Reincarnation of The Strongest Sword God

441-460

Chapter 441 - second evolution 

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

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

"Nobody's on God's Domain?

"What's going on here?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This upgrade also gave Shi Feng a headache.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 442 - new style of combat

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

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

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

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

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

"Why is she here?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"What's wrong?" Shi Feng asked, suddenly curious.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A match between internal force experts was no laughing matter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Without him realizing it, a day had passed.

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

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

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

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

Everyone became flustered shortly after logging back into the game.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 443 - completion rate

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Backstab!

-2,523

"Ao!" the Wolfman Warrior howled with pain.

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

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

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

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

Now, however, that was not possible...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

One arc... Two arcs... Three arcs...

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Boom!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 444 - path of an expert

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

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

"It's really simple, actually. Think more; train more," Shi Feng said frankly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Contemplate the importance of the required movements?" Fire Dance pondered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Hua!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Guild Leader, I've discovered a hidden door," Fire Dance suddenly reported.

Chapter 445 - golden stone table

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Hot."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Let's go." Shi Feng unsheathed the Abyssal Blade and the Purgatory's Shadow as he crossed the threshold cautiously.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone shifted their gaze to where Blackie pointed.

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

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

Shi Feng then activated Omniscient Eyes and observed the figure.

The results were shocking.

[Anubis's Gatekeeper] (Great Lord)

Level 30

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

"Great Lord?" Shi Feng muttered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Guild Leader, that's a Great Lord!" Fire Dance said, horrified.

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

Chapter 446 - silver flame

Everyone promptly agreed with Fire Dance's opposition.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On the off chance that it didn't work, they would all die here...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"We really have no options," Shi Feng laughed bitterly.

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

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

Twenty seconds.

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

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

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

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

"It looks like I can only give it a try!"

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

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

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

"I'll kite the Gatekeeper first. Focus on your timing, you guys."

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

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

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

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

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

"Such a powerful aura." Fire Dance's expression turned grim.

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

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

_Xiu!_

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

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

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

The group standing at the teleportation array was stunned.

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

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

Just how frightening was the Gatekeeper?!

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

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

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

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

Tier 3 intermediate combat power!

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

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

"Trespassers of the Holy Land, die!"

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

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

Chapter 447 - contest of strength 

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

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

Following which, the flames gradually dispersed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Trespassers of the Holy Land, die!"

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

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

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

"The tier suppression is too powerful." Shi Feng grimaced.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shi Feng hurriedly activated Defensive Blade to defend himself.

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

"Peng... Peng... Peng..."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Purgatory Power!

Heavenly Dragon's Power!

Blade Liberation!

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Boom!"

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

"This shockwave is so powerful!" Blackie exclaimed.

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

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

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

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

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

"It's over... The gap between them is just too wide..." Fire Dance muttered in despair.

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

"Trespassers of the Holy Land, die!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 448 - close call

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

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

When the two collided, both attacks dispersed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Crap!" Shi Feng could not help but curse.

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

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

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

"Trespassers of the Holy Land, die!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All three Gatekeepers instantly took up the chase.

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

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

"Goodbye!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

_Shua!_

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

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

_Boom!_

An explosion shook the altar.

"Trespassers of the Holy Land, die!"

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

The Gatekeeper had struck only Shi Feng's afterimage.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Fantasy World]

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

Cooldown: 3 minutes

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 449 - change in white fog canyon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Virtuous Cloud's team was immediately flustered.

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

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

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

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

Hence, Cold Laughter had proposed a suitable condition.

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

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

Their expressions somewhat surprised Virtuous Cloud.

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

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

Just as both sides prepared to take action...

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

Chapter 450 - don't fight

Virtuous Cloud's and Cold Laughter's groups were both stunned by the six who suddenly fell out of thin air.

"Boss Cold, check out their levels. The lowest among them is Level 25. It doesn't seem like a good idea to provoke them," a Level 23 Ranger said, slightly breathless.

Elite players at this stage of the game were mostly around Level 22, while experts were around Level 24.

In Virtuous Cloud's party, only she was Level 23, while the others were Level 22.

As for the Red Names, the highest leveled player was Cold Laughter, who was currently Level 24, while everyone else ranged between Level 21 and Level 23.

On the other hand, the six players that had suddenly appeared ranged between 25 and 27...

It was common knowledge that each level demanded more EXP than the last. Disregarding their equipment, just the fact that some of them were Level 27 was terrifying enough.

"Why do these people seem somewhat familiar?" Cold Laughter was no fool. After taking a careful look at the newcomers, he used an identification skill. Suddenly, his lips curled into a smile. "Sure enough, it's him!"

"Boss Cold, who is it?" the Ranger asked.

"Don't you remember the bounty Overwhelming Smile has offered?" Cold Laughter said excitedly as he grinned at the Level 25 Swordsman wearing a black cloak.

The Ranger then followed Cold Laughter's gaze and used an identification skill on that Level 25 Swordsman as well.

Immediately, he discovered that the Swordsman's name was Black Flame.

"Black Flame?"

"That's right. He's the same Black Flame who has the title of Star-Moon Kingdom's number one expert. A few days ago, Overwhelming Smile posted a bounty on his head. If we report his location, they will reward us with 10,000 Credits. If he's still here when they arrive, they will give us another 300,000 Credits. If we kill Black Flame, Overwhelming Smile is willing to pay 2,000,000 Credits. Many experts have found the offer tempting, and everyone's been looking for him. I never thought that I would find him here."

"But, Boss Cold, I heard that Black Flame is ridiculously powerful. With our numbers, I'm afraid..."

"What's there to be afraid of? Now that God's Domain has undergone its second system upgrade, everyone's strength has decreased significantly. Even if Black Flame is the number one expert of Star-Moon Kingdom, he is a tiger that has lost its claws and fangs. Does he think he can do whatever he wants in my turf?

"Contact Overwhelming Smile immediately. Tell them that we have found Black Flame and to prepare the money for his corpse."

Saying so, Cold Laughter waved his hand. Suddenly, all 50 Red Names closed in on both Virtuous Cloud's and Black Flame's parties, leaving no opportunities for escape.

"Why are you here?" Virtuous Cloud asked Shi Feng, surprised to see him.

Shi Feng was a godlike tycoon. She had initially prepared to sell the two Warfire set pieces to Shi Feng after they returned to White River City. She never expected to meet Shi Feng here and in such a predicament.

"You are...?" Shi Feng looked at Virtuous Cloud. Suddenly, the figure of the red-haired beauty he met a few days ago popped into his mind. Unable to help his laughter, he said, "How has your luck been these last few days?"

"Not bad. We were just about to head back to the city and look for you." Laughing bitterly, Virtuous Cloud continued, "However, now that we have encountered them, I'm not sure whether we will profit or suffer from our trip to White Fog Canyon."

"Enemies?" Shi Feng asked as he examined his surroundings. These Red Names all had relatively high levels and good equipment—especially the Level 24 Berserker standing in the lead. They were all independent players. Anyone who could reach Level 24 at this stage of the game was definitely an expert.

Virtuous Cloud was left speechless by Shi Feng's leisurely behavior. However, when she looked at the other five players beside Shi Feng, they, too, did not seem particularly concerned about the 50 Red Names surrounding them. This situation only served to surprise Virtuous Cloud further.

Were all of these players godlike tycoons as well? Have none of them ever encountered a player interception before? They were actually able to remain calm in such a situation...

Sighing, Virtuous Cloud chose to explain patiently, saying, "No. They're Red Names who are blocking the road and are trying to rob us. Judging by their expressions, it doesn't seem that they intend to let you guys go, either. I suggest we join hands. If we face their 50 with our 12, some of us might get out of here alive."

"So, it's a robbery. Seems that quite a lot of players have come to White Fog Canyon recently." Although Shi Feng had l anticipated such a situation, he had not expected PvP to begin so soon.

In the past, White Fog Canyon had become a gruesome war zone because everyone had discovered the value of Starfire Ore. Teams of several hundred players, even some with over a thousand, would gang up on innocent players to steal what they could.

"Fifty?" Blackie looked at the 50 Red Names surrounding them before excitedly saying, "I claim half of them! You guys can share the rest. Oh, that Level 24 Berserker looks like fun; I want him as well."

"Don't even think about it. I still need to practice skills on someone," Fire Dance said, shaking her head.

"Brother Black, how can you claim half for yourself? If Sister Fire Dance and Sister Aqua split the remainder, there won't be anyone left for me," Flying Shadow complained.

"I also disagree." Aqua Rose nodded.

Since the update, they had only practiced their skills on monsters. At the end of the day, monsters were only AI. They were far inferior to players. It was especially true for experts. However, as the Land of the Fallen Star was such a dangerous location, they didn't dare duel each other.

Now, a perfect opportunity for them to test their skills against players had arrived. Moreover, these 50 Red Names were elite players.

Watching Fire Dance and the others argue, Shi Feng stepped forward and said, "Don't fight. Use your strength to compete. You will only have yourself to blame if you're not strong enough."

Contempt filled Virtuous Cloud's heart as she watched the team bicker.

What did these people consider the surrounding Red Names?

Monsters to be easily slaughtered?

In such a crucial moment, they still had the gall to joke around.

As for the party members standing beside Virtuous Cloud, they became increasingly nervous under the Red Names' gazes, which grew colder with each passing second. Previously, these Red Names had expressed their ridicule. Now, however, there was only rage.

Before Shi Feng's party had arrived, these Red Names would have held back. After all, nobody wanted to die. It was especially true for Red Names. Now, however...

This situation was all thanks to Shi Feng and his party successfully angering these Red Names. How were they supposed to deal with these enraged Red Names now?

"You guys sure have guts. Even in the face of death, you still have the heart to joke around." Cold Laughter's expression turned grim as his eyebrows twitched. Throughout the many days he had hunted players in White Fog Canyon, this was the first time he had met anyone who dared to look down on them.

"Brothers, get rid of them!"

Chapter 451 - massacre 

At Cold Laughter's command, the other Red Names exploded into action.

Elementalists and Cursemancers started chanting; Rangers nocked their arrows; and Shield Warriors, Guardian Knights, and the other melee classes prepared to intercept any escape attempts.

"Black Flame, both our parties will open a path to our left. There's a forest in that direction, so it will be easy to lose them once we're inside," Virtuous Cloud hurriedly said as she raised her shield in preparation to take damage.

Seeing that Black Flame's party members had such high levels, it was very unlikely that they would be weak.

Although they were still outnumbered, 12-on-50 was still a lot better than 6-on-50. Not to mention, Black Flame's party was clearly stronger than her party. There was still a chance for them to break through the encirclement.

However, before Virtuous Cloud had finished speaking, Fire Dance had already taken action.

Using Shadow Steps, Fire Dance immediately appeared behind Cold Laughter. In an instant, her blood-red short sword slashed across the back of Cold Laughter's head.

Cold Laughter had no hope against Fire Dance's speed. Before he knew it, a damage of -1,106 points appeared above his head, his HP instantly falling by one-third.

When Cold Laughter saw the other Truefire Blade coming in for another attack, he was instantly afraid.

"Scram!" Cold Laughter urgently used Whirlwind Slash, slashing his greatsword horizontally towards Fire Dance.

Berserkers were known for their Strength. In addition, Whirlwind Slash greatly increased the might of an attack by utilizing momentum. Even if Fire Dance had a higher Strength, she couldn't defend against his attack.

_Dang!_

However, as if his greatsword had struck an immovable wall, the weapon stopped right beside Fire Dance, unable to advance. For a moment, Cold Laughter even felt his hands go numb.

"How...?" When Cold Laughter saw the blood-red short sword in Fire Dance's hand block his greatsword effortlessly, he could no longer hide his fear.

Was this an Assassin?

This question echoed through Cold Laughter's mind.

During Cold Laughter's brief moment of shock, Fire Dance twisted the Truefire Blade in her hand, disengaging from Cold Laughter's greatsword and forcing the Berserker to retreat by a few steps. Fire Dance then swung her other arm, sliding the other Truefire Blade smoothly into Cold Laughter's chest.

Although Berserkers focused on Strength, with the difference in equipment, Fire Dance's strength left Cold Laughter's in the dust, despite her Agility-focused class.

This was the cruel reality of God's Domain. Equipment spoke volumes.

Class advantage was meaningless in the face of powerful equipment.

Cold Laughter hurriedly tried to defend against Fire Dance's sword. However, the latter gave him no opportunity to do so.

Shadow Strike!

Suddenly, Fire Dance disappeared, her entire person passing through Cold Laughter and appearing behind the Berserker.

Although Cold Laughter tried to turn towards the Assassin, the damage of -3,426 points that appeared above his head had emptied his remaining HP. Immediately, Cold Laughter's vision began to gray.

The battle had ended before it had even started.

From beginning to end, Cold Laughter had not known what was happening.

Wasn't she just an Assassin who was two levels higher than him? Yet, he couldn't even put up a fight.

_Is the gap between players really that intense?_ Cold Laughter didn't understand. Fire Dance's appearance had shattered his past preconceptions.

However, even if doubt filled the Berserker's mind, his body still fell to the ground.

Only an instant had passed from the moment Fire Dance had taken action.

The surrounding Red Names had only noticed Fire Dance's disappearance before she suddenly reappeared in front of Cold Laughter. In the next moment, Cold Laughter's body hit the ground. Their boss and the only expert in their team had died, just like that...

The consequences of death for a Red Name spoke for themselves.

Not only had Cold Laughter dropped a majority of his equipment, but he would also lose at least three Levels.

Seeing this, the surrounding Red Names were scared stiff.

"So fast!" Admiration filled Virtuous Cloud's gaze as she watched Fire Dance.

No matter how one viewed Cold Laughter, he was not an ordinary player. The fact that he was Level 24 and the leader of these elite players proved it. His dark red name also spoke of his countless player kills. He could not be underestimated, and she wasn't even confident of defeating the Berserker. Yet, Fire Dance had killed the Red Name in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, after killing Cold Laughter, Fire Dance had not stopped. Spinning around, she dashed towards the enemy magical classes.

Currently, the stunned crowd was like a herd of frightened sheep. Fire Dance reached the magical classes easily, and killing each with a single hit, she instantly eliminated another three players.

Unwilling to fall behind, Blackie also began to wave his staff and cast Hell Flame. Green pillars of fire suddenly rose among the crowd, and any players the flames touched received multiple damages of over -2,000 points. Before these players could escape Hell Flame's range, they died. In an instant, another dozen or so players had lost their lives.

Aqua Rose joined the fray, casting Flame Barrage and downing another six players.

Flying Shadow had long since charged into the crowd as well, massacring the Red Names. Even though many tried to resist, Flying Shadow dealt with all of them easily. The male Assassin was like a ghost, his movements erratic. None of the Red Names could even catch sight of the man, let alone damage him. On the contrary, due to friendly fire, they even killed some of their own...

By the time the Red Names realized the situation, they had lost over half of their numbers.

Run!

With less than half of their original army remaining, these Red Names no longer had the confidence to face Fire Dance and the others.

"Don't you think that it is a little too late to escape now?" Shi Feng could not help but sigh as he watched the scattering Red Names.

Even if Shi Feng's party and these Red Names were on the same level regarding Attributes, which they certainly were not, Fire Dance and the others would still have annihilated them easily.

In a moment's time, Fire Dance's group of five had devastated the 50 Red Names. Equipment and corpses littered the ground.

With a rough estimate, the Red Names dropped close to 300 pieces of equipment. Furthermore, the lowest quality was Bronze ranked. If sold, they could make a fortune from the loot.

Virtuous Cloud, who stood beside Shi Feng all this time, was utterly shocked.

Only now did she realize why Black Flame's party members had been so calm.

_So they weren't putting on an act at all._ Virtuous Cloud glanced at Shi Feng, a hint of shame surfacing on her face.

Originally, she thought that Shi Feng's group was simply a bunch of rich tycoons who were ignorant about worldly affairs. Now, however, it would seem that she had been greatly mistaken.

With such frightening strength, it was no wonder they paid no attention to these Red Names.

"Thank you for saving our lives," Virtuous Cloud said as she took out a Warfire set piece from her bag, intending to give it to Shi Feng. "I don't have anything else on me that I can offer, so please accept these Warfire Bracers."

When Virtuous Cloud's party members saw her use a Warfire set piece as payment for their rescue, although their hearts ached at the sight, none of them tried to hinder their party leader's actions.

It had not been easy to reach their current Levels. If they died, not only would they lose a level, but every one of them would also have to lose a piece of equipment. Losing the Warfire Bracers was more affordable.

Moreover, Virtuous Cloud's decision could also allow them to forge a connection with an expert. This was a welcomed opportunity for all of them.

"Warfire Bracers?" Shi Feng had plenty of Warfire set pieces in his bag, enough to form three sets and more. He only lacked the Warfire Bracers. "Thanks, but you don't have to. Why not sell it to me instead? As we had previously agreed, I'll buy it for 10 Gold Coins."

Saying so, Shi Feng traded 10 Gold Coins to Virtuous Cloud. He then added the Warfire Bracers to his bag.

"Finally, a complete Warfire Set Equipment." When Shi Feng looked at the completed Warfire Set Equipment in his bag, an indescribable sense of joy filling his heart.

Chapter 452 - Warfire 

In White Fog Canyon's inner region, a large group of players currently faced a Level 27 Lord.

Although these players only inflicted around -100 damage with each attack, there were over 2,000 players attacking simultaneously. In the end, the Lord died, unable to withstand the barrage of attacks.

"Haha! What good luck! A Level 25 Fine-Gold Weapon dropped!" Lone Tyrant laughed after he finished organizing the loot.

During this period, aside from searching for Black Flame's whereabouts, they had also searched for and killed Lord ranked monsters.

After such a long time, they had managed to kill over a dozen Lords. However, the drop-rate of Level 25 Fine-Gold ranked weapons and equipment was very low. They had only obtained two pieces; one was a cloth armor, while the other was the weapon that had just dropped. Everything else they obtained was mainly Secret-Silver ranked.

When the Overwhelming Smile elites saw the Level 25 Fine-Gold Weapon in Lone Tyrant's hand, they nearly failed to contain their drool.

A Level 25 Fine-Gold Weapon was the equivalent of a Level 20 Dark-Gold Weapon. The former's Attributes were even slightly better than the latter. One could even say that Level 25 Fine-Gold Weapons were the best weapons currently available in God's Domain.

Aside from Zero Wing, there was no news of other Guilds in White River City possessing Level 25 Fine-Gold Weapons. Now, however, Overwhelming Smile had finally obtained one of their very own.

Although they possessed far fewer Level 25 Fine-Gold Weapons than Zero Wing, it was still proof of Overwhelming Smile's strength.

Unfortunately, the elite members of Overwhelming Smile could only look at the Level 25 Fine-Gold Weapon. They would have to wait a long time before they could obtain one for themselves.

In order to kill the dozen or so Lords, Overwhelming Smile had sacrificed many members. The price they had paid was simply unimaginable.

At this moment, however, Lone Tyrant handed the Level 25 Fine-Gold dagger to Summer Sunshine. Everyone's hearts ached when they saw the exchange.

They had only obtained this Level 25 Fine-Gold dagger after killing over a dozen Lords with great difficulty, yet they actually gave it to an outsider without batting an eye.

"Oh, this dagger is quite good. It's slightly better than my Level 20 Dark-Gold dagger," Summer Sunshine said after he gave the Level 25 Fine-Gold dagger a few swings. Nodding with satisfaction, he said, "Alright, let's search for another Lord, then."

"Wait a minute," Youlan suddenly said.

"Is there a problem?" Summer Sunshine asked as he turned to Youlan.

"Big Brother Summer, I've just received information that someone has spotted Black Flame. He is currently in the outer region of White Fog Canyon. If we hurry, we can still catch him," Youlan said.

After Black Flame had killed Overwhelming Smile's expert, Oriental Sword, all traces of the man had vanished.

To avoid letting Black Flame escape, Youlan had prohibited Overwhelming Smile's members from acting rashly and alerting the enemy, giving Black Flame the chance to take preventive measures. All this time, they had searched for Black Flame in secret and had posted a bounty for the man. Unfortunately, even after so much time, nobody had seen the Swordsman.

Now that they had received news of Black Flame, they could not let him go.

Black Flame was too famous. At this rate, Zero Wing would become increasingly difficult to deal with, and it would become very difficult for Overwhelming Smile to take control of White River City.

"He has finally shown himself. Good. Let's head over there immediately. I want to see just how strong the number one expert of Star-Moon Kingdom is," Summer Sunshine said as he sheathed the dagger he had just received, anticipation filling his eyes.

"I'll have to trouble Big Brother Summer, then." Youlan smiled faintly.

Although she had constantly searched for ways to deal with Black Flame, she was still not confident of killing him. Now, however, they had an expert like Summer Sunshine on their side. Moreover, Summer Sunshine had just received a new weapon. Combined with the plans she had prepared, she was 90% certain that they could take Black Flame's life this time.

Even if Black Flame were as strong as a Lord, he would still die at her hands.

\---

Elsewhere, after Shi Feng had obtained the Warfire Bracers and completed the Warfire Set Equipment, he had not equipped the set himself. Instead, he passed it to Fire Dance.

From the side, Virtuous Cloud and the others widened their eyes in shock when they saw Shi Feng reveal the completed Warfire Set Equipment.

"Cloud, is that the Warfire Set Equipment?" one of Virtuous Cloud's party members secretly asked through the party chat. For a moment, he had even doubted his own eyes.

"Mhm. It should be... possible... I think..." Even when Virtuous Cloud saw the flowing purple light unique to the Warfire Set Equipment, she still found it hard to believe what she saw. Someone had actually completed the Warfire Set Equipment.

Just how difficult was it to collect each piece of the set?

Since the discovery of the Warfire Set Equipment in White Fog Canyon, less than ten pieces of the Warfire set had dropped. Various Guilds and tycoons had purchased these pieces. Moreover, based the information she had obtained, many of the pieces obtained were duplicates. Even with all ten pieces, a full set had still not dropped.

However, Shi Feng had retrieved seven Warfire set pieces from his back without a single duplicate...

Virtuous Cloud could not fathom how Shi Feng had accomplished such a feat. She had grinded for the set pieces for several days now, so she knew full well just how difficult it was to obtain even one. Just how powerful was Shi Feng's backing for him to gather a complete set?

"Guild Leader?" Fire Dance was astonished when she looked at the Warfire Set Equipment inside her bag.

She had personally seen the Warfire Set Equipment's Attributes before. It was definitely top-tier equipment. Only, the set required a lot of EXP to upgrade. However, if someone upgraded the Warfire Set Equipment to Fine-Gold rank, below Level 30, it was one of the best sets available in the game.

Yet, instead of using it himself, Shi Feng had actually given her the first set?

Shi Feng's actions confused her.

Black Flame was famous throughout the Star-Moon Kingdom. If Zero Wing wished to continue flourishing, Black Flame needed to continue improving. Hence, all equipment should naturally be prioritized for Black Flame.

However...

"Leveling up is my priority right now. Even if I equip the set, the Bronze rank set effects are not particularly useful. If I sacrifice my EXP to raise the set's quality, it will do me more harm than good. Moreover, with Zero Wing's current situation, what the Guild lacks isn't top-tier experts but experts with overwhelming might. Don't reject it. I still have Warfire set pieces, so don't worry about it," Shi Feng laughed.

"Mhm." Fire Dance understood Shi Feng's intentions.

Zero Wing had no lack of top-tier experts. Facing so many powerful Guilds, what Zero Wing needed most was an expert capable of turning the tides of battle by themselves.

Following which, Fire Dance replaced her equipment with the Warfire Set Equipment.

Immediately, Fire Dance started upgrading the set's quality. After her level fell from Level 26 to Level 25, the Warfire Set Equipment had reached Mysterious-Iron rank. The Basic Attributes of the set had increased significantly.

[Warfire Set Equipment] (Mysterious-Iron Rank [Can be evolved])

Level 20 - Level 30

Can be equipped by any classes.

Set consists of seven parts: head, chest, belt, hands, wrist, legs, and feet.

Set effect (Mysterious-Iron Rank)

Two-piece effect: All Attributes +15

Four-piece effect: Ignore Levels +10. Obtain Free Will skill: able to remove all control effects for 7 seconds. Cooldown: 1 minute.

Seven-piece effect: Main Attribute increased by 12%. Skill Cooldown decreased by 35%. Obtain Warfire Berserk skill: Damage increased by 50%, Attack Speed increased by 50%, and Movement Speed increased by 30% for 20 seconds. Cooldown: 4 minutes.

Chapter 453 - Favour 

"Sister Fire Dance, you look so beautiful in that set!" Violet Cloud said enviously.

The rest of the party promptly nodded in agreement.

One had to admit that the Warfire Set Equipment was indeed exquisite.

The set Fire Dance wore a mix of red and black leather, coupled with the two dazzling Truefire Blades hanging from her waist. Without a doubt, the set had enhanced the Assassin's allure. A hint of awe moved her teammates' hearts.

After Fire Dance had equipped the Warfire Set, although her Attributes had fallen slightly, no one present viewed her as any weaker.

It had been some time since God's Domain had launched. Even if one were only an ordinary player, their natural instincts had sharpened.

Previously, no one had felt any particular way when they saw Fire Dance. Now, however, she gave off the same sense as a thorned rose, beautiful and deadly, and any who approached her would very likely pay with their lives.

Previously, Fire Dance had a total of 4,960 HP. After equipping the Warfire Set Equipment, however, her maximum HP had fallen to 4,380. Her other Attributes had similarly decreased.

One of the main reasons was that the Warfire Set was still Mysterious-Iron rank right now. The set's Basic Attributes could not compare to the Level 25 Fine-Gold and Secret-Silver Equipment she had worn before, though it did possess set effects that the individual pieces of equipment had not.

Among the set effects, the skill, Free Will, was extremely useful. When used against an enemy with powerful control skills, Free Will could instantly turn the tide of battle.

Moreover, unlike her other Attributes that had decreased, her Agility had increased. As a result, she was now far more nimble. The 35% Cooldown Reduction she received for all her skills also increased the variety of skill combinations she could implement.

Most importantly was the Warfire Berserk, a berserk skill.

Although Warfire Berserk was not as powerful as the berserk skills Shi Feng possessed, a player with a berserk skill was still superior to a player without one.

Because of this, envy blossomed in Fire Dance's friends when they saw her in her new armor.

After Virtuous Cloud recovered from her daze, she pulled her gaze from Fire Dance and turned to Shi Feng. She was no longer as relaxed as she had been, growing far more cautious.

Originally, she had intended to sell the remaining Warfire set piece to Shi Feng as well. However, she now dismissed this idea.

Even a fool could tell that Shi Feng was a powerful character. Moreover, Fire Dance and the others had referred to Black Flame as their Guild Leader. Compared to minor existences like themselves, he was in an entirely different world.

Not only had Shi Feng saved their lives, but he had also purchased the Warfire Bracers they had for more than the market price. They already owed Shi Feng a huge favor. If she tried to sell the second Warfire set piece to Shi Feng at a high price, she would be ashamed herself.

Virtuous Cloud disliked owing other people favors. She was not comfortable until she repaid what she owed. Hence, she looked towards Shi Feng and asked softly, "Guild Leader Black Flame... I have something I wish to seek your help with."

"Sure," Shi Feng replied in a carefree manner.

It was thanks to Virtuous Cloud that he had been able to complete the Warfire Set Equipment. He had no issues with helping her with a small request.

"Our party consists of only independent players, so it isn't easy for us to obtain equipment for ourselves. I still have another Warfire set piece with me. Would it be possible to trade it for six pieces of Level 20 Secret-Silver Equipment?" Virtuous Cloud asked, slightly embarrassed.

The market price for the Warfire set was eight Gold per piece. As for Level 20 Secret-Silver Equipment, a few days ago, each was worth roughly one or two Gold. However, as players' levels increased and teams successfully raided more Level 20 Team Dungeons, the value of Secret-Silver Equipment fell sharply. Currently, one piece of Level 20 Secret-Silver Equipment was only worth around 90 Silver; six pieces would cost around five Gold at most.

Listening to Virtuous Cloud's request, Shi Feng immediately understood her intentions.

She obviously did not wish to owe him a favor.

"No problem. However, I don't have that many Level 20 Secret-Silver Equipment on me, though there are plenty back in our Warehouse. I'm just about to head back to the city anyway. Will one of you follow me to pick out the equipment?" Shi Feng tried not to be a hypocrite. Since Virtuous Cloud wanted to avoid owing him a favor, he would not try to force her to accept his goodwill.

"I'll pass you the Warfire set piece first, then," Virtuous Cloud said as she happily traded a pair of Warfire Boots to Shi Feng. When Shi Feng agreed to her request, she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

When Shi Feng saw that it was a pair of boots, he was somewhat disappointed, but in the end, it was still another piece of the Warfire set. He'd rather have duplicates than none at all.

After they had concluded their trade, Shi Feng and the others wandered down the main road, heading towards the exit of White Fog Canyon.

Players could not use Return Scrolls inside White Fog Canyon. Hence, Shi Feng and the others needed to leave the canyon on foot before they could teleport back to the city.

Shi Feng had reaped a massive harvest from his trip to White Fog Canyon this time.

Not only had he obtained a large stock of Starfire Ore, but he had also gained many Warfire set pieces. Most importantly, he had managed to snatch the golden stone tablet.

Seeing as the golden stone tablet warranted even a Great Lord's protection, it had to be incredibly precious. Shi Feng suspected it was just as valuable as an Epic item, if not more.

Initially, Shi Feng had planned to begin researching the golden stone tablet as soon as possible. However, when he thought about how he was still in White Fog Canyon and that Anubis's Gatekeeper was still alive, he immediately suppressed his excitement. After all, there was no guarantee that the Great Lord would not follow him. Hence, Shi Feng intended to return to White River City before studying the stone tablet.

Even if the Gatekeeper showed up in White River City, it would not be a threat. Shi Feng might even take advantage of the opportunity to get rid of the Gatekeeper.

After all, White River City was under Weissman's protection, a Tier 4 Great Wizard. With just the strength of a Tier 3 class, the Anubis's Gatekeeper could not run rampant in the city.

Just as Shi Feng and the others were about to reach White Fog Canyon's exit, a group suddenly blocked their way. Virtuous Cloud and her team turned grim at the sight.

"There sure are a lot of people." Shi Feng could not help but laugh as he surveyed the surrounding forests.

Several thousand players had hidden in the forest on either side of the road. Even with dulled senses, Shi Feng could still detect them.

"Guild Leader Black Flame," Youlan greeted as she slowly walked out of the forest, smiling faintly at Shi Feng. "Since you've discovered us, I guess we don't need to hide anymore. Everyone, come out."

Following which, swarms of players emerged from the surrounding cover, their numbers exceeding 2,000. Every player was an elite of Overwhelming Smile.

These 2,000 elite players had blocked off the road leading out of White Fog Canyon, and they all emitted a cold killing intent as they glowered at Shi Feng's group. Compared to the Red Names who had assaulted them previously, these elite players had far better equipment.

"I wonder what business Overwhelming Smile has with me today?" Shi Feng pondered aloud as he observed his surroundings, searching for a gap that he could take advantage of.

In his current Weakened state, it would be somewhat difficult to escape the encirclement of 2,000 elite players. Furthermore, he had his team to consider.

"Guild Leader Black Flame must be joking," Youlan said as she watched her target carefully, finding the man truly interesting. Even against 2,000 Overwhelming Smile elites, his expression had not changed in the slightest. "Previously, you killed over a hundred of our Guild members. If word of that gets out, we'll be a laughingstock. I've specifically sought out Guild Leader Black Flame today to seek reparations."

Chapter 454 - bloody battle

Listening to Youlan's words, even a fool could tell that Overwhelming Smile had come to redeem their reputation.

"Miss Youlan, are you suggesting that we start an all-out war?" Shi Feng blatantly asked.

Regarding the matter with Oriental Sword, if Overwhelming Smile had not been the one to take action first, Shi Feng would not have bothered with killing him. After all, Zero Wing currently wielded a relatively significant advantage in White River City. Although Overwhelming Smile's financial attack had been considerably powerful, it would not last too long. Even if Shi Feng ignored it, Overwhelming Smile would soon self-destruct.

The opposing Guild understood the situation quite well. Their current goal was only to delay Zero Wing's development and cause some trouble. Their true aim was to consolidate the strength of the five cities surrounding White River City. After Underworld secured full control of those five cities, taking Zero Wing out would be effortless.

"Guild Leader, Black Flame, why must you put it like that? I have only come to demand justice for our Guild's brethren. Why would I start an all-out war between our two Guilds?" Youlan said, chuckling.

"Demand justice?" Shi Feng could not help but laugh. "You must think highly of me. You've actually brought 2,000 people to deal with me. Am I really that scary?"

"I don't know about others, but I know full well what you are capable of. If I don't have this many allies around me, how could I possibly stand before you, the number one expert of Star-Moon Kingdom?" Youlan said as she shook her head.

If Shi Feng had been alone, Youlan would have been certain that Shi Feng could escape. He might even kill her before he fled. After all, he had done just that with Lone Tyrant.

Now that so much time had passed, Youlan refused to believe that Shi Feng had not grown stronger.

Since Zero Wing was capable of offering top-tier equipment to even its ordinary members, as the Leader of the Guild, how could Shi Feng's equipment be inferior?

"What are your intentions, then?" Shi Feng asked.

"As long as you let us kill you once, we will forget about this matter altogether. How about it?" Youlan said. "Neither of our Guilds stand to benefit from an all-out war. In fact, such a situation will only allow other Guilds to take advantage of us. I hope that you will consider your options carefully."

"Bah!

"Don't even think about it! Even if we die, we will not let our Guild Leader suffer such humiliation!"

Blackie and the others stepped forward in retaliation. Facing their current predicament, they had already prepared to fight to the death.

If news about Zero Wing's Guild Leader becoming a martyr spread, Zero Wing would become the laughingstock of God's Domain. How was Zero Wing supposed to continue developing in God's Domain then?

"I'll open a path in a moment. Escape if you can," Shi Feng ordered his party as he unsheathed the Abyssal Blade and the Purgatory's Shadow, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He then turned to Virtuous Cloud. Apologizing, he said, "I really am sorry for dragging you into our Guild's struggles. However, if you are to clarify things with Overwhelming Smile, they should not touch you. After all, this is a matter between Guilds; independent players are innocent."

Currently, Shi Feng was still in a Weakened state with all of his Attributes reduced by 80%. Although he did not know what the outcome of today's battle would be, he swore that he would repay this debt of blood tenfold in the future.

"Guild Leader, Black Flame, don't worry about it. Those Red Names should have killed us. How can we sit by and do nothing when you've been cornered?" Virtuous Cloud stated as she raised her Secret-Silver shield and walked to the forefront of the team.

Virtuous Cloud's party members nodded in agreement as they readied their weapons. They were prepared to face the 2,000 elite players alongside Shi Feng.

An army of 2,000 elite players... their silent stance in the distance was enough to frighten any ordinary player, much less the killing intent they emitted.

When Virtuous Cloud and her party members saw Overwhelming Smile's battle formations, they paled. The pressure they felt from this army was far greater than any they had felt from Red Names in the past.

Virtuous Cloud suddenly thought of the Red Names they had faced as nothing more than cute dolls.

Against 50 players, they still had a chance to flee. However, against 2,000 players, only death awaited them.

"Since you insist on being stubborn, don't blame us for being rude!" Youlan's lips unconsciously curled into a smile when she saw the stern expressions of Shi Feng's team. Immediately, she made a wave with her hand. "Kill them!"

Suddenly, the 2,000 elite players approached Shi Feng and his allies slowly and orderly. Simultaneously, a gigantic black magic array emerged in the sky. Suddenly, the magic array released a black light that covered the sky before enveloping every player on the battlefield.

Everyone's vision suddenly turned black, unable to see anything at all. After a brief moment of darkness, however, the players regained their sight and felt no discomfort whatsoever.

Shi Feng was suddenly shocked. "This is the effect of the Tier 3 Magic Scroll, Dead Zone. Any lifeforms exposed to the black light are Silenced for five minutes. The scroll's effects also prohibit the usage of any tools."

The players tensed when they heard the word "Silenced."

Although it seemed as if Overwhelming Smile would suffer more from the Silenced state than Shi Feng, his team still had skills such as Blackie's Stars of Light and Shi Feng's Firestorm.

With these two skills, they could obliterate waves of enemies. Not to mention, Shi Feng's group also had many AOE attack Magic Scrolls.

Now, however, they couldn't use any of them...

"Hahaha! Black Flame is dead for sure this time! Let's see if he can escape without skills or Scrolls!" Lone Tyrant rejoiced as he watched his Guildmates slowly surround Shi Feng.

"What a pity. I had originally thought I would get a chance to solo that Black Flame. However, I never expected that you still had such a trump card hidden, Youlan. No wonder you are known as the female Zhuge[1]. It seems that I won't have a chance to take him on," Summer Sunshine sighed as he shook his head.

"Big Brother Summer, Black Flame is not so simple. In a moment, we will still have to rely on you to get rid of him," Youlan said. She was not rash like Lone Tyrant. Before dealing with an enemy, she would always investigate them thoroughly and prepare for the worst possible scenarios.

Although the situation seemed in Overwhelming Smile's favor, melee combat experts such as Shi Feng excelled in situations in which both sides were Silenced.

If not for the fact that Youlan had her own melee genius, Summer Sunshine, she wouldn't have been as certain of Shi Feng's defeat.

"In that case, let me have a go at him."

Hearing Youlan's words, passion and excitement filled Summer Sunshine's gaze as he watched his opponent. Finished speaking, he took a step forward before dashing towards the battlefield.

TL Notes:

[1] Zhuge: a Chinese politician, military strategist, writer, engineer and inventor.

Chapter 455 - there's isn't only one expert

After everyone had been Silenced, only the physical classes could display any considerable combat power. The magical classes could only watch from the sidelines.

Youlan had long since prepared for this. Among the 2,000 players from Overwhelming Smile, close to two-thirds were physical classes.

Moreover, Overwhelming Smile's attack formation was well organized. Shield Warriors and Guardian Knights led the attack, closely followed by the Berserkers, Swordsmen, and Assassins. Rangers stood the furthest behind, launching a ranged attack.

The road leading out of White Fog Canyon had suddenly transformed into an ancient battlefield.

"Advance towards the left," Shi Feng took the lead and charged towards thinnest concentration of enemies.

His and Virtuous Cloud's teams promptly followed.

However, before Shi Feng and the others had taken even a few steps, hundreds of arrows suddenly blotted out the sky.

Virtuous Cloud's three magical class members were simply too weak in terms of Agility and Strength. Moreover, magical classes were usually not adept at dodging attacks as they usually dealt damage from a safe distance. Hence, when the first wave of arrows rained down on them, the three party members immediately died and dropped a piece of their equipment.

"Stranger! Mouse! Roach!" Virtuous Cloud's vision turned red after she watched her party members die. Glaring at the Overwhelming Smile members in front of her, she gripped her shield and charged forward, "Die!"

Unfortunately, although Virtuous Cloud's equipment and level were considerably good, she could not hold her own against five Shield Warriors and Guardians knights of the same caliber.

The Overwhelming Smile elites forced Virtuous Cloud back, preventing her from reaching the rear Rangers.

Virtuous Cloud's other two party members faced a similar situation. No matter how hard they tried to attack, the enemy held them off. In the end, Virtuous Cloud's party was forced into a constant retreat.

In the next moment, however, two figures suddenly brushed past Virtuous Cloud's party, slamming into Overwhelming Smile's MTs.

Among the two figures, the most dazzling was Fire Dance. Brandishing her Truefire Blades, she sent a blazing arc smashing into a Level 23 MT's shield. In the next moment, the Assassin forced the MT back by over a dozen steps, and even the players behind said MT had to back up. Immediately after, Fire Dance swung one of her swords at a Guardian Knight beside her. She flung that Guardian Knight back by half a dozen yards as well, his body slamming into his fellow Guild members.

Her Strength was astonishing!

With a single attack, Fire Dance had shattered Overwhelming Smile's formation. Her strength was overwhelming. She fought like a war goddess. Everyone from Overwhelming Smile was left utterly speechless.

While the crowd from Overwhelming Smile was dazed, Fire Dance continued to brandish her short swords as she weaved her way across the enemy frontlines. Every time she swung the Truefire Blades, red streaks of light would follow. And wherever those red streaks of light passed, the members of Overwhelming Smile would be blown off their feet. No one could block Fire Dance's swords.

In a short moment, the Assassin had shattered Overwhelming Smile's interception.

Although Overwhelming Smile's members had tried to attack Fire Dance, the woman was too fast. Before they even swung their weapons, Fire Dance had already run off. She never focused on a single location, giving Overwhelming Smile no opportunities to surround her.

On the other hand, although Overwhelming Smile's members could not attack Fire Dance, she could bombard them easily. Against Level 23 MTs, her casual strike could deal close to -1,000 damage. If she was lucky and triggered a critical hit or Flame state, one attack could deal over -2,000 damage.

The elite MTs of Overwhelming Smile usually had around 4,300 HP, whereas those with better equipment had around 4,500 HP. Fire Dance only needed around four or five attacks to kill one of them.

Flying Shadow also fared quite well. Although his attacks were not as frightening as Fire Dance's, against MTs, he could still deal around -700 damage with each hit.

As if they were in a world of their own, Fire Dance and Flying Shadow started a bloodied massacre within Overwhelming Smile's frontlines. On the other hand, Overwhelming Smile's players found it difficult to catch either of them, much less deal damage.

A Tier 1 class was significantly stronger than a Tier 0 class. Even without skills, a Tier 1 class could still overwhelm and suppress a Tier 0 class with their Attributes. Furthermore, Fire Dance and Flying Shadow both possessed equipment that was far superior to the enemy elites.

By this time, Shi Feng had also activated the Seven Luminaries Ring's Aura of Time. Although Silence prevented the usage of skills and spells, it did not impact passive effects. Immediately, enemies within a 150-yard radius of Shi Feng had their Movement Speed and Attack Speed reduced by 30%. This debuff weakened Overwhelming Smile further in close quarters combat.

In the meantime, Shi Feng was responsible for protecting Aqua Rose and the other magical classes as they slowly advanced.

Realistically, this task should have fallen to Flying Shadow. However, Shi Feng's Attributes were currently reduced by 80%; he was about on par with a Level 20 ordinary player right now. On top of that, he couldn't use any skills. Melee combat was a competition of Attributes and techniques. Compared to Fire Dance and Flying Shadow, the power he could display was significantly inferior. Hence, it was better if he focused on deflecting arrows for the others.

In a few moments, Fire Dance and Flying Shadow had carved out a path of blood, allowing Shi Feng and the others to pass safely.

"How did that Fire Dance become so strong?"

Lone Tyrant, who observed the battle from afar, was dumbfounded as he watched the unstoppable Assassin, his fists clenching. He refused to believe this scene was real. He had personally witnessed Fire Dance's strength before. Although she was certainly a top-tier expert, she had not been unstoppable.

Moreover, Fire Dance was an Assassin, not a Strength-based class. Yet, her attacks could even overwhelm Berserkers. Against MTs, Fire Dance still required four or five hits to finish them off. Against other Assassins, however, one of her attacks devoured their HP. If she achieved a critical hit, they would die instantly. This scene had frightened Overwhelming Smile's Assassins to a standstill.

"Sure enough, Zero Wing is trouble."

Youlan frowned as she watched Fire Dance's performance. When she had planned this assault, she had not considered Fire Dance and the others as forces to be reckoned with. Facing 2,000 players in a melee battle, a top-tier expert was limited in what they could accomplish. However, Youlan never expected such a performance from both Fire Dance and Flying Shadow.

"Kill them! Those in the back, keep up! Do not let them escape!" Youlan shouted anxiously.

Originally, one Black Flame was enough trouble. Now, however, there were Fire Dance and the slightly weaker Flying Shadow. If Overwhelming Smile did not kill these three people today and hinder their growth, they would only become more dangerous in the future.

The longer Youlan watched Fire Dance and Flying Shadow slaughter her people, the more she felt that God's Domain was completely different from past virtual reality games. It was far more beneficial to have individuals with overwhelming combat power than it was to rely on the strength of numbers.

Overwhelming Smile members began to converge on Shi Feng's group faster. However, due to the Aura of Time's effect, the army could not keep up with Shi Feng and his team's Movement Speed. As a result, the distance between them only increased as time passed.

Meanwhile, the number of enemies between Shi Feng's group and freedom continued to decrease.

Just as the Zero Wing members and their surviving allies were about to break free from the encirclement, a dark figure emerged from the crowd and dashed towards Shi Feng. This was none other than the Level 26 Assassin, Summer Sunshine.

Even with the Movement Speed Reduction effect of the Aura of Time, Summer Sunshine was still frighteningly fast. He quickly caught up with Shi Feng, who covered Aqua Rose and the others' retreat.

"You should just stay behind!" Summer Sunshine chuckled as he stood in front of Shi Feng, blocking his path.

Chapter 456 - death god

"And just who are you, brat?!

"What a big mouth you have! Believe it or not, if I wasn't Silenced right now, I could wipe the floor with you at any given second!"

Due to having been Silenced, Blackie had been disappointed that he could not display his strength. With Summer Sunshine's sudden appearance and his arrogant tone when he spoke to Shi Feng, Blackie was instantly enraged.

"So fast!"

Looking at the youth in front of them, Aqua Rose discovered that he was actually Level 26, the same level as her. She also felt an intensity radiate from this Assassin.

This intensity was heavier and more chilling than that from a Lord ranked monster.

In particular, with confidence and arrogance, he looked at them as if they weren't even the same species, but some lower life forms. He looked down on them like a god over mortals.

_Just who is this person?_ Aqua Rose was stunned and confused. Currently, her intuition warned her to flee from this man. This was the first time since she had begun playing God's Domain that she had ever experienced such a feeling.

Standing beside Aqua Rose, Violet Cloud was similarly on high-alert. After participating in Ouroboros's internal competition with Shi Feng, she had some understanding of monster-like experts. Compared to Aqua Rose, she knew how frightening these kind of people could be. Immediately, she pulled Blackie, who was prepared to throw himself to Shi Feng's defense, back, warning him, "Brother Blackie, be careful. That man isn't as simple as he looks. He's on an entirely different level than we are."

Violet Cloud's caution calmed Blackie immediately. When he examined Summer Sunshine again, cold sweat suddenly dripped down his forehead.

Previously, the frustration of being Silenced had clouded his mind, so he had failed to detect the powerful aura or the boundless killing intent that emanated from the cocky Assassin.

"Oh? You guys aren't too shabby after all. You're only the second group of players that I've met since I arrived in Star-Moon Kingdom to possess such sharp senses. White River City really is an interesting place." Summer Sunshine could not help his surprise when he saw Aqua Rose and the others' reactions. Not even Underworld's so-called great expert, Ming Sha, had sensed how powerful he was. Yet, Aqua Rose and the others had managed to do so. At least, this showed that they were slightly stronger than Ming Sha. Unfortunately, they were only _slightly_ stronger. Summer Sunshine then pointed towards Shi Feng, saying, "I'm not interested in you guys, so you can leave. He, however, has to stay."

"You!"

Though Blackie wanted to sling a flurry of curses, Shi Feng quickly stopped him.

"You guys can take off," Shi Feng said.

"But..." Blackie understood Shi Feng's current situation. To face the Great Lord ranked Anubis's Gatekeeper, Shi Feng had used a berserk skill. He was still in a Weakened state at the moment, and his strength had been significantly reduced. Nothing good would come from soloing Summer Sunshine right now.

"Can we not defeat him even though we outnumber him?" Virtuous Cloud asked with astonishment. She could not understand the Shi Feng's party's current performance. They were experts who were capable of defeating 50 Red Names single-handedly. Yet, now, a single Assassin had stopped them in their tracks.

Even if the magical classes could not join the fray, the three of them were still elite players. They could defeat a Level 26 Assassin easily if they worked with Black Flame.

"You guys need to get going. If you waste any more time, the enemy will catch up." Shi Feng waved his hand, rejecting Virtuous Cloud's proposal. Virtuous Cloud and the others had yet to reach _that_ level, so they did not understand how frightening the youth before them was.

Aqua Rose was also helpless. If they had not been Silenced, they could have helped in this fight. In their current condition, however, they would be nothing more than cannon fodder to the Assassin. Hence, taking the initiative, Aqua Rose said, "Let's go."

Following which, Aqua Rose led her party members away.

"Guild Leader, I'll help you," Fire Dance said through the party chat when she noticed Summer Sunshine.

"No need. Lead Aqua Rose and the others away from here quickly. If anyone catches up, it will be very difficult to escape," Shi Feng immediately rejected the offer.

It was not because Shi Feng did not believe in Fire Dance's strength. However, the youth named Summer Sunshine was not an ordinary expert. Rather, he was someone who stood at the peak of all Assassins in God's Domain, Death God Summer Sunshine.

The reason he had the title of Death God was that Summer Sunshine had successfully become a Tier 6 class in the past. He was an existence that stood at the peak of God's Domain.

Summer Sunshine and Violet Cloud were different. Unlike the former, Violet Cloud had only begun to shine during the later stages of God's Domain, eventually becoming a god and standing at the peak of God's Domain.

However, Summer Sunshine had stood at that apex since God's Domain had launched. He was one the few OP players.

Initially, Shi Feng had not believed the rumor about Summer Sunshine. Now that he saw the man in person, however, he believed it.

_Why is he participating in a battle between Guilds?_ Based on the information Shi Feng had obtained about Summer Sunshine in the past, the man had always been an independent player; he had never joined any powers and had never participated in struggles between powers. Now, however, he was actually helping Underworld.

However, there was no point wasting his thoughts. The thing he needed to do right now was to escape.

_My Attributes have been reduced by too much. Even though he is affected by the Movement Speed Reduction of the Aura of Time, my speed should still be inferior to his. I need to figure out a way to shake him off._ Shi Feng had no intentions of fighting it out with Summer Sunshine right now. He was simply at too much of a disadvantage. If the fight dragged on for too long, the crowd of players from Overwhelming Smile would catch up. He definitely wouldn't be able to hold back the attacks of Summer Sunshine and the elite players.

While Shi Feng was thinking up of a plan to escape, Summer Sunshine suddenly asked, "What? Trying to think of a way to avoid me in battle?

"I advise you to give up that idea and focus on our fight. I can tell that you are an expert who has also broken through _that_ level. However, it will not be possible for you to throw me off."

Saying so, Summer Sunshine took a step forward before abruptly vanishing. In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of Shi Feng, and before anyone knew it, his snow-bright dagger was just several centimeters away from reaching Shi Feng's chest.

The entire process was simply too fast.

"How can he be so fast?!" Although Fire Dance was currently massacring the members of Overwhelming Smile, she had placed most of her attention on Shi Feng's battle. When she saw Summer Sunshine's attack, her heart was filled with an indescribable sense of shock.

Summer Sunshine's swiftness was different from ordinary swiftness. He used an attack method that allowed his speed to become extremely fast by abandoning all unnecessary actions.

However, when Summer Sunshine's dagger was about to pierce Shi Feng's chest, the latter suddenly vanished from everyone's sight.

"Where is he?" Lone Tyrant, who was watching the battle from afar, asked in astonishment when he saw Shi Feng suddenly disappear.

Shi Feng was definitely Silenced. Thus, he was unable to use any skills or tools. Yet, he had still vanished from Lone Tyrant's eyes. This was simply inconceivable.

"What's going on?" Youlan similarly widened her eyes, her complexion turning extremely gloomy. "Did he get away, just like that?"

In reality, it wasn't just Youlan and Lone Tyrant who were shocked. Everyone on the battlefield was also shocked.

While stuck in a situation where neither skills nor tools could be used, a living, breathing human being had actually vanished. No matter how one looked at it, this scene defied all common sense.

Chapter 457 - fighting against an apex expert

"This..." Aqua Rose also could not help her surprise when she saw Shi Feng disappear.

It wasn't just Aqua Rose who was confused. Even Blackie, who was standing beside her, was stupefied, not to mention Virtuous Cloud and her party, who had little knowledge regarding Shi Feng.

Everyone present couldn't use any of their skills, and the same went for their tools as well.

Just what sort of method did Shi Feng use to disappear from everyone's eyes? Moreover, unlike Assassins who had to go through a short process before vanishing, Shi Feng had taken only an instant to disappear completely.

"How could I forget that Guild Leader has this move?" At this moment, Fire Dance suddenly recalled that Shi Feng knew Void Steps.

Aqua Rose and the others had never seen Shi Feng use Void Steps before, so they did not know that Shi Feng possessed such a card.

As for Fire Dance, Flying Shadow, and Violet Cloud, they had personally seen Shi Feng use Void Steps before, so they knew how powerful this technique was.

Even if Summer Sunshine was incredible, he would be rendered helpless in the face of this move. After all, an enemy that one could not see was quite frightening; moreover, the attack method gave one no time to react at all. Even if Summer Sunshine removed all excess movements and increased his body's speed to the maximum, he still could not block Shi Feng's sword.

Meanwhile, traces of shock appeared on Summer Sunshine's face as he failed to locate Shi Feng's figure even after he searched his surroundings.

Suddenly, Shi Feng appeared beside Summer Sunshine. The silvery-gray Abyssal Blade also abruptly appeared at the Assassin's waist, cutting across it.

"You!"

Although Summer Sunshine used everything he had to dodge and block Shi Feng's attack, the time the Abyssal Blade had taken to cut him was simply too short. The Abyssal Blade had already struck him before he could even dodge or block, and damage of over -400 points subsequently appeared above his head. In just an instant, Summer Sunshine had lost close to one-tenth of his HP.

However, Summer Sunshine had quick reactions. After being attacked, he counterattacked, his dagger suddenly striking at Shi Feng's back with even greater speed. With the distance between them so close, there was simply not enough time for Shi Feng to withdraw his sword and defend himself. In addition, Summer Sunshine's attack had no unnecessary actions, so his dagger moved at an extremely fast speed. Let alone now, even if Shi Feng was not in a Weakened state, he would still have great difficulty defending against this strike.

In Shi Feng's desperate attempt at dodging, the dagger missed its mark and only managed to scrape Shi Feng's shoulder. Still, this single attack dealt over -800 damage to Shi Feng, taking close to half his HP away.

"You're quite good. You've actually managed to damage me. However, it seems that your Attributes have been greatly weakened. I just attacked you once, and you already lost close to half of your HP," Summer Sunshine stated in a carefree manner as he looked at his injured waist. "That footwork of yours is amazing. However, you are bound to reveal yourself when you attack. Your one strike took away only around a tenth of my HP. Even if I just exchange damage for damage, it will still be your loss three moves later.

"But since you were able to harm me, as a reward, I won't suppress you using my Attributes. I'll let you see what real strength is."

Summer Sunshine spoke in a very casual and overbearing tone. However, Shi Feng did not think that Summer Sunshine was bluffing, because the moment the Assassin finished speaking, the aura surrounding him underwent a complete change.

Previously, he had still leaked out a little killing intent. Now, however, he completely sheathed it. The gaze in his eyes no longer focused on a single point. Instead, it was a gaze that took in everything in the surroundings, looking at everything objectively.

This move was none other than Omnivision. However, compared to when Soaring Snake and the other amateurs used it, Summer Sunshine had mastered it to the realm of perfection.

_As expected of the Death God of God's Domain. It seems he won't be that easy to deal with._ Shi Feng had never fought against such a powerful character in the past. To be precise, he had not had the qualifications to do so.

Although a Tier 3 Sword King was similarly very amazing in the eyes of ordinary players, in front of god-tier players, he was no different from an ant.

In the past, there was a saying that went around in God's Domain: everyone beneath god-tier was an ant. Without becoming a Tier 6 class, one would never know how frightening Tier 6 players truly were.

The Assassin standing before him was an expert that had always stood at the very peak of God's Domain.

Shi Feng had never expected to fight such an expert.

However, the past and the present were different. First and foremost, the Summer Sunshine before him right now had yet to become a god-tier expert. Meanwhile, Shi Feng himself knew Void Steps, an advanced footwork. Defeating Summer Sunshine and escaping was not necessarily impossible.

As for escaping?

Looking at Summer Sunshine's speed, Shi Feng knew escaping was not an option unless he defeated the Assassin.

In reality, there was another method he could use, and that was to execute Void Steps continuously. However, due to his Attributes being reduced, the distance he could move each time was also greatly reduced. Moreover, using Void Steps multiple times in quick succession was mentally taxing. He would most likely lose consciousness before he could even run one or two hundred yards away.

_It seems that I can only try to take care of him by continuously using Void Steps._ Shi Feng really could not think of a better idea right now.

Melee combat relied on Attributes and techniques. In terms of Attributes, Shi Feng was no match for Summer Sunshine at all. Hence, he could only try to gain victory through techniques.

Since using Void Steps only once was not enough, then he would use Void Steps twice in a row: once for attacking, and once for dodging.

After thinking up to this point, Shi Feng immediately used Void Steps and dashed towards Summer Sunshine.

Suddenly, Shi Feng disappeared from everyone's eyes once more.

A short moment later, Shi Feng appeared beside Summer Sunshine once more, and the Abyssal Blade was also sweeping towards the Assassin's abdomen.

_Dang!_

Suddenly, the sound of metal clashing rang out, a dazzling spark appearing around Summer Sunshine's abdomen. Instead of landing on the Assassin's abdomen, the Abyssal Blade was actually blocked by his dagger. Immediately after, Summer Sunshine used his other dagger to strike at Shi Feng's blind spot.

Shi Feng was shocked. However, with equally fast speed, he promptly used Void Steps and just barely dodged the dagger's attack.

Everyone's hearts trembled when they saw Shi Feng and Summer Sunshine exchanging moves.

"He couldn't have possibly seen through Guild Leader's footwork, right?" Fire Dance could not help but be shocked.

Void Steps was an advanced technique that allowed Shi Feng to easily defeat a Chieftain. Yet, Summer Sunshine had seen through it after just two uses...

"Your footwork really is mysterious," Summer Sunshine chuckled lightly as he looked indifferently at Shi Feng standing four yards away from him. "Originally, when I first saw that footwork, I really did think that you had disappeared. However, when you used it the second time, I can say with certainty that you did not disappear. Only, that footwork of yours forces my eyes to automatically ignore all information relating to your existence, which is why you seem to suddenly disappear from my eyes. Unfortunately, you've met me. If it were anyone else, they would really be rendered utterly helpless against you, without undergoing special training."

"That's right." Shi Feng nodded, having no intention of hiding the mechanics of Void Steps.

Although Void Steps was an advanced footwork, it was not invincible. In the face of a god-tier expert, it was nothing but a joke. Only, Shi Feng had not thought that Summer Sunshine would see through it so quickly.

Sure enough, Summer Sunshine's title of Death God was not undeserved.

He really was as strong as a monster.

Just as Shi Feng was thinking of how he should deal with Summer Sunshine, the latter took a step forward, then abruptly dashed towards Shi Feng.

Chapter 458 - fleeting sword

Straight-line attacks were very easily seen through, yet Summer Sunshine did not seem to care about using them at all.

With Omnivision, Shi Feng's every action was being scrutinized by Summer Sunshine. Even if Shi Feng thought about his next move, Summer Sunshine could immediately see through it and react appropriately. He was not afraid of his attack being seen through at all.

Moreover, unlike Summer Sunshine's previous assault, this time, whether it was his movements or the dagger he was swinging at Shi Feng, neither made any noise. His attack was both quick and silent, and it simply gave one no time to react at all.

When an ordinary person was moving or attacking, they would always produce some form of sound. A sound would be produced because vibrations would form when an object moved through the air. These vibrations were caused due to energy dispersing from unnecessary actions, and the larger the vibrations, the louder the sound.

Although attacks that generated thundering sounds looked very imposing, a lot of energy was wasted.

In contrast, the less vibrations one produced when they attacked, the more concentrated the energy behind the attack would be. Naturally, the might of one's attack would also become greater.

During a battle, other than sense of sight, a player also heavily relied on their sense of hearing and touch. Through listening to the noise produced by an attack, players could predict the general trajectory of the attack. The vibrations generated when an attack collided with air would also produce an impact, and by feeling this impact with their bodies, players could then take appropriate measures.

However, Summer Sunshine's soundless attack was extremely hard to defend against.

Originally, launching a soundless attack was already beyond the capabilities of ordinary men. However, Summer Sunshine's every single action was actually soundless. His movements dispersed practically no energy at all. This was already a realm that could not be reached by humans.

"Just who is he?" At a distance, Fire Dance, who was battling while watching Shi Feng's battle at the same time, was inwardly shocked when she saw Summer Sunshine's attack. She felt that it was simply inconceivable.

Summer Sunshine fully embodied the class known as Assassin, and this was exactly what Fire Dance had been pursuing all along.

Originally, Fire Dance had thought Shi Feng was belittling her strength too much, which was why he had barred her from fighting against Summer Sunshine. Now, however, it would seem that Shi Feng's decision was indeed correct.

The gap between Fire Dance and Summer Sunshine was simply unimaginable. If they fought, she did not possess even the slightest chance at securing victory.

_Sure enough, he really is a monster._ Shi Feng inwardly sighed when he saw Summer Sunshine charging at him.

He finally understood why Summer Sunshine was capable of standing at the peak of God's Domain.

After experiencing a decade of battles, Shi Feng had only managed to achieve a soundless attack after much difficulty. Even so, not every move of his could achieve such a state of soundlessness. Yet, every single action of the Assassin before him was actually soundless. The gap between them was simply unfathomable.

Shi Feng knew that he was currently not a match for Summer Sunshine at all.

If he was not Silenced nor in a Weakened state, he might possess a chance of contending against Summer Sunshine. If he had to rely on pure techniques, however, there was simply no chance for him to win.

If this fight took place in reality, it was highly possible that Shi Feng would have been defeated by Summer Sunshine in just a single move.

Although Shi Feng knew that he was not a match for Summer Sunshine, for reasons unknown, there was a sense of joy filling Shi Feng's heart right now.

"Come!"

Shi Feng no longer held back. He used Void Steps again and charged at Summer Sunshine.

Void Steps placed a severe burden on its user's mental power. At this moment, however, Shi Feng couldn't care less. If he did not use Void Steps, then he would only last a few moves against Summer Sunshine. Since he was going to lose either way, he might as well take the final plunge.

After Shi Feng disappeared, even though Summer Sunshine hesitated for a slight moment, he still responded very quickly. With a twist of his feet, he suddenly swept the dagger in his hand to his side.

Everyone was greatly surprised, confused at just what the Assassin was trying to do.

However, when the dagger was halfway through its course, sparks were generated as the weapon was abruptly stopped in its path. Immediately after, Shi Feng's figure was revealed.

Before anyone could react, Shi Feng used Void Steps and disappeared from everyone's sight once more.

For a time, everyone watched as Summer Sunshine continuously brandished his daggers, creating dazzling sparks with every swing he made.

Those who were ill-informed would think that Summer Sunshine had gone insane. However, everyone present knew that the Assassin was currently fighting Shi Feng. Moreover, it was obvious that the Summer Sunshine currently held the upper hand in this fight.

A battle of such level thoroughly stunned everyone present. Compared to this battle happening right before them, the videos spread on the forums showing the battles of experts were just complete and utter garbage.

Presently, everyone had even forgotten about their own battles. All their attention was focused on the battle between Summer Sunshine and Shi Feng.

"This is bad." Fire Dance grew anxious when she looked at Shi Feng, who was currently in battle.

The strain Void Steps put on its user's mental power was no laughing matter. Previously, when Shi Feng had used Void Steps multiple times against a Chieftain ranked monster, his spirit ended up in an exhausted state. Despite his HP still being full back then, he did not have the energy to even move his body.

As the battle continued to drag on, Shi Feng could feel himself almost reaching his limit. Suddenly, he pulled a distance away from Summer Sunshine.

"You're really good. You are the first person capable of fighting against me for such a long amount of time. However, that move of yours should be placing a huge burden on your mental power, right? I wonder just how many more moves you can handle?" Despite having gone through such an intense battle, Summer Sunshine still displayed a calm and indifferent expression on his face.

Shi Feng did not give a reply. At this moment, his complexion was deathly pale, and even speaking had become an extremely exhausting task.

"It seems that you don't have much energy left. Let's finish things then. Ever since entering God's Domain, nobody has ever seen this move of mine, and you will be the first one to do so," saying so, Summer Sunshine's expression turned serious. The killing intent he had kept hidden all this time suddenly exploded like a volcano, suffocating all those who felt it.

Summer Sunshine was like a ferocious beast that had escaped its cage. In the next moment, his figure dashed towards Shi Feng.

However, when Summer Sunshine was halfway to reaching Shi Feng, his body suddenly vanished. Immediately after, he reappeared behind Shi Feng, his dagger tightly held in a reverse grip as he swung it down towards Shi Feng's back.

Suddenly, the spectators of the battle were stunned.

"Does he know Void Steps as well?" Fire Dance said in shock.

"No," Violet Cloud said. "That's Second Acceleration."

Violet Cloud had previously witnessed War Wolf using Second Acceleration to attack many times before.

Void Steps was a footwork that caused the opponent to ignore the user's very existence. Even if the opponent was able to see the user, their brains would still categorize this information as useless and promptly ignore it. However, Second Acceleration was a trick used to fool a person's eyes. Overall, it was a technique inferior to Void Steps.

However, War Wolf had used Second Acceleration on his attack, whereas Summer Sunshine had used Second Acceleration on his movements. It was clear that Summer Sunshine's technique was several levels above War Wolf.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng was feeling extremely weak. He was simply unable to block or dodge Summer Sunshine's soundless attack.

At this moment, although Shi Feng had discovered Summer Sunshine's attack, he was already close to exceeding his mental limit. His bodyfelt extraordinarily heavy. Even if he tried to defend using the Abyssal Blade right now, it was simply impossible for him to keep up with Summer Sunshine's speed.

_Is this the end?_

The moment before the attack was about to hit him, Shi Feng could not help but have such a thought.

_No!_

He definitely could not let it end here!

He still needed to reach even greater heights! He definitely could not be defeated here!

_I need to block it!_

_I must block it!_

_My movements need to be faster! Much faster!_

At this moment, Shi Feng was wholeheartedly trying to make his movements much faster and more precise. However, he no longer possessed the energy to control the other parts of his body. He could only use the most conservative way he could think of to block Summer Sunshine's attack.

At this moment, Shi Feng's mind had already forgotten to think, his body forgetting to breathe.

When there were only a few centimeters left between Summer Sunshine's dagger and Shi Feng's body, the Abyssal Blade in Shi Feng's hand suddenly slid into the snow-bright dagger.

_Dang!_

The impact of the two weapons caused the snow-bright dagger's trajectory to shift, and as a result, the dagger only brushed past Shi Feng's body...

Chapter 459 - catastrophic 

An astonished expression appeared on Summer Sunshine's face when he saw his attack miss its mark.

_How did he manage to block it?_ Summer Sunshine turned to look at Shi Feng. At this moment, he had yet to figure out just how Shi Feng had blocked his full-powered blow.

His attack just now used footwork he had created after entering God's Domain.

Not to mention Shi Feng's current weakened state, even if Shi Feng were in peak condition, it still should have been impossible for him to block it.

At this moment, the spectating crowd was similarly shocked by the outcome of the exchange.

The battle between Shi Feng and Summer Sunshine had already exceeded everyone's understanding of the battles in God's Domain. Meanwhile, the last scene only served to add to the confusion in everyone's minds.

No matter how one looked at it, Shi Feng was not in a good condition. Originally, Summer Sunshine was suppressing him. Yet, despite being clearly on his last breath, Shi Feng actually managed to repel Summer Sunshine's mysterious attack.

"Is that Black Flame a monster?

"He's not dead even after this..."

Looking at Shi Feng's fragile state, Lone Tyrant sucked in a cold breath in order to suppress the trembling of his body.

"It seems that Summer Sunshine won't be able to deal with Black Flame by himself. Everyone else, surround Black Flame! Don't bother about the other members of Zero Wing! No matter what, we cannot let Black Flame leave this place alive today!" Youlan commanded as she squinted her beautiful eyes. Although she had long since considered the possibility that Summer Sunshine might fail, that had only been a scenario of hers. Now that such a situation had actually happened, she still found it somewhat hard to accept. However, since the problem had already occurred, they needed to solve it immediately. After seeing how powerful Black Flame was, they had even more reason not to let him go.

Under Youlan's command, the dazed elite members of Overwhelming Smile immediately started taking action, slowly moving to surround Shi Feng. Even the members pinning down Fire Dance and the others promptly retreated to join the encirclement.

Just as Overwhelming Smile's members took action, Summer Sunshine resumed his attack on Shi Feng.

One stab... Two stabs... Three stabs... Five stabs... Ten stabs...

Instantly, Summer Sunshine stabbed at ten different locations on Shi Feng's body. It looked as if the Assassin had released ten blades of light piercing directly at Shi Feng. All ten attacks were aimed at Shi Feng's vital points—if Shi Feng failed to block even one of them, his little remaining HP would instantly zero out.

_Dang... Dang... Dang..._

When Summer Sunshine's daggers approached Shi Feng's body, a silvery-gray glow suddenly flashed across them, deflecting all ten attacks.

However, due to the difference in Strength, although Summer Sunshine's attacks were all deflected, they still forced Shi Feng to retreat several steps. Fortunately, the difference between him and Summer Sunshine was not too great, so Shi Feng did not take any damage from the impact.

"You... How do you know...that swordsmanship?" When Summer Sunshine saw Shi Feng take action once again, he suddenly recalled a swordsmanship he had seen before. Although Shi Feng's mastery of it was still incomplete, having only a few points of semblance, his performance was already very horrifying.

Summer Sunshine's question did not receive a reply from Shi Feng. At this moment, Shi Feng's eyes appeared vacant. He had not heard Summer Sunshine's question at all.

"He's doing it unconsciously?" Summer Sunshine was left slightly speechless when he noticed Shi Feng's fragile state. A strong wind was all that would be needed to send Shi Feng crumbling to the ground right now.

However, Summer Sunshine couldn't care less at the moment. Since he had been entrusted with the task of getting rid of Shi Feng, he still needed to complete it, even with Shi Feng's mental state already at its limit.

On the other hand, even if he did not take action, the approaching members of Overwhelming Smile could still finish off Shi Feng. After all, Shi Feng was now on his last legs.

Just as Summer Sunshine was about to charge at Shi Feng, a large black hole appeared in the deep blue sky all at once. A wolf-headed, human-bodied monster suddenly emerged from within the black hole, exuding a frightening aura that constricted the hearts of everyone present.

"Why is he here?" Fire Dance's complexion paled as she raised her head to look at the monster in the air.

That wolf-headed monster was none other than the Anubis's Gatekeeper.

Only, at this moment, the Gatekeeper was no longer Level 30 but a Level 35 Great Lord, instead. His HP had also risen from 10,000,000 to 15,000,000.

When everyone present looked at the Anubis's Gatekeeper, all of them were confused as to why a Level 35 Great Lord would suddenly appear at this place.

However, Shi Feng's party members understood just why the Gatekeeper would show up here.

The golden stone tablet!

The Anubis's Gatekeeper had been guarding the golden stone tablet all this time. Now that Shi Feng had stolen it, the Great Lord was naturally here for payback.

"It's over... We're truly finished this time... As if dealing with Overwhelming Smile was not enough, now, one more Great Lord is added into the fray..." Blackie had seen for himself how powerful a Great Lord was. Even after Shi Feng went full Berserk, the Gatekeeper could still toy around with him as if he were a little boy. Not to mention, the Gatekeeper's level had even received an upgrade now. Who knew how much stronger the Great Lord was?

Although Blackie and the others sank into despair, the crowd from Overwhelming Smile was on cloud nine.

Overwhelming Smile's main goal had been to raid the Great Lord of White Fog Canyon, only it was simply too difficult to approach the Great Lord inside the Ruined Shrine. The endless waves of Goblins gave them no chance to raid the Great Lord at all.

"A Great Lord?" Lone Tyrant's eyes blazed.

A Field Great Lord was a fantastic opportunity for them to obtain an Epic item.

"Everyone, retreat for now. Scouting parties, keep an eye on the Great Lord. Have all Overwhelming Smile members inside White Fog Canyon gather at my location. We cannot let anyone else have this Great Lord." Youlan was similarly feeling very excited.

Although the Great Lord's level was somewhat high, God's Domain's second system upgrade had significantly weakened the effects of level suppression. It was not like they didn't have a chance at successfully raiding the Great Lord.

Other than assembling the elite members of Overwhelming Smile inside White Fog Canyon, Youlan had also sent for the elite members present at other locations.

"Aoo!" the Anubis's Gatekeeper suddenly howled.

All at once, a wolf's howl echoed throughout the entire White Fog Canyon, making all who heard it shiver in fear. Even the trees were trembling in the face of this howl.

After the Gatekeeper released his angry bellow, he turned to look at the crowd from Overwhelming Smile below him. Suddenly, the Gatekeeper squinted his eyes, a bone-chilling light flashing in them.

In the next moment, a black spear appeared in the Gatekeeper's hand. Silver flames abruptly emerged from the spear as the Gatekeeper aimed the weapon at the crowd from Overwhelming Smile and threw it.

_Xiu!_

The black spear easily rent the obstructing air and landed in the center of the crowd. In the next moment, a fiery inferno erupted into the air high enough to be clearly visible to every player in the outer area of White Fog Canyon.

When the spear landed, all players within a radius of 40 yards died. Not a single one survived. Since the Overwhelming Smile members stood very close together, just this single attack resulted in the loss of several hundred elite members...

"This..." Lone Tyrant's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

How was this a monster? Even a casual attack possessed such catastrophic power. This was practically a god!

Players like them could barely even be considered cannon fodder.

Before Lone Tyrant could finish his words, another black spear appeared in the Gatekeeper's hands. Once more, the Gatekeeper threw his weapon into the crowd below, killing hundreds with his attack yet again.

"Everyone, retreat. Retreat into the forests." Youlan's expression turned extremely ugly upon seeing these catastrophic attacks. She had never imagined that a Great Lord was actually this powerful. Not to mention five or six thousand elite players, even tens of thousands of elite players would not be enough as warm-up for this monster.

If everyone were to continue idling around without taking cover, they would be completely wiped out in only a moment.

As for Black Flame, they could only set him aside for now.

Upon hearing Youlan's command, everyone promptly charged towards the forests without hesitation. Nobody was foolish enough to stand around and serve as live target practice for the Anubis's Gatekeeper.

Summer Sunshine looked at Shi Feng, then at the Gatekeeper in the sky. Heaving a sigh, he turned around and departed.

Fire Dance immediately charged up to the nearly unconscious Shi Feng and dragged him into the nearby forest to hide.

After hiding themselves among the trees, Shi Feng and the others were freed from their combative state.

At this moment, Shi Feng was forcibly logged out of God's Domain and put into his Sleep Space.

Chapter 460 - out war

During the time Shi Feng was in deep slumber, White Fog Canyon had become a forbidden land for players.

White Fog Canyon was a special region where Return Scrolls were unusable.

After the Anubis's Gatekeeper came out from the Land of the Fallen Star, he would kill any player he met. As a result, countless players grinding for the Warfire Set Equipment were massacred.

Although the various Guilds in White River City tried to overwhelm the Gatekeeper through sheer numbers, how could a Level 35 Great Lord possibly be that easy to deal with? After receiving a few Annihilation Spears from the Gatekeeper, the various Guilds in White River City acknowledged their mistake and promptly withdrew from White Fog Canyon, no longer daring to take even half a step inside.

At this moment, everyone realized that, compared to the High Lords they had raided before, a Great Lord was on an entirely different level.

Although High Lords possessed many AOE skills and could cause players a significant amount of trouble, their usage of such skills was infrequent. They would still give players a little breather. As for a Great Lord?

Without hesitation, a Great Lord would immediately use spells of mass destruction. Moreover, it would use them repeatedly in quick succession. Even several tens of thousands of players would not suffice to raid a Great Lord.

Fortunately, the Anubis's Gatekeeper would not leave White Fog Canyon and only roamed inside the canyon itself.

As a result, White Fog Canyon was no longer a gold mine for players but a forbidden land, instead. As for the players grinding for the Warfire Set Equipment, they all gave up on the enterprise. White Fog Canyon was originally a very dangerous place. Now, there was even a roaming Anubis's Gatekeeper inside the canyon. Any who met the Gatekeeper only had death awaiting them. Moreover, the Warfire Set Equipment's drop rate was simply too abysmal. Many who were already entertaining thoughts of giving up had their resolves hardened with the appearance of the Gatekeeper.

However, the matter regarding White Fog Canyon was still insignificant because after the second system upgrade, it became somewhat easier to increase one's Reputation in cities. Hence, the various Guilds promptly started grinding for Reputation. At the same time, they also began to secretly amass Coins. As soon as they possessed sufficient Reputation, they could go into high gear, purchasing real estate in the city and paving a path for their own development in the future.

The various Guilds throughout God's Domain started waging a covert war as they all tried to earn Coins.

There was only a limited number of ways to earn Coins in God's Domain: obtaining it from the drops of monsters; quest rewards; trading with players; and selling junk to NPCs.

A Guild's main method of earning Coins would be through monster drops and quest rewards. However, for Guilds without their own Guild Residences, the amount of Coins they could earn through quest rewards was minimal, so monster drops became the fastest source of income for such Guilds. As a result, areas with abundant resources became the competition grounds of Guilds, leaving independent players with no opportunity to grind for Coins at those locations.

However, at this critical juncture, a jaw-dropping incident occurred in White River City. Two of the major Guilds in White River City, Zero Wing and Overwhelming Smile, actually started an all-out war with each other. They even declared each other as Hostile Guilds through the system. As long as their members met out in the fields, a battle was bound to occur. Since the two Guilds were Hostile Guilds, members of both Guilds would not become Red Names when killing each other. Hence, the members of both Guilds had zero hesitation over starting a battle with members of the opposing Guild.

While other Guilds were silently developing themselves and grinding for Coins, Zero Wing and Overwhelming Smile had suddenly launched an all-or-nothing war against each other.

Of course, the other Guilds in White River City could not be more joyful over this development. They all simply chose to sit back and watch from the sidelines, taking advantage of the situation at appropriate times. They could not help but hope that these two Guilds would suffer a mutual demise.

After all, an all-out war like this would greatly affect both Guilds involved.

In just the first day since Zero Wing and Overwhelming Smile declared war on each other, thousands of members of both Guilds had already died to each other out in the fields.

Since these players were fighting for their respective Guilds, both Guilds had established a reward system. As long as their members killed a player from the opposing Guild, the system would automatically record the achievement. Through these kills, members could receive Contribution Points. Moreover, the number of Contribution Points awarded would vary, depending on the position of the Hostile Guild's member killed; the higher the enemy's position was, the more Contribution Points awarded. Killing an enemy player who had killed many fellow members would also reward more Contribution Points.

Contribution Points could then be exchanged for Guild Points, and these Guild Points could be exchanged for items available inside the Guild's Warehouse.

This was undeniably a competition between both Guilds' background and financial prowess.

\---

Inside a bar in White River City, close to a hundred players were drinking and chatting merrily. They discussed their personal harvests, matters regarding the Secret Pavilion's God's Domain Experts List, and such topics.

At this stage of the game, the bars throughout God's Domain had long since become the place for independent players to exchange information.

"Do you guys want to know why Zero Wing and Overwhelming Smile, two of the most powerful Guilds in White River City, suddenly started an all-out war with each other?" a Level 20 Ranger asked the female Cleric seated beside him while drinking his beer.

"Do you know the reason?" The Cleric girl blinked her eyes, slightly skeptical about the Ranger's words.

"Of course! I have a brother who is an elite member of Overwhelming Smile. He even personally witnessed the reason why both Guilds started the war," the Ranger youth said proudly. "I got a shock when I first heard about this incident from that brother of mine."

"Can you tell me about it?" the female Cleric asked with great curiosity.

The Ranger's voice was quite loud when he spoke, so the players inside the bar heard his words very clearly. At this moment, all of them perked up their ears as well.

Zero Wing and Overwhelming Smile were the tyrants of White River City. With the two Guilds warring with each other, the hostilities would greatly affect White River City as a whole. As inhabitants of White River City, the players were naturally curious about why these two major Guilds would wage an all-out war against each other.

Proudly, that Ranger youth said, "In reality, it was because Overwhelming Smile's members had come into conflict with Zero Wing's members. In the end, Black Flame had slaughtered Overwhelming Smile's hundred-man team. In a fit of rage, the higher-ups of Overwhelming Smile secretly set out to kill the Guild Leader of Zero Wing, Black Flame. Back then, Overwhelming Smile had sent a total of 2,000 elite members.

"Overwhelming Smile had even invited the help of an extremely powerful expert. If not for the Anubis's Gatekeeper showing up, Black Flame might have been killed back then. Having their Guild Leader encircled was a great humiliation for Zero Wing. Naturally, they would not let matters rest. In the end, they declared an all-out war with Overwhelming Smile."

The players inside the bar felt that the Ranger's words sounded logical.

This was a matter of the Guild's reputation. How could Zero Wing possibly concede this matter? Moreover, the hostility present between the two Guilds was something long-standing. Obviously, after the encirclement this time, Zero Wing could finally endure Overwhelming Smile's antics no longer.

"I wonder which Guild will come out victorious in this all-our war?"

"I think that it should be Overwhelming Smile. The Guild's main headquarters is based in Maple City. It also possesses massive financial support. Haven't you seen how excellent the benefits offered by Overwhelming Smile are? Just the monthly salary of the elite members is enough to make one drool. How could Zero Wing possibly compare?"

"It should be Zero Wing. After all, this place is White River City. Zero Wing possesses a Guild Residence here. Moreover, there are plenty of experts in the Guild. You can't imagine just how excellent the benefits provided by their Guild Hall are. Among them, the most welcomed is the private rooms. One can accumulate Double EXP buffs by resting inside these private rooms. Moreover, Zero Wing's Guild Warehouse is the envy of every Guild in White River City. There are plenty of Level 25 equipment stored inside. Right now, many of the players who had defected to Overwhelming Smile regret leaving in the first place."

For a time, everyone in the bar discussed the war between the two major Guilds.

However, a party of six, seated at a corner of the bar, smiled contemptuously over this matter.

"It seems that Black Flame only amounts to this much. Leader, must we really go searching for him?" a Level 26 Swordsman murmured.

"Search. Only after testing him would we know whether or not he qualifies."