Reincarnation of The Strongest Sword God

2530-2539

Chapter 2530 - Normal State?

As soon as Shi Feng finished speaking, silence fell over the area.

A provocation!

This was a blatant provocation!

"This guy must be insane! He actually intends to become enemies with Demon's Heart!"

"He dares slap Demon's Heart's face as well?"

"He's dead for sure now! Even if Demon's Heart wants to let him off the hook, Rebellious Thunder definitely won't let him get away with this!"

The spectating Demon players were flabbergasted by Shi Feng's unyielding behavior. They never thought that he would react that way.

In their opinion, Shi Feng and his team's reaching Demon City's front door was already a plenty amazing feat. In fact, their achievement had even dragged down Demon's Heart's prestige significantly. After accomplishing all this, Shi Feng should've wisely retreated instead of pushing the envelope. After all, Demon's Heart was far stronger than Demon City's top three adventurer teams. Even the Ten Saints Empire's various superpowers did not dare to offend the Guild.

Moreover, it had always been impossible for Shi Feng to fulfill his goal of killing Troubled Times in Demon City. Although Demon City might seem like a player-constructed city, it was, in reality, a partial-NPC city. The city was protected not only by players but also by quite a number of Great Demon NPCs—including a Great Demon Monarch. The Demon Monarch was a bona fide Demon Marquis and was one of the Seventy-two Great Demon Marquises of God's Domain, only one rank below the highest rank of Duke. It was not an existence that current players could hope to go up against at all. With the Demon Monarch protecting Demon City, breaking into the city and killing Troubled Times would be absolutely impossible.

Meanwhile, after Rebellious Thunder heard Shi Feng's words, his complexion darkened immediately.

"Guild Leader Black Flame, it seems you are intent on challenging Demon's Heart's bottom line!" Rebellious Thunder snarled as he glared at Shi Feng. "Since you wish for battle, I'll fulfill your wish!"

Suddenly, dense darkness energy flowed out of Rebellious Thunder's body, and his body started undergoing a significant transformation. Not only did he double in size, but pitch-black demonic patterns also appeared all over his body. At the same time, the intensity of the aura he radiated skyrocketed, the aura so strong that the spectating Demon players gasped in shock.

"Amazing! So, this is the strength of a Demon Count?"

"The Power of Darkness he radiates is so strong! It's practically denser than the Great Demon NPCs' inside the city! Just how powerful will his Demon Skills become with such a strong Power of Darkness?"

Black Flame is doomed now."

The spectating Demon players exclaimed in shock at Rebellious Thunder's transformation. Although they had long since known that Demon City's two Guilds possessed Demon Count-level experts, they had never seen a Demon Count in action before. They only knew that the Count rank was a major turning point for Demon players and that players couldn't reach the rank without frightening strength and resources.

Looking at Rebellious Thunder now, however, rather than calling the Count rank a major turning point, calling it a leap in tiers would be more apt.

At this moment, even with only ordinary Identification Skills, one would realize that Rebellious Thunder transcended the realm of ordinary. Just his current HP was as high as 6 million; previously, his HP was only a little more than 1 million. Aside from HP, Rebellious Thunder should've also received a similarly massive boost to his Defense, Basic Attributes, and physique after Demonification.

After Rebellious Thunder activated Demonification, Regretful Wind and the other spectators in the bar near Demon City's main entrance were shocked.

"Sure enough, a Demon Count really is frightening! It's no wonder those two Guilds have been keeping all information about the rank a secret all this time!" Helpless Smile looked enviously at Rebellious Thunder, who now rivaled a Tier 4 Great Demon in terms of strength. "Now, not only has Rebellious Thunder transformed into a Demon Count, but he also wields Cruel Darkness, one of the Demon race's 16 Magic Weapons. He also has Demon City's buff, which all Demon players get. With all that, I'm afraid that aside from those three people, nobody in the entire Demon City is his match."

Rebellious Thunder was originally a monster-level expert working for a Super Guild. However, after entering God's Domain, Demon's Heart had poached him by offering a munificent package. With the help of Cruel Darkness, the Magic Weapon Demon's Heart had obtained, Rebellious Thunder became so strong that he was practically invincible among players of the same tier. In fact, during the war with Battle Wolves, Rebellious Thunder had single-handedly fought against three monster-level experts; back then, he was still only a Demon Viscount.

Now that Rebellious Thunder had been promoted to a Demon Count, Helpless Smile couldn't even begin to imagine how powerful he had become.

"Rebellious Thunder won't have an easy time dealing with Black Flame, though. After all, Black Flame suppressed Poison Heart even after Poison Heart had transformed into a Great Demon," Regretful Wind said as he looked at the Demonized Rebellious Thunder. "I believe it's going to be a tough battle."

Regretful Wind had personally experienced Shi Feng's terror. Even if Rebellious Thunder was powerful, the Elementalist did not think that Rebellious Thunder could easily defeat Shi Feng.

Flame Feather nodded in agreement with Regretful Wind's words.

Previously, Shi Feng had behaved as if Demon's Heart's existence was nothing to him. However, the Swordsman indeed possessed the strength and qualifications to do so.

Meanwhile, as Regretful Wind and the others were discussing Rebellious Thunder, the person in question had taken the pitch-black greatsword hung on his back in hand and swung it at Shi Feng.

The instant Rebellious Thunder swung his greatsword, the Power of Darkness enveloping his body seemed to find a vent; it surged into the greatsword, doubling the power and attack range of the greatsword. Now, the attack was so powerful that it cut apart even space, leaving a pitch-black trail behind the greatsword.

In response, Shi Feng unsheathed Killing Ray and executed Lightshadow.

Boom!

The instant the two blades collided, dazzling sparks sprang forth. The frightening impact also caused the ground beneath the two players' feet to shatter, and the sound of the impact echoed throughout Demon City.

In the next moment, Shi Feng stumbled half a step back, his HP decreasing by merely a few thousand. To Shi Feng, who possessed over 1 million HP, this amount of damage was negligible.

"Impossible! That guy only lost by a little even after receiving the vice commander's full-powered blow?!"

Upon seeing this outcome, both the spectating Demon players and Demon's Heart's members could not help being stupefied. This was especially true for Demon's Heart's members, whose eyes very nearly fell out of their sockets at this scene.

As they watched Rebellious Thunder about to clash with Shi Feng, they had considered a few methods that might allow the Swordsman to neutralize Rebellious Thunder's attack. For example, Shi Feng could use a Lifesaving Skill or a special tool. However, they never thought that he would receive Rebellious Thunder's attack directly and even block it with such ease.

At this moment, let alone everyone else, even Rebellious Thunder himself was stunned by this outcome.

What happened?

Even before he had risen to the Demon Count rank, with Cruel Darkness's power, he was already invincible among those of the same tier. Now, despite being a Demon Count and activating Demonification, he was actually only slightly stronger than Shi Feng.

However, Rebellious Thunder quickly snapped out of his daze.

"It seems you're not all talk, after all!" Rebellious Thunder praised. "But, so what if you can block my attack? You'll still lose if you only remain on the defensive!"

As soon as Rebellious Thunder finished speaking, however, Shi Feng suddenly returned Killing Ray to its sheath.

"As expected of an expert who has reached the rank of Demon Count. Your Strength has already surpassed that of ordinary Mythic monsters," Shi Feng said as he looked at Rebellious Thunder. "It seems I really am not a match for you Demon players when you have the home-ground advantage and I am in my normal state."

"Normal state?" Rebellious Thunder chuckled when he heard Shi Feng's words. "Do you think you can transform into a Demon too?"

While inside Demon territories, players couldn't use Berserk Skills. Of course, Demon players were no exception to this rule. However, Demon players could use Demonification to elevate their strength. This was why the Ten Saints Empire's various superpowers could never do anything against Demon City. Only Battle Wolves was stubborn enough to attempt a crusade against Demon City.

"I can't," Shi Feng said, chuckling as he looked at Rebellious Thunder. "However, my doppelganger can."

After saying so, Shi Feng drew the pitch-black sword hanging from his waist.

Chapter 2531 - Black Dragon

The Abyssal Blade Shi Feng wielded looked like a gemstone of darkness. Adorned with glowing, crimson patterns, the sword gave off a bewitching feeling.

The instant Shi Feng unsheathed the Abyssal Blade, a doppelganger appeared beside him. In terms of aura and appearance, the doppelganger was utterly identical to him.

"His trump card is a doppelganger?"

"And here I thought he had something amazing saved up. He's not thinking that he can defeat Vice Commander Thunder just by relying on a doppelganger, which would have weaker Basic Attributes than himself, right?"

Upon seeing Shi Feng's doppelganger, Demon's Heart's members burst into laughter.

In God's Domain, Doppelganger Skills were indeed excellent lifesaving measures. They were also extremely rare Skills that could drastically increase the combat power of players. However, Doppelganger Skills were generally useful only against monsters and ordinary experts, gainst experts of Rebellious Thunder's caliber, using doppelgangers was utterly meaningless.

Not to mention, Rebellious Thunder had Cruel Darkness to further amplify his strength. The Magic Weapon grew through absorbing the Power of Darkness its user radiated. In return, the weapon not only provided its user with a significant boost in strength but also extended its user's attack range drastically. When Rebellious Thunder wielded it, he could achieve an attack range of roughly 20 yards, which basically transformed him into a ranged player.

With such an attack range combined with Rebellious Thunder's Strength and techniques, it wouldn't matter if he went up against one or even five melee players. There wouldn't be much difference, as he wouldn't give his opponents an opportunity to get close to him.

Meanwhile, if a melee player couldn't approach Rebellious Thunder, they naturally couldn't attack him, either. This was the reason why Rebellious Thunder was able to fight three of Battle Wolves' Domain Realm experts simultaneously without being put at a disadvantage.

Since Shi Feng had summoned only one doppelganger, this increase in numbers wouldn't affect Rebellious Thunder's performance in battle at all.

"Although I don't know what you're trying to pull here, you should just use whatever cards you have," Rebellious Thunder advised. Even after seeing Shi Feng summoning a doppelganger, he did not hurry to attack Shi Feng. Instead, he simply casually observed the Swordsman before him. "I'll teach you how foolish it is for you to make an enemy out of Demon's Heart!"

After Rebellious Thunder said this, the Power of Darkness that his body radiated intensified once more. This time, it even produced a faint layer of dark fog around his body.

At the same time, the Magic Weapon he wielded seemingly received an upgrade. Now, pale-blue flames flickered around Cruel Darkness's blade. However, these flames did not increase the ambient temperature but decrease it. The temperature fell so low that the nearby plants even started freezing.

"He can still grow stronger?"

"Amazing! This is truly amazing! It's no wonder even the top three adventurer teams do not dare defy Demon's Heart! Just Rebellious Thunder alone is more than enough to make the top three adventurer teams suffer!"

Upon seeing Rebellious Thunder's strength improving further, the Demon players spectating from the city walls gained newfound recognition of Demon's Heart. Many experts even started entertaining thoughts of joining the Guild.

Originally, they had become Dark Players to avoid the restrictions of Guilds. However, the strength Rebellious Thunder displayed was simply too amazing. Now, they felt that they wouldn't mind losing some of their freedom if it meant that they could become as strong as Rebellious Thunder.

At this moment, let alone the Demon players spectating from the city walls, even Regretful Wind and the others, who were watching inside one of the city's bars, were floored by Rebellious Thunder's sudden power-up.

"He still wasn't at his peak state before?" As Regretful Wind goggled at Rebellious Thunder's fog-shrouded body, he had trouble keeping his mouth closed.

Compared to ordinary Demon players, Regretful Wind, who had already reached the Demon Viscount rank, had a much clearer idea just how frightening the Power of Darkness Rebellious Thunder radiated was. It was no exaggeration to say that, even if he raised the density of his own Power of Darkness by three or four times, he would still fall short of Rebellious Thunder's standard.

Since the origin of Demon player^ strength was the Power of Darkness, having denser Power of Darkness would improve not only one's Concentration recovery but also the power of their Skills and Spells by a large margin. The Power of Darkness affected players similar to how Mana did—but with much more prominent effects.

"To think that a Demon Count can grow that strong. Black Flame really is doomed this time. I'm afraid he won't last more than a few moves against Rebellious Thunder," Flame Feather muttered in shock.

She was clearly a 3-star Viscount, only one step away from becoming a Count. However, it never occurred to her that there would be such a huge gap in strength between a 3-star Viscount and an actual Count. At this moment, let alone within Demon City's sphere of influence, even outside of Demon territories, Rebellious Thunder could still operate without fear.

Meanwhile, outside Demon City, when Blue Frost and the other Zero Wing members from Shelter One, who had followed Shi Feng to Demon City, saw Rebellious Thunder's transformation, grim expressions appeared on their faces.

"Blue, how about advising the Guild Leader to stop? We've already gone this far. I believe the Dark Den's various powers will understand how strong Shelter One is. However, if we proceed with this fight, our losses will be massive," Evening Lotus said as she looked at Blue Frost.

After seeing how easily their team reached Demon City, she had indeed gained newfound recognition of their Guild. She never thought that Zero Wing would be this strong.

However, their current opponent was no longer an existence they could deal with. Even though they had over 300 Tier 3 experts on their side, she wasn't optimistic about their chances of defeating Rebellious Thunder. After all, they were standing in the home ground of Demon players. Moreover, Rebellious Thunder had the protection of Demon City.

"Indeed. At this rate, rather than making a statement, we'll end up becoming a laughing stock in the Dark Den instead," Blue Frost said, nodding. He, too, felt that they had done enough.

Blue Frost immediately headed for Shi Feng to persuade him to end this battle of attrition.

However, he had just taken two steps forward when Shi Feng suddenly raised the Abyssal Blade horizontal of himself and started incanting.

The deafening roar of a Dragon entered everyone's ears and shook the entire Demon City. This Dragon roar made everyone present shudder involuntarily, and they reflexively turned to look at the origin of this roar.

To everyone's surprise, this roar actually came from the doppelganger Shi Feng summoned. At this moment, however, the doppelganger had started disintegrating into a cloud of black fog, which continuously expanded, growing by several hundred times in size in no time at all. A short moment later, a pair of gigantic, golden eyes appeared inside the black fog, the piercing gaze of the golden eyes sending shivers down everyone's spine.

"What's going on?"

"The doppelganger can actually transform?"

"The doppelganger's aura is so strong!"

The spectating players promptly started discussing among themselves when they saw the transformation Shi Feng's doppelganger underwent, curiosity and confusion filling their minds.

"It seems you weren't spouting nonsense before," Rebellious Thunder said. As he gazed at the dense cloud of fog before him, fighting spirit welled up within him.

However, no sooner had Rebellious Thunder finished speaking than a gigantic claw emerged from the cloud of fog. This claw was the size of a two-story house and densely covered in pitch-black scales. When the claw landed, it instantly shattered the ground. At the same time, everyone in the vicinity also felt the ground beneath them quaking.

Before everyone could snap out of their daze, a thirty-meter-tall Black Dragon appeared before their eyes.

"A Dragon?!"

Everyone's breath momentarily stifled as they gazed at the incarnation of death and destruction before them, unable to wrap their head around this situation.

"How is this possible?!"

"Why would a Dragon appear here?"

"That is fake! That must be fake!"

Chapter 2532 - Black Dragon's Might

Everyone instinctively refused to believe that a Dragon had appeared before them.

In God's Domain, Dragons were synonymous with destruction. They could easily destroy entire kingdoms and empires. Any location that had a Dragon appear there would automatically be viewed as a forbidden land for players; Demon players were no exception to this rule. Only death awaited them if they came across a Dragon.

Hence, how could a player possibly summon a Dragon?

However, the powerful aura and pressure, which stemmed from a massive difference in Life Rating, the Black Dragon gave off was undoubtedly real.

At this moment, aside from the Demon players present, Blue Frost and the others standing behind Shi Feng were likewise astonished by this situation. They never thought that their Guild Leader would possess such a trump card.

"No! Something's not right! That Dragon seems to be only at Tier 3! It's not a Tier 5 Adult Dragon!" a Tier 3 Demon Ranger, who had used an Identification Skill on the Black Dragon, suddenly shouted.

Upon hearing this Ranger's announcement, everyone immediately reacted to the situation.

"It really is a Tier 3 Dragon!"

"I knew it! I knew it was impossible for a player to summon an Adult Dragon!"

"Even so, that Black Flame is still plenty amazing. I'm afraid even the vice commander will be helpless against a Tier 3 Dragon."

When Demon's Heart's members saw that the Black Dragon was merely a Level 111, Tier 3 Infant Dragon, they breathed out a sigh of relief.

As far as they knew, most Dragons that appeared before players were Tier 5 Adult Dragons, and even the weakest among them were Tier 4 Infant Dragons. They were not existences that current players could hope to go up against.

However, a Tier 3 Infant Dragon was a different story.

The reason why Dragons were considered the apex race in God's Domain and possessed overwhelming strength was their incredibly high Life Rating and Growth Potential. They gained much more Basic Attributes than any other race from each level up. Every increase in their tier would also grant them a qualitative transformation. Hence, after reaching Tier 5 and becoming an adult, a Dragon would possess the strength to devastate countries.

A Tier 3 Dragon, on the other hand, might still be invincible among those of the same tier, but it posed a much-lesser threat than Dragons at Tier 4 or above.

"It's no wonder why you dare provoke Demon's Heart," Rebellious Thunder said as he looked at the Black Dragon looming above him. Currently, he, too, was feeling intense pressure from the Dragon. However, instead of despair rising, Rebellious Thunder's fighting spirit flared. He leaped toward the Black Dragon, shouting, "However, don't even think that a Tier 3 Dragon is enough to force Demon's Heart to step back!"

Dragons indeed possessed a strength that made them unrivaled among those of the same tier. However, a Demon Count, like himself, also possessed such strength. Moreover, he was currently wielding Cruel Darkness, one of the Demon race's 16 Magic Weapons. If he combined that with his techniques, he was confident he could fight even a Tier 3 Dragon.

In the next moment, Rebellious Thunder raised Cruel Darkness and executed a slash at the Black Dragon, with Power of Darkness wrapped around the greatsword. Space split apart wherever the greatsword passed.

Tier 3 Skill, Blazing Slash!

"What a powerful move! You can definitely send a Mythic monster flying with this move," Shi Feng said in admiration as he looked at the pitch-black greatsword descending toward the Black Dragon. "Unfortunately, you made a basic mistake. What you're going up against isn't an ordinary Tier 3 Dragon, but a Tier 3 Dragon that I am controlling!"

After Shi Feng said so, his doppelganger took action, sending a claw swinging at the descending greatsword.

Secret Technique, Lightning Flash!

The gigantic claw transformed into streaks of light that clashed with the pitch-black sword.

Boom...

Accompanied by the sound of an explosion, the pitch-black sword shattered, the frightening recoil sending Rebellious Thunder flying back like a cannonball. In the blink of an eye, Rebellious Thunder's body crashed into Demon City's curtain wall, his HP instantly decreasing by more than 300,000.

"How is that possible?!"

"How can a summoned creature use a combat technique?!"

For a time, everyone stared at the Black Dragon's proud figure in shock and confusion. In fact, the shock they felt right now was even greater than what they felt previously, when they thought Shi Feng had summoned a Tier 4 or Tier 5 Dragon.

In God's Domain, although players could summon and control powerful creatures to fight for them, after all was said and done, they weren't controlling their own bodies. Hence, they could only conduct subpar battles with their summoned creatures. Executing combat techniques that required nimble and precise movements from the physical body using a summoned creature would be beyond them.

Now, however, not only did Shi Feng execute a combat technique through the Black Dragon he summoned, but the complexity of the combat technique he executed was also extremely high. For a moment, everyone felt as if the system was playing a joke on them.

What no one knew was that Shi Feng had already reached the Realms of Truth's Ascension Realm. The control he possessed over his physical body had long since surpassed the standard of ordinary people. Although it was extremely difficult to execute Lightning Flash through the Black Dragon, he could, although just barely. However, the power of the technique was far inferior to when he executed the technique with his own body. Even so, combined with the power of the Black Dragon, it wasn't an attack Rebellious Thunder could block.

Meanwhile, after landing a successful blow, Shi Feng did not give Rebellious Thunder any opportunity to recollect himself. The Black Dragon immediately opened its maw at Rebellious Thunder.

Dragon Breath!

In the next moment, a dazzling beam of light devoured Rebellious Thunder, who was embedded in Demon City's wall, and brightly illuminated the area before Demon City's main entrance. The frightening shockwave of the attack vaporized all Demon's Heart members standing in the vicinity of the beam and shook the entire Demon City slightly. In fact, cracks even appeared on the city's sturdy walls.

Silence!

Destruction!

Death!

For a time, shock and fear filled everyone present, particularly the Demon's Heart members who just barely survived the shockwave of the Dragon Breath. They could not help but goggle in stunned silence at the steaming canyon that had formed beside them.

"So, this is a Dragon?"

Regretful Wind and the others who were spectating the fight from inside Demon City shuddered at this outcome.

After all, the Black Dragon was simply too strong!

With just one attack, the Black Dragon had instantly vaporized Rebellious Thunder, who was a Demon Count. The only thing left in Rebellious Thunder's place was a pitch-black blade.

Earlier, despite suffering from the Black Dragon's combat technique, Rebellious Thunder still had over 5 million HP remaining. Even if Rebellious Thunder simply stood in place without defending himself, a Tier 4 Mythic monster would still need quite some time to kill him. However, Shi Feng's Black Dragon had used only one attack to turn Rebellious Thunder into nothing.

"Run!"

When the Demon's Heart members snapped out of their daze, their originally calm and arrogant composure instantly crumbled, and they fled frantically toward Demon City.

What a joke!

Aside from Rebellious Thunder, everyone else in the team was only a Demon Viscount or Demon Baron. Since the Black Dragon could kill Rebellious Thunder with one hit, it could naturally do the same to them. In fact, the Black Dragon might only need a single claw swipe to finish off the rest of them.

Upon seeing this scene, the spectating Demon players were stupefied.

Were these fleeing players really the same Demon's Heart experts they knew of?

Normally, every one of Demon's Heart's members was an arrogant prick. They behaved as if they were entirely different creatures from other players. Even the members of Demon City's top three adventurer teams were afraid of Demon's Heart's experts.

Now, however, these same experts from Demon's Heart were actually fleeing from Shi Feng like mice that had just come across a cat. This was definitely the first time such a situation had happened since Demon City's construction. Even when going up against Battle Wolves, Demon's Heart's experts had not retreated even an inch.

Meanwhile, the shocking news of Rebellious Thunder's death and Demon's Heart's members' frantic retreat also quickly spread throughout Demon City.

Chapter 2533 - Siege?

Demon City, Demon's Heart's Residence:

"Rebellious Thunder died? How is that possible?"

Standing inside the darkness training room, Furious Heart was stunned when he heard his subordinate's report.

What happened?

Previously, in order to frighten off Shi Feng's team, he had specifically approved the decision to send Rebellious Thunder to meet with Shi Feng to warn the Swordsman to leave Demon City and offer the possibility of a future partnership between their two Guilds.

Now, however, he had received news that not only had Shi Feng refused their kind offer, but Rebellious Thunder had also died.

"There must be some kind of miscommunication. Rebellious Thunder is a Demon Count. With his strength, let alone Zero Wing's experts, he wouldn't have any problems going up against even the Five Great Super Guilds' old monsters. Moreover, he was standing before Demon City's entrance. He should've still had the buff from the city's magic array. How could he possibly have been killed?" the black-clad Elder, who was a Tier 3 Demon Viscount, exclaimed in astonishment.

Rebellious Thunder was one of Demon's Heart's strongest experts. While inside Demon City, he could fight even Tier 4 NPCs. It was also due to Rebellious Thunder's presence that the Guild Leader and Vice Guild Leader had left on a distant expedition without worrying about Demon City's affairs.

Now, however, he was being told that Rebellious Thunder had died. How could he possibly believe this?

"News of this matter has already spread throughout the city. Moreover, the fight was recorded by many players," the Tier 3 Assassin who had come to report on this matter said with a bitter smile as he faced Furious Heart and the other Guild Elders present.

Previously, he had also denied the validity of this information when he received the report of his subordinate. However, after watching the battle videos going viral on the official forums, he had no choice but to believe it. He then shared one of the better videos recorded with the Guild Elders present.

In the video, a thirty-meter-tall Black Dragon could be seen sending the Demonized Rebellious Thunder flying with a combat technique. Immediately afterward, the Black Dragon vaporized Rebellious Thunder and created a small canyon before Demon City using its Dragon Breath...

When the video ended, silence fell over the entire training room.

"So, this thing was the cause of the previous shaking?" Furious Heart's complexion turned grim as he gazed at the Black Dragon in the video.

A Dragon!

Although the Black Dragon was only a Tier 3 Infant Dragon, it possessed astonishing strength. If the Black Dragon could kill even a monster like Rebellious Thunder in a single hit, aside from the Guild Leader and Vice Guild Leader Flaming Light, nobody in Demon's Heart posed a threat to it.

"Elder Heart, what should we do? If Black Flame is capable of killing even Vice Commander Thunder, I'm afraid he can kill me easily once he enters the city," Troubled Times said worriedly after witnessing the Black Dragon's strength.

Troubled Times never dreamed that Shi Feng would have such a frightening trump card saved up. He had clearly fled to a Demon territory already. Non-Demon players couldn't use any Berserk Skills here. However, Shi Feng actually had the ability to transform his doppelganger into a Dragon. For a moment, Troubled Times had a feeling that the Main God System was playing a joke on him.

"Commander Troubled, you don't have to worry too much. Black Flame's trump card might be powerful, but the duration in which his doppelganger can remain in Dragon form should be very limited. The transformation will last for a few minutes, at most," Furious Heart said calmly. "Moreover, he can only strut around outside Demon City. Without our invitation, he shouldn't even think of entering. All you need to do is rest inside our Residence and wait until the tracking mark on you disappears."

"That's right. He is merely a human player. Even if he can summon a Dragon, it is merely a Tier 3 Dragon. It might be strong against players like us, but it is far from sufficient for dealing with the Demon NPCs inside the city. Not to mention, Demon City still has a defensive magic array. Non-Demon players without an invitation can't enter the city. You can relax and rest here," the black-clad Demon Viscount Elder said, nodding in agreement with Furious Heart's words. "Once the Guild Leader and Vice Guild Leader return, Black Flame is doomed!"

Rebellious Thunder's death was indeed surprising. The fact that Shi Feng could summon a Dragon was even more shocking.

However, this was only at the standard of players. Before the NPCs of God's Domain, these things were nothing. Not to mention, they were currently standing inside Demon City.

Demon City was far more powerful than the NPC cities found in the outside world. It had not only an army of Demon NPCs defending it but also the protection of one of the Demon race's 72 Great Demon Marquises.

Let alone Zero Wing, even if all of the Ten Saints Empire's superpowers joined hands, they still wouldn't be capable of taking down Demon City.

All Shi Feng's team could do was act arrogantly outside Demon City. Once Demon's Heart's main force returned, Shi Feng's team would have nowhere to run!

"That's a Dragon we're talking about. Can Demon City's defensive magic array really stop it?" Troubled Times could not help asking worriedly. He wasn't doubting Furious Heart. It was just that Shi Feng was far too frightening. After all, the Swordsman had survived an attack from a Demon King's Hand. Troubled Times truly could not bring himself to relax in this situation.

"This is Demon City. A Tier 4 Dragon might be a different story, but a Tier 3 Dragon can, at most, roar at the city. We don't need to pay Black Flame any mind," Furious Heart assured him confidently.

The other Demon's Heart members present rolled their eyes at Troubled Times's anxious behavior. The reason why Demon players like themselves could establish themselves in the Ten Saints Empire was precisely the helplessness of the empire's various superpowers against Demon City. Those superpowers could only watch from the sidelines as the city developed rapidly. Anyone who said that Shi Feng could break through the city's defenses all by himself would be joking.

While Troubled Times and Demon's Heart's Elders were discussing this matter, the players residing in Demon City had gone into an uproar.

"Amazing! The Black Dragon actually managed to instant-kill Rebellious Thunder under Demon City's protection! This is the first time Demon's Heart suffered such a loss since Demon City's construction!"

"It's no wonder Demon's Heart offered such an astronomical bounty before. Zero Wing really isn't a force to be trifled with."

"Even the Ten Saints Empire's various superpowers are helpless against Demon's Heart. Just what kind of Guild is Zero Wing?"

Due to Rebellious Thunder's death, the players inside Demon City grew interested in Zero Wing. Many adventurer teams had even started looking into Zero Wing in order to find out what kind of Guild it was.

As Demon City's resident players were making a fuss over this matter, Shi Feng manipulated the Black Dragon and had it fly above Demon City and hover above Demon's Heart's Residence.

This situation created another stir among Demon City's resident players.

"What is he trying to do?"

He's not trying to break into the city, right?"

"This is Demon City. How can players possibly enter it by force? He's probably trying to scare us."

The players inside Demon's Heart's Residence also quickly took notice of the thirty-meter-tall Black Dragon. For a time, everyone there discussed the Black Dragon, wondering what Shi Feng was trying to do.

"Elder Heart, the defensive magic array shouldn't have a problem stopping the Dragon, right?" Troubled Times could not help asking as he eyed the Black Dragon in the sky.

"Relax. If it's only capable of executing attacks like the one before, Black Flame shouldn't even think of getting into the city, even if he attacks for an hour continuously," Furious Heart replied. Turning to look at the Black Dragon in the sky, he continued in a disdainful tone, "Vice Guild Leader Light has already received the news about Black Flame. He'll be returning with his team very soon. Black Flame can only act arrogantly for now."

However, as soon as Furious Heart finished speaking, Shi Feng's voice suddenly came from above the city.

"Troubled Times, don't think that Demon City can protect you!"

In the next moment, a frightening amount of Mana started gathering before the Black Dragon, the area within a 300- yard radius of the Black Dragon getting depleted of Mana.

First Sword, Lightshadow!

Chapter 2534 - Frightened Demons

"What?! He's really going to siege the city!?"

"This is Demon City we're talking about! Is he insane!?"

When the resident players of Demon City heard Shi Feng's words, they were stunned. They never thought that Shi Feng actually intended to attack Demon City directly. This revelation was as if someone had just told them that there were players seeking to attack the capital city of an NPC kingdom. This had to be a joke.

In the next moment, however, the Black Dragon ruthlessly smashed its claw into the magic barrier protecting the city. The instant the claw started descending, it transformed into a gigantic phantom claw that blotted out the sky.

Boom!

The sky thundered and the earth shook when the phantom claw collided with the translucent barrier. The intense shockwaves even shattered the surrounding space like glass. The power of this claw attack was many times greater than that of the Dragon Breath the Black Dragon used before.

"What power!" Regretful Wind, who had just exited the bar he visited, was shocked as he looked at the trembling magic barrier above him. "Demon City's defensive magic array doesn't react so violently even when a Tier 4 NPC goes all-out! Just how strong is that Black Dragon's attack?"

There was nobody in Demon City that did not know how strong Demon City's defensive magic array was.

When Demon City was first constructed, the Ten Saints Empire had once dispatched an NPC army to attack it. Back then, however, even when multiple Tier 4 NPCs bombarded the city's defensive magic array with everything they had, the magic array didn't vibrate at all. The NPC army broke through the city's defensive magic array only with the help of a Tier 5 Divine Official.

The Black Dragon Shi Feng summoned, on the other hand, was only Tier 3. At best, its strength should only be on par with Tier 4 NPCs. Now, however, the Black Dragon had actually made Demon City's magic barrier shake so violently with just a single attack. This situation was simply unbelievable.

"Insane! He must be insane!" Flame Feather was confused when she saw the Black Dragon bombarding the city's magic barrier. "By attacking the magic barrier, he's basically declaring his intent to siege the city! Even Battle Wolves didn't dare do such a thing! With this, Demon's Heart's members won't be the only ones taking action! Demon City's NPCs will take action as well! Does Black Flame not know this!?"

It might be fine if Demon City were just a Guild City. After all, Guild Cities fully belonged to players. However, NPCs partially owned Demon City.

This was why Demon players like herself were confident that there were no players capable of threatening Demon City's continued existence at this stage of the game.

Back when Battle Wolves sent its army on a crusade against Demon City, it had only set out to kill the Demon players operating around Demon City, which would, in turn, weaken Demon City's strength. It had never intended to attack Demon City directly.

Now, however, Shi Feng had actually attacked Demon City's magic barrier. He was simply tired of living.

Meanwhile, inside Demon's Heart's Residence, when Troubled Times saw the city's magic barrier still standing despite suffering multiple attacks from the Black Dragon, he breathed out a sigh of relief. Previously, he had very nearly thought that Shi Feng would shatter the city's magic barrier.

Fortunately, the Black Dragon's attacks were only making the barrier tremble. In other words, the Black Dragon's attacks were still within the barrier's range of tolerance.

"He really took action?" Furious Heart was stunned by this situation. He never thought that Shi Feng would actually attack Demon City directly.

"Hahaha! He's doomed now! By the time the Vice Guild Leader returns, the city's Great Demon NPCs would've long since taken care of him!" laughed the black-clad Elder standing beside Furious Heart.

Originally, their side had been helpless against Shi Feng. The only thing they could do was hide inside Demon City's protection and await their Vice Guild Leader's team's return.

However, Shi Feng had lost all reason and actually launched an attack on Demon City. With this, all they needed to do now was sit back and watch the city's Great Demon NPCs dispose of Shi Feng.

These Great Demon NPCs were much stronger than human NPCs. The Demon Monarch that ruled the city was even a frightening existence on par with the Heroes of humans. Current players would be helpless against him.

"Guild Leader?"

At this moment, let alone the resident players of Demon City, even Blue Frost and the others following after Shi Feng were stunned by this situation.

In their opinion, it would've been perfect if they could somehow sneak into Demon City and leave swiftly. They never thought that Shi Feng would actually take direct action against Demon City!

However, before Blue Frost and the others could react, over a dozen Great Demons flew out of Demon City. Not only were all these Great Demons at Level 130 or above, but they also radiated a stifling aura. This was especially true for the dignified man flying in the lead of the group of Great Demons.

The man wore exquisite, crimson armor and held an icy war axe in his hand. And surprisingly, he looked nothing like a Demon and very much like a human. However, if one used an Identification Skill on this man, they would discover that he wasn't human at all but a bona fide Demon. Moreover, he was a Great Demon with an extremely prestigious Bloodline.

[Morpheus (Demon Monarch)] (Great Demon, 2-star Demon Marquis) Level 135

HP 700,000,000/700,000,000

The Great Demons quickly surrounded the Black Dragon, leaving it with no room to escape.

"Dragon! This is the Demon race's city! You don't belong here!" Morpheus declared in a cold tone as he looked at the Black Dragon.

Meanwhile, upon hearing Morpheus's words, the resident players of Demon City promptly went into an uproar. "Quick, look! Our City Lord is taking action!"

"Black Flame is overestimating himself! Not only did he offend Demon's Heart, but he also dared to touch Demon City! He's doomed now!"

"Black Flame really is courageous. However, I wonder how long he'll be able to stand up against Morpheus?"

NPCs rarely took action against players. Hence, many players were curious to see the strength of NPCs, especially Demon NPCs.

Now that there was an opportunity to watch Demon NPCs fight a monster-level expert like Shi Feng, everyone naturally grew excited.

In response to this situation, Demon's Heart's members started smiling.

With over a dozen Tier 4 Great Demons taking action, even a Tier 4 Hero should not dream of escaping unharmed, let alone a Tier 3 player like Shi Feng.

However, while Demon's Heart's members were feeling elated over Shi Feng's foolish behavior, a sigh came from the Black Dragon.

"Sure enough, it is impossible to destroy this magic barrier using only the strength of a Tier 3 Dragon. It seems I have no choice but to get serious."

Although Shi Feng had spoken in a calm tone, when his voice was relayed through the Black Dragon, it had been loudly amplified. As a result, everyone inside Demon City heard him very clearly.

"What does he mean?"

"He still hasn't gotten serious until now?"

"An act! He's definitely putting on an act!"

When Demon's Heart's members heard Shi Feng's words, they instinctively thought that he was putting on an act and that he was actually at his wit's end already.

"What?! He still has a trump card he hasn't used?!"

Regretful Wind, however, did not think that Shi Feng was boasting. At the same time, though, he also felt that the Swordsman couldn't possess a trump card stronger than the Black Dragon.

However, before anyone could deduce anything from Shi Feng's words, the Black Dragon suddenly disappeared, leaving Shi Feng himself in its place. At this moment, though, Shi Feng held a thick, ancient tome in his hands, and this tome woke an instinctual fear in every Demon player in the city.

"Damn it! Why is it in your hands?!" Morpheus's complexion changed dramatically when he saw the ancient tome that Shi Feng held.

Before the Demon players present could react to the situation, Morpheus turned around and fled back into Demon City. Moreover, he wasn't alone. The dozen or so other Great Demons also revealed fearful expressions as they zoomed back to the city.

Chapter 2535 - Silent Demon City

"They're running?"

"What's up with these Demon NPCs?"

Seeing Morpheus and the other Demon NPCs suddenly turning around and fleeing left Demon City's resident players confused. The NPCs had surrounded Shi Feng's Black Dragon and were even prepared to take action against it. In the end, however, they had fled as soon as Shi Feng himself appeared before them.

What was going on here?

At this moment, let alone Demon City's resident players, even Demon's Heart's members, who held actual authority over Demon City, were stunned by this situation.

"What did he do? Why are the Demon NPCs afraid of him?" Furious Heart was astounded as he stared at Shi Feng, who was currently chanting an incantation in the sky.

The intellect of Tier 4 Demon NPCs was not the slightest bit inferior to players'. It was almost impossible for players to gain any advantage over them. Before these Demon NPCs, current players were nothing but a joke. These Demon NPCs could squash current players like ants.

Not to mention, these Demon NPCs had remained calm even when fighting a Tier 5 Divine Official. Moreover, in the end, they had repelled the Ten Saints Empire's NPC army, allowing Demon City to establish a foothold in the empire.

Now, however, these Demon NPCs actually fled like startled mice.

However, before Furious Heart could figure out what was going on, Shi Feng finished chanting the final verse of his incantation. His gaze then locked on to a nearby Level 134, Tier 4 Demon Viscount, who served as the captain of Morpheus's personal security team.

"In the name of the ruler of Demons, submit to my will!"

Pitch-black chains suddenly appeared around the Level 134 Guard Captain, giving off an indescribable pressure that made all the Demon NPCs and Demon players shudder involuntarily.

"No! Don't take away my will!" the Guard Captain shouted as it struggled intensely to repulse the assault of the pitch- black chains.

Unfortunately, all its efforts were futile, as the pitch-black chains simply ignored the Guard Captain's resistance and merged with its body.

In the next moment, the struggling Guard Captain turned sluggish, and its eyes became cloudy. It was as if the Guard Captain had just had its soul sucked away.

"What did he do?"

"He actually managed to deal with a bona fide Tier 4 Demon Viscount with just one move?"

Every Demon player present gaped in shock at this scene. This was a Tier 4 NPC of Demon City. The combat power it possessed far exceeded that of Tier 4 Great Demons in the outside world. Not to mention, the Demon NPC in question was even a Great Demon that held the rank of Viscount. Its strength practically rivaled that of Tier 4 Heroes.

Now, however, the Demon in question had actually stopped moving.

It worked? Shi Feng breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw the Guard Captain stop moving.

The Bible of Darkness held considerable deterrence over Demons. In its current state, only Demon King-level Demons could resist its power. Demons beneath Demon Kings would instinctively fear the Bible.

However, using the Bible of Darkness to take control of Demons was not easy. On the surface, the Bible of Darkness's Demon Ruler had a 12% chance of successfully controlling a Demonic Creature, so long as the target was not more than 30 levels and two tiers higher than the user. In reality, however, the stronger the targeted Demon, the lower the chances of controlling it.

With Shi Feng's current self, if he tried to control Morpheus, who was a Demon Marquis, his chances of success would most likely be lower than 1%. This was why he had chosen the Viscount-ranked Guard Captain as his target.

Even so, Shi Feng never thought that he would successfully control the Guard Captain on the first try; hence, he had planned on multiple attempts. After all, Demon Ruler had a Cooldown of only five minutes. If once was not enough, he could simply try a second or third time.

As for the possibility of the Demon NPCs of Demon City attacking him, he didn't have to worry about that at all.

The Bible of Darkness held an absolute suppression over Demonic Creatures, although this suppression was not particularly effective against Demon players. So long as he held the Bible of Darkness, all Demonic Creatures below Tier 6 would fear him; Tier 5 Demon Kings were no exception. Not only would these Demonic Creatures have their Basic Attributes drastically decreased, but even their intellect would be affected quite significantly.

Moreover, if worst comes to worst, he still had the Seven Luminaries Ring. He could escape to safety whenever he wanted to. Hence, he did not fear Demon City's NPCs at all.

These factors were why he dared come to Demon City.

After Shi Feng took control of the Guard Captain, however, the other fleeing Demon NPCs promptly halted their retreat and turned to glare at Shi Feng and the controlled Guard Captain, vigilance and rage burning in their eyes.

It seems these Demons are aware that I can use Demon Ruler only once within a short period but are afraid of recklessly approaching me due to their hypersensitive nature. Shi Feng smiled as he swept a glance at the vigilant Demon NPCs. "Unfortunately, you are already too late!"

After saying so, he controlled the Black Dragon and had it fly over to his side. He then had it launch another attack at Demon City's magic barrier.

"What?! He's still trying to attack the magic barrier?"

"I don't know why the Demon NPCs are so afraid of him, but he is still a hundred years too early if he thinks he can destroy Demon City's barrier!"

Demon's Heart's members were very surprised by Shi Feng's ability to terrify the Demon NPCs. However, that was it. Their emotions were limited to surprise. After all, while the Demon NPCs were afraid to leave the city to deal with Shi Feng, Shi Feng still could not enter Demon City.

However, as soon as Demon's Heart's members finished speaking, the Demon Guard Captain that had turned sluggish suddenly started moving. And to everyone's surprise, the Guard Captain cast the Tier 4 Curse Dark Star at the same point that the Black Dragon had attacked.

In the next moment, the Black Dragon's claw smashed into the magic barrier's outer surface. At the same time, a gigantic, pitch-black star also smashed into the magic barrier's inner surface.

Boom!

Upon receiving attacks from both inside and outside, the defensive magic array instantly shattered. Cracks bloomed all over the magic barrier that protected Demon City.

Peng... Peng... Peng...

In just a few seconds, the cracks had extended throughout the magic barrier. When looking up from Demon City right now, the spectating Demon players found themselves looking at a cracked sky.

Silence!

Absolute silence!

At this moment, as if time had frozen for Demon City, every player residing in the city was gazing at the sky in stunned silence, both their eyes and mouths wide open.

Just then, a series of system notifications entered the ears of all Demon players operating within the Burning Forest Region, the emotionless voice of the system echoing in their minds for a long time.

Chapter 2536 - Slaying Troubled Times

Burning Forest Region System Announcement: Human players have broken through Demon City's defensive magic array. All Demon players based in Demon City will have their City Reputation reduced by 10 points and City Contribution, by 3,000 points. Boost to Power of Darkness will also be reduced by 20%.

Burning Forest Region System Announcement: Demon City's defensive magic array has been broken. Ruling Guild of the city will have its Popularity reduced by 5,000 points. All benefits provided by Demon City will be halved for 7 natural days. All quests given out in Demon City will have their rewards reduced by 30%.

The system announcement repeated throughout the Burning Forest three times, causing a deathly silence to befall the forest.

"Someone broke through Demon City's defensive magic array?"

"Didn't they say that even the Ten Saints Empire's NPC army was helpless against Demon City? How could players possibly break through the city's defensive magic array?"

"Who did it?"

Could it be those people Demon's Heart placed a bounty on before?"

The Demon players grinding and questing inside the Burning Forest were flabbergasted by the system announcement. Some players even fell into a daze in battle and nearly got themselves killed by monsters.

Since Demon City's construction until now, aside from Battle Wolves, no power or player had truly managed to put pressure on Demon City. Now, however, not only did someone put pressure on Demon City, but they had even destroyed the city's defensive magic array. This was simply unbelievable.

The shock the Demon players felt upon receiving this piece of information was akin to human players hearing about some other player breaking through the defenses of a kingdom's capital. It was simply unthinkable.

Meanwhile, inside Demon City, the resident players remained in a daze long after the incident. Like robots that had jammed, their mouths kept opening and closing wordlessly as they stared up into the empty sky above them.

"Damn it! How did he do it?! This is a Main City-level defensive magic array!" As Furious Heart stared at Shi Feng hovering in the sky, unprecedented shock filled him. He never imagined that Shi Feng would actually succeed in destroying Demon City's defensive magic array.

Back when the Ten Saints Empire's army had attacked, it had taken a Tier 5 Divine Official to destroy the city's defensive magic array. The defensive magic array had stood strong even under the bombardment of over a dozen Tier 4 NPCs.

Now, however, Shi Feng—a Tier 3 player—had single-handedly destroyed the city's defensive magic array. Moreover, he had accomplished this feat with just one attack.

This was definitely a bug!

However, it was also almost impossible for the Main God System to make an error. Even if there were an error in the system, it wouldn't be on such a monumental scale.

What Furious Heart did not know was that, in God's Domain, all magic arrays had weaknesses; the defensive magic array of major cities was no exception. They all had Mana junctions that were much more fragile compared to the other parts of the magic array.

Normally, though, ordinary players couldn't locate these weak points. Moreover, with how large a city-scale defensive magic array was, trying to find these weak points was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack.

However, that was not the case for Shi Feng. After he became an Intermediate Master Magician, his understanding of magic arrays had reached completely new heights. Now, let alone Demon City's defensive magic array, even if faced with a Main City-level defensive magic array of a kingdom that had been existence for over a century, he was still confident he could find the magic array's weak points.

Previously, Shi Feng had planned to break through Demon City's defensive magic array by having the Black Dragon attack the magic array's weak points. However, the damage tolerance of the weak points exceeded the amount of damage the Black Dragon could inflict. As a result, the Black Dragon only managed to shave off a certain amount of the magic array's energy reserves with its attacks.

However, after gaining control over the Tier 4 Demon Guard Captain, he was able to have the Guard Captain and Black Dragon attack the same location simultaneously, thereby combining their Strength and executing an attack that exceeded the magic array's damage tolerance. Only then did he succeed in instantly shattering Demon City's defensive magic array. If not for the Guard Captain falling into his control, he really would have been helpless against Demon City.

Meanwhile, as everyone remained stunned by this unexpected development, Shi Feng, who had Gale Domain activated, flew to the space above Demon's Heart's Residence. He then quietly observed the crowded Residence below him.

"Troubled Times, it's your turn now!" Shi Feng said when he spotted Troubled Times, ignoring the tens of thousands of Demon's Heart members around.

Shi Feng's words were akin to a death knell. Upon hearing these words, Demon's Heart's members could not help but turn to look at Troubled Times, who stood at a corner of the Residence's plaza, pity appearing in their eyes.

Troubled Times should've been safe after escaping to Demon City. Now, however, that was no longer true.

If Shi Feng could destroy even Demon City's defensive magic array in a single attack, who could possibly stand up to him?

Even if Shi Feng had relied on the strength of the Demon Guard Captain to accomplish this feat, this could also be considered a portion of the Swordsman's strength. After all, not everyone was capable of controlling a Tier 4 Great Demon—a Demon NPC, at that.

"Black Flame, you'd better not go too far! This is Demon's Heart's Residence!" Furious Heart bellowed when he saw that Shi Feng was completely ignoring Demon's Heart's members. "You've already destroyed Demon City's defensive magic array and caused Demon's Heart's prestige to plummet! If you kill Troubled Times, you'll make an out-and-out enemy of Demon's Heart! You'd better think this through clearly!"

Shi Feng's strength was indeed terrifying.

However, Demon's Heart was not an existence to provoke easily. It was the first Dark Guild in God's Domain to establish a city for Demons. In an era where dark powers were flourishing, even Super Guilds would not dare to offend Demon's Heart casually.

Demon's Heart might not have the ability to deal with a monster like Shi Feng, but Zero Wing was a different story. A Guild was different from an individual. A Guild was an organization made up of thousands, and possibly even millions, of players.

So long as Demon's Heart slaughtered Zero Wing's other members, even if Shi Feng remained unharmed, Zero Wing would still fall into ruin.

This was also the reason why the Ten Saints Empire's various superpowers chose to take a step back when dealing with Demon's Heart.

"So what? Do you think Zero Wing is a Guild you can casually provoke?" Shi Feng said as he glanced askance at Furious Heart.

The Black Dragon immediately descended from the skies and appeared above Troubled Times. It then swiped a claw at the Berserker.

Lightshadow!

"No!"

When Troubled Times saw the mountain-like claw smashing down toward him, he instinctively activated Demonification, followed by a Lifesaving Skill to protect himself.

Unfortunately, before a Tier 3 Dragon, a Tier 3 Demon player like Troubled Times was no different from an ant. When the Black Dragon's claw came into contact with Troubled Times, the Berserker got crushed into the ground and died just like that.

Chapter 2537 - Single-handedly Suppressing Demon's Heart

When Troubled Times died, silence blanketed Demon City again as everyone stared at Shi Feng hovering in the air.

"He killed him, just like that?"

The city's independent players had never thought Shi Feng would dare attack a player in the middle of Demon's Heart's Residence, yet he had done so without the slightest hesitation. He acted as if the Dark Guild's members were nothing of consequence.

"He's done it?"

Blue Frost and the other Zero Wing members from the Dark Den, who had watched the scene play out through a Magic Mirror, were especially dumbfounded.

They had never imagined that Shi Feng would successfully kill Troubled Times!

Moreover, their Guild Leader had done so as Demon's Heart's members watched. Blue Frost and his comrades felt as if they were dreaming.

They would've already been amazed if they managed to sneak into Demon City and assassinate Troubled Times, but Shi Feng had boldly and openly slain his prey...

While Zero Wing's Dark Den members were stunned, Furious Heart, who stood within Demon's Heart's Residence, shot Shi Feng a furious look, his rage burning clear in his eyes.

"Black Flame! You and your entire Guild are dead! Not even our Guild Leader will let you get away with killing someone in our Residence, let alone Vice Guild Leader Flaming Light!" Furious Heart bellowed. He hadn't actually expected Shi Feng to attack Troubled Times without a second thought. The attack had been so sudden that he hadn't even had the time to try to save the Berserker.

A Guild Residence was a Guild's most treasured location.

If word spread that Demon's Heart couldn't even protect a single player within its Residence, the Dark Guild's reputation would suffer.

"Is that so?" Shi Feng asked, indifferently glancing down at Furious Heart. "Feel free to test us. Zero Wing is ready for whatever you can throw our way. If you have nothing else to say, I'll be taking my leave."

Every player in the Residence went into an uproar after hearing Shi Feng's blatant disregard for their Guild.

"Crap! This bastard is too arrogant!"

"Elder Heart, let's attack him together! I refuse to believe that we can't end his miserable life!"

The Guild Elders in the Residence were incensed, and they tried to persuade Furious Heart to move against the Swordsman as a unit.

Troubled Times' death was humiliating for Demon's Heart, and if they allowed Shi Feng to leave safely, nothing would remain of the Guild's reputation.

"No! Let him go!" Furious Heart growled through gritted teeth, gesturing for the Guild Elders to back away.

When Shi Feng realized that none of the Dark Guild's members intended to strike, he turned and flew away from the Residence and Demon City.

"Are you just going to let him go, Heart?" the black-clad Viscount Elder demanded as he watched Shi Feng fly off.

"Do you really think that I don't want to take his life right this instant?" Furious Heart hissed, glaring at the black-clad Elder. "Rather, do you think that anyone of you is strong enough to kill him?"

Rebellious Thunder was the strongest player in Demon City right now, but if Shi Feng could even slay Rebellious Thunder, what could they, who hadn't even reached Demon Count rank, possibly achieve by fighting that Swordsman?

"Don't we have the Demon Guards? I refuse to believe that he can survive a battle against over a dozen Tier 4 Demon Guards!" the black-clad Elder argued.

The Demon Guards in question weren't like the Demon NPCs that had surrounded and subsequently fled from Shi Feng. Demon's Heart didn't have any control over the city's NPCs, but its Demon Guards were a different story. If they paid the appropriate price, their Demon Guards would do everything in their power to take Shi Feng down.

The black-clad Elder had also estimated that Shi Feng could only control one Demon NPC with whatever means allowed him to do so. Controlling multiple Tier 4 Demons should be impossible.

If they sent over a dozen Tier 4 Demon Guards to surround Shi Feng, he wouldn't stand a chance, even with the Demon Guard Captain on his side. Ending the Swordsman within Demon City was entirely possible.

"Do you assume that I haven't thought of that?" Furious Heart shot back, rolling his eyes at the Elder. Grimly, he continued, "I considered mobilizing the Demon Guards the moment Black Flame arrived above the Residence, but when he did, the Demon Guards' Basic Attributes fell by 30%. They wouldn't even be able to deal with Black Flame in such a state, much less the Demon Guard Captain under his control."

Shi Feng was already as powerful as a Tier 4 being, which he had proven in the fight against Rebellious Thunder when they had clashed as equals. With 30% less Basic Attributes, the Demon Guards had no chance against Shi Feng.

Shi Feng was a Domain Realm expert. Sending a bunch of dumb monsters with inferior Attributes to take him out would be nothing more than a joke.

"But it's so frustrating watching him go unscathed!" the black-clad Elder hissed, gnashing his teeth as he watched Shi Feng's figure move farther away.

Demon's Heart had gone to great lengths to earn the prestige it had enjoyed in Demon City only minutes ago. Now that Shi Feng had dealt such a severe blow, restoring their reputation would take ages if they simply allowed him to leave.

"So what if he leaves? I've already notified the Guild Leader and Vice Guild Leader Light! Black Flame won't enjoy this victory for long!" Furious Heart said, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Shi Feng's departing figure.

At the moment, Demon's Heart was indeed helpless before Shi Feng, but once the Guild Leader and Vice Guild Leader Flaming Light returned, it would be a different story. Those two individuals were the Guild's true pillars of strength.

Even the Ten Saints Empire's various superpowers feared those two players' strength and the foundation they'd created for the Dark Guild, going as far as to form alliances in secret with Demon's Heart.

Since Shi Feng had shredded Demon's Heart's reputation, the Guild Leader and Vice Guild Leader wouldn't rest until the matter was settled.

While Shi Feng flew away from Demon's Heart's Residence, another commotion broke out among the city's residents. "What?! Demon's Heart actually let him get away?"

"Weren't there quite a few Tier 4 Demon Guards stationed in Demon's Heart's Residence? Why didn't the Guild mobilize them?"

"Is he even human?"

Shi Feng's safe departure from the Dark Guild's Residence stunned Demon City's players. None of them had expected the invasion to end like this.

Demon's Heart was one of the top dark powers in God's Domain, yet not only had Shi Feng single-handedly broken into Demon City, Demon's Heart's main headquarters, but he had also slain Troubled Times within the Guild's Residence. To top it all off, Shi Feng had flown away from the Residence unharmed.

No one would believe this story if they told it.

And yet, they had all watched it happen. Even more astonishing, Demon's Heart had remained silent during the entire process. Not one of the Guild's members had tried to attack Shi Feng.

They were all Demon players, absolute Dark Players. Starting a fight with someone over the slightest offense was normal for them, especially for Demon's Heart's members. However, even the Dark Guild's members seemed afraid of a single human player. It was unbelievable!

While Shi Feng departed from Demon City, news of the encounter spread like wildfire throughout the Ten Saints Empire...

Chapter 2538 - Ten Saints Empire Shaken, Correct Decision

Ten Saints Empire, Heavenly Saint Capital City, Battle Wolves' Residence:

A man in crimson armor and covered in illusory flames sat quietly before a crimson greatsword with his eyes closed in the top-floor lounge of a Guild Hall that was nearly 100 meters tall. Although this man didn't make the slightest move, the sword and flames around it circled the man as if they had a life of their own. Divine runes began to appear in the air, one after another, attracting all of the ambient fire-type Mana and suffusing it with the man. As more Mana filled him, his aura grew more intense.

After a few seconds, the man's aura was as intense as that of a Tier 4 being. He felt as he had transformed into a Fire Demon as brilliant flames filled the room.

If Shi Feng saw this, he'd certainly be surprised.

The man bathing in the Crimson Flames was none other than Sirius, one of Battle Wolves' old monsters. Not only did Sirius command Tier 4 strength, but his control of fire-type Mana was also greater than Shi Feng's who had mastered a Mana Technique. Sirius manipulated the Mana like an extension of his own body, with utter and delicate control. Now, he could even control the flow of different streams of fire-type Mana...

When Sirius finally reopened his eyes, the crimson fire around him took on a white-blue hue, and the room's temperature instantly rose by several hundred degrees. Not even ordinary Tier 2 players could approach the man before they burned to death.

"I've finally finished absorbing this Fire Saint Bloodline. It's about time I pay Demon City another visit," Sirius said, smiling as he examined the blue divine runes on his arms.

During the battle in the Burning Forest, Demon's Heart's Vice Guild Leader, Flaming Light, had defeated him. He had initially given up hope of defeating Flaming Light anytime soon, but the Guild had been fortunate enough to find an extremely rare Advanced Bloodline—the Fire Saint Bloodline.

At first, he had assumed the Fire Saint Bloodline would only increase his strength by a fraction, but now that he had fully unified with it, he understood how terrifying it was.

He was even confident that he could now barge into Demon City and walk out with his life, let alone exact his vengeance against Flaming Light.

As Sirius prepared to leave the lounge, however, a tall, middle-aged man with an imposing aura burst in. This man was Everlasting War, who had previously served as the Glorious Lions Battle Team's leader.

"Commander, we've just received an update regarding Demon City. The report states that not only has Black Flame broken into the City, but he's also slain Troubled Times, who had hidden within Demon's Heart's Residence..." Everlasting War announced.

"Troubled Times died inside Demon's Heart's Residence?" The news stunned Sirius, and for a moment, he wondered if he had misheard.

He was already amazed that Shi Feng had his team had made it to Demon City. Despite dispatching an army of over 100,000 experts, Battle Wolves hadn't even caught a glimpse of the city's gate.

But now, he learned that Shi Feng had broken into the city and killed Troubled Times within Demon's Heart's Residence. It was astounding!

"Demon's Heart has lost most of its prestige in Demon City and now poses much less of a threat to the various superpowers. Should we still head to Demon City, Commander?" Everlasting War asked Sirius, who wore a strange expression.

News of Troubled Times' death had already spread throughout the Ten Saints Empire. Keeping the matter under wraps was impossible for Demon's Heart. Meanwhile, the situation had robbed Battle Wolves of the revenge it sought for the humiliation it had suffered. If the Guild targeted Demon's Heart now, it would only earn the label of 'bully,' tarnishing the Guild's reputation further.

"We no longer need to visit Demon City. Instead, we should visit Zero Wing," Sirius said. "To achieve such a feat, Black Flame is indeed impressive. Unfortunately, Demon's Heart isn't a trivial opponent, and Flaming Light is particularly troublesome. If that weren't the case, the Ten Saints Empire's various superpowers would never have willingly allied with the Dark Guild."

"Understood. I'll take care of the necessary preparations," Everlasting War said. After giving the matter some thought, he agreed with his commander's decisions.

Two or three days ago, Everlasting War would've thought Zero Wing had just won a major victory, but based on what information Battle Wolves had gathered, Demon's Heart had more power in Level 100 neutral maps than Zero Wing could imagine. All Shi Feng had done was yank on the tiger's whiskers by tarnishing Demon's Heart's reputation. The act was both ignorant and foolish.

Meanwhile, all of the various superpowers that learned of Shi Feng's accomplishments were similarly astonished. None of them had thought that Shi Feng would shake Demon City to its very foundations.

The Swordsman's strength was simply inhuman!

Surprisingly, however, the Ten Saints Empire had remained extraordinarily calm despite the news. None of the various superpowers, which deeply hated Demon players, had shown any movement. Not one of them had tried to kick Demon City while it was down. Rather, the empire's superpowers had sent a large number of experts to Zero Wing's territories. This turn of events was indescribably strange.

"Have these superpowers gone mad, Vice Guild Leader? They're not taking advantage of the situation to put pressure on Demon's Heart and are aiming for Zero Wing instead..." the Tier 3 black-clad Assassin beside Illusory Words said after examining the details the Guild's information network had gathered. "Did they miss the system announcement in the Burning Forest? The Demon players' development speed in that area has substantially decreased. This is the perfect opportunity to strike.

"They haven't gone crazy," Illusory Words, who was busy sifting through the reports, replied, shaking her head. "They've only made the correct decision."

"Correct decision?" The statement confused the Tier 3 Assassin. He didn't understand what Illusory Words meant by that.

Since Shi Feng had destroyed Demon City's defensive magic array, all of the city's Demon players have suffered a 20% strength reduction. This was the best chance the various superpowers had to eliminate those Demon players.

Demon's Heart had stopped the empire's various superpowers from acquiring as many resources from Level 100 neutral maps. Those superpowers would only secure more if they suppressed the Dark Guild now.

"That's right," Illusory Words said, her lips twisting into a bitter smile. "Very few of the various superpowers' members are aware of how frightening Demon's Heart truly is. The Dark Guild has already allied with Mythology, one of the Five Great Super Powers. Both its overall strength and its foundations are far superior to Zero Wing's. Naturally, the various superpowers want to take advantage of Zero Wing, not Demon's Heart."

"Demon's Heart has actually partnered with Mythology?" Realization immediately dawned on the Tier 3 Assassin. He was also surprised by how formidable Demon's Heart was.

Mythology was one of the five major titans in God's Domain and far stronger than ordinary superpowers like Crimson Emperor. Ordinary Super Guilds couldn't even compare. If Mythology were supporting Demon's Heart, the Dark Guild wouldn't have to worry about its development, even after the recent events.

While the Ten Saints Empire's superpowers were busy attacking Zero Wing, a handsome man in white arrived at a Mana-rich location outside of the Fire Dragon Empire. This man was Flaming Light, Demon's Heart's famous Vice Guild Leader.

Not long after his arrival, two Level 107, Tier 3 peak experts intercepted him.

"What business do you have here?" a Tier 3 Shield Warrior demanded, flashing Flaming Light a contemptuous look.

"I have something I need to discuss with Vice Guild Leader Cold Shadow. May I know if she has time to spare?" Flaming Light cordially asked.

Chapter 2539 - Abyssal Blade's Fragment

Cold Spring Forest, Stone Forest City:

With Troubled Times dead, Shi Feng returned to Stone Forest Town with the Hell Legion. He didn't linger in the Ten Saints Empire for a moment longer.

The moment Hell Rush and his comrades entered Stone Forest City, the sight that greeted them left them stunned.

Stone Forest City was a Guild City, and normally, only players visited Guild Cities in Level 100-plus neutral maps. NPCs rarely visited such Guild Cities, yet Stone Forest City was full of them. There was even a long line of NPC merchants waiting to enter the city at the main entrance. Calling the city an NPC city wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Hell Rush was also stupefied when he saw the number and quality of players visiting Zero Wing's city. He spotted several dozen Tier 3 players with a casual glance around the main street...

Although the various superpowers had over a hundred Tier 3 players at this stage of the game, and some even had several hundred, Tier 3 players were still a rarity as a whole. No matter where they went, they attracted a lot of attention.

However, Tier 3 players in Stone Forest City were just as common as ordinary, Tier 2 experts...

"So, this is Zero Wing's Guild City?" Thunder Beast muttered, looking around him in astonishment.

The Hell Legion had a total of 300 Tier 3 experts, which was a staggering number no matter where they went, but it was nothing in Stone Forest City. From what he could see, there were easily more than a thousand Tier 3 experts wandering the city's main street alone.

Even Blue Frost and Zero Wing's Dark Den members were stunned. Shelters in the Dark Den didn't even have more than 100 Tier 3 experts at this stage. They were still highly sought after in the Dark Den.

And yet, even a random street on Stone Forest City had more Tier 3 players than any of Dark Den's Shelters...

"Blue, you bastard, you kept us in the dark this! If we knew our Guild had such a magnificent city, we would1 ve joined Zero Wing long ago!" a Tier 3 Cursemancer, who had just joined Shelter One's Zero Wing, scolded the Vice Guild Leader as he admired the crowd of Tier 3 players.

The Cursemancer estimated that Stone Forest City easily had multiple times more Tier 3 players than all of the Dark Den...

Ordinary players might not care how many Tier 3 players a town or city had, but it was a significant matter to someone who played a management role in Shelter One.

Every player's value was different, especially in towns and cities. A city could benefit from a Tier 3 expert far more than from a Tier 2 expert, particularly when it came to resources. Tier 3 experts simply had access to more and better- quality resources than Tier 2 players because they could explore locations that were too dangerous for the weaker players.

In a city full of Tier 3 experts, players unwittingly added resources to the town, even if they weren't a member of the ruling Guild, which, in turn, attracted more experts.

Another benefit came in the form of leveling.

God's Domain's mainstream players had already reached Level 100 and beyond, and after Level 100, players needed far more EXP to reach each subsequent level. Players also needed to defeat much stronger monsters. Thus, they would need Tier 3 players' help if they wanted to level up quickly.

This was also why the Dark Den's players preferred to develop in powerful Shelters.

With how many Tier 3 experts wandered Stone Forest City's streets, these players leveling speed would be incredible. The Dark Den's various Shelters couldn't even imagine how fast these players reached their next level.

If the Dark Den's players knew that Zero Wing ruled a Guild City like this, every one of them would immediately try to join the Guild.

Blue Frost, however, did not have a good response for the Cursemancer's complaint. Although he had always known that Zero Wing was extraordinary, he had never dreamed that it was this powerful...

However, Blue Frost and his companions didn't know that many superpowers had sent their experts to Stone Forest City precisely because of Shi Feng's recent performance in Demon City. In fact, the Ten Saints Empire's superpowers had been some of the first. Not only had they sent a large number of scouts, but they had also sent quite a few Guild upper echelons.

Because of this, Stone Forest City's player population had reached an all-time high, and there was an unprecedented number of Tier 3 experts in the city.

Meanwhile, three Level 108-plus Tier 3 experts enjoyed Stone Forest City's specialty cuisine in a high-class restaurant's top-floor VIP room not far away from Zero Wing's Residence, quietly observing Shi Feng's group as they entered. Two of the three were Yuan Tiexin and Purple Jade from the Secret Pavilion, while the third was a young woman in her mid-twenties.

If Shi Feng had known about this gathering, he'd be surprised.

Yuan Tiexin and Purple Jade were showing the woman deference. Even as she spoke to her companion, Purple Jade's eyes glowed with reverence and respect. Although she was the Secret Pavilion's number one genius, she displayed no arrogance before the woman...

"So, he's Black Flame? He really is something. It's a pity he has offended Demon's Heart. With his presence and Stone Forest City's assistance, it wouldn't have been long before Zero Wing had joined the realm of God's Domain's superpowers, otherwise," the young woman with long, icy-blue hair said as she watched Shi Feng disappear into Zero Wing's Residence, smiling softly.

"Are you certain that you won't reconsider, Vice Guild Leader Dawn? Stone Forest City is now the number one city in the Cold Spring Forest and several neighboring Level 100 neutral maps. If you step forward, I'm sure Demon's Heart will hold back against the city," Yuan Tiexin respectfully pleaded with the young woman.

The woman before him was Dawn Jade, and he had nothing but respect for her. Dawn Jade was most likely to succeed the Secret Pavilion's Guild Leader in the future, and her current position was only second to the Guild Leader's.

"Before his assault on Demon City, I could understand why the Guild Leader had such an optimistic opinion of Zero Wing, but Elder Yuan, you know times have changed. The dark powers have far more influence over God's Domain than they used to, especially Demon's Heart, which stands at the peak of the many dark powers. But Black Flame mercilessly killed someone Flaming Light was protecting, and the various dark powers think this is a good opportunity to set an example for God's Domain's various superpowers," Dawn Jade said. Sighing, she continued, "Zero Wing has provoked far too many superpowers. Based on recent reports, aside from Mythology, Flaming Light has begun to negotiate a partnership with Beast Emperor, who currently occupies the Ore Empire. Not even the Guild Leader can prevent Zero Wing's fall at this point. Black Flame only has himself and his stubborn nature to blame. I doubt even Netherworld Empire's Hell Legion can save his Guild.

Your people should prepare, as well. I'm sure it won't be long before Demon's Heart makes it move. But don't worry too much. I'll think of a way to retain our shares of Stone Forest City."

Once Dawn Jade finished speaking, she made a cutting gesture with a hand, summoning a Spatial Gate. She then walked through the gate, vanishing from the restaurant.

Silence dominated the room for a long time after the young woman's departure.

"Uncle Yuan, what should we do? If the Vice Guild Leader won't help us, we won't have enough forces to defend Stone Forest City, even if we gather all of our players," Purple Jade asked.

Few knew of the true terror of Demon's Heart. Once the Dark Guild took action, Cold Spring Forest would become a nest for Dark Players.

Flaming Light possessed the means to open a portal to a Dark World, allowing the Otherworld's players to flood onto the main continent. This was the true reason that even Super Guilds were afraid of Demon's Heart.

Only, Flaming Light wanted Demon's Heart to establish a stable foothold in God's Domain, so he hadn't actually used this card. Once he did, he'd lose it, and he'd have to wage war against whichever superpower or superpowers his actions affected.

Unfortunately, Flaming Light wouldn't hold back against Zero Wing now that Shi Feng had damaged Demon's Heart's reputation so severely. With the Guild's current strength, it would find threatening Zero Wing quite difficult. Thus, the chances of Flaming Light activating the portal in Cold Spring Forest were very high.

The Dark World was far stronger than many other major Otherworlds, and it easily had a player population that could rival two or three empires. Moreover, every player in the Dark World was a Dark Player. Once Flaming Light activated the portal in Cold Spring Forest, Stone Forest City would have to face a storm of Dark players. Its chances of surviving were practically non-existent. In fact, the portal's activation would also have an unprecedented impact on the nearby kingdoms and empires.

"I don't know. Let's just take one step at a time," Yuan Tiexin replied, and he couldn't help but glance in Shi Feng's direction, rolling his eyes.

Rather than quietly developing Zero Wing, Shi Feng had gone through God's Domain, making one enemy after another. Now, even the Secret Pavilion could save the Guild. They could only watch as Zero Wing burned to the ground.

During Yuan Tiexin and Purple Jade's meeting in the nearby restaurant, Shi Feng had made his way to the second underground floor in Zero Wing's Guild Hall.

After entering the core room, he activated the room's defensive magic array and sealed off the entire floor. He then carefully pulled a pitch-black blade from his bag, placing it on the central platform.

The blade was none other than Rebellious Thunder's Cruel Darkness. Initially, Shi Feng hadn't paid the Magic Weapon Rebellious Thunder had dropped much mind. He had been utterly focused on killing the man at the time.

However, while the Black Dragon had bombarded Demon City's defensive magic array, he had offhandedly collected Cruel Darkness from its previous wielder's ashes. When he had picked the Magic Weapon up, he had discovered that Cruel Darkness resonated with his Abyssal Blade, which he had found endlessly exciting.

Two weapons only resonated in God's Domain when both were a part of the original weapon. In other words, they were weapon fragments.

As a Magic Weapon, the Abyssal Blade was already ridiculously strong, powerful enough to rival Fragmented Legendary Weapons in its current state. Hence, Shi Feng had been flabbergasted to learn that the Abyssal Blade was only a fragmented weapon, not a complete one. If that were true, how strong would the complete weapon be?

Would it become a Fragmented Legendary Weapon?

Or a Legendary Weapon?

With this astonishing discovery occupying his thoughts, Shi Feng had slain Troubled Times before hurrying back to Stone Forest City.

This should be safe enough. Hopefully, the fusion doesn't cause too much of a commotion.

After examining Cruel Darkness, Shi Feng unsheathed the Abyssal Blade, and as a result, he received a system notification.

System: The Abyssal Blade has discovered a fragment of the same origin. Do you wish to fuse the fragment with the Abyssal Blade?

"Fuse them!"