Reincarnation Of The Strongest Sword God - Chapter 650

Chapter 650: Breaking the Record

 

Chapter 650 – Breaking the Record

The appearance of a fourth name on the Trial List’s seventh floor instantly plunged the Divine Colosseum’s main hall into silence.

Everyone’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when they saw Violet Cloud’s name.

“How?!”

Feng Xuanyang, who occupied a VIP room, also stared, slack-jawed, having lost his previous calm.

He could barely accept Fire Dance reaching the seventh floor. After all, she was the Commander of Zero Wing’s main force. However, he could not bring himself to accept Violet Cloud’s victory.

Aside from the difficulty of reaching the seventh floor, just the fact that there were two people in Zero Wing capable of this success was shocking.

Yet…

The second person from Zero Wing to reach the seventh floor was not even a combat class. Instead, she was a Cleric, one of the healer classes.

It was commonly known that, out of the twelve main classes in God’s Domain, the healer classes possessed the weakest combat power. It was also a lot more difficult for healer classes to advance in the Trial Tower as most of their Skills focused on healing rather than dealing damage. Hence, healers never ranked particularly high in the Trial Tower. Yet, Violet Cloud, a Cleric, had actually managed to reach the seventh floor…

However, what everyone did not know was that, in reality, Violet Cloud possessed a hidden class. She was not purely a Cleric. Regarding combat capabilities, Violet Cloud was slightly stronger than ordinary combat classes.

Moreover, Violet Cloud had a bit more control over her own body than Fire Dance. Since Fire Dance had reached the seventh floor, Violet Cloud would naturally be able to do so as well. One could say that this was expected.

When comparing top combat power, it was obvious, with a glance, which Guild was superior. Zero Wing grasped a complete victory.

“Zero Wing really is the number one Guild. They actually have two top-tier experts capable of reaching the seventh floor. If Black Flame also competes, Zero Wing will most likely have three people on the seventh floor. Even Overwhelming Smile and Heaven’s Burial combined are no match for Zero Wing.”

“But it’s still too early to determine anything. Zero Wing has always had many top-tier experts. It is reasonable that they are superior to Heaven’s Burial and Overwhelming Smile in this aspect. However, a Guild cannot survive by relying on a handful of people. It has to rely on its main force, the Guild’s backbone. Take a look at Zero Wing’s backbone; it is clearly inferior to the other two Guilds. Zero Wing’s potential is still no match for the other two.”

“We are no longer living in the past. Before, Zero Wing was White River City’s absolute overlord. Now, however, just look; the person occupying the top one position on the Trial List is Heaven’s Burial’s Ghost Shadow. Zero Wing might not necessarily hold the overlord’s seat in the future.”

Many players in the main hall began discussing the matter, and the majority did not have a favorable view of Zero Wing’s future.

A Guild had to depend on a powerful team for support. Even if an individual was stronger, how much of a difference could they make by themselves? Not to mention, Zero Wing had yet to obtain the number one position on the Trial List.

“Right, this should be Zero Wing’s last remaining card. What’s there for me worry about? White River City will definitely be mine.” Feng Xuanyang calmed himself down.

He had too much riding on White River City. At this point, he had already invested everything he had into White River City. As long as he succeeded, he would become the first heir to his family.

After being repeatedly defeated by Zero Wing, it had become an instinct of sorts to worry.

However, after calming himself and giving the matter some thought, he realized that he had nothing to worry about. There were only so many experts in Zero Wing. On the other hand, in order to take control of White River City, Underworld had invested blood and sweat and had sent the experts it recruited from all over the virtual gaming world to White River City. With White River City under its control, how could Zero Wing possibly hope to compare with Underworld when it came to recruiting talent?

This was only the beginning. Now that Overwhelming Smile had surpassed Zero Wing in terms of their respective Guild’s backbones, in the future, this gap would only grow. It was only a matter of time before Overwhelming Smile took control of White River City.

Time gradually ticked by. Although it had been quite a shock to the spectators that two people from Zero Wing had reached the seventh floor, everyone’s attention quickly shifted back to the fifth floor’s list.

To ordinary players, reaching the seventh floor was an impossible dream. The fifth floor, on the other hand, was not completely out of their reach. Hence, they paid more attention to the fifth floor’s list.

“Look, two more people from Heaven’s Burial have passed.”

“Three more from Overwhelming Smile have passed as well.”

…

Just as everyone was focused on the fifth floor’s list, the list suddenly began to change multiple times.

“What’s going on? I’m not seeing things, right? Why did more than a dozen names suddenly appear on the list?!”

“Wow, it’s true. The total number of people on the list was 224. Now it’s 242. I wonder which Guild or independent players succeeded?”

Many among the spectators greatly admired the independent experts who had reached the fifth floor.

At this point, there were only a few experts in White River City who had reach the fifth floor. If one were an independent expert, large Guilds would shower them with invitations and various offers. They would become famous overnight and would no longer have to live an ordinary life.

This situation had driven many independent players into a frenzy. It was one of the reasons why so many independent players were desperately challenging the Trial Tower.

Today’s mainstream experts were already on the fifth floor. After some more time passed, when these experts reached the sixth floor, it would be far more difficult for independent players to experience such overnight fame.

As everyone began searching for the identity of those 18 experts, they suddenly realized that something amiss.

“Why does it seem like these people are from Zero Wing?”

“This is a lie, right? All 18 people are actually from Zero Wing?!”

None of the spectators dared to believe their own eyes. They immediately began counting the total number of players Zero Wing had on the fifth floor. In the end, they discovered that there were indeed 18 more fifth floor experts in the Guild. Instantly, Zero Wing became the Guild with the most experts on the Trial Tower’s fifth floor.

However, just as they finished counting, another group of experts managed to pass through the fourth floor.

This time, the numbers were even more frightening, with a total of 45 people.

Moreover, all 45 were members of Zero Wing.

Suddenly, the Divine Colosseum fell silent.

Just what was this?

Nobody in the main hall could make sense of what was happening.

In the morning, Zero Wing’s main force had challenged the Trial Tower. At that time, however, not a single person had passed through the fourth floor. Yet, now, every single one of them passed.

Zero Wing now had a total of 103 people on the Trial Tower’s fifth floor, far ahead of Heaven’s Burial and Overwhelming Smile.

“Impossible! This is not possible! Something must have gone wrong with the Trial Tower!” Feng Xuanyang abruptly stood, his eyes bulging as he stared at the Trial List.

If it were just an additional dozen or so people, he would have, at most, been surprised. However, if every single member of Zero Wing’s main force was an expert who passed the fourth floor, the term “shock” was no longer appropriate This was simply terrifying.

To obtain more experts who could pass through the fourth floor, Feng Xuanyang had scoured and poached talents from various other cities. He had also received a continuous supply of experts from Underworld. Yet, even so, he still couldn’t produce a 100-man team of such experts.

What about Zero Wing? Not only was it a Guild without any backing whatsoever, but it also lacked a wide array of connections. How did such a Guild manage to obtain so many experts?

“Zero Wing really knows how to hide its strength.” Ghost Shadow squinted his eyes at the fifth floor’s list. He, too, felt a heavy pressure weigh on him.

There was no longer anybody who dared to look down on Zero Wing. Nobody dared disparage the Guild anymore, claiming that its position as White River City’s overlord was no longer stable.

What a joke. If Zero Wing’s entire main force consisted of fifth-floor experts, which Guild in White River City could contend with it? Not to mention White River City, even in all of Star-Moon Kingdom, there was not a single Guild that was a match for Zero Wing.

However, before everyone could recover from their daze, another change occurred on the Trial List’s seventh floor.

This time, however, there was no addition to the list itself. Instead, the rankings had changed.

The lofty and overweening Ghost Shadow, who had stood at the very top of the Trial List, had fallen. Moreover, he had fallen not just one, but two places, taking the third place on the seventh floor.

Meanwhile, the first and second ranks on the Trial Tower’s seventh floor now belonged to Fire Dance and Violet Cloud, respectively…

Chapter 651: Sensational

 

Chapter 651 – Sensational

The floors of the Trial Tower were divided into three stages.

For the Trial Tower’s first four floors, the difference between each stage was small. However, from the fifth floor onwards, the required combat power would increase significantly with each subsequent stage. Hence, every time a player passed a stage after reaching the fifth floor, they had to undergo a relatively long period of training to proceed further.

In the Divine Colosseum, only experts who had passed through the fourth floor would know how difficult it was to overcome each stage from the fifth floor onwards. Not to mention, Fire Dance and Violet Cloud had only recently passed the sixth floor, arriving on the seventh floor.

However, of everyone in the Divine Colosseum, the situation shocked Ghost Shadow the most.

The record he maintained so far was the middle stage of the seventh floor. In other words, both girls from Zero Wing had at least reached the seventh floor’s middle stage and had performed better than he had.

He knew full well just how difficult the battles on the seventh floor were. That was no longer a challenge that an ordinary human being could tackle. Not only did the seventh floor have a relatively high requirement of one’s Skill Completion Rate, but more importantly, it also required one perfect application, executing Skills as if they were executing a normal attack.

For example, if an ordinary person and a martial arts master were given identical swords, although the weapons were the same, each person’s capabilities with the blade were miles apart. Similarly, the combat power each individual could display was miles apart from each other.

In this case, Skill Completion Rate was the weapon. The higher the Skill Completion Rate was, the more power the weapon could display. However, how much of that power was actually displayed still depended on the individual’s application.

Ghost Shadow recognized himself as one of the top players in the virtual gaming world. He was also a talented individual. After coming into contact with God’s Domain, he had continuously researched and explored ways to better integrate his Skills into his basic attacks, displaying the maximum effect of his Skills and eliminating any hindrance in battle.

Yet, now, two little girls had surpassed him so quickly. It was inconceivable.

Have they been holding back all this time? Ghost Shadow wondered.

In fact, Ghost Shadow wasn’t the only one with such thoughts. Everyone wondered. There was no other explanation. Something like a breakthrough in the face of a crisis was legendary. It might be a coincidence if it were just one person, but it was impossible for two people to encounter such a coincidence at the same time.

The effect of the Hundred Berry Wine is really impressive. It’s a pity that I can only get my hands on so many bottles. Relaxing in a room, Shi Feng nodded and smiled as he watched the Trial List.

Shi Feng was not surprised that every member had managed to pass the fourth floor. After all, that was the system-acknowledged standard for an ordinary expert.

After drinking the Hundred Berry Wine, a player’s compatibility rate would increase significantly. Normally, the wine was capable of increasing a player’s Skill Completion Rate by roughly 10%, though the effects grew weaker as one progressed. However, to Zero Wing’s core members whose Skill Completion Rates hovered around 70%, their Skill Completion Rates would increase to 80% or more upon drinking the Hundred Berry Wine. Normally, one would pass through the fourth floor so long as they could maintain a stable Skill Completion Rate of 75%. Hence, it was only natural for everyone to reach the fifth floor.

Meanwhile, Fire Dance and Violet Cloud were capable of reaching 85% Completion Rate with their Skills. After drinking the Hundred Berry Wine, their Skill Completion Rates could increase to roughly 90%. Although it was only a meager increase of 5%, the power they could display with their Skills would improve by 20% or 30%.

The basic requirement for reaching the seventh floor was a Skill Completion Rate of 85%, displaying 100% of a Skill’s effect. In addition, if one were capable of skillfully applying their Skills into their basic attacks, they could normally pass through the seventh floor’s early stage.

Although Fire Dance and Violet Cloud might still lack actual combat experience and were not proficient with Skill application, a Skill Completion Rate of 90% would be sufficient to get them through even the middle stage and pushing them into the seventh floor’s late stage. Hence, the fact that the two girls had managed to surpass a veteran top-tier expert like Ghost Shadow did not surprise Shi Feng at all.

If Ghost Shadow could achieve a 90% Completion Rate with his Skills right now, at the very minimum, he could set foot on the eighth floor.

It’s unfortunate that the Hundred Berry Wine only improves a person’s combat power temporarily. A person’s comprehension depends on the person. Shi Feng sighed as he glanced at the remaining 110 bottles of Hundred Berry Wine in his bag.

The Hundred Berry Wine was a strategic tool in nurturing experts.

It was no wonder why the Fantasy Shrine had managed to rise to power so quickly in the past. The Hundred Berry Wine had definitely contributed to this achievement.

Shortly after every member of Zero Wing’s main force passed through the Trial Tower’s fourth floor, news spread at the speed of light. This reminded everyone just how powerful Zero Wing was.

Upon receiving this information, many Guilds gave up on their development in White River City, shifting their attention to other cities instead. Against Zero Wing, whose main force consisted entirely of experts who could clear the fourth floor, their Guilds stood no chance. Rather than wait for their extermination, it would be better for them to develop themselves elsewhere. Who knew? Their chances of achieving success might even be higher somewhere else.

—

Meanwhile, in Heaven’s Burial’s Guild Residence…

“Just how did Zero Wing manage to recruit so many experts?” Flame Blood frowned upon receiving news of the Divine Colosseum’s latest events.

“What happened?” a short and chubby middle-aged man beside Flame Blood asked in a low tone.

“Zero Wing just sent its main force to challenge the Trial Tower. In the end, every member has managed to reach the fifth floor. Among them, two have even surpassed Ghost Shadow’s record,” Flame Blood said, not showing any signs of the arrogance he usually displayed as the Commander of Heaven’s Burial’s main force. On the contrary, he had lowered his posture when he spoke to the chubby middle-aged man.

Although the man before Flame Blood was not adept with virtual reality games, the man’s position in the real world allowed him to remove Flame Blood from Heaven’s Burial easily should he ever wish to. Even the Guild Leader of Heaven’s Burial, Singular Burial, had to treat this middle-aged man with great respect.

“Interesting. It seems that we won’t be able to avoid a confrontation with Zero Wing if we wish to obtain this treasured land,” the chubby man said as he caressed his goatee. After a moment of silence, he continued, “Since we can’t beat them with numbers, let’s improve the Guild’s overall strength.

“Flame Blood, notify Ghost Shadow and tell him that I’ll send Daybreak Fog to help out. We need to obtain the First Clear of a 100-man Dungeon as soon as possible.”

“Daybreak Fog?” Flame Blood could not help his surprise at the mention of this name. “Are we giving up on Star-Moon City?”

Heaven’s Burial’s ambition was colossal. The Guild aimed to control all of Star-Moon Kingdom. The best way to do so was to take control of the kingdom’s lifeline first—its players.

The two cities with the largest player population in the kingdom were Star-Moon City and White River City. Both also had the largest gathering of elite players. As long as Heaven’s Burial took control of these two cities, controlling the rest of the kingdom was only a matter of time.

Of these two cities, Flame Blood spearheaded the White River City take-over, while Star-Moon City was spearheaded by Daybreak Fog.

If one compared these two people’s fame, Daybreak Fog was superior. Flame Blood was merely one of the previous year’s top ten newcomers. On the other hand, Daybreak Fog had been one of the top ten newcomers of the virtual gaming world two years ago. Afterward, she had continued to perform magnificently in many virtual reality games. her fame was only slightly inferior to the Snow Goddess, Gentle Snow, as she had made her debut roughly two years later than Gentle Snow had.

In terms of strength, Daybreak Fog ranked third within Heaven’s Burial.

If they really sent Daybreak Fog to White River City as support, with her strength and her team, Heaven’s Burial might actually have a chance of clearing a 100-man Team Dungeon.

After all, during this period, everyone mostly understood the difficulty of a 100-man Team Dungeon. From the experience of clearing 50-man Team Dungeons, they had thought up of plenty of strategies. Now, all they needed to do was to take action.

“White River City has become Star-Moon Kingdom’s business center. The number of elite players migrating to the city increases by the day. Star-Moon City is no match in this aspect. Hence, we have to prioritize this side for now. Moreover, when comparing the difficulty of 100-man Dungeons, White River City’s is easier. If we allow Zero Wing to continue developing unhindered, it will become impossible to take control of White River City in the future.”

—

Suddenly, Shi Feng received a communication request from a friend.

“Gentle Snow?”

Chapter 652: Asura Mode Dungeon

 

Chapter 652 – Asura Mode Dungeon

“Miss Snow, long time no see. You look tired,” Shi Feng said, slightly surprised as he saw Gentle Snow’s haggard expression through the video chat.

Gentle Snow was a well-known superwoman in the virtual gaming world. She also had plenty of capable subordinates under her.

After not seeing each other for only a few days, Gentle Snow looked so exhausted. It was surprising.

It had been quite a few years since Gentle Snow had made her debut. She should be quite competent at managing a Guild by now. In addition, the majority of Ouroboros’s Elders supported Gentle Snow right now, so managing the Guild should not be difficult.

“I’ve been busy with Guild affairs these past few days, so I haven’t gotten much rest,” Gentle Snow laughed softly, sweeping the matter under the rug with a single sentence. Inwardly, she envied Shi Feng, who could push the majority of Guild affairs onto Aqua Rose. Moreover, he only had to focus on White River City. Ouroboros, on the other hand, was competing over dozens of cities, both large and small.

However, these cities were still the least of her problems. Star-Moon City was the issue.

Ouroboros and the Star Alliance had been consolidating their positions in Star-Moon City. In addition to several other powerful second-rate Guilds, things had become extremely hectic for Gentle Snow.

It was especially true for the three upstart Guilds that had recently appeared in Star-Moon City:

Cloud Nine.

Yin Yang Court.

Heaven’s Burial.

All three possessed extraordinary backgrounds. They even had multiple Guild Residences in Star-Moon Kingdom’s major cities. They were developing as fast as a plague. Among the affected cities, Star-Moon City received the greatest impact, and White River City was not far behind.

Particularly, the manager of Star-Moon City’s Heaven’s Burial, Daybreak Fog, was far more difficult of an opponent than even Galaxy Past of the Star Alliance. So far, Ouroboros had clashed with Heaven’s Burial dozens of times, the battles ranging from small skirmishes to large-scale battles. Although Gentle Snow still held the advantage, Ouroboros did not have only one enemy. Both Cloud Nine and the Yin Yang Court eyed Ouroboros like fresh meat.

Ouroboros had already been unstable due to Cao Chenghua’s theft of several of the Guild’s core and elite members. Now, before she could settle the turmoil within the Guild, she faced so much trouble. In such a precarious situation, how could set aside time to rest? She had not even upgraded her equipment recently.

As Gentle Snow knew that Shi Feng disliked playing with words, after their casual greetings, she got straight to the point and said, “We have discovered a hidden treasured land near Star-Moon City. The area is rich in Magic Crystals, and I wish to invite Zero Wing to pioneer this treasured land by our side. Are you interested?”

Before the Divine Colosseum had been released, Magic Crystals had not been particularly valuable. Now, however, they were a strategic commodity that every large Guild fought over frantically.

Although every large Guild had a large number of players and was capable of dispatching many teams to raid Dungeons each day, Team Dungeons could only be raided once every three days. There were only so many Team Dungeons available. They could not acquire nearly as many Magic Crystals as they consumed.

Meanwhile, if there was another option—other than Team Dungeons—for one to obtain Magic Crystals, this was not an opportunity one could miss.

“A hidden treasured land?” When Shi Feng heard these words, the first place that popped up in his mind was the Stoneclaw Mountains.

In the past, when Stoneclaw Mountain had been discovered, it incited a great war between every Guild in Star-Moon Kingdom. The war had been the first kingdom-level war in Star-Moon Kingdom. Hundreds of Guilds involved themselves, all wanting to get their hands on a share of the profits.

That war had caused every Guild in Star-Moon Kingdom to suffer massive damages. Moreover, Ouroboros and the Star Alliance had even started an all-out war with each other. In the end, taking advantage of the situation, Heaven’s Burial, the Yin Yang Court, Cloud Nine, and several other second-rate Guilds had banded together to form a massive alliance and took over the Stoneclaw Mountains, splitting the profits.

Afterward, any players who wished to enter the Mountains were required to sign a contract, agreeing to hand over 30% of the Magic Crystals they harvested. In addition, players were required to pay a fixed fee before they could enter. The various large Guilds then split the profits.

The Stoneclaw Mountains was a Regional Dungeon that had formed a space of its own. However, it was not just any Dungeon, but an Asura Mode Dungeon.

Ordinary Team Dungeons were divided into three difficulties: Normal, Hard, and Hell.

However, Regional Dungeons were divided into five difficulties: Normal, Hard, Hell, Asura, and God.

The Stoneclaw Mountains existed within the fourth difficulty level of Regional Dungeons. The Dungeon was Level 30 to Level 49. In other words, only players that were within the range of Level 30 to Level 49 could enter the Dungeon. Unlike Team Dungeons, however, there was no limit to the number of players who could enter. It was like White Fog Canyon. Inside the Dungeon, players could obtain items that were normally unattainable elsewhere.

In White Fog Canyon, players could obtain Starfire Ore that increased the success rate of forging. There was also the Warfire Set Equipment. Unfortunately, Shi Feng had already ruined White Fog Canyon. As of this moment, the Level 35 Great Lord, Anubis’s Gatekeeper, still roamed the map. As a result, no players dared to approach.

Meanwhile, White Fog Canyon was merely a Hard Mode Regional Dungeon, whereas the Stoneclaw Mountains was an Asura Mode Regional Dungeon. Survival was far more difficult in the Stoneclaw Mountains.

However, Magic Crystals were vastly important. They must be obtained, regardless of the sacrifices. Even Zero Wing was no exception to this.

“Currently, several Guilds from Star-Moon Kingdom are contesting over the rights of this hidden treasured land. If Zero Wing is willing to help, I can offer 50% of the income,” Gentle Snow offered a relatively attractive price.

To Gentle Snow, offering 50% of the profits was a big concession on her part. The Stoneclaw Mountains were within the Star-Moon City region. It was impossible for Zero Wing to send a large number of players to supervise the map. Hence, the responsibility of supervising the map would fall to Ouroboros. However, Zero Wing possessed extraordinary strength. As of this moment, even Shi Feng’s strength was a mystery. If Ouroboros and Zero Wing banded together, their chances of coming out on top would be a lot higher. Furthermore, working with other Guilds was simply not an option for Ouroboros.

“Alright, but I have a condition,” Shi Feng responded after giving it some thought. Zero Wing was based in White River City. There was a limit to how much combat power it could display in the faraway Star-Moon City. Even though the Guild was powerful, it could not move on the Stoneclaw Mountains by itself. Moreover, it was not realistic for a single Guild to monopolize the Stoneclaw Mountains.

“Tell me.” Gentle Snow rolled her eyes at Shi Feng. Her offer had already been bountiful, yet Shi Feng still had conditions of his own.

“It’s not really a condition. I just need Ouroboros to help me obtain some materials. I’ll even purchase them for 20% above market value,” Shi Feng laughed.

He currently had very few of the materials required to construct the Stable and Teleportation Magic Array. It would take a long time to gather the necessary materials if he relied on Zero Wing. However, it would be much easier if he used Gentle Snow’s connections to purchase the materials because most of these materials could only be obtained by large Guilds. It was practically an impossible task for independent players. Yet, even if he tried purchasing these materials, other Guilds would only sell them to their allies.

“Give me the list, then.” Gentle Snow released a sigh of relief upon hearing Shi Feng’s condition. She had thought Shi Feng intended to take advantage of her current predicament, but it turned out that he still had some humanity left in him.

“I’ll send it to you now,” Shi Feng then sent a list of the materials required to construct the Stable and Teleportation Magic Array to Gentle Snow.

“You really are daring. Most of these materials are rare drops from large-scale Team Dungeons. Although my Guild can obtain some, 20% above market value is too cheap. I’ll need 50% at least.” Surprise flashed across Gentle Snow’s eyes when she read the list Shi Feng had provided. Even if she worked with the Star Alliance, the two Guilds could not gather all the materials listed. The cost alone was more than 2,000 Gold.

“Okay, just get them as soon as possible.” Shi Feng did not care about spending a little more money. If he could get his hands on the materials, he could earn back the money in the blink of an eye.

Hearing Shi Feng’s lack of hesitation, Gentle Snow was slightly shocked.

A 50% increase in price would mean more than 3,000 Gold. Even to a first-rate Guild like Ouroboros, that was a massive amount of money. Yet, Shi Feng thought nothing of it.

After both sides established a contract, Shi Feng contacted Aqua Rose and the others, instructing them to gather.

The Stoneclaw Mountains could only be dealt with sooner, and not later. The earlier they occupied a favorable location, the greater their advantage would be when the war began.

Chapter 653: Overall Improvement

 

Chapter 653 – Overall Improvement

Although the Trial Tower’s competition ended with Zero Wing’s victory, the members of Zero Wing’s main force were well aware that it had been due to the Hundred Berry Wine. Otherwise, they would not have achieved such frightening results.

During the challenge, everyone had discovered many of their own imperfections, their combat power improving slightly as a result.

“What a pity. If I could experience that kind of feeling once more, I might reach a stable Skill Completion Rate at 87% and pass this stage.” After the Hundred Berry Wine’s effects dissipated, Fire Dance challenged the sixth floor’s late stage again. This time, she passed it without any issues and could now reach the seventh floor with her own power. Unfortunately, she suffered defeat in the seventh floor’s early stage. “But the Hundred Berry Wine did allow me to gain an initial understanding of how to use Void Steps. Guild Leader will be surprised if he finds out.”

Void Steps was an advanced style of footwork and Shi Feng’s trademark technique.

Just gaining an initial understanding of how to use the Skill was extremely difficult.

If Shi Feng learned that Fire Dance could use Void Steps, he would definitely be surprised. He had spent many years in order to learn the technique, yet Fire Dance had managed to grasp it in such a short time. Although Shi Feng’s guidance largely contributed to her success, the fact that she had learned the technique in such a short time certainly had something to do with her innate talent.

“Huh? Return to the Residence?” Fire Dance muttered as she read the message Aqua Rose had sent to her. She then chose to teleport out of the Trial Tower.

—

Inside the conference hall of Zero Wing’s Guild Residence…

Without wasting time, Shi Feng retrieved all of the synthesized Tier 3 Gemstones from his bag.

“All of you, equip these Tier 3 Gemstones.”

Shi Feng had already replaced all his Tier 2 Gemstones with Tier 3 Strength-attributed Gemstones. As a result, his Strength Attribute had increased by more than a hundred points. At this moment, even without activating Heavenly Dragon’s Power, his Strength could match a Chieftain of the same level. Even a Lord of the same level would struggle to push him back.

If the main force replaced their Tier 2 Gemstones with Tier 3 Gemstones as well, although they would not be as strong as he was, they could still contend with a Special Elite of the same level. Some, such as Fire Dance and the others, who wore a Tier 1 Set Equipment, might be capable of more.

Ordinary players’ Attributes were inferior to Common monsters of the same level. They would only be slightly stronger with a full set of Bronze Equipment. At that time, the only advantage Common monsters would have was their higher HP.

If a player was fully equipped with Secret-Silver Equipment, their Attributes should be roughly equal to an Elite monster of the same level.

Only when one wore a full set of Dark-Gold Equipment would they have the same amount of Attributes as a Special Elite of the same rank.

As for Zero Wing’s main force, although their equipment was a mix of Level 30 Fine-Gold and Dark-Gold Equipment, they had the Intermediate Mana Armor Kits to make up for the difference. If they embedded Tier 3 Gemstones into every item, their Attributes should be roughly the same as if they wore a set of Level 30 Dark-Gold Equipment.

None of the main force’s members dared to believe their eyes as they stared at the Tier 3 Gemstones on the table. Every jaw hit the floor.

Aqua Rose was similarly stunned speechless.

She knew full well just how valuable Tier 3 Gemstones were. Moreover, no one had found a source for these Gemstones yet. One could only obtain them from Alchemy Synthesis. However, synthesizing a Tier 3 Gemstone would cost at least 20 Gold. Meanwhile, there were over a thousand shining Gemstones on the table. In other words, the Gemstones scattered across this table were worth over 20,000 Gold at the very least.

“We’re in a hurry, so equip them quickly.” Shi Feng had already received a status report about the Stoneclaw Mountains. Although things seemed calm on the surface, and the various Guilds were busy killing monsters and grinding for Magic Crystals, the number of Guild players gathering in the Mountains increased by the minute. Every Guild was rapidly mobilizing their forces.

Even Stone Forest Town, the closest town to the Stoneclaw Mountains, was surrounded by players. All of these players were members of various large Guilds. It seemed that these Guilds intended to capture Stone Forest Town.

The nearest teleportation array to the Stoneclaw Mountains was over ten hours on foot. On the other hand, Stone Forest Town was only an hour from the Asura Mode Dungeon. The town was an absolute treasure.

Whether it was for repairing equipment or purchasing consumables, Stone Forest Town was the best option.

Otherwise, they would have to waste a day to travel back and forth between Star-Moon City and the Stoneclaw Mountains.

Meanwhile, Stone Forest Town was not under Star-Moon Kingdom’s control. Instead, the forces of darkness held it. It was one of the towns that players could capture and occupy. As long as the town fell under a Guild’s control, said Guild could hire an army of NPCs to defend the town for 15 days. Even if every Guild in Star-Moon Kingdom banded together, they would not be able to do anything to the captured Stone Forest Town.

After a Guild successfully captured Stone Forest Town, said Guild would also receive an additional advantage.

They could select a resurrection point.

When players died, they would revive in their own cities. Of course, players could also choose to revive at the nearest resurrection point. Meanwhile, Stone Forest Town was the nearest resurrection point to the Stoneclaw Mountains. However, the precondition for reviving in Stone Forest Town was that one needed to capture it. Moreover, only members of the Guild that held the town, or those given explicit permission by said Guild, could revive there.

This would be a huge advantage for capturing the Stoneclaw Mountains in the future.

Since Shi Feng had learned that the Stoneclaw Mountains had been activated, he would not waste any time. He intended to capture Stone Forest Town with Zero Wing’s greatest forces. Unfortunately, other Guilds shared the same thoughts. For now, though, he needed to occupy a strategic location as quickly as possible. Otherwise, their tasks would be far more difficult.

A short moment later, every member of the main force had replaced their Tier 2 Gemstones with Tier 3 Gemstones, their Attributes increasing significantly.

Following which, Shi Feng led the main force and the Dark Gods Legion mightily towards the Teleportation Hall.

“Wow, what’s Zero Wing up to?”

“Whoa! That’s so impressive! I’m actually having trouble breathing right now!”

“Is Zero Wing planning to start a war?”

The players on the streets could not help but wonder when they saw Zero Wing’s frightening momentum.

Over 400 players, fully equipped with the current best equipment, marched down the street. No matter where this army went, they would be a force to be reckoned with. They could easily trample a large Guild. Not to mention, over 100 of these players were experts who had surpassed the fourth floor of the Trial Tower. If they participated in a field battle, they could easily stand against several thousand elite players. Meanwhile, a single large Guild only had several thousand elite players.

Suddenly, the various large Guilds in White River City began to panic.

Although an army of over 400 players seemed small, its strength was no laughing matter. If they wanted to, they could easily obliterate any Guild team that was grinding out in the fields.

“Does Black Flame intend to move against us?!” Feng Xuanyang trembled upon receiving this news. He was so shocked that he nearly jumped out of his seat. “But why? We haven’t provoked Zero Wing recently. We even yielded a few high-resource areas to them! They shouldn’t have any reason to deal with us. Did some fool go and provoke Black Flame again?”

At this moment, the upper echelons of the various large Guilds in White River City felt threatened. Every one of them immediately withdrew from the fields, returning either to White River City or the nearest town as fast as possible.

Chapter 654: Town Capturing

 

Chapter 654 – Town Capturing

Star-Moon City, Stone Forest Town:

Ever since the Stoneclaw Mountains had been discovered, the upper echelons of the various large Guilds had realized the importance of Stone Forest Town. As a result, the various large Guilds in Star-Moon City had frantically gathered their members around the town.

Upon receiving information regarding the Stoneclaw Mountains, large Guilds from other cities also mobilized their forces to Stone Forest Town. However, as the teleportation fees were a problem, they could not dispatch too many members. Most of the members they sent were the Guild’s elites.

After arriving at Stone Forest Town, these Guilds would send their main forces to the Stoneclaw Mountains to grind for Magic Crystals, while leaving behind the majority of their elites to stand guard a short distance away from Stone Forest Town to observe other Guilds.

At this moment, Stone Forest Town was surrounded. There were over 300,000 players watching the town, making the town’s resident players quite uncomfortable.

These 300,000-plus players were not ordinary players. They all were the elite members of various large Guilds. They were stronger than even 3,000,000 ordinary players. If these elites surged into Stone Forest Town at the same time, although the town was protected by Level 55 Dark NPCs, these NPCs would most likely fall under the fierce assault of so many elite players.

The only fortunate advantage that they had was that these elite players belonged to multiple large Guilds. They were not united, each Guild having their own intentions.

“And here I thought this was our chance as Dark Guilds to rise to power. I didn’t think that the Star-Moon City’s Guilds would find out about the Stoneclaw Mountains so soon. Now, we won’t even have a place to level up.”

“What are you worried about? Don’t forget that Stone Forest Town has the Three Great Leaders. Furthermore, the Guilds outside are not united. Unless some Guild is looking to get itself killed and benefit the other Guilds, they won’t invade.”

“You’re not exactly wrong, but Star-Moon City’s first-rate Guilds, Ouroboros and the Star Alliance, have dispatched most of their elites already. Of the 300,000-plus elite players out there, over one-third belong to those two Guilds. Even if the other Guilds don’t make a move, those two alone are enough to capture the town.”

Stone Forest Town’s Red Names discussed their current predicament. They were at a loss on what they should do next.

Originally, they had simply lived here in peace. When they had nothing better to do, they would kill some players to earn some money or complete some high-level quests. They lived carefree lives. Hence, they had never imagined that such a massive issue would arrive on their doorsteps one day.

—

On a hilltop a short distance away from Stone Forest Town, a group of players quietly observed the town below. These players were uniformly Level 30 and wore Level 30 Fine-Gold or above Equipment. Not far behind these players, there were more than 70,000 players standing at attention.

The majority of the players in this army were Level 28, with the lowest being Level 27. They were two or three levels higher than the current average level of players.

These players were none other than the members of the Star Alliance led by Galaxy Past. Star Alliance was also the Guild that had dispatched the most players to Stone Forest Town.

An army of 70,000 elite players… This was the strength of a first-rate Guild. It was not something a second-rate Guild could hope to compete with. Ordinary second-rate Guilds would only have over 100,000 members, while a more powerful one would have up to 200,000 or 300,000 players. Of these players, only a maximum of 30,000 or 40,000 would be elite players. After deploying these elites across multiple cities, it would be amazing enough if a second-rate Guild could dispatch 20,000 elites for a single expedition.

However, compared to a first-rate Guild like the Star Alliance, second-rate Guilds were not worth mentioning.

“Guild Leader, I’ve put together a detailed report on Stone Forest Town with the results from my investigation. There are roughly over 1,000 NPCs in the town, and the majority are Level 55 Elite guards. There are over a hundred Level 60 Tier 1 NPCs and roughly 30 Level 60 Tier 2 NPCs. If a fight breaks out, more NPCs might show up. However, the largest challenge of capturing the town will be Stone Forest Town’s Three Great Leaders,” Flourishing Willow, who wore dark blue leather armor, reported softly.

“Are the Three Great Leaders very powerful?” Galaxy Past asked.

“According to the information I obtained from the Red Names living there, these Leaders are only Tier 2 NPCs. However, they possessed very high intelligence. They are far more powerful than ordinary Tier 2 NPCs regarding combat power. It is especially true for the Great Leader, Sareya. He is a Tier 2 Professional Mage, and I have heard that he knows how to use large-scale destruction Spells.”

Hearing Flourishing Willow mentioning large-scale destruction Spells, everyone frowned.

Large-scale destruction Spells were zerg tactics’ Achilles’ heel. Moreover, a high-intelligence NPC’s combat techniques were far more powerful than ordinary players. Based on the settings of God’s Domain, Sareya should be capable of displaying more than 50% of his actual combat power. In other words, he was at least as skilled as an ordinary expert.

If a player possessed the Attributes of a Level 60 Tier 2 NPC and large-scale destruction Spells, said player would be a natural disaster to the current players of God’s Domain.

“Right, I’ve also received news that White River City’s Zero Wing has sent people over. It seems that they have designs on this area as well,” Flourishing Willow said.

“Zero Wing?” Galaxy Past laughed. “This is the Star Alliance’s home ground. Do they think that they can just show up and take a slice of the pie as well?”

Zero Wing was indeed powerful. However, that was limited to White River City. Stone Forest Town was in the Star-Moon City region.

How many people could Zero Wing possibly dispatch?

Moreover, the ordinary guards one hired could not be used in the fields. Only Personal Guards could be used. On the off chance that a Personal Guard died, it would be extremely difficult to revive them. Hence, players would not use their Personal Guards casually. Even if Zero Wing sent its Personal Guards, their impact would be minimal.

“Ignore them. Since we can’t capture Stone Forest Town in a short time, have the main force grind for Magic Crystals for now. However, we can’t let Ouroboros relax, either. Look for opportunities to kill some of its members. After all, the Stoneclaw Mountains still belong to our two Guilds.” Galaxy Past smiled lightly. “It truly is fortunate that Cao Chenghua stole a large number of experts and elite players from Ouroboros. The Stoneclaw Mountains will belong to the Star Alliance.”

In Star-Moon City, the Star Alliance had far more experts and elite players than Ouroboros. Currently, Ouroboros barely held on. As for the other Guilds in Star-Moon City, they were nothing to the Star Alliance.

At this moment, many Guilds that had completed their investigation of Stone Forest Town had decided to give up on the idea of capturing the town. Instead, they shifted their focus towards grinding for Magic Crystals in the Stoneclaw Mountains. However, as the majority of their elite members had yet to reach Level 30 and could not enter the Stoneclaw Mountains, these elite members were tasked with leveling up as fast as possible.

—

Meanwhile, at Ouroboros’s base camp, Shi Feng had just arrived with his team. Very quickly, Shi Feng’s group became the center of attention.

The group was simply too impressive. Not only were the members of Zero Wing’s main force uniformly Level 30, but many in the Dark Gods Legion were also Level 30. In addition, the most inferior piece of equipment worn by the group was Fine-Gold rank. Most importantly, every member’s aura inflicted a deep fear. They felt like a group of primordial beasts. Even those standing quite a distance away could not help but tremble when they glanced at this group of players.

“This is Zero Wing?”

“Sure enough, their reputation is well-deserved. Zero Wing is simply too powerful. We don’t even have so much top-tier equipment.”

The members of Ouroboros could not help discuss Zero Wing’s members.

Meanwhile, when Gentle Snow emerged to welcome Shi Feng and the others, she was similarly surprised.

How did Zero Wing manage to recruit so many experts? Gentle Snow could clearly feel that, among the 400 players Shi Feng had brought with him, many radiated an intense pressure. There were even a dozen or so people who felt extremely dangerous.

Although she had been busy settling the Guild’s internal affairs, she had not fallen behind or neglected her own development. Throughout Star-Moon City, extremely few players were capable of making her feel nervous. There were even fewer experts who felt dangerous to her. Star-Moon City should only contain a handful of such experts. Yet, Zero Wing had over a dozen such people.

It was simply inconceivable.

Chapter 655: Flame Shaman

 

Chapter 655 – Flame Shaman

It had been a relatively long time since God’s Domain launched.

During this period, even an ordinary player’s sensitivity towards danger had increased significantly, not to mention experts’.

Many a time, experts of God’s Domain would not judge an opponent’s strength based solely on the other party’s weapons and equipment. They also judged their opponent’s strength based on the degree of danger they felt from their opponents.

An expert’s combat power was not limited to their weapons and equipment. Combat techniques and powerful Skills also affected a person’s combat power. These were hidden aspects, not visible until combat. Hence, one had to rely on intuition to judge a person’s strength.

Gentle Snow was very confident of her own perception because, up until this day, her intuition had never failed her.

It reminded her of her first encounter Ye Feng. Although Ye Feng’s equipment had been pathetic, his level had been very low, and he had not felt threatening in the least, her intuition had told her that Shi Feng was extraordinary. And indeed, her intuition had not been wrong. Time had proven that Shi Feng was truly extraordinary.

Meanwhile, Gentle Snow’s intuition currently told her that…

The group of people in front of her was very deadly. They were not as simple as they appeared. It felt as if every single player had a ferocious beast hidden inside their bodies. Only, these beasts had yet to expose their true nature.

Zero Wing is growing more mysterious by the minute. Gentle Snow laughed bitterly as she subtly examined the crowd from Zero Wing.

In the past, Zero Wing had been no more than a small, weak Guild, yet, before anyone realized it, the Guild had grown into a towering existence. Even Ouroboros had to treat Zero Wing seriously.

Fortunately, their two Guilds had long since formed an alliance. Otherwise, Zero Wing would be a formidable enemy.

“Let’s talk inside,” Gentle Snow said as she led the way to a large Tent.

Shi Feng nodded and entered the Tent with Aqua Rose and Fire Dance.

During God’s Domain’s early stages, players only had needed to travel for a short time to arrive at their destination. However, as players reached higher levels, the time they spent on travel increased. When going out to the fields to level up, it was typical for players to not return to their respective cities for several days. Meanwhile, when players wish to rest, they could rely on these Field Tents.

HP and Mana would recover quickly when consuming food and beverages. However, Concentration and Stamina would not. Generally, players had to return to a city to rest and recover. With a Field Tent, however, there was no need to do so. Although the recovery speed while inside a Tent could not compare to resting in a city, it was sufficient.

Only, ordinary players could not afford a Field Tent. Just an ordinary 6-man Tent sold for 10 Gold at NPC Shops, not to mention 20-man, 50-man, or 100-man Tents.

Not only did one need enough money to purchase a 100-man Tent, but they also needed a certain amount of Reputation.

The large Tent before them was a 100-man Tent, and it had cost 200 Gold. If one had sufficiently high Reputation, they could receive a small discount. However, even then, a 100-man Tent would still cost more than 150 Gold.

Inside, the Tent looked like a Guild Residence’s conference hall.

Currently, more than a dozen people sat inside the Tent, and every one of them was a member of Ouroboros’s upper echelon. They were uniformly Level 30, and their equipment was among the best one could find. Meanwhile, the beautiful and vibrant Zhao Yueru relaxed amongst these players, currently dressed in white and red luxurious mage robes. In her hand, she wielded a red-jade staff covered in runes. Looking at the faint red glow that surrounded the staff, one could immediately tell it was an extraordinary item. Furthermore, a faint flame-red aura surrounded the caster. She looked like a Goddess of Fire.

Flame Shaman? Shi Feng concealed his surprise when he saw Zhao Yueru, who had undergone a massive change since the last time they met.

Flame Shaman was a hidden class, and its Legacy rank was similar to the Astromancer. It was considered an Advanced Legacy. As the name suggested, it was a class that specialized in controlling flames. However, a Flame Shaman was not as balanced as an Elementalist. The class specialized in attacking and destroying everything. In terms of damage output, the class was far superior to an Astromancer. It was an extremely violent class.

In the past, Zhao Yueru’s fame had only started to soar after she class-changed into a Flame Shaman. The public had known her as the Flame Witch.

Shi Feng never imagined that Zhao Yueru would become a Flame Shaman so quickly.

Even against an MT of the same level geared with top-tier equipment, a Flame Shaman could finish them off in two or three moves. A Flame Shaman could practically one-shot an ordinary MT. However, although the class’s damage was astounding, it was also because of this that Flame Shamans had very few survival and lifesaving abilities. In Dungeons and team battles though, they were beyond scary. They were practically Tomahawk cruise missiles.

After sweeping a glance over everyone present, Shi Feng understood the general situation regarding Ouroboros’s top combat power.

Although Ouroboros had lost many of its top combatants, the Guild was still much stronger than second-rate Guilds with its remaining forces.

“This is the data we collected on Stone Forest Town,” Gentle Snow said as she handed Shi Feng a folder. Slowly, she explained, “Currently, every Guild is trying to occupy the town. However, the town is strong enough to avoid capture even if we combine our Guilds’ strengths.

“I suggest that we strike at the Stoneclaw Mountains first, harvesting Magic Crystals and building our strength. With both of our Guilds’ experts, we should be able to occupy the high-resource areas within the Mountains quickly. We can then use the opportunity to widen the gap between us and the other Guilds.”

Currently, nobody could do strike against Stone Forest Town. The best option right now was to accumulate their strength. This was also why Gentle Snow had asked for Zero Wing’s help.

“There is no need to go through all that trouble. We can just capture Stone Forest Town. Once we occupy the town, it will be simple to obtain the rights over the Stoneclaw Mountains,” Shi Feng said, shaking his head. He did not agree with Gentle Snow’s idea.

In the past, it was precisely such thinking that had led to the various large Guilds ending in a deadlock with each other. As a result, more Guilds had involved themselves in the situation in the Stoneclaw Mountains. Once that happened, they would lose the chance to capture Stone Forest Town.

At this moment, the various large Guilds were still helpless against Stone Forest Town, so they would focus their attention on the Stoneclaw Mountains. This was the best chance to capture Stone Forest Town.

Otherwise, if time dragged on, the number of Guilds in the area would increase. At that time, the number of experts who were interested in this area would also increase, and their chances of capturing Stone Forest Town would decrease.

Hearing Shi Feng’s resolve, Gentle Snow was momentarily stunned. That was suicide! Immediately, she explained, “You should have seen the information regarding the Three Great Leaders for yourself. All three are high-intelligence NPCs. They are equivalent to expert players who have reached the fifth floor. They also possess large-scale destruction Spells. Furthermore, if we attack Stone Forest Town, the other Guilds will not sit by and do nothing. They will take advantage of the situation and try to annihilate us.”

“What if we don’t give them the chance?” Shi Feng smiled confidently.

On his way here, Shi Feng had considered the matter of Stone Forest Town extensively.

It was extremely difficult to deal with the Three Great Leaders. Not to mention, they would have to give the other Guilds the slip. However, there was a simpler method of capturing Stone Forest Town.

Chapter 656: Crazy Decision

 

Chapter 656 – Crazy Decision

“Don’t give them the chance?” Gentle Snow grew curious.

There were over 300,000 Guild elites stationed close to Stone Forest Town. Of them, 70,000 belonged to the Star Alliance, while Ouroboros only had 50,000. Even if both first-rate Guilds banded together, they still wouldn’t be able to do anything to the other Guilds. Hence, every Guild was maintaining this temporary peace. Nobody dared provoke anybody else.

However, if a Guild decided to attack Stone Forest Town, so much commotion would attract the other Guilds’ attention. At that time, no one would not sit by and let someone else capture the town. The other Guilds would definitely work together to exterminate the mutual enemy. Because of this, even Star Alliance, with its numerical advantage, would not dare to take action.

Now, however, Shi Feng insisted that they attack Stone Forest Town without giving the other Guilds the opportunity to retaliate.

How would that even be possible?

There were Level 55 and Level 60 NPCs defending the town. Among them, there were even Tier 2 NPCs. A Level 60 Tier 2 NPC was even stronger than a Level 30 Great Lord. Not to mention, there was more than just one Level 60 Tier 2 NPC defending the town. The Great Leader Sareya, who wielded large-scale destruction Spells, also defended the town.

With Ouroboros’s 50,000 elites, it would be a bitter battle to capture Stone Forest Town. There was also no certainty that they would succeed.

“Yes, don’t give them the chance,” Shi Feng nodded as he repeated himself. “When the time comes, everyone needs to dispose of the town’s NPCs as quickly as possible and leave the rest to me.”

Shi Feng had conquered many towns in the past, so he was quite familiar with the method.

It was not an easy task for a Guild to gain control of a town.

First, players had to dispose of every NPC within the town. Leaving even one NPC alive would result in failure.

Second, players had to obtain the Town Token that the leader of the town guarded.

After completing these two tasks, one would obtain the authority to rule over the town. Hence, it was extremely difficult to capture a town with a large number of competitors nearby.

In the past, after the Stoneclaw Mountains’ profits had been distributed, no Guild bothered with capturing Stone Forest Town.

However, things were slightly different in this life. Currently, various large Guilds’ main forces and elite members had gathered near the Stoneclaw Mountains, making this the perfect opportunity to capture Stone Forest Town. However, they only had a small timeframe to do so, as it took less than two hours to travel from the Stoneclaw Mountains to Stone Forest Town on foot or 30 minutes on a Mount. Fortunately, no one had reached Level 40 yet.

“Are you planning to hold off all of those Guilds by yourself?” Gentle Snow asked, flabbergasted. She highly doubted that Shi Feng could achieve this feat. They were talking about more than 250,000 elite players. How could one person possibly hold off that many players?

Shi Feng’s words stupefied everyone else in the Tent as well.

Although they had long since realized that Shi Feng was crazy, they had not thought that he was this crazy.

Sitting beside Shi Feng, Fire Dance and Aqua Rose were similarly shocked. Shortly after, however, they both smiled bitterly. Although they had no doubts that Shi Feng could escape the clutches of 250,000 elite players, no matter how they wracked their brains, it was impossible to fend off 250,000 elite players, preventing this army from harassing them while they attacked Stone Forest Town. Yet, Shi Feng had never once failed to keep his word, regardless of how insane his claim sounded. He would never give his word if he were not confident of keeping it.

One man holding off 250,000 elite players?

Just thinking about it gave them goosebumps.

“Relax, it’ll be fine. However, whether or not we succeed will depend on how fast you can clear the NPCs in the town,” Shi Feng said confidently.

Following which, Shi Feng gave Fire Dance and Aqua Rose their respective orders. In the upcoming battle, Fire Dance was tasked with leading the main force, while Aqua Rose was tasked with leading the Dark Gods Legion. As for Gentle Snow and the others, they still hesitated to make a decision.

“Snow, are we really going to do this? You know how insane this is, right?” Zhao Yueru asked softly.

Gentle Snow took a deep breath. In the next moment, cold determination flashed in her eyes as she said, “We have no other options. The Star Alliance grows stronger by the day. Other Guilds constantly harass us as well. At this rate, the Star Alliance will overtake us. ”

Afterward, Gentle Snow began organizing her Guild’s forces, preparing for battle.

Shi Feng, however, was in no hurry. First, he investigated the various large Guilds, particularly their main forces.

Before they took action, Shi Feng used the Bible of Darkness to summon a Tier 2 Demon. Three hours later, Shi Feng summoned another Tier 2 Demon.

The two Level 35 Tier 2 Demons were as large as small hills.

Tier 2 Demons were the equivalent of Lord ranked monsters. It was quite reassuring to have two Level 35 Lords on their side.

“I never imagined that Black Flame would have something like this. It’s no wonder he was so confident of fending off the other Guilds.” Gentle Snow was stunned when she saw the two powerful Tier 2 Demons.

Even a 100-man team could deal with an ordinary Tier 2 Demon, although they might struggle. However, a Tier 2 Demon under a player’s control was far more terrifying. It could annihilate even a 1,000-man elite team. If two Tier 2 Demons banded together, their impact would be multiplied several folds. With these two Tier 2 Demons, Shi Feng could successfully delay the other Guilds for some time.

—

Just as Zero Wing and Ouroboros were about to mobilize their forces, the various large Guilds received news of this matter.

The various large Guild each had their own information network. With Ouroboros mobilizing such a large army, how could news of it escape the eyes and ears of the various large Guilds?

“Has Gentle Snow gone mad? She really believed Black Flame? Does she think Black Flame is a God that can fend off an army of 250,000 players?” Galaxy Past, who was currently in the Stoneclaw Mountains, laughed madly when he received this information. “Notify the others immediately. If Ouroboros dares attack Stone Forest Town, find an opportunity to strike.”

Galaxy Past wasn’t the only person with such thoughts. The other Guild Leaders similarly thought that Gentle Snow had lost her mind. Black Flame was similarly insane. Did he really think that their Guild’s elite members were blockheads that would just stand by and die for him?

If all 250,000 players worked together, the ranged attacks alone could kill a Lord of the same level instantly, not to mention a player.

Suddenly, the various large Guilds surrounding Stone Forest Town began mobilizing their forces, preparing to take action at a moment’s notice. Now, all that was left was for Ouroboros and Zero Wing to move.

As for the various large Guild’s main forces and elite members, they all continued grinding for Magic Crystals in the Stoneclaw Mountains.

—

“News sure flies. However, this isn’t too bad, either. It would have bothered me if they didn’t make a move,” Shi Feng chuckled. He then activated the Aura of Wind’s Wind Rider, transforming into a blur as he flew to Stone Forest Town.

“What is he trying to do?” Gentle Snow muttered in confusion.

Shi Feng’s actions even confused Fire Dance and Aqua Rose as Shi Feng had not revealed his true plans.

“Let’s begin, then!” Shi Feng grinned. Immediately, he swapped the Aura of Wind for the Aura of Fire. He then cast Firestorm on Stone Forest Town’s NPC stronghold.

Suddenly, flames engulfed the third and highest floor of the stronghold. Some nearby players turned to ash instantly. As for the NPCs inside the stronghold, they sustained heavy damage as well.

In the blink of an eye, the stronghold’s third floor was nothing more than scorched ruins.

The crowd watching from afar was stupefied.

Shi Feng had actually attacked the NPC stronghold by himself. He was seeking death!

At this moment, a white-haired old man in black robes emerged from the ruins. This old man was Sareya, a Level 60 Tier 2 NPC. Looking at Shi Feng, Sareya shouted angrily, saying, “Intruder! You actually dare to provoke me?! I will show you how terrifying it is to anger a Mage!”

[Sareya] (Great Leader, Professional Mage)

Level 60

HP 5,500,000/5,500,000

In addition, two NPCs with imposing auras stood beside Sareya, and they were the Second Leader, Lyme, and Third Leader, Paddo.

[Lyme] (Second Leader, Sword Master)

Level 60

HP 6,500,000/6,500,000

[Paddo] (Third Leader, Berserker Master)

Level 60

HP 7,000,000/7,000,000

Shi Feng’s Firestorm had only dealt around -80,000 damage to the three Leaders, a meager amount comparing to the millions of HP they possessed. However, their stronghold’s destruction was what truly infuriated the three Leaders.

At this moment, the three Leaders glared at Shi Feng, their eyes containing the promise of a painful death.

Laughing, Shi Feng turned and flew away.

“Nobody can escape our fury!” Sareya and the other two Leaders summoned their Mounts and chased after Shi Feng.

The difference between having a Mount and not having a Mount was massive. Despite Shi Feng having activated Wind Rider, the three NPCs caught up with him very quickly.

“Shit, they’re heading towards us!”

The spectating Guilds quickly noticed that something was off as Shi Feng flew towards them.

Wind Rider only had a short duration of 24 seconds. Shi Feng could cover just enough distance in that time to land right in the middle of the various large Guilds.

At this moment, Sareya, who rode his horse, drew line after line of runes in the air. He then flicked his finger, and suddenly, thunderclouds began to condensing above the army of players.

“Turn to ash!” Sareya revealed a sinister smile as he cast the Tier 2 Spell, Lightning Storm, on Shi Feng’s location.

Chapter 657: Pits of Despair

 

Chapter 657 – Pits of Despair

Hearing the rolling thunder above him, Shi Feng activated Defensive Blade. He then dashed towards the largest crowd.

Although the Tier 2 Spell, Lightning Storm, was not a large-scale destruction Spell that dealt ridiculously high damage, the Spell covered a very wide area, up to a radius of 100 yards. After the Tier 2 Professional Mage had chanted the Spell’s full incantation, even Shi Feng could not withstand or evade the attack.

“Hurry! Get rid of Black Flame!”

The upper echelons of the various large Guilds saw through Shi Feng’s ploy. He intended to kill them with a borrowed sword. Hence, as long as they killed Shi Feng first, their problems would be solved.

However, Shi Feng’s Attributes were far above the standard of current players. Even the strongest powerhouses of the various Guilds could not compete with Shi Feng in terms of Basic Attributes. Moreover, as Shi Feng had buried himself in the crowd, nobody dared to launch casual attacks. It was especially true for the ranged classes. It would be very easy for their attacks to hit their allies. Only the melee classes could attempt to pin Shi Feng down. However, could elite players possibly predict Shi Feng’s actions?

Moreover, Shi Feng was extremely cunning as he dashed towards the healers.

“Hurry up; use Control Skills! Don’t worry about friendly fire!” the upper echelons hurriedly commanded.

As the magical classes began chanting their Spells, the thunderclouds in the sky reached their climax. In the next moment, blue lightning descended from the sky. For a moment, it looked as if the end of the world were upon them as bright lightning and booming thunder took over the field.

When the lightning strikes stopped, silence fell.

Everyone was stupefied.

All players that were within Spell’s range had received over -5,000 damage each time the lightning descended. After more than a dozen lightning strikes, even the high-HP MTs who had activated Shield Wall and such Lifesaving Skills gave up the ghost.

Meanwhile, with his extreme speed, Shi Feng managed to escape Sareya’s Lightning Storm after receiving a couple of lightning strikes.

Everyone else, however, met a tragic end…

In order to deal with Zero Wing and Ouroboros, the various large Guilds had prepared and gathered together. Shi Feng just so happened to land in the middle of that crowd. After the Lightning Storm ended, nobody within the Spell’s effective radius of 100 yards had lived. Instead, only weapons and equipment occupied the space.

This scene caused witnesses to gasp and shiver.

“Is this the power of a Tier 2 NPC Mage?” Gentle Snow’s expression turned grim as she looked at the hollowed, scorched area that had previously held a sea of people.

Previously, Gentle Snow had thought it was feasible to capture Stone Forest Town with only 50,000 elite players if they did not have to worry about the other Guilds’ harassment. After watching this, however, even if they had an army several times larger, capturing the town was utterly impossible.

From a rough estimate, around 8,000 people must’ve died from that single Spell.

When Sareya saw that Shi Feng was still alive, unharmed even, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He then began chanting another Tier 2 Spell. Meanwhile, the two other Leaders of Stone Forest Town began to massacre the players before them as they charged towards Shi Feng. Against Level 28 and Level 29 elite players, the two Level 60 Tier 2 NPCs only needed one hit to end their lives. The two NPCs were like meat grinders as they butchered the various Guilds’ elites.

As for Shi Feng, he did not bother putting up a heroic fight against the NPCs. Instead, he simply around and fled, running to the highest concentration of players.

Not only could he reduce the number of enemies this way, but he could also utilize the elite players to pin down the Three Great Leaders, giving him more time to escape with his life.

The strength of Level 60 Tier 2 NPCs with high intelligence was no laughing matter. Even a Level 35 Great Lord would not be a match for these NPCs. Otherwise, the various large Guilds would not have hesitated to capture the town.

“Black Flame, are you trying to make an enemy of every Guild here?!” an upper echelon from one of the Guilds shouted, veins popping from anger.

Everyone had already witnessed the Three Great Leaders’ strength. If they did not stop Shi Feng, their Guilds would suffer tremendous losses. The Guild members that had accompanied them were not normal members. These members were their Guilds’ foundations. If even a fraction of these players died, it would set their Guilds back tremendously, not to mention if they lost half or even three-quarters. Losing half or more of their members would deal an irrecoverable blow.

“Black Flame, even if Zero Wing is more powerful, your Guild will pay if you oppose every Guild present! We can still negotiate for peace if you stop now! Don’t make the wrong decision here!”

Watching the slaughter of their Guild members, the upper echelons of the various large Guilds tried their best to stop Shi Feng. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain. Shi Feng was simply too fast. Their Guilds’ experts were currently grinding in the faraway Stoneclaw Mountains. With just their elite members present, they could not pin down Shi Feng.

“Sure; don’t say I never gave you a chance. Instruct your Guild Leaders sign a contract stating that your Guilds will no longer meddle with matters pertaining to Stone Forest Town immediately,” Shi Feng replied.

“Black Flame, don’t go overboard! If you don’t stop now, don’t blame us for taking action against Zero Wing’s members!”

Walk away from Stone Forest Town? Even without reporting Shi Feng’s demands to their higher-ups, they knew it was impossible. If Zero Wing and Ouroboros occupied a strategic location like Stone Forest Town, it would only be a matter of time before the Stoneclaw Mountains would fell their hands as well. Hence, they could not agree to this condition.

At this point, none of the large Guilds dared to strike the Three Great Leaders in fear of shifting the NPCs’ aggro towards themselves.

As for having their members scatter and flee, although they could reduce their losses by doing so, once scattered, they would no longer be a threat to Ouroboros and Zero Wing.

However, dealing with Zero Wing’s 400 members would be a piece of cake for their armies. Even Shi Feng could not save his allies. At that time, both sides would end in mutual destruction, with neither side obtaining any benefits.

“What a pity. You leave me with no choice, then.” Shi Feng then proceeded to dash towards the next crowd of players.

“You…! You will regret this!” The upper echelons of the various Guilds had never imagined that Shi Feng would be so decisive and unafraid of their mutual destruction.

—

At this moment, the Guild Leaders of the various Guilds, who currently resided in the faraway Stoneclaw Mountains, had received news of the attack.

“Black Flame has truly lost his mind this time. He actually dares to declare war against all of our Guilds. Since he wants to play, let’s play. Tell them to send a small detachment to take out Black Flame. Everyone else is to split up and delay Ouroboros and Zero Wing as much as possible. I doubt that Black Flame will lead the Three Great Leaders towards his own allies,” Galaxy Past laughed. Immediately, he commanded, “Everyone, retreat from the Stoneclaw Mountains and hurry to Stone Forest Town. Also, contact the other Guild Leaders. I want to show Black Flame and Gentle Snow that they are doing nothing more than digging their own graves.”

Before this occurred, the Star Alliance and Ouroboros had both been intimidating Guilds. Hence, none of the other Guilds would have worked with either one of them. Now, however, the situation changed as Ouroboros actively stirred up trouble.

The nail that stuck out would be hammered down.

If the Star Alliance could band together with the other Guilds to deal with Ouroboros, not only could they obliterate Ouroboros in one fell swoop, but it would also have a better chance of obtaining Stone Forest Town. After all, within the Star-Moon Kingdom, no other Guild could possibly stand against the Star Alliance. Once Ouroboros was gone, the Star Alliance’s word would become law.

—

A short moment later, sure enough, the Guild Leaders of the various large Guilds had formed an alliance with the Star Alliance to deal with both Ouroboros and Zero Wing.

After the various large Guilds surrounding Stone Forest Town banded together, according to Galaxy Past’s plans, they sent out a force of 80,000 players to suppress Ouroboros and Zero Wing. As for the remaining forces, they scattered and circled the town preventing anyone from escaping.

“Black Flame, it’s too late! Today, we’ll teach you the consequences for antagonizing the masses!”

The upper echelons of the various Guilds directed their members to suppress Ouroboros and Zero Wing. Even if the Three Great Leaders were more powerful, with everyone spreading out, even if the NPCs had free rein, they would only kill a limited number. Against an army of 250,000, that number would only be a drop in the bucket.

Meanwhile, the various large Guilds had forced Ouroboros and Zero Wing into a corner.

It was extremely easy for an army of 250,000 elites to suppress 50,000 elites. Not to mention, the experts of each respective Guild were on their way. When their main forces arrived, Ouroboros and Zero Wing would be finished.

They’ve banded together as expected! Shi Feng frowned. However, he just shook his head and laughed. Since you want to go for mutual destruction, I’ll show you the pits of despair.

The Three Great Leaders protecting Stone Forest Town had not revealed all of their strength.

Stone Forest Town was in such close proximity to the Stoneclaw Mountains. With the massive benefits from the Mountains, how could Stone Forest Town possibly be an ordinary town?