Reincarnation of The Strongest Sword God

2500-2509

Chapter 2500 - Frightening Improvement

In God's Domain, Tier 3 NPCs were considered powerhouses that could protect NPC cities. However, players only became powerhouses once they had unlocked their Mana Bodies' full potential.

Only with a fully unlocked Mana Body could players enter and leave certain locations freely. If they tried to do so without unlocking their Mana Body, only death would await them.

The Star Tomb Regional Dungeon's entry requirements were actually quite low. Even Tier 3 players that hadn't fully unlocked their Mana Bodies could explore the area, albeit barely.

In comparison, certain unique areas were full of incredibly corrosive energy, and Tier 3 players wouldn't last more than five minutes in these areas without unlocking their Mana Bodies' full potential. Unlocking their Mana Bodies was the only way players could protect themselves against the corrosive energy.

This was why players were only considered powerhouses once they had fully unlocked their Mana Bodies. Most importantly, the Skills and Spells players used would be far stronger once they had unlocked their Mana Bodies than those who hadn't.

So, this is an Epic Mana Body? Astonishment colored Shi Feng's features as he sensed the dense Mana radiating from his body.

He had never dreamed that an Epic Mana body would be this powerful.

Normally, a Mana Body relied on its own Mana to function, but his Mana Body could attract ambient mana and use it to strengthen and nourish itself.

His Epic Mana Body had also coated his body with a thin barrier of Mana. The barrier was easy to miss if one weren't paying close attention. It almost felt like a skin-tight suit. It trapped a significant portion of the Mana radiating from him, drastically reducing the amount of Mana wasted. Not only did this Mana Barrier improve his recovery, but it also ensured that the Mana around him was far denser than normal.

The addition of this Mana Barrier alone doubled or tripled his survivability in the fields, especially in low-Mana environments. When he fought in such harsh environments, he wouldn't have to worry about losing a significant portion of his combat power.

Shi Feng tried to manipulate his Mana Body, guiding the Mana around him into his hands. He instantly felt like a black hole as the ambient Mana gathered around him. In the blink of an eye, a faint layer of Mana mist formed on the surface of his palms.

Shi Feng's fist then shot out as he punched the empty air.

Peng!

Space exploded around his fist as if the punch had created a vacuum. Space around him trembled at the power of the strike, and the core room's magic barrier shuddered.

With this power, I can now likely solo a Mythic monster of the same level, even without my Berserk Skills. Shi Feng gasped when he saw the results of his punch.

He had merely executed a normal punch, and he didn't even have his weapons equipped.

The difference between a player's Attack Power with a weapon and without one in God's Domain was massive.

With Killing Ray equipped, his prior punches had only been able to break the sound barrier. He had only been able to make space tremble and create spatial tears when he used the Secret Technique, Lightning Flash.

Yet now, without any techniques or weapons, he could exhibit power on par with when he wielded Killing Ray...

An Epic Mana Body provided horrific power!

In his opinion, although Mana Bodies massively boosted players' strength, they didn't provide this much power. The benefits of unlocking his Mana Body thus far could already rival that of a Fragmented Legendary Weapon.

Moreover, he had only unlocked 100% of his Mana Body's potential. If he could push beyond that, his strength would rise to a whole new level.

After 100%, every additional percent would provide tremendous power. As far as Shi Feng knew, players had only reached 120% of their Mana Bodies' potential in the past. It was easy to imagine how frighteningly powerful 120% of an Epic Mana Body's potential would be.

Even transcending tiers would be possible.

Elated, Shi Feng started to practice Eliadi's Mana Technique.

He had now unlocked 100% of his Mana Body's potential. Going beyond that would take some time, and it would be as difficult as creating a Master Magic Array for an Apprentice Magician.

Fortunately, unlocking more than 100% of his Epic Mana Body wasn't the only way to transcend tiers. He could also rely on the help of a Mana Technique. He had experienced Eliadi's Holy Annihilation personally, and despite suppressing herself to Tier 3, the Heavenly Blue Saint's attack could instant-kill or heavily injure Tier 4 beings. If Shi Feng could master Eliadi's Holy Annihilation, the Mana Technique would prove significantly helpful.

He hadn't been able to learn the technique earlier since he hadn't unlocked his Mana Body fully yet, but now that he had, he could truly practice the Holy Annihilation.

Mana Techniques weren't like combat techniques. Combat techniques consumed the user's Stamina and Concentration, but Mana Techniques, on the other hand, only consumed Concentration. Players generally avoided using combat techniques in harsh environments, trying to conserve their Stamina due to the heavy burden the environment placed on them. However, with a few exceptions, these harsh environments did not affect players' Concentration consumption.

Hence, God's Domain's experts that had grasped Mana Techniques, whether self-taught or learned from the system, had an easier time exploring the world, especially the maps with harsh environments.

Now that Shi Feng had achieved his goals in visiting the western continent, he needed to search for Solomon's Sword's remaining fragments to maintain his advantages and pave a smoother path for Aqua Rose and his other comrades as they aimed for Tier 4. If he put the task off, it would only be a matter of time before the various superpowers, with how fast they were developing, would overpower Zero Wing.

If he could learn Eliadi's Mana Technique now, not only would he have a much better chance of securing the fragments of Solomon's Sword, but he could also teach the technique to Aqua Rose and the others.

As Shi Feng tried to mimic the way Eliadi had executed the First Sword, Lightshadow, the more the Heavenly Blue Saint amazed him. Eliadi's Mana Technique even seemed slightly stronger than the Mana Techniques the Demon God, Atlock, had used.

The First Sword, Lightshadow, used all seven elements, and executing the strike proved even more difficult than Lightning Flash, a Bronze Combat Technique. Shi Feng needed to channel and gather his Mana for several seconds before he could attempt to execute Lightshadow.

Atlock had also needed some preparation time before executing his Mana Technique. The Demon God had spent several seconds preparing the black hole, the last attack he had used against Shi Feng. Even though Atlock had executed the Mana Technique through his phantom, that phantom had still been at the Tier 5 standard.

The goddess, on the other hand, had executed Lightshadow, Holy Devour, and Holy Annihilation without any preparation time whatsoever. On the contrary, it has seemed as if she had been able to pause her technique, releasing her attack when she needed to in a systematic manner. When Shi Feng thought about that fight, he realized the intervals between each of her attacks had been exactly the same. Even at the Tier 3 standard, Eliadi had accomplished the feat.

As Shi Feng continued to practice Lightshadow, however, he was able to reduce the time he needed before executing the technique. Initially, he spent nearly eight minutes preparing his strike, but now, he could do so after around five minutes. The more Shi Feng practiced, the more he understood about Mana control.

Two hours... Six hours... Twelve hours...

While Shi Feng was immersed in his training, he received a call request from Fithalia.

"Guild Leader Black Flame, Mythology's people are back. They are all gathered in the Starlight Bar, and I think they've found a way to deal with your Divine Dragon. More of them have arrived, as well. Now, there are more than 30 players in their group," Fithalia reported with a somber expression.

Dealing with the dozen-plus experts had already been a struggle, but now, more than double had shown up in the Starlight Fortress. Even if Zero Wing, Divine Tribe, and Hell Legion gathered all of their peak experts in the fortress, suppressing these Mythology players would still prove difficult.

They've returned so soon?" Shi Feng muttered in surprise. However, when he glanced at the time, he realized that he had been training for over half a day. It had felt like time had passed even more quickly than when he had worked to unlock his Mana Body. He then sheathed his swords and grinned. "Alright, I'll be right there."

With that, Shi Feng disconnected the call and left the core room.

Chapter 2501 - Mythology Arrives Starlight Fortress, Starlight Bar:

The Starlight Bar was usually the most popular bar in the Starlight Fortress, but right now, the bar, which was half the size of a football field, was silent as everyone stared at the group of players in black, drinking quietly in the middle of the establishment. No one even dared to breathe too loudly.

The rest of the crowd wasn't simply reacting in such a way because the black-clad players had appeared like a group of magicians. Rather, their reactions were due to the fact that every one of those players wore Mythology's Guild Emblem.

"So, they're the rumored experts from Mythology?"

"Amazing. I see them, yet I can't sense their presence. How did they do it?"

"It seems that even Mythology can't help but get involved now that the Demon God's Shrine had appeared."

Once everyone had gotten over their shock at seeing these players, they quietly chatted amongst themselves. Some players were afraid, while others were excited.

Mythology was one of the Five Great Super Guilds in the virtual gaming world; every player on the western continent was familiar with its reputation.

News of Mythology's black-clad players causing chaos had already spread throughout the fortress. Not only had these players avoided the Divine Dragon's wrath, but they had also managed to slay quite a few of Divine Tribe's experts.

Even Fithalia, the commander of one of Divine Tribe's trump card legions, had lost her life in battle.

In response, Divine Tribe had dispatched even more experts to patrol the Starlight Fortress's streets. It had even sent plenty of Tier 3 Personal Guards to join the patrols.

However, not only had Mythology's experts snuck into the city again, but more of them had come, as well. Now, they even congregated in the Starlight Bar, the fortress's most popular bar, drinking like normal customers. They treated the Starlight Fortress like they would their own hometown.

"Mythology is amazing, boss. They're completely disregarding the fortress's Divine Dragon. It seems the Starlight Fortress will soon have a new owner," the ruthless man from the Storm Heart adventurer team admired as he watched the black-clad players from Mythology.

When he had encountered the Starlight Fortress's Divine Dragon, he had only felt fear. Players had no chance against it in his opinion, yet these black-clad players acted as if the Divine Dragon didn't even exist, coming and going from the fortress as they wished. Mythology's foundations were simply frightening.

"Mythology certainly is stronger than the other superpowers. Aside from those players' ability to conceal their presence, their combat standards are impressive. They're all bona fide peak experts. Several of them are even stronger than I am. I don't even know how I would fight that silver-haired youth leading the group. I don't think he's even human," Krow said as he observed Mythology's members, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes. "If they decide to cause a scene in the fortress, there will be a mess, and no one will be able to do anything about it. With the situation as it is, even Zero Wing, with all its advantages, will have to make concessions for them."

Krow knew that the various superpowers were no match for the Five Great Super Guilds, but he had never imagined that the gap between them would be this massive.

Mythology's black-clad players were at least Level 107, but their auras were even powerful enough to make an expert like him feel uncomfortable. The weakest member of the group had Basic Attributes to rival a Grand Lord of the same level. Fighting just one of those players would pose a huge problem for him. If he had to face two or three simultaneously, there was a very high likelihood that he'd fall.

To make matters worse, there were over 30 of these experts in the bar, and all of them could completely conceal their auras. This was just a nightmare.

There was also the silver-haired leader to worry about. Although Krow could not sense the youth's aura, his instincts told him that if he came within 30 yards of the young man, his life would be forfeit.

While the bar's patrons quietly watched Mythology's experts, the group in question acted as if none of the surrounding players existed at all, chatting with each other and utterly carefree.

"Commander, the higher-ups are being really stubborn. They still want us to negotiate with Zero Wing as a show of respect for Netherworld Empire. Why should we have to show anyone any respect? We should just capture the Starlight Fortress. With the fortress, Mythology can claim the Demon God's Legacy once the Demon God's Shrine activates!" a tall, slim woman carrying a war hammer and sturdy shield grumbled.

As far as she was concerned, Netherworld Empire had only partnered with Zero Wing because it wasn't strong enough to take the fortress for itself, but Mythology was a different story. Capturing the Starlight Fortress wouldn't be difficult for her team, especially now that they had grown stronger.

Not even taking out Netherworld Empire's Hell Legion would be an issue, let alone capturing the Starlight Fortress. They had no reason to fear the Guild.

"I concur. We'd be better off giving Zero Wing a beating and taking the Fortress Lord's Mansion. We shouldn't need to go to the trouble of targeting Divine Tribe to get at the eastern Guild. If we don't teach him a lesson, Black Flame will think the west is just like the eastern continent," a young assassin carrying two short swords added, nodding in agreement.

Mythology's power was limited on the eastern continent, and thus, what it could accomplish there was limited, but in the west, squashing Zero Wing would be child's play. Not even the Divine Dragon's protection could save Zero Wing's players. Mythology's foundations on the western continent were just that far beyond what Zero Wing could imagine.

"Don't get careless. Netherworld Empire has its reasons for working with Zero Wing. Based on recent reports, Zero Wing already has five members with fully unlocked Mana Bodies. Those players are extraordinarily strong. If they show up, follow the back-up plan. Activate your battle arrays and face them in four-man cells. The rest of you will continue as we initially planned. If the Divine Dragon approaches, retreat immediately," the silver-haired team leader ordered, watching his impatient team members.

"Rest assured, Commander. Aside from the Dragon, these players are nothing. I don't know how those Zero Wing players unlocked their Mana Bodies' full potential so quickly, but so what?" the Assassin youth loudly and fearlessly proclaimed. "If Zero Wing's members really do show up, I'll make sure none of them leave alive!"

The rest of Mythology's team nodded.

Fully unlocking one's Mana Body might substantially increase one's combat power, but their Advanced Battle Array was no trivial matter. As long as they activated their battle arrays, they could combine the strength of four players. The player that received all this power would be even strong enough to take down a Mythic monster of the same level, much less Tier 3 players.

If Zero Wing's members dared to show their faces, their team could slap them down with ease.

"Is that so? I'd like to test your claim, then."

Suddenly, everyone in the bar heard a deep voice, and the speaker immediately caused an uproar. Every player in the Starlight Bar spun toward the speaker, assuming whoever had been so bold must be crazy. This player had just directly challenged Mythology's experts. They must be suicidal!

Two people, a man and a woman, walked into the bar. The woman was the beautiful, elegant Fithalia, while the man felt as dark as night.

Chapter 2502 - Silent Starlight Bar

As Shi Feng and Fithalia entered the Starlight Bar, interrupting the black-clad Mythology members' conversation, an uproar broke out among the spectating patrons.

"Crap! Isn't that beauty Fithalia, the commander of one of Divine Tribe's trump card legions?!"

"It seems they're going to start another fight!"

"A fight? This'll be a war! I hadn't thought I'd get lucky enough to watch this unfold personally!"

Many of these players were experts with vast information networks. They were, more or less, aware of the struggle between the various superpowers over the Starlight Fortress. Now that Mythology had taken the initiative to pick a fight with the Starlight Fortress, a war between the various superpowers was unavoidable. Although, none of them had expected it to begin so soon.

Clashes between experts, particularly those from the various superpowers, were extremely rare learning opportunities in God's Domain, especially for the players that got to watch the fights personally. They'd be able to learn far more than from watching a recording of the battle.

This was precisely the reason that the various powers constantly tried to gain entry tickets to the various superpowers' Dark Arena. Unfortunately, without adequate connections, normal players didn't even qualify to enter the Dark Arena.

However, compared to the battle unfolding right before their eyes, the Dark Arena's battles were nothing.

The various superpowers' participants in the Dark Arena never went all-out, but this situation would be different. To secure the right to rule the Starlight Fortress, all parties involved would fight with everything they had.

While the bar's spectating patrons became excited, Mythology's members turned to give Shi Feng cold looks. Every one of them was restless, eager to get the fight started.

Sensing these black-clad players' hostility, Fithalia felt a headache brew.

She had tried to convince Shi Feng to gather some manpower before confronting Mythology's members, but Shi Feng had headed for the Starlight Bar the moment he had heard about their arrival. Shi Feng was the only player that had a claim over the Fortress Lord's Mansion. If anything happened to him, defending their hold on the fortress would become far more difficult.

The various superpowers had already stationed plenty of experts in the Starlight Fortress. If the fortress suddenly lost its owner, they'd cause a huge commotion. Not even Divine Tribe's forces would be able to stop them.

In the end, she had no choice but to follow Shi Feng to the Starlight Bar, contacting the players under her command to meet them there on the way.

Shi Feng, however, had done the unexpected again and picked a fight with Mythology before the backup she had called could get there...

They were currently facing over 30 peak experts!

And these weren't any ordinary peak experts. Not only could they hide their auras, but they were all incredibly fast. If these peak experts decided to attack as one, the consequences would be dire.

"You're quite daring, you bastard!" the short-sword wielding Assassin youth said, sneering at Shi Feng. "Show me whether or not you have the strength to support that courage!"

Just before the Assassin could step forward, however, the silver-haired youth beside him extended a hand, blocking his path.

"Commander?" the Assassin asked, confused about why his leader had stopped him.

But the silver-haired player hadn't offered an explanation. Rather, he smiled at Shi Feng.

"So, you're Guild Leader Black Flame!" the silver-haired youth said, smiling. "Allow me to introduce myself. "I am Silver Ghost, the First Vice Commander of Mythology's number one trump card legion."

"Is he the player that foiled Vice Guild Leader Cold Shadow's plan?"

"It's no wonder why he spoke so boldly earlier."

"He's really brave. He actually came here without any backup. Does he intend to offer a compromise?"

After Silver Ghost's introduction, realization dawned on the rest of Mythology's members. Their goal was to seek out Shi Feng and negotiate.

"Since Commander Fithalia has come with you, I'm sure she told you about my offer. What do you think about it, Guild Leader Black Flame?" Silver Ghost patiently asked, glancing at Fithalia before returning his gaze to Shi Feng.

Silver Ghost had fought Fithalia personally, so he knew that she was a monster-level expert. She also had a party of peak expert bodyguards. Normally, she and her bodyguards shouldn't have any issue defeating a 100-man team of Tier 3 experts.

Unfortunately, his team wasn't here for Fithalia. Even with her strength, she had no chance against three or four of his subordinates. She'd be doomed if over a dozen of his teammates attacked at once.

The only real threat in the Starlight Fortress was Netherworld Empire's Hell Legion. Not only did the Hell Legion consist of 300 Tier 3 experts, but they were all extraordinarily strong, as well. However, if his team intended to cause chaos in this fortress, not even the Hell Legion was powerful enough to stop them.

"I have no reason to consider it. Since Zero Wing is strong enough to capture the Starlight Fortress, it's strong enough to hold it. If you want a fight, bring it on!" Shi Feng calmly stated, eyeing Silver Ghost.

"How unfortunate." Silver Ghost could only sigh at Shi Feng's reply.

"Why are you still wasting your time with him, Commander?" The Assassin youth sneered. "Let my group deal with him. If we don't teach him a lesson, he'll continue to assume that Mythology is powerless against him!"

"That's right! If we don't show him our strength, he'll likely assume that we left earlier because we were afraid of him!" The rest of Mythology's team nodded.

Their previous visit to the Starlight Fortress had merely been a form of greeting. Now that Shi Feng had rejected their goodwill, they had no reason to hold back. In fact, if they continued to act passively, Shi Feng would treat their Guild as a joke.

"Alright. Your group can deal with him, but make it quick. Everyone else, pay attention to your surroundings. Retreat as soon as the Divine Dragon approaches!" Silver Ghost said, granting the Assassin youth permission to take action.

"Thank you, Commander! I'll make sure to end the fight quickly!" the Assassin youth replied with a hungry expression. He turned toward Shi Feng and continued, "You've been pretty arrogant, bastard! Let's see if you can back up those words!"

Suddenly, divine runes lit up all across the Assassin's body and enveloped another three Mythology members behind him.

A powerful aura began to radiate from the Assassin youth, growing stronger by the second. After just three seconds, his aura was so intense that a sense of dread overcame everyone in the bar.

"How is his aura so powerful?"

"It's almost as intense as a Grand Lord ranked Archaic Species of the same level!"

The bar's patrons gaped at the young Assassin.

"Is this a sample of Mythology's foundations?" The situation shocked the ruthless man from Storm Heart.

Although it wasn't possible to determine a player's strength based on their aura, that aura would at least hint at their strength.

At this stage of the game, Tier 3 players still struggled to defeat Great Lords of the same level, and in Star Valley, players couldn't use their Berserk Skills. If a player had the strength of a Grand Lord ranked Archaic Species of the same level, they'd be able to move through Star Valley unhindered. With that kind of power, even killing Tier 3 MTs would be as easy as swatting a fly.

They hadn't actually used their full strength earlier? Fithalia watched on with a grim expression. When she felt the Assassin's violent aura, she was overcome with despair.

She had hoped that the Hell Legion's experts and Zero Wing's five experts, those that had fully unlocked their Mana Bodies, would be enough to suppress Mythology's invading experts, but seeing these black-clad players now, she found the idea laughable.

A peak expert that was as powerful as a Grand Lord ranked Archaic Species could even toy with a Tier 4 summoned creature. After all, players' combat techniques allowed them to push their combat power to its limits, perhaps even beyond them.

Aside from the Starlight Fortress's Divine Dragon, no one in the fortress could stop the Assassin before her.

"An Advanced Battle Array?" Shi Feng muttered when he saw the divine runes coating the Assassin youth's body.

"You seem to know a lot, bastard, but that won't change anything!" Licking his lips, the Assassin youth continued, "Now, I'll teach you just how foolish your decision was!"

The Assassin then took a step forward, instantly vanishing. Neither he nor his aura could be found within the bar. It was as if he had never been there in the first place.

"I guess Zero Wing's Guild Leader is going to die," Krow, Storm Heart's commander, said, closing his eyes.

Not only did that young Assassin have Basic Attributes that could rival a Grand Lord ranked Archaic Species, but he could also completely conceal his presence. Krow couldn't even sense the youth's life aura. With such capabilities, that Assassin was practically invincible among players.

Fights between experts were typically so fast that they were impossible to follow with the naked eye. Thus, experts usually had to rely on all five senses during combat. Otherwise, their opponent would quickly overwhelm them.

Now that the Assassin youth had vanished, players couldn't rely on their sight to keep up with his ghostly speed. Trying to keep up was a joke.

How was one supposed to find an enemy they couldn't even detect?

However, at the moment Mythology's Assassin had vanished, Shi Feng unhurriedly unsheathed Killing Ray and slashed the empty air to his right.

Boom!

Suddenly, the sound of clashing metal filled the Starlight Bar, and an intense impact shattered the ground. All players within 30 yards of the Swordsman stumbled back from the shockwave.

Almost as everyone heard the first collision, another loud bang followed.

A figure then slammed into the wall to Shi Feng's right, indenting the wall. It was none other than the Assassin youth that had only disappeared a moment ago...

Chapter 2503 - First Sword, Lightshadow

Silence!

Terror!

For a time, everyone in the Starlight Bar became dumbfounded.

Shi Feng had deflected the young Assassin, who seemed as strong as a Tyrannosaurus-rex and was fully capable of concealing his aura, with a normal attack. Who would ever believe this?

"Is he really a Tier 3 player?" the ruthless man from Storm Heart was stunned when he saw the Assassin embedded in the bar's wall.

The Assassin youth still had most of his HP remaining, but that was precisely what frightened the ruthless man.

If Shi Feng had merely noticed the Assassin's movement and found an opportunity to strike the youth's weak point, it would've still shocked the man, but he would've, more or less, understood how Shi Feng's attack and thrown the Assassin.

However, seeing that the Assassin had only lost a small amount of HP from the hit made it clear that Shi Feng's sword hadn't struck the Assassin directly. The youth had actually blocked the attack with his own blades.

In a battle of brute force, the young Assassin had lost...

The Assassin youth's Basic Attributes rivaled that of a Grand Lord ranked Archaic Species of the same level. Not even ordinary Tier 3 players with active Berserk Skills were that strong.

And yet, Shi Feng had emerged victorious in a battle of Strength. Moreover, the Swordsman had done so without relying on Skills or tools. He hadn't used a Berserk Skill, either. He had merely executed a normal attack...

When Mythology's other members saw the Assassin embedded in the wall, they, too, were dazed.

"Sandstorm lost?!"

"How is that possible? Did he fail to control the battle array's power?"

All of these Mythology members knew just how powerful a player was after the boost from the Advanced Battle Array the Assassin youth, Sandstorm, had used. Sandstorm would even have the strength to take on Tier 4 Mythic monsters, not to mention Tier 3 players.

Using the Advanced Battle Array was expensive, so they couldn't use it casually. The only reason that Silver Ghost had agreed was to prove Mythology's strength to Zero Wing.

None of them had expected this outcome.

Shi Feng had sent Sandstorm flying with a normal attack. For a moment, they wondered if Sandstorm had been careless and failed to grasp the battle array's power.

How is he so strong?

Fithalia, on the other hand, stared at Shi Feng's back with wide, astonished eyes.

Although she had heard MacAffrey and the others claim that Shi Feng was a monster-level expert, she had assumed that was only the case against ordinary Tier 3 players. However, she had just watched him throw one of Mythology's experts, whose strength had been enhanced by an Advanced Battle Array, with one normal strike. Just what was going on?

While everyone wrestled with their shock over the situation, Silver Ghost turned to Shi Feng, guessing, "So, you've unlocked your Mana Body's full potential already."

In his opinion, Shi Feng's strength was secondary. What was more impressive was the fact that the Swordsman had kept track of Sandstorm's movements.

No ordinary Tier 3 player should be able to sense Sandstorm's aura, and with the Assassin's speed, keeping track of him visually should be impossible. The only explanation Silver Ghost could think of was that Shi Feng had fully unlocked his Mana Body and relied on his Mana Body's incredible Mana to create a Mana Field around himself. Shi Feng had then relied on the Mana Field to locate Sandstorm.

They could conceal their auras thoroughly, but their physical existence remained. Their ability didn't hide them from Mana, which was how Shi Feng could rely on his Mana Field to locate the Assassin.

Silver Ghost's statement caused an uproar within the Starlight Bar.

"What? He's already unlocked his Mana Body's full potential?"

"I haven't even heard of a single expert among the various superpowers to accomplish that feat, have you?"

Any player capable of visiting the Starlight Fortress was an expert, and many of them had already reached Tier 3. Naturally, the topic of Tier 3 Mana Bodies had long since become a hot topic among players like them.

It had already become common knowledge that players wouldn't be able to exhibit the full power of a Tier 3 class after completing their Tier 3 Promotion Quests. They still needed to unlock their Mana Bodies' potential. Unfortunately, that wasn't an easy task. Most players didn't even have a clue about how to go about unlocking their Mana Bodies. All they could do was work to improve their Mana control.

And yet, while players were still trying to figure out how to start unlocking their Mana Bodies, they learned that Shi Feng had already completed the task. Why wouldn't they be surprised?

"It's no wonder why he dared to provoke Mythology!"

Realization dawned on Krow when he heard Silver Ghost's statement. He had wondered why Shi Feng was confident enough to make an enemy of Mythology. These Mythology experts were incredibly powerful, and after they activated their battle array, they'd become monsters that current players stood no chance against. Only the Starlight Fortress's Divine Dragon could suppress them.

However, even after he realized what Shi Feng had accomplished, Silver Ghost didn't panic. He actually smiled.

The combat power boost from a fully unlocked Mana Body is certainly amazing. I hadn't considered that Sandstorm wouldn't be a match for you, even after activating his Advanced Battle Array," Silver Ghost told Shi Feng. "However, I wonder how you'll fare against eight experts on Sandstorm's level?"

As Silver Ghost finished speaking, the Mythology members behind him promptly activated their battle arrays as well. In total, these players activated seven more battle arrays, and the combined aura of the arrays' beneficiaries was so powerful that none of the Tier 2 players in the bar could move. As for the Tier 3 players, their legs began to tremble with fear.

Meanwhile, Sandstorm pulled himself from the hole in the wall and sneered at Shi Feng.

"Punk! I'll admit that you're strong, but you're not strong enough to kill us! We can easily brush off your attacks' damage with our enhanced recovery! This battle array even triples our Stamina and Concentration recovery rates! How long do you think you can last against us?" Sandstorm growled contemptuously.

The Advanced Battle Array didn't just increase his Basic Attributes; it also boosted his maximum HP and Defense. Right now, his Defense was twice as high as Tier 3 MTs of the same level, and he had more than 2 million HP. Shi Feng's attack might have had a lot of impact, but he had only taken a little over -10,000 damage. It wasn't even enough to itch.

The spectators, who had relaxed after Shi Feng's counterattack, fell silent again, and Fithalia continued to watch with a grim expression. She had never dreamed that Mythology had prepared so many Advanced Battle Arrays.

Shi Feng was likely at his limit dealing with one expert empowered by an Advanced Battle Array, but now, he'd have to take on eight of these experts. Moreover, every one of his opponents had incredible Defense and HPs. They could easily whittle Shi Feng down until he died.

"Let's see you try!" Shi Feng indifferently replied, sweeping his gaze over Mythology's members.

His comeback only incited another uproar within the bar.

"What?! He's actually going to fight such a force?!"

"Cool! Too cool! As expected of the expert that took down the Starlight Fortress! Very few players in God's Domain can match his courage!"

They had all assumed that Shi Feng would try to run from Mythology's experts. Now that they had activated eight Advanced Battle Arrays, only the fortress's Divine Dragon could stop them. However, Shi Feng chose to stay and fight. He was practically a Hero from legend.

"Are you crazy?!" Fithalia hissed at her companion. "They're not going to fight you one-on-one! They're going to come at you together!"

Shi Feng had repelled Sandstorm with a normal attack, but that was all. The outcome of an actual fight between the two wouldn't be over that quickly. If Shi Feng could only deal a little over -10,000 damage, there was no way he could kill the Assassin. The Advanced Battle Array doubled Sandstorm's battle recovery, which meant that the Assassin could easily chip away at Shi Feng's HP while recovering his own.

If eight experts like Sandstorm attacked Shi Feng together, Zero Wing's Guild Leader would be lucky to stay alive for a while, much less defeat these experts.

Before Fithalia could try to dissuade Shi Feng, however, Silver Ghost laughed.

"Very good. You are truly brave. It's no wonder why you dare to make Mythology your enemy," Silver Ghost said, smiling. He then turned to Fithalia and said, "I am a generous person. Why don't you both try to take us on? I'll even wait until your reinforcements arrive."

"That won't be necessary. You should really face me together. I'd like to see if you're as powerful as you claim," Shi Feng said, shaking his head.

"Bastard!" Sandstorm snarled, enraged. He immediately charged at Shi Feng again.

As the Assassin moved, the seven other empowered experts did the same, dashing toward Shi Feng like a violent gale.

All eight of Mythology's experts were in perfect sync as they attacked Shi Feng simultaneously. As long as Shi Feng tried to attack one of them, the other seven would strike at his vitals. This was the same method they had employed to take down Fithalia.

While they charged at Shi Feng, however, he raised Killing Ray above his head and shut his eyes, patiently waiting for Sandstorm and his companions to reach him.

Thirty yards... Twenty yards... Ten yards...

Just as the Assassin youth and Mythology's other experts were about to strike, Shi Feng's eyes abruptly opened, and he swung his sacred sword in a downward arch.

First Sword, Lightshadow!

Chapter 2504 - The Power of Mana Techniques

When Killing Ray descended, the Mana around Shi Feng immediately gathered to form a phantom greatsword around the Sacred Sword.

Immediately afterward, the phantom greatsword, which was 20 meters long, tore apart space. Those looking at the phantom greatsword from a distance noticed a pitch-black trail in the phantom greatsword's wake.

"A Skill?"

When Sandstorm and the others saw the phantom greatsword ripping even space itself, they were sure that the greatsword's power was at the Tier 4 standard. They instinctively thought to dodge the attack. After all, although they possessed Basic Attributes rivaling Grand Lord ranked Archaic Species of the same level, they were still a far cry from the Tier 4 Mythic standard.

However, Shi Feng's attack had appeared too suddenly and was too fast. Moreover, the attack had a very large AOE. Evading it was simply impossible; they had no choice but to receive it directly.

"Block it together!" Sandstorm shouted.

Following which, under Sandstorm's lead, all eight experts from Mythology executed Tier 3 Skills simultaneously. Triple Shadow!

Spatial Severance!

Thunder's Wrath!

All eight melee players used their strongest Offensive Skills without hesitation, every one of which was executed at a Completion Rate of 90% or better.

For a time, over a dozen attacks could be seen striking the descending greatsword.

Boom...

The instant the attacks of both sides collided, a powerful storm blew, sending all Tier 2 players within a 50-yard radius stumbling back. A small crater even formed on the ground directly beneath the point of impact.

As the dust settled, a gash that was over 20 meters long and 2 meters deep appeared in the middle of the bar.

As for Sandstorm and the others, although they were not bashed into the floor, they were still forced to retreat five or six steps before they managed to stabilize their footing, each step they took shattering the tiles beneath them. The force from the impact also left their hands trembling violently, and every one of them lost over 100,000 HP.

For a time, shock and confusion reigned in the entire bar.

Previously, everyone had already found it unbelievable that Shi Feng had sent Sandstorm flying with a normal attack. Now, he had actually overwhelmed Sandstorm and seven other experts of similar strength with a single move. Shi Feng's combat power was simply heaven-defying.

"Skills executed with a fully unlocked Mana Body are actually so powerful?" Krow's eyes brimmed with shock when he saw that Shi Feng remained standing at his original location despite clashing with eight of Mythology's empowered experts.

Although everyone had gained a general understanding of the Mana Body after reaching Tier 3 and knew that the Mana Body could provide a player with a huge boost in combat power, he had never imagined that the boost would be this amazing.

At this moment, aside from Krow, many other Tier 3 players also grew excited upon seeing this scene. Now, their desire and eagerness to fully unlock their Mana Bodies waxed even higher.

After all, Shi Feng had just proven to them that it was possible for a Tier 3 player to exhibit power at the Tier 4 standard. This meant that they could clash against Mythic monsters of the same level. They might not be able to kill Mythic monsters yet, even with that kind of power, but they would, at least, have the foundations to raid Mythic monsters.

Mythic monsters!

At this stage of the game, Level 100-plus Mythic monsters were Bosses that generally only first-rate powers or above could raid. However, players could get rich overnight from the loot these Bosses dropped.

Meanwhile, Fithalia, who stood behind Shi Feng, was also momentarily stunned by this scene.

She never thought that Shi Feng's strength had reached such frightening heights. He had actually managed to overwhelm eight of Mythology's empowered peak experts single-handedly. With this kind of strength, Shi Feng alone would most likely be more than enough to safeguard the entire Starlight Fortress. Nobody would be capable of threatening the Starlight Fortress so long as he was present.

However, just when Fithalia and the other spectating players thought that Mythology would retreat after this exchange, Silver Ghost, who had quietly watched the exchange from a corner of the bar, suddenly started clapping his hands.

"Amazing! Truly amazing! It's no wonder Vice Guild Leader Cold Shadow praised you so much!" Silver Ghost said, his joyful reaction making it seem as if the loss of Sandstorm's group had nothing to do with him. Chuckling, he continued, "Unfortunately, the moment Sandstorm and the others activated their battle arrays, the outcome of this battle was already decided. Even if you can exhibit power at the Tier 4 standard, you still can't stop us!"

As soon as Silver Ghost finished speaking, the healers that were powering up the battle arrays started casting Healing Spells on Sandstorm and the others. Not only did Sandstorm and the others recover all of their lost HP instantly, but their trembling hands also reverted to normal.

Upon seeing this scene, Fithalia, who had previously breathed out a sigh of relief, wore a grim expression once more.

Due to Shi Feng's frightening display of strength, she had forgotten that this wasn't some official competition between experts but a brawl between Shi Feng and Mythology's experts instead. Victory would be decided only when one side was annihilated. Meanwhile, in a team battle, it was very normal for melee players to rely on healers.

"You were pretty good before, huh, punk? Let's see how you're going to keep it up!" Sandstorm, who had fully recovered, sneered as he looked at Shi Feng.

The Swordsman's strength had indeed exceeded his expectations. However, the eight of them weren't having a duel with Shi Feng right now but a fight to the death. If Shi Feng couldn't kill them, this battle would not end.

Meanwhile, current Tier 3 players had a very limited number of Tier 3 Skills and Spells at their disposal. Moreover, unlike Shi Feng, Sandstorm's side had healers. Just like Silver Ghost had said, the outcome of the battle between both sides had been decided since the very beginning.

"Is that so?" Shi Feng smiled.

As soon as Shi Feng finished speaking, he held Killing Ray with both hands and raised the Sacred Sword overhead once again. The Mana inside the bar immediately swarmed toward the Sacred Sword.

"Impossible!" Sandstorm fell into a daze at this extremely familiar scene.

The Cooldown of Skills and Spells generally increased, the stronger and higher-tiered they became. Since Shi Feng had exhibited power at the Tier 4 standard with his attack, the Skill he had used should have had a Cooldown of several minutes or, at least, a few dozen seconds. However, only about six seconds had passed since Shi Feng executed his attack, yet he was using the same move again.

This shouldn't be possible!

However, before Sandstorm and the others could snap out of their daze, Shi Feng's Killing Ray was already chopping at them once more.

Just like before, a gigantic, phantom greatsword appeared out of thin air and descended on Sandstorm's group like a mountain.

However, after all was said and done, Sandstorm and the others were peak experts who had fought on many battlefields before. They immediately responded to the attack with Tier 3 Skills of their own.

Boom!

When the attacks of both sides collided, another powerful storm blew. However, due to the Tier 3 Skills used this time being weaker than the ones they used before, Sandstorm and the others ended up in a much more miserable state. Every one of them also sustained more than -130,000 damage. Even so, for Sandstorm and the others, who possessed more than 2 million HP, this amount of damage was negligible.

Just as the slightly miserable Sandstorm was about to ridicule Shi Feng once more, he suddenly sensed the Mana inside the bar rushing toward Shi Feng yet again. Moreover, the Swordsman was gathering Mana at a much faster rate than before.

Before Sandstorm and the others could say anything, Shi Feng's Killing Ray chopped at them anew.

Boom!

This time, Sandstorm and the others reacted too slowly to Shi Feng's attack, so they failed to defend themselves using their Tier 3 Skills. As a result, every one of them suffered over -300,000 damage.

"Bastard! I've already said that the outcome of this battle has been decided from—"

Although Sandstorm, who was close to kneeling on the ground, tried to retaliate with mockery, before he managed to finish his words, Shi Feng swung Killing Ray down again.

Once... Twice... Thrice...

For a time, explosions rocked the entire Starlight Bar, one after another. Aside from this sound, nothing else could be heard inside.

Finally, after Shi Feng executed his 11th attack, the world around him fell silent as Sandstorm and the seven other empowered experts from Mythology collapsed on the rubble, their HPs zeroed out. Now, they exhibited neither aura nor Mana.

Chapter 2505 - One-man Army

As the bodies of Mythology's eight empowered experts started disintegrating into particles of light, time inside the Starlight Bar seemed to freeze as everyone stared at Shi Feng's figure in stunned silence. Only much later did everyone snap out of their daze.

"So strong!"

"So, this is the true power of a fully unlocked Mana Body?"

When everyone looked at the gash before Shi Feng, which was four meters deep and extended over 30 meters, they no longer had any words to describe their current feelings of shock and admiration.

Although every one of Mythology's empowered experts was ridiculously strong and more than capable of annihilating all the spectating players inside the bar, in front of Shi Feng, Mythology's eight empowered experts were as frail as little children. They didn't even manage to put up any resistance whatsoever before getting annihil^^

The strength Shi Feng displayed thoroughly shattered everyone's understanding of the strength of Tier 3 classes. At the same time, all of the independent experts present gained newfound hope.

Originally, in a fight between Tier 3 players, the outcome would generally be determined by the number of Tier 3 players each side possessed. An individual Tier 3 player couldn't change the outcome of a team battle involving Tier 3 players. Hence, everyone believed that if Tier 3 independent players wished to avoid getting suppressed, they had no choice but to join a superpower.

However, Shi Feng had thoroughly shattered this belief.

In front of him, feared and revered Tier 3 players were nothing. Even a group of Tier 3 experts would fall to him in just a few moves.

Shi Feng had proven that, even if one was alone, one could still play the role of an army. Just like the Heroes of legends, he had the strength to change the fate of an entire kingdom or even an empire.

Meanwhile, so long as they fully unlocked their own Mana Bodies, they, too, could replicate Shi Feng's feats.

"Commander, with that kind of combat power, don't you think that Black Flame is stronger than the Five Great Super Guilds' true monsters?" the ruthless man from Storm Heart asked Krow, his eyes filled with reverence as he gazed at Shi Feng.

Since Shi Feng had single-handedly defeated eight peak experts with combat power rivaling Grand Lord ranked Archaic Species of the same level, his strength could definitely rank at the top among the experts on the western continent. The feat he accomplished today would start a new chapter of development in God's Domain and maybe even the virtual gaming world.

Throughout the long history of the virtual gaming world, the various superpowers had constantly oppressed the experts belonging to non-superpowers. There was no way to reverse the situation. This was especially true with the Five Great Super Guilds that stood above even the various superpowers. The Five Great Super Guilds were not existences that individuals could hope to challenge.

However, Shi Feng had broken this curse time after time.

First, Shi Feng had made Netherworld Empire concede by using a Divine Dragon. Now, he had defeated Mythology's monstrous team with his own strength. Such amazing battle records would definitely be immortalized in the annals of the virtual gaming world.

"I don't know whether he is stronger than the Five Great Super Guilds' true monsters or not, but after today's battle, Black Flame's name will most likely spread throughout the western continent. No one would dare have any ideas about the Starlight Fortress anymore," Krow said, excitement flashing across his eyes as he looked at Shi Feng.

The Five Great Super Guilds were the absolute titans of the virtual gaming world. Many newly risen superpowers might have challenged the Five Great Super Guilds before, but it had been over two decades since a non-superpower had dared to do so.

Now, not only did Shi Feng challenge Mythology's prestige, but he had even routed the Great Super Guild.

Just this point alone was more than enough to make Shi Feng the topic of discussion for the western continent's independent players and shake the foundations of the entire continent.

This was because Shi Feng's feat had illuminated the path for players that did not belong to the various superpowers.

Moreover, with the strength Shi Feng had just displayed, Krow believed that no one could threaten the Starlight Fortress so long as Shi Feng was present. In fact, Krow suspected that, even if today's matter spread, no one would believe it.

The benefits provided by a fully unlocked Mana Body are actually that excellent?

While the spectating players inside the bar were filled with shock and excitement over this matter, Fithalia was gaping at Shi Feng in surprise and confusion from behind him.

In God's Domain, any powerful Skill or Spell possessed a long Cooldown, even Tier 0 Skills and Spells.

However, Shi Feng had executed the same devastating attack 11 times in a row—with almost no gap between each attack.

He couldn't have executed a combat technique, as combat techniques relied on the movements of the physical body to execute powerful attacks. Moreover, combat techniques would not attract Mana or make it manifest as a giant greatsword.

The only explanation Fithalia could think of for this situation was that Shi Feng's attack was a special effect resulting from fully unlocking his Mana Body.

If that was the case, then what Divine Tribe needed to do from now on wasn't to devote its efforts to raiding super- large-scale Team Dungeons or increasing the number of Tier 3 experts it had, but figuring out how to unlock the Mana Body of players.

Otherwise, just one expert with a fully unlocked Mana Body could dictate the direction of a Guild war. In fact, just the presence of one such expert might make raiding current super-large-scale Team Dungeons possible.

Meanwhile, the Mythology members still inside the bar were momentarily dumbfounded by this situation.

They had never imagined that Shi Feng would actually be powerful enough to destroy Sandstorm's group with just 11 attacks. Sandstorm and the others each boasted more than twice the Defense of ordinary Tier 3 MTs. Their HPs also exceeded 2 million. They could survive against actual Mythic monsters for quite some time.

However, Shi Feng had taken no more than eight seconds to finish them off. He defeated Sandstorm's group so quickly that the rear line healers couldn't save them.

Vice Commander, eight of our Advanced Battle Arrays have already shattered. We only have one remaining. Should we continue fighting?" a Tier 3 Ranger asked Silver Ghost.

The Advanced Battle Arrays they prepared were no ordinary items. Not only did producing these battle arrays require a lot of precious materials, but using them was also remarkably expensive.

This time, the Guild had decided to supply their team with nine sets of Advanced Battle Arrays only to ensure that they secured the Starlight Fortress and gained the initiative when the Demon God's Shrine activated.

Meanwhile, they had used eight sets right off the bat, leaving only one set for Silver Ghost's use.

Every Mythology member present knew full well how strong Silver Ghost was. In the entire trump card legion, aside from the commander, nobody else was a match for Silver Ghost. In fact, even Trembling Hand, the ex-First Vice Commander of the legion, lasted only 20 moves against Silver Ghost; everyone else couldn't even last ten moves.

Silver Ghost's presence was also the reason for their confidence in the success of the operation this time. However, the combat power Shi Feng displayed was simply too frightening; they could not help having doubts.

Just as Silver Ghost was about to reply, a deafening roar that shook everyone down to their very souls suddenly sounded from somewhere far away from the Starlight Bar.

"It's come already? What a pity. Save the battle array for now. We're retreating!" Silver Ghost said, sighing as he glanced at the shattered roof of the bar. He then turned to Shi Feng and said, "Mythology will give up on the Starlight Fortress this time. However, we will meet again, Guild Leader Black Flame!"

As soon as Silver Ghost finished speaking, a spatial tear opened up before him. Even though the Divine Dragon had already used Spatial Imprisonment on the space around the Starlight Bar, it actually failed to stop the spatial tear from forming. When this spatial tear appeared, Mythology's members promptly hurried into it and disappeared from the Starlight Bar.

Meanwhile, shortly after Silver Ghost left, a large group of Tier 3 experts suddenly turned up around the Starlight Bar. These Tier 3 experts numbered more than 400, and their appearance made the players inside the bar nervous.

"It seems we came a little too late," Hell Rush said, cursing silently when he saw that no Mythology member remained inside the miserable Starlight Bar.

To be certain of dealing with Mythology's 30-plus experts, he had gone to great lengths to gather more Tier 3 experts from Netherworld Empire. However, he never thought that he would still arrive a step too late.

"You did arrive a little late. The battle just ended, and Mythology's experts have left already," Fithalia said, nodding. "However, I believe they won't come to harass the Starlight Fortress anymore, at least not in the near future."

"They won't come back soon?" Hell Rush was a little confused by Fithalia's words. From what he understood of Mythology, the Guild definitely wouldn't rest until it achieved its goals.

"Mhm. You can see what happened yourselves."

Fithalia did not wish to dwell on the matter. Instead, she sent Hell Rush and the others the battle video she recorded. This was because even she herself couldn't understand many aspects of this battle. It would be much better for Hell Rush and the others to watch it themselves.

In the video, Shi Feng could first be seen sending Sandstorm flying with a normal attack. Then, he could be seen thoroughly overwhelming Mythology's eight empowered peak experts. Throughout the whole exchange, he looked like a God, an existence that players could not resist.

Whether it was Hell Rush and the other Hell Legion members or MacAffrey and Crimson Witch, who had made contact with Shi Feng shortly after he arrived on the western continent, every one of them nearly had their eyes fall out of their sockets.

For a moment, they all wondered if the Shi Feng portrayed in the video was the same person they knew.

It had only been a while since they last met Shi Feng, yet not only did Shi Feng manage to fully unlock his Mana Body during this period, but he had even gained enough strength to defeat eight peak experts possessing the strength of Grand Lord ranked Archaic Species all by himself.

Was he still human?

Meanwhile, during the time Hell Rush and the others were flabbergasted over this matter, battle videos showing Shi Feng's fight in the Starlight Bar started spreading like the plague. These videos soon landed in the hands of the western continent's various superpowers.

"What's going on?"

"Mythology was defeated?"

Chapter 2506 - Fame Spreads

News of Mythology's defeat was like a Magnitude 8 earthquake. None of the various superpowers could believe it.

Previously, Netherworld Empire's concession had already been plenty shocking to them. However, Netherworld Empire's decision was still understandable, as the Divine Dragon really wasn't an existence that players could oppose.

Now, despite Mythology having gained a method to evade the Divine Dragon's detection, it had still failed to gain control over the Starlight Fortress. Moreover, Mythology's failure wasn't even due to the Divine Dragon, but Shi Feng, a Tier 3 player. How could they possibly bring themselves to believe this news?

This was one of the virtual gaming world's Five Great Super Guilds they were talking about!

It had already been many years since an individual player could resist the assault of one of the Five Great Super Guilds. Every person who had attempted to do so had been thoroughly suppressed, left with no choice but to submit to the will of the five titans.

Now, however, not only did Shi Feng stand in Mythology's way, but he had even single-handedly killed eight of Mythology's monstrously strong experts.

The various superpowers' upper echelons immediately took action. They not only abandoned all plans to make things difficult for the Starlight Fortress but also forbade the expert teams they had dispatched to Star Valley from causing any trouble inside the Starlight Fortress, especially when Shi Feng was known to be present inside the fortress.

The reason for their decision wasn't just Shi Feng's repulse of Mythology's assault but his monstrous strength. Let alone killing a few Tier 3 experts, even annihilating a 100-man team of Tier 3 experts would be child's play for him. Shi Feng was truly a one-man army and an existence that had to be feared.

In addition, the Starlight Fortress was currently the only captured fortress in Star Valley. If the various superpowers wished to develop properly in the forbidden land, then having access to the Starlight Fortress was a must. If they ended up barred from the fortress, they would definitely die of regret.

As for taking direct action to capture the fortress, that was utterly impossible. After all, if even Mythology was helpless against the Starlight Fortress, what could they possibly do?

For a time, the various superpowers' experts that arrived inside the Starlight Fortress could be seen behaving obediently like harmless sheep.

Meanwhile, inside the Starlight Fortress's Fortress Lord's Mansion, Shi Feng was currently swamped with work.

Due to Mythology's defeat and the various superpowers becoming meek, the number of players willing to visit the Starlight Fortress had skyrocketed. These new visitors included many merchant players. Some trading firms had even sought to partner with Zero Wing and offered to rent the Starlight Fortress's Shops at a high price. The entire Starlight Fortress became very crowded.

"Guild Leader, according to our latest statistics, the Starlight Fortress's player population is nearing 500,000 already. Rough estimates put us at a daily net profit of over 250,000 Magic Crystals," Aqua Rose reported, her eyes practically glowing as she looked at the latest statistics report in her hands. "At this rate, it will only take us a few more days before we can repair the Large Battlefield inside the Fortress Lord's Mansion. Then, our people will be able to use it for all sorts of combat training and greatly improve their control over Mana."

Although the Starlight Fortress was an ancient fortress, it couldn't be expanded. In other words, it was impossible to raise the population limit of the fortress. However, it was still possible to conduct repairs on the fortress's basic facilities and increase the fortress's abilities.

Among the various facilities available inside the Starlight Fortress, the one that was most useful to players was the Large Battlefield. Unfortunately, it cost 1.5 million Magic Crystals to repair it.

Originally, it should've been impossible for Zero Wing to repair the Large Battlefield in the near future. However, now that the Starlight Fortress had such a large player population, the amount of time it would take to gather funds for repairs should be significantly shorter.

The Large Battlefield was something like a special Dungeon on the first underground floor of the Fortress Lord's Mansion. Inside this Large Battlefield, players could fight against all kinds of simulated monsters in the Starlight Fortress's ancient environment. By training inside the Large Battlefield, players could make tremendous progress in improving their Mana control. After all, fighting in a life-or-death battle was many times more efficient than sparring with other players in a combat room.

So long as this Large Battlefield was repaired, Zero Wing could continuously transfer its core experts over from the eastern continent to undergo training here, allowing them to unlock their Mana Bodies several times faster than experts of the various superpowers.

The population has increased to such an extent already?" Shi Feng was a little surprised by Aqua Rose's report.

Although he had long since known that his battle with Mythology and the activation of the Demon God's Shrine would trigger a period of rapid development for the foreseeable future, he never thought that the fortress would develop this quickly.

"It's a pity that the Starlight Fortress is only a Small Fortress. Otherwise, we would earn many more Magic Crystals," Aqua Rose said with some disappointment.

Magic Crystals were becoming increasingly important to current players. This held true even on the eastern continent.

The reason for this was the demand for Magic Crystals for the production of high-level weapons and equipment.

Now, despite Zero Wing having gained an opportunity to earn a large amount of Magic Crystals, this opportunity was restricted due to the Starlight Fortress's limitations.

"A Small Fortress is already more than enough for us. After all, our foundations on the western continent are too shallow. Even if a Medium, or even Large, Fortress were presented to us, we wouldn't be able to manage it," Shi Feng said when he saw the disappointed look on Aqua Rose's face.

"I understand this, as well. The limitation of sending only ten players to the western continent per week is really restricting. It would be great if we could increase that number slightly," Aqua Rose said.

She had experienced the western continent's benefits already. The development of Mana control here was especially excellent compared to the eastern continent. If possible, she really wished she could transfer all of Zero Wing's main force members over. With the help of the Starlight Fortress, Zero Wing wouldn't have to worry about its Tier 3 members lacking strength.

"Let's not rush the matter of sending more people over for now. Since we can activate the Large Battlefield soon, have Yan Tianxing's side make the necessary preparations to start an adventurer's alliance branch here. Members of the alliance can accumulate points by completing alliance-issued quests. Afterward, they can use these points to exchange for time inside the Large Battlefield or other items. In fact, if their rank in the alliance is sufficiently high, they can even exchange their points for a private house inside the Starlight Fortress," Shi Feng said.

It would take too long for Zero Wing to send an adequate number of members over to the western continent. Moreover, as players continuously leveled up, more Tier 3 players would fully unlock their Mana Bodies. Shi Feng might be able to defend the Starlight Fortress all by himself now, but he couldn't do so forever. After all, he had plenty of other matters to attend to. He couldn't stay cooped up in a single location for long.

If he wanted the Starlight Fortress to experience long-term stability or Zero Wing's development on the western continent to accelerate, he needed sufficient manpower and resources.

Previously, he had still been troubled as to how to go about doing so. However, with the Starlight Fortress's current popularity and the soon-to-be-repaired Large Battlefield, attracting a large number of independent experts to join or ally with Zero Wing was definitely feasible. Meanwhile, with a sufficiently large number of experts on its side, Zero Wing would have an easy time establishing itself on the western continent and securing a sizable chunk of the western continent's resources.

"Guild Leader, Hell Rush just sent a message stating that Netherworld Empire's higher-ups have agreed to our offer. They are willing to accept our employment, but they have one condition we absolutely must meet: all of the Hell Legion's members should fully unlock their Mana Bodies within one month. Otherwise, they want 20% of the Starlight Fortress's shares as compensation," Aqua Rose reported, frowning.

Fully unlocking one's Mana Body was easier said than done. She and the others had managed to accomplish this feat only because they had the fortune of entering the Starlight Fortress's Legacy Gate and Legacy Room. Meanwhile, Netherworld Empire was asking Zero Wing to help the Hell Legion fully unlock their Mana Bodies. No matter how she looked at this situation, it was simply impossible.

"It seems they have finally thought things through." Shi Feng smiled when he heard Aqua Rose's words. "Alright, agree to their conditions."

Originally, he had considered Netherworld Empire's agreement to his offer unlikely. After all, the Hell Legion was Netherworld Empire's strongest trump card legion. Not only did the legion consist of 300 Tier 3 experts, but these players were experts among experts.

Fortunately, it seemed that the performance he had put on with Mythology was quite effective.

The Holy Annihilation Mana Technique was incredibly powerful. Just the First Sword, Lightshadow, already allowed him to exhibit power at the Tier 4 standard. However, the complexity of Lightshadow was far greater than even Bronze Combat Techniques. The burden it placed on its user's Concentration was likewise much greater than that of a Bronze Combat Technique.

After executing Lightshadow 11 times in a row, he had expended more than half of his Concentration already. Had he executed Lightshadow a few more times, he might've entered a state of mental exhaustion; then, his opponents could have slaughtered him.

"Guild Leader, we're talking about helping them fully unlock their Mana Bodies in one month," Aqua Rose said worriedly.

If Netherworld Empire's demand were simply to upgrade the Hell Legion's level or equipment standard, she wouldn't have been too concerned. However, players mainly had to rely on themselves to unlock their Mana Body. There were too many variables that could affect this process. Meanwhile, as more time passed, the number of Tier 3 experts Zero Wing possessed would continuously increase. There was no need for Zero Wing to be in such a rush to gain Tier 3 experts, using even the Starlight Fortress as a wager.

"Relax. The process of unlocking the Mana Body isn't as difficult as you think," Shi Feng said, chuckling as he looked at Aqua Rose. "Moreover, many matters in God's Domain need to be done sooner rather than later. A delay would mean missing out on many opportunities. In any case, now that Netherworld Empire has agreed to our offer, it's time we returned to the eastern continent."

If it were before he had fully unlocked his Epic Mana Body, he really wouldn't be confident of fulfilling Netherworld Empire's condition. However, after absorbing the bountiful knowledge in Eliadi's Memory Crystal, helping the Hell Legion's experts fully unlock their Mana Bodies within one month wasn't a difficult task at all. After all, every one of the Hell Legion's experts was a genius even in the eyes of the various superpowers.

Chapter 2507 - Returning to the Eastern Continent
"We're returning so soon? But we just managed to stabilize the situation here. The Starlight Fortress has also just entered a phase of rapid development. If we leave now, I'm afraid problems will crop up in no time at all." Aqua Rose could not help being confused when she heard Shi Feng say that they were returning to the eastern continent. "The Starlight Fortress aside, what should we do about the Hell Legion's 300 experts? Do you intend to have them guard the Starlight Fortress, Guild Leader?"
Currently, the importance of the Starlight Fortress was not the slightest bit inferior to the eastern continent's Stone Forest City. In fact, the fortress was generating a much larger income in Magic Crystals than Stone Forest City. It would be a huge waste if they simply packed up and left after making a quick buck.
However, the most important aspect of the Starlight Fortress wasn't the Magic Crystal income it generated but its environment. The Starlight Fortress's ancient environment made it the best location for developing one's Mana control on the western continent.
"Although the Starlight Fortress can bring us a ton of wealth and resources, it is just a tiny area on the western continent. If we wish to have a truly stable foothold on the western continent and gain a constant supply of resources from it, we need a kingdom or empire of our own. With just the number of players the Starlight Fortress is capable of attracting, securing a place of our own on the western continent will be a pipe dream," Shi Feng explained, smiling. "Therefore, before the eastern continent's superpowers shift their development focus toward the western continent, we need to occupy as many teleportation portals on the eastern continent as possible and send our members over. Otherwise, with just the one portal we currently possess, securing our hold over the Starlight Fortress will be our limit."
Originally, he had not planned on extending Zero Wing's development to the western continent, merely on gaining some additional resources for the Guild. After all, travel between the two main continents was simply too difficult.
With Zero Wing's current ability, developing on both continents simultaneously was impossible.
However, after acquiring the Starlight Fortress and the Silver Divine Dragon, as well as witnessing the power of Mana Techniques, he had changed his mind.
During his previous life, the various superpowers had not placed much importance on Mana Techniques. Hence, he had thought that Mana Techniques were nothing to write home about.
However, after witnessing and learning the Heavenly Blue Saint Eliadi's Mana Technique, he understood just how much help Mana Techniques could provide players in challenging their future Promotion Quests. This was especially true for the Tier 4 Promotion Quest. Mastering a proper Mana Technique should reduce the difficulty of players' Tier 4 Promotion Quest by at least 30%. Even if players failed to master a Mana Technique, the knowledge they gained should still improve their combat power by a significant margin.
After all was said and done, Tier 3 was only a transitional phase for the various powers of God's Domain. Ultimately, the ones who would truly decide the strength of a power would be the experts standing at the peak of the game. This was also the reason why first-rate powers could never compete with the various superpowers.
Meanwhile, the Starlight Fortress was currently the best location for players to develop their Mana control.
However, the current teleportation portal Zero Wing controlled only allowed a maximum of ten players to be teleported to the western continent each week. Just transferring all official and reserve members of Zero Wing's main force to the western continent would take several months. By then, everything would be too late.
Time waited for no man. With God's Domain's current popularity, the development of powers was absurdly fast; this was especially true for the superpowers. With the number of experts and territories the various superpowers occupied, so long as they had sufficient funds and resources, their development speed could be far superior to the current Zero Wing's.
Hence, what Shi Feng needed to do now was occupy more teleportation portals on the eastern continent, thereby increasing the number of players Zero Wing could send to the western continent. That way, the Guild would be able to secure resources and advantages from both continents. At that time, the development speed of its experts would easily outstrip that of the various superpowers' experts.
Aqua Rose's eyes glowed with excitement at Shi Feng's words.
If Zero Wing truly became capable of teleporting a large number of experts over to the western continent, then the Guild would no longer have to worry about clashing with the various superpowers in the future. It might even become a true superpower. After all, the various superpowers might be superior to Zero Wing when it came to the number and quality of expert players, but in terms of Guild resources and income, Zero Wing was not the slightest bit inferior to ordinary superpowers.
"Guild Leader, in that case, why do we need to employ the Hell Legion? In any case, the Starlight Fortress shouldn't face any problems in the short term. During this time, so long as we can continuously transfer large batches of players over to the western continent, including the ten of us here, we won't need the Hell Legion to defend the Starlight Fortress at all," Aqua Rose explained.
She did not doubt Shi Feng's ability to find more teleportation portals. After all, he had created plenty of miracles before.
However, she still felt that employing the Hell Legion was a huge waste. After all, the Hell Legion operated only on the western continent. Meanwhile, unlocking the Mana Body was a difficult task. Rather than waste time helping other people unlock their Mana Bodies, it would be much better to help their own Guild's Tier 3 experts instead. That way, the Guild would receive even greater benefits.
"The Hell Legion is currently one of the strongest legions in God's Domain. How can I possibly waste their strength on guarding a fortress? I plan to bring them back with us," Shi Feng explained, chuckling when he saw the look of confusion on Aqua Rose's face.
There was no need for him to worry about the Starlight Fortress's security for the near term. After all, he had just defeated Mythology. Before the various superpowers gathered sufficient power, they wouldn't dare do anything against the Starlight Fortress unless they no longer wished to mingle in Star Valley.
"They're returning with us?" Aqua Rose was momentarily stunned when she heard Shi Feng's words. "But we can send back only ten people each week. The Hell Legion has 300 members."
They were talking about 300 players! They would need 30 weeks just to get the entire legion to the eastern continent!
"Of course. Why would I employ them otherwise?" Shi Feng retorted, smiling. "The ancient teleportation portal might be our only way of traveling from the eastern continent to the western continent, but we're not limited to just one method of travel if it's the other way around."
Other powers could only rely on ancient teleportation portals to travel between the two main continents. However, Zero Wing was a different story. If that weren't the case, he would never have made such a promise to Netherworld Empire.
"Is it really possible?" For a moment, Aqua Rose felt as if Shi Feng was joking.
"Relax. However, there's also no need for us to rush to return right now, either. We still need to wait for Divine Tribe to finish collecting the rare materials we need," Shi Feng said confidently.
After witnessing the Starlight Fortress's effects and obtaining the Heavenly Blue Saint's Legacy, he had given this matter careful thought. Although he didn't know why, traveling between the two main continents was incredibly difficult. However, for some reason, players in the various Otherworlds had a very easy time traveling to the two main continents.
Taking advantage of this point, he was fully capable of bringing everyone to an Otherworld first, then returning to the eastern continent via said Otherworld.
Opening a path to an Otherworld might be difficult for other people, but it was a simple task for Shi Feng.
This was because he possessed the Legendary item Moloch's Ring. With Moloch's Ring, he could open a Gate of Darkness and arrive at the central area of the Dark Den. The Gate of Darkness did not place a limit on headcount. It merely had a time limit of three minutes, which was definitely enough to let 300 players pass through the gate.
Originally, Shi Feng had wanted to avoid using Moloch's Ring. After all, the more times he used the ring, the stronger it would become, and the less time he would have to prepare before it tried to devour him. However, if using the ring once meant that he could bring 300 Tier 3 experts back to the eastern continent, he would be more than happy to do so.
Following which, Shi Feng spent another day or so waiting inside the Starlight Fortress. During this time, he not only signed an employment contract with Netherworld Empire but also had Yan Tianxing and Yi Luofei familiarize themselves with the Starlight Fortress's Fortress Lord's Mansion and various other matters. He planned to have the two of them remain behind to manage the Starlight Fortress.
As to why he made such a decision, it was so that Zero Wing could manage the Starlight Fortress properly, as well as ensure the development of the adventurer alliance branch that would be established here. After all, when it came to managing adventurer teams, the two of them had a much better understanding than he did.
While he was doing all that, Fithalia and many other Divine Tribe experts had brought a ton of rare materials and nonbag space materials unique to the western continent over to the Starlight Fortress, the value of this batch of materials exceeding 3 million Magic Crystals. Shi Feng stored all of them inside his Epic Spatial Bag. Once he brought these things back to the eastern continent, he would definitely make a killing.
"Guild Leader, the Hell Legion and Fire Dance's group have already gathered," Aqua Rose reported as she met Shi Feng on the second-floor hall of the Fortress Lord's Mansion, a hint of skepticism in her tone. Even now, she still couldn't bring herself to believe that Shi Feng could transport over 300 players back to the eastern continent.
"Alright! Let's return to the eastern continent!"
Shi Feng could not help smiling when he saw Aqua Rose's expression. He then started incanting and summoned a Gate of Darkness in the second-floor hall. After the gate opened, he ushered everyone into it.
In no time at all, the crowded second-floor hall emptied out.Chapter 2508 - Changes to the Dark Den
In a rainforest at the periphery of the Dark Den's central area, a huge gate made entirely of black fog suddenly appeared. The frightening amount of energy the gate radiated prompted the Demonic Creatures nearby to retreat involuntarily as they stared nervously at the six-meter-tall gate.
After the gate opened up, figures of players walked out of it in quick succession.
"What kind of place is this? The gravitational force here is so strong. It practically rivals the Star Tomb's first floor's," Thunder Beast, who had just set foot into the rainforest, exclaimed in surprise.
The dense Power of Darkness enveloping this rainforest aside, just the high-gravity environment here was more than enough to halve a Tier 2 player's combat power. Even Tier 3 players, like Thunder Beast himself, were affected quite significantly.
"The Mana here is also very dense, close to 50% of the Mana found inside the Starlight Fortress. If we can engage in combat here long-term, it'll definitely provide significant help toward honing our Mana control," a Tier 3 Elementalist said excitedly.
Although the Starlight Fortress's ambient Mana was much denser than this rainforest's, combat was prohibited inside the fortress. However, in God's Domain, if players wished to improve themselves, the fastest way to do so would be by participating in life-or-death battles. Fighting in Mana-dense environments was particularly effective, as players would have a much easier time controlling their Mana, which would, in turn, allow them to practice and familiarize themselves with their Mana control more efficiently.
At this point, the eyes of the Hell Legion's members glowed with excitement.
This was because the rainforest teemed with monsters above Level 100. This place was an excellent location for not only training their Mana control but also grinding for levels.
Hell Rush and the others immediately understood why Shi Feng was so confident that he could help them fully unlock their Mana Bodies in one month. If they could fight in such an excellent environment, fully unlocking their Mana Bodies in one month would indeed be feasible.
Meanwhile, Aqua Rose, who had followed Shi Feng to the Dark Den, was similarly surprised by this situation.
She never thought that Shi Feng had actually kept such an excellent training ground hidden. The monsters here might not be very strong, with the majority of being Level 100 Chieftains and the strongest being Level 100-plus Great Lords, but the environment here made it the perfect location for newly promoted Tier 3 experts to train in.
"Guild Leader, you're too biased. You actually saved such an excellent location for others. If Zero Wing's members had grinded here as soon as they hit Level 100, we might've been able to double the number of Tier 3 experts we have by now," Aqua Rose grumbled.
Aqua Rose's complaint rendered Shi Feng, who had just set foot into the rainforest, at a loss for words because this place was completely different from the central area he knew!
Previously, when he used Moloch's Ring to teleport to the Dark Den's central area, he had arrived very close to the World Summit. Now, however, he couldn't even see the World Summit from where he stood. Moreover, his surroundings abounded with Demonic Creatures. The Mana density here was also considerably high. In addition, the world here seemed to have built up some resistance toward him, as he found that he currently couldn't exhibit his full strength.
Does the teleportation gate change destinations according to my tier or level?
After giving the matter some thought, Shi Feng concluded that his hypothesis was very likely to be correct, because he had arrived at different locations during his first and second use of the Gate of Darkness. Only, the difference was not particularly obvious, as he was teleported close to the World Summit on both instances. On the third instance, however, he was teleported to a completely foreign location, although still in the Dark Den's central area.
Shi Feng quickly shook his head, dismissing this matter.
He was using the Dark Den as a transit point to travel to the eastern continent. As they were going to leave the Dark Den very soon, it did not matter what kind of location they arrived in.
Unlike the Bible of Darkness's Gate of Darkness, Moloch's Ring's Gate of Darkness was a two-way teleportation gate.
In other words, so long as he opened Moloch's Ring's Gate of Darkness, anyone who was a part of his team could move freely between the two locations connected by the Gate of Darkness.
Hence, what he needed to do next was simple.
He just had to use White River City's Return Scroll in the Dark Den and return to White River City. Afterward, he would use Gate of Darkness once more and let Hell Rush and the others, who did not possess White River City's Return Scrolls, cross over to White River City.
Even if this method wasn't viable, he could still use the Bible of Darkness. Although the Bible of Darkness's Gate of Darkness had a 30-person limit, it was still a better option than relying on ancient teleportation arrays.
Right now, however, as Moloch's Ring was still on Cooldown, Shi Feng had the Hell Legion's members grind the surrounding Demonic Creatures and explore the rainforest. Although they wouldn't be here for long, the Dark Den was still a place created by Gods. Even without the World Summit, there were still plenty of treasures and opportunities here that could not be found in the outside world. If they were lucky, they might gain a significant harvest. At the very least, it would be much better than sitting around doing nothing for an entire day.
"Guild Leader, there's a town that's protected by a magic barrier right outside the rainforest. By the looks of it, quite a lot of players are gathered there," Fire Dance, who was scouting the vicinity, reported through the team chat.
A town protected by a magic array? Fire Dance's report piqued Shi Feng's interest. Is it one of the Dark Den's Shelters?
From what he knew, the Dark Den should have only Shelters, not towns or cities. Shelters operated differently from the NPC towns and cities found in the outside world. Every Shelter had its own unique abilities and produced its own specialty products. The higher-ranked a Shelter was, the better its specialty products.
Meanwhile, with the Shelter Fire Dance reported being in a Level 100-plus map, its rank was definitely very high.
Moreover, aside from specialty products, the Dark Den was also rich in Gemstones, which were in short supply on the main continent.
"Guild Leader, should we head over?" Fire Dance asked.
"Of course," Shi Feng said, nodding. "This is an opportunity to make a fortune."
Previously, Shi Feng had been incredibly busy. In addition, the Bible of Darkness was necessary to suppress Moloch's Ring, so he couldn't pass the Bible of Darkness to somebody else. As a result, aside from the occasional offline reports he received from Blue Frost and the others, it had been a very long time since Zero Wing had direct contact with the Dark Den.
Shi Feng had earned a lot of Magic Crystals and Coins via the Starlight Fortress. Just the Magic Crystals he currently had on hand exceeded 600,000, while his Coins totaled over 200,000 Gold. He could use this opportunity to purchase a bunch of items to resell on the eastern continent. Moreover, Attribute Gemstones were much more valuable than Magic Crystals and also much more useful to players.
Following which, Shi Feng led Aqua Rose and the other members of Zero Wing toward the Shelter Fire Dance found.
The Hell Legion's members showed no interest in the Shelter at all, opting to remain behind. They only wanted to continue grinding and honing their Mana control. After all, Shi Feng had already told them that they would be leaving this precious training ground soon. Hence, they needed to cherish this opportunity and improve themselves as much as possible.
The Shelter Fire Dance found was at the foot of a mountain range, with mountains at three of its four cardinal directions. Since Shelters were under constant assault from Demonic Creatures, it was undoubtedly strategically located.
As Shi Feng's group arrived within several hundred yards of the Shelter, he finally got a clear look at it.
Although this Shelter wasn't particularly large, only the size of an Advanced Town in the outside world, the defensive magic array protecting it was incredibly powerful, capable of resisting the attacks of Tier 4 monsters for a very long time. In a Level 100-plus map, a Shelter with a defensive magic array of such caliber would definitely be considered a very safe location.
This was also the reason why plenty of players resided in this Shelter. Shi Feng estimated that the Shelter could easily accommodate over 200,000 players.
A player population of 200,000 might not be anything significant compared to the towns found in the outside world, but in the Dark Den, with its low player population, this was a very frightening number.
Moreover, the residents of this Shelter were very strong. Even the lowest-level player Shi Feng had spotted was Level 104. At Level 106 and Level 107, the higher-level ones could rival the levels of the various superpowers' peak experts found in the outside world. The Shelter's players were also considerably well-equipped, with the weakest piece of equipment on them being Level 100 Mysterious-Iron rank and the majority being Level 100 Secret-Silver Equipment. Some experts were even fully geared in Level 100 Fine-Gold Weapons and Equipment. However, for some reason, most of the weapons and equipment of these players stopped at Level 100. Extremely few players sported Level 105 equipment. In fact, even Level 105 Mysterious-Iron Equipment was incredibly rare.
When Shi Feng's group arrived at the Shelter's entrance, a Level 106, Tier 3 female Swordsman who looked both beautiful and capable suddenly approached them.
"I believe you are Vice Guild Leader Blue Frost's teammates? I have been waiting for you for a long time now!" the female Swordsman said excitedly. "May I know when Vice Guild Leader Frost will arrive?"
"Blue Frost?" Shi Feng could not help growing confused at this situation.
The female Swordsman before him was considerably strong. Not only was she at the Flowing Water Realm standard, but she was also just one small step shy of the Void Realm standard.
When the female Swordsman saw the confusion on Shi Feng's face, she pointed at the six-winged emblem he wore and asked strangely, "Are you not Vice Guild Leader Frost's companions?"
At this stage of the game, Tier 3 players were still incredibly rare, and Tier 3 players wearing Zero Wing's Guild Emblem were even rarer. Hence, she had concluded that Shi Feng's group should be Blue Frost's companions.
"We are indeed companions, but probably not in the way you think we are," Shi Feng explained.
"So, Vice Guild Leader Frost's team still couldn't make it in time?" The female Swordsman grew a little dejected when she heard Shi Feng's words.
Meanwhile, as soon as this female Swordsman finished speaking, a clear and pleasant voice suddenly came from a short distance away.
"Graceful, I told you long ago that rather than inviting Zero Wing's Blue Frost, it would be much better to invite Crimson Emperor's Vice Guild Leader Fantasy, yet you refused to listen! Now, we're doomed!"Chapter 2509 - Struggle over a Bronze Teleportation Gate
"Purple, why are you here?" When the female Swordsman named Graceful Monarch turned toward the clear and pleasant voice, joy and surprise flashed across her eyes.
In the next moment, a beautiful Level 107, Tier 3 female Elementalist, dressed in light-blue robes and holding a dark- purple wooden staff, walked over to Graceful Monarch. Similar to Graceful Monarch, this female Elementalist was almost at the Void Realm. However, in the female Elementalist's presence, the surrounding Mana was much tamer than before, looking as if it had found its owner.
The appearance of this female Elementalist immediately caught the attention of the surrounding players; everyone turned to look at her, many of the female players present eyeing her with awe and worship.
"What?! Purple Rakshasa?! She actually came here?!"
"It seems our Extreme Light Shelter has hope of protecting our Bronze Teleportation Gate this time."
"That's only natural. After all, Purple Rakshasa is one of the Dark Den's Three Great Elementalists, just like Shelter One's Blue Frost. Although she just got promoted to the position recently, she's not the slightest bit weaker than Blue Frost. With her youth, she might even surpass Blue Frost and become the number one Elementalist in the Dark Den."
As the various experts present looked at the luxuriously dressed Tier 3 female Elementalist, they broke into a heated discussion among themselves. The originally tense atmosphere enveloping the Shelter also lightened considerably due to her appearance.
Purple Rakshasa? When Shi Feng looked at the female Elementalist who looked like a prideful female leopard, he, too, was surprised. He never thought that he would meet her, one of God's Domain's famous Twelve Sacred Elementalists.
During Shi Feng's previous life, Blue Frost had served as one of the capable generals of Fantasy Shrine and received the first-rate Guild's full support. This was the reason why he had managed to become a Tier 5 expert in God's Domain. Purple Rakshasa, however, had spent her entire career in God's Domain as an independent player, yet not only did she manage to reach Tier 5, but she had even become one of the publicly acknowledged Twelve Sacred Elementalists.
Back then, aside from Tier 6 God-ranked experts, there was nobody capable of doing anything against Purple Rakshasa. The only unfortunate thing was that Purple Rakshasa had not come across sufficient fortuitous opportunities. Otherwise, she might have become a Tier 6 Mage God.
While Shi Feng's group was observing Purple Rakshasa, the latter had simply glanced at Shi Feng's group before returning her attention to Graceful Monarch, mindless of the fact that Shi Feng's group of ten consisted entirely of Tier 3 players.
Currently, Tier 3 players might still be very powerful, but they were no longer as rare as before. Moreover, there were stark differences between players even after reaching Tier 3, unlike when players were still at Tier 2.
The reason for this was the difference in Mana Body rank.
If players merely completed the most basic trial when challenging their Tier 3 Promotion Quest, their strength would not increase by much. Meanwhile, the majority of the Tier 3 experts she normally saw had gotten promoted to Tier 3 using this method.
Such Tier 3 experts might be unreachable existences in the eyes of ordinary players, but for experts of her caliber, such Tier 3 experts were no different from ordinary Tier 2 experts. They merely had a few more Basic Attributes than their Tier 2 counterparts.
"The Extreme Light Shelter's Bronze Teleportation Gate is our lifeline to the outside world. If we really let Guilds from the outside world monopolize it, then local players like ourselves will be doomed. I naturally have to put in some effort into defending it," Purple Rakshasa said as she faced Graceful Monarch.
"I understand. But both Blue Frost and yourself are Elementalists. The combat power you two can exhibit in a team battle is several times greater than what physical classes like myself are capable of. If we have the two of you helping us, the Extreme Light Shelter will have a much greater chance of successfully defending the Bronze Teleportation Gate," Graceful Monarch said, sighing.
If the upcoming battle were merely a small-scale team battle, she would be confident of the Extreme Light Shelter emerging victorious. Unfortunately, the battle over the Bronze Teleportation Gate's management rights was a large- scale war that would involve hundreds of thousands of players. It was not a battle that melee players like herself could hope to make a difference in.
However, it was a different story for magical class players. This was especially true for Blue Frost and Purple Rakshasa, two of the Dark Den's Three Great Elementalists. Both of them possessed plenty of Tier 3 large-scale destruction Spells, which would be extremely valuable in the upcoming war.
It was no exaggeration to say that just one of them could contribute as much as several dozen melee experts like Graceful Monarch herself. Otherwise, she wouldn't have sought out Blue Frost to manage the Bronze Teleportation Gate together.
"Blue Frost's team is indeed very strong. This is especially true if those several lunatics are participating, as well. However, if you think you can win against the outside world's superpowers in the upcoming war by relying just on them, you're in for a rude awakening. You don't know how powerful the outside world's superpowers are," Purple Rakshasa said, shaking her head. "Even with my current self, I can barely hold my own against two or three peak experts belonging to superpowers simultaneously. As for the various superpowers' Domain Realm monsters, I'd have trouble surviving against one of them. However, each of these superpowers has several Domain Realm monsters."
They have several experts that even you can't defeat?" Graceful Monarch's eyes widened in shock when she heard Purple Rakshasa's words.
After all, Purple Rakshasa could trounce over a dozen Tier 3 experts by herself. Even the peak experts of first-rate Guilds were no match for her.
Graceful Monarch found it truly hard to believe that the outside world's superpowers had multiple experts that surpassed Purple Rakshasa.
"Mhm. I met a lot of experts during my last visit to the outside world. I have to admit that the combat standards there are much higher than the Dark Den's. We only have an advantage when it comes to Tier 3 Skills and Spells, as well as Level 100 weapons and equipment," Purple Rakshasa said humbly.
"What should we do, then? If what you say is true, our Shelter doesn't stand a chance," Graceful Monarch said, frowning.
Although she had long since known that the outside world's superpowers were not simple, she never thought that they were this strong.
"Hence, like I said before, partnering with Vice Guild Leader Fantasy is our best option. With Crimson Emperor's help, we can easily secure our hold over the Bronze Teleportation Gate and gain more time for preparations," Purple Rakshasa advised. She then glanced at Shi Feng's group before continuing, "Otherwise, even if Shelter One's experts arrive, we will still lose the gate."
"It seems we have no choice but that," Graceful Monarch said, consenting to Purple Rakshasa's suggestion. She knew that the Elementalist never lied. Hence, when she saw the serious expression on Purple Rakshasa's face, she understood that the chances of the Extreme Light Shelter winning without Crimson Emperor's help was minuscule.
Following which, Graceful Monarch had Purple Rakshasa contact Crimson Emperor's side before turning her attention to Shi Feng's group.
"I apologize for mistaking your identities before. I also hope that you don't take Purple Rakshasa's words to heart. She's not looking down on Zero Wing. It's just that the Extreme Light Shelter's future is at stake right now. As compensation,
I can represent the Extreme Light Shelter in offering you a 20% discount on all expenditures inside the Shelter today. However, as the Extreme Light Shelter will be fighting a war soon, I advise you not to stay for too long. Otherwise, you're likely to get embroiled in the fight. If that happens, you'll have a difficult time leaving," Graceful Monarch said in an apologetic tone to Shi Feng.
Meanwhile, just as Shi Feng was about to say something, Purple Rakshasa suddenly walked over with an excited look on her face.
"Graceful, good news. Vice Guild Leader Fantasy and her team has arrived already. She says that she'll be here soon. At that time, you can negotiate the partnership with her," Purple Rakshasa said, looking at Graceful Monarch.
Shortly after Purple Rakshasa finished speaking, a group of players appeared on the street some distance away. Standing at the head of this group of players was a female Cleric with a charming appearance. The arrival of this group of players caused an uproar among the nearby players.
This was because every member of this 100-man team was actually a Tier 3 player. The number of Tier 3 experts in this team almost equaled the total Tier 3 player population of the Extreme Light Shelter.