Reincarnation Of The Strongest Sword God - Chapter 441

Chapter 441: Second Evolution

When the system had expelled the Zero Wing party from God’s Domain, Shi Feng had been automatically sent into his Sleep Space. He had not completely logged out and could still browse the internet. He could also communicate with his friends.

Calling out his system friends list, Shi Feng discovered that every one of his friends was in a Leave state, not in God’s Domain. They were all in their respective Sleep Spaces.

“Nobody’s on God’s Domain?

“What’s going on here?”

Shi Feng was puzzled, as this was the first time he had encountered something like this.

He had been kicked out of the game before he had a chance to read the emergency notification. Now, he couldn’t log into God’s Domain and could not contact anyone to ask about the previous notification.

Following which, Shi Feng contacted Aqua Rose and the others, hoping to gather some information.

Unfortunately, Aqua Rose and the others were in a similar situation; the system had logged them out of the game upon receiving the notification as well.

“I guess I can only check the official forums,” Shi Feng sighed.

Normally, crucial information was not available on the official forums. However, something big must have happened in God’s Domain if they had been forcefully expelled from the game.

Sure enough, after logging into the official forums, he discovered that everyone was having a heated discussion over their expulsion.

For some reason, however, everyone else had received their notification two hours ago, whereas Shi Feng’s party had only received theirs a few seconds before the Main God System started logging players out of the game.

“Two hours ago? Wasn’t that around the time I killed the Crimson Shadow Wolf?” Shi Feng calculated the time, and it matched almost perfectly. “Did killing the Shadow Wolf cause the Main God System to start the second evolution of God’s Domain?”

Giving it some thought, Shi Feng felt that it was highly possible.

Previously, when his party had entered into the Land of the Fallen Star, they just happened to activate the Free Combat System.

It was likely that the Main God System had used their party as an experiment. After seeing that they had easily defeated the Rare Lord ranked Crimson Shadow Wolf, the Main God System must have decided to initiate the second evolution of God’s Domain.

Considering the situation, Shi Feng really did not know how to express the emotions running through his heart.

Now that God’s Domain began the process of the second system upgrade, players would have to wait until the next day to log in.

Many players on the forums had expressed their frustration with the new system upgrade.

After the system underwent its first upgrade, the system gave its players a true taste of combat. The overall difficulty of the game had made a massive leap, affecting adventuring, grinding, and leveling for those in God’s Domain.

Yet, just a short time after the first upgrade, the second system upgrade had already begun. After this upgrade, the difficulty of the game might shock most players.

This upgrade also gave Shi Feng a headache.

The second evolution of God’s Domain had occurred too quickly. Based on the original timeline, it shouldn’t have happened for another several months. He was not prepared for it right now.

Indeed, just as he had guessed, after the second system upgrade, the Free Combat System would be introduced into the game. In future battles, the requirement of a player’s control over their skills would become extremely demanding, and mistakes might very well lead to friendly fire. It was especially true for AOE skills.

After the second evolution of God’s Domain, rather than dying at the hands of monsters, many players would send themselves to the graveyards with their own abilities.

Due to this, many players would act conservatively when fighting in groups long after the upgrade.

In addition, after the second evolution, the difficulty of Dungeons had also significantly increased.

However, although the second evolution had made the game more challenging and realistic, the system upgrade had also added a benefit for players.

And that was the improvement to Skill Proficiency. After the second evolution, the combat style of players also undergone a major transformation.

Players no longer needed to chant incantations or shout the name of their skills to use them. No, players would activate their skills with movement. Every skill possessed a standard set of movements. As long as players performed the corresponding movements, they could activate their desired skills.

After the second evolution, players were no longer required to damage a monster with their skills to raise Skill Proficiency.

Now, when players achieved a 50% Completion Rate with skills, they would gain 1 point to their Skill Proficiency. In addition, the awarded Skill Proficiency would increase with the percentage of their Completion Rate. That way, even if players fought monsters of the same level or two or three levels lower, they could still improve their Skill Proficiency.

As players gained Skill Proficiency, their skill Levels would also grow.

With high-leveled skills, players would have a much easier time killing monsters.

Players would undoubtedly find it challenging to adapt to such a combat style in the beginning. After adapting to the Free Combat System, however, players would discover that the new style allowed them to display more of their combat power.

However, it would not be easy for players to adapt to this realistic combat style. Normally, one had to undergo a long period of special training to familiarize themselves with their skills. If one were not up to snuff, the skills’ power would suffer.

“I need to hurry with the training center,” Shi Feng sighed softly.

Shortly after the second evolution of God’s Domain, the training centers and martial arts dojos, which were currently declining, would become instantly popular.

Having some time, Shi Feng browsed the God’s Domain News.

Other than news regarding Star-Moon Kingdom, Shi Feng also looked up information on the several surrounding kingdoms and the Black Dragon Empire.

None of the empires in God’s Domain were to be underestimated. The competition within an empire was far more intense than the competition in a kingdom. A kingdom such as Star-Moon only had around four or five competing first-rate Guilds at the moment. Some smaller kingdoms might only have one or two first-rate Guilds.

However, empires were different. Not only did they govern massive areas, but there were also far more resident players. They also had an abundance of resources. The number of first-rate Guilds residing in an empire was not something a single kingdom could compare with.

Statistically, there were at least seven first-rate Guilds in an empire. There were also many second-rate Guilds that rose to become first-rate Guilds due to the investments of major corporations.

In the past, there had been a total of nine first-rate Guilds in the Black Dragon Empire. The empire was many times stronger than the neighboring Star-Moon Kingdom.

In the future, if Shi Feng wanted to carve a place for himself in God’s Domain, dominating Star-Moon Kingdom would not be nearly good enough.

After a casual glance at today’s God’s Domain News, Shi Feng felt an immense weight on his shoulders.

Zero Wing had only obtained its Guild Residence after much difficulty, yet, several first-rate Guilds in the Black Dragon Empire had already established their own Guild Residences. In terms of development speed, these Guilds were not far behind Zero Wing.

Aside from these Guilds establishing their own Guild Residences, the various large Guilds had also begun purchasing prime real-estate in multiple cities. These purchases included Auction Houses, Virtual Trading Centers, Banks, High-class Restaurants, and the like. In the future, they would become a Guild’s main source of income.

After God’s Domain had spent a few years developing, the world had considered it a second home for mankind. Most people around the world spent close to half their days in God’s Domain. Moreover, time passed slower inside God’s Domain than in the real world. One hour in reality equaled two hours in God’s Domain. Based on the amount of time one experienced, people’s lives in God’s Domain might be even longer than their lives in the real world.

In the setting of God’s Domain, NPC cities and player-established cities were different. If players lived in NPC cities, they would never have to fear becoming embroiled in the struggles between major powers. Player-established cities, on the other hand, could be destroyed.

Hence, this had resulted in the real-estate in NPC cities becoming extremely valuable. Nothing was more valuable than the real-estate in NPC cities.

The more Shi Feng read this information, the more he realized the necessity of earning a large number of Gold Coins. Otherwise, how could he compete with these well-funded first-rate Guilds?

Inadvertently, Shi Feng had spent over half a day researching the various large Guilds in God’s Domain.

Suddenly, as he exited the virtual gaming cabin, his doorbell rang.

Chapter 442: New Style of Combat

Shi Feng was somewhat surprised when he heard his doorbell ring.

He had only recently moved into this new apartment, so not many people knew where he lived. Normally, Blackie and the others would only contact him by calling, not hunting him down so early in the morning.

Who is it? Shi Feng wondered as he tapped his quantum watch to display the view outside his door.

Taking a close look, Shi Feng jumped with fright when he saw who it was.

The person currently standing outside his door was none other than the female Class Monitor, Zhao Ruoxi. She currently wore sportswear, and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She radiated a youthful aura and looked absolutely mesmerizing.

“Why is she here?”

Shi Feng recalled that Zhao Ruoxi’s birthday was next month. Even if she had come to deliver an invitation, wasn’t it a little too early?

However, since she had already arrived, Shi Feng could not pretend he wasn’t home. Helpless, he quickly tidied himself up and went to the door.

As soon as Shi Feng opened the door, Zhao Ruoxi’s almond eyes widened. With a concerned gaze, she asked, “Shi Feng, did you really agree with Uncle Xiao to participate in a match?”

Hearing Zhao Ruoxi’s question, Shi Feng understood the gist of the situation.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yu were strongly connected to the Zhao family. How could the Zhaos not have heard of such a dramatic incident at the Big Dipper Training Center?

“Yeah, I agreed to an exhibition match.” Shi Feng nodded.

“You really are laid back. Do you even know who your opponent is?” Zhao Ruoxi sighed helplessly as she examined Shi Feng’s leisurely appearance.

“No, I don’t. However, Big Dipper will contact me about it ahead of time,” Shi Feng said, shaking his head.

“Do you even know how to be nervous?” Zhao Ruoxi grumbled. Shi Feng’s behavior left her speechless. A fighting competition was not a small matter. It was especially true for this match. “To recover from its decline, Big Dipper has attempted to invite many well-known fighters to participate in this match. There are even martial arts masters among them.

“Even though Big Dipper has offered an impressive appearance fee, they all have their own itinerary; none of them have the time. That’s especially the case for the high-ranked martial arts experts. Originally, your opponent was supposed to be last year’s champion of Jin Hai City’s fighting competition, but…”

“What’s wrong?” Shi Feng asked, suddenly curious.

Shi Feng had some memory of Fang Qinghua, last year’s champion of Jin Hai City’s fighting tournament. The man had participated in a provincial-level competition and earned a relatively impressive rank. He had become famous throughout Jin Hai City.

However, Shi Feng doubted that he would lose to Fang Qinghua. After all, there was a fundamental difference between those who knew internal force and those who did not.

Furthermore, Shi Feng’s current physique was better than ever.

“But your opponent was suddenly changed because someone had defeated Fang Qinghua. That someone is now your opponent. I heard that when he fought Fang Qinghua, Fang Qinghua was defeated with a single punch.

“If it had been a normal defeat, that would not have mattered. However, when that person sent out his final punch, he had used internal force. He has even expressed great interest in becoming the Head Instructor at the Big Dipper Training Center, hence why he wanted to replace Fang Qinghua in this match with you.”

Although Zhao Ruoxi knew Shi Feng was proficient with internal force, the opponent was similarly an internal force expert. Moreover, the other party was very powerful. If the two really fought each other, no one knew what kind of result to expect.

“An internal force expert, huh?” Interest suddenly sparked within Shi Feng.

Internal force experts were not cabbages easily found in the streets. Even after a decade, such experts were extremely hard to find. Shi Feng had only mastered internal force due to luck, and he had never fought another internal force expert in the real world.

However, before this, Shi Feng had never heard of there being an internal force expert in Jin Hai City, let alone an internal force expert at the Big Dipper Training Center.

In the past, there was no Head Instructor at Big Dipper.

However, such a person had suddenly appeared. It was truly unexpected.

Is history changing because of my reincarnation? Shi Feng pondered slightly. When he thought about the changes in God’s Domain, his certainty grew.

After Zhao Ruoxi lectured Shi Feng for some time, she had noticed that her classmate did not seem particularly concerned about his opponent. Hence, she intensified her lecturing, hoping to dissuade Shi Feng from participating in the competition.

A match between internal force experts was no laughing matter.

One mistake could lead to serious injuries and could possibly have future repercussions.

Shi Feng was an internal force expert; his future prospects were boundless. There was no need to risk his life for the position of Big Dipper’s Head Instructor.

In the end, however, Shi Feng refused Zhao Ruoxi’s kind suggestions.

He wasn’t just doing it to become Big Dipper’s Head Instructor. For the most part, he was doing this for Zero Wing’s future development.

The five virtual gaming cabins and the 15 bottles of S-rank Nutrient Fluids were too important to Zero Wing. If Zero Wing could nurture more experts, Shi Feng would not have to exhaust himself running left and right for the Guild. He could focus on his own desires.

Following which, Shi Feng chatted with Zhao Ruoxi for some time. After Zhao Ruoxi left, Shi Feng started his daily training.

Ever since he came into possession of a virtual gaming cabin, Shi Feng’s training yielded far better results. Moreover, for reasons unknown, his mind had also become more active.

If he could pair these effects with S-rank Nutrient Fluids, he might improve further in these areas.

Without him realizing it, a day had passed.

At 8 pm, the system upgrade of God’s Domain was completed.

When Shi Feng entered God’s Domain, his virtual body felt particularly loose. His five senses had also grown sharper.

“Guild Leader, I can’t use any of my skills,” Flying Shadow exclaimed. Initially, he had intended to rush off to investigate what had changed with the system upgrade. However, he suddenly discovered that he could not use any of his skills…

“Nothing wrong here,” Blackie said as he shot a Dark Arrow at a distant stone pillar, but after his spell struck the stone pillar, Blackie frowned. “That’s weird. That wasn’t where I had aimed for.”

Everyone became flustered shortly after logging back into the game.

Melee classes could not use any of their skills, whereas mages’ skills had weakened and become less accurate.

Shi Feng did not immediately reveal the reason for this situation. Instead, he conducted a few experiments.

Unsheathing the Abyssal Blade, Shi Feng swung the sword, his actions resembling the movements one would use when activating Chop.

Following which, a blade of light shot forward, slicing apart the stone pillar ahead of him.

“Just as I thought.” Shi Feng was quite satisfied with his attack.

He could feel his improved control over his body. As for using only movement to activate skills, he was not the slightest bit surprised by it. On the contrary, he adapted to the change smoothly.

Following which, he used Earth Splitter, Thundering Flash, Thunder Flame Explosion, and most of his other skills, stupefying Aqua Rose and the other observers.

“Guild Leader, how did you do that?” Fire Dance had already tried to use her skills many times. However, regardless of whether she shouted or chanted the name of her skills silently, nothing worked. How was an Assassin without skills supposed to kill monsters?

“Yeah, let us in on the secret, Guild Leader!” Flying Shadow was equally anxious.

“It’s very simple. After this evolution of God’s Domain, you no longer activate skills with speech or incantation. Now, you have to perform the proper movements to use your skills. Go ahead and give it a try. In the Skill Menu, there are clips of the movements relating to the skills.” Shi Feng could not help but smile when he saw anticipation filling everyone’s eyes.

In reality, even if he had not revealed the change, everyone would have discovered it for themselves after some time. It was especially true for the players who had frequently changed their Skill Menus. There had not originally been video tutorials to explain how to use a skill in the Skill Menu. Now, however, there were. The videos were specifically meant to serve as a standard for players, teaching them how to use their skills more efficiently.

After listening to Shi Feng’s explanation, everyone began their own experiments.

In such a way, Shi Feng’s party of six tested the new mechanics as they searched for an exit in the Land of the Fallen Star.

While Shi Feng’s group explored, they were unaware that players throughout God’s Domain had descended into madness.

Chapter 443: Completion Rate

After God’s Domain’s second evolution, skill use demanded far more of players.

Even experts needed a relatively long period to adapt to this new system.

As Shi Feng’s party searched for the exit in the Land of the Fallen Star, battles against the cavern’s inhabitants were unavoidable.

Fortunately, Shi Feng did not have to endure this adaptation process like everyone else. Activating most of his skills was second nature to him. He had no problems dealing with a few Elites and Special Elites.

As for Aqua Rose and the others, they used these monsters to practice.

It was especially true for melee classes like Fire Dance and Flying Shadow.

Currently, they each faced a Level 27 Elite ranked Wolfman Warrior, both of them activating their skills continuously as they fought.

Fire Dance brandished the Truefire Blades, drawing a red arc that cut across the Wolfman Warrior’s body. A flower of blood bloomed, and immediately, a damage of -2,749 appeared above the Elite monster’s head. However, to the Wolfman Warrior, which possessed 42,000 HP, this damage was nothing.

System: Eviscerate Completion Rate 56%, resulting in 69% of skill’s effect. Skill Proficiency +1.

Glancing at the Combat Notification Window, Fire Dance frowned, feeling unsatisfied with her Completion Rate.

The Wolfman Warrior bellowed angrily. Lifting its war hammer, it slammed the weapon down on the Assassin before it. Turning her feet slightly, Fire Dance easily evaded the war hammer. Reversing the grip on one of the Truefire Blades, she spun around and shoved the blade into the Wolfman Warrior’s back, her movements as smooth as flowing water.

Backstab!

-2,523

“Ao!” the Wolfman Warrior howled with pain.

System: Backstab Completion Rate 69%, resulting in 83% of skill’s effect. Skill Proficiency +2.

Fire Dance was far more proficient with Backstab’s movements than she was with Eviscerate’s, the Completion Rate of the skill reaching a whole new level. However, Fire Dance was still unsatisfied. If this were the past, even without weapons such as the Truefire Blades, she could easily dish out such high damage.

After practicing a few times on the Wolfman Warriors, Fire Dance understood how difficult it would be to adapt to the new combat system.

There were simply too many variables. The might of a player’s skill depended on the player’s Completion Rate. It was nothing like the previous system, where players could display 100% of the skill’s effect with every use.

Now, however, that was not possible…

If one did not perform the skill’s movements appropriately, the damage would be negligible.

Moreover, it was even more difficult to move successfully during battle.

Overall, combat was now three times as difficult as it had been.

Fire Dance had previously been able to solo one or two Special Elites, and she even considered challenging a Chieftain. Now, however, a Special Elite was too strong for her, much less a Chieftain.

Elsewhere, Flying Shadow was also sporting a serious frown. The more he fought, the more frustrated he became.

After some effort, Fire Dance had managed to raise her Completion Rate past 50%. Her Backstab had even reached a 70% Completion Rate. Flying Shadow, on the other hand, could only achieve 50% with Backstab, one of the simplest skills he possessed, and he had just barely earned the one Skill Proficiency point for the skill. As for his other skills, their Completion Rates were all below 50%.

Compared to Fire Dance and Flying Shadow, after spending some time practicing, the mages of the party could achieve relatively high Completion Rates. They had all reached 60% or higher with their skills. However, this was because the two had different methods of activation. When mages used a skill, they chanted incantations and traced runes. Some skills only needed a few hand gestures and simple incantations, so they were relatively easy to cast. Only, their current casting time was much longer than it had been. It was especially true for advanced spells.

While everyone practiced their skills, Shi Feng, who stood ahead of the party, conducted a massacre.

Faced with dozens of Wolfman Warriors, Shi Feng dashed forward and activated Thundering Flash.

One arc… Two arcs… Three arcs…

A total of five arcs of blue lightning tore through the Elite monsters, a series of frightening damages appearing above their heads.

-2,060, -2,706, -3,521, -4,543, -6,020…

Instantly, the dozens of Wolfman Warriors lost close to half their HP. Some that had received critical hits fell to critical lows. In addition, due to the Damage Amplification debuff of Thundering Flash, they would receive an additional 30% damage from future attacks.

And yet, the damages were nothing compared to Thundering Flash’s Completion Rate.

System: Thundering Flash Completion Rate 83%, resulting in 97% of skill’s effect. Skill Proficiency +3.

Immediately after his attack, Shi Feng leaped into the air. As he raised the Abyssal Blade high, the power of lightning and fire emerged from the sword. He then slammed the weapon down towards the gathering of Wolfman Warriors.

Boom!

All of the Warriors within an area of 10*10 yards fell into a Fainted state instantly and received over -7,000 damage. Those that had received a critical hit suffered over -14,000 damage. The Wolfman Warriors with low HPs crumbled.

System: Thunder Flame Explosion Completion Rate 74%, resulting in 89% of skill’s effect. Skill Proficiency +2.

The moment Shi Feng landed, he followed up with Chop, striking three Wolfman Warriors and dealing over -2,800 damage to each.

System: Chop Completion Rate 85%, resulting in 100% of skill’s effect. Skill Proficiency +3.

In just a moment, Shi Feng had exterminated dozens of Wolfmen.

Standing at a distance, Aqua Rose and the others were tongue-tied after watching Shi Feng’s battle.

Every member of the party had personally experienced how difficult it was to achieve a high Skill Completion Rate. However, when they saw Shi Feng’s success, they felt nothing but shock.

As for Shi Feng’s feat of killing dozens of Wolfman Warriors, none of them really had anything to say about it. The Wolfman Warriors were merely Elite monsters. Everyone present could easily destroy them. Although they had trouble using their skills, their basic attacks were still very powerful thanks to their equipment. Dealing with these Elites was only a matter of time.

The reason for their shock was Shi Feng’s ability to reach a Completion Rate above 80%, yet after training arduously for the past four hours or so, they had only achieved above 50%.

Moreover, even when using Thunder Flame Explosion, the skill Shi Feng was least proficient with, he could perform a Completion Rate above 70%…

However, this was still not the most noteworthy aspect. Shi Feng’s casual use and chaining of his skills were what impressed them the most. How could they not be shocked?

“Guild Leader, can’t you just teach us how we can improve our Skill Completion Rates?” Aqua Rose envied and admired Shi Feng’s super-high Completion Rate.

“That’s right! It’s not like we’re demanding much! I will be satisfied if I can reach a 70% Completion Rate!” Blackie’s Completion Rate had given him a headache.

In the beginning, their Completion Rates had improved relatively quickly. Within half an hour, they had managed to achieve 50%. However, it had taken them over three hours to rise from 50% to 60%. Moreover, it only became more challenging to raise their Completion Rates the higher they went. By now, their Completion Rates had basically plateaued…

At around 60%, they could only display roughly 60% to 70% of their skill’s potential. If they could stabilize their Completion Rates at 70%, they could almost display their previous strength.

Only when a skill achieved an 85% Completion Rate could it manifest 100% of its effects. If the Completion Rate could rise past 85%, then the skill’s effect would exceed 100%.

If they could raise the Completion Rate of all of their skills past 85%, the combat power would surpass their previous selves.

Everyone eagerly looked forward to such a day. Unfortunately, they had no idea how to overcome the challenge of the new system.

“Do you guys really wish to know how to improve your Completion Rates quickly?” Shi Feng asked after tidying up the loot. He could not help but laugh as he looked towards his party members.

Chapter 444: Path of an Expert

Aqua Rose and the rest of the Zero Wing party nodded passionately in response to Shi Feng’s question.

If they could quickly raise their Skill Completion Rates, their strength would also rise to the next level. Naturally, this was the goal.

“It’s really simple, actually. Think more; train more,” Shi Feng said frankly.

“Think more; train more?” The team rolled their eyes at their Guild Leader.

They had been doing exactly that all this time. However, they had almost reached their limit.

“That’s right. Think more; train more. There’s no other way. In God’s Domain, every skill movement has its own purpose. First, figure out why such movements are required, then carry them out. You guys have been trying to draw a tiger by looking at a cat. You cannot improve if all you’re doing is mimicking the tutorial videos.” Shi Feng was aware of the enthusiasm filling his companions’ hearts. However, one could not become more proficient overnight.

After the second evolution of God’s Domain, players would experience a slump for a relatively long period. Experts were no exception.

Many players struggled with the sudden weakness, falling from glory.

However, it was precisely because of God’s Domain’s second evolution that the difference between ordinary players and experts had become more distinct.

Previously, a player’s strength relied on their equipment and techniques. After the second evolution, however, a player’s strength mainly relied on their Skill Completion Rates. With this new system, one could immediately tell whether a player was a dragon or a worm.

Ordinary players’ Skill Completion Rates usually ranged between 50% and 60%, and players at this standard were considered beginners. Players with 61% to 70% Completion Rates were elites. Meanwhile, those who achieved 71% to 80% were experts, and 80% to 90% was the domain of top-tier experts. Players who could reach Completion Rates above 90% were as rare as a phoenix’s feather.

In the past, Shi Feng’s best record had been 87%. Although he was only 3% away from surpassing a top-tier expert, it was the difference between heaven and earth.

The fact that Fire Dance and the others could achieve such results with just a few hours of practice was already impressive.

After the second evolution of God’s Domain, many players had not dared to solo monsters. Many players had spent several days practicing their skills just to reach a 50% Completion Rate.

Only players who had achieved a 50% Skill Completion Rate were strong enough to solo. Otherwise, with inadequate Completion Rates, their damage was negligible. In addition, a majority of the players in God’s Domain relied on their skills to kill monsters. Hence, without sufficient Completion Rates, players would only find death if they grinded alone.

“Contemplate the importance of the required movements?” Fire Dance pondered.

“Must I do that to manifest the techniques of the skill?” Fire Dance recalled her previous uses of Backstab in battle.

In the past, she would always think of ways to strike her opponent from behind, never considering how she could use Backstab more efficiently.

However, in the tutorial video of Backstab, the player would first dodge the opponent’s attack, reverse the grip on his weapon, then circle behind the opponent with a spin and stab his weapon into his opponent’s back. The entire process was smooth and efficient, and was much faster, more vicious, and more difficult to dodge than her previous attack method.

Thinking up to this point, Fire Dance searched impatiently for another Wolfman Warrior to experiment on.

This time, however, Fire Dance did not enter Stealth. Instead, she waltzed up to the Elite monster. When the Wolfman Warrior noticed Fire Dance, it howled and slashed its greatsword at the Assassin.

Fire Dance did not immediately try to dodge the oncoming attack. Instead, she waited until the Wolfman Warrior’s greatsword reached its maximum speed before moving. Fire Dance took a step forward before sidestepping, dodging the greatsword at the last possible moment. Reversing her grip on the Truefire Blade, she then spun and shoved the blade into the Wolfman Warrior’s back. Due to her body’s rotational power, the radiant sword’s speed had increased. Even Shi Feng could not avoid such a fast attack, much less the Wolfman Warrior.

Hua!

The Truefire Blade pierced the Wolfman Warrior’s back, a damage of -2,736 appearing above its head.

System: Backstab Completion Rate 76%, resulting in 90% of skill’s effect. Skill Proficiency +2.

Fire Dance’s eyes shone upon seeing this system notification. As if she had found a path through the darkness, her confidence suddenly skyrocketed.

Hence, she continued practicing Backstab on the Wolfman Warrior. When the skill’s Cooldown finished, she would begin again. In the end, the poor Wolfman Warrior died after Fire Dance toyed with it for five minutes…

“Sister Fire Dance is amazing! That last one even reached 78%!” Flying Shadow’s admiration intensified when he saw the final Backstab Fire Dance had used on the Wolfman Warrior.

After watching Fire Dance’s performance, as if realization had dawned upon them, everyone hunted down their own targets to practice with.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng continued to search for the exit in silence, not bothering to comment.

Excessive guidance would lead to Fire Dance and the others to believe that his way was the only way. However, everyone had their own paths and unique fighting habits. Different habits and body types would lead to different skill techniques. If they followed him blindly, although they could improve massively in a short time, it would be detrimental to their future development. Thus, he wanted them to figure things out for themselves.

In the past, Shi Feng had tried mimicking other experts, copying their every move in the hopes of improving his technique. Unfortunately, nobody had warned him about his actions’ downsides.

Although his strength had soared in a short time, in the end, he had been stuck as a top-tier expert. No matter what he did, he could not overcome that final hurdle. In the past, he had never been able to use Void Steps. However, after reincarnating, Shi Feng discovered that only the path that suited him most was the best path. He was not other people, so how could he achieve any results if he followed a path meant for someone else?

In the end, this revelation had allowed him to master Void Steps in this life, becoming significantly stronger.

However, learning Void Steps was nothing more than the first step away from mimicry. He still had a long way to go and many aspects to explore before he could forge his own way.

For a time, the Land of the Fallen Star became a testing ground for Shi Feng and his party members.

Without realizing it, they had spent over seven hours in the Land of the Fallen Star, and during this period, they had killed numerous Level 27 Elite ranked Wolfman Warriors. Everyone’s Skill Completion Rates had constantly improved during this time. Although they could not consistently achieve 70%, they could still manage above 60%. The party had also mined over 1,300 pieces of Starfire Ore, their mining far more efficient than when they were outside this crystal cavern. Now, they had accumulated over 20,000 pieces of Starfire Ore.

Such a large stock of Starfire Ore was worth over 200 Gold. Once Shi Feng refined the ore into Starfire Essence using the Philosopher’s Stone, the total value would be over 800 Gold.

Even for first-rate Guilds, 800 Gold was a massive sum of money. If they obtained several hundred more Gold, they could purchase relatively valuable real-estate.

If used for forging, the value of the Starfire Essences would rise by several folds. The thought alone excited Shi Feng.

“Guild Leader, I’ve discovered a hidden door,” Fire Dance suddenly reported.

Chapter 445: Golden Stone Tablet

Silver flames engulfed a stone pillar. Everything within 10 yards of this flame had been incinerated, transformed into a field of white ash.

“Guild Leader, the hidden door is inside this flame,” Fire Dance said as she pointed towards the silver fire.

Just before Shi Feng moved closer to have a better look, Fire Dance held him back, saying, “Guild Leader, be careful. The silver fire is extremely hot. When I stepped into that scorched region, I immediately lost 2,000 HP.”

“Such high flame damage?” Although Shi Feng could tell that the silver flame was something extraordinary, he had not expected it to be so powerful.

If it could deal -2,000 damage to players every second, he would take significant damage even with his 70 points in Fire Resistance. Even he would die if he occupied the region too long.

“Violet, heal me. I’ll go in and take a closer look.” After giving the order, Shi Feng entered the silver flame’s effective area.

Suddenly, a damage close to -500 points appeared above Shi Feng’s head.

Hot. Shi Feng felt as if he had dipped his feet into a hot spring the moment his boots touched the gray-white land.

He was even wearing the Flame Boots, which lowered the temperature his feet felt. If he had equipped some other shoes, he would probably have had to skip and hop constantly while inside this scorched region.

Following which, Shi Feng approached the burning stone pillar. The closer he got to the stone pillar, the higher the temperature became. Similarly, the damage he received also increased. When Shi Feng was roughly two yards from the pillar, he lost over 1,000 HP every second. Even though Shi Feng had long since recovered from his Weakened state, his HP returning to over 8,400, he would only last 9 seconds at most.

Fortunately, he had a powerful healer, Violet Cloud, supporting him. After Violet Cloud cast a Sacred Shield on him, he could just barely cope with the high DoT.

Sure enough, there’s a hidden door here. Shi Feng noticed that there was a tightly shut door on the burning stone pillar. There was also a blue chain not far from the door.

Shi Feng grabbed the blue chain, searching for a connection with the door.

However, the instant he touched the chain, Shi Feng suddenly felt a chill wash over him. The fire damage he received suddenly reduced from over -1,000 damage to just around -600 damage.

This chain really is special. I wonder what it is made of? It could be useful if I could find a way to take it. Shi Feng examined the blue chain, sorely tempted.

If he could claim this chain, raiding flame-type Dungeons or facing fire-type Bosses would become much easier. Just holding the chain increased his Fire Resistance by at least 40 to 50 points. It was even more impressive than an Intermediate Fire Resistance Potion. Moreover, the latter only had a duration of 1 hour, whereas one only needed to hold the former to gain the buff. Just how much money could he save on Fire Resistance Potions?

As Shi Feng pulled the blue chain, the stone door in the middle of the massive pillar opened slowly. A dark passage with zero visibility lay beyond the threshold.

After the stone door opened, the silver flames diminished gradually until they had been extinguished. Shortly after, the scorched earth also began to cool, allowing players to transverse through the region freely.

“Guild Leader, you’re amazing! Your Fire Resistance is so high! No one else could reach and open the door, even if they knew about it,” Blackie laughed.

Although they had obtained a bounty from this Land of the Fallen Star, it would mean nothing if they could not find their way out.

“Let’s go.” Shi Feng unsheathed the Abyssal Blade and the Purgatory’s Shadow as he crossed the threshold cautiously.

The passage beyond the stone door was cramped, and engravings of ancient texts and drawings decorated the walls on either side. From the looks of them, these texts and drawings seem to originate from an ancient era, and not even Shi Feng, someone who was very familiar with God’s Domain, recognized them.

The passage allowed, at most, three people to walk abreast, so it would be extremely challenging to coordinate their attacks. Fortunately, the party did not encounter a single monster along their entire journey.

After wandering down the passage for over half an hour, the party arrived at a towering altar.

Massive statues of wolf-headed men guarded each side of the altar, and the silver flame dancing on the altar was the same flame Shi Feng and the others had seen outside the stone door.

A short distance to the right of the altar, there was a teleportation magic array. A stone tablet emitting a golden glow sat to the left of the altar. Divine runes and drawings covered the tablet, and one could tell with a glance that the tablet was something extraordinary.

As the team walked up to the altar, they suddenly felt an extraordinary pressure weighing down on them. It felt as if someone pummeled them repeatedly with a sledgehammer.

“Guild Leader, look… over there…” Blackie said as he pointed at the space above the altar, goosebumps covering his skin.

Everyone shifted their gaze to where Blackie pointed.

A figure hovered above the altar, but due to the poor lighting around the altar, they could not see it clearly. However, they could feel an intense threat of death emanating from this figure.

Shi Feng could not get a clear view of that figure, either. However, he could feel this figure looking down at them.

Shi Feng then activated Omniscient Eyes and observed the figure.

The results were shocking.

[Anubis’s Gatekeeper] (Great Lord)

Level 30

HP 10,000,000/10,000,000

“Great Lord?” Shi Feng muttered.

Others might not realize how powerful a Great Lord was in God’s Domain, but Shi Feng knew full well what one was capable of. Their party of six would not even be enough to fill the gaps between this Gatekeeper’s teeth.

It was especially true for such Field Great Lords. Although their HPs were far lower than Great Lords in Dungeons, Field Great Lords were more powerful. Even a team of several thousand Level 30 players would be no more than cannon fodder before this Gatekeeper.

“He won’t attack us, right?” Aqua Rose asked, feeling somewhat nervous as she watched Anubis’s Gatekeeper.

Aqua Rose wasn’t the only one nervous. Even Shi Feng struggled to keep his cool.

“Hopefully not,” Shi Feng said uncertainty. “However, since he hasn’t moved since we’ve arrived, let’s not take any risks.”

If Anubis’s Gatekeeper took the initiative to attack, even Shi Feng would be helpless against it. They could only try to escape. They would only throw away their lives if they tried to confront it. Attempting to find some trick against it would also be suicidal. Powerhouses such as Great Lords wouldn’t afford players such a chance.

According to the tiers of God’s Domain, a Great Lord was the equivalent of a Tier 3 class.

A Tier 3 class was as powerful as the city lord of an ordinary city.

After Shi Feng and the others silently examined the area, they faintly understood their situation.

“That Gatekeeper should be a monster tasked with guarding the golden stone tablet. So long as we don’t touch that thing, the Gatekeeper won’t attack us.”

Shi Feng had experimented with the Gatekeeper. When he approached the golden stone tablet, the Gatekeeper’s killing intent would intensify. As for the teleportation array on the other side, the Gatekeeper had not reacted when he had approached it.

“Aqua, you guys activate the teleportation array.” After some thought, Shi Feng said, “I’ll grab that tablet.”

“Guild Leader, that’s a Great Lord!” Fire Dance said, horrified.

Although none of them had ever seen a Great Lord in action, they could tell that, compared to this Great Lord, the Crimson Shadow Wolf they had previously faced was a joke. If Shi Feng really tried to steal the golden stone tablet, he might die in an instant.

Chapter 446: Silver Flame

Everyone promptly agreed with Fire Dance’s opposition.

They acknowledged that Shi Feng possessed frightening combat power. He was so powerful that he even suppressed the Rare Lord ranked Crimson Shadow Wolf in a direct confrontation. They, too, had previously thought Shi Feng might be able to oppress even a Great Lord by force, and that by the time they arrived at the Ruined Shrine in White Fog Canyon’s core, they would have a chance of defeating the Level 25 Great Lord there.

After all, a Great Lord’s loot was simply too tempting. It was especially true for a Level 25 Great Lord, as the Level 25 equipment it dropped was precisely what the core strength of the various Guilds needed right now. If they could obtain an Epic item, both the Guild’s strength and morale would improve significantly.

However, now that they stood before Anubis’s Gatekeeper, they suddenly felt very tiny.

A Great Lord and a High Lord were from different worlds entirely.

Escaping a Great Lord’s wrath would be a miracle, much less defeating it.

Admittedly, a treasure hidden behind a Great Lord would be precious. However, if Shi Feng tried to snatch the golden stone tablet, there was more than a 99% chance that he would be throwing his life away. This was simply not a worthwhile tradeoff.

Moreover, heavens knew if the teleportation array would still work after Shi Feng stole the stone tablet.

On the off chance that it didn’t work, they would all die here…

“Guild Leader, why don’t we come back after we’ve grown stronger. It’s not worth risking your life for an unknown treasure,” Aqua Rose advised.

“You guys leave first. I’ll try it by myself. If it really isn’t possible, then we’ll come back in the future,” Shi Feng said, shaking his head.

Although what Aqua Rose had said was logical, none of them knew the significance of the golden stone tablet under a Great Lord’s protection.

In his decade of adventuring in God’s Domain, the treasures he encountered that had been guarded by Great Lords were at least Epic rank. Obtaining an Epic item was definitely worth dying once. If he came back for it in the future, there was a possibility of someone else claiming the golden stone tablet. After all, the Land of the Fallen Star was not particularly hidden.

When everyone heard Shi Feng’s determination, they had no choice but to obediently head towards the teleportation array and prepare to leave the Land of the Fallen Star.

However, just as Aqua Rose was about to activate the teleportation array, her hands suddenly froze as cold sweat began to drip down her forehead.

Even the others at the teleportation array with her wore grim expressions. It was as if they were preparing to welcome a great enemy.

That cold and intense killing intent felt like they had been dunked in ice-cold water, and they suddenly struggled to breathe.

“Guild Leader, if we activate the teleportation array, the Gatekeeper will attack,” Fire Dance whispered as she glanced at Anubis’s Gatekeeper hovering in the air.

“We really have no options,” Shi Feng laughed bitterly.

He currently had Omniscient Eyes active, so he felt the Gatekeeper’s chilling gaze as well. As soon as Aqua Rose activated the teleportation array, Anubis’s Gatekeeper would strike.

It usually took close to 20 seconds to activate a teleportation array. If the person activating the array moved during this period, it would automatically shut down.

Twenty seconds.

That was enough time for a Level 30 Great Lord to kill hundreds of players, much less a measly party of six.

As this place was unique, they could not use Return Scrolls to leave, either.

In other words, if they wanted to leave, they needed to survive the Gatekeeper for 20 seconds. Either that, or they could level here until they died or simply die now and lose some EXP, Skill Proficiency, and a piece of equipment.

If they did not wish to lose any equipment, they could remove everything they currently wore. That way, none of their equipment would drop. At worst, there was an extremely small chance of an item dropping from their bags.

“It looks like I can only give it a try!”

No matter how Shi Feng considered the situation, he could not think of a decent solution. He was also unable to utilize the terrain to his advantage. Although the passage they came from was narrow, Anubis’s Gatekeeper wasn’t so large that it could not follow him.

Now, the only way the team could leave safely was if he lured the Gatekeeper away. Otherwise, with the strength of a Great Lord and his extremely wide splash range, no one would survive.

“Fire Dance, get ready to activate the teleportation array. If the Great Lord’s splash damage affects you, use Vanish or Wind Steps to block it. As long as you do not move, the teleportation array will not shut down.

“I’ll kite the Gatekeeper first. Focus on your timing, you guys.”

With that, Shi Feng activated Windwalk and dashed towards the golden stone tablet.

Anubis’s Gatekeeper immediately shifted his sight to Shi Feng.

When Shi Feng was only 10 yards away from the stone tablet, the Gatekeeper suddenly vanished from above the altar before immediately reappearing in front of the golden stone tablet.

“Instantaneous Movement!” Aqua Rose gaped at the Gatekeeper, disbelief filling her gaze.

A Great Lord that knew Instantaneous Movement…could any player escape its slaughter?

“Such a powerful aura.” Fire Dance’s expression turned grim.

Anubis’s Gatekeeper had initially been 90 yards from the party. Now that the Gatekeeper was less than 40 yards away from everyone, its ferocity was on full display.

“Trespassers of the Holy Land, die!” the Gatekeeper revealed his fury as he glared at Shi Feng. Suddenly, the Gatekeeper raised his right hand. In the next moment, a pitch-black spear as tall as Shi Feng appeared in the Gatekeeper’s hand. The Great Lord then swung the spear towards Shi Feng.

Xiu!

A spear of light sliced through the air and arrived before Shi Feng.

Not taking any risks, Shi Feng crossed his swords and used Parry to block the attack.

The instant the spear of light collided with the two swords, the impact forced Shi Feng’s hands apart and sent him flying over 20 yards away.

The group standing at the teleportation array was stunned.

Every Zero Wing member present was familiar with Shi Feng’s Strength.

Even in his normal state, he could contend with a Lord of the same level. Yet, now, just a touch from the spear of light, which was far weaker than the Gatekeeper’s black spear, had thrown Shi Feng so far.

Just how frightening was the Gatekeeper?!

“As expected of a Great Lord. Even though I have the combat power of a Tier 2 class, it is not nearly enough.” Shi Feng smirked as he looked at his thoroughly numb hands.

If not for the fact that Parry could negate the Gatekeeper’s damage, he would have lost at least three to four thousand HP.

However, Shi Feng had only received the Gatekeeper’s attack because he wished to test its Strength and evaluate the Great Lord’s combat power.

Now, Shi Feng had a general grasp of the Anubis’s Gatekeeper’s combat power.

Tier 3 intermediate combat power!

The Great Lord would be able to beat a Tier 3 player like a dog.

However, even after striking Shi Feng, the Gatekeeper showed no signs of stopping as it turned towards Fire Dance and the others.

“Trespassers of the Holy Land, die!”

Emitting a low growl, the Gatekeeper stretched out its left hand. Suddenly, a silver flame condensed in his palm.

In the blink of an eye, the originally fist-sized flame grew into a large fire the size of a house, and even Shi Feng, who stood over 20 yards away, felt a stinging pain from the temperature.

Chapter 447: Contest of Strength

Just as Anubis’s Gatekeeper was about to unleash its silver fire on Fire Dance and the others…

Suddenly, a black barrier appeared around the Gatekeeper, containing the Great Lord.

Following which, the flames gradually dispersed.

“Close one!” Violet Cloud released a sigh of relief as she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

Every Zero Wing party member shifted their gaze to Violet Cloud.

Fortunately for them, Violet Cloud had managed to interrupt the Gatekeeper’s attack.

However, before everyone could calm their pounding hearts, the Tier 1 spell, Black Coffin, burst like a popped balloon.

“Impossible!” Violet Cloud said, her voice filled with disbelief.

Black Coffin was an Advanced Tier 1 spell. Moreover, she was a Tier 1 Astromancer. Black Coffin should be able to trap even a High Lord for a few seconds, yet the spell had not lasted half a second against Anubis’s Gatekeeper.

“Trespassers of the Holy Land, die!”

The Gatekeeper waved his hand once more, collecting a larger and more intense silver flame than before. The silver fire also appeared faster this time.

As the Gatekeeper was about to bombard Aqua Rose and the others with his fire, a blood-red glow struck the Great Lord, dealing -5,021 damage.

Although the damage was negligible to the monster, the Gatekeeper froze and turned towards the attack’s origin. Immediately, he discovered Shi Feng, the ant that he had sent flying earlier.

The tier suppression is too powerful. Shi Feng grimaced.

The move he had just used was the additional skill of the Blazing Meteor, Flame God’s Fury. The skill allowed him to deal 900% damage to the first target the Blazing Meteor struck. Yet, even with such power, his attack had only dealt around -5,000 damage to the Great Lord. It was not even one-third of the damage the skill was usually capable of dealing.

Although Shi Feng possessed the combat power of a Tier 2 class, his character was still a Tier 1 class. A Great Lord was the equivalent of a Tier 3 class. With a difference of two tiers, the damage he could deal to the Gatekeeper was significantly reduced.

This was also one of the reasons why Shi Feng had not attempted to raid the Level 25 Great Lord in the Ruined Shrine.

Not only would tier suppression significantly reduce a skill’s effect, but it would also significantly reduce one’s potential damage.

Moreover, this was in the event that the difference was only a matter of two tiers. Currently, Overwhelming Smile didn’t have any Tier 1 players.

“Fire Dance, activate the teleportation array now!” Shi Feng urgently shouted in the party chat as he returned the Gatekeeper’s chilling gaze.

Knowing that time was of the essence, Fire Dance did as she was told.

Immediately, the teleportation array Fire Dance and the others stood on shone with a dark blue glow as it started gathering mana from its surroundings.

At this moment, Anubis’s Gatekeeper paid no attention to Fire Dance and the others. Instead, he suddenly disappeared, reappearing in front of Shi Feng. Raising his spear high, he swung the weapon down on Shi Feng.

The Gatekeeper’s attack was different from the spears of light he had casually sent out before. Just the pressure preceding the attack turned Shi Feng’s movements sluggish.

Shi Feng hurriedly activated Defensive Blade to defend himself.

However, Anubis’s Gatekeeper showed no intention of ending his assault after one strike. In quick succession, his spear darted towards Shi Feng again and again, searching for an opening.

Peng… Peng… Peng…

In two short seconds, Defensive Blade had been exhausted. Although Shi Feng had tried to counter the Gatekeeper’s attacks during this period, the pressure from the spear was simply too immense. His sluggish body could not keep up with the black spear’s speed.

Aqua Rose and the others were similarly shocked as they watched Shi Feng fight for his life.

Although they had realized that there was a difference between a Lord and a Great Lord, they had not realized the gap between the two was this massive. Shi Feng was not nearly strong enough to resist the Gatekeeper.

Thinking back on how the various Guilds of White River City had boasted their plans to raid a Great Lord, the very idea was a joke!

“Guild Leader!” Anxiety filled Fire Dance’s heart. She struggled with her desire to charge forward to help her Guild Leader, but the teleportation array was their only hope of leaving this place. If she moved, she would waste all their efforts.

The others were similarly anxious. Although they wished to help, they could not.

It was highly possible that their aid would lure Anubis’s Gatekeeper to the array. If that happened, they would all die. Moreover, even if they lent their assistance, it would not change the battle.

Seeing as the black spear was about to strike at him once again, Shi Feng decided that he was done holding back.

Purgatory Power!

Heavenly Dragon’s Power!

Blade Liberation!

In the blink of an eye, Shi Feng’s Strength reached an entirely different realm.

Purgatory Power increased his Attack Speed by 100% and damage by 30%.

Heavenly Dragon’s Power increased his Defense by 300%, HP by 300%, and Strength Attribute by 100%. Instantly, Shi Feng’s strength broke past the 800-point threshold.

Blade Liberation increased Shi Feng’s Strength by 80% and Agility by 120%, allowing his Strength to reach close to 1,500 points.

With close to 1,500 Strength, even a Rare Lord of the same level would be beaten mercilessly.

At this moment, Shi Feng’s body released a faint, bloody glow. Now, the black spear’s pressure was ineffective against Shi Feng. Immediately, Shi Feng swung the Abyssal Blade upward, meeting the Gatekeeper’s attack head-on.

Boom!

The collision instantly created a storm in front of the altar. Shi Feng’s teammates nearly lost their balance due to the resulting shockwave.

“This shockwave is so powerful!” Blackie exclaimed.

“Nothing will happen to Guild Leader, right?” Flying Shadow was thoroughly shocked. Despite standing over 30 yards from the battle, the intense shockwave still reached them, rocking them back. One could just imagine how horrific the combatant’s Strength was.

“Guild Leader had overpowered a Rare Lord easily with the Strength he’s using now. He should be able to hold the Gatekeeper off for some time,” Fire Dance said, uncertainty coloring her voice.

The others also nodded in agreement. With Strength capable of suppressing a Rare Lord, Shi Feng should have a fighting chance even against a Great Lord. If not, then a Great Lord was truly a heaven-defying existence.

When the dust settled, everyone could finally see the conclusion of the exchange. They were all stupefied.

Cracks spreading out as far as 10 yards away covered the ground beneath Shi Feng’s feet. A damage close to -600 points had also appeared above Shi Feng’s head. On the other hand, the Gatekeeper of Anubis was completely unharmed; the Great Lord had not received a single point of damage.

“It’s over… The gap between them is just too wide…” Fire Dance muttered in despair.

Flying Shadow silently agreed with Fire Dance. Shi Feng had received nearly -600 damage doing nothing more than defending himself with his own weapon. Mages might not understand what this meant, but as melee classes, they knew full well the significance of the gap between Shi Feng and Anubis’s Gatekeeper.

“Trespassers of the Holy Land, die!”

The Gatekeeper growled once more as it continued brandishing its black spear.

The Great Lord thrust his spear towards Shi Feng in an unending barrage.

Although Shi Feng tried to avoid the oncoming attacks, both the spear’s speed and angle of attack were extremely precise; he could not dodge the attacks. He could only counter with his swords. However, every time he blocked an attack, the impact would force him backward.

The Gatekeeper sent over a dozen strikes at Shi Feng in quick succession, forcing Shi Feng into a constant retreat and disrupting his balance. Meanwhile, Shi Feng had lost close to 10,000 HP during this brief assault. Fortunately, Dragon’s Power increased his HP by 300%, granting him a total of over 25,000 HP. The 300% increase in Defense also allowed him to survive the brutal onslaught. If any other player stood in his place right now, they would have died long ago.

Meanwhile, when Anubis’s Gatekeeper saw that his opponent had yet to fall despite receiving so many attacks, he suddenly flew into a rage.

In the next moment, silver flames emerged around the Gatekeeper’s spear, instantly causing the surrounding temperature to soar. The Gatekeeper then jumped into the air, and gripping his spear with both hands, he slammed the weapon down at Shi Feng.

The black spear was like a giant flame serpent as it spread its jaws, intending to swallow Shi Feng with a single bite.

Chapter 448: Close Call

As the giant flame serpent was about to devour Shi Feng…

Suddenly, Shi Feng raised his head and glared at the serpent before opening his mouth and activating Dragon’s Breath. A dragon’s roar resounded throughout the surroundings, and a shockwave slammed into the flame serpent.

When the two collided, both attacks dispersed.

However, the Gatekeeper was not done. Tightening his grip on the black spear, the Gatekeeper thrust it towards Shi Feng’s heart.

Shi Feng immediately activated Flame Rush, his Movement Speed increasing by 100% for ten seconds.

As his speed soared, Shi Feng launched himself backward, barely avoiding the spear.

As expected, it really is pushing it too much to challenge a Great Lord with the combat power of a Tier 2 class. After Shi Feng landed, he focused on Anubis’s Gatekeeper, having no intention of initiating an attack.

Survival was his main priority. He would delay as long as possible.

Despite using his twofold berserk technique and pushing his combat power to the max, he had still lost close to half of his HP after a few seconds. If not for the fact that he was a Blade Saint and that he owned a Fragmented Legendary item, the Gatekeeper’s spear would have long since claimed his life.

However, Anubis’s Gatekeeper clearly had no intention of letting Shi Feng delay for time as he raised his spear and slammed it into the ground. Suddenly, the Great Lord split into three copies of himself, each copy having a maximum HP of 6,000,000.

“Crap!” Shi Feng could not help but curse.

Although the Gatekeeper had split his strength by three, with each copy significantly weaker than the original, they still possessed the combat power of a Tier 3 class. Even if Shi Feng faced one of the copies one-on-one, he would not find his opponent any easier to deal with.

On the other hand, Shi Feng now had to deal with three Gatekeepers simultaneously. The danger he currently faced was far from just three times greater.

Having no other option, Shi Feng used Phantom Kill, his doppelganger appearing by his side. Although his doppelganger only possessed 70% of his Attributes, it could still relieve some of the pressure.

“Trespassers of the Holy Land, die!”

The three Gatekeepers charged at Shi Feng, launching a barrage of attacks.

Without hesitation, Shi Feng used Nine Dragons Slash to pin down the middle copy. Both he and his doppelganger then turned and fled in opposite directions.

Even if he were a Tier 3 class, he still could not take on three Great Lords at once.

When the two unrestricted Gatekeepers saw the identical Shi Fengs running off in different directions, they split up from each other to chase both the original and the doppelganger. As for the Gatekeeper pinned down by Nine Dragons Slash, he remained where he was.

For a time, a game of cat and mouse transpired.

Although the Gatekeeper’s ability to split himself into three copies had greatly increased the danger Shi Feng faced, the situation had also given Shi Feng a lifeline.

The three Gatekeeper’s Attributes could not compare with the original Great Lord’s. Initially, Shi Feng had been far slower than his adversary. Now, however, their speeds were almost equal. Moreover, after Anubis’s Gatekeeper split himself, his copies could no longer use Instantaneous Movement. His copies were only capable of chasing Shi Feng on foot, and this allowed Shi Feng to catch a breather.

The seconds ticked by slowly. To Shi Feng, the seconds felt like hours.

Both Shi Feng and his doppelganger lost HP rapidly as time passed. As for Violet Cloud at the teleportation array, she refrained from healing her Guild Leader even once. It was not because she did not want to or that she couldn’t, but because it was likely that she would pull the aggro of one of the Gatekeepers if she did. If that happened, none of them would leave this place alive. Hence, Shi Feng had to rely on Regeneration Potions to recover his HP.

Fifteen seconds into channeling the teleportation array, Shi Feng’s doppelganger died. Now, Shi Feng had to deal with two Gatekeepers alone.

Realizing that the situation had become unfavorable, Shi Feng immediately retrieved a Speed Scroll from his bag. After using the scroll, he dashed into the narrow passage their party had come from.

All three Gatekeepers instantly took up the chase.

In less than three seconds, the Gatekeepers had caught with to Shi Feng.

However, Shi Feng suddenly turned to smirk at the three Great Lords.

“Goodbye!”

Shi Feng smiled faintly as he activated Space Movement. He then jumped into the black hole that appeared before him and disappeared from the narrow passage, leaving behind three dumbfounded Gatekeepers.

Although the Land of the Fallen Star prohibited the use of Return Scrolls, he could still use Space Movement. Only, the skill’s range was limited to the area within the Land of the Fallen Star; he could not use the skill to leave.

When Shi Feng had approached the golden stone tablet for the first time, he had marked its coordinates. Now that he had lured the Gatekeepers away, he used Space Movement to arrive before the golden stone tablet.

Shi Feng dashed up to the golden stone tablet and stored it in his bag space.

Meanwhile, Fire Dance had channeled the teleportation array for 18 seconds.

Shi Feng was currently close to 30 yards from the array. Just as he was about to rush over to his party…

Anubis’s Gatekeeper suddenly appeared in front of Shi Feng, an extraordinarily grim expression on the Great Lord’s face. At this moment, silver flames surrounded the Gatekeeper’s entire body. They even encased the black spear he carried. The instant he appeared, the Gatekeeper used Thousand Sweep against Shi Feng.

Shua!

In the face of the Gatekeeper’s spear, even space tore.

The black spear was so fast that it could not be seen by the naked eye. The weapon slammed into Shi Feng.

Boom!

An explosion shook the altar.

“Trespassers of the Holy Land, die!”

Although the Gatekeeper of Anubis had struck Shi Feng with his spear, the rage in his heart had only grown, not lessened.

The Gatekeeper had struck only Shi Feng’s afterimage.

“Guild Leader!” Fire Dance called out with surprise when she saw Shi Feng appear beside her.

Everyone had lost hope the moment they saw the Great Lord’s attack. That final strike had simply been too fast. Blocking the attack would have been impossible, much less dodging it. Yet, Shi Feng had successfully avoided the attack. Moreover, he even appeared right beside them. It was astonishing.

However, only Shi Feng had known how much danger he had been in just now. The instant the Gatekeeper appeared before him, he had immediately used Silent Steps on Fire Dance. Had he hesitated in the slightest, he would have definitely lost his life…

“All of you shall die!” Anubis’s Gatekeeper bellowed as he glared at Shi Feng. He then threw his black spear towards Shi Feng’s group.

The weapon was extremely fast; none of them had time to respond to the oncoming attack.

Meanwhile, there was still slightly over one second before the teleportation array would activate. That one second was more than enough time for the spear to annihilate them all.

Suddenly, Shi Feng moved and stood in front of everyone, prepared to receive the attack.

Just as the black spear covered in silver flames was about to reach its target, Shi Feng switched the Aura of Space for the Aura of Illusion, instantly increasing all of his Attributes by 30%. He also activated Fantasy World.

[Fantasy World]

Immunity to all Magic Damage and 15% of Magic Damage received will be converted to healing to recover player’s HP for 20 seconds.

Cooldown: 3 minutes

The instant the black spear collided with its target, Shi Feng instantly recovered close to 5,000 HP. However, before Shi Feng could celebrate, the immense impact from the collision between the black spear and his two swords eliminated 7,000 HP. As a result, he had still lost 2,000 HP.

What a powerful skill. Although Shi Feng had blocked the black spear, both of his hands were completely numb; he couldn’t move them at all now.

If he had not activated Fantasy World, the flames surrounding the black spear would have extinguished his life in an instant. The might of the spear itself was even more frightening. After switching to the Aura of Illusion, all his Attributes had increased by 30%. His Strength had exceeded the 1,900-point threshold. Yet, when defending against the black spear’s physical attack, Shi Feng had received -7,000 damage.

“Despicable trespassers! I will not let you off! You will receive the punishment you deserve!” the Gatekeeper bellowed as he snarled at Shi Feng.

However, no matter how angry the Gatekeeper was, he could not change the fact that the teleportation array had activated. The Great Lord did not have enough time to launch another attack, and it could only watch helplessly as Shi Feng and the others transformed into a streak of flowing light, vanishing from the Land of the Fallen Star.

Chapter 449: Changes in White Fog Canyon

After its discovery, only a few elite players had willingly explored White Fog Canyon’s outer region. At this moment, however, players had flooded the area.

The Warfire Set Equipment’s appearance had even attracted players from other countries, and they all had rushed to the canyon to grind for the set, causing a sharp decrease in Battle Monkeys’ numbers in the outer region. As a result, the danger had also greatly decreased.

Moreover, the Crimson-eyed Battle Monkeys in the outer area were only Level 22. By now, many players in White River City had already reached Level 20, while elite players had reached Level 22 or higher. Hence, White River City’s players had also come to the canyon to grind for the Warfire Set Equipment.

Although the Warfire Set Equipment had an extremely low drop-rate, to the degree that only a few pieces had dropped thus far, everyone was still determined to grind in White Fog Canyon.

Their first reason was that of the high EXP from the canyon’s monsters. As a result, they leveled much faster in the canyon than if they grinded monsters elsewhere.

The second reason was that all monsters within the canyon possessed a fixed chance to drop the Warfire Set Equipment.

Both the high EXP and the top-tier Set Equipment were sorely tempting to players. Even though the risk of grinding in White Fog Canyon was very high, players still rushed to the canyon in droves.

“Cloud, you really have a lucky touch. Other parties have not obtained anything over these past few days, yet, we have two Warfire set pieces,” a thinly-built male Ranger said as he looked at the red-haired beauty beside him. Laughing, he continued, “I heard that the set’s price has increased again. Now, someone’s offering to buy individual pieces for 8 Gold per piece. We can get 16 Gold with the two we have. If we trade that for Credits, that’ll be 170,000 to 180,000!”

“If we sell the set pieces for 180,000, we could get 30,000 each. That’s more than six months of my salary! God’s Domain really is the best place to make money!” another middle-aged Cleric wearing mage robes exclaimed.

“You guys… All you can think of is Credits. God’s Domain only launched recently. Things will get even more intense later on. If we convert the Gold Coins into Credits, we will suffer a huge loss. Even if we plan to convert them into Credits, haven’t you guys seen the messages on the forums? There are people who are willing to buy each Warfire set piece for 100,000 Credits; two pieces mean 200,000,” the Shield Warrior, Virtuous Cloud, laughed faintly. At this moment, she, too, was excited.

During this period, many parties spent their time grinding monsters in White Fog Canyon. Even so, the Warfire Set Equipment rarely dropped. From the news they had heard, only one or two pieces dropped each day.

Originally, their party was on the brink of despair. However, after killing a Level 24 Special Elite ranked Armored Battle Monkey, a Warfire set piece dropped. The following day, after killing a group of Crimson-eyed Battle Monkeys, another piece dropped. Instantly, they rose from the pits of hell to heaven.

One piece was sufficient to recover their initial costs. With two pieces, they could make a fortune.

With the Gold Coins they could earn, they could upgrade equipment. They could replace what they currently wore with some Secret-Silver Equipment. At that time, they could grind for the Warfire Set Equipment more efficiently.

“The new system upgrade is really a bastard. If the new combat system had not reduced our strength, we might have had a chance of claiming another set piece given a little time,” the middle-aged Cleric said.

The other party members nodded, agreeing with the man’s words.

It was extremely difficult to use combat skills at the moment. Moreover, the newly-implemented Skill Completion Rate had left them speechless. Other than one or two, their skills were all below 50%. They could only display less than 60% of their previous strength. Fortunately, White Fog Canyon was not as dangerous as it had been. Otherwise, they would have been in a lot of trouble.

“We can’t do anything about the game’s system upgrade. Moreover, everyone else is in a similar situation,” Virtuous Cloud consoled. “Now that we have obtained two Warfire set pieces, as long as we sell them, we can replace our equipment with a few pieces of Secret-Silver Equipment. Everything will be fine, once we upgrade our combat power.”

“That’s right. White River City is a good place to do that. Compared to our city, there is more high-quality equipment available here. I heard that the Starstreak Trading Firm is even selling Secret-Silver Equipment. There are also the Mana Armor Kits that can raise one’s Attributes significantly.”

While Virtuous Cloud’s party chatted with each other, a team of roughly 20 to 30 players appeared on the small path leading to White Fog Canyon’s entrance. These players all wore sneers, and the IDs they displayed were crimson, proof they had already killed many players.

“Seeing your joy, you guys must have had a bountiful harvest, right? Why not share it with us?” the Level 24 Berserker leading this team of Red Names asked mockingly. The man was Cold Laughter, and he sported a wide grin as he focused on Virtuous Cloud’s party.

Virtuous Cloud and her party members immediately readied their weapons, their expressions turning grave.

Due to their previous excitement, they had forgotten about the horrors in White Fog Canyon.

Although the danger of monsters had decreased, the danger from other players had skyrocketed.

Monsters’ drop-rates in White Fog Canyon were a lot higher than the outside world. Even if players did not obtain the Warfire Set Equipment, they could still make a hefty profit from selling the other equipment that dropped. Hence, many elite players had come to grind. As elite players, their equipment was definitely high quality.

Compared to grinding monsters, it was far more profitable to kill elite players. If one were lucky, high-quality equipment might even drop from the dead player’s bag.

As a result, the number of players dying in White Fog Canyon was terrifying.

Just as Virtuous Cloud’s party thought about turning to escape, another several dozen players emerged from behind them.

Virtuous Cloud’s team was immediately flustered.

If the other side only had a dozen or so players, they could attempt to take them on. After all, they, too, were elite players. However, their enemies had over 50 players on their side. With just the six of them, they were outmatched.

“It isn’t easy for us to guard this road. I won’t mince words. I will let you guys pass if each of you hand over the best piece of equipment you have and 20 Silver Coins. If not, you will all die here,” Cold Laughter grinned as he fiddled with the greatsword in his hand.

After Cold Laughter spoke, the Red Names blocking the road promptly unsheathed their weapons. If Virtuous Cloud’s party refused, they would burst into action.

Currently, most players were around Level 20. Elite players, in particular, had higher levels. If they died, not only would they lose a piece of equipment, but they would also have to spend several days recovering their losses. Nobody wanted to deal with that.

Hence, Cold Laughter had proposed a suitable condition.

“Although you outnumber us, don’t forget that you are all Red Names. Even if you wipe us out, with our strength, we will take one or two down with us,” Virtuous Cloud said, unfazed. “At most, we will lose one level and one piece of equipment. However, if a Red Name dies, they will lose two or three levels, maybe even three or four, and a majority of the equipment they are wearing.”

Virtuous Cloud’s words had undoubtedly generated some hesitation among the Red Names. After all, nobody could guarantee that they wouldn’t be the pitiful player who Virtuous Cloud’s party killed. However, none of the Red Names were shaken. On the contrary, they smirked arrogantly at the smaller party.

Their expressions somewhat surprised Virtuous Cloud.

Before Virtuous Cloud could figure out what was going on, Cold Laughter sneered and said, “Stop trying to play tricks. I’ll count to five. If you don’t hand over the equipment and money, we’ll take it ourselves.”

“Everyone, be careful. In a moment, I’ll clear a path towards the forest to our left. If we can reach the forest, we should be able to shake them off once inside,” Virtuous Cloud hurriedly said.

Just as both sides prepared to take action…

A black hole suddenly appeared in the air. In the next moment, six people fell from the black hole, landing between Virtuous Cloud’s and Cold Laughter’s groups.