrant now had a large team of healers keeping him alive.

Moreover, there was also the great expert, Ming Sha, currently guarding him.

Hence, Youlan was greatly confused as she watched Shi Feng’s foolish actions.

“Let me see what you are made of!”

Ming Sha smiled at the oncoming Shi Feng, and at the same time, he lifted the Bone Shatterer and slashed it down at his enemy. The Bone Shatterer was a massive greatsword, yet, Ming Sha wielded it nimbly and accurately. In a single strike, he had completely sealed off Shi Feng’s path of advance.

At this moment, the surrounding melee players of Dark Star charged at Shi Feng, intending to make mincemeat of him.

Meanwhile, the mages standing a short distance away also started casting their spells. As long as Ming Sha managed to delay Shi Feng for a few more seconds, Shi Feng would receive the bombardment of hundreds of spells. Even Zero Wing’s Chief MT, the Guardian Knight Cola, would lose his life if he received so many spells, not to mention a Swordsman like Shi Feng.

Yet, as if he did not see these mages readying their attacks, Shi Feng continued to charge forward, showing no intentions of slowing.

Just as Ming Sha’s second strike was about to land on Shi Feng’s body, however, Shi Feng’s entire person disappeared. Subsequently, Ming Sha’s Bone Shatterer struck only air, generating a powerful gust of wind.

The Elementalists, Cursemancers, Summoners, and all other ranged classes that were about to launch their attacks also interrupted their chanting after they lost sight of their target.

“Where is he?”

When Ming Sha failed to find Shi Feng in front of him, he could not help but examine his surroundings. Suddenly, Ming Sha felt a chilling intent coming from behind him. Spinning around, he discovered that, just like a ghost, Shi Feng had soundlessly appeared behind Lone Tyrant. If not for his acute senses, he would not have detected Shi Feng’s presence at all.

After Shi Feng used Silent Steps to appear behind Lone Tyrant, he immediately activated Absolute Time. With himself as the center point, all enemies within a 50-yard radius were now unable to use any skills or tools. Shi Feng then brandished the Abyssal Blade, casting Abyssal Bind on Lone Tyrant.

Meanwhile, Lone Tyrant only felt a cold wind blowing on his back. Only after Shi Feng started brandishing the Abyssal Blade did Lone Tyrant notice that someone stood behind him. Horrified, Lone Tyrant hurriedly leaped forward, hoping to dodge the attack aimed at his back. As insurance, Lone Tyrant even intended to cast Protection Blessing on himself.

However, Shi Feng was simply too fast. He had activated Absolute Time and Abyssal Bind almost simultaneously. Discovering that he could not activate Protection Blessing, Lone Tyrant’s heart grew extremely anxious. In the next instant, nine pitch-black chains bound his body, preventing him from moving even an inch.

Meanwhile, the healers standing in the distance could only watch this scene play out. With their skills locked, the most they could do was provide moral support.

“Damn.”

Seeing that Shi Feng was the only person standing close to Lone Tyrant, Ming Sha realized that he had been tricked. Shi Feng had deceived him into leaving Lone Tyrant’s side. Suddenly, a feeling that he had just been played for a fool grew in Ming Sha’s mind. This was the first time he had felt such a feeling.

Lone Tyrant was bound and completely unguarded right now. He was unable to resist in the slightest. If he, Ming Sha, had stayed by Lone Tyrant’s side, even if Lone Tyrant were bound, he could have still helped defend against attacks. Now, however, he was almost a full ten yards away from Lone Tyrant.

If this were any other day, he could have closed the distance between them using the Charge he had specifically reserved. Now, however, none of his skills would work. Even if he wanted to save Lone Tyrant, he was powerless to do so.

However, he only needed around two seconds to close a distance of ten yards. As long as Lone Tyrant could survive that long, Ming Sha was confident in stopping Shi Feng, preventing Shi Feng from dealing any more damage to Lone Tyrant.

Naturally, Lone Tyrant had considered this as well. Hence, even when faced with Shi Feng’s Abyssal Blade and Purgatory’s Shadow, he still revealed his confidence as if saying, “What can you do to me?”

He was a Guardian Knight who possessed 3,700 HP. It was simply impossible for Shi Feng to kill him in two short seconds.

Unfortunately, reality had cruelly slapped Lone Tyrant in the face.

When Shi Feng’s Chop landed on Lone Tyrant, who now had his Defense reduced by 100% due to the effects of the Abyssal Bind, a frightening damage of -1,500 appeared above Lone Tyrant’s head.

This single slash had erased Lone Tyrant’s confidence. Now, an expression of fear decorated Lone Tyrant’s face instead. Immediately, Lone Tyrant struggled to escape Abyssal Bind. However, no matter how much energy he expended, the bone-chilling chains remain unperturbed.

This was the first time Lone Tyrant had felt so powerless. He had over a thousand subordinates and a team of experts protecting him. Yet, Shi Feng regarded them all as nothing. Now, he could not even resist while Shi Feng arbitrarily slaughtered him.

Shi Feng lifted the Abyssal Blade high. In the next moment, the Abyssal Blade, which was covered in green arcs of lightning, descended, and three arcs of lightning penetrated Lone Tyrant’s body.

-984, -1370, -1892.

After Thundering Flash ended, Lone Tyrant’s body fell to the ground.

From beginning to end, Shi Feng had only used two moves to finish off Lone Tyrant, and the time he spent doing so had not exceeded one second. Shi Feng’s Attack Power thoroughly shocked everyone from Dark Star.

Shi Feng’s performance was simply stunning. Even when faced with over a thousand elites from Dark Star, he managed to kill Dark Star’s Guild Leader, Lone Tyrant.

Ming Sha was also stunned by this scene. He had never imagined that Lone Tyrant would die so quickly under Shi Feng’s assault.

“Everybody, get him! No matter what, do not let him escape!” Ming Sha bellowed as he felt unprecedented humiliation.

After finishing off Lone Tyrant, Shi Feng sent a chilling gaze to his surroundings. Those who received his gaze inadvertently halted their steps, and none dared to look Shi Feng in the eyes. Shi Feng was like a king that had descended from heaven; nobody dared compete with him over dominance.

Faced with Ming Sha’s glare, Shi Feng simply raised his index finger at Ming Sha. He then made a hooking motion with his finger and softly chuckled.

Ming Sha’s rage burned even brighter after receiving such a blatant provocation. Immediately, he lifted his greatsword and charged at his opponent.

In reply to Ming Sha’s actions, Shi Feng gently waved the Abyssal Blade as he walked forward. Shi Feng had the presence of a king facing an ant’s challenge, his mind appearing completely at ease.

When the two swords collided, sparks flew.

The impact of the attack forced Ming Sha to retreat multiple steps before he could stabilize himself. Shi Feng, however, had not moved an inch. The gap in strength between the two was clear at a glance.

Giving Ming Sha no time, Shi Feng instantly charged forward and brandished his sword.

One slash… Two slashes… Three slashes…

Shi Feng’s attacks were like a violent gale.

Ming Sha desperately dodged and blocked the onslaught. However, each time Ming Sha was knocked back, it was very difficult for him to stabilize his form. After receiving over a dozen attacks, Ming Sha finally failed to block an attack. He received a hit to his abdomen, and the blow sent him flying.

However, Shi Feng was not done. Shi Feng’s feet suddenly exerted an explosive force, creating a deep pit in the ground as his body shot towards Ming Sha like an artillery shell.

While his body remained in mid-air, Ming Sha was unable to exert any force to retaliate or dodge.

The moment Shi Feng shot past Ming Sha, he brandished his swords multiple times. Each and every attack struck Ming Sha’s vital points, all of them causing over -600 damage. In the blink of an eye, Ming Sha’s life was no more.

The scene dumbfounded the audience from Dark Star.

What they had witnessed was simply Shi Feng flying past Ming Sha, followed by silvery sword streaks wrapping around Ming Sha’s body. By the time Shi Feng passed Ming Sha’s body, Mind Sha was already dead. Meanwhile, after Shi Feng dove into the dense forest, with a few leaps, his figure completely vanished.

At this time, some of Dark Star’s members finally responded and rushed in the direction Shi Feng had disappeared.

“Youlan, do we chase after him?” South Wolf worriedly asked as he looked to Youlan.

South Wolf was very clear about just how powerful Ming Sha was. Yet, such a powerful expert still died at Shi Feng’s hands. Moreover, from beginning to end, Shi Feng had not used any Skills in the exchange with Ming Sha. He relied purely on techniques to kill his opponent. This was something that South Wolf had never dared to imagine possible in the past.

Now, however, South Wolf finally realized what a true expert was.

Youlan shook her head and released a soft sigh, saying, “No. If Black Flame possesses such strength, even if we chase after him, what can we actually do to him? Not to mention, our speed can’t compare to his at all. We should save our energy and give up.”

First, he had killed Lone Tyrant, Dark Star’s Guild Leader, amidst an army of thousands. Next, while he was escaping, he managed to kill an expert like Ming Sha. This time, Dark Star had truly lost all dignity.

Even if Dark Star managed to exterminate Zero Wing’s core team at a later date, it would only add on to the gossip about Dark Star.

This time, Dark Star had truly suffered a defeat.

Chapter 315: Breaking Past the Encirclement

“Are we giving up, just like that?” South Wolf still held some resentment in his heart. After all, Shi Feng had killed him once before.

“Then what do you propose?” Youlan revealed a calm smile. She then pointed towards the direction of the Silverleaf Forest in which Shi Feng had disappeared, saying, “If you aren’t satisfied, be my guest. However, you have already fully experienced Black Flame’s horrifying might. Under that complete silencing skill, he can easily kill whoever he wants. As long as the Cooldown for that skill refreshes, he might turn around and start another massacre. At that time, the first target he’ll go after will be you.”

When South Wolf heard her reasoning, cold sweat permeated his forehead as he recalled the scene of Shi Feng killing Ming Sha before escaping. Even until now, fear lingered within him.

“But how should we explain things to Young Master Feng?” Although South Wolf feared Shi Feng, Feng Xuanyang was not someone he could afford to provoke.

“I’ll deal with Young Master Feng. Today, we experienced Black Flame’s true strength, so consider it a great harvest. As for the other matters, let’s leave those to Guild Leader Tyrant to deal with.” Youlan said as she revealed a mysterious smile. She then turned around and left.

Feeling helpless, South Wolf sighed and departed with Youlan.

Now that both Lone Tyrant and Ming Sha had died, what could he, South Wolf, possibly do? Moreover, his main task for today was to show Youlan around the Guild and allow her to assess the situation at Dark Star. Hunting Zero Wing was a side task.

—

At a lake nestled in the Silverleaf Forest, Fire Dance and the other core members of Zero Wing had been waiting for a long time now. However, even after so much time had passed, Shi Feng had yet to show up, causing them all to grow slightly anxious.

“Sister Fire Dance, Guild Leader still hasn’t shown up yet. Why don’t we check on him?” one of the Five Demon Generals, the Assassin, Flying Shadow asked.

In the past, Flying Shadow had been a solitary person. However, his strength could rank at the very top of Shadow. Although he had not performed any outstanding feats during the early stages of the game, he had not performed badly either. In general, he had been an average player.

In this life, however, after Shi Feng recruited him into the Zero Wing Workshop, he immediately assigned him to Zero Wing’s core team. Many in the Guild had initially voiced their opinions against this matter. However, as time slowly passed, everyone finally realized that Shi Feng’s decision was still as impeccable as always. It was not something the likes of them could hope to compare to.

Within the Zero Wing’s core team, Fire Dance had always been the publicly acknowledged number one Assassin of Zero Wing. Meanwhile, the position of number two Assassin had been undetermined. However, after Flying Shadow joined the Guild, his techniques rose rapidly with each passing battle and friendly competition. Very quickly, everyone began to acknowledge him, and now, he was considered the most powerful Assassin in Zero Wing after Fire Dance.

“No. Since Guild Leader has chosen to stay behind, he obviously is confident of obtaining victory. We will only be a hindrance if we try to help,” Fire Dance shook her head and rejected Flying Shadow’s proposal. In reality, however, she was also worried about Shi Feng.

At this moment, a black figure pierced through the brush, landing by the lakeside soundlessly.

Before anyone noticed, this black figure had arrived before them.

Fire Dance and Violet Cloud were the first to detect this figure’s presence.

Instinctively, Fire Dance retrieved the daggers from her waist, preparing to meet with a great enemy.

Soon after, everyone else discovered the presence of this new-comer as well, and they too promptly readied their weapons.

Although they could not see this black figure’s appearance clearly, the pressure the figure emitted was no less than a Lord ranked Boss.

“Guild Leader!” Fire Dance quickly recognized Shi Feng’s appearance, and she was greatly shocked when she felt his aura.

Previously, as they had been in a hurry to escape, she had not noticed Shi Feng’s change. Now that she confronted Shi Feng, face to face, she suddenly realized that Shi Feng’s strength had greatly improved. Right now, even she could not determine exactly how powerful Shi Feng was. It was especially true for the sharp and frightening aura he emanated.

“It seems that all of you have improved greatly recently. You actually managed to discover me so quickly.” Shi Feng examined his Guild members and revealed a satisfied smile.

Battles in God’s Domain were unlike any other virtual reality game. The improvement of a person’s strength was not limited to techniques and equipment. One must also possess a bestial intuition. After all, the penalty for death was not low, so such an intuition was essential when engaged in combat in the fields.

In reality, if players did not suffer death when grinding out in the fields, they could easily reach Level 200 within two years. Yet, Shi Feng had taken a decade to reach Level 200 in the past. Death was inevitable when battling in God’s Domain. In the past, Shi Feng had died countless times while participating in all sorts of combat.

In God’s Domain, danger always lurked around the corner. Guild wars were only a small part of the dangers in God’s Domain.

Thus, it was of utmost importance for a player to nurture a bestial intuition to avoid unnecessary deaths. It was also a key to leveling up quickly.

People’s lives in reality were simply too peaceful, so this bestial intuition had been completely buried deep in their bodies. However, as players experienced more battles in God’s Domain, this intuition would slowly rise to the surface. Meanwhile, the rate at which players improved also correlated to how strong their intuition became, and this was one of the main factors differentiating average players from experts.

Shi Feng chose to appear so stealthily to test everyone’s intuition, and the result had not disappointed him. Compared to several days ago, everyone present had improved greatly. Though, when compared to Fire Dance and Violet Cloud, everyone else’s improvement paled slightly. Nevertheless, they were still much stronger than the average elite player.

After Shi Feng finished evaluating everyone’s strengths, he then said with a smile, “Alright, let’s leave this place. Follow me.”

Leave?

This was exactly what everyone had constantly tried to do. However, it was simply too difficult to accomplish. Currently, Dark Star’s forces locked down the Silverleaf Forest. With their team of slightly more than 30, it was impossible to fight their way out of the forest.

In the next moment, however, Shi Feng gave everyone an Underwater Breathing Potion. This potion allowed players to breathe underwater for half an hour. Following which, Shi Feng gulped down the Breathing Potion and jumped into the lake. He then dove into the depths of the lake.

The team copied Shi Feng’s actions, drinking the Breathing Potion and jumping into the lake as well.

This lake was not just a pool of stagnant water. Instead, it connected to the other lakes found in the Silverleaf Forest.

A player in the past had accidentally stumbled on this particular secret. This player had only managed to discover this secret as he tried to catch the Silver Carp found in the Silverleaf Forest.

The Silver Carp was a precious cooking ingredient, and its flavor far surpassed the carp found in the real world. Moreover, after eating the dishes made using the Silver Carp, there was a very small chance for players to receive a permanent increase of 1 point to a Basic Attribute. Players could receive up to a total of 20 Attribute Points through consuming these delicacies. Unfortunately, the Attribute rewarded was always random. Even so, players still valued the Silver Carp.

Many players who were gourmands and wished to increase their strength would willingly spend a massive sum of money to purchase Silver Carp.

So, Silver Carp had always been short in supply, and their prices had steadily increased over time.

Back in the day, plenty of players would come to the Silverleaf Forest to fish for the Silver Carp. There was also no lack of bloodbaths due to competition over these Silver Carp as well.

Shi Feng led everyone through one underwater tunnel after another, gradually distancing themselves from Dark Star’s encirclement. However, Dark Star still held Silverleaf Forest’s exits. So, it was impossible for them to depart from the forest safely.

A Guild War Order could seal an area for 24 hours. During this period, no one could use Return Scrolls in this area. In addition, if enemy Guild members logged out of the game while in this area, they would receive very harsh punishment. This punishment was far more severe than even the penalty for death as it was meant to prevent players from abusing this method to avoid the war.

However, Guild War Orders had a Cooldown time of two natural days. In God’s Domain, that would be 96 hours. Hence, after players managed to endure and survive through the Guild War Order’s effective period of 24 hours, they could return directly to the city using a Return Scroll.

Shi Feng intended to take advantage of these underwater tunnels before anyone discovered their existence. By doing so, they could escape Dark Star’s surveillance and wait out the seal of the Guild War Order.

—

Dark Star had a lot of members inside the Silverleaf Forest. However, due to Shi Feng’s group killing one of their teams, which had consisted of over 100 elite players, in addition to Shi Feng’s impossible feat of killing both Lone Tyrant and Ming Sha amidst the encirclement of over 1,000 players, Dark Star no longer dared spread their forces too thin. They even called for more reinforcements to the Silverleaf Forest. Yet, even after thoroughly searching the area where the previous battle took place, they still could not manage to locate any traces of Shi Feng and the others.

Time passed, little by little.

After his resurrection, Lone Tyrant was like a madman as he sent out all members of Dark Star to hunt Shi Feng’s team in the Silverleaf Forest. His insanity also attracted the attention of the players in White River City.

Why was Dark Star sending even more players to the Silverleaf Forest?

Were the thousands of players they had sent there before not enough to deal with the core members of Zero Wing?

At this time, a new post from Black Flame appeared on the forums, and within the post, there was a video. This video bore the title:

Dark Star’s Guild Leader, Lone Tyrant’s death